The Permanent Revolution is a Great Read
The Permanent Revolution, by Alan Hirsch and Tim Catchim Let the fireworks begin! You’ll either love The Permanent Revolution or you’ll hate it. Hirsch and Catchim have opened a huge can of worms that has been rotting for centuries. What can am I referring to? The Apostolic can. The authors declare that it is impossible for […]
Play to Your Strengths
One of the most disconcerting practices I find in the church is the near obsession we have with our faults and our weaknesses. I’m not sure who to blame for what amounts to bad theology, but it seems that Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and Wesley may all share some of it. Or perhaps it’s the whole […]
The Power of Choice
I just finished reading a book synopsis on a flight to the deep South. Sheena Ivengar’s Art of Choosing provided me some grist to grind as I secret-shopped a mid-sized church in Texas (with an average worship attendance of around 300). Although this church hosted both traditional and contemporary worship services, I noticed in both services […]
Inside Information
Over the years, when I’ve sat in interviews (on both sides of the table) I’ve heard the ever-popular question “What would you say are your main strengths and what are your weaknesses?” many times. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that most readers will have had to answer that question sometime […]
The Primacy of Preaching Part Two
Following my reading of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ classic book, Preaching and Preachers, I want to address one of the most common objections to most of his conclusions. Many people respond to Lloyd-Jones by simply saying it’s no longer 1950. And that’s right; it isn’t. But here is his response in my own words. His approach is […]
The Primacy of Preaching
I’m reading a fascinating book, Preaching and Preachers, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I must confess, I’ve never read anything by him before and that’s a shame. The book is an excellent read. His premise is that preaching is the primary thing a minister does. He gives three reasons. One, because preaching is primary in the […]