I am grateful to report that I survived last Tuesday's colonoscopy, and to my husband's great disappointment, I didn't say anything too wacky when I was on the drugs. We had a wonderful gathering for Thanksgiving which included welcoming home my college daughter and also meeting my niece's...

A good word for teachers and all of us who put together services, events & presentations, Seth Godin , Blah, blah, blah, blah...

Our church welcomed back an old friend this weekend, as Tommy Walker and a small team of musicians came to lead us in worship. There was a time way back when Tommy came to Willow at least three times a year, but it's been awhile since he's joined us. It was a gift to hear some of his new music...

I'm still giving thanks for how God worked at our weekend services. We are in a series about Influence, and this weekend was focusing on the potential of the next generation to make a powerful difference - how God often uses young people to do his best work! In the middle of the opening worship run...

The news just keeps getting worse on the economy, and many of our churches are right in the middle of the budgeting process. Today I participated in one of those meetings where everyone tries to be hopeful and visionary while also facing the realities ahead of us. Like all people of faith, we hold to...

Every Wednesday at noon these days I walk to the other end of the Willow Campus from my office at the Willow Creek Association to join the creative team at my church who are entrusted with planning the weekend services. What is different from the past (20 years or so!) is that I don't have a responsibility...

I invested this past weekend serving the Neffsville Mennonite Church in Lancaster Pennsylvania, teach workshops all day Saturday and bringing the message on Sunday. At the end of the Sunday morning service, Pastor Harry Jarrett came up to deliver the benediction, and then gave me a spectacular gift....

I was talking on the phone yesterday with Jason Hatley, the Worship Arts Director of the Journey Church in New York City. He mentioned that they are just starting this weekend a new series about finances - and this was planned a year ago! I told him that God is VERY GOOD to them, and he laughed. Truly...

I just spent a long lunch (our quarterly Chicago area Brown Bag Lunch) with arts leaders from local churches exploring the future of drama in the church. There are some who wonder, or loudly declare, that drama is no longer culturally relevant in a worship setting. We discussed whether this might be...

I can't believe June is here. My boys finished school Friday, the conference is 8 days away, I leave on vacation two days after the conference (Father's day) and it feels like June is gone! So, I've been thinking of Father's day but conference details have kept me busy. I've been...