God, we know that some of Your servants are resting today. They are practicing Sabbath. Thank You for this gift. Help them to unplug and find restoration in You. Amen

Well finally we can continue on in our lives. The new prince of reality TV has been crowned in Kris Allen. With a staggering 100 million votes, this year’s American Idol broke its previous records. The result show was the buzz around the office, talk shows, and social networks. Now that the dust (and...

I'm speaking next weekend on the pursuit of friendship in our church services - so I've definitely got friendship in the forefront of my mind. I am working hard to be sure the message has urgency, and doesn't just feel like a casual, lightweight Memorial Day message. I think a lot of people...

Families. The best of them are challenging. They can bring the best out of you and easier than we would care to admit they can bring the worst out of us. Families & ministry. There is a challenging combination. Both incredibly wonderful. Both incredibly fulfilling. Both incredibly demanding. Both...

Nothing is more frustrating than something you can't do. My journey as an illustrator started when I was young. I loved the medium of pen and paper. However, painting was another story. I just could not control the medium in a way to communicate what I wanted to express. It was too ambiguous and...

Normally, any term with the suffix, ‘aholic’ is seen as being negative. It’s because we only see the negative results of it. Whether in church, business, or play, too much of anything usually means neglect in other important areas like health, spirituality, relationships, finances, etc. The problem is...

Yesterday, I took my good friend and administrative assistant, Ann Keefer, to lunch. It was a good-bye of sorts, because Ann is leaving our staff after a decade of faithful service. I can't imagine my life without her. She is the one who posts these blogs! She has served alongside me and other leaders...

I would like to provoke some thought about the allure and the potential hazards of being a 'manager'. If you have any sort of organizational skills, any sort of leadership abilities, or any amount of charisma, it’s not too long until someone thinks you should be a manager. If you are willing...

I have a growing excitement with the rise of the amateur artists. With the introduction of Photoshop, Mac tech, hi-end cameras, blogs, and other resources, young artists are resourced more than ever. With that said, I also have a growing concern with the dependence on these tools- actually less like...

" This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise," Vincent wrote to his brother Theo, " with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big ." (1889) Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most celebrated artists of all time, lived a very troubled life. Estranged...