Last weekend, I judged at a small debate tournament over in East Independence. I've written before about different kinds of debate (e.g., Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Great Communicators), and this was yet another style of debate called "Big Questions." Big Questions debates are about...
Just over 10 years ago, our denomination (the Evangelical Free Church of America) clarified their doctrinal statement to more accurately and succinctly articulate our core doctrines. The EFCA way is to keep our statement minimal - only those statements that are core to Christianity being...
The tragic events in Paris of this last week reiterate the deep truth that our hope is not in anything other than the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not church buildings, not Christian subculture, not Christian activities and good deeds, not in the powerful nature of our experiences, not in our...
I love baseball. Yes, still. I always will, no matter what. I will always root for my home team, no matter what. I don't love our current record. But I love the game, and so I will always be an enthusiastic fan of my team. I love the idea of baseball. I love the beauty of its...
This Friday and Saturday, I will be judging the Midwest Region Great Communicators Debate tournament. It's a unique debate format, which I'm very excited about. There are several kinds of debate styles that are common in high school tournaments: Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public...
I recently heard a challenging thought: American evangelicals are worried about prosperity. Many evangelicals overseas are worried about poverty. These are broad generalizations, but when you look at the aggregate, it's far, far more true than we care to admit. We are blessed with relative...
There is a wealth of ideas on how to share your faith, how to engage people in spiritual conversations, and how to present the Good News of Jesus Christ. Many are great - but some, not so much. But there's no one right, best way. It's helpful to know several ways, and especially helpful to be...
The Readable Bible (https://readablebible.com/) is a Bible translation project started by Rod Laughlin, who lives in nearby Leawood. Rod has been a businessman and seminary student - but more than that, Rod deeply loves Christ and His Word. The main purpose of TRB is: "The Readable Bible is...
When I served at a church in Middle Georgia, I didn't have a single faith-informed counselor or therapist that I could refer people to. I never found one who had advanced skills in counseling along with a view of Biblical integration that I resonated with. Either they were too nouthetic...
Every year, PastorServe hosts a pastor appreciation breakfast for the KC Metro area. PastorServe exists to support and edify pastors, and thereby strengthen the church. Their primary ministry is to provide coaching for pastors. At these breakfasts, we usually get a bag of books or other helpful...