Sullenberger and Flight 1549—Prefiguring Christ

We raptly sat in front of the TV Sunday night watching the 60 Minutes story on the miracle on the Hudson River, Flight 1549.  Captain Sullenberger recounted, almost second by second, the drama of losing the engines on his jet and the quick decisions that led to the hard, but safe, landing in the water [...]

Discovering God’s Will: Conformed and Transformed

Many of my friends and associates work in churches and ministries.  Some of them talk quite a bit about being “reformed.”  They make it a point to bring this up often.  Some even go as far as to include the label on their blogs and websites.  There are debates among my Southern Baptist friends these [...]

Discovering God’s Will: A First Step

How has God been at work in your life? We spend time reading Scripture, praying, rendering acts of worship, but we tend to treat these discrete passages of time as separate events.  There is a tendency to say that God is in each of these moments and then we work ourselves up emotionally, and these [...]

Attempt Great Things for Who?

“Expect great things; attempt great things.” Originally spoken in his sermon to the Baptist Association meeting in Northampton, England, May 30, 1792, William Carey, the “father” of the modern missionary movement, used the citation to urge his Baptist colleagues to enter the missionary enterprise.  It formed the twofold division of his sermon, framing the challenge [...]

Obama and McCain Going Public with Their Giving: Observations for the Next Generation

By now you are probably aware that both Barack Obama and John McCain have posted prior year personal tax returns on their respective websites for public inspection. Public officials being public about private financial matters merit some positive and public praise. But let’s be careful as we scrutinize the candidates’ charitable giving.
Yes, we see that [...]

Narcissism and God’s Will Don’t Mix

It is heartening to see the number of churches today that offer enriching courses to their members. The courses cover the gamut of biblical topics. At my own church it is always interesting to see which classes fill up the quickest, perhaps as a commentary on where the heart of the church is [...]

My First Capital Campaign

My wife Lisa and I learned an important lesson early in our married life about stewardship. We lived in a great community and were members of a great church. The preaching was good, the Bible lessons were good, the people were good, and most importantly, the food was good. Every time we [...]

Faith and Governance: The Role of the Ministry Board

Wisdom. Dedication. Leadership. Advisors. These are all terms commonly used to describe nonprofit board members. And all of these terms are applicable and relevant. But what about board members of the average nonprofit ministry? Is there one role that is more needed or desired over another? Or should other roles be added to the list?
To [...]

Reflecting on Declines in Giving to Religion

By far, the largest amount of charitable giving in the United States on a year-by-year basis is to religious causes. So, should we be concerned if we see shifts in certain factors surrounding this area of philanthropy?
Maybe so. The alarm sounded with the recent release of a study by the Indiana University Center [...]