I recently got to be the guest on the “following to lead” podcast and we talked about the truth of the afterlife.

Given the challenges, it is good for students, friends and parents to talk about some improvements. Unless they work hard against it, students are spending almost all day, every day, online and in their rooms. This is not a recipe for mental health. Here are some ideas to discuss with your college student… or, if…Continue reading College students are really struggling during Covid quarantine – part 2

College students are struggling in this era of Covid 19. I am not taking the time to look up much data, but a quick search indicated that my impression that college students, especially freshmen, are struggling to adapt away at college. This should come as no surprise, as there are several very challenging factors that…Continue reading College students are really struggling during Covid quarantine

Granted, as a pastor and a psychologist, I am a fan of the Johnson Amendment.  I am also concerned about this push for some kind of moral competition and, at the same time, moral equivalence. In other words, as a leader in a non-profit organization, I do not want to be responsible to integrate people’s political views…Continue reading We are Barbarians – Injustice Conversation

“Be still, and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10 Two of my friends and I were sitting on my back porch talking.  You may know Dr. Stan Ward and John Keeling; we did this each month, late in the evening, doing our best to feel like Lewis, Tolkien and the other guy meeting at the pub…Continue reading Are there Spaces that are Sacred?

Patoya wrote a letter to her church family in an effort to help shepherd them through many of the challenges loving Christians are trying to handle well!  I think her insights are valuable to us all: Hello family. I’ve been reflecting on a lot as of late. I thought I’d invite each of you into…Continue reading Guest Post – Christian Leader, PaToya Hall on “Race” Issues

Here is the honest truth, I see and celebrate your color. I believe in justice.  I want protests to be successful.  I want them to be clear and lead to positive results. I think a black man should be able to jog safely; I think a black person should be treated identically to a white…Continue reading Trying to See Color part V

A couple of years ago, I was inspired to try to understand the experience of my African American friends.  I heard example after example of personal experiences of their human dignity being affronted, their safety being challenged and sometimes their lives being threatened!  I was stunned. At about the same time, the phrase “Black Lives…Continue reading Trying to See Color part IV

One of my great joys is partnering with others to offer the insights, wisdom and truth we need in day-to-day life in order to thrive.  Here is a pretty solid list of resources that may speak into the current situation(s) that might be helpful. And you may even need a list that you can copy…Continue reading Various Resources that you may Need to Thrive

…Second, this topic of ethnically based prejudice and abuse is important to me because I consider it the second great injustice of our age.  This is one of the two reasons that future generations will think of us as backwards and barbaric. The degree of racism of today will be considered stone-age thinking in the…Continue reading Trying to See Color part III

I want to learn to see your color. Decades ago, I asked a black friend of mine if the goal of being “color-blind” was actually a good thing.  I had read some of Dr. King’s perspectives, listened to Michael Jackson music (“I don’t want to spend my life being a color”) and because of my…Continue reading Trying to See Color Part II

 How to Plan Your Own Funeral and Protect Your Family  If you’ve never helped plan a funeral, then you may be unaware of the financial aspects that can occur during this time. You may also be unaware of the other decisions that need to be made when someone is nearing the end of life. There…Continue reading How to Plan Your Own Funeral and Protect Your Family – guest writer

People leading this resource reached out to me to see what I thought of what they offered, and I was impressed.  There isn’t any payment or anything like that going on here, I was just authentically amazed at the amount of work these guys seem to be doing to create a valuable and up-to-date resource.…Continue reading Help.ORG resources

Consumer Mindset One of the greater dangers to honoring preferences when we are considering switching churches is that it give us a consumer mindset within the Body of Christ rather than a Servant Mindset. The Church on Earth is a servant Incarnation.  We come to serve (and worship – hence the name) … and constantly being…Continue reading How and When to Switch churches – part 10! (and final chapter)

At our church, we talk about how fun personal preferences are, and how cool it is that God has given us 168 hours a week and how in most weeks, we are allowed to engage with our favorite music, our favorite books and sermons and Bible passages for around 165 of them. For about 3…Continue reading How and When to Switch churches – part 9

Here is an interesting one that I have wrestled with under the heading of Leadership priorities Perhaps there is a “leader” reason that the leadership priorities don’t match up with yours. Again, this would most often be an issue of alignment and submission.  I need to submit to and align myself into the line of the direction…Continue reading How and When to Switch churches – part 8

Notice, this was more than a mere preference.  This was a priority.  The first kind that I think is an appropriate time to change local churches, other than the Basics changing, are Family Priorities. Objective Christian deal breakers include things like sin being embraced by the established leadership (notice that this is not about perfection,…Continue reading How and When to Switch churches – part 7