New Year's Eve Roundup: Eight Articles

Hoverboards In Church? 22 Differences Between Gimmicks and Innovations

Gimmicks are like candy. They're fun for a moment. But you can't build a steady diet – or a strong church – on them. Read More

Building a Volunteer Culture in Your Church

It can be difficult, at times, to recruit volunteers at church. How might we create a volunteer culture in our churches? Read More

Affluence and Discontentment

Those of us who live in the developed world today enjoy a measure of wealth that is almost beyond understanding. This is the kind of wealth that billions of the world’s population can only dream of. This is wealth that previous generations could not have imagined. And it is not merely money that we enjoy in such abundance, but also comfort, influence, and so much else. We are incredibly, unbelievably, divinely blessed. And yet, many of us can identify that this wealth brings with it a kind of illness, a spiritual malaise that some have labeled “affluenza.” Are we sick with affluenza? And if so, is there a way that we can use and enjoy our affluence without succumbing to this ugly disease? Read More

How It Became So Easy to Ignore the Poor

Growing income inequality and economic segregation have insulated our privilege. Read More

Ten Check Up Questions for the New Year

Several years ago, in our pastors group, we decided to be more precise in how we want to be held accountable. So we each set off to write a series of questions. My ten questions are below. Though they are six years old by now, I try to come back to them at the start of each year. No doubt, the questions reflect my own weaknesses, temptations, and priorities. There may be better questions for you and your friends. But perhaps these ten questions will be a good place to start. Read More

7 New Year Resolutions Which Could Change Your World

Whether or not you do New Year resolutions, we could all stand to improve some things in our life. And, if we do, I’m confident we could also improve the life of others. In fact, with a whole lot of improving – it might become contagious – and we might just change the world. Read More

The Secret To Actually Crushing Your New Year’s Resolutions

Why is that so many of us set out to accomplish something but fail to do as much as we’d hope? The answer is simpler than you think. It involves a dynamic few people talk about. But once you see it, things can begin to change. Radically.The principle? If you don’t like the results you get, change the pattern the you’ve set. Let me explain. Read More

How I Started Praying the Bible

The entire Bible is a prayer book. Read More

This is an excellent practice which I hope that readers will adopt in the new year. I have personally benefited from it over the years.