Strengthen: Lessons from the ‘no clutch shift’
Growing up around the farm in southwest Oklahoma provided many wonderful opportunities, including learning how to drive at any early age. While I’m not sure of the details of the transaction, my dad acquired my grandfather’s late 1960s Ford farm truck when I was a boy. Because of the age and the condition of a well-used farm vehicle, they thought teaching a boy to drive it would not do any further damage. The truck had a standard...
Strengthen: Takeaways from a church revitalization panel
We recently had the privilege of hosting at Falls Creek a group of leaders from across the Southern Baptist Convention who are striving to assist churches in their state and regions in need of revitalization. I have had the opportunity to participate in this State Revitalization Network for the past four years and have noticed a common thread in our group. This is the thread: church revitalization is hard work, and there is a great...
Strengthen: Encourage church-wide Bible reading
As another year draws to a close, our thoughts naturally trend toward the celebration of the gift of God’s Son at Christmas. It’s a special time of the year that I pray will be blessed in your family and church. It is also a time of the year when we start to consider the New Year and what it has in store. In the life of the church, that often means new committees and budgets with new emphasis and initiatives. I want to challenge you...
Strengthen: How to communicate change
A couple of Sundays ago was a great day in my world. The church where I am currently serving as transitional pastor heard dynamic testimonies of how God is changing lives through the Celebrate Recovery ministry they sponsor. The church I previously served in called a new pastor with excitement and anticipation for the future. Leaders of the church I served prior to that were at an event where I spoke, sharing the good things God was...
Strengthen: CrossTimbers at 10
CrossTimbers Children’s Mission Adventure Camp stands on the shoulders of the rich legacy of Camp Nunny Cha-ha for girls and Camp Hudgens for boys and their heritage of teaching children the value of missions. In 2006, while I was serving on the BGCO board, as a pastor, I was asked to chair a task force to make recommendations regarding the future of the children’s mission camps. Both camps had experienced a decline in participation...
