Easter Sunday is arguably the most well-attended Sunday of the year for churches. Mother’s Day and Christmas Eve (when it falls on a Sunday) both compete for the highest attendance of the year, but neither of those holidays can compete with the energy, engagement, and elevated style of Easter Sunday. I’ve often heard it referred to as “the Super Bowl Sunday” for the church. This year I also heard...
The Rooster Crows: The Call of Jesus
The meanest and scariest creature I have ever encountered was a rooster. If you want an animal to protect your family and property, forget about an attack dog; Get yourself an attack rooster! As a teenager, some friends and I used to head over to the home of a local farmer friend for occasional bonfires. He had the most aggressive and intimidating rooster I have ever seen. Those of us who had...
The Trouble with Easter (Something Worth Celebrating)
I have a confession to make… I DO NOT LOVE EASTER. It’s OK if you’re judging me a little upon reading this revelation. I judge myself. We can just add it to the ever-growing list of things that make me an unfit pastor. I just don’t enjoy this holiday. I hate the soft, pastel colors that dominate this season. I find the human-sized rabbits that attend our parties and that supposedly deliver candy...
The Rock: Foundation or Stumbling Stone
In any given story, there will always be characters with whom we resonate more than others. This is true of your favorite television show, movie, or book. I’m fairly certain we could each provide numerous examples of characters whom we wish we could emulate. Undoubtedly, however, there exists an equally robust corpus of characters whom, for better or worse, serve as accurate examples of our own...
The Difficulties in Forgiveness: An Easter Addendum
There are few acts of grace that are more difficult to give, to request, or to receive than forgiveness. When we are the ones who are wronged, it is difficult to see beyond the hurt and the bitterness that so quickly seep into our hearts and minds. Most of us want to move past the issue, but it is so hard to restore trust once it’s been betrayed. When we are the ones who have wronged others, it...
From Passion to Compassion
I once saw a shirt at a cross country meet that read, “My sport is your sport’s punishment.” I literally laughed out loud as I read it. It’s one of those instances when something is funny because it’s true. In most athletic pursuits, running is a means to an end, not the end itself. Running is used to condition a body, to prepare it for the rigors of athletic competition. It strengthens the...
After Easter
And, just like that, another Easter has come and passed. Billions of plastic eggs have been found, all except that one that was hid a little too well under a tuft of grass in the middle of the yard for you to find with a lawn mower at a later date. Children and adults alike have consumed enough candy to choke a piñata. Family gatherings were had and survived, with or without the presence of...
What’s So Good About Friday?
A study released in 2018 revealed what most of us already knew to be true; Friday is the best day of the week. The study revealed that most of us dislike Monday’s, are indifferent towards the mid-week days of Tuesday through Thursday, and love the weekends, especially the gateway thereto, FRIDAY! The study explained that our affinity for Friday is due in part to the frequency with which we speak...
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