Holy Soup

Punctuated with mild profanity, the rumpled lady described her colorful visits to her favorite psychic. Her tablemates chuckled—except for the well-dressed man who never spoke. …

The 30-minute lecture (a.k.a. sermon) anesthetizes the audience every week. As I reported in my last post, most people remember very little of the typical …

What was the point of the last sermon you heard? Over the years, I’ve interviewed church-goers on Wednesdays. I asked them what they remember from the …

Why do some find it fashionable to bad-mouth short-term missions? I heard it again at a recent conference. The American white guy at the microphone …

“The Bible? You believe in that?” Ben asked. Ben walked into our Lifetree Café today—looking for something. I learned he was a successful businessman, friend …

Ministry tends to be hard, messy and thankless. At the end of a long week, the last thing you want to hear is another complaint …

The vast majority of today’s pew sitters resist volunteering at their churches. If your church resembles most, less than 20 percent of your congregation engages …

Unhealthy egos have a way of choking a ministry. They inevitably turn attention toward the minister–and away from the message, away from the Body, and …

Larry loved teenagers. Everyone thought he was the perfect pick as the church’s youth minister. But he bombed. What happened? I remember when he came …

Surprise! It’s one of the missing ingredients in today’s church. Most church worship services and programs have become so predictable, so varnished, so rehearsed, and …