I think the first complaint we may have uttered as children is “that’s not fair.” And the last complaint we very well may utter before death is “life’s not fair.” Those phrases are our attempts to articulate the irreconcilable injustices of life, particular to our comparisons with others. The Teacher of Ecclesiastes may have possessed…
Modern Day Prophets
I was an early adopter to Twitter and still use it on a daily basis. For the last several weeks, my feed has been occupied by modern day prophets who are elbowing their way into the evangelical conscience, pounding the keyboard about problems in the American church in 140 characters or less. There are three…
Secrecy vs. Confidentiality
It’s common to hear a church leader struggle with the challenge of developing and discipling their givers when their church’s giving records are closed. My company, MortarStone Generosity, provides data analytics and intelligence software that measure the recency, frequency, volume and tenure of givers so that church leaders can encourage givers to take steps toward…
The Tyranny of Time (Ecclesiastes 3:1-15)
Football season is here, which means that many of us will spend our Saturdays and Sundays watching games either in person or on television. Each game begins the same. Two opposing teams take the field with the same score: 0-0. The game kicks off and concludes when time elapses and the scoreboard announces the final…
Being Fully Present (Ecclesiastes 2:18-26)
I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! So I gave up in…
What’s Up With Deconstruction?
A friend sent me an article today from the Mere Orthodoxy website asking my thoughts about the current trend of theological deconstruction that is becoming prevalent in evangelical communities of faith. The author, Skyler Flowers, does an appreciable job of attempting to develop categories that sort the conversation, albeit akin to nailing jello to the…
Barna on Global Missions Trends
I realize that the primary focus of American churches during the global pandemic has been and continues to be re-opening and re-engaging their congregations, but according to Barna’s most recent report, churches also have a lot of work to do in the area of re-engaging in global missions and evangelism. According to his report titled,…
MLK Jr’s Volunteer Commitment Card
I was unaware that Martin Luther King, Jr., required every volunteer to sign the following commitment card: I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF–MY PERSON AND MY BODY–TO THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS. MEDITATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice…
I Hate (my) Life (Ecclesiastes 2:12-18)
So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the…
The Experiment Continues (Ecclesiastes 2:4-11)
I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I…
