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An Unexpected Option

An Unexpected Option

I wrote last week about my first job offer, which wasn’t actually a job offer. I wanted to share a second story about a real opportunity that has often made me wonder what if.    Because our primary focus was university ministry for our entire time in...
Why I quit my first church staff role

Why I quit my first church staff role

Last week I wrote about my first job offer. I was writing about my second when another story came to mind. I’ll leave it to you to decide what this says about me. After completing a ministry internship, I moved to Albany in 1989 and went on staff at a church. Although...
My First “Job” Offer

My First “Job” Offer

A couple of days ago, I posted about an experience Liz and I had speaking at a church back in the 1990s. In addition to travelling to churches to talk about campus ministry, because we were generally free on Sundays, we had many opportunities to fill in at churches...
sermon stealing…and other types of thievery

sermon stealing…and other types of thievery

The issue of sermon stealing has been in the news lately. I’ve wanted to write about something since Scot McKnight began discussing it a couple of years ago…I’ve been putting some thought together. I hope to post it in the next week or so. But the topic of church and...

Tales from the Road : The Old Neighborhood

It is still crazy for me to realize that I moved to Albany 29 years ago this August, and haven’t lived here for 24 years. This morning we had breakfast in our old neighborhood. The picture above is of the parking lot of the local Hannafords. It used to be Stop and...

Ithaca

All four of my kids are from Ithaca, NY. That seems weird to say because when we lived there it seemed nobody was from Ithaca. It always seemed like a place where people came for 3 to 5 years to go to school or work before they went on to someplace else. Which meant...
It Feels So Good When I Stop…

It Feels So Good When I Stop…

I’ve met people in Europe who have told me that church planting doesn’t work over here like it does in the States where you just “put up a sign and people show up.” That’s funny for a couple of reasons. First off, that is not the experience of most church...