Rich Mullins – 20 years after the accident: A Repost

Every once in a while I like to do a sketch on historical Christians called Walking with the Giants. Not only does it draw on a strong link to the past, but also gives us insight into present day situations knowing that Christian brothers and sisters walked with Jesus just like us and have had …

Getting Started in Leadership

I had a friend ask mine if I would put together a list of the most important things that developing leaders should do in order to grow. Below is just a brief snapshot of a few ideas. Here's the list. 1. Spend time with leaders. At least once a month ask a leader to lunch …

Lewis and Spurgeon

I love the writings of C.S. Lewis and C.H. Spurgeon. They have labored in the mines of my devotion towards Christ. They were preachers, similar thinkers, and both loyal to the Queen, but with different kinds of pulpits. The difference is that Lewis makes me want make someone a cappuccino, have a good cry together …

A Primer on Disciple-Making

I remember listening to one of the pastors preach on a Sunday evening at Cherry Street Baptist Church, in Springfield Missouri during my second Senior year at Baptist Bible College. Yes, I said my second Senior year. It was the only year they offered the program and haven't offered it since:) Okay, I crammed four …

Oops… I did it again.

"Did you mean to set ten tables up instead of 6?  I'm the only one here and I don't have time to rearrange the room before the event." "Mr. Holman, your work is great but you only used one division statement instead of writing one for each one." I woke up this morning with both …

My Five Year Plan

It would always bother me when I couldn’t answer people who would ask if I had a five year plan. I’ve never been one to plan that far ahead and can barely see out of this week let alone 5 years from now. This is not what you call being proactive. I’ve spent too much …

If you and I had lunch…

I've always liked to eat and working in a university kitchen these past few weeks has given me a new appreciation for good food. Another of my favorite things is eating lunch with someone (Of course my wife gets first priority as my lifetime lunch buddy). Sometimes I sit down with people over lunch specifically …

Focused Thinking

I've been reading How Successful People Think by John Maxwell. The chapter I'm highlighting in this post is on the power of focused thinking. I've struggled with focus my entire life and this list of questions I developed from the reading will no doubt come in handy for setting goals more effectively.  Here they are. …

Sweet Meats and Treats

Read 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 Christian liberty is not an all access pass to eat, drink, or buy whatever we like. This text reminds us that young believers are to be protected by more mature believers if they lack knowledge of their new liberty in Christ where certain restrictions from the O.T. Law no longer apply. …

Is Your Vision Underwhelming?

One thing I often say at New Hope is "all we have to offer is the love and grace of Jesus Christ".  With that said I'm convinced that anything else we have to offer as a church outside of that amounts to nothing in the end (Philippians 3:10).  I quoted John Piper this past Sunday saying, "I am …