Almost every day is the same; I spend most of my day looking straight ahead and a much smaller portion looking down. It is rare that I shift my visual focus upward, and rarer still for my upward gaze to persist for any length of time. On July 4, I found myself making an exception as I watched an impressive and lengthy (almost 30 minutes!) fireworks show from my home in Fort Worth, Texas. And, now, I'm recognizing that this temporary visual reorientation provided me with a larger Read More …
planning
What Students Think of Me (#1755)
A few weeks ago I shared some reflections on my life as an adjunct professor. Since writing that post, I've spent some time looking back over the last eight years. Student Evaluations In higher education, students are usually afforded the opportunity to evaluate their professors. In my case as an adjunct professor at Hodges University, my students were provided an opportunity to complete an optional online questionnaire near the end of the semester. These anonymous Read More …
The End of Children’s Sermons? (#0875)
Mary Jacob's recent article considers the role of children's messages/sermons in worship. Most importantly, she provides perspective that allows readers to more fully consider if the practice is appropriate in their congregation. It hasn't always been this way. Children's messages/sermons began appearing in worship services in the late nineteenth century, but didn't become common until the 1970s and 1980s. Children's messages/sermons often lack focus or are directed at a Read More …
Mid-Year Evaluation (#0777)
While there is a lingering culture fascination with New Year's resolutions, the emphasis is clearly making rather than keeping them. As one who has resolved more often than not to refrain from making such resolutions I surprised myself by making one in 2012. I have managed to keep it, but have found it to be more challenging than anticipated on a few occasions. So What? We have reached the mid-point of 2012: six months experienced and six months remain. This mid-point is the Read More …
Learning from Other Congregations (#0469)
Warren Bird, Research Director for Leadership Network and co-author of 24 books on various aspects of church health and innovation, blogged about the feedback he received from a recent focus group of pastors who shared their "great ideas for great churches," which include: Gifts for first-time newcomers Partnering with the local YMCA Shaping the Culture of the City Intentionally Multi-Ethnic Churches Citywide Youth Group Planting Churches to Reach People Like You So Read More …
Your Church’s Social Media Goals (#0446)
Adam Bowers, owner of Adam Bowers Media, recently blogged about the advice he gives churches about creating social media goals. Since there is no universally accepted standard of success and no simple way for parishes to determine how their results compare to other churches, he presents a solid framework for developing a social media strategy: Do your homework – research pre-existing social media use at your church. Before you can formulate goals, you need to make sure Read More …