Located just 500 miles northeast of Vancouver, the Fraser River in British Columbia divides into two streams. One flows eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The other runs westward to the Pacific Ocean. Dubbed as the Great Divide, just six inches after the fork in the river, each new conduit is unchangeably fixed. So it is in life. Along the way there are certain decisions that have the power to forever
New Coke was a colossal failure. In 1985, after decades as a premier global brand producing the world’s most popular soft drink, the Coca-Cola Company’s leadership misjudged the slight uptick in Pepsi’s popularity, panicked, and spent millions testing, marketing, and releasing “New Coke.” The backlash was immediate and significant. Coca-Cola saw a revenue drop, suggesting a 20% market share loss in some regions. I didn’t like it. I was one
Years ago, in a Sunday School class, our teacher, an older woman, gave the class of young mothers this advice: “Don’t ever let anyone rob you of the opportunity to win your child to Christ.” As we celebrate Mother’s Day on May 11, we honor all mothers. As a mother, we realize the time of childhood is so very short. There are so many things we need to teach our
Be kind! Be loving! Be focused! Be passionate! These key four steps can change the culture of your church. Too often, we let ‘busy-ness’ take over and we fall into the routine of so many tasks. But these four simple steps could help you to get back on track in terms of what the Lord has for you in your church and community: First, we must always try to be
Jeff Vanlandingham is not the mayor of Lawrenceburg, but I’m pretty sure he could be if he wanted. I recently sat at a table close to the door of Co-Work Coffee Shop with Jeff and he knew every person who entered. There was a greeting, a handshake, a question about family, or school, or a job, or something else, and then we’d resume our conversation until the door opened again.
Yale University was founded because Harvard University was deemed too liberal. How ironic is that, considering both universities are light-years away from their founding principles. My wife, Jeanne, and I were touring Yale last year with a young tour guide who used the word “secular” more than a dozen times during the 90-minute tour. It felt like an intentional effort to position the brand. In a moment away from the
Our beautiful state of Tennessee has more than 3,000 partner churches spreading across the farmlands, metropolitan areas, and small communities from Memphis to Mountain City. In our attempt to get as close to our churches and associations as possible, we have six regional Harvest Field Team Leaders and one ethnic/language Harvest Field Team Leader who relate directly to the churches, pastors, and associational missionaries in their region. I’m a “player
When I received the call to serve as prayer catalyst for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s new “Prayer Matters” initiative, I couldn’t help but feel God’s hand in this new chapter of my life. After 24 years as an educator and decades leading Bible studies and prayer groups in my hometown of Murfreesboro, this role feels like a natural extension of my lifelong passion. Prayer has always been a hot
It’s Passion Week. Good Friday and Easter offer followers of Jesus Christ a great opportunity for ministry, reflection and celebration. Seasons like this are always tricky for church leaders. We’re excited about the celebration of the cross and the empty tomb, but we also feel the pressure of additional ministry events, opportunities and adjusted schedules. And of course, we want our Easter sermons to be the best, most creative, most
For Christians, Easter is the most important festival of the church. During this time, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the dead. Parents have many opportunities to establish traditions for their children in remembering this important event. Read the story of the crucifixion, Christ’s death and resurrection in Matthew, chapters 27 and 28. Use some of the following ideas for your family
Located just 500 miles northeast of Vancouver, the Fraser River in British Columbia divides into two streams. One flows eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The
New Coke was a colossal failure. In 1985, after decades as a premier global brand producing the world’s most popular soft drink, the Coca-Cola Company’s
Years ago, in a Sunday School class, our teacher, an older woman, gave the class of young mothers this advice: “Don’t ever let anyone rob
Be kind! Be loving! Be focused! Be passionate! These key four steps can change the culture of your church. Too often, we let ‘busy-ness’ take
Jeff Vanlandingham is not the mayor of Lawrenceburg, but I’m pretty sure he could be if he wanted. I recently sat at a table close
Yale University was founded because Harvard University was deemed too liberal. How ironic is that, considering both universities are light-years away from their founding principles.
Our beautiful state of Tennessee has more than 3,000 partner churches spreading across the farmlands, metropolitan areas, and small communities from Memphis to Mountain City.
When I received the call to serve as prayer catalyst for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s new “Prayer Matters” initiative, I couldn’t help but feel
It’s Passion Week. Good Friday and Easter offer followers of Jesus Christ a great opportunity for ministry, reflection and celebration. Seasons like this are always
For Christians, Easter is the most important festival of the church. During this time, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus who died on the cross