People say we usually overestimate what we can get done in a year and underestimate what we can get done in five. But with God's guidance, some pretty amazing things happened in 2012: Continue reading

Helping other churches is a multiplication strategy. If you can help someone else do what you do well, you’ve doubled your effectiveness. More importantly, Genesis 12 indicates that we are blessed to be a blessing. Helping others has always been God’s intention for his people, particularly for leaders. Continue reading

This is the time of year when Christians like to read about the birth of their Savior. The hallmark accounts are found in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. But Christmas passages are found in several other places in Scripture as well. If you’re looking for “new” and “fresh” accounts of the incarnation, here are a few you may want to read this season: Continue reading

I don’t know where we got the idea that church success should be measured in nickels and noses (or attendance and dollars). I affirm that large numbers in church is better than small and more money for ministry is better than less. But if Jesus’ goal is to build his church, I believe there are better questions than, “How many were here last week? And How much did they give?” Continue reading

God has done exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine. By His grace, New Song has played a significant part in planting 163,000 churches around the world. Those 163,000 churches have seen over 7,000,000 come to Christ. The other day I asked myself, “How did this happen?” ...God often orchestrates miracles through the actions of people. So what can church leaders do to increase the potential for ministry miracles? I’ve got seven suggestions for you: Continue reading

Six reasons why everyone would want to read the Bible. Continue reading

Christmas visitors are not like normal visitors. Every year a significant percentage of them will leave your Christmas services with good feelings, but no thoughts of returning soon. They came because it was the thing to do. They don’t expect to be back until Easter. How can you change those expectations so they’ll return sooner? Continue reading

I now know it really is possible to change the world. In fact, I think I've had a front-row seat in watching it happen: we've planted 163,000 churches worldwide, leading 7,000,000 to Christ. Continue reading

If you’re going to read everything God has written to you in the Bible, eventually you’re going to have to wade into these deep, rich, and sometimes confusing books. Remember, All Scripture is God-breathed and useful… (2 Timothy 3:16). I want to make understanding prophecy as easy for you as tying your shoe. Continue reading

I've been helped by alot of books in my lifetime. The Bible has helped me more than any other book - by several orders of magnitude. Here's what the Bible claims it will do for you: Continue reading

Somewhere in the councils of the Trinity, a plan was devised for the restoration of the world. Among his other assignments, these fell to the bucket list of the Son of God: Continue reading

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. It’s also a significant way to improve your preaching skills! Continue reading

According to Barna Research, the top four reasons people don’t read the Bible are: • Lack of time. • The language is difficult. • They don’t get excited to read it. • They don’t understand the background or history. These are solvable problems! Continue reading

These days, everyone is asking, “Which candidate will have a greater effect on our economy?” It’s a fair question, but let’s be realistic. No president is going to quickly and permanently reverse our financial fortunes. I’d like to suggest a guaranteed way to improve our economy. Continue reading

This is how great churches become great. Their members build intentional friendships and step by step, love people to Christ. Continue reading

Long before Jesus issued his last command, a psalm-writer expressed the hope that one day people from every nation would worship God and be blessed by him. You might call Psalm 67 “The Great Commission in the Old Testament.” Continue reading

One reason New Song is a Jesus-First church is because Jesus really is first: I ought to have no problem getting on my knees before him. I ought to instinctively worship him, reverently defer to him, gratefully submit to him, perpetually yield my rights to him, purposefully align my agenda to his, and intentionally live the way he wants me to live. Because Jesus is first! So far above me that I don’t ever dare say I’m a distant second. I am his creation, his son, his subject, his servant, his forgiven follower, and for reasons only fathomable in the halls of heaven, the object of his affection. Continue reading

What’s in your box? What’s the most important thing in the world to you? What’s the thing you would trade everything else for, if you had to? Continue reading

As God gave, Jesus gave. For thirty-three years he gave up his immortality, omniscience, omnipotence and immutability. Then he gave his dignity, for the scandal of the Cross; and his humility, for the sake of mankind; and his body and his blood, for the remission of our sin. Continue reading

Life is filled with flashy objects that compete for our attention. Achievements, beauty, adventure, money, sex and power all whisper, “I’ll make you happy!” and, “People will like you if you follow me!” Solomon experimented with all of these and then wrote, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2), because nothing ultimately satisfies like following God and his Son, Jesus. So, how do you put Jesus first and keep him there? Continue reading

In Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus isn’t just asking us to refrain from pursuing temporary things like food and drink and clothing. He’s asking us to replace those pursuits with God-directed purpose. Continue reading

This is the month of Father’s Day and weddings, so every June I get asked, “What did you do to cause your kids to turn out so well?” At this writing, Bryan is 24 and Amy is 23. By God’s grace, both of them love God more than I do. They’re committed to ministry, and purity, and integrity. They have great people skills. They’re leaders. And people love being around them. How did this happen? Here are my honest answers: Continue reading

Every Senior Pastor should get away from their church for more than ten consecutive days every summer. It might not be practical, but it’s a wise decision for the long haul. Continue reading

Where once we were a nation of Bible-readers, we’ve become a nation of technology-consumers. Continue reading

The majority of Christendom has no idea what it’s like to be a pastor. Pastors think a lot about the words they use, and about the words they hope others will use. I figure Letterman will never get around to this, so I’ve developed the list. In case you’ve ever wondered, here are some of the words pastors dream about hearing. Some of them are tongue-in-cheek; others are straight from the heart. Enjoy: Continue reading