Motivational speaker Charlie “Tremendous” Jones is known for saying, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Numerous preachers have said something on the order, “Show me your closest friends and I will show you who you are becoming.”Continue reading “Becoming a Wise Person”
Tag Archives: learn
Time to think
I love solitude. I look forward to time alone with a cup of coffee and a comfortable chair — it is a life-giving and energy-restoring discipline for me. Ten to 20 minutes alone fuels me up for hours of productivity. But until recently, I did not know there was a term for what I wasContinue reading “Time to think”
Ministry lessons from the life of Brother Shorty
While I was standing line at Culver’s on Father’s Day, I received a text from one of our Kentucky Baptist pastors that his grandfather had suddenly passed away. His grandfather was John “Shorty” Hendrix, who was a deacon in a church where I served for 11 years. Shorty Hendrix was unlike any other manContinue reading “Ministry lessons from the life of Brother Shorty”
Engaging in digital evangelism
For a guy who came kicking and screaming into the smart phone era, I never imagined myself engaging in digital evangelism. However, a recent lunch meeting with a sharp, forward-thinking Kentucky Baptist pastor changed my perspective. Digital evangelism is defined by the Center for Online Evangelism as “strategically using the internet, mobile and social mediaContinue reading “Engaging in digital evangelism”
In our own backyard
I recently met a young man in Kentucky who claims he never heard the gospel. I haven’t been able to get past that experience. Here’s how the interaction happened … I was doing front door evangelism with a Kentucky Baptist pastor when we came to this young man’s door. We knocked on the door andContinue reading “In our own backyard”
REACH 2022 – A Big Hit
I have vivid memories as a 27-year-old pastor of attending a KBC Evangelism Conference. I remember feeling inadequate in my ministry position. But sitting with a crowd of preachers at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, I heard some incredible preaching. One sermon focused on God’s unconditional love, and it met me right where I wasContinue reading “REACH 2022 – A Big Hit”
Be alert to spiritual landmines among bloggers
I have a difficult time with so-called “discernment bloggers.” As a person who leans toward being an encourager and who strives to believe the best about others, it’s hard to understand the intentions of people who make their primary, or secondary, calling to point out the shortcomings of others. The work itself is fraught withContinue reading “Be alert to spiritual landmines among bloggers”
Be careful, little mouth, what you say
“Oops, I did it again,” is more than the title of a 20-year-old Brittany Spears single. It is also the expression many Christian leaders have used (me included) after saying something that would have been better left unsaid. A crucial part of ministry is knowing when and how to say a helpful or uplifting word,Continue reading “Be careful, little mouth, what you say”
Growing as a leader
Less than six months into my first pastorate, I felt completely in over my head. I truly started believing I had no business being the pastor of this church. There were no moral or ethical issues, just an internal sense of my being unprepared. The church was doing well, but I was struggling. It wasContinue reading “Growing as a leader”
Members or owners
“Did she really say that?” I wondered to myself. She did. As the church began to grow, one of the members commented to me directly, “I like my little church exactly the way it is.” I am not sure what I said in the moment. I may not have said anything at all. But herContinue reading “Members or owners”
Dr. Todd Gray 