So You're a Minister ... Leaves from a Journal Spanning 20 Years

What does it mean to be a "minister?"  I believe this is a critical question for both congregations and those who are "ministers." I have officially been in full time "ministry" for twenty years as of 2012.  That is hard to believe actually! I did ministry type stuff before 1992 but that is the official year.  During that time I have witnessed or experienced nearly everything under the sun so I want to reflect on this vocation. What...

Read More

Gospel Bullets: "Piety vs Pugilism" in Church of Christ Preaching

Several years ago David Edwin Harrell characterized the Churches of Christ  as "the spirited redneck offspring of the Disciples of Christ." Some took considerable exception to his words and they are, perhaps, inflammatory. But it is a fair question to ask if there was any truth to his observation. My own perspective is that he was probably not far from the truth. The rumble tumble of religious conflict from the first two thirds of the 20th century...

Read More

Pepperdine 2012: Memories & Reflections on the Jerry Years

Pepperdine 2012. This year was a year of transition! Thirty years of Jerry Rushford at the helm of the Pepperdine Bible Lectures has come to an end ... that means Jerry has been doing this since I was 12! My wife Tifani, and I, drove out to CA and spend a few days together. We arrived on campus on Tuesday around noon. One of the first people we ran into was Joella Michael. We got our room in the Towers (opposite of John Mark & Jennifer Hicks)....

Read More