“There is little we touch, but we leave the print of our fingers behind” –Richard Baxter

“Influence is not twisting people’s arms to get them to do things.  It is not pleading with them to do things.  You don’t turn influence on and off like a light switch.  Influence is a mindset.  Influence is a cumulative pressure that gets thing moving and keeps them moving.” –Mel Lawrenz

“You don’t have to be a house-hold name to change the house.  You don’t have to have your name out on the marquee to change the marquee.  Small people doing small …

The most gut-wrenching, head-splitting moments for me personally have been those moments when I tinkered back and forth on the edge of a decision with hesitant and melancholy momentum.    James, the half-brother of Jesus, declared in his letter, “For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed…A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).

Confession time: I have been that double-minded man.  I am not speaking doctrinally, I am speaking practically.  I have been tossed on life’s sea while desperately riding the ship called Uncertain.  Who among us …

Studies show that most men purchase gifts for their wives either the day before or the day of Valentines.  If you are in the south, this is an issue.  This is an issue because for the past three days most of us have been confined to our homes.  If you have bravely weathered the treacherous roadways, it has probably been to the grocery store for bread and milk, not jewelry and roses.  Honestly, how many men do you think bought Valentine gifts last month?  I hate to even remind you, but Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.

If you have preplanned, good …

The modern philosophy of church growth is speckled with flowery and vibrant colors of ambiguity.  Go into any contemporary church these days and you will find some basic tenets of welcome.  When I say “contemporary” I am not referring to a particular musical style or any specific religious movement.  From the progressively-liberal evangelical to the staunchly-conservative fundamentalist you will find some common denominators.  Neither group would easily agree that they have anything in common; but just below the surface their camaraderie exists.  What makes them similar is not necessarily what you see; it is what you DO NOT hear.

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Every parent I know wants their children to have the advantage in whatever it is they are doing.  We give our kids the best equipment so they can have an advantage in sports.  We give them the best education so they can have an advantage in the marketplace.  We give them the best resources so they can have an advantage in development.  Most of the things that seem advantageous however, are really temporal, inconsequential items.  Skinny jeans, iPods, baseball bats, and earphones may bring a smile to their face instantaneously, but they, in themselves, will never give an advantage over …