matt tullos: writer
There’s a thought experiment that haunts me: What would happen if we took the Bible seriously? Not just as a collection of inspiring stories or moral guidelines, but as the actual Word of God that should fundamentally reshape how we live, love, and engage with the world around us. The primary foundation of any authentic […]
Victor was a retired CEO of a hospital supply company in our town, and when he agreed to be a deacon, I was absolutely thrilled. He’d bring so much insight, wisdom, and acumen to our team. He attended our first meeting as we discussed and prayed about the work of our leadership team. From the […]
You can measure one’s faith by their ability to move on. Jesus encountered many people who fawned and queried Him, looking to work out some kind of bargain, complete with caveats and clauses. He presents each follower with a moment. These moments connect us to a point of decision. When that moment comes, you’d better […]
In 1996, when I was an editor at LifeWay, I spent a handful of days in the hospital. It was a difficult. I’d never spent a night in the hospital and we had four young boys. Needless to say, my wife was up to her ears in kid’s stuff and I hated that I […]
5 Traits of a Humble Leader I don’t know about you, but I can’t wrap my brain around the task Moses faced. Can you imagine the pressure of being a leader and provider for thousands of people in the wilderness? And these weren’t perfect followers by any stretch. You can just imagine the voicemails and […]
It’s something in the core of most people: a desire to find out what or who causes messes. And no one likes to get the blame for a mess. As children we blamed our brother or sister for the broken vase and when we’re older we blame our self-sworn enemies for the broken world. And it […]
Welcome to life as a deacon! Always exciting, inspiring, fulfilling and self-satisfying. Wait… that’s not exactly true. Let’s start over. Welcome to life as a deacon! Much different than you expected (that’s a little closer to the truth). As you begin your ministry as a deacon, here are a few common errors to avoid for the sake of […]
If you have to use a remote to ring the Sunday School bell because you are keeping the preschoolers and teaching the Ladies Senior Adult class on closed circuit TV, you might need to delegate.
If you come home from work one day only to discover that your son left for college, entered med school, and set up a practice before you realized he was gone, you might need to delegate.
If your teammates base can all fit in your Smart Car, you might need to delegate.
If the Deacon’s decide to attend worship on a rotating basis, once every quarter, you might need to delegate.
If “Hello, I can’t help you I’m snowed under,” becomes your standard phone greeting, you might need to delegate.
If your wife has to set up an appointment 3 weeks in advance in order to schedule an meal together for her birthday.
If you have over fifty-five “…. for Dummies” books in your study, you might need to delegate.
If you go back to school to learn how to play the bass and the basics of interpretive dance because your church is going contemporary, you might need to delegate.
If you develop an involutary twitch everytime somebady says “can you..”, you might need to delegate.
If the Church schedules an intervention for you with Dr. Phil, You might need to delegate.
If you find that you have become the chairman of the deacons and the WMU, You might need to delegate.
We are all in transition. But the transitions that mark our destiny and create our story are the ones that are thrust upon us by the Creator of a greater narrative we call redemption. These transitions whisper to us when we feel the malaise of discontent and stagnation. They seek us out in the wilderness […]
I sometimes hear myself say, “Nothing surprises me. I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad and the slightly unattractive.” But that’s not exactly true. I am constantly surprised. I’ve seen sucker punches on the church parking lot, midnight hospital runs, camel poop stains on church carpets which incited business meetings, witches getting saved, and also lots and lots of things […]