I was recently speaking wth a friend about some stressful situations I had encountered through my work over the past years. It was refreshing to speak of the stress in the past tense, rather than present. Looking back, I’m greatful for the stressful experiences. However, at the time, it felt like more than I could …
Author Archives: Scott Attebery
Snow Day Reflections
It was a snow day. School was out and the office was closed. Bryce and his buddy from down the street were busy playing in his room. I was just settling into the second chapter of a good book when I heard whispering. “Don’t tell my dad what we did.” Classic six-year-old mistake, right? First, …
More Than Forgiveness
I love the way John Stott describes the great exchange we have in Christ. “When we are united to Christ a mysterious exchange takes place: he took our curse, so that we may receive his blessing; he became sin with our sin, so that we may become righteous with his righteousness.” (Stott: The Cross of …
Practice Public Prayer
Growing up in Church, I remember questioning the need for public prayer. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to go into our closets to pray? And what about His critique of the Pharisees who loved to stand and pray loudly for show? It turns out, however, that Jesus is not against public prayers –He’s simply …
11 Signs of a Monster Pastor
In a previous post, I wrote about “monster churches” in reference to congregations that chew up and spit out pastors on a regular basis. Monster churches are highly dysfunctional and rarely fruitful. The congregation, however, is not always the problem. Just as monster churches are a factory of discord, monster pastors take trouble with them …
15 Questions to Ask Before Starting Small Groups
This conversation takes place in countless homes every week: Bill: Honey, are we going to small group again tonight? Joan: I know it feels like a waste of time some weeks, but I feel like we need to stay committed. Bill: I understand what you mean, but the lack of focus week after week drives …
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Good Vibrations
Hit any key on a piano and more than one string vibrates. For instance, if you hit middle c, all of the other c’s on the piano vibrate slightly because they are all tuned to c. The vibrations of one stir up the vibrations of all the others. David points out a similar idea in …
No Training Manual Required
The responsibilities of parenting are enormous. Children need to learn how to tie their shoes, say “please” and “thank you,” listen to others, read, write, articulate themselves, ride a bike, drive a car, respect their elders… you get the picture. When you stop to think about everything a child needs to learn, the task for …
How to Kill a Ministry Idea
Few things are as difficult for churches as laying a ministry to rest. Just take a look at the weekly calendar for most churches. Nobody wants to admit defeat. Sometimes a ministry has been fruitful for decades and has simply run its course. What an opportunity to rejoice (at a ministry funeral). Other ministries may …
Where Does Your Stone Lie?
Looking back, I have felt sorry for the trouble we caused James Holliman. He was our Jr. Boys Sunday school teacher. My friends and I were typical rowdy kids who couldn’t sit still. We were loud, obnoxious, disobedient, and disruptive every Sunday. Yet, Mr. Holliman never lost his cool with us. He would calmly stop …