2012 READS
2012 BOOKS READ As every year comes to a close, I list out the books read for that year. Since finishing grad school I am averaging close to 30 books a year. This year I read 29 (not counting tons of children’s books read to Ethan and Owen). I’m not sure if that is good or...
Knowledge Makes Me Accountable
The other day, I was hurrying across the parking lot at church to teach a school class when a man approached me holding his forehead. With a look of pain he explained, “I was just stung by a bee. The hive is right over there by that sidewalk…” My first thought was not, “Oh poor...
Why Worry is Worthless by Amanda Bailey
[Amanda Bailey is a young adult at The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a wife, mother, phenomenal singer, and has godly insights for FWB young adults that is worth reading.] One night when my husband, Loren, was deployed to Iraq, I just couldn’t sleep. So I was on Facebook and had posted a status about...
Knowing About vs Knowing
I got the opportunity recently to be part of E-Team training, which is made up of various teams of teenagers going for an extended experience on a mission field. After training and preparing for their trips with their team here in Nashville, each team heads out to their distinct mission field. After these teams got...
Be Comfortable in Your Skin
When I was in college, I really struggled with my “calling” to preach. As a freshman, I knew God wanted me to explore preaching and learning how to share the gospel well, but I couldn’t fully grasp all that meant. So, as I began to get opportunities to speak alongside other young preachers, going on...
5 Things I am Learning About Successful Ministry by Dustin Allen
Dustin is a youth ministry major at Hillsdale FWB College in Moore, OK. He is about to enter into his Senior year and is currently a Young Adult Ministry Intern at The Donelson Fellowship. #1 Be a learner I have heard that to be a good leader you have to be a learner. Part...
My Craziest 10 Days in the Ministry
This picture, colored by Aaron on my iPad, is how I felt at the end of what I am officially calling “my craziest 10 days in the ministry.” When I say “crazy” I don’t mean scattered, unorganized and frustrating. In fact, it was none of these things. But with all the extra stuff I had...
Well Begun Is Half Done
I pushed the desk chair away and stood up from my laptop after nearly four hours of intensive work. “Finished!” I said to myself, “at least for now.” While sitting on the couch and sipping hot tea, I thought to myself, “Why for so long did I put that project off?” It wasn’t because I...
The Source of Your Worth – part 2
In part 1, I expressed the thought that the source of your worth begins with an understanding of who you are. In the thoughts below, I hope to articulate that it continues with an understanding of what God expects. Self-esteem is a term used in psychology to reflect a person’s overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his...
What To Do With Failure
I have learned that there is a healthy tension in ministry that is beneficial to find. It’s healthy to dream big, to try new things, to push farther. I’m even completely fine with straight up failing at things because it means we were playing to win – we didn’t just go for the base hit,...
The Source of Your Worth
It is tempting to seek self-worth among earthly things like popularity, athletic ability, good looks, musicianship, or possessions. For an earthly minded person, their level of self-worth is directly proportional to the amount of attention, love, and/or commendation they receive from people. But, if the source of your worth is in earthly things you will...
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I’ve heard it all my life: perfect. Dentists frequently tell me I have “perfect teeth” (thanks to braces aligning my bite and daily brushing habits instilled in my youth). Hairdressers frequently tell me I have “perfect hair” (apparently based on texture, degree of waviness, and ability to hold style). I’ve even been told I have...
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