faithrunner

Book Description Legacy Church has begun to partner with other churches in our city to address needs that are impossible to meet without the cooperation of other churches . For example, on April 27 and 28 , we will join seven other churches to partner with the City of Plano in order to serve our community. We call it Community Impact Weekend .If you live in the Plano area, please feel free to join us. You can sign up to serve here . Another aspect of partnering with the Big "C" Church to meet needs in the name of Jesus, is creating a dialogue around how our faith intersects our public lives . In order to start such a dialogue, three pastors and three churches have joined together to discuss this important topic. Father Bruce Bradley, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Community , Rev. Dr. David Batchelder, West Plano Presbyterian Church , and I will host community dialogues at the three churches around the topic raised in the book, Christians and the Common ...

The most unlikely player won The Masters golf tournament this past Easter weekend: Bubba Watson. If you were to paint a profile of a pro golfer, Bubba Watson would not fit in it at all. Never had a lesson. Never had a coach. Never watched a video of his swing. He's a Georgia Bulldog who own the Dukes of Hazards' General Lee 1. And, he makes goofy videos with his friends . Masters' Champion? Not from that profile. Yet, he just won the tourney that any golfer would say, "You'll never be considered great until you win the Masters." You gotta luv Bubba. Bubba Watson I don't think it was a coincidence that he won on Easter Sunday . What better time for a player who had confessed his trust in Jesus, baptized with his wife, and had been working to change his habits on the course in order to reflect his faith to win on Easter Sunday. Check out his Twitter profile @bubbawatson. The order of who he is goes: Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer . Looks l...

I am a follower of Jesus because his life matched his message . I have been impressed with charismatic leaders who can capture a crowd with speeches and promises only to find his life is nothing like his message. Jesus lived everything he taught...even his promise he came to "give up his life as a ransom for many." ( Mark 10:45 ) Jesus stepped out of obscurity into the messianic limelight and taught, " Blessed are the peacemakers , because they will be called the children of God." ( Matthew 5:9 ) What is it about being a peacemaker that gains someone such a title or reputation? Follow Jesus and find out. To gain the reputation as a child of God, you need to know these things about who Jesus blessed that day. Peace making is not the same as peace keeping . Jesus did not walk into hostile situations or broken relationships and ask, "Why can't we all just get along?" and broker so-called peace. Nor, did he avoid century-old prejudices by walking...

Last Saturday, I ran the Grasslands Trail Marathon outside Decatur, TX. The trails are part of the Caddo-LBJ National Grasslands , which are mostly used for horse riding, but last Saturday, the runners took over the trails early. Thanks to the Race Director and all the volunteers (and cooks!) who made it a wonderful experience. The weather was ideal in the morning , but got up to 80F in the afternoon, which made for a warm finish. What added to the fun was it had rained hard the week before , and the trails were muddy and many places had standing water --memories of our trail half-marathon about a month ago . (Although, that was a much more rugged course.) Every run is a laboratory. You learn something every time you go out because every time is different. You are different. The course is different, and the conditions are never the same.  Grasslands Trail Run, NTTR.org So what did I learn this outing? Running in creation is still better than running on streets....

This weekend I will run my tenth marathon since 2000. The Grasslands Trail Run will be my first trail marathon but not my first trail run. Trail running is my preferred environment and community for running. Running on dirt in forests, fields, and mountains is how running has always been done . I have run as many 25M and 50K trail runs as I have marathons during this same time period, and I have finished a 50M run, DNF'd one other, and attempted one 100-miler, which ended me at mile 73. Why the partial running resume? I like to run . I haven't been to a psychologist yet to dig into why my obsession is so deep or why I started running ultras until I was 45. But, more important than why I like to run, running--distance running--has become a metaphor for life for me . I reminded my listeners this past Sunday as Legacy Church that long-distance running is a metaphor for life because somewhere in a long run  you come to the point you want to give up. It's usually ...

Ruth Haley Barton I teach leadership courses for DBU and B H Carroll at both the Masters and PhD levels. I have extended bibliographies for each course, but if you were to ask me for one or two books on leadership you should read, I would recommend (other than my book on leadership ): Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership , by Ruth Haley Barton and Leadership on the Line , by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky. Heifetz and Linsky   Why these two out of all the others? Both resonate with my personal experiences (and those of leaders I respect) of leading a freely formed group of followers around a perceived common mission toward a new goal or reality.  Both provide practical and spiritual ways to survive the Mt. Rainier climb of leadership. Leadership on the Line contains the wisdom of leading I wish I had known twenty years ago when I started this leadership adventure at Legacy Church . I wish someone had told me the price of lead...

I have not seen nor plan to see an episode of ABC's new series, GCB . I do, however, have some comments about what the premise and promotional videos have to say to those of us who call ourselves Christian. If you have hung around this blog long, you know I am not an alarmist nor do I call individuals or groups out , but I need to do a little of both on this one. The fact that GCB can find a foothold in prime time television and the money to shoot, promote, and air an episode says much about the culture in which we now live. I must give the writers this much: Yes, Christians have provided those who want to caricature and/or criticize them plenty of ammunition. Yes, some Christians live hypocritical, religious lives. Pick a religion made up of humans and you will find a phony in the group. No exceptions. No argument here. Yes, in the South where Christianity has become part and parcel of our culture and less and less a movement of the Spirit, it is easier to...