It’s been amazing, the feedback I’ve gotten over the new series “Moo Out Loud.”  My hunch was right.  Everyone wants to be heard, wants to make a difference, wants to believe that they can add something to the redemptive drama of life that God is writing.

So what we’ve done… More

I started yesterday’s talk by confessing an incident that happened in the Target parking lot on Saturday afternoon.  I had briefly stopped to let my wife out of the truck to get into her vehicle, and the person behind me kept honking for me to move.  So obnoxious did they… More

If God is going to bless someone, it might as well be you.  If He’s going to pour out favor on some business or endeavor, it might as well be yours.  If God is going to show up in a big way for some family, it might as well be… More

We continue this week in our series “Moo Out Loud” to try and figure out how we can stand up and be heard above the noise of the herd.  So today we dealt with the first of our five practices, and that is, to free our mind.

From the moment… More

Every person I’ve met has one thing in common: they want to be heard.  By that I mean they want their voice, their lives, their insights to matter.

As we launch into a brand new year, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about how to take your stand… More

This past weekend was the fifth anniversary of The Gathering Nashville.  It’s hard to believe that five years have already gone by.  Without overstating the fact, they’ve certainly been five of the greatest years of my life in ministry.  Not only has my family flourished, but my faith and my… More

This is the season to be jolly.  At least that’s what the song says. But the angels announced “it’s a time for great joy to all people.”

The question is, “Are you really joyful?” The truth is, most of us focus more on happiness than we do on joy. And… More

One of the major themes of my life’s work has been to make a distinction between religion as a thing we do to try to appease God, and being Christian which is a relationship initiated with us by God, through Christ.

My singular passion in our Polyester Jesus series is… More

You’ve all heard the little song, “You better watch out, you better not cry. You better not pout, I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town. He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.  He knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good… More

This past Sunday we continued our series, Polyester Jesus, distinguishing the difference between artificial religion and authentic faith.

Each weekend we’ve been talking about one of the benefits that real Jesus offers.  We’ve been talking about things like assurance, contentment, peace, and this week we focused on prosperity.  One of… More

As many of you know, my wife Paula gave us a scare this past weekend when she became ill, and we rushed her to the hospital.  The good news is, she passed all of her tests, and she’s perfectly fine. We’re giving God all the praise and thanks, which makes… More

One of the most elusive things, it seems, we pursue in life is contentment.  Even when we pursue it, we really wonder what it is.

For a lot of people contentment is not wanting anything, being satisfied with mediocre, and really just another word for being lazy.  But is that… More

I’m reading Rodney Stark’s newest book, “The Triumph of Christianity.”  I’ve enjoyed his point of view on history; none better than in his brand new book.

In it, Stark tells that an over 40% of people on the planet today pledge some allegiance to Jesus; that Christianity is the most… More

Jesus said something that I am not sure I fully understood until lately.  It’s the famous verse where He says, “Narrow is the way, and difficult is the road that leads to eternal life.”

I understand the narrow part, that Jesus is the way to God. He is God’s love… More

Is being driven a good thing or a bad thing?  I guess it depends on who you talk to and what they mean.  I think being driven is a good thing.  As a matter of fact, God created us with drive.  What else is there, to get up every day… More

If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s this.  There are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to be Christian ranging from highly political, to pushy, to arrogant, to soft and wimpy.  None of these stereotypes really make it.

Today I talked about some of the things that,… More

Every once in awhile I hear someone ask this question, “What are you into?” or “What do you do?” or “What do you do for a living?”  All of these are probing questions with the intent of finding out who we are and how we fit int the world.

In… More

We continued this weekend in our series “Leave No Doubt: 6 Things You Want People to Know About You,” with the question, how can you know for sure that you’re right with God and ready for the future?

Over and over we ask these questions of how can you know?… More

We began a brand new teaching series yesterday at The Gathering entitled, “Leave No Doubt: 6 Things Worth Standing Up For.” The heart of this teaching series is to acknowledge the fact that all of us want to be remembered.  But we want to be remembered for the right… More

As our country searches for the answers to our economic downturn, what we’re really looking for are heroes; people who will stand up and not only lead the way, but show the way by their example.

For these past six weeks, we talked about six basic beliefs that can rebuild… More

One of the most important things you’ll discover in life is that you’re not here to be self-absorbed and self-obsessed.  The true way to success is by serving others; in other words by waking up every day and realizing it’s not about me.  It’s about the people I work with,… More

Who among us thinks he couldn’t use and of course handle more money?  But the truth is sometimes more money is not only not the answer, it’s a part of the problem.

As we continued in our series, “The Great Recovery,” we talked about the fourth basic belief that… More

As we continue in our series “The Great Recovery,” we are talking about the six basic beliefs that can rebuild a nation. And we’ve come to a third basic belief.  And that is, simply, that work is a calling.  It’s not just a job, it’s not just a way… More

Yesterday we continued in our series, “The Great Recovery,” with the second of the basic beliefs that can rebuild our nation.  And that is, hope is everything.

The great thing about hope is that everyone can have it.  And then those who have it can give it.  And once… More

Yesterday at The Gathering I launched a new series called, “TheGreatRecovery.com.”  With this new series we join the nationwide emphasis led by Dave Ramsey called TheGreatRecovery.com.

This is a grassroots, common sense effort to step into the breach of fear, doubt, and uncertainty, and show that God is… More

In this 4-part series called “Teachology,” we’ve been talking about how to live beyond the boundaries of your life by developing the heart of a teacher.  We will not be remembered for the buildings we’ve built or the organizations we’ve formed, but by what we’ve invested in the lives of… More

Straight-forward.  Street-smart. The real deal. All of these are adjectives we use to describe our best teachers.

Teaching is important.  Jesus was called “rabbi” because He was a teacher.  In our summer series we’re talking about the importance of understanding the role that teachers play in our lives.

We talked… More

The power of a teacher is not in their position or even their degree, but in their heart.

And at the heart of every great teacher is a life-long passionate love for truth.  Great teachers are truth-seekers.  They are not into personal opinion and political preference.  They’re curious by nature… More

Way too many of us and especially those who call ourselves Christians are wandering generalities, not understanding why we’re here and what we’re supposed to do.  We believe that our relationship with God should fill our life with meaning and purpose. And yet we still struggle.

One of the most… More

One of the most dangerous places you can ever be in your life, is being sick and tired.  What we’re really saying is, we’re stuck.  More times than not, I’ve found that the weariness I feel is far more emotional than it is physical.

In this talk I spoke about… More

It’s hard enough to deal with the stupid things we do to ourselves.  But sometimes it’s downright insane when we face the things that are done to us, that create what I call a “new normal, not of our own making.”

In today’s talk we discussed how to face life… More

Have you ever gotten to a place in your life where you are frustrated, nothing is going right, and you’ve just blurted out, “Hey, I didn’t sign up for this!”?

It could be in your work, your marriage, college, kids; a thousand different causes, but one result – you wind… More

Your job, even a good job, even work you love, is never going to be enough.

How often do we hear the advice, “Find your passion, follow your passion, do the work you love.”  And while it’s really great advice, it’s only part of the picture.  No job can fulfill… More

The talk I am posting today I gave on Sunday at The Gathering Nashville.  It’s part of a series entitled, “When You’re Going Through Hell, Don’t Stop.”   The idea of the series is this.   Everyone goes through the fire, adversity, tragic times, problems, reverses: whatever you want to call… More

Yesterday we continued our current series “When You’re Going Through Hell Don’t Stop.”  This is a study focused on the fact that all of us go through pain. Everyone goes through the fire but not everyone gets burned.  It’s not only how you receive the pain, but the purpose you… More

It is true.  In life, everyone goes through the fire.  No one is immune.  But it is just as true that not everyone gets burned.  For some, a consuming fire is really a refining fire; a refining intended by God to make us better; not bitter, to lift us up;… More

Almost without exception, everyone I’ve ever met or counseled with, when faced with pain and adversity asks all or one of the following three questions:  “Why me, Why now, What for?”

Of the three, the most perplexing is the last, “What for?” What possible purpose could this be serving? The… More

Is it just me, or did I miss the message that when I became a Christian, somehow everything was going to be “ok?”  No, actually not “ok;” better than ok.  That I would automatically experience the peace of God, joy of God, and purpose for my life?  That somehow the… More

Yesterday at The Gathering we started a brand new series entitled, “When You’re Going Through Hell, Don’t Stop!”

It’s really a series that helps us look at the problem of pain.  Yes, it is a problem.  Let me tell you how. Number one, life is painful. We all kind… More

To be trusted to teach the truth may be the highest honor a person can be given.

As a pastor who teaches, not preaches, not screams, I take very seriously the trust people give me each and every week as they listen to me teach the Scriptures.

This trust is… More

There is one constant in life; and that is, life is constantly changing.  Big, little, small, or epic; change floats in and out of our lives like the atmosphere.  The question isn’t about change; it’s why we resist it.  What happens to us when we do, and what happens to… More

As we continued our present series, “Fear Less, Live More: Getting through life in one peace,” we dealt with the fear of commitment.

How many times have I heard people say, “If I knew it would work, if I knew it would succeed, if it was a sure thing, I… More

We continued yesterday in our series, “Fear Less, Live More; How to Go Through Life in One Peace,” by dealing with the fear of the future.

We dealt with the common reasons why we’re often afraid of the future. The two that are on the top of my list is… More

The Scriptures warn us that the fear of people is a snare.  And yet, how often our lives are consumed by the fear of people.

As we continued our series, “Fear Less, Live More; Getting Through Life in One Peace,” we dealt with how to face and get over… More

This past weekend we talked about facing your fear of failure; that insidious dread that comes over you when you realize it’s do or die, when you’re about to take a course of action that puts you at risk – or at least, that’s what your heart tells you.

From… More

Without question, the number one thing you should do before you do anything else, is to get the God question settled in your life.  That is, to make true peace with God.

Nothing in life works the way it was meant to when the God question in your life is… More

We started a brand new series at The Gathering yesterday entitled, “Fear Less, Live More: Getting Through Life in One Peace.”

Fear is everywhere.  There are cosmetic fears, cultural fears, and there are some basic, core fears.  It just seems to me as I’ve lived my own life, and… More

One week from today we will launch something brand new; something we’ve never done at The Gathering.  As a matter of fact it is something I’ve never done since I’ve been in Nashville.  And that is a sure-enough, stand-alone, get down, get real, verse-by-verse, open-your-Bible, make-it-happen, hair-back, full-throttle Bible… More

I don’t know about you, but this year I’m not hearing a whole lot of “Merry Christmas,” or even “Happy Holiday.”  Maybe it’s because we’re tired; tired of the bad news, tired of pep-talks, the cliche`s, tired of those who have nothing more to say than just, “Hang in there,… More

We are continuing our current series “Yea God: 8 Things You Can’t Learn About God in Church,” by talking about God’s creative power.

For those of us who have faith, it’s hard to comprehend how people can’t look around them and see the evidence of God; not just “a god,”… More

Tomorrow @ The Gathering we’re going to begin a brand new series called “Yea God!”

For me that’s kind of a shout of affirmation.  It may be someone else’s “Praise the Lord,” but for me it’s, “Yea God!”  And why shouldn’t we shout out in the affirmative to God?… More

I am sad to say that our series “Accept No Mediocre Marriage” comes to its completion this Sunday with a discussion on divorce.

Believe me, none of us need to be beat up about divorce any more than we already are.  There are two things we’re going to be talking… More

Sex is a part of our everyday life because it is literally everywhere: advertisements, scandals, surveys, all the things pointed to try to help us understand this powerful idea.

Tomorrow as we continue our series on “Accept No Mediocre Marriage,” we’re going to talk about the six stupid sex myths… More

According to financial expert Dave Ramsey, money disagreements and fights are the number one cause of marital discord in America.

That’s why at The Gathering this weekend we’re going to be talking about marriage and money, and how you can use money to make your family better without sinking… More

No one likes conflict.  As a matter of fact, if you like conflict, there is something really weird about you.  All of us ultimately want peace.  We want things to go well – in our family, in our job, in every area of our life.

Well, the truth of the… More

This weekend at The Gathering we’ll continue in our present series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage: the Top Ten Things They Don’t Tell You Before You Say, ‘I do.’”

This weekend we’re going to talk about change.  We’re going to begin the service by interviewing Paula Foster and find out… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued with installment #5 in our current series “Accept No Mediocre Marriage: The Top Ten Things They Don’t Tell You Before You Say ‘I do.’”  We talked about the importance of communication in marriage.

We talked about the power of words: the… More

This weekend we continue in our present series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage: the Top Ten Things They Don’t Tell You Before You Say, ‘I do,’” with a talk about communications and how important it is to learn how to talk to one another.

Isn’t it amazing that before you get… More

I was more than a little stunned this week when The Tennessean came out with an article saying that marriages have dropped 30% in the state of Tennessee; not just Tennessee, but in the entire South.  People are opting to live together without marriage.

The question is, why?  Why has… More

Join us tomorrow @ The Gathering when we’ll continue with installment #3 of our current series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage – The 10 Things They Don’t Tell You Before You Say, ‘I Do.’”

What air is to the body, trust is to a relationship.  What money in the bank… More

Tomorrow @ The Gathering we’ll continue our brand new series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage – The 10 Things They Don’t Tell You Before You Say, ‘I Do,’” with issues that relate to our family of origin.

When you marry another person, you not only marry that person, but you… More

I hate to be the one to say this, but by all measurements, even the most positive marriage in America is in trouble.

Last weekend Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer who has ever lived, embarrassed himself at a tournament he has won seven times.  Coming in dead last and… More

This weekend @ The Gathering we will bring to a close our summer series, “12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature,” with Step #12 in AA.  This is where we begin to help free up other people.

Every day I meet… More

Tomorrow @ The Gathering we’re going to be talking about how to relate to God.  How do you get close to God? We’re going to be asking four questions that will help you take an inventory of your own life.  If God is… More

Tomorrow @ The Gathering we’ll continue our summer series, “12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature” with Step #10 Listen Up.

How many times in one day do I hear people say, “I’m busy, I’m in a hurry, I’m worn out, I’m tired,… More

As we continue in our series, “12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature” this weekend, we’re going to be talking about how you face up to the pain and aggravation that you cause other people.

The truth of the matter is, hurt people hurt people and oftentimes we do things… More

One of my pet-peeves are people who call themselves Christians, and who believe that their faith is only about their personal relationship with God.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus made it very clear that our relationship with God, the health or lack thereof, is reflected in the… More

If there is one constant about life, it’s change.  Some people change for the better; others change for the worse.  Which it is, is always a choice.

So this weekend as we continue our series “12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature,” we’re going… More

I’ve been meaning to sit down and put some of my thoughts on paper as I reflect on the first three years of The Gathering.

Let me first say that I’ve been doing this a very long time.  As a matter of fact, if you won’t tell anybody, I’ll… More

This weekend at The Gathering we’re going to continue with our series “12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature” with step #5, Fess Up.

We’re going to be talking about how to find the right kind of people.  You were created for relationships… More

If you’ve ever felt like you’re dragging the weight of the world behind you, you’re not the only one. We tend to do that, We tend to collect things over time that weigh our lives down; not just physically in our homes,… More

The world is with religious people who have a lot of beliefs.  Statistics tell us that upward of 90 per cent of people believe in God.  We are religious despite the few dissenting voices among us.

The question is not, “are we religious?”  The question is, “Does our… More

Last weekend we began a brand new series @ The Gathering called “12 Steps Up: How messy people mature.”

We’re taking the 12 steps from AA, an amazing process of not just recovery, but maturation, and applying it to everyday life.

Last week we started with Step… More

Well what a week this has been!  It’s hard to believe we’re living in a city that has suffered the greatest non-hurricane devastation in history, from a weather-related event.  Who could have ever imagined that we’d live to see between 18 and 20 inches of rain in less that 48… More

We live in days that can shake the faith of even the strongest among us.  And what we need today more than anything else as we face this brave new world that is evolving into existence around us, is courage; not certainty, not clarity, not even a… More

We’re having a great time in our new series based on my book, “Accept No Mediocre Life.” This will be our fifth week as we turn our attention toward fear.

There is one common experience men and women in our current environment… More

Every day we hear about ways people are cutting back, tightening their belt and trying to make their money go further. We read the statistics and watch the stories of people who have lost their jobs, their homes, their careers, and their dreams. At times it seems hopeless.

One thing… More

We’re coming to the end of our current series, “Inspire Greatness.” I’ve been very gratified by the feedback.  It’s exciting to see people really get beyond the survival/victim mode to a place where they really believe that using their everyday lives and everyday efforts they can inspire… More

We’re coming to the end of our current series, “Inspire Greatness.” I’ve been very gratified by the feedback.  It’s exciting to see people really get beyond the survival/victim mode to a place where they really believe that using their everyday lives and everyday efforts they can inspire… More

Everything we think, in everything we do, with everyone we meet,  and for every hope we have, there is risk involved.

Our country was built on the backs of those who conquered their fears and took risks worth taking.  And yet in… More

Tomorrow @ The Gathering we’re going to be continuing our series, Inspire Greatness. I hope you’re taking this seriously because the world needs men and women who live in a world bigger than a little, bitty world of me, myself, and my stuff.

If you are… More

This weekend @ The Gathering we’ll continue our present series with a talk entitled, “Bigger is Seldom Better.”

Right in the middle of the Christmas season many of us are striving and struggling to come up with a new, creative gift to give the people we love.

A lot… More

This weekend at The Gathering we’ll be continuing our series “They Promised me Chocolate” with installment number 8; dealing with disappointments that we face in our work life.

Work is one of those things that so many of us do without thinking about.  It’s like breathing or… More

Tomorrow @ The Gathering we’re going to continue with our series, “They Promised Me Chocolate: The True Confessions of a Disappointed Christian,” by talking about parenting.

No place in human relationships can there be such a contrast to the idea of having kids.  On the one hand,… More

*Video: most married men are miserable and they don’t know why

This weekend @ The Gathering we’ll be continuing our present series, “They Promised Me Chocolate.”

We’re talking about the 10 greatest disappointments I’ve ever faced, and this week we really get down to the heart of the matter.

Disappointment ultimately comes down to your relationship with God. Think about… More

This weekend @ The Gathering we’ll be continuing our present series, “They Promised Me Chocolate” with installment number three.  We’ll be turning this week, applying the Bulldog Principles (never sour, never settle, never stop) to the major disappointments that we’re bound to face.  We’re going to be… More

This weekend @ The Gathering we’ll be continuing our brand new series, “They Promised Me Chocolate: The True Confessions of a Disappointed Christian.” We’re talking about pushing past disappointment to delight.

Last week we introduced this idea of disappointment; that we all get disappointed regularly.  As… More

As you may have heard, Magic Johnson released a new book last week.  And in it he decided to take on, what appeared to the world as one of his best friends, Isaiah Thomas.

He accused Thomas of spreading rumors that Magic was gay; particularly when the… More

This weekend we’re glad to welcome a good friend of mine, Ron Edmonson; Founding Pastor of the Grace Community Church in Clarksville, TN.

Ron is a great communicator and one of the best leaders I know.  He is building a great church that’s doing a fantastic… More

This weekend at The Gathering we’ll be finishing our current series, “What’s Your Big Hurry?”

We’ve enjoyed this journey as we’ve learned the principles that will help us enjoy our everyday life, and stop worrying too much about the future and living way too much in the past.

We’re… More

How many times have I heard people say that: “Why can’t I make you happy?” or “I can’t make you happy,” or “I can’t make anyone happy,” or “Everyone’s upset with me,” or “It seems like I can never figure out how to please the people in my life.”

This… More

Your church has a reputation – good or bad. Most of the time it’s in between – neither good nor bad, which is really the problem.

In Revelation one of the churches was warned that God wanted them to either be hot or cold, not lukewarm. Most church experiences in… More

Every great company, great church, great endeavor has an engine at its core; something that drives it, sustains it, pushes it forward and then upward. It’s called a vision. It’s like an engine that sets the thermostat around which all the other systems and processes of an organization revolve.

A… More

In the world of marketing, the church takes one of two stances. It stays away from it totally, or engages in what I would call cheesy church marketing. Bottom line; they’re not very effective.

But why don’t we market? We have the greatest news in the whole world; something everyone… More

Iíve been a pastor a long time, and a leader. Weíve gone through several different movements: the seeker movement, purpose-driven movement, fundamentalist movement, church-growth movement, even through the post-modern period. Now weíre in a time where weíre hearing the word emerging.

Hereís what I mean when I use the word… More

Last weekend at The Gathering we talked about the importance commitment. Basically the things we commit to define our lives. But once we make a commitment, that commitment makes us, for to fail to commit is indeed to commit to fail. The problem I believe, in our culture, is not… More