Not a week goes by that I don’t hear this, or some form of this, said by a friend in distress: “Dave, I’m just burned out. I dread what I’m doing.  I have a lot of anger and I don’t know where it comes from.  I’m tired, I have no… More

I read an article just the other day by a well-known Christian artist who I highly respect.  I have benefited from his work, and have really been inspired by his willingness to be a renegade for God. But – and isn’t there always a “but” – this blog post I… More

This week we talked about one of the most difficult people to help; and that’s the bored.  It’s been my firm conviction boredom has caused more destruction in the lives of good people than most of the vices we can mention, period.

We hear things like, “You deserve a break… More

This past weekend at The Gathering was an important moment. It was one of those moments, as a speaker, where you absolutely know that you’ve heard from God, and have something really important to say.

I know, I know.  A lot of people think that, few people will say that,… More

Wow.  What a response to my talk today in our series, “Messy Like Me!”  I should have known that people would really resonate with the topic of betrayal.  Because, let’s face it.  All of us have had the bitter pill shoved down our throat.

One of my close buddies said… More

Years ago a friend gave me a big red button.  When you pushed it a voice would say, “That was easy!”  I’ve come to know that things that are worth knowing, doing, or having don’t come easy.

A great marriage isn’t easy.  Work that you love and makes a difference… More

Just a few weeks ago, Paula and I celebrated 40 years of life together.  As a part of the celebration, our daughters and sons in-law got together and took us out for a nice meal.  After that, we went back to one of their homes and they prepared a great… More

It’s one thing to suffer at the hands of those who are careless and reckless.  It’s another thing to bear self-inflicted wounds.  What do you do when you’re surrounded with people who are suffering or going through difficult times as a result of their own behaviors?  How do you extend… More

I believe in the church.  Yes, I know. It’s messed up, abusive, and sometimes outrageous the way “church people” behave. But I’m not talking about the institution, the organization, or the denominational artifact.  I’m talking about the dynamic, vital, spiritual community that Jesus had in mind when He said that… More

We started a brand new series this week entitled, “Messy Like Me (the 6 people you meet on the way to heaven).”

We started with the first person we meet.  As a matter of fact, it may be you.  And the truth is, it is all of us at one… More

Something I hear constantly when I’m around people are war stories about how they’ve been burnt by the church.  If you are not careful, you’ll end up thinking that just because a lot of churches are messed up, all churches are messed up.

I know good people who have opted… More

Paula and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary this past weekend.  It’s been a great time of reflecting on the decisions that we’ve made in the past and how they’ve borne fruit to create our present.

Yesterday at The Gathering I shared with our whole Gathering family the three biggest… More

Yesterday we concluded the series “Moo Out Loud: How to Stand up and be Heard Above the Herd.”  We talked about the five practices of those who understand how important it is to develop their own brand.

With the changes in the way we do life, knowing who you are,… More

There seems to be a lot of controversy these days about church membership.  In fact, there is a lot of debate going on about whether or not we even need churches with all of the online resources available.  So in response to a pastor who asks the question, “Why does… More

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

In a recent research study, the Barna Group has reported that over 42 million Christians in America are no longer actively attending and supporting a church.

In today’s show we talk about some of the reasons why, and what can be done.   If you’re one of the 42 million, there… 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

One of the haunting questions I’ve had to deal with over and over is, “Why do people who call themselves Christians behave so badly?”  Is it because they are bad people, or is something else bigger going on?

Here’s what I’ve learned. Identity determines behavior.  How you truly see yourself… 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

You can’t be a Christan and be an intellectual, right? We all know that all Christians think alike.  To be a Christian is to conform, not only in lifestyle, but in thought pattern as well.  All of these lies have been shoved down our throat, and overlaid on us by… 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

Ever wonder why you feel so frustrated that no matter how many resolutions you make, how much effort you exert, how many books you read or classes you attend, you seem to stay stuck all the time?   Well, if you’ve ever felt that way, or if you feel that way… More

Wouldn’t it be sad to spend your life as a religious person and miss God in eternity?  It scares me sometimes when, here in America, we have so much exposure to spiritual things that we fail to understand that just knowing about God, Jesus, and the content of Scripture is… More

If you’re like me, you’ve read a lot of lists, blogs, and advice columns telling you the things that you need to start doing in the year 2012.  And while most of them are good, I’d be happy to leave some things behind in 2011.

So while you start some… 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 questions I hear over and over again is, “What am I supposed to do with my life now that I’m a Christian?  Now that I follow Christ, what is there for me to do that makes a difference in the world, and what has God placed in… More

This is the season of joy, right? The season that we remember how blessed we are. So here are my five joys:

1. The joy of family.  Thank God for Paula, my girls, my sons-in-law, and all they mean to me.
2. The joy of my faith-family. The Gathering is

… More

When I was first converted to Christ, I was naive in the best sense of that word.  I was trusting.  I believed that everyone who said they were a Christian understood that Christ is the center of Christian; that Christian is about what God has done for us, not what… 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

No matter how long you’ve been walking with God, or how sophisticated your knowledge, or how complete your experience, you’ll never get beyond one single demand.

What demand is that? It’s not moral perfection, or doctrinal sophistication.  It’s not faithful church attendance, or the willingness to be nice to each… More

Everywhere I go I meet people who have been wounded by other Christians. The landscape all across America is littered with broken hearts and shattered dreams of those who have been turned away and turned off by churches.

I believe there is a big difference between Christianity and what it… More

Well, it’s Christmas season and, like it or not, we’re in a mad dash for Christmas Eve.

Often we get overwhelmed with activities and responsibilities and trying to make everything just perfect for the ones we love.  And as good as all that is, you need not give up your… More

I was in our local Walmart the other day shopping for stuff I needed to decorate for Christmas.  Now think about it.  This is the Christmas season, the season of joy, right?  The season of it’s better to give than receive.

We had just come off of Black Friday. The… 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

The fear of being humiliated is one of the strongest fears we have to defeat if we’re going to live well.

Jesus introduces this idea of humility through the practice of feet-washing.  You probably know this is a cultural thing; that feet were washed by servants when people entered the… More

I love being a Christian.  By that I mean I love following Jesus.  By that I mean I love trying to follow Jesus, attempting to follow Jesus, aspiring to live the life for which I was created.

When I was converted, I just assumed that everyone who named the name… More

If you’re involved in Twitter or online searching the internet, you’ve probably come across the YouTube version of Samsung’s new commercial bashing iPhone. It’s incredibly well done if the aim is to make fun of people.  And I’m not sure that should be the aim of any business, product… 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

Like you, I’ve “OD’d ” over the news of the fall of Joe Paterno and the scandal of Penn State. I’ve been thinking of how this can happen in a place celebrated for its commitment to character, honor, and pride.

So I wondered if there are two kinds of people… 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 just finished reading Steve Jobs’ biography, and I’ve been listening to the different reviews and responses that people have to its content.  One thing I’ve heard more than any other is that Jobs was not a very nice person.  He treated people really badly over the course of his… 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

We’re getting to the section of John where Jesus is now beginning to taper down His activity and focus on moving to Jerusalem.  This is the direction he has been going, with purpose and intentionality, all along.  He is beginning to enter the phase of His ministry when He suffers… More

I like to consider myself a man, a real man; maybe not a he-man, but at least a man who understands (I think) what it means to be a male and masculine.  And as such, I am offended by what I consider to be our society’s onslaught on manhood.… 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

Let’s get something straight.  Jesus Christ is God, is the Savior, no doubts, no ifs, no ands, and no compromises.  Anyone who tells you any differently is lying to you.

That having been said, you might ask, “How can you be so sure?”  Well, Jesus was.  So sure, that in… More

Jesus Christ is the greatest thing that ever happened to this world if, in fact, you believe what the Scriptures teach: that He is our Savior, that He is God come down to be 100% God, 100% man to die as a satisfaction that would give us redemption.

On the… 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

Jesus is radical, you might almost say fanatical about his equality with God the Father.  It’s important to understand that Jesus didn’t just claim to be a good guy, a religious leader, a prophet.  He claimed to be God, to have the ultimate power, willingly die, and then by His… More

The state of the American church is in flux.  Depending on who you talk to, it’s either doing really, really well or it’s on its last legs.

I, for one, am an optimist. This isn’t just a casual observation.  It’s after decades of investment in planting churches and leading churches. … More

No one succeeds without the help of others.  And to succeed greatly, you need the help of a lot of people going in the same direction.

Here is a good way to check up on your people skills at work.  Ask yourself,  “What are the five benefits that people receive… 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

Let’s face it.  You only have so many really close friends in a lifetime.  True friendship takes one quality that we often overlook, and that’s courage.

Here are the 5 Cans of a truly courageous friendship:

1. A courageous friend can be bothered. You know what I mean.  They can

… 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

Even though I never met Steve Jobs and there’s a lot about his life I’m not attracted to, I do share with hundreds of millions of other people around the globe, a sadness in his passing.

I became an Apple convert right after Steve returned to the company and released… More

I’ve never met a person who didn’t want to win.  I’ve met an awful lot of people who are confused about what it takes to win.

Here are the five ways, dimensions, or areas of your life in which you need to win to truly be winning.

1. Winning with

… More

Last week, Amazon released its new entry into the tablet market with its low-priced “Fire.”

Before the release event, the name of the device, the price of the device, and most of the features of the device were leaked out.  So that before the day of the event, the story… 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

One of the things I keep hearing from people over and over again is how legalistic and institutional most churches seem to be – even the churches that claim to be cool. And by the way, cool is a new trend in the American church: cool video, cool look, cool… More

Without exception, the world is changing.  And I’m talking about not just the world out there, I’m talking about the world that we all live in every day. Technology has allowed some pretty amazing things to be possible: eBooks, print on demand, to name just a few.  These changes can… 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

One of the hardest things it seems for Christians to deal with are relationships.  And the hardest relationships it seems to redeem, are family relationships gone bad.

The Scriptures are very clear.  As a matter of fact, it’s one of the Big Ten – that we should honor our father… 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 hardest things to get right is how to understand  God’s part and my part. We either think that God does everything without any participation on our part, or that He does nothing.  That we have to earn our way to God and the good or the bad… More

One of the questions I keep getting over and over is, “What about the Mormons?  For all the good that they do and the high moral teaching they hold forth, surely they are Christians.”

This question is of unique interest these days, because some of the leading candidates in the… More

It’s been a lot of fun for me to join with Dave Ramsey and thousands of other churches across America these past several weeks, talking about taking back the economy, and stop waiting for someone else to fix us.

In this series called, “Great Recovery” we’ve been talking about the… More

Back in Graduate school, I was part of a doctoral seminar on conflict and conflict resolution.  There was a lot said about how to find agreement and negotiate to peace.  But one of the most indelible things that our professor said during the seminar was, “Never let them see you… 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

We continue in our study of the Book of John with Chapter 8, verse 12 and finish with verse 58.

One of the key messages of Jesus is that if you know Him you know the truth, and if you the truth, the truth will set you free.  The response… More

One of the most important things anyone can have in their life is God’s favor.  The question is, “How do you get it?”

Some people believe that you earn God’s best blessing on your life, in your business, or in your marriage.  That somehow doing daily devotionals, reading the Bible,… 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

I’ve always been fascinated by the subject of branding.  Is it just a business issue only to be dealt with by those who are responsible for marketing national products with multimillion dollar budgets? Or is branding something we all need to be concerned with?

I have the firm conviction that… More

One thing we are discovering in our study through the book of John is, Jesus had a message.  He was a man on a mission.  He didn’t avoid controversy and he constantly made the religious elite mad; not just mad, but angry.  He confronted them on every side about the… More

As long as I can remember, Christian businessmen have struggled with the question, “Is what I’m doing honoring to God?”  Can a true for-profit Business be a valid Christian Ministry? I say “valid” in the same way a church is a spiritual endeavor.

Sad to say, that many Christian businessmen… More

It seems more than ever we are enamored with the idea, or should I say, ideal of leadership.  More books, podcasts, and conversations are held about leadership than ever.  And yet leadership is far less complicated than we might think.  And for that very reason, multiple leaders and maybe even… 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

Jesus is now being public with His intentions.  He’s making claims that rightfully should shock His listeners, unless of course they’re true.  The guy in the room who claims to be God and is, you would expect that everything now is going to change.  So Jesus is not only training… More

I firmly believe that everyone should attend church.  But not everyone should attend the same church.  It truly does take all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people.

Like anything else in life, churches have personalities, different emphasis, and styles.  One size certainly doesn’t fit all.

I’ve often… More

I made a collection of the top ten things we say that we don’t mean.  You know, crazy things that we say when we’re hurt.  I’ve also noticed that there are things that smart people say.  Over and over and over again, I hear them repeated in successful businesses, growing… More

Not a week goes by that I don’t hear someone say, “I hate my job.  It’s great money, but it’s draining the life out of me. And I’m so discouraged, I don’t know what to do.”

Here’s what you need to know, if that’s where you find yourself in life. … 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

We start today in John 6:16, with the account of the disciples meeting Jesus in a storm, walking on the water.

Remember this, Jesus never did anything for show.  There was a meaning, a purpose that tied into His larger mission in everything He did. So walking on the water… More

We often hear people say, “He deserves a second chance.”  But do we deserve a second chance?  There’s something else going on in our lives when we do get a second chance. When we’re able to re-enter our lives in a saner, spiritual way, God is at work.  And one… More

There is nothing sadder in life than to see someone who has settled for second best.  We all start out with high hopes, but life has a way of beating us down over time.  Here are five signs it’s too soon for you to settle for mediocre or second best.… More

There’s one thing I have all most no toleration for; and that’s bullies. You know, they’re everywhere.  They’re in the church, at work, and even at home:  people who yell and tell and sell their way through life, ignoring the fact that relationships are really important, particularly if you’re trying… More

Today we begin in John Chapter 6. We go through the first 15 verses.  This is the famous account of Jesus feeding the tens of thousands with a few loaves of bread and fish.

This is an illustration of God’s provision.  It’s an authentication of Christ as the Messiah.  And… More

Sad to say, there are some baaaaaad people out there.  Not just dumb people, stupid people, selfish people, but bad people.  And those people come to church.  Sometimes it seems like more of them come to church than good people.  The truth is, in every church there are people who… More

Because life is constantly moving and things around us are constantly shifting, yesterday’s knowledge and skill-sets may not work for tomorrow’s challenges. But that’s ok, because we were made to be curious, to learn, to expand; not only our knowledge base, but our skill-set.  Here are five ways to sharpen… More

Branding is a popular idea today.  It pops up everywhere.  And while we understand it is important for companies, it’s also critical that you understand how to brand yourself.

Again, I’ve never met a person who didn’t want to be heard, want to make a difference, a contribution.  And yet… 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

We continue in our study of John in John Chapter 5, beginning with verse 31 throughout the rest of the chapter, with an extended confrontation of Jesus with the Pharisees.  He loved nothing more than driving them crazy by claiming to be God; or more importantly for their understanding, the… More

Maybe you’ve been in a church service, gotten an email, or seen a conversation on Facebook that people are calling for corporate prayer.

This goes on all the time.  People ask us, “Hey, would you pray about this?” “Would you pray for me?”  Oftentimes we say we will, but really… More

For all the advice we hear about not quitting, there are some things that we do over and over again to sabotage our future.  Here are five things we should all excel at quitting:

1. Let’s quit placing blame.  You know what it’s like.  It’s always someone else’s fault; the

… More

As I’ve said before on this blog, not only has the economy changed, the psyche of the average worker has also changed.  We no longer respond to command and control.  And yet that’s the basic model that most business schools teach and even MBA programs promote:  Command and control, the… 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

We’ve come to John Chapter 5 when Jesus now leaves the rural areas and goes straight into the eye of the storm in Jerusalem. He’s there to stir up trouble.  Yeah, our sweet,little, wouldn’t hurt a fly Jesus was looking for a fight and knew exactly where to go.

He… More

Today’s topic was sent in as a question by a listener.  It has to do with predestination, predetermination, and things like free will.

Without question, the Scriptures have something very definite to say about predestination.  But oftentimes predestination is interpreted as fatalism, which means it doesn’t matter what we do… More

Last week in our Dave Rave we talked about the five things we say we don’t mean. Here are five more.

1. This will never change. This is a way of expressing unmet expectations.  But it doesn’t communicate why you’re upset, and why the needs weren’t met.  It only

… More

It’s obvious even to the casual observer that the whole artist commerce world has radically changed and is continuing to change.

One of the fundamental discussions that I hardly ever hear though, is the difference between what an artist – a content creator or whatever you want to call them… 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

As we continue our study in the Book of John, I beg you to at least attempt to put your understanding into the first century context.  Jesus claims to be the Messiah; not a great teacher, not a great man, not a holy man, not even a man with… More

Remember the days when claiming to be a Christian wasn’t so difficult? I don’t mean difficult in that we’re ashamed to be Christian.  It’s just that the term “Christian” means so many different things to so many different people, given the environment and the location.

So on the show… More

If you’ve never heard or listened to anything I’ve ever said, please listen to these next words.  Words matter.

We fail to understand the impact of our words.  We use them to hurt people or to express anger, and fail to realize the wounds they cause are very real… More

Our day-to-day lives, institutions, and business establishments are filled with job titles and positions. He’s a VP.  She’s the head of. He’s the Marketing Director over.  And so on.

All of these titles are meant to extend authority so that the person who has it can carry out successfully, their… 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

Last week in John Chapter 3 we saw how Jesus dealt with the ultimate insider; a guy named Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was well-connected: a member of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee, the ultimate insider, the ultimate religious professional.  And when he comes to Jesus by night, Jesus graciously and carefully deconstructs… More

Today we’ll deal with a question from a listener about, “What do you do when you’ve done all the right things, when it seems from your family, to your job, to your friends, everything is coming unglued?”

Where is God when you’ve prayed, and you’ve prayed diligently and… More

Several weeks ago, Lady Gaga released her brand new album, “Born This Way,” on the commerce engine of Amazon, the biggest online bookstore and music store in the world.

Lady Gaga is proof, like her, don’t know her, or hate her, that flying a flag is essential to being heard… More

All too often we find ourselves bearing up under responsibilities for which we have long lost our passion.

The resolution is often just to walk away and start all over again.  But is there a way to regain your passion for the responsibilities that you have allowed to become routine… More

In addition to being a professional Christian, that is my calling has been to be a pastor, I’ve also attended church all my life.  My mama told me she took me to church in a banana box and put me in the nursery when I was just a baby.  And… More

Friday Morning Bible Study is a 20-minute verse-by-verse study through the Book of John.  It’s intended to be used in your small groups, or in your drive to work.  The length is long enough to dig deep, but not too long for those on a tight schedule.

Today we… More

Not a week goes by when someone doesn’t say to me, “David, I’m stuck in my faith. I’m losing it.  God seems far away and it just seems like I’m going to church and going through the motions, but nothing is changing in my life, at least nothing for… More

If you’re like me, you don’t like to be managed, coerced, or told what to do.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t need to be sometimes.  That’s why I always include dissenting voices in my life.

As great as it is to have people in your life to whom… More

As predictable as hot weather in July, and snow in Alaska, is the fall of great leaders.

It seems every other week we’re reading about the demise of some leader, either in politics, business, or the church world who have done something stupid to sabotage their influence.

Think about this. … 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

We continue, today, in our weekly verse-by-verse study of John by beginning with John 2:13.  Here are introduced the most intriguing aspects of Jesus’s ministry, of his ability to become angry and remain righteous and sinless, all at the same time.  Oftentimes we teach Christians that anger and frustration… More

One thing you can say about Jesus, is after two thousand years, He’s as popular as ever.  But also, I might argue, as misunderstood.

This is never more true than when you think about the picture that American Christianity has tended to paint of the person of Jesus. When… More

To achieve anything of significance in life requires focus; not just focus for the moment, but focus over time, a focus that is fixed on learning, growing, and mastering a subject,a problem, or an opportunity.  Here are five signs you’re not focused.

1. You don’t have a plan. If

… More

I’ve heard it said that your character is what you are when no one is watching, and your reputation is what other people think you are while they are listening to other people who have been watching you.

The truth is, every person I’ve ever known is going to go… 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

As we continue our verse-by-verse study of the Book of John, we are introduced to the disciples that Jesus is now gathering around Him.  And as they come around Him, each one of them is so transfixed with Jesus and who He is and what He’s here to do,… More

Our desire to know God and lead a meaningful life is one of the most powerful forces that drives us forward.  So powerful is this desire, that it is easily manipulated by religion.  America is littered with the victims of small-minded, toxic religion.

On our show today we talk… More

Let’s face it.  In a perfect world, there are a lot of things we would choose not to experience.  And yet, we don’t live in a perfect world.  We live in the real world where some things simply can’t be avoided.  And if they can’t be avoided, they should… More

Are you like millions of others in America and around the world who dread Mondays and you think it’s because work is a necessary evil?  Well, I’ve got good news for you.  Work isn’t evil.  Work is good.  Work is virtuous.  Work is what you were created for. It’s… 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

We continue in our study of John in today’s episode.  We talk about the power of John the Baptist as he presents with great boldness and clarity, Jesus as the Messiah.

He talks about a new kind of grace, a power that will accompany the words and work of… More

One of the most common experiences that Christians have is, somewhere down the road, a bad church experience.  Some of these disappointments are so deep, so painful, and so long-lasting that Christians even abandon the church and their faith altogether.

Today on Renegade we talk about why these things… More

When someone asks us who we work for, most of us would give the name of the company that signs their paycheck, or the place we go show up every day and do our thing.  Yet, in this new economy, more and more people are taking on the entrepreneurial… More

One of the things I am thankful for as I reflect on my childhood are the summers spent on the farm, learning practical lessons about life.  One that has always stood out to me is how one little collie dog, a dog that I could pet, run with, and play… 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

To say the least, things have changed. The economy’s changed, the government’s changed, there is upheaval, transition, and revolution all over the place.  Leadership is also changing.  It’s what the pundits call a “seachange.”

Leadership has to change because leadership is always about the context in which you lead.  It’s… More

Well today we turn the corner in our Friday Morning Bible Study in two ways:  a brand new book, and a newer, shorter format.

For our first eleven episodes, I taught from the Book of Romans in a a live forum.  But for the Book of John, I’m going… More

One of the famous sayings spawned by the movie, “The Godfather” is this, “It’s not personal; it’s business.” Living in Nashville, I also hear this one often: “Christian music is sometimes Christian, sometimes music, but all the time business.” We also hear phrases like this: “It’s time that… More

As part of a series entitled, “When You’re Going Through Hell Don’t Stop,” I spoke for the first time this past weekend about my experience of being fired 5 years ago.

I did this in part because I’ve come across literally hundreds of people who have been fired.  I… More

Today we’ve come to the conclusion of our study of the Book of Romans with chapters 15 & 16 convincing us our lives should be lived not out of our weakness, but out of Christ’s strength.

Today we’ll talk about the power of hope and the transformation that happens… 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

In spite of what you’ve been told, you are creative. How do I know?  Well, basically because you were created by the most creative being in the world, God.

An yet, you know that one of the hardest things you’ll ever do is to learn to trust your inner “moo.” … More

Once again we stand in the wake of the disappointment of those who prophesied and predicted the rapture this past Saturday.

If this were just the weird prediction of a small group, we could ignore it.  Reports say over a hundred million dollars was spent to advertise and promote… More

One of the constant fears and challenges all of us face is losing our job, our income, and status; especially in the new economy as you get older.  You live in constant fear of being replaced at work, and even at home with a younger, cheaper model.  The only… More

We began in Romans 14 in our study, this week, with really practical teaching on Christian liberty.

Too often in an effort to live Christian-ly we end up judging each other over the things that we can and cannot do and maintain our Christian testimony.

The truth of the… 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

Hey.  What’s your problem? Does anybody ever ask you that?  Usually it’s something about your countenance, the way you carry yourself, or maybe even the way you are responding that gives someone who knows you a signal that something’s wrong.

Let’s take that idea a little further.  Maybe we should… More

Millions of people attended church last Sunday.  And millions more will show up this coming Sunday. For that I say, Yea God!  If for you, going to church is going to worship, to connect to God and other messy people, I applaud you for making this a discipline of… More

The most powerful force in the world, hands down, is love.  We know it’s the driving force of the Creation and why God sustains it even unto this day.

It’s the glue that holds relationships together and it’s the power that drives the passions of our movements and organizations.… More

As we continued our journey in our Friday Morning Bible Study this week ,we dealt with Romans Chapters 12 and 13.  These are the verses where we get practical, down and dirty, about the living-out of our faith.

It’s almost poetic and comical that Chapter 12 begins with the… 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

I believe it’s at the Indianapolis 500 that the race begins with, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”  That’s the signal for the roar of those powerful engines to come to life.  Horsepower idling potential linear movement, maybe glory, maybe a record, maybe even the history books.

We know that cars have… More

One of the most difficult things to face when you become a Christian is that not everyone who says they are a Christian, are genuine, authentic, and real.  As a matter, of fact some people are just downright wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They are not just misguided, they are… More

I have to tell you that I am shocked when I hear people say, “I’m not a reader.”  When I hear that I want to say, “You don’t have to tell us.  We already know.”

I know, that’s a little harsh, but hey, reading is important!  Where did it… More

I love being alive in this brave, new, wall-less, wireless world.   It is so different, and yet so much better different than the world we’ve come from.

There is no place this difference is felt more than in the area of leadership.  Let me give you an example.

I live… More

It has been my privilege to lead churches since I was 18 years old.  I have watched both movements and movers move on and off the scene.  The American church landscape has been painted, erased and painted over many times, yet in all these years and in the passing of… 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

We live in a great, big, wonderful world with an endless stream of options, opinions, and choices to be made.  And therein lies most of our problem. If we’re not careful, faced with so much to do, to see, to invest our time in, we’ll end up being ten miles… More

At the core of every Christian’s life is the reading and studying of Scripture.  The Bible is indeed God’s word.  We believe that it is inspired by God, given by God.  It is the direct revelation of God.  It is the foundation for all that we do. It is… More

One of the challenges of life is that most of it happens in the mundane.  You know, like today.  Not much happening today.  Today’s not special, spectacular, not wonderful, really no opportunities to be amazing today. Just get up and do the work.

But that is the treacherous nature… More

I know what you’re afraid of.  No I am not talking about, bugs, gators, snakes, spiders, all those common things we say we’re afraid of. There are as many phobias, it seems, as there are people who populate the planet.  But I know what you’re afraid of, really, really at… 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

Everywhere I go I meet people who have a story to tell, a song to write, a book to offer, a business to start, a risk to take.  And yet these same people will waste a lifetime worrying about the fact that they are not qualified.  No one has picked… More

One of the thorny dilemmas anyone, anywhere faces when they affirm the goodness of God, is, “How can God be good and there be so much pain, suffering, and darkness in the world?”

In talking with a young seeker several years ago, he posed that question to me.  He… More

Each and every day as we enter our lives, whether at work or at home, even at play, we are forced to use words, to form sentences.  It almost seems second nature.  But let’s face it.  Sometimes we’ve said things that we wish we hadn’t.

As a matter of… More

It’s hard to believe we’re already up to Chapters 10 and 11 in our Friday Morning Bible Study.  But we have arrived at two verses that make it very clear that when God makes a promise, He takes it seriously.

The great teacher, Paul, turns our attention to God’s… 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

One thing that’s been true with every person I’ve ever met is that they want to be heard.  I mean really heard; not just add to the noise, not just politely stand in line to earn the right to say something.  But to be heard for who they are and… More

One of the hottest debates, at least in American Christianity, is about how Christians behave.  What can a Christian be expected to do and not do?  What’s the actual nature of Christianity?  Is it a sin-management program?  Is it adherence to a certain strict set of doctrines? Is there… More

I don’t know how you feel, but sometimes I feel like I’ve added so much to my life that I feel weighted down by all the good things.  Sometimes I need to stop and jettison some things that are slowing me down.  So here are the top five things… More

This week at our Friday Morning Bible Study we dealt with the last verses of Chapter 8, and all of Romans Chapter 9.

Romans 8 ends by talking about these good, glorious ideals; that we are more than conquerors in Christ, that nothing can separate us from the love… 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

I don’t ordinarily consider myself a “church planter,” but now that I’ve planted two churches in the last 20 years, I suppose I am.

I’ve been in this long enough to know that there are some things that are very predictable about planting a new church, or even starting… More

I’ve seen so many people start out great.  They are excited, full of energy, with high hopes for the future. But as we all know, life has a way of gut-kicking us at times.  And we wind up on the sidelines, nursing our wounds wondering where we went wrong… More

We began studying Romans Chapter 8 this past Friday at our Friday Morning Bible Study.  We talked about God’s promises to the elect, to those whom He has called.  We talked about issues like predestination and election.  What did God mean when he said, “To whom the Lord calls, He… 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

I am of the firm conviction that you have every right to reject Jesus and all the tenants of Christianity.  But you don’t have the right to redefine the Christian faith to mean anything you want it to.

With all the confusion these days and all the books and… More

Each and every day we awake, we dip our toe into a brand new world.  Change and the speed of change can overwhelm us and cause us, out of fear, to procrastinate embracing the new world as it is.

As our country ages and the workforce ages, one of… More

Have you ever wondered if there are really 2 “You’s” inside of you: one wanting to do the right thing with all its heart, and the other, lazy and hard to discipline?

In our study of Romans 7 this week, we talked about why it’s so hard to live out… 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

All of my Christian life, I’ve heard how important it is to be a soul-winner, to win people to Jesus, to convince people that the Christian faith is the way to go.  But for the past 21 years, I’ve seen more lives transformed through the power of Jesus than… More

There’s an awful lot of bad information out there about what it takes to lead.  Most of it revolves around the misunderstanding and the abuse of the use of power.

Whether you want to believe it or not, you have far less power than you think you do.  And… More

In the fourth edition of our Friday Morning Bible Study, we arrived at Romans, Chapter 5.  It’s a welcome summation and declaration about what’s so important about being Christian.

In the first four chapters of Romans, Paul paints a bleak picture that we are helpless and hopeless on our own,… 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

For good or bad, I’ve always been an early adopter.  By that I mean, if a new thing comes out, be it technology or a piece of equipment, I am always interested.  And not every time, but a lot of times, I go ahead and take the plunge with… More

I was in conversation with the guys in my small group and we were bemoaning the sad state of sermonizing and teaching in the American church.

One guy said, “I feel sorry for people who are in the formation stage of their faith with all the muddied up opinions,… More

We all love winning.  We live for it.  We think about it.  We obsess over it.  Thus the popularity of ESPN and all things sport.

But the truth is, we don’t all win.  That is, we don’t all come in in first place.  We don’t all win the championship.  And… More

I am loving our new Friday Morning Bible Study.  Three weeks in, and I can’t wait to get up and get there every Friday morning and really dig in to the meat of Scripture.

So this week we dealt with Romans 3 and 4: a new way of relating to… 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

I have to tell you that I am really thrilled about our new Friday Morning Bible Study. Not the least of which is to try to help people have a full, mature understanding of their faith; a first-hand faith that allows you to live your life on your own terms,… More

All across America, every seven days, in over 450,000 churches, people gather to worship.  And you would think that all of that collective meeting over a long period of time would produce grace-filled, energetic, life-giving faith in the people who attend.  But oftentimes the exact opposite happens.

Why?  Basically… More

The numbers are out.  There were over 200,000 new books published in the United States in 2010.  This is by traditional, old world media publishers.  The real blow-your-mind statistic is that an additional 700,000 books were self-published by authors.  What does this tell you?  One, it’s a lot easier… More

As we continued our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Romans, I saw at the end of the session what I saw on my own face when I went through this many years ago; utter confusion.

I’ve learned that when you really are embracing new truth, when you are going… 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

All across America, on any given Sunday morning there are millions upon millions of people who call themselves Christians, who don’t attend church.  That sounds rather odd, doesn’t it, in light of the fact that that’s what Christians are called to do: to gather, to worship God.  So what’s… More

I was talking to someone on Facebook this week and they let me know that  because of downsizing and other disrespectful activity, the company that they’d given so many years for had laid them off and hired someone cheaper.

His statement was, “I get to start all over again.” … More

It was exciting to get started on our first Friday in our Friday Morning Bible Study series.  This is a 12-week series where we will be studying the Book of Romans verse-by-verse, line-by-line, precept upon precept.

This is actually the first time in 21 years since I’ve been in Nashville… More

Today I was forced to work out in a YMCA away from my home in an upscale neighborhood, surrounded by executive office buildings.  There are probably more MBA’s per square foot there than almost anyplace I go.  And yet every time I go into this environment filled with well-educated, sophisticated,… 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

In a recent interview, Matt Damon was asked if he believed in fate, or luck.  This was in reference to his new movie called “The Adjustment Bureau.”

The story behind the movie is that in our normal, everyday lives there is a force unseen; controlling, not only the people… More

If you’re a leader, you have to ask yourself this question almost every day, “What do I do that others can’t do? What do I do today with the position and the power that has been handed to me?”

A lot of leaders answer this question without thinking.  But… More

When life hands me a set of circumstances out of which I can make no sense, by God’s grace, I will face it in one peace.

When people that don’t even know me oppose me, I will respond, still in one peace.

When my goals go unmet and my… 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

There’s a great big difference between the church that’s taught in the Scriptures and the church as an organization that we see in various states of decline in health.

Today we talked about advancing the church; the church as a movement, a worldwide movement of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration. … More

Everyone’s looking for ways to be happy: secrets to happiness, the road to happiness, 5 steps, 5 formulas, 5 easy somethings that might end up one day making them happy.  I’ve come to the conclusion that you go down a slippery slope when you try to answer that question… More

Have you ever noticed a lot of people doing a lot of talking and oftentimes what they say has the opposite result?  Instead of moving, influencing, inspiring or gaining compliance, people bow up and resist them at all odds.

Have you ever wondered why sometimes people simply won’t listen to… More

All of my adult life, I’ve had a passion to plant, lead, and grow the American church.  My years involved in this mission, this labor of love, has allowed me to see many movements come and go.  In today’s show I talk about what I think the three most… More

I love living in Nashville because it’s a town of creators.  More particularly, I love to live around all of these songwriters: people who dedicate their lives to the meaning and significance of not just words, but the right words.  It was Mark Twain who said that the difference… More

Today on Renegade’s Guide to God, David talked about the real Jesus; not the Jesus you often hear about in church – the nice, sweet Jesus.  Too often Jesus is presented in American culture in a bathrobe, pale, long blond hair, blue eyes, and limp-wristed.  And yet, the real… More

It’s hard to actually believe that Coach Fisher is no longer at the helm of the Titans.  For 17 years he’s defined the franchise and led us through good and bad times.

I met Coach Fisher when he first moved to town; when the Titans didn’t have a stadium or… More

It’s hard to believe that The Gathering was four years old last month.  Where has the time gone? This has been one of the most fun, rewarding journeys of my life so far.

Since it has been awhile since I’ve really focused on the nature of the church, the meaning,… More

I got an email this week from a longtime friend bemoaning the fact that while they are a Christian, they are having a very difficult time feeling comfortable in the churches in their city.  When I asked why, he responded, “It seems like to go to these churches I… More

We finished our “Moneyology” series today, the last installment on how to save and invest for the long term.

It sounds odd to be talking about saving and investing in church.  It’s only true because of the woeful neglect we’ve given to teaching the biblical concepts of money, abundance and… More

One of the most embarrassing facts about Christianity is that those who practice it are imperfect.  How shocking and yet, why would we expect anything else?

Oftentimes morality is used as a synonym for faith in Jesus Christ; that doing good things means I am a good person.  And if… More

Life moves fast, doesn’t it?  What we determine in a quiet moment of reflection can be turned upside-down in the crazy, emergency, hurry-here, or fix-it-now life that we all face.

In the process of trying to get it all right, we’re tempted sometimes to compromise, to make trade-offs in… More

I’ve had an overwhelming response to our new series called “Moneyology.” I knew people were hungry to learn the basics of how to win at life with money.  And all that’s been confirmed with the buzz that’s going on around The Gathering.

Today we talked about spending; some of… More

It is my firm conviction that everyone should go to church, and needs to go to church. But one of the biggest questions is, how do you find a new church?

Whether you are moving, have been inactive for many years, or have been hurt by a church-split or problem,… More

People are hurting everywhere you look.  I truly believe that one of the greatest sins we commit every Sunday morning in our churches is underestimating how much hurt and pain people are in.

And while I am very compassionate, because people have been caring for me in my pain,… More

Today at The Gathering we continued in our current series, “Moneyology: How to Win at Life With Money,” with installment number 3, the Bible’s teaching on the essential nature of generosity.

Today I gave 10 reasons why I tithe.  A lot of controversy surrounds tithing.  As a matter of… More

Giving is at the core of life, and it certainly is basic to the Christian life.  But the question is, how much should we give? Why should we give?  Do we have to give a certain amount in order to go to heaven?  Is tithing taught in the New… More

I’ll be the first one to admit I’ve not always been a big fan of Bud Adams.  But his recent decision to retain coach Jeff Fisher proved to me that “even an old dog can learn new tricks.”

This decision, I know for Mr. Adams, wasn’t easy.  He personally liked… More

Today at The Gathering we continued with our series, “Moneyology: How to Win at Life With Money” by talking about the first idea you must master if you’re going to enjoy your God-given blessings.  We talked about earning money the old-fashioned way: by working.

Every day on TV in… More

A good buddy of mine sent me an email about a book that has become very popular, very fast.  He asked me if I would read it and give him my input.  I did, and it just kindled the flame in me again to defy conventional wisdom that you can’t… More

Well, we’re off and running in the New Year, and I have to tell you, I’m a guy who is all for making resolutions.

I know a lot of people oppose it because they think it really doesn’t matter.  But let’s face it.  All of us need a little… More

We launched the new year at The Gathering with a timely study on money; not just preaching for it or against it, not begging people to give more of it, but really stepping back to get an understanding of what the Scriptures really teach about money, and how we… More

It’s hard to believe this is the last Sunday of 2010.  For some of us this has been a pivotal year: good things have happened, breaks have gone our way; while for others, it’s been devastating.  Some who have worked a lifetime have lost it all.  Others who had good… More

Since there are just a few days before Christmas, I think it’s important to make one last effort to expose the scandal of religion.  I am not talking about a scandal where money is embezzled, or some sexual sin has been covered up.  I’m talking about something that’s far bigger,… More

Today @ The Gathering we completed our series, “Yea God” with a talk entitled, “Yea God; You Love Outsiders and Underdogs.” If you think Christmas is not an epic idea that has revolutionized the world, you need to think again.

Today we talked about why the ultimate insider,… More

Today on Renegade’s Guide to God we’re going to continue our discussion of the questions that we’ve received from several people who are reaching out for help, asking really good questions.

One of the things that attracted me to Christ in the first place is that He always entertained questions. … More

Today @ The Gathering we continued our current series, “Yea God! The 8 Things You Won’t Learn About God in Church,” with installment number 7, “Yea God; With You, Timing is Everything.”

I really enjoyed speaking today, more academically than I usually do; in other words, talking about history… 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

I received a correspondence on Facebook recently which read, “David, I am lost. I’m having trouble believing in God, I’m off-track and I don’t know where to turn. I have a hard time believing in the entire afterlife.  I’m an educated guy, and some of the things in the Bible… More

Today on The David and Paula Show they’ll discuss the importance of passing on your family stories.

One of the strongest ways to keep your family connected as they get older and you get busier, is to tell stories. These adventures of how your family came to be, how… More

One of the reasons I love living in Nashville is that it’s a city full of creatives: writers, singers, entrepreneurs; all people who are determined to make something of their lives.

As one of those creatives, here are five reasons I do what I do.

1. Creating captures time.

… More

Today at The Gathering I gave a talk entitled, “Yea God: With You, All Things Are Possible.”

I wonder if we still believe that, even those of us who call ourselves Christians, that truly nothing is impossible with God.  Today we talked about… More

Today, we answer the question; “Can you be sure you’re going to heaven when you die?”

There is a huge difference between being religious and being Christian.  So much religious teaching and practice deals with modifying behavior rather than understanding that there is nothing you can do to make up… More

You knew when you got married you had differences; differences that you knew you had to come to agreement upon: things like character, beliefs, values, vision for your future, expectations.  But you also know that there are differences that aren’t going to go away.

These differences are represented in things… More

Imagine my dismay while on my Monday morning run, I saw this huge machine in a field chopping up a tree from the top down, with a huge rotary blade.  It’s kind of like a weed-whacker on steroids. The first thought in my mind was, “Man, that would be fun!” … More

One of the hot topics in my hometown of Nashville right now is the controversy going on
with our quarterback, Vince Young.

The press loves nothing more than to find something small and blow it out of proportion.  So now there is a triad of dissent between… More

Last week, Paula and I attended a Momentum conference in Nashville.  If you don’t know what that is, I’ll be glad to explain and tell you why you ought to go too.

First of all, I love the word momentum.  It just creates a lot of good energy and feelings. … More

Today at The Gathering we continued in our current series “Yea God: Eight Things About God You Can’t Learn in Church” with “Yea God: You’re Partial to Rednecks and Rebels.”

It’s hard to predict where greatness comes from.  We think we know.  We think it’s in education,… More

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  And welcome to the new Renegade’s Guide to God show.  It’s a weekly show that will help you in your quest to know God, love God, and live the life for which you were created.

Since today is Thanksgiving, for our first episode I thought I would… More

On my six-mile run today I was interrupted by a turkey trying to cross the road.  Here is a picture of the fence he was trying to climb. Not only was there a bank that was five feet tall, the fence was totally intact. The turkey had come from… More

I often hear people say, “I live on the cutting-edge.”  What I think they mean to say is they live on the bleeding edge.  I’ve never quite understood how important it would be to be on the cutting edge, because it seems to be too thin to be substantial… More

I was listening to a podcast and two people were talking about what happens when bloggers can’t think of anything to say.  What do you do?

There are services out there where people write articles about certain subjects that you can buy, mash around a little bit, and then post… More

Today at The Gathering we continued in our current series “Yea God: Eight Things You Can’t Learn About God in Church” with the installment entitled, “Yea God: You Give the Best Gifts.”

One of the saddest tragedies I’ve ever witnessed (and I witness it way too often)… More

I wonder if a lot of people who call themselves “Christians” are really people who, at the end of the day, dare I say, are just lazy.  Harsh?  Think about it.  They do stupid, self-destructive stuff, and think prayer to God will get them out of the fix they acted… More

Today on The David and Paula Show we’ll talk about the danger of taking your mate for granted in marriage, and some of the tell-tale signs that will show exactly where you stand in your own marriage.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s a time to step back and remember… More

It’s no secret I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey.  It’s not just because I like his stuff, but I know the man and have a great deal of admiration for him.  So I listen to what he has to say more carefully than I do most other public… More

We’re fast coming upon the Christmas season when we hear the same seasonal cliche’s like “Joy to the World, Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.”  We’ll sing songs that will contain phrases like “comfort and joy.”

When I think of that term, comfort and joy, I think about the… More

Today we continued our series “Yea God!” with the installment entitled, “Yea God: Your Way is the High-Way.”

I’m afraid sometimes we go to church and assume too much.  We assume we understand what the gospel is, or that we even hear it.

So today we took a… More

How sad it is when Paula and I meet with couples who tell us they don’t care about saving their marriage.  Why is it that people wait until their love and desires have died before they recognize that something’s wrong? Is it that, particularly in marriage, it’s all or… More

One of the controversies that exists in almost any arena of achievement is, do you want character or skill?  My response is, why not both?

But let’s face it.  If we do have to make a choice, and at times we do, character will always trump skill.  People with… More

We’re trained from the very earliest in our lives to not make good decisions.  It’s not a conspiracy to keep us down.  It’s just the way we’ve chosen to organize the world.

As a result, we’ve raised a generation of permission-seeking conformists who are looking to plug into the system… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued our current series with installment number two, “Yea God; You’re a Creative Genius With Mud.”

What I attempted to do was to simply, logically walk through several steps that we need to understand, comprehend, and embrace, if we’re going to think… More

For those who have been asking, there are 5 slots left for next Friday’s MMFA Live Event.  I you or someone you know could benefit from this fun, informative, and inspiration evening, go to the Making Marriage Fun Again web site and register.

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

Announcing a brand new weekly show called, “A Renegade’s Guide to God.” I have named it after my most popular book and will be a nonreligious, no nonsense, plain-speaking, fast-paced 30 minute show about how real faith works in the real world where real people need real hope. The goal… More

Today on The David and Paula Show we’ll be talking about religion and how it affects marriage.  Paula and I have learned over the years that there are four huge pressure-points in marriage. That is: in-laws, children, money, and religion.

There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about religious… More

I met Tony Steward at a conference we both participated in as presenters, and since then I have been following his blog.  A couple weeks ago he put up a post that got my attention and just simply won’t leave my consciousness, so I thought I’d introduce you to the… More

In last week’s Dave Rave, if you haven’t read it, we talked about courageous dissent.  What is it?  It’s the courage to say “no” to the life other people want you to live.  It’s the courage to say “no,” to disagree that you’re mediocre, that you’re average, that you… More

We live in a day where religion is suspect at best and feared and opposed at worst.

I think we have to accept, in America, that we Christians are in part to blame, or at least we’ve hastened the demise of the goodwill and the generic word “religion.”

Even the… More

Today @ The Gathering we started a brand new series called “Yea God!” For the next 8 weeks, we’re going to focus on the nature of God: who He is, what He offers, and how we relate to Him in a real world, on a day-to-day… 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

One of the best movies I’ve attended this year is a movie called, “Secretariat.”  Not only is it beautifully shot, and the story told with great style; as a powerful lesson, this stands out.

Penny Tweedy believed in Secretariat even before he was born.  You can watch the movie to… More

You would think that communication between the sexes would be easy.  After all, we’re totally attracted to each other.  This is how God made us.  And you would think that hot-wired within our own DNA would be a natural understanding of how to relate.  Nothing could be further from the… More

One of the number one causes of quitting is feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelmed in your marriage, overwhelmed at work, overwhelmed with a new idea that you’re trying to get off the ground, but there are just so many moving parts, you feel like you’re never going to get a handle on… More

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, there is a conspiracy afoot; a plan, an effort to keep you mediocre, miserable, and unfulfilled.

It started when you were young and has persisted through all the major institutions in your life; a call to compliance, be in step, be… More

I’m hearing more and more these days of excuses why people can’t live the life of their dreams.  “It’s the economy.  It’s my wife.  It’s my background.”  And one of the most expansive excuses I continually hear is, “I don’t have a degree.”

Let me tell you a little story. … More

We live in a world going faster and faster.  More of us are in motion most of the time.  We’re hooked up, connected, and in the mainstream, but please don’t let the activity deceive you.

There’s a big difference between endless, mindless activity and meaningful, passion-driven action.

To know the… More

Men and women are different, if you haven’t noticed, very different.  And that difference goes way beyond our physical make up and reaches deep into our soul.  So it’s not automatic that we understand how to relate to each other; that is, men to women.  Even if you are married… More

This past Saturday was my birthday, and it was an amazing day; probably the best birthday I’ve ever had.  Not because I got a new Ferrari, or a trip to Tahiti, but because there were so many signs around that day that made me very grateful.

I call my birthday… More

I want to confess right out of the blocks that I don’t have a great perspective on the subject of this Dave Rave, in part, because I’ve always loved what I do.  I am one of the blessed ones who found, very early in life, his calling and has… More

As I survey the leadership culture of today’s organizations – all organizations – I see a renewed interest in systems, and somehow that our problems are in our systems.  If we had better systems populated with obedient people, our churches and our companies and even our government would right their… More

I’m sad to see our current series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage,” come to an end this morning, but it’s been a great journey, and the feedback has been tremendous.

We ended our time on the subject of marriage by talking about divorce and the… 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

I love learning.  I think it’s a result of my radical conversion as an 18 year-old kid.  It wasn’t a conversion to The Beatles, or to marijuana, or a political party.  It was a radical revolution in my heart, started and continued to this very day by the real, live… More

Divorce is no longer an issue “other people” deal with.  The fact is, so many of us are divorced, and if we have not had that experience, we know someone who has or are related to someone who is going through it.  So today David and Paula focus not on… More

I don’t know about you, but early on in life I learned I was not enough.  I don’t know where it was or when it was, or if there was a conspiracy behind it.  But I’ve found that I’m not the only one.

You know what I’m talking about.  I’m… More

Several years ago Mitch Albom, one of my favorite writers, came out with a book called “The Five People You’ll Meet in Heaven.”  It was wildly successful, so much so that it was turned into a movie.  Great work, great imagination, I loved it.

Since then I’ve also… More

I just finished our Fall session of Gathering 4 Guys, drove home, and after I got home and sat down at my desk, I was thinking about the great experience of being with these amazing men. When I look into their eyes, I see greatness that wants to be unleashed… More

Today was installment number nine in our current series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage: The Top Ten Things They Don’t Tell You Before You Say ‘I do’.”

That subtitle doesn’t apply anywhere more importantly than it does with the issue of sex.  Think about it. The two most important things in… 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

It’s heartbreaking to talk to so many people who confess that their faith is weak.  It’s not what they want and it’s not what they want to settle for, but oftentimes they don’t know how to move from where they are to where they want to be.

I’ve found… More

This morning on the David and Paula Show we will continue our discussion from last week on how to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank.  With the average wedding in America costing between $27,000 and $45,000, can you have a truly beautiful, memorable wedding on a budget?… More

One of my life missions is to advance the good.  The difficulty oftentimes is not understanding what the good is, but the advancing part.

Here is the bottom line.  Just because your good is true, doesn’t mean that you can use any means available to advance your good. The… More

You’ve heard the old saying, haven’t you?  “How do you eat an elephant?….One bite at a time.”

Well, how do you get from where you are to where you want to be? Successful. Happy. Influential. Great relationships. Spiritually, emotionally, financially, and mentally at the top of your game. … More

There are a lot of problems that face our world.  We see them reflected in the eyes of the people we meet every day.  And because there are so many overwhelming problems, we are at times, left with the feeling that there is nothing we can do.

I was in… More

We continued our series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage,” with part 8.  If you’re in debt and broke, this is what you should do.

That’s how so many people feel, “What should I do?”  Before you do anything, you have to understand what got you to where you are. … 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

One of the most frustrating things about being a pastor, writer, counselor, teacher, educator, whatever it is I am these days, is the widening gap between belief and behavior in this country.

We continue to hear from bad-news Barna and other sources that there is little difference between those who… More

The average wedding in America is a big deal.  It’s something that is dreamed about and looked forward to for years and years.  It has become a spectacle, and an expensive one at that.

In light of the fact that the average wedding in America costs between $38,000 and  $50,000,… More

I’ve always had a hard time with labels, especially the kinds of labels Christians get tagged with these days, like religious, conformed, angry, bigot, narrow-minded.  You know the story, and you’ve heard the names.

Years ago I decided that as a follower of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century, I’m… More

One of the most limiting forces in our lives are our fears: some, justified; most, fabricated and simply figments of our imagination.

Just because fear limits our life doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a legitimate place in our life.  I never bought into the t-shirt several years ago which… More

When we start out in life, we are curious, daring risk-takers. But over time, with the guidance of our fearful parents and the faithful, diminishing effects of education, we get in line.  We finally see our lives as something small and insignificant.  We’re a customer, a number, a name, a… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued our series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage,” talking about conflict.

It is absolutely impossible for two wounded people to live together without conflict. The conflict isn’t the problem. It’s how we deal with it. So today we talked about confronting conflict in a healthy… 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

Let me say, I love the church.  It is what Jesus died for.  If you don’t believe that, read the book.

I am afraid and ashamed that I have done my share of church-bashing.  My intention has always been to focus my comments toward that which obscures, redefines and robs… More

It is virtually impossible for two wounded individuals to live together without conflict. The question is, what do you do when that conflict gets out of hand?  How do you negotiate peace in your marriage?  How do you fight fair?

The truth of the matter is, you’ll wind up fighting… More

I know, just the title of this blog sets me up as a target, but I think it’s worth it to tell the truth, at least from my perspective of the truth.

Christianity in America is either doing ok, really well, or near death’s door.  If you read and accept… More

It really is true that you are today where your choices have led you. You are the sum total of the choices you make.  The problem with that is, most choices are not big ones.  They are small ones made in the mundane and the routine.  They don’t seem… More

Churches, organizations, businesses, anyplace where there is a mission and a passion to extend that mission and its influence, are places populated by people, at first, just a few true believers.  And as the mission takes hold, and as you grow larger and larger, more and more people begin to… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued in our current series “Accept No Mediocre Marriage” by dealing with how you help your mate make the changes they need to make.

One of the neat things about today’s talk was I interviewed my wife Paula for the first 10… 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

Ok, I’m not a jerk.  Or at least I don’t think I am.   But I am absolutely sure that there is a little jerk that lives somewhere inside of me because it so easily comes out.  I need to put that thing on a leash.  Let me tell you why.… More

There is a myth afoot in our society that says you can’t change another person.  We believe that so much so we have failed to realize we have a profound influence on other people; particularly those people in our own family.

Today on The David and Paula Show we’ll… More

I was among a group of businessmen this morning, taking on the conversation about the economy.  One of the guys in the group of 13 asked, “How much church debt is represented in this room?”  And as each of these men, who are heavily involved in their churches and also… More

Have you ever met someone who just seems cold and distant?  They don’t know how to carry on a conversation and when they do, their responses are often biting and totally insensitive.

Right or wrong, we write people off as unkind, mean, or downright bad if they don’t have… More

I was standing in line at one of my favorite places (Starbucks) and a guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Are you Dr. David Foster?”  And I turned around and said, “Yes, I am THE Dr. David Foster.”  And this big smile comes across his face… 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

One of the most popular trends in a down economy is to blame everything on the economy. If business is bad, the future looks bleak, we can sit around and comfort ourselves knowing that everyone else is sucking wind because, of course, it’s the economy.

But the problem with that… More

Communication is one of the most important aspects of any relationship.  There is not an area of life where we relate to people that the quality of our communication determines the capacity and extent of our relationship more than in marriage.  The most important place where communication is key, is… More

Last week an article came out in the Tennessean that reported that marriages in Tennessee are down 30% over the last 10 years.  They are similarly down in other southern states. And remember these are states that have supposedly been designated as “The Bible Belt,” as though somehow mentioning the… More

Recently a video has been playing in Times Square and on the Internet and probably many other places that depicts Google as a monster company out of control with malevolent intent.

The video was put together by a consumer watchdog group, funded by The Rose Foundation.

The question on everyone’s… More

I think “normal” is way overrated when you understand that most people you meet have settled for a life far below what they could have.

This is never more true than when you think about marriage.  Normal marriage in America means the following:

• Miserable and stuck, but not

… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued our 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 having mission, vision, and goals in your marriage.

In a recent Tennessean article it was noted that… 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

In the previous blog, I talked about the controversy that has been fabricated by ESPN in order to satiate their insane desire for viewers, between Tony Dungy and Rex Ryan.

I ended that blog by saying that Christians do not fare well on the morality scale. Other world religions that… More

Dating seems to be that time of uneasiness that neither male nor female seem to know exactly the right protocol. Today on the David and Paula Show we’ll share practical ideas about dating.  How long should you date before you become engaged?  How long should you be engaged before… More

I’ve been caught up in the controversy swirling around Tony Dungy, an outspoken Christian/ex-football coach, and Rex Ryan, the current head football coach of the New York Jets.

It originated with Ryan’s profuse profanity use on an HBO program.  Dungy was asked if he would hire a coach who used… More

I love writing, and I always have.  It’s a place where I feel most at peace and certainly most creative.

Creativity, I’ve learned, is not the right of a few. All of us are born with it.  The problem is, most of us don’t cultivate it.  As a matter of… More

Here is the scene:  It’s a national figure on CNN, tearful, head-bowed, offering an apology for the mistakes they’ve made.

Everything’s going great.  It seems as though they’ve accepted responsibility for the titanic blunder they’ve just been caught making, and here it comes: the butt.  And with that small word,… More

Today @ The Gathering we talked about trust in marriage.  Everyone knows it’s important, but too few of us know how it works.

It’s really important that you understand that relationships are like any other endeavor in life.  You can want them to work.  You can pray for them… 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

I make it a point every year to be in front of the television when the acceptance speeches are given by the seven inductees to the Football Hall of Fame.  Not just because I like football a lot, but because there is always a lesson in human achievement.

This year,… More

Today on the David and Paula Show we will deal with blended families and all of the issues that come along with in-laws and outlaws and different expectations of child support and visitation rights and all the opinions that come along with the loss and brokenness in the past… More

Let me say right out of the blocks, I love Tony Dungy.  I admire him as a brother, as a coach, and as a great human being.

I love his books.  Anything he says, I listen to.  So you need to understand that this comes from a Tony Dungy fan. … More

In a recent blog I talked about mistakes and the difference between mistakes of competency and mistakes of character.

One of the greatest problems with mistakes of character is that the pain and aggravation of them usually lies on the surface of emotion or gets deflected over to another person… More

You hear it often in conversation.  People are talking, relating the story of the latest disaster.  Somewhere within it, you’ll hear this phrase, “Well, we all make mistakes.”

And that would be true, but not all mistakes weigh the same.  For example, adultery is not a mistake.  It’s a sin. … More

Today was the second week in our 10-week series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage: the Top 10 Things They Fail to Tell You Before you Say, ‘I Do’”

Today we talked about the importance of the families we come from and what baggage we often bring into… 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

Well, it happened again.  The all too familiar story of a highly-placed CEO having sex with an employee, trying to cover it up, getting sued and harassed, threatened, revealed, then fired.  The new CEO’s name is not important.  He’s been fired from HP because his sexual desire couldn’t be controlled. … More

We received 2 questions last week that we’re going to be dealing with on The David and Paula Show this week.

The first one is about blended families.  How do make them work when there are so many different people involved and so many competing interests, motivations, personalities and temperaments? … More

With so much written about leadership, with so many theories about what it is and what it isn’t, let me just give you one single, simple, singular idea that you can make application with right now, where you are.

The very best thing you can do today to… More

All of us want to grow.  We want to be part of a growing family and a growing organization.  But not all of us understand the tenants of healthy growth.  Here are five hallmarks of growth that create health.

1. Healthy growth creates momentum. A thing that is stagnant

… More

What I’m getting ready to say, I say not as a pessimist, not as someone who sours on life, but as someone who wades knee-deep in the pain of average people every day.  Too many of us allow the stresses, strains, and anxieties of life to rob us of our… More

It’s been a long time since I’ve been this enthusiastic about a new series.  It seems that each one is unique and different, and has its own special place in my heart.  But this new series, “Accept No Mediocre Marriage” has to be the singular passion of my life as… 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

By anyone’s measurement, marriage in America is in trouble.  One out of every two marriages end in divorce, and in some states  – for example, Connecticut -it’s as high as 60%.

And yet, record numbers of people are getting married.  Reality shows on TV are more popular than ever.  So… More

It has often been said that you can’t have too many friends.   And that certainly may be true because friends, good friends, friends that you can count on are rare.

But what about those who enter into your inner circle?  Those who you share everything with?  Those who can be… More

One of the things that separates successful people from those who only strive for success is their ability to make good decisions, and then make those decisions work.

If you’ve ever thought about how to make a good decision, here are 5 questions that you can ask yourself on the… More

I just came from a lunch meeting with a really great friend; the kind of friend who comes into your life and makes a huge impact.  As we were talking through what’s been going on in our lives, we finally got around to discussing how much weight we had lost… More

We wrapped up our summer series today @ The Gathering.  It’s been a great journey. In the past twelve weeks we’ve talked about 12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature Over Time.

The genius of the 12-Step program, in my opinion, is that in the process of… 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

The name Albert Haynesworth strikes a familiar chord for those of us who live in Nashville and love rooting for the Tennessee Titans.  Albert was a standout on our team in his performance both on the field and off.   Known for his bursts of anger, Albert seems to be a… More

Join us today for the David And Paula Show when the subject will be, “Help! We Hardly Talk Anymore.”

In episode 17, David and Paula will be dealing with communication in marriage.

More and more, we hear people say this in counseling, “We hardly talk anymore.  We don’t communicate.  We… More

I love being married.  It has been the most amazing experience, relationship, and adventure of my life.  But I have to admit the biggest part, and I do mean the biggest part, of what makes it so great is that I married a great person.

That having been said, let… More

I’m loving my life these days, and I’m wondering if it’s not so much that my surroundings have changed (though they have radically), but I think it’s because I have changed.

I dare say it out loud, but maybe I’m growing.  Oh my gosh!  Dare I say it?  Maybe I’m… More

As most everyone knows, Anne Rice is  mega-successful author, mainly of vampire novels and the like.  She made news several years ago by announcing that she had become Christian and that she would only write books that would then reflect that and honor Christ.

I wondered when I heard… More

One of the most important questions you’ll ever answer for yourself of course is, “Where do I today stand with God?” That’s what we talked about today as we continued in our series, 12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature.

In Step 11 of AA it states, “We’ve sought through… 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

There are three basic issues in life, it seems to me.

• The internal me who struggles to be happy, whole, and excited about who I am and where I am.
• The relational me, the personal me, how I deal with navigating the relationships in my life.
• The public me,

… More

Last week we dealt with the four greatest pressure points in marriage talking about the pressure brought into the marriage by in-laws and children.

Today we’ll finish the discussion by adding the pressure points of religion and money.

Join us at 10:00 AM Central time for the live version of… More

No matter what you do in life, whether you are a professional, in the service industry, or a teacher, your level of success will be determined by your ability to tell interesting stories really well.

Life is about story, adventure, journey.  It’s about not only experiencing for yourself, but interfacing… More

I am a churchman.  By that I mean I don’t just attend a church, lead a church, I believe in the church; not as an organization or an institution, but more as a movement, a gathering of like-minded men and women looking not only for the answers to their life,… More

I, like you, have listened to the saga of the LeBron James free-agent dance.

As it turns out, LeBron and some of his friends turned the system in on itself and beat the owners at their own game.  And now they are very, very angry.

James is criticized for making… More

There’s an interesting statement made in 1 John 3 that goes like this:  “If our conscience is clear, we can come to God with perfect assurance and trust.”

Two words that stand out there are conscience and perfect. If our conscience 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

Marriage is the most important relationship any two people will have on this planet. A man pledging his love to a woman, a woman doing the same, and joining together to grow great lives is not only sacred and honorable, but downright difficult.

We’ve discovered the number one reason… More

As I read blogs, particularly about people who blog about spiritual and religious matters, one thing becomes crystal clear.  A lot of people are talking about things they have absolutely no understanding of.

Almost unlike any other discipline in society, religion is something that so many people consider their opinion… More

Words create worlds.  They start wars.  They can bring people together or they can tear people apart.

We were born to talk; not so that we could be right, but so that we could be close.  But how hard is it to find the right words? It must be difficult… More

You would think that with all the technology available to us, all the systems that allow for cheap entry into different spaces, that excellence would be on the rise.  But oddly enough, it seems the opposite is true.  How many times have you gone to a restaurant that claims to… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued with Step #9 in our series, “12 Steps Up.” It’s the step in AA that may be the hardest. And that is, to be willing to face up to the stupid things we’ve done, the people we’ve… 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

Today I have a question I’d love to have your answer to, or your input, or your take, whichever.  Where have all the innovative leaders gone?

Some would say, “Well, they’re in the tech world.”  Well, I’d be hard-pressed to disagree with that because there’s a tremendous amount of innovation… More

An awful lot of people think that forgiveness means you have to let your husband or wife do anything they want to do, and then just ask for forgiveness and it’s all fixed.   Nothing could be further from the truth.  Today on the David and Paula Show we are… More

I think I can find almost 100% agreement when I say, service in America sucks, big-time.

And the interesting thing about this is it doesn’t seem to matter how much money you pay for a thing: a car, a service, a meal.  Some places charge premium prices for average food… More

I am overwhelmed, embarrassed, and just downright enraged by how much mediocrity I see around me.  Not only mediocrity in products, but woeful mediocrity in service after the sale.

Let me be quick to say, I don’t think anyone is mediocre.  Everyone has the capacity to be good if not… More

Good Morning to all my brothers and sisters in the cause of the Good News of the gospel of Jesus.  It’s Monday morning, right?  We all know what kind of reputation Monday has in our world.

The Monday morning blues and blahs because yesterday didn’t go well, attendance was down,… More

Today @ The Gathering we talked about one of the most powerful steps in any person’s growth; and that is the ability, the willingness, and the strategy to extend forgiveness and grace to those who have wounded us.

We talked about the four kinds of people who wound us: those… 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

I’m trying hard to like Facebook, but I have to admit, I like Twitter and blogs much more.  I’d give up on it altogether, but but it’s the 500 million-plus people that create a neighborhood I’d like to get to understand.

Why do I dislike it?  Here is my number… More

Today on the David and Paula Show we will talk about decisions. Who makes them?  Why? And how?  Is it the man who makes all the decisions and then lets his wife in on it, or is it a collaborative effort where they talk about it, think about it,… More

As a follower of Jesus, I’ve committed myself to the resurrected Lord who is my Savior.

Not only do I trust Him with my eternal safety and bliss, but I’ve committed to obey Him and follow Him in all things in my life.

So let’s talk about some of the… More

You would think, for a guy who has made his living for the last 38 years using words, I’d know better than to say some of the things that I say.  Hopefully I could say “I have said,” as in the past.

I am learning a little about the power… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued our summer series, 12 Steps Up. We’ve been talking about how messy people mature over time.

Today we talked about Step #7, Grow Up.  Growing up means I get out of the shallow end of… More

One of the challenges that guys like me have in the current world is to communicate the importance of ethics and morality without sounding prudish, self-righteous, or condemning.

We live in a time I can best describe as the March of the Morally Moronic.  Now I know that sounds like… More

One of the common themes we hear in our counseling is how stressed we all are in our demands of work, family, and children.

It seems hard these days after all you give at work and at home, to have any time left for yourself. But let’s face it. … More

One of the trends of our current culture is that people have been waiting longer and longer to get married. And as I’m listening to more speakers and teachers on this subject, I can understand why.  Because it seems that, across the board, that’s what we’re encouraging.

I want… More

One of the most difficult things we face is figuring out how much of the adversity, struggle, revert, or hell we’re going through is our fault, or someone else’s.

Let’s face it. We almost always think it’s someone else.  Someone betrayed us, or let us down.  But sometimes when things… More

I was at a restaurant the other night, a very nice restaurant; a restaurant at which you would not expect to see a urinal with a plastic bag over it with a huge, handmade, ugly sign.  It was like a scar on this otherwise upscale, gorgeously appointed facility.

Once I… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued our summer series “12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature” with Step #6, talking about Gearing Up.  Gearing up for what?  Gearing up to truly change, not just repeat old failures and past religious hang-ups.

To truly change we have to believe that… 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

The David and Paula Show,

originating from Nashville, Tennessee airs, live, online this morning from  Music City, USA.

This online radio talk show airs  every Thursday at 10:00 AM.  To join us, click here.

Each day’s show will be available one hour later on iTunes

Growing up, I was impressed by TV commercials and advertisements in magazines to help me identify top of the line items.  And not only could I tell what top of the line looked like, I also wanted it badly enough to spend lots and lots and lots of money to… More

It was good to see a “no-name” win the U.S. Open.  That’s probably a little bit harsh but let’s face it.  Who had heard of Graeme McDowell before yesterday – professional golfer from Northern Ireland who played his college golf at University of Alabama, Birmingham?

He went up against the… More

I love being a Dad; a father to adult daughters.  And I loved yesterday because my wife and three girls went way out of their way to make it a special day for me.

Of course we had lunch, we had gifts far too lavish and gracious, notes, texts, cards,… More

Today @ The Gathering we continued our series, “12 Steps Up: How Messy People Mature.” We talked about the importance of relationships.  You were made and created for relationships. And yet our own woundedness has a way of getting in the way of… 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

Join us for the David and Paula Show this morning as we discuss the recent revelation of the demise of Al and Tipper Gore’s marriage.  What seemed to be a perfectly ideal marriage where they could have it all is now over after forty years.

Are we seeing… More

Let me say right up front, I would qualify as an Apple fan boy.  One of my best buddies, Dave Seldon, loves aggravating me about this fact.  And I think that’s why I love him so much, and why I’m praying that one day he’ll get “saved.”  Ha ha!

The… More

In the last Dave Rave I talked about the five things you can’t be.  Well the truth is, you can be those things but you can’t afford it.  They’re too expensive.  They diminish your life and rob the world of what you have to offer.  So in contrast to that,… More

I was on my way to the Jeff Fisher Charity Softball Game last night, the 10th anniversary of the charity softball game and the 10th anniversary of me opening the whole shindig with prayer. (I’m proud of my “record”)  The news broke that Vince Young had been arrested and… More

Today @ The Gathering we talked about Step #4 in the 12 Steps Up series: Lighten Up.  We talked about why we often carry around burdens that weigh us down, rob us of our joy, leave us feeling lethargic with no energy, and… More