Gleaning and Gathering

Some reflections from Ecclesiastes 3 on life and living one day at a time.

There are no friends like old friends. Jarod and I played on a soccer team together in high school (almost 30 years ago.) It was a joy to reconnect with him recently. He husband, father, and bi-vocational pastor living in Toomsboro, GA. He has written a book called ⁠Battle Plan⁠ (available on Kindle.) I encourage you to check it out. (For Duncan and anyone else who cares: This is the first episode...

On this episode of GNG, another great conversation from my time in TN. This time I discuss Godly manhood and the ministry of Men Arise with David Spivey. https://godlymanhoodtoday.com/

"We don't really change people by shouting at them, not even by shouting loudly." There was a lot to chew on in this short conversation, but this line of thinking was key. Early Methodism understood this, and they gave us a great example.

How can we pass along our faith to our children? How can we make disciples who then make disciples? I enjoyed a great conversation (both on and off mic) with my friend, Darrell Stetler II from Oklahoma City at the recent Interchurch Holiness Convention in Gatlinburg, TN. I encourage you to listen and to check out his material! https://www.discipleshipinthehome.com

Through the years, we have done our best to "do life together" as a family. Kaylynn gives us her perspective on what that looked like. I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob.

We've all been there. Your initial plan didn't work out the way that you hoped. What do you do? How do you keep moving forward? Here are a few thoughts and stories from my experience.

In Waking the Dead, John Eldredge gives this picture of a community of the heart, "Living in community is like camping together… for a month, in the desert… without tents. All your stuff is scattered out there for everyone to see.” Growing communities like Columba did at Iona in A.D. 564 is not very glamourous; It is hard, messy work. But growing communities of the heart to shine as lights in...

Kaylynn is back, and we are discussing this year's NDPx theme: Rootedness from Colossians 2:6-7. In an age of mobility, we must recover the virtue of "blooming where we are planted." Constancy is key to all the other virtues, and that happens in a place and with a people.

There are times in our lives as leaders that we don't feel like there is any pathway forward. We feel stuck. The good news is that you can get "unstuck." This episode offers some perspective and life lessons for leaders who are in the battle. For more information, on NDP you can check out: victoryacres.org For more information on The Rooted Life Plan, personal retreats, and coaching,...

I've always wanted to record a podcast at the beach... at sunrise, and today I did. The audio is terrible, but the view was spectacular.

A report on "Longing for the Light," the all-night, inter-church prayer movement that happened on February 16 in 33 different locations around the U.S. (and Internationally.) For more details look at: longingforthelight.org

Leading "off the map" starts by people being able to trust us "on the map." Are we the kind of resilient leader that people can trust and how can we become a person that is trustworthy? In this episode, I dig into some of the challenges that I'm facing personally and offer some thoughts on leading in crisis and change.

More lessons from the life of George Muller, (particularly when God doesn't answer prayer the way we wish He would.) Asking good questions like, "What is happening? What does it mean? And what is God inviting us into?" More talk about NDP and how we need to develop ministry with and by young people, not just ministry FOR young people.

I have been reading form The Work of Faith through George Muller edited by Abbie Morrow (originally published in 1899 by The Office of the Revivalist, Cincinnati, OH, Martin Wells Knapp; reprinted in 2005 by Alleghany Publications, Salem OH.) Fascinating read and lots of good stuff gleaned. Today, Kaylynn and I discuss fundraising philosophy in light of Muller. I have lived in this space for the p...

Kaylynn and I start a wide-ranging conversation that includes an article from Front Porch Republic entitled "A Beautiful Farm." From there we discuss the USDA agricultural policies of the 1970's that have led to our current situation. We discuss the value of "sticking with" a place and a people, and we end up talking about Abraham and faithfulness. It was fun to record whet...

Here are some reflections from I Thess. 4 about Christian ambition and witness. Our ambition should be to: 1. Live a quiet life 2. Mind our own business 3. Work with our hands So that we will have what we need and not be unnecessarily dependent on others and gain the respect of those who are outside the faith.

Kaylynn's back! It was such a joy to record this episode with my eldest daughter. It was a free flowing conversation about NDP, the need for the church to be engaged in "vocational discipleship," and how we should be developing leaders at every level.

I am sharing from my life over the past few weeks, planning for "Longing for the Light," a muti-site, interdenominational prayer movement that God has impressed on my heart. Also talking about leading our families towards God and how we do family devotions.

In the middle of your busyness are you taking time for rhythms of renewal? In this episode, I am challenging you to seek the face of God and to live in health as you move forward with you plans.

Headmaster Scott Clemens of Heartland Christian has been a personal friend and huge blessing to our family over the past nine years our children have been connected there. I interviewed him him today about education, discipleship, and Heartland's mission of partnering with parents to develop Christ-like leaders.

Have you had the experience of knowing that God put you together with someone? There was a "spark" of connection, and you knew it was more than just common interests. In this episode, we explore that idea and its connection to Spiritual friendship, or guardians of the soul.

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent 2023, and this past week I had a conversation with Karissa about this season. "Jesus is coming, and this time is all about getting ready for His return." Her eyes lit up, and she began to jump up and down. "Jesus is coming!! When, when?! I want to see Him!!" Living with hope is to live everyday with that child-like wonder, excitement, a...

In this wide-ranging conversation with co-host Kaylynn, we talk about all manner of things, but the conversation centers on cultivating a sense of wonder in our children's education and experience. "Why does that happen? How does that work?" If you send them out with wonder, they will find their answers.

On this Thanksgiving, I am thinking about the past... and our future. I am thinking about the yearly rhythms that for us have become the "sound track" of our life as a family. Are we just marching to the drumbeat of culture, or are we cultivating a deeper life as a family through the things we celebrate and the traditions that we repeat year after year?