By Doug Talley As the new year begins, at least for a while we are dealing with the same COVID pandemic and its restrictions.  This is not the way any of us wanted to start 2021.  Last March I couldn’t imagine the world being shut down for a few weeks much less over a year.  But we still

By Marcia Burns December 22, 2019 was the day that a simple pizza delivery would begin a series of events that would change two lives and influence many others. Weeks before Christmas Sunday in 2019, my husband, Pastor Denver Burns of Michiana Community Church in Granger, Indiana, began to challenge us as a church to

By Doug Talley Though I practice physical distancing, wash my hands often and religiously wear a mask, ultimately, my hope is not in CDC protocols. Though I pray often and with fervent faith, ultimately my hope is not in circumstances and whether or not they turn out favorably. Though I am curious to see the

By Doug Talley My good friend AL Ells’ latest book is titled The Resilient Leader and was released recently. (Published by David C. Cook)  It is excellent and is a must read.  I highly encourage you to get a copy.  I would group it with the top 10 books any pastor needs on her or his shelf.  Over the next 6 -10

By Carl Addison We’ve all seen the memes and heard the jokes. To say this has been a challenging season is definitely an understatement. Our current reality is sobering to say the least. Over 215,000 Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus. The resulting unemployment and financial insecurities of the pandemic continue to mount.

By Doug Talley I’ve been on a LOT of Zoom calls since mid-March.  Most of them have been with pastors and associate pastors.  I often lead with the question, “On a 1-10 with 10 being ‘fantastic,’ how are you really doing?”  The responses are all over the place from 1-9.  I am not getting any 10s.  And there are very few

By Crystal Snyder One of the things we hold onto in this difficult season is the assurance that God is continuing to work.  As the song Waymaker proclaims, “Even when I don’t see it, You’re working,” we trust that He is and we ask for discipline in the spiritual practice of keeping our eyes peeled.  Most of the time,

By Doug Talley Last January I was reading about ministry trends for 2020 and beyond.  A trend identified by one group of writers was, “There will be a large percentage of church building foreclosures.”  The basis for the trend was:  long tenured baby boomer pastors retiring which will result in people leaving the church (including some who

By Doug Talley Prior to mid-March, I often greeted people with the rhetorical question, “How are you doing?” or “How’s it going?”  It was a way of saying, “Hi.”  I didn’t really expect anyone to fill me in on what was happening in their lives.  I was just being friendly.  Then COVID-19 hit.  Now when I ask, “How are you doing?” I’m looking into tired eyes

By Jeff Matas The Apple Store is amazing. It is always buzzing with activity and packed with people. In the Fashion Mall (Indianapolis), the Apple Store’s sales volume per square foot is greater than Tiffany’s and Apple’s total sales per month is greater than Macy’s. By any metric, Apple far outpaces every other retailer. Even