Nuts and Bolts – How to write a mission statement
During the pre-launch phase of City Church, when we were just a core team, I remember …
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Resources for Article
Five Prayers to Prepare for Time on Facebook
It hasn’t just been one conversation. It has been multiple conversations. Recently someone was sharing with me …
Details, details, details. There are people for whom details come naturally. I am not one of …
Why I’m Rewriting My Task List Today
I’m a “get it done” kind of girl. Make the lunches. Do the laundry. Plan the …
He wasn’t a hero by any stretch of the imagination. He was a wimp, but God …
Events You Need to Know about at the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention
Each year, at the annual gathering of Southern Baptists, there are events that women need to …
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Human beings were built with limits. God didn’t design you to be a superhero. You and …
Flourish launches a new blog category all about our latest fav’s. We look forward to sharing …
How to shepherd your children | NAMB
Most pastors would affirm our priority is first to shepherd our family, and then to shepherd …
How to plant a church without losing your family
One of the great things about YouTube is the fact that anyone can post a video. …
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Gospel Intentionality Doesn’t Have to Feel Fake
Often when I encourage other women to engage with their neighbors, friends, and co-workers — in …
Pastor Dad: How to Lead a Family Devotion
Each evening at exactly 7:00 pm, my wife and I call our children downstairs for a …
Nine Ways to Cultivate a Meaningful Summer
On the first day of this school year, I wrote the post below and entitled it …
An Everyday Missionary Disguised as a Barista
My dad has been a pastor for my entire life, and as a result, the lifestyle …
Out of the World and Into Our Neighborhood
God has taken our family on a surprising, exciting, and somewhat overdue journey the last two …
An Important Teaching on a Woman’s Purpose
Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church, wades into dangerous waters with his sermon series called …
Missional vs. Attractional: Which is Right?
Since Riverbend started in 2009, I have heard many who support a missional over attractional philosophy …
To My 28-Year-Old Self on Mother’s Day
On Mother’s day the year I was 28, I was just hours away from giving birth …
How to make connections in churches and communities
Practicing hospitality in our homes is essential to our work in church planting (see The Why of …
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Dear Mama of Littles, Perhaps you’ve snuck into the bathroom with your phone and they haven’t …
In 2008, my husband and I planted a church in a cultural context where it’s fairly …
Why We Need to Read Local Books
My face turned multiple shades of red as I sunk deep into both the couch and …
Six Ways to Evaluate Your Church’s Strategy to Assimilate New Believers
Maybe you’ve seen it happen. A new believer joins a local church, and is thrilled by …
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A Simple and Highly Effective Strategy to Get Church Guests to Return
There are so many elements that determine if guests will return to your church after a …
A Simple and Highly Effective Strategy to Get Church Guests to Return Read More »
Living Outside the Camp of our Comfort
We like comfy. In fact, I’m in my PJ’s, hair thrown in a ponytail, my favorite …
Church Planting Essentials pt. 4
The fifth essential every church planters must have, is this: You have to be willing to …
Church Planting Essentials pt. 3
Essential 3: You need money. It takes money to plant a church. There is no way …
Church Planting Essentials pt. 2
Essential #2 In the “4 Essentials for every church planter” series, the second essential is this: …
A Terrifying Sentence Your Husband Might Hear
We think Craig Thompson surfaces a critical issue that ministry marriages need to be aware of. …
Church Planting Essentials pt. 1
No one is ever “officially ready” to plant a church, but there are essentials that help …
Confessions of a People Pleaser
Confession: I am a people pleaser. Wanting people to like me or approve of me as …
Christ-Centered Preaching: Part 3
This is my third and final post in a three part series (part one, part two) …
Christ-Centered Preaching: Part 2
This is the second post in a three part series on Christ-centered preaching and teaching (part …
Finding Strength When You Face the Impossible
Though many of us have not walked through the grief and pain of losing a child, …
The goal of Christ-centered preaching
Baptists through the years have emphasized the need for Christian preachers to preach the unsearchable riches …
How do I start a Mercy Ministry?
In the last blog post, I discussed the rationale for starting a mercy ministry in your …
What Spiritual Maturity Really Looks Like
Spiritual maturity contains amazing ironies. It is strange mixture of progressive growth while simultaneously still experiencing …
4 reasons why Mercy Ministry is absolutely vital
If I say that mercy ministry is absolutely vital—which I think it is—to a church’s local …
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What the Gospel Has to Say in the Face of Cancer
Because I firmly believe that God uses all my circumstances for my good and His glory, …
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What are the steps to becoming a church planter?
If you were ever part of a sports team growing up you probably had a coach …
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The Importance of Complete Honesty
Brian Williams, one of NBC’s most respected news anchors, was recently caught in an embarrassing lie. …
Serving as a church planting apprentice
I had just left seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and was en route to join a …
NAMB’s Farm System: Serving as a Church Planting Intern
My journey of life on mission began my sophomore year of collge. As a 19-year-old student, …
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Four Tips On How To Accept Correction
Raise your hand if you like to receive correction? Just what I suspected — none of …
Serving as a student missionary
As a full-time college student, my life consists of a frantic schedule of studying, writing papers, …
When a Woman Is a Catalytic Leader
In the fall of 1939 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Fort Worth, Texas, a group …
I could tell she felt terrible. I had just blessed and dismissed the congregation, and she …
The Lurking Danger In Seeking Validation
A well-meaning person in our church once openly questioned why my husband and I would choose …
It was spring break 1996 and I was a sophomore in high school. While other kids …
Five Inspirational Quotes For Life On Mission
We are a culture that collects quotes. Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest fuel our love for quippy …
Very few Christians today use the word “propitiation” as part of their regular vocabulary, even fewer …
Why a Small Town is a Fabulous Place to Raise Kids
In 2012, Kathy Keller wrote a blog piece, “Why the City is a Wonderful Place to Raise …
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How To Mobilize College Students to Live On Mission
College students are flakey, immature, ignorant and the best missionaries to grace the church. Sure, you …
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For When You Only Have Five Minutes to Be in the Bible
I’m a sucker for a candy bowl, especially if it involves chocolate and caramel. Recently, I …
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Top Ten Things To Do When Planting On or Near a College Campus
In the last few years there has been a lot more focus on planting on or …
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Why Collegiate Church Planting Matters
“If we can win the university today, we will win the world tomorrow.” Bill Bright, founder …
How to fully engage in motherhood and mission at the same time
What does it look like to be a mom on mission? When I got pregnant with …
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To The Woman Who Knows Too Much
What’s healthy is 64 ounces of water a day. What’s healthy is exercising several days a …
Saying Goodbye to Good and Hello to Grace {and a Giveaway!}
I’ve been obsessed with being good and performing all of my life. Hello, my name is …
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Church planters tend to have an image problem. It is said, sometime joking and sometimes serious, …
How To Create A New Easter Tradition
How does your family observe Holy Week and Easter? Outside of church services and doing the …
The Parable of the Peep Toe Shoe
I have a confession. Granted, I will never be confused as a fashionista—my wardrobe far too …
For When You’re Paralyzed by Planning
I’m not one to make rash decisions. No spontaneous big purchases. No impetuous schedule changes. I’m what …
When NOT to Multiply a Missional Community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. …
When should I multiply a missional community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. …
Reaching the Children in Your Town
My pastor husband and I now live and minister in my hometown, Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is …
Why Multiply A Missional Community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. …
Why I Don’t Want My Daughter to Be Hot
I have one daughter. Her name is Ava, and though I confess an obvious bias, I …
Avoiding Disappointment Distraction
At Buck Run, we designate June as a special month of Wednesday night events, most of …
Welcoming Foreigners into My Home
Women gathering together is a universal activity that translates in every culture. And there’s nothing quite like …
How to thrive during pastoral challenges
When Paul described the burden of ministry that God has given us, he concluded by asking …
“It might be cancer.” When those words were spoken, it wasn’t clear who was more stunned—Michael …
How to minister during suffering
We’ve been spending some time in Psalm 4, learning from David as he responds to deep …
“Love your enemies” — Jesus. Perhaps this is among His most revolutionary statements and certainly most humanly …
Last week I argued that it’s not human responsibility to define human need, giving three reasons …
I’ve been spending some time reflecting on Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 6. I’ve laid out 3 …
I was sitting by a hospice bed set up in dining room of a friend’s house. …
Collegiate Church Planting Resources
Collegiate Reaching Reading List College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture – Steve Lutz Building a Discipling Culture – Mike …
Marriage: The Best Kind of Work
At the 2013 Oscars ceremony, winner Ben Affleck (of the film “Argo”) caused quite a stir …
Knowing and Engaging Your Community
“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called …