Articles

Articles

Essays and reflections.

Why I Was Wrong About Sundays

Those who know me well know that I am fond of Aristotle's observation that when carpenters wish to straighten a bent board, they do not straighten it, they bend it the other way. This is perhaps because in most of my life as a leader I have been bending things too far the other way. The moderates have always been

Why I am Joining the Christian Study Center Movement

Archimedes famously said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” The older I get, the more dogged I am about the length of the levers I lean on. Partly because I am not as strong as I used to be, but also because I have come to

What's Next for Us… (part 2 of 3)

In December I wrote a piece about my new role with NCF, and working to build alliances around key causes in our city. That has been an amazing experience so far. But even then I was working on two other big projects/roles. I can finally share a bit about the second one. When I stepped out of my role as

What's Next for us… (part 1)

Earlier this year I wrote an article I called The Descent of Leadership. I was reflecting on some of my experience starting, building, and ultimately giving away projects, teams and even organizations to the next generation of leaders. The UNDERGROUND is now in good (younger) hands, which leaves me a bit of a free agent. Freedom like that can also

Theological Intelligence

AI is having a moment. The world seems poised and animated by the tantalizing prospect of artificial intelligence and our relationship with it. AI is what would be categorized as a general-purpose technology (GPT), a breakthrough innovation like electricity, that reshapes economies and societies by its widespread adoption and application. Like other relatively recent GPTs (blockchain, the smartphone, the Internet),

The Reader\u2019s Mind: Six Ways Reading 3000 Books Over 10 Years Has Changed Me

I am coming to the end of what has been an inadvertent personal/social experiment on the impact of reading widely and in volume. After 10 years and 3000 books, I am only now trying to understand the impact this choice has had on me. In 2014 I started intentionally counting and cataloging every book I read, that year setting a

The Power of 10

In one of the most remarkable exchanges in the Bible, God reveals to Abraham that he intends to destroy the city of Sodom. Abraham, who is only just the recipient of God's covenant promise, famously asks "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? . . . Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:23–25).

The Networked Church (a free resource)

It was the summer of 1789 in France. The revolution had convened its National Assembly to consider the daunting question of royal veto. The issue, in this new government, was whether or not the king would be allowed veto powers over legislation that others create. When the time came for the vote, those who supported the King — those who

The Descent of Leadership

For nearly 30 years now, I have been in one spiritual leadership role or another. It has been a journey full of joy, fruit, failure and sadly even the bitter gall of betrayal. Betrayal comes in two basic forms by the way. The kind others do to you and the kind you do to yourself. The good news is not

The Crucial Role of Accountability in the Life of an Apostolic Leader

Generation after generation we watch stars rise in the ministry world, only to see too many of them fall back to earth with an equal and opposite notoriety. Iconoclastic leaders (by definition) often find themselves alone on the vanguard of some paradigm shift or cultural change. As important and transformative as that contribution is for the church and the world,

The Best Books of 2021 (my favorite 18 out of 367)

I decided this year I was going to take it easy on my reading/listening regime. Not that I was ever really driven to hit some reading goal (at least not for several years). Still, I have actually wondered if I was reading too much. Is that even possible? I will leave that for you to decide. I am just always

Taking the Church to Pieces

It is hard to love something when you don't understand it. This may be why romantic love is so inextricably tied to knowing the other person. The desire to love is always preceded by the desire to know. We give in to the eyes of the other as a demonstration of our curiosity and our longing to know them. When

Reflecting on Microchurches, in a world reshaped by pandemic

Since we released this modest little book about modest little churches, there has been a surprisingly warm response. Of course, I expected the practitioners of the small to find these ideas both helpful and reinforcing, but the real surprise has been the openness of the established church to this smaller way. I wrote most of this book while I was

On the Sky Falling

Reflections on our missionary identity in the age of legalized gay marriage. Chicken Little is an old story. Very old. Versions of this story — of some small animal being hit on the head by falling fruit, hysterical about the certain doom of all things and the end of the world — go back more than two millennia. The satire

200 books in a year

After reading 100 books in 2014, I found myself in a kind of reading rhythm this year. Maybe the most remarkable thing is that it didn't even seem like hard work. I should say that out of the 200 books, some were audio books, so technically, I listened to a few. Having said that, ever since I started keeping track,

Best Books of 2023

Having finished book number 405 for the year, I have picked these 20 as the ones that stood out to me. As always, I do not claim these books are better than the others, only that they meant more to me the moment I read them, And left more of an impression on me. My list is in the order

Best 20 Books from 2022

Someone recently asked me if I could recommend any good podcasts. This simple question, and the sad realization that I couldn’t, made me admit that my bias for reading/listening to full length books is in its own way limiting. I can see now that when you consume this many books it necessarily means you will be missing out on other

A Reflection on the Art of Sabbath

Most great art takes into consideration concepts like symmetry, rhythm and balance. Even when art breaks such rules, it is still responding to their eminence. The older I get and the longer I do ministry, the more I think of it as art. Maybe life itself is art, which can be understood and appreciated through an aesthetic lens as much

4 Non-Negotiables for Creating the Next Workplace

There is a 7–Eleven by my house which sits across the street from a particularly large and particularly rowdy middle school. Before and after school there is a rush of 11–13 year old customers. The downside, I suppose, is that they like to loiter. So, these proactive owners have affixed some very large and very loud speakers to the entrance

3 Ways To Build Your Inner Life

Whenever I take a careful look, I am always emotionally impacted by the internal life of Jesus. The fortitude he shows, particularly at the end, as he is mocked and shamed, is yet another facet of his glorious person. Peeking through the window of Scripture at that kind of internal strength makes us imagine what our own lives might look

20 Books From 2025

Okay friends, Here is my annual list of recommendations. Out of the 407 books I read this year, these 20 stood out — whether for how they were written, the ideas they explored, or the questions they raised. No particular order, no endorsement implied. Just a list of what caught my attention and stuck with me. First Principles: What America’s

18 Books That Made Me Think (2024)

18 Books That Made Me Think(2024) The more I read the less confident I feel when recommending books. I have come to realize that my reasons for liking or disliking a book are often very personal to me. I do not see myself as a tastemaker or make any claims to know what a good or bad book is. Only

Brian Sanders on The Networked Church

It was the summer of 1789 in France. The revolution had convened its National Assembly to consider the daunting question of royal veto. The issue, in this new government, was whether or not the king would be allowed veto powers over legislation that others create. When the time came for the vote, those who supported the King—those who wanted to