“You want me to say what?” I remember clearly the emotion being conveyed, and I remember clearly the words.  A middle-aged woman, having lingered toward the back of the receiving line one Sunday morning, wanted me to know that she did not appreciate my liturgy.  “You put words in my mouth that I would never …

What do people see when they walk into church?  It is terribly important.  Before you speak word one of your sermon, people have formed an opinion of you and your church based on everything they see in front of them. It is simply astonishing to me that many pastors have little or no understanding about …

I was attending worship with my daughter a few weeks ago when the pastor opened the service by welcoming everyone and then inviting newcomers to stand and introduce themselves if they wished.  My daughter leaned over and in a quiet voice said, “Everyone knows that is not the best way to greet new people.  The …

When Stephen Colbert comes out on stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater, there is no one in the audience that doesn’t know who he is.  Yet, his first words every night are “Welcome to The Late Show.  I am your host Stephen Colbert.” Curiously, as I visit local churches, I find that almost no one …

Sally had been home from college for about a month when she came up to me one Sunday with an angry frown on her face.  “If I hear that one more time, I am never coming back!”, she declared.  “Hear what?”, I gently inquired.  So, she explained. For four weeks in a row she had …