Jesus was perhaps the most creative communicator who has ever lived. It’s rare that He didn’t use a story or an object to illustrate truth. While most sermons could stand to be more creative, a few are teetering on the edge of becoming too creative. In our consumer-driven society, it’s tempting for pastors to believe [...]

For years, I honestly believed I was a good listener. When people tried to tell me that I didn’t always pay attention to them, I’d dismiss them as being overly sensitive. (Can you imagine a better example of not being a good listener? I didn’t even listen to what they were trying to tell me!) [...]

Yesterday we talked about the shortcomings of shallow sermons. The other extreme can also be dangerous. We have to equally guard against our sermons being too deep. Some pastors are hyper critical of those who aren’t deep. But sometimes deep can equal boring or irrelevant. I love studying the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words [...]

By Bobby Gruenewald Craig and Andy Stanley are continuing their Catalyst One Day tour this year with a stop in the Chicago area at Willow Creek Community Church. On Thursday, March 25, 2010, they’ll be sharing some thoughts about church, leadership, momentum, and more. We’re able to pass along a discount to Swerve readers who [...]

by Allyson Evans It’s All About Relationships My daughter was explaining to me how she MUST be on the cheer squad because this particular team is going to win the State Championship again next year.  Now, this is the same squad that consistently has girl drama and weekly battles between the team members.  I assured [...]

While uneducated or cruel critics can be distracting, try to keep things in perspective. Where I live, ministers’ (or Christians’) lives are rarely in danger for being a Christian. Countless numbers of believers have suffered gravely for their faith in Christ. If all we have to do is endure a few people complaining, blogging, or [...]

This Wednesday, church leaders are invited to join a conference call to discuss how we can best work together to help the people of Haiti. I’ll be joining Andy Stanley and Wess Stafford in leading the call as we cover the following topics: The latest information about the current situation in Haiti Why the church [...]

The Christian Atheist, by recovering Christian Atheist Craig Groeschel, is an honest, hard-hitting and eye-opening look into the ways people believe in God but live as if he doesn’t exist.

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life Church, a pace-setting multi-campus church, with over eighty weekly worship experiences in fourteen locations, including an online campus.