Hello, my name is Zach, and I am a nobody.  I am a pastor of a church of about 150 people.  I have not written any books.  I don’t have a podcast.  You won’t hear me on the radio.  I don’t preach at conferences.  I am quite certain that if you are reading this blog and 1) are not a member of my family, 2) a member of my church, 3) a personal friend, nor 4) one of the other writers of this blog – you do not know me from Adam.  A high-profile pastor or ministry leader, I am not.  I observe the happenings of high-profile Christians and Christian ministries from afar; from the “cheap seats,” as they say.  And in recent days, there has been quite the abundance of noteworthy happenings to observe, many of them rather troubling, at least from where I’m sitting. 

I have no desire to dive into any of the particular happenings I’m referring to.  You likely know what kinds of things I’m talking about.  Sex scandals.  Firings.  Debates about the value of third-party reviews.  Apologies for public statements.  And things like these.  I have no inside track perspective about any of these things, and I am woefully under-qualified to wade into public debate about who should’ve done what, and when, and why.  But, watching a number of recent situations involving high-profile pastors and Christian leaders unfold, is leading me to a number of conclusions.  And I thought there may be some value in sharing those thoughts here.  So, here goes…

The spiritual dangers that attend wide visibility & influence are myriad.… Continue reading

I wish I had a dollar every time someone told me about the dangers of Las Vegas and why they could not raise a family here. I habitually hear, “Oh, ministry in Sin City? Well, just like Corinth they need the Gospel too.” It seems many Christians think Las Vegas the most dangerous place in the world. After all, this IS Sin City! Right? (Or at least that is how we market our city to you). [1] Is Las Vegas the most dangerous place to anyone? Let’s face it, everyone knows the Strip has drugs, gambling, free drinks, and prostitution (even though it is technically illegal in Clark County (LV)).… Continue reading

Every one of us has presuppositions and those presuppositions exist in our thinking all the time. The word presupposition derives from the verb “presuppose,” meaning, “to suppose or assume beforehand; take for granted in advance” (see dictionary.com).

Recently the debate over the “Wall” in America turned to interesting discourse. ***Please note, I am not making any commentary on whether or not there should be a wall *** But, it revealed presuppositions. Some people said, “Trump is holding America hostage over this wall.” This is a reference to him not signing the budget failing to include the “wall” funding. However, note, this is rhetoric that presupposes there should be no wall built and he should “work with Pelosi.” This discourse reveals their presupposition.… Continue reading