Posted at: 09 May 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 1 Comment

  The International Mission Board hosted a conference for North American and Canadian leaders on reaching the unreached in the urban centers.   We heard from IMB researchers and practitioners in the field. The meeting was full of insights.  Here are a few: In 2008, the majority of the world’s population now lives in the major [...]

Posted at: 29 March 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 1 Comment

Buckminster Fuller, inventor and futurist, put on his tombstone, “Call me Trimtab.”  He introduced the metaphor of the “trimtab” to illustrate how small things in leadership can have a big impact. A large ocean liner will have a huge rudder up to ten stories high to guide the ship.  On the edge of the rudder [...]

Posted at: 12 March 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 0 Comments

Last Sunday, we changed our clocks to move one hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.  I like Daylight Saving Time, but it can be confusing.  For example, a church bought a lot of donuts on Time Change Sunday for the members who would arrive an hour early because they forgot to change [...]

Posted at: 27 February 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 0 Comments

This weekend, Dallas will celebrate the grand opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.  Some critics have called it “the bridge to nowhere.” Supporters disagree and claim it is a “bridge to somewhere” that promises to fuel a turnaround for North Oak Cliff and West Dallas.  However, I call it The Bridge to Someone. Entrepreneurial [...]

Posted at: 14 February 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 0 Comments

Freedom of religion is in the news today.  This blog is not a comment on any current issues, but rather a review of the vital role of Baptists in establishing religious freedom in our nation. In his book, Baptists and Religious Liberty, Bill Pinson states, “Baptists have advocated religious freedom for all people – not [...]

Posted at: 30 January 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 0 Comments

Dan Kimball wrote the book, They Like Jesus but not the Church. He concludes that many younger people are spiritual but not religious.  They feel attracted to Jesus but not to the followers of Jesus. He identifies what emerging generations think about the church.  They view the church as judgmental and homophobic.  They think that [...]

Posted at: 19 January 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 0 Comments

If you want to represent the population of a country, you can usually find a picture of individuals with their common ethnic characteristics.  The International Mission Board (IMB) produced the following music video filled with faces from around the world.  Each face reminds us of a certain country or people group. What picture could you [...]

Posted at: 03 January 2012 | By: DBA Staff | 1 Comment

A critical point for every church is generating spiritual energy, according to Gary McIntosh & Daniel Reeves.   In their book, Thriving Churches in the Twenty-First Century, they identify ten life giving systems for vibrant ministry.  Life Giving System 3 is Spiritual Disciplines.  They ask, “What might happen in your congregation if most members were becoming [...]

Posted at: 20 December 2011 | By: DBA Staff | 1 Comment

I collect churches.  Wherever I travel, my souvenir of choice is a miniature of an actual church.  I am not interested in generic churches which you can find anywhere.  I look for a replica of a historic church.   Although I have been in most of these churches, I have one that I have not visited.  [...]

Posted at: 05 December 2011 | By: DBA Staff | 1 Comment

In John 19:22, Pilate said, “What I have written, I have written,” to the chief priests who asked him to change the inscription fastened to the cross of Jesus.  The inscription, written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek, reads “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”  They asked Pilate to change it to say that [...]