From what I’ve been told, (which I haven’t been able to verify personally), a study was done many years ago by a student at a University in the North Western part of the United States.  As I understand it, the study was undertaken in order to discover how the people that live in that part of …

A number of our church members are refugees from Burma/Myanmar.  Needless to say, based on their personal experiences with the government of Burma, they have zero trust that anything the government has agreed to recently will actually change the situation for their families, other Christians, and other ethnic minorities that still live in that country. My …

I’m in the midst of discipling, mentoring, and preparing another young man for ministry as a senior pastor.  I’ve done this with a handful of guys over the years both in the U.S. and abroad and I totally enjoy the process.  Whether I’m training a pioneer church planter or someone to step into the role …

I’m one of those people that appreciates, enjoys, and openly declares the value of a good motto or slogan.  I’m always on the look out for not only a “catchy” motto or slogan, but one that also truly represents how that organization actually operates on day to day basis in the real world. Many churches use a …

Gunnar’s post on 1/10/12, “Sanctity of Human Life” was right on.  Not long after coming to know the Lord in 1981, I was exposed to the reality of what abortion really is.  I had family members and friends that chose abortion based on the biased and limited propaganda that Planned Parenthood spewed pretty much unopposed.  …

With my last post of 2011, I feel compelled to briefly provide an answer to a question that I’ve been asked a number of times in a number of ways over the years.  The summary version is this: “Jackson, why do you filter every aspect of life  and ministry through a “missions” lens….why is “missions” such a …

I spaced.  In the midst of the craziness of the ministry here, I completely spaced and forgot this was my day to post. So, I’ll be very brief and share with all of you what I share with my congregation every year at this time. Even non-Christians like to ponder the idea of the “spirit of …

When I taught the missions classes at CCBC in Murrieta from 1997 to 2000, I absolutely loved the assembly at the beginning of each semester when the instructors were introduced to the students. But it wasn’t being introduced that was so pleasureable to me. It was watching the faces of the students when Pastor Chuck …

A few days ago I was involved in some lively and some times heated conversation with a seasoned senior pastor and a missionary pastor recently returned from the mission field.  The conversations took place in a car as we spent more than 20 hours traversing the highways of the Northeast and as far away as …

Here are a few questions that I believe might be of some value for every church planter to ponder and hopefully answer prior to beginning the glorious but arduous task of pioneering a new church. Those pastoring existing churches that might be frustrated with their members’ unwillingness to take God’s calling seriously might also benefit …