News & Updates

I am excited to bring the Word on this coming Sunday, July 15th out of Joshua chapter 7 at CCC”s Smyrna campus. (Now that we have a Douglasville campus, I had to make that distinction.) Oh, wait–you didn’t know we are launching a new site this fall in D’ville?! Read about it HERE. After several months of prayer and Kingdom conversations, Cumberland Community Church is stepping out in faith to launch its first of many new campuses. This church-planting vision…

My wife is a professional sleeper.  She’s really good at sleeping. She loves her sleep.  There are not many things that can deter Sherry’s drive for good sleep—except maybe my snoring. I’ve never snored until just this year.  When Sherry would mention my sleep-robbing habits, I would deny, deny, deny.  But Sherry doesn’t lie when it comes to sleep. I downloaded a sleep app to help the situation.  It records snoring. Do you recall how horrible it is to listen…

Mrs. “P” was a big-boned woman. She was my second-grade teacher. When Mrs. “P” came roaring down the hallway in her knee-high, white, leather boots — our class would scurry to our seats before her wrath was unleashed on a bunch of squirrely eight-year-olds. On one particular day, Mrs. “P” spanked each person in our class. I believe it was a few noodle heads in the back of the room who garnered punishment for the entire lot. I can remember…

I believe in rugged individualism. I’m not sure it’s great theology, but it’s what I had to learn growing up and what my dad modeled. With that, you’d think I could survive the wild with a plastic Walmart bag filled with only duct tape and popsicle sticks. Nope. I said I BELIEVED in rugged individualism. I’m not sure I practice it. Yesterday my computer freaked out—as did I. I left the office hoping the disk utility would repair the whole…

I love the Hebrew teaching about the ancient rabbi’s wings. A rabbi would regularly wear a prayer shawl—commonly called his wings. On the edges or “kanaf” of his wings were tassels called tzitzits. The tassels would have five knots tied into them. Each knot was a reminder of the books of Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Are you following this ancient Hebrew path so far? Then… you find this great verse in Malachi 4:2: “But for you who…

Getting your mother’s tests results back after bone scans, MRIs, PET scans, blood tests, and CAT scans is a big deal. I know all about that one. Waiting for a publisher’s feedback on a submitted manuscript is a big deal. So is the rejection email. I know all about that one all too well. A job change is a big deal. Your promotion was a big deal; so was losing your employment. Your wedding, your graduation, your baptism, and your…

This time of year is good for finishing things up. The school year gets wrapped up. College finals are in the books. Spring is finishing up. Mother’s Day… check. Prom… done. Yard fertilized… yup. See what I mean? TV shows are closing out their season with big finales. I can’t wait to see the one-hour “The Middle” series ender next week. Will Sue Sue Heck ever get together with Sean? It’s gonna be a big finish. This Sunday we finish…

I can remember mom holding down the fort after dad left. Mom, Greg, Lynn, and I moved into a two-bedroom apartment. Mom went to work as a bank teller. She hadn’t held down a job outside the home in the previous twenty-four years. Mom kept us going. Mom kept us in school, church, and engaged in life to keep us from falling off the edge. Greg was nineteen and ready to move out on his own. Lynn was navigating the…

On Thursday morning, the annual Cobb County Prayer Breakfast was held to participate in our National Day of Prayer. The focus of this morning’s prayer time was our armed forces. A Rear Admiral spoke and gave stirring details of the commitment that so many young men and women make on a regular basis to afford us the freedom to pray. The staunch, stern admiral melted as he gave emotionally charged details of visiting injured soldiers he had ordered forward. The…

My wife has flower bulbs buried all over our yard like treasures begging to be found. The bulbs grow beneath the ground until Spring’s warmth and showers beckon their flowery heads to burst to life. You can bank on it. THEREFORE… my wife prepares for it. How does she prepare? Here are five preparations Sherry makes for welcoming her beloved blossoms. 1. Exercise patience during the cold months. 2. Be relentless with weed extraction. 3. Use fertilizer and soil nutrients…