News & Updates

I grew up in a great, life-shaping church. The Ferry Church of Christ is where I cut my teeth on all things God, the Kingdom, and church world. I crawled underneath the pews during Sunday night church. It was an army soldier belly crawl through land mines of legs trying to reach the front of the sanctuary without anyone noticing. An abrupt, “Alan Ray… , get up here. What are you doing? You can’t do that!” from my dad ended…

How much time do you spend on image management? A simple question from a friend may give some indication. When a friend asks, “Hey, what have you been up to lately?”, what’s your response? If you’ve just gotten up from a three-hour nap, and the yard still needs to be mown, do you tell them that? OR… do you string together your recent to-do list to give the perception of busy-ness and frenetic activity to prove your power, worth, value,…

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to baptize my son, Owen. For anyone who has had the privilege to dunk someone special, you know what an amazing experience this is. So, how do we commemorate this occasion? We’re going camping! I won’t pass up a nice RV when I have the chance, but this time Owen and I are going to rough it. We’re driving up to a nice, flat campsite, building a tent, and making a fire. Heck,…

My boys always look forward to visiting my parents in Ohio. They get lots of love, attention, wide-open spaces, and cable television. Yes, you read that correctly. We don’t have cable, so it’s a treat for my boys to lounge in their grandparents’ family room for a mind-numbing buffet of sports, cartoons, and “educational” shows. One show that they’ve historically enjoyed is “Mythbusters,” where the hosts perform scientific experiments to either confirm or debunk popular myths. One particular episode we…

A while back, Penn Gillette told a story about receiving a Bible backstage after one of his magic shows. Gillette is a self-proclaimed atheist, but he was impressed by the manner in which the small New Testament was given—not with arrogance but with humility and authenticity. The giver’s attitude was more remarkable to Gillette than the actual gift. Penn Gillette described how sincere the man was in words and approach. He noted that the man must have really believed what…

It’s funny how the Atlanta Falcons have suddenly turned into America’s team for this Super Bowl. With Tom Brady and the evil empire of the New England Patriots as Sunday’s odds-on favorite, most of America is crossing its collective fingers for Matt Ryan and the Dirty Birds to rise up and destroy Darth Vader… um, Bill Belichick. However, just over a year ago, not many were giving Ryan and Julio Jones much of a chance. They couldn’t go deep into…

Georgia’s own President Carter once said, “”Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” Of course, you don’t have to navigate any limbs to pick raspberries and blueberries, but I get it. We’ll slant our thinking anyway possible to avert risk. I have a friend who sold a complicated math formula for thousands of dollars. The numerical equation took risk out of investing. Wouldn’t that be something! I’d like to invest and have significant outcome; I just don’t…

Take a guess at what I’m describing. It’s a place where people gather regularly. Cover charges are minimal. The people are all very similar. Specific needs are met at this place. If needs aren’t met, people move on quickly to another similar place. There are many such places. Self-realization is the goal. Lights, sound, and music with a full band enable folks to escape and get lost. All details are designed to make people feel comfortable. Do you have a…

This Sunday we’ll kick off a new three-week series called “The ABCs of Community.” I’m excited to begin the new year by pointing folks to the necessity and power of community – to Life Groups! We’ll start by focusing on ‘A’—Accountability—and then trek towards ‘B’ for Belonging and ‘C’ for Care. They’re not as easy to live out as they are to write about. I’m mindful of how very much we need accountability. Can you imagine a football game without…