In honor of my vacation. This photo my wife took tonight, is all I leave you with.

Four years ago I lived south of Boston, two blocks from the beach. I was single, worked at a Christian school, and coached volleyball.  I was happy. In May, 2006 I got a call from a man in Kansas City I had met a few months earlier. He worked at a publishing house and remembered [...]

- Oh Google, you clever beast you. UnevenGoogle.com. Which reminds me, the Google logo wasn’t centered until 2001. – I would be SHOCKED if you haven’t heard of the Old Spice viral video campaign. Find some examples here. Parodies are starting to surface. This is my favorite: Study like a scholar. – The other day [...]

Yesterday, the entire House Studio staff (yeah, all four of us) had the great privilege of meeting with the Jesus Film Harvest Partners group. I won’t go into the purpose of the meetings, as it may not be of interest to you. No, what I’d like to mention is the nice big piece of humble [...]

You know that moment when you unexpectedly run into a high school acquaintance whose name you can’t remember? Or when a friend introduces you to one of their friends—then leaves you alone with that stranger? That’s how I feel every Sunday during the “greet your neighbor” portion at church. Upon hearing the instructions to say [...]

- The coolest birth announcement you’ll see this week, guaranteed. Wait a second, that guy looks familiar! – 10 things you need to stop tweeting about – I love the idea behind this PasswordCard site but I just can’t force myself to adopt this system for storing passwords. What happens if you get hit by a bus [...]

I grew up just south of Boston, which means there was a Dunkin Donuts on every corner (why do you think my dog’s name is Dunkin), it took 20 minutes to drive 2 miles, people didn’t talk to each other in the grocery stores, and everyone spoke their minds. Where I lived, people didn’t hold [...]

I’ve been wanting to write a blog for small group leaders, guiding you to all sorts of free internet resources. Turns out that given what I am looking for, it’s not been an easy task. There are hundreds of free studies out there, but since I don’t know the people who have created them nor [...]

– This is for you @shawnsmucker and @wvpv – I don’t know what my obsession is with downsizing, but I’m loving this little orange cube living unit by Andrew Kline. – The simplest site I’ve discovered for determining the security of my password. – 8-bit Twilight Eclipse Interactive [YouTube] – I’m all signed up with [...]

A few months ago, we posted this video to help you get to know the House Studio staff a little better. We told you about some of our favorites. Favorite movie. Favorite book. Favorite band. Favorite television character. We decided to make a second video with a few more questions–just for fun. After our first [...]

What are the best ways to ask good small group questions that move beyond standard answers into deeper discussion?

- Christopher Nolan’s (The Dark Knight) Tumbler Golf Cart? No, its not really owned by Nolan, just a really enthusiastic super-fan. – Very clever idea; kea.nu is a URL shortner that raises money for cancer research. For those not up-to-date on the Sad Keanu Reeves meme, get caught up here. – [for the geeks] The [...]

Trust in the social media and software age is a huge concern. These groups have given many people reason to worry about their intentions. What are your feelings?

Matthew 5 An intro of sorts: These verses speak of going one step beyond what’s expected. Some examples include loving your enemy AND praying for them. Or to not refuse the one who would borrow from you. It quickly becomes overwhelming. So what now; how are we to take on more? Perhaps you already loan [...]

This year, I got to celebrate Father’s Day with not only my own father but also my brother-in-law, whose first child was born to my sister and him in April. My brother-in-law is 31, but, he told my sister, this was his first good Father’s Day—ever. At first, I figured he was referring to his [...]

- It seems I’m the last person to find out about this little trick for Remembering How Many Cups are in a Gallon. – Listverse, you never cease to amaze me. 10 Cases of Appropriate Technology. My two favorites: Hippo Roller Water Project and the Lifestraw. – On a not-so-important-note; 10 Fun Facts You Didn’t [...]

“The modern worldview, including the modern version of Christianity… bears ominous resemblances to the medieval worldview that Lewis so crisply described, the worldview that was celebrated and embodied in the medieval cathedral….”

Why some people cringe at the words “global justice.”

- I like books, which is probably good since I work in the publishing industry. But some of these books make me want to give up reading; 10 Difficult Literary Works [Listverse] – I love Anne Jackson. We all could learn from her transparency and honesty. She recently recorded a short for XXXChurch.com (which I also [...]