-
Worldy Success
“Certainly not the outcome you’d expect from someone voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ in high school.” I wanted to disagree, but I couldn’t. I’d never seen my self-assured friend like this before. But a broken relationship quick on the heels of a job loss will do that to you. He no longer had the world by the tail, and he knew it. He couldn’t even fake it. Discouraged and disillusioned by a host of unmet expectations, he began to wonder out loud, “What does it mean to truly succeed at life?” Though it didn’t feel that way, my friend was … View Resource
-
The Right Kind of Freedom
They were truly delightful. Probably in their late fifties, recently retired, just relocated to Franklin, Tenn., to be closer to their grandkids. They started attending the church several months earlier and had just expressed excitement about participating in the upcoming inquirers’ class. Hearing this, I was encouraged but mistakenly concluded that signing up for the inquirers’ class meant they were exploring the possibility of membership. I innocently began to ask about churches they were members of in the past when the conversation shifted. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid we misled you,” they said. “Even if we attend the inquirers’ class, we … View Resource

Nate Shurden
Nate Shurden is senior pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tenn., and an adjunct professor at New College Franklin. You can follow him on Twitter @NateShurden.