It's @cloften

Top 10 Loftens’ Most-Used Movie/TV Quotes

I made a run at something similar to this before, but I didn't like it, not enough to delete it though. Once it gets posted, it is written into the record. Anywho, here is a better list, not that anyone cares. I take that back, my brother will like this. ...

What Makes a Church Successful?

As of the writing of this post, I am 30 minutes away from staff meeting at The Grove. (Question: is our official name Grove, The Grove or The Grove Church or Grove Church? Do you have to use and capitalize all 3 words? I want to do right.) We are ...

Oh Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

7:40 is an early time to start Middle School. I'm just sayin. We live relatively close, yet we leave at 7:20, because apparently they are pretty serious about giving out the tardies. I would be too if I started at 7:40, otherwise folks like me would be like, "It's just ...

Digging Deeper

Last summer I did 8 miserable weeks with a workout called Insanity. It was awful. It was the best shape I've been in for at least 20 years. Was it worth it? Yeah. Should I go back? Yeah, I guess. Leave me alone. Why are you nagging me? I know ...

Running Around with My Hair on Fire

I don't how many of you have ever moved to a new town and become the lead pastor of a church. Anyone? Just me? Fine. Then you will have to come up with your own context to apply this, or you will be stuck just mocking me, which I think ...

Forgiveness Takes Time

If you know me at all in the real world, then you by all means should know about my golf rooting interests. I have never been a fan of Tiger Woods. It always had more to do with him being the overwhelming favorite and the way the press fawned over ...

I Went Back (AKA You Only Get One Chance…Mostly)

I have a pre-game ritual on Sunday mornings (by pre-game I mean before I preach and by ritual I mean just something I do). I will go to a local fast food restaurant sit for a little bit and go over my sermon. I have to get the sermon "back ...

Two Service Protocol

For the last three Sundays, we have had just one service at the Grove (more than 3 for everyone else). That means I've only preached once and that's it. It's certainly less tiring, but I don't get to redeem myself on parts of the sermon that don't go well, jokes ...

Social Media, Blogging, Ministry and Work

Monday night was not the first time that is happened, and I'm sure it won't be the last. All it is is the most recent. It wasn't a public rebuke. I don't know if you could even consider it a rebuke per se. More than anything it was an encouragement ...

That’s Not My Job

I was planning on blogging this morning. I had a few ideas in mind. I was going to possibly talk about how hard moving is on kids and the importance of Dad stepping in to engage (still probably will) and was possibly going to talk about my neurotic issue of ...