3 Questions To Help Maintain Healthy Vital Signs
While serving as an under-shepherd for many years now, it still can become frustrating when the sheep in God’s pasture don’t willingly follow. Within these exasperating moments I long to strike the rock rather than speak to it. Anybody know what I mean? Over the years I’m learning to pause…
Tell Your Scar Story
When I was around seven or eight years old, my brother, my best friend and I were playing out in my backyard with one of those red plastic baseball bats. We thought it was a great idea to pair this bat up with a piece of a 2×4 that was…
5 Reasons To Call A Timeout In Ministry
It’s fourth down on the 4-yard line and the team is down by 7 points with seconds to go. The clock is running down—so the coach calls the team’s final timeout in this very critical moment. This is the coach’s opportunity to put the overwhelming pressure of the moment on…
Receiving, Responding To, and Leveraging Reviews For Your Church
A TALE OF TWO GOOGLE REVIEWS Have you ever had an experience so utterly horrible – so absolutely, soul-crushingly awful – that you felt compelled to leave a scathing review online? A few weeks ago, this happened to a woman named Gina*. Probably not super uncommon, except for the fact…
Imposter Syndrome
“Still don’t know what I was waitin’ for And my time was runnin’ wild A million dead end streets and Every time I thought I’d got it made It seemed the taste was not so sweet So I turned myself to face me But I’ve never caught a glimpse How…
3 Ways To Be A Leader Who Listens
A number of years ago this question was posed to me by a friend: “To whose voice are you listening?” As I reflected on this question, it penetrated my mind and my heart in a way that I’ve never forgotten. There is a 3×5 card on my bedroom mirror and…
How To Deal With Parents in Youth Ministry
“You have no idea what it’s like to be a parent of a high school student. You’ll understand once you have kids of your own.” My best laid plans to help fell flat. As these parents left my office my first thought was: “I’m a total failure. Is Walmart hiring?”…
Expository Preaching and Anchoring To The Rock
Picture yourself rock climbing. The sun shines and sweat drips from your forehead. You’re fifty feet above the ground on the side of a rockface. Your arms burn. You keep dipping your sweaty hands in the bag of chalk that hangs from your belt as though that will make climbing…
5 Ways To Achieve Longevity in Ministry
I’m a 53-year-old youth pastor. Most of the jokes at our youth ministry involve my baldness. I’m glad to give the students an easy target for their underdeveloped, juvenile sense of humor. Considering that our 19-year-old worship leader looks like a cross between Fabio and Samson, making fun of me…
Does Your Work Matter?
Your work matters. Anything that brings order from chaos – forming, filling, or cultivating God’s good creation – joins Him in His work. It doesn’t always feel that way on Monday morning, though. Sometimes the message on Sundays seems to contradict all of that, feeling like the worlds of church…
4 Benefits of Collaborative Sermon Prep
In most churches, the preaching pastor spends a significant amount of time studying alone and crafting the sermon each week in preparation for Sunday. It’s hard work and a great labor of love. At Redemption Hill Church we have taken a slightly different approach. We study together every week. Before…
4 Ways to Make an Email Newsletter Count
Communication is a vital part of life, especially for those in leadership of an organization and its vision. Every leader struggles with communicating effectively, whether it be an email, a seminar, or a sermon or speech. While there are many tools that we could explore, lets address the church newsletter.…
