Leadership
How to combat the logic of anger.
We’ve all had a run in with anger. We carry the scars from each infraction, often responding to the personal injustice with harsh words at a high volume, slander, annoyance or avoidance of the person and the problem. The struggle is real. But so is the doctrine of grace. The Logic of Us, Anger and…
Read More7 ideas for leading with a towel.
What would you say is one of the single most impactful moments in leadership history? Is it one of George Washington’s great conquests? What about one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s amazing messages or demonstrations? Could it be Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt and to the rim of the Promised Land? It…
Read MoreStretch the Sheep
In middle and high school, there are typically teachers whom students avoid like the plague – teachers whose names are synonymous with high expectations and low grades. For me, that teacher was Mrs. Slaughter. No…I’m not making that up; her name really was Slaughter. And, as you can imagine, it magnified the fear of having…
Read MoreSingles and Self-Sacrifice
Most churches are married-people-centric. Whether intentionally or not, churches tend to create polished and fine sounding arguments for why marriage is a prerequisite for leadership opportunities. After all, married people are more stable, right? Because marriage is a sanctifying commitment, they are more mature. Because marriage gives a beautiful God-ordained opportunity for sex, married people are…
Read MoreA two-sentence, life-changing prayer.
I don’t know how old I was when I first learned the Lord’s Prayer, but I do know I was young, probably four or five. I dutifully repeated the prayer when it was a part of the worship service, but I can’t say that I said it with passion or even deep understanding. As my church…
Read MoreThe Slow and Steady of Revitalizing your Church
A few months ago I wrote about St. John’s Syndrome. St John’s syndrome is described as “the tendency of churches to become less effective the longer they are in existence.” The two keys to overcoming St. John’s Syndrome are to rediscover the original values of the church (“do the things you did at first/ going…
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