3 Lessons from a Vineyard Farmer about Your Growth

In John 15 when Jesus told His disciples that He is the true vine and they were the branches, He assured them that those who abide in Him would produce fruit because of their connection to Him. Judas, His betrayer, had already departed and thus proved to not really belong to Jesus – to be […]

The Most Expensive Cheesesteak in America and What to Do With Our Desires

Barclay Prime sells the most expensive cheesesteak in the U.S. While most cheesesteaks cost eight to ten bucks, this one sells for 120 dollars. The sandwich features A5 Wagyu beef, served on a sesame roll with truffle better, and topped with rich blend of Italian cheese. Some reviewers love it, claiming it is the best […]

3 Ways to Treat Your Predecessor

Since being named Kenton Beshore’s successor and becoming the senior pastor of Mariners Church eight months ago, other church leaders have started to ask questions of us about succession. There are many churches in this season, where the church is led by a faithful and great leader who has led for many years and is […]

Church Leaders: Because Leadership Is Transferrable…

In the book The Leadership Code, Dave Ulrich and his coauthors articulate that as much as 70% of leadership is transferable from one context to another (the other 30% is specific to that context or industry). This means that the vast majority of what makes someone an effective leader in one context is transferable to […]

Buildings and Other Things That Leaders Shape … That Shape the Orgs They Lead

The great (and true) quote that “we shape our buildings and our buildings shape us” is credited to Winston Churchill. Other less insightful quotes are credited to him on the Internet as well, but this quote is really good because it is so true. As I shared in this post, leaders form their organizations by […]

10 Things Leaders Shape That Shape the Ministry/Organization (Part 1)

Winston Churchill is credited with the insightful quote, “we shape our buildings and our buildings shape us.” He was correct; the buildings we gather in shape the culture of those in the buildings. The statement can be applied to other influences as our ministries and organizations are shaped by more than the buildings we utilize. […]

Because Your Job Is Changing, You Should Do These Five Things…

I shared last week that your job is likely changing. If your context, industry, or organization is changing, your job is changing. It is difficult to plan for the future because we don’t know it, but we can prepare for it. As jobs are continually changing. what should we do to ensure we are prepared […]

The Only Place and Time Your Job Won’t Be Changing

In January Elon Musk sent an email to employees letting them know of the challenging days ahead for Tesla. In the midst of a year in which they “made their first meaningful profit in the fifteen years since they created Tesla,” they would be (a) laying off 7% of their workforce and (b) increasing production because […]

Why You Can’t Have Friends Without Conflict

Loneliness seems to be on the rise. So much so that Britain appointed its first ever “Minister of Loneliness” to work to combat the rising problem of loneliness in the country. Research uncovered that nearly 9 million people in the Country “often or always feel lonely.” Why is loneliness on the rise? What values have […]

Sunday was “National Student Pastor Preaching Day” and Why That’s Great

I was preaching the week after Christmas the first time I heard someone joke about the youth pastor preaching the week after Christmas. I was the student pastor. The person was joking that it was “national student pastor preaching Sunday” because many senior pastors take the week off and hand the responsibility to the student […]