3 Reminders about Grace and Truth After Teaching on “Challenging Topics” 

I recently concluded a teaching series at our church called On the Table, where we put major questions Christians are often asked on the table. Some of the questions felt more theological such as “How can we trust the Bible?” and “Is Jesus the only way?” Some of the questions felt more cultural such as […]

10 Proverbs for Consuming and Contributing on Social Media

When I moved to my role as vice-president of LifeWay, my boss Thom Rainer encouraged me to use a blog and social media to connect with church leaders. It was the fall of 2011. I signed up for Twitter a month later. Several years later I signed up for Instagram. Though I was not an […]

4 Postures Leaders Long for on Their Teams (and Leaders Must Be for Their Teams)

I often hear leaders brag about people on their leadership teams, people they love serving alongside, people they hope never leave. I have recently thought about the most recurring themes or attributes that leaders long for on their teams – postures or approaches that people take towards their roles and organization or ministry they serve. […]

10 Ways Leaders Shape Their Teams

The popular and often-quoted leadership axiom “speed of the leader, speed of the team” captures the reality that the leader of a group of people sets the tone and pace for the group. Of course, there are exceptions. There are times that gifted people with high integrity give themselves fully to their work despite their […]

Should You Share Criticism You Receive With Your Spouse?

I was in a meeting last week with a group of senior pastors, and we were asked to force rank the pain of criticism by groups of people. Whose criticism hurts the most? There was some discussion about the force ranking, but we essentially landed on this order (the top being the most painful and […]

How One Change in Technology Changed So Much for Teachers (and Leaders)

Before we had kids, Kaye taught public school for eight years. When we found out we were having our first daughter, we decided she would take step away from teaching for several years. Her last day as a teacher (the first time around) was one day in June of 2007. The first iPhone was released […]

3 Things That May Be True if People Are Constantly Complaining to You

In my first full-time ministry position, right out of college, I learned so much because I served with a leader who loved me enough to confront me and tell me the truth. He coached me on developing other leaders for ministry, and he encouraged me in my personal development. And I still remember one interaction […]

Chasing 2 Rabbits in Leadership and Ministry

Confucius is credited with saying, “The man who chases two rabbits, catches neither.” It is a statement about focus, and it is true. If you chase two rabbits at the same time, you won’t catch either one because they will pull you in different directions. Right as you are close to catching one, you will […]

Don’t Compliment by Comparing

Compliments via comparisons are too common. If you are a leader you have likely received them and given them. “My son is learning so much more in your class this year than he did last year.” “It is great to finally have someone who executes well in this role.” “For the first time in a […]

4 Ways to Recognize Team-Members Without “Skin in the Game”

We are not sure where the phrase “skin in the game” originated but it is commonly used to describe someone who is connected to the results of the game, someone who is not just watching but who is deeply connected to how it is played and what the results are. People on a team, whether […]