4 Types of Churches in Dealing with Political Issues
As we approach an election, church leaders will face pressure to overtly or subtly bring politics into their messages or into their worship services. By preaching politics I do not mean teaching what the Bible says on specific topics, but I mean clearly nudging people to vote a certain way. Church leaders also face pressure, […]
4 Ways to Avoid Purge Night Online
The overarching storyline of the movie and subsequent television series “The Purge” is that government leaders believe if people are given one night a year to release their rage then life will be much better. The thinking by the “new founding fathers” is that repressing our rage is ruining us, and expressing our rage even […]
Your Job Has Changed and How to Hire Yourself for It
Unless your industry has somehow remained stable and unphased through the pandemic, your job has likely changed. This is not because you did anything wrong. This is not because your boss randomly decided to reposition your job or dramatically alter your job description. This is not because your organization broke a promise to you. This […]
4 Types of Leaders and Leadership that Thinks Big and Acts Small
Some leaders seem to think small and act big. There is not a large vision that captivates them, grand plans that motivate them, or an overwhelming sense of awe for the opportunity in front of them. Yet at the same time they seem to act big. They hold tightly to their positions, enjoying that others […]
8 Reasons I Stopped Stressing About “Losing my Salvation”
The question “Can I lose my salvation” is one of the biggest questions I wrestled with when I first became a Christian. I loved Jesus but still struggled with so many things and because I struggled with so many things, I wondered if my struggles would take me outside of God’s grace. I remember coming […]
3 Ways to Define Reality and Give Hope as You Lead
Several of the most famous quotes about leadership point to the paradox of embracing the challenge of the season and giving vision and hope in the midst of the challenges. Max Depree quipped: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is […]
How an Ice-Age Context Impacts One’s Approach to Leading
When the pandemic began, Andy Crouch, Kurt Keilhacker, and Dave Blanchard insightfully gave leaders categories for how they were viewing the pandemic — as a blizzard, winter, or the beginning of a little Ice-Age. The imagery is helpful. You hunker down and wait it out in a blizzard, expecting things to return to normal pretty […]
A Reminder From My Stint as a Soccer Coach: From Victory, Not for Victory
When Evie was six, I coached her soccer team and I loved it. One game in particular reminded me how to live as a Christian. We were called the Soccer Rockers and it was a blast. The kids and their parents were great. Evie’s favorite game that year was the game we played when the […]
Colliding Data Points and Why Your Church Leaders (Likely) Aren’t Idiots
Your church leaders are likely not idiots. Yes, of course, that is possible. There are foolish leaders in all types of roles, and all of us are fully capable of making unwise choices. But just because your church leaders are not making the same call you would make does not mean they are idiots. When […]
Why We Are Working More Now and the Upside/Downside of Templates
A common discussion among pastors in this season centers around the counter-intuitive bewilderment that we can be working more hours in the midst of not having physical gatherings. If you had told me that we would go months without having physical worship services, I would not have imagined I would be working more. But every […]