3 Reminders From the Brief Moment When Adolescent Mental Health Improved
In Jean Twenge’s most recent book, Generations, she offers research-based insight from different generations currently living: Silents, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. In the chapter on Gen Z, she shared research I had not seen before about the mental health of adolescents during the pandemic—namely that mental health improved during the first three […]
Why I Don’t Use “The Good Kind of Deconstructing” Language as a Pastor
A year after I became a Christian, I went off to college. A few guys from my high school called me a Jesus freak—and they didn’t mean the statement as a compliment. When D.C. Talk, a Christian band, released the song “Jesus Freak,” it was so good for my soul. A cool band was celebrating […]
2 Realities That Often Stifle Conviction for Developing Leaders
Until one holds a deep conviction to develop younger or emerging leaders, leadership development will not happen. Conviction is necessary. How do you know if you have a conviction? If you can imagine leading without developing leaders, then leadership development is not a conviction. Think about it: preachers who are convicted that the Word must […]
The Most Dangerous Animal on Our Safari
Earlier this year, our family joined others from our church on a trip to Uganda to visit some of our global partners. It’s a beautiful country, and they are amazing people. While on the trip we got to go on a safari, which was also amazing. We rode around a massive national park in Jeeps […]
Overwhelming Leadership Muscles for Development
You cannot grow physical muscles without the muscles being overwhelmed. Your muscles need resistance and challenges to grow. The same is true for leadership muscles. In seasons of being overwhelmed, we become eager learners, seeking wisdom from others and vigorously applying knowledge we previously acquired. We often find a gear we did not know we […]
Spiritual Disciplines and Striving to Be Weak
Just as my wife has never been content to just move into a home without redecorating it, God does not move into our lives just to leave us as we are. The apostle Paul reminded Christians in Colossae that they have “the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of […]
How to Wisely Help Your Team Learn
Wise leaders curate skillfully what they ask those they lead to read because “what develops us, changes us.” Many have said that “we will be the same people in five years except for the people we meet, the books we read, and the places where we travel.” While this may be an oversimplification of what […]
ALS and My Dad and Doubts as Antibodies
Tim Keller compared doubt to antibodies—that when your faith is given some doubt and you work through the doubt, you are stronger because of the doubt you worked through. You are better prepared to handle the onslaught of future struggles. Like many, the biggest intellectual struggle for me within the Christian faith has been suffering. […]
Feedback Attacks the Biggest Prohibitor to Development
“Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.” (Proverbs 27:5-6) Many leaders, both in ministry and the marketplace, struggle with providing feedback to team members. Someone displays a deficiency in the execution of his or her role, and leaders fail to […]
A Better Way Than “The Big Rocks in First”
Leadership author and speaker Stephen Covey had a famous illustration where he would bring an audience member on stage and ask them to decide what rocks to put in a clear bucket. The rocks were labeled with things like: Romantic relationships. Career. Development. Community. Service to others. Hobbies. Fitness. Faith. Rest. The bucket was also […]