Several years ago, I was speaking at a church where I frequently spoke, among people I loved and who loved me, and during a sermon, I referenced that many in the body of Christ, our African American brothers and sisters, were hurting. And that when brothers and sisters in Christ are hurting, we should listen,…
Leadership
Covid-19 and a Pastor’s Concern for Our Mental Health
As a pastor I am deeply concerned for the rising struggle with mental health in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. I recently sat down with two clinical psychologists, two Christians in the church I serve, Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Buddy Mendez, and they shared with me that “whatever level of stress, anxiety, or…
Can a Constraint Be Beautiful? Some Thoughts for Leaders
We are in a season of constraint. As a pastor, we are constrained from gathering physically. We are constrained from using all the resources the Lord has given us – from the facility to the events we have had to cancel. We are constrained from lunch meetings where development conversations occur, from face-to-face counseling appointments,…
Leadership in a Crisis: Defining Reality AND Giving Hope
Napoleon is credited with the leadership wisdom of: “The role of the leader is to define reality and give hope.” This is especially true in a crisis – which is where leaders are most needed. The reality is that most organizations have gotten to a place of maturity that they can operate daily and even…
What a Great Time to Read!
Reading is always important for believers and ministry leaders, but with events canceled and sports missing from our lives because of the Coronavirus pandemic, this is an especially great time to read. And to read more than we normally read. Instead of passively streaming more hours of movies and shows, actively read more during this…
September 11, the Coronavirus, and Ministry
I was on the phone with my good friend Ed Stetzer a few nights ago, asking for his perspective on the impact of the Coronavirus on our culture and the Church. Ed is much smarter than I am on these sorts of things, and he articulated that there have been five culture-altering events in the…
Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Coronavirus, and Church Leaders
Bill Gates has expressed that the CoVid-19 may be “the once-in-a-century pathogen we’ve been worried about.” At the same time Elon Musk tweeted, “The coronavirus panic is dumb.” Both Bill Gates and Elon Musk are brilliant, extremely hard working, and accomplished business leaders. Very smart people can disagree about very important issues. Just as with…
One Thing Church and Marketplace Leaders Can Learn from Each Other
Last Friday I spoke for my friend John Townsend at a leadership event he hosted for leaders in his network. After my presentation, I fielded some questions for a few moments and was asked (I am paraphrasing), “Because you have led in both marketplace and local church contexts, what is one thing you think those…
Navy SEALs and 4 Reasons Trust Is Greater than Performance
The Navy SEALs are known for their skill, valor, and effectiveness. They are generally recognized as one of the most elite teams of people in any discipline or field. What do the leaders of the SEALs look for in potential team members? In Simon Sinek’s new book The Infinite Game, Sinek describes the tool that…
3 Leadership Reminders From an Elon Musk Tale
In the introduction of Edge, a book from Harvard Business School professor Laura Huang, Laura recounts a tale about Elon Musk – one a colleague shared with her. The story goes that a person was able to land a face-to-face meeting with Musk, the famed entrepreneur and leader of Tesla and SpaceX. The person walked…