3 Warning Signs Politics Is Becoming Your Religion

In his classic work The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis writes from the perspective of a senior demon giving instructions to a less-experienced demon on how to get someone to reject their Christian faith. Screwtape, the senior demon, advises Wormwood, his nephew and the younger demon, on how to get “the patient” to turn from […]

Pressure and Shame from the Increasing Paradox Surrounding our Bodies

Joey Chestnut is the most dominant person in his field. People marvel at his ability and his dedication. He is consistently the national champion in the Nathan’s Annual Hotdog Eating Contest. He won again last year by downing 71 hotdogs (with buns) in ten minutes. 25 years ago, it took 20 hotdogs to win the […]

Church Leaders: Ministry Is From God, But It Is Not God

When I first began serving in local church ministry, a pastor told me that “church is a great place to hide out and a great place to burn out.” He further explained that ministry can attract workaholics, those who live off affirmation from others for the work they do. And that ministry can also attract […]

What Are You Really Saying When You Call Something a “Sacred Cow”?

If you have been serving on the staff of a local church, you have likely heard and even used the phrase “sacred cow.” This was the topic of a recent Five Leadership Questions podcast, where I joined Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper to discuss how to navigate “sacred cows” in ministry. As we began, we […]

3 Ways to Crush the Idol of Innovation

In ministry, innovation can be a great thing when utilized to reach and serve people. But like all great things, innovation can become an idol—something that ministry leaders seek as an end in itself. When innovation becomes the goal, it has moved from tool for reaching people to an object of affection. How do we […]

Martyn Lloyd-Jones and the Cure for Ministry Idolatry

Ministry leaders are often tempted to love ministry more than Jesus. For this reason, we must continually guard our hearts from loving the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work. Ministry idolatry is common and it crushes ministry leaders as they run feverishly to achieve more and more in hopes of […]

Three Common Idols in Churches

Hezekiah is affirmed in Scripture as doing “what was right in the Lord’s sight” (2 Kings 18:3). The next verse details what Hezekiah did: “He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, for the Israelites burned incense to […]

Five Dangers of Only Looking at the Past

There are many leaders who are stuck in the past. While there are dangers in leading with only a view of the present or with only a view of the future, leading with your mind only rooted in the past is destructive. Here are five dangers with only looking at the past as you lead: […]

Four Idols That Kill Leadership Development

The fruit of a leader must be another leader as leaders are ultimately the ones responsible for the development of other leaders. From a Christian vantage point, the kingdom of God has multiplied as Christian leaders have developed and deployed others to make disciples and raise up new leaders. Leaders have been given the holy […]

4 Root Idols That Corrupt Leaders

Often when one thinks of idolatry, images of manmade objects that people bow before come to mind. But idols of the heart are as offensive and destructive as idols of the hands. Things we set up as gods in our hearts are idols, and they determine and drive how we live. Martin Luther said, “Under […]