Entitlement Is Fighting Against Enjoyment

Gratitude and entitlement cannot coexist.  Parents know this. There are two opposing phrases we often hear when raising kids. We love to hear one and bristle at the other: “Thank you,” and “It’s not fair.” Parents love to hear “Thank you” from a child because it shows the child realizes a gift has been received […]

Why Some Fall and Some Rise With Christmas

Shortly after His birth, Jesus’ parents brought Him to the temple to be circumcised.  There was a priest, Simeon, at the temple who has been waiting for years to see the Messiah who would come into the world to rescue us. God told him he was going to see the Messiah before he died. Simeon […]

The Importance of Living and Leading with Two Emotions Simultaneously

How are you doing today? You could get two different answers depending on when you ask me. I can look at a difficult situation and, in some moments, aggressively quote Scripture at the situation – “If God is for me, who can be against me?” Bring it on. And then in other moments, I can […]

“Christmas Makes me Sad/Glad” and 3 Reminders for Us Preachers

Christmas season tends to bring out emotions in all of us – some emotions of sadness and some of gladness. A recent Google search of “Christmas makes me sad” turned up 347 million results with lots of articles telling us why Christmas makes us sad. Psychologist Ken Duckworth commented “Holidays are a great example of […]

The Only Way To Rejoice Always

I have been thinking about the command to “Rejoice Always” a lot over the last five weeks for two reasons. First, I have been preparing for a teaching series on God’s will in the Scripture “rejoicing always” is clearly His desire for us. The apostle Paul wrote: “Rejoice always. Pray constantly, give thanks in everything; […]

Momentary Multi-Millionaires and Joy in God’s Grace

I still remember when I thought my family became instantly rich. I was in elementary school, and I was walking back into the house after retrieving the mail. I peered through the window of a large envelope and read a congratulatory note to my father for receiving millions of dollars. I had never heard of […]

3 Warning Signs a Leader Is Growing Numb

Because leadership is challenging and never-ending, many leaders are prone to exhaustion and burnout. There is always more to do, always more to accomplish, and always people disappointed. To fight the pains of leadership, wise leaders take time to continually care for their own health and their own souls. And when burnout creeps in, wise […]

Five Reasons a Team Lacks Joy

Being on a team that is filled with joy, passion, and purpose is invigorating. Being on a team where the collective soul lacks joy adversely impacts everyone. A joyless team harms the people on the team and those the team serves. Here are five common reasons joy eludes a team: 1. An unclear mission When […]

3 Miseries of Legalism

Legalism is attempting to earn God’s approval with our works. It is man’s attempt to qualify himself to stand before God on his own merits. We are recovering legalists, for there was a time, before Christ rescued us, when we attempted to find our joy in ourselves, our salvation by ourselves. Now we trust His […]