This November Kaye and I will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary. We took our honeymoon to a family friend’s condo in Missouri (we were college students with very little money). The next year we went to Cancun, which was our wedding gift from my parents. After those two trips, we decided we would not stop…
Marriage
Should You Share Criticism You Receive With Your Spouse?
I was in a meeting last week with a group of senior pastors, and we were asked to force rank the pain of criticism by groups of people. Whose criticism hurts the most? There was some discussion about the force ranking, but we essentially landed on this order (the top being the most painful and…
3 Important Places We Benefit From People Who Are Different Than Us
The cliché “birds of the same feather flock together” has been around for centuries and it captures the reality that we tend to gather with and connect to people similar to us. While we are often most comfortable with people who are like us, we benefit and we grow when we are in relationships with…
How Kaye and I Work to Enjoy Our Marriage
Marriage should not be merely endured; it should be enjoyed. Marriage between a husband and wife is a reflection of the greater marriage between God and His people.” I am grateful God delights in us, sings over us, and rejoices in the relationship we have with Him (Zephaniah 3:17). He does not merely tolerate us….
Your Marriage Is Your Most Important Ministry
Last week Kaye and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. Over dinner we talked about the journey the Lord has taken us on together, what we enjoy about each other, and how our marriage has made each of us better. Though our marriage is not perfect, it is healthy and I am so grateful for…
Links for Leaders 5/25/18
Ten Books Every Christian Needs in Their Library—Devin Maddox It seems silly, maybe even snooty, in this day and age, to talk about a home “library,” but even the least enthusiastic readers have one. I notice them in every home I visit. Sometimes the home library is a set of built-in shelves framed around the…
Research Reveals Realities of Being a Pastor’s Spouse
Halloween is not the only national day in October… October 7th is National Frappe Day (as in the drink). October 8th is National Clergy Appreciation Day. October 9th is National Moldy Cheese Day. October 10th is National Handbag Day. October 11th is National Sausage Pizza Day. To some people, clergy appreciation day sounds like it…
20 Reasons I’m Thankful for Kaye on Our 20th Anniversary
Kaye and I were married very young, as a junior and sophomore in college. When people have asked me why I married Kaye when we were soooooo young, I have jokingly responded with one of two answers: (1) “It is better to marry than burn with passion” or (2) “She fell for me and I…
Links for Leaders 3/18/16
A pastor without a healthy marriage is going to have significant difficulty leading the local church effectively. Healthy pastors lead healthy churches, and if a pastor’s marriage is in disrepair, so will the church be. Mark Dance shares about where pastors can get help for their marriages—don’t hesitate to get help if you need it!…
Links for Leaders 1/22/16
Micromanaging is almost never a good thing. But, toeing the line between being a good manager and a micromanager can be tough. Ron Edmondson shares some of the most common reasons many leaders micromanage. In leadership, whether you’re leading in the church, in the workplace, in the home, or some combination of the three, you will face…