When I first went into a leadership role in church ministry, several wise, older men gave me words of caution like “Keep your hands off of money and women, son” or “Be careful with women and money.” They were not being sexist as if women were bad, nor were they advocating poverty as if money…
sin
3 Simple Steps to Self-Destruction
We get the term narcissism from the Greek mythological figure Narcissus, who fell in love with himself, with his own image. He was a hunter and was well known for his beauty. His arch-nemesis was named, well, he was named Nemesis, and he attracted Narcissus to a pool where Narcissus saw his own reflection. Narcissus…
3 Ways to Spot “Christian Backstabbing”
Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by the love we have for one another. According to the Scriptures, if we don’t love one another, we cannot claim to love God. Good news: Historically Christians have been known and marked for their love for one another. For example, Aristides, a…
3 Lessons from the Celebrity Mug Shot
In 1997, Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer in history to win the Masters. An iconic photograph captured the moment as Tiger celebrated with fist pumping and passionate joy. For years the photo represented Tiger’s passion, skill, and rise to the top of the sports world. Twenty years later, in May of 2017, another photo…
Jim Collins, David, and How the Mighty Fall
One of the most popular business books in recent decades is Good to Great by Jim Collins. For a season, it was a must read for leaders and teams. Leaders continually referenced phrases from the book in attempts to teach lessons from the book or, in some cases, show off their biz chops and prowess….
3 Ways We Hate Sin in Others More Than in Ourselves
After David committed adultery and murder and the Lord regarded all of it as evil, the Lord sent a prophet named Nathan to confront David in his sin (2 Samuel 12). Like any good preacher, Nathan set up David with a killer illustration: “David, there were two men in a certain city. One was filthy…
2 Ways Boredom Destroys Ministry Leaders
Before King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and attempted to cover his sin by murdering her husband, boredom settled into his heart. He was bored the night he was on the roof, bored and looking for something else other than God. Earlier in his life, while on the run from Saul, David woke up at…
5 Lessons from Fallen Pastors
Pastors and ministry leaders are not above character implosion and wandering from the Lord. In time, their wandering manifests in a variety of self-destructive and disqualifying behaviors. In the last several years, I have thought a lot about “fallen pastors.” My role at LifeWay provides a painful view of the fallout. As pastors are removed…
6 Dangerous Viruses That Take Leaders Down
A few weeks ago I asked Steve Graves to speak to my leadership team at LifeWay about leading ourselves, caring for our own souls, and doing all we can, by God’s grace, to continue. The following comes from his challenge, which was very good and very helpful to our team. Not all viruses have the…
5 Ways to Lose Your Ministry
It is deeply tragic when ministry leaders lose their ministry, when sin sidelines them for a season. Not only is it painful for the leader, but also it is painful for the people who have been impacted and influenced through their leadership. Because sin is always crouching at the door and because Satan prowls around…