If you spend any amount of time in a rhythm of Church Leadership, your calendar is probably full of meetings, your whiteboard is full of strategies, and your cup of inspiration is likely running empty —you are busy. In fact, …
The Most Important Work In Church Planting
When they found him beside the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” This was Jesus’s reply. “I’m telling you the solemn truth,” he said. “You aren’t looking for me because you saw signs, but because …
Dealing with Discouragement
When in juxtaposition to one another, the songs “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “Singin’ in the Rain” reflect the extremes of our emotions. Karen Carpenter sings, “Hangin’ around, nothing to do but frown. Rainy Days and Mondays always get me …
Four Reasons I Love Church Planting
Four Reasons I Love Church Planting Years after each of them went through the great pain of losing their spouses, a curmudgeonly widower and a feisty widow were coaxed toward marriage by well-meaning friends. The wedding was a simple family …
Want To Be A Story Teller? Make diversity your goal, not videos.
Thousands of years ago, storytelling was a passageway into humanity; the craft of making images appear in the mind of your audience gathered around a fire was practically magic. Then, technology hurdled into the scene and, by and large, we …
Take it slow – a new anthem for outreach
I always try to pay attention to what’s happening in popular culture. Rhythms and reviews tend to either drive the thoughts and feelings of a generation, or at least reflect it. Although not comprehensive, it still helps to understand the …
Taming the Beasts
Madeleine L’Engle’s fine story Dance in the Desert begins with a caravan of people traveling in hurried fear through a trackless wilderness. They seem to be running from something, and turn furtively to check the movement of shadows at the …
What You Ought to Know About Becoming a Church Leader
There was a saying, often repeated in the farming community of my youth, that structured the perceived values of work life simply and decisively: If you can’t farm, you can always teach; if you can’t teach, you can always preach; …
A Place To Grieve
Recently, we experienced a sudden death in our very close-knit family. My Grandmother, a woman who had overcome so much, a woman of compassion and laughter, went home suddenly into the arms of the Jesus she loved so much. For …
Strategic Neglect
We’re finishing up the first month of a new year. It’s a good time to ask, How are we doing? Busy? Even busier than last year? Are we willing to admit that this busyness does not necessarily equal effectiveness, success, …