Articles
It’s About the Heart
It will be very difficult to embark (and remain) on a journey of transformation if we do not have confidence that we are already loved as we currently are. We don’t change so that we’ll be loved more by God. We are measurelessly loved by God, so we are...
The Pharisee Frog
Many years ago the seminary where I attended had invited a guest speaker to preach at one of the chapel services. While I don’t remember anything about his subject I remember something he said in passing: “I have heard a lot of Pharisee frogs in my...
Seven People You Should Fire Right Now
I’ve been pretty lucky in ministry. Over the years I’ve only had to fire a handful of staff and volunteers. It’s the least enjoyable part of my job but also one of the most important. And if you’re a pastor, it’s one of your most important jobs. Allowing a person to...
Why I Stopped Preaching Doctrine
I was saved as a teenager in the mid-seventies in a small church in a small town in southwest Missouri. Almost immediately I was taught doctrine. Even before I really knew what it was. The English word “doctrine” derives from the old Latin word “doctor”...
The Rule of Seven (Times Seven?) in Missions
Experts have studied how many times humans must be exposed to something in order for it to stick. One author says, “The rule of seven is an old marketing adage. It says that a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times...
The Benefits and Pitfalls of Full Disclosure
To reveal or not to reveal? Should our lives be an open book? Self-disclosure is definitely a risk, but sometimes a risk worth taking. Pastor Mike “bragged” about his short-term memory loss, treating his condition as inconsequential and refused to ask...
It’s Time for a Game Change!
All pastors and church leaders worth their salt say they care about disadvantaged and disenfranchised people. In many cases, however, their actual ministry strategy is designed primarily to increase the number of people attending weekend services. The...
The Devil’s Three Deadly Ds: A Three-Point Sermon for Defeating Christian Leaders
The front cover of Rev. W. S. Harris’ 1904 classic book Sermons by the Devil 1 is decorated with a drawing of a devil-like man gesturing from behind a pulpit. Harris selected the image because he knew that with the exception of our Lord Jesus Christ,...
Is pastoring really that hard?
According to recent statistics, from LifeWay Research, the average tenure for a senior pastor in the U.S. is only about 4-6 years. Translated that means that there are a lot of pastors out there with four to six years of experience many times...
A Month of Sundays
While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.” Matthew 17:5 This is one of the most difficult texts in...
Becoming Compassionate Leaders
Nehemiah faced one of the of the most complicated and most documented leadership challenges ever when God called him to oversee rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. At the time, Nehemiah lived a thousand miles from Jerusalem and served as the cupbearer...
The Emotionally Intelligent Pastor
Jeannie Clarkson PhD is a Christian psychologist and researcher behind a landmark study linking emotional intelligence (EI) and performance-based self-esteem with burnout among pastors. She is the founder of Christian Care Connection, a multisite...
No More Assumptions: Using Data to Nurture Your Congregation
We live in a digital era, where technology is at our fingertips and access to data helps us manage our day-to-day lives more efficiently. For example, EveryDollar lets us track our household spend so we have a better understanding of where our money is...
We Tell People About Jesus Every Time We Get The Chance
Let me ask you this. If Jesus saved every person you shared the gospel with this month, how many people would that be? That literally should be all I have to write on this one. When it’s all said and done, this literally is the most important thing we...
The Perfect Church Part 3: We Love Each Other Well
As I look at the scriptures and then I look at how we do things today in our churches, I think we’ve got a few things backwards. Specifically when it comes to defining “love”. Love looks different in each of our relationships. The relationship dictates...
For-Prophet Leadership
The pastor walked slowly toward the podium as I sat on the stage behind him, waiting to be introduced. Clearing his throat, the pastor nervously shared, “My wife and I are grateful for the opportunity to serve here, but we’ve decided to resign as your...
Sin Is Not a Dirty Word
Recently, I had coffee with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long while. I knew her from years ago, when we served together with our husbands in the same ministry. She had moved to Arizona to join an art colony, and her life has taken many different turns...
The Decline and Fall of Seminaries
I am not a teacher, but an awakener. Robert Frost In the medieval world, thinking about God was done in a monastery where it was bathed in a liturgical setting amid devotional practices. In the modern world, thinking about God is done in a university...
The Perfect Church Part 2 – We Deal with Our Sin
As a whole, we typically do not like to deal with our own mess. I don’t think anyone truly loves admitting that they are wrong. I hate being the one to raise my hand and say, “Hey, I’m sorry - please forgive me for ______.” Just this weekend I remember...
Blindness
Blindness “Put on your sunglasses,” Aaron says as we shoulder our packs outside the teahouse. He points to the blue sky and the blazing sun. “With the way the sun is shining on this snow up here, without sunglasses you’ll go blind before too long.”...
