God’s Refining Process

God’s Refining Process

Few people predict the turbulence and pain that life will inevitably bring. Lives that are filled with joy today can suddenly become bumpy and hard tomorrow, but few people make plans that consider the difficult roads that are sure to come. Understanding the Refining...
The Wisdom of Set Times of Prayer

The Wisdom of Set Times of Prayer

Looking back in history, it’s apparent that God’s people utilized set times of prayer to habituate and enrich their prayer lives. Historical Foundations of Set Times of Prayer We know that “Judaism prescribed prayer three times a day: after daybreak, before sunset,...
30 Crucial Questions for Premarital Counseling

30 Crucial Questions for Premarital Counseling

Like many pastors conducting premarital counseling for couples, you probably feel like you never have time to cover everything. Homework is crucial, but often, the young man and woman fail to complete that. I’ve discovered some vital questions the couple might ask...
Leading Adaptive Change in Your Church

Leading Adaptive Change in Your Church

As faith leaders, most of us became leaders because there is a God that we love, and there are people that we love, and we want to introduce the people we love to the God we love by building a church, a ministry, a school, or an organization that they would love....
Building a Disciplemaking Culture in Your Church

Building a Disciplemaking Culture in Your Church

“A disciplemaking culture? What is that?” No one should be surprised at the confusion this phrase causes. Its two main concepts, disciplemaking and culture, are famously difficult to pin down. Since we already chased down a robust definition of disciplemaking, let’s...
The Power of Transformational Leadership in Adaptive Change

The Power of Transformational Leadership in Adaptive Change

When trust is gone, the transformational journey is over. Adaptive change requires leaders to face the challenges of a changing world or disrupted environment with hard decisions around core values, with hard questions about what we need to learn (and unlearn!), and...
Reviving Marital Love Through God’s Power

Reviving Marital Love Through God’s Power

Many clients who receive marriage counseling say things like “I no longer love my spouse” or “There’s no love left in our marriage.” The sentiment expressed is that love is almost mystical, the result of a complicated combination of attraction, chemistry, and numerous...
Overcoming Leadership Resistance

Overcoming Leadership Resistance

When the going gets tough . . . most leaders freak out. We don’t want to think it is so. We love the idea that if we are called on to call the shots, we will rise to the occasion and lead our teams through any challenge with creativity, poise, and patience. But...
Unanswered Prayers: Finding Faith Amid Silence

Unanswered Prayers: Finding Faith Amid Silence

As a little girl, I would stand in socked feet on top of my dad’s shoes while he tried to teach me how to dance on the yellowed kitchen linoleum. “When it’s your wedding, you dance with your dad first,” he said sternly, “only when I let the groom cut in can he take...