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Down Syndrome and Me
Years ago we took our two teenage daughters and their best friends to Myrtle Beach for a vacation. After a few days of overwhelming...
Sep 19, 20243 min read
Lost Things...And Us
Last weekend I was asked to speak at a church on the story of the Prodigal Son. It’s a fantastic parable, but context is critical. ...
Sep 16, 20243 min read
Where Are All the Leaders?
In a recent email blast to subscribers, I asked for a response to a simple question: As a pastor or leader of an organization, what is...
Aug 27, 20243 min read
Maintenance or Momentum?
Leaders of any organization—church or otherwise—cannot fall prey to the “always-up-and-to-the-right” chart, regardless of how success or...
Aug 12, 20242 min read
Cultivating Self-Awareness
Recently, I had an encouraging conversation with a leader who had seemingly navigated a crucible of leadership over the past four years...
Aug 6, 20244 min read
The Grip of Leadership
What a start to the week. The self-removal of an incumbent from a presidential horserace is history-in-the-making. As one opinion...
Jul 25, 20243 min read
When Service Gets in the Way
Some of the most exhausting seasons in my life happened to correspond with some of the most productive seasons. But there’s a hidden cost...
Jul 9, 20243 min read
Pastoring in the Consumer Era
I love pastors. Been there, done it, got the proverbial t-shirt. It’s a tough gig. The job of pastoring is broad simply by definition and...
Jul 9, 20242 min read
Yep. It’s Hot.
I had never heard of a “heat dome” before this summer. I remember as a child traveling several times from northern Kentucky to Pensacola,...
Jul 8, 20243 min read
Fortune Cookies and Prayer
This past weekend while speaking in a church, I relayed a creative outreach story that I’ve probably told several dozen times in churches...
Jun 27, 20243 min read
The Secret of Productivity
“A very important man went to a country far away to be made a king and then to return home. So he called ten of his servants and gave a...
Jun 17, 20243 min read
The Importance of Change
“Don’t change for the sake of change.” I’ve heard that mantra for years in ministry work. But I don’t believe it anymore. In a recent...
Jun 15, 20242 min read
The Real Danger of the Ripple Effect
First, let me start by saying I’m a strong supporter of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives. I think we have a long way to...
May 21, 20242 min read
Perception & Fairness
Do you assess your circumstances by what you perceive as fairness? Years ago I came across an article on what American pet owners spend...
May 14, 20243 min read
The Missing Piece
Last week I got an email from an old friend in Seattle. Jim Henderson was on staff with me a million years ago when I was pastoring. He...
May 7, 20242 min read
The Challenges of Staffing
One of the most difficult aspects of leading a church is staffing. And here’s the mind-numbing problem: it will always be difficult no...
Apr 30, 20243 min read
Discipling Faith
If our primary job as followers of Jesus is to make disciples, then our job as leaders is to equip people to do that very task....
Apr 23, 20243 min read
Speaking in Tongues
Back in the day, at the close of one of our four worship services on the weekend, someone suddenly spoke out in tongues for what felt...
Apr 16, 20244 min read
Leadership Eclipse
Monday, some friends and I drove a couple of hours to witness totality—the full eclipse of the sun. It was spectacular. We stood outside...
Apr 10, 20243 min read
Fifty Years of Following
When I was young, fifty years of anything seemed like an eternity. I don’t think I could have imagined as a twenty-year old what I would...
Apr 2, 20243 min read
Multi-Level Marketing
Cards on the table: I believe everyone needs Jesus. And not just from a soteriological standpoint—though I do believe that but honestly...
Mar 26, 20243 min read
The In-Between Times
No one expected Jesus to rise from the dead. The women went to the tomb on Sunday to apply spices to a cold, inert body…and the men were...
Mar 19, 20243 min read
U2 and Community
If I, in my aging Boomer days, were to pick my Top Twenty All-Time Favorite Songs, of course there would be a Beatles song, along with...
Mar 12, 20243 min read
Unmet Expectations
It was one of the best funny/sad stories of the week. In Glasgow, “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” was advertised as being a spectacular...
Mar 5, 20242 min read
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