Victor was a retired CEO of a hospital supply company in our town, and when he agreed to be a deacon, I was absolutely thrilled. He’d bring so much insight, wisdom, and acumen to our team. He attended our first meeting as we discussed and prayed about the work of our leadership team. From the…
Category: Leadership
I love you. I must be going.
You can measure one’s faith by their ability to move on. Jesus encountered many people who fawned and queried Him, looking to work out some kind of bargain, complete with caveats and clauses. He presents each follower with a moment. These moments connect us to a point of decision. When that moment comes, you’d better…
Why Your Character Still Matters
In 1996, when I was an editor at LifeWay, I spent a handful of days in the hospital. It was a difficult. I’d never spent a night in the hospital and we had four young boys. Needless to say, my wife was up to her ears in kid’s stuff and I hated that I…
How Godly Humility Can Lead to Lasting Unity
5 Traits of a Humble Leader I don’t know about you, but I can’t wrap my brain around the task Moses faced. Can you imagine the pressure of being a leader and provider for thousands of people in the wilderness? And these weren’t perfect followers by any stretch. You can just imagine the voicemails and…
I put my hand over my mouth
It’s something in the core of most people: a desire to find out what or who causes messes. And no one likes to get the blame for a mess. As children we blamed our brother or sister for the broken vase and when we’re older we blame our self-sworn enemies for the broken world. And it…
Ten Errors of First-Time Deacons
Welcome to life as a deacon! Always exciting, inspiring, fulfilling and self-satisfying. Wait… that’s not exactly true. Let’s start over. Welcome to life as a deacon! Much different than you expected (that’s a little closer to the truth). As you begin your ministry as a deacon, here are a few common errors to avoid for the sake of…
You Might Need to Delegate.
If you have to use a remote to ring the Sunday School bell because you are keeping the preschoolers and teaching the Ladies Senior Adult class on closed circuit TV, you might need to delegate. If you come home from work one day only to discover that your son left for college, entered med school,…
The Dynamics of Transition
We are all in transition. But the transitions that mark our destiny and create our story are the ones that are thrust upon us by the Creator of a greater narrative we call redemption. These transitions whisper to us when we feel the malaise of discontent and stagnation. They seek us out in the wilderness…
6 Surprising Things about Leadership
I sometimes hear myself say, “Nothing surprises me. I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad and the slightly unattractive.” But that’s not exactly true. I am constantly surprised. I’ve seen sucker punches on the church parking lot, midnight hospital runs, camel poop stains on church carpets which incited business meetings, witches getting saved, and also lots and lots of things…