One of the greatest strengths a leader can possess is the ability to manage emotions, to stop reacting. However, when we feel rejected, hurt or fearful, we often react, get visibly angry or become defensive. Those responses can hinder Gods work in our lives and hurt our leadership. So what can […]
Insights from the life of David on how to fight your battles.
Excerpted FromThe Way Up Is DownBy Marlena Graves If I want to be full, open to receiving abundant gracemore human, selflessfirst I must be emptied. He must increase, and I must decrease (John 3:30). The word I discovered is kenosis. Oh, its not that I never heard the word. On the contrary, Im quite familiar with the concept of kenosis self-emptying […]
It is hard to lead a small church or a young church. Perhaps it is even more challenging today than it once was. Church planters and small church pastors have a tall orderI know from personal experience. This article discusses avoiding the comparison trap. I have helped corral an army of tireless volunteers to haul chairs in and out every week. It […]
Raising up women leaders should matter to all of us, but it requires an oft-lacking intentionality. Women make up more than half the church, and God has gifted both men and women for his glory and for his purposes. People from different theological traditions will have different pathways for ministry, but none exclude the opportunity […]
Parents know that if they want to get a child to drop something, they need to offer something better in its place. We can apply the same principle when sinful thoughts come our way. Scottish minister Thomas Chalmers called this, “the expulsive power of a new affection.” This means that something is so powerful that … Continued
When the pandemic went into full swing and the lockdowns began, I was working with a ministry client who also owned a successful business. He led hundreds of employees, and they had never even considered the idea of anyone working from home. Panic struck. They started scrambling, and it took a few weeks before they … Continued
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” —Matthew 23:12 Our college ministry staff has been reading the classic Campus Crusade book Principles God Honors by Jim Sylvester. In the book, his first principle is: God honors himself, not men. Sylvester writes of five signs that indicate you may be … Continued
Have you ever felt like you’re on the backside of the desert or in some twisted form of an apocalyptic wasteland? Do you feel a bit isolated and irritated in your struggle with the COVID dilemma? Of course, you’re pretty sure God hasn’t abandoned you or moved out of your reach. But … You feel … Continued
One of the most exciting parts of the topsy-turvy year we have had so far in 2020 is that churches have had an opportunity to step back and evaluate the role of church capital campaigns post-COVID. Not unlike our personal lives when an unexpected challenge hits, we have had a time-out forced upon us. Usually those breaks are the times of the […]
