WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FEEL STUCK IN THE IN-BETWEEN
Last October, Laura and I replaced the flooring in our house. Not a project for the faint of heart. For about three weeks, we found ourselves caught in the middle of chaos . . . ripped up floors; furniture crammed into nooks and crannies; boxes of new flooring stacked...
SURVIVING WORKING FROM HOME
Today, a practical post from our teammate, Jaime Hlavin. Enjoy ~ John So much has changed over the past month that I think it’s safe to say the world in which we live right now barely resembles anything we are accustomed to. And I realize this post may not apply...
THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL FITNESS ON YOUR LEADERSHIP
Physical fitness . . . the final frontier (insert Star Trek Music). Today, we’re tackling the subject of getting our bodies into shape, and in some ways, it feels like we’re approaching the last great frontier when it comes to personal alignment and health for...
COVID-19 . . . LESSONS LEARNED
We are now almost two months into a season we’ve never seen in our lifetimes – the impact, fallout, and stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve waited to say anything on this platform about the subject because sometimes I think in the heat of the moment, we rush to put...
CULTIVATING SPIRITUAL HUNGER
Today, a must-read post about spiritual hunger from Converge Coaching teammate Jaime Hlavin. Enjoy ~ John On a cold November weekend in 1997, I experienced a fairly traumatic car accident that left me in a state of significant soul-searching. No one had been injured,...
RESPONSIBILITY TO VS. RESPONSIBILITY FOR
Today Jaime Hlavin helps us understand an incredibly important principle . . . responsibility to vs. responsibility for. Enjoy ~ John Responsibility. As leaders, we probably feel the weight of this word more heavily than most. We have big responsibilities. We make...
LEADERSHIP & FRIENDSHIP: ARE THE TWO INCOMPATIBLE?
“You can never have any close friends in the church you lead!” Such was the declaration I heard as a young pastor from many seasoned pastors. I was a greenhorn, and didn’t have enough confidence to push back on their strong position. Coming out of college, where...
GETTING MORE MARGIN IN YOUR WEEK
"Margin is the space between our load and our limits." ~ Richard Swenson The white space in our calendar (or a lack thereof) is a pretty accurate predictor of the amount of emotional fuel we have in our tank. If our schedule contains long stretches with no white...
REFUEL EMOTIONALLY
We don’t have to do a boatload of things to stay healthy emotionally, just a few. Over the last three weeks, we’ve been focusing on how to build a healthy emotional infrastructure that helps us lead better, lead longer, and enjoy it more. We explored the foundational...
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ABUSE
I want to tackle a subject today that for some of us will be uncomfortable. In our last two posts, Love Yourself and Tell Anger Where to Go, we explored how becoming your own best friend and processing your anger leads to emotional fitness. Protecting yourself from...
TELL ANGER WHERE TO GO
The United States is experiencing an epidemic of depression, anxiety, and suicide. 21 million people above age twelve suffer with depression in the U.S. Over 40 million deal with anxiety. 47,000 suicides were completed in 2017. Experts believe the real number of...
LOVE YOURSELF
Depression, anxiety, and suicide are on the rise in the United States. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately 21 million Americans ages 12 and above suffer with depression. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports a...
AM I ONLY DOING WHAT ONLY I CAN DO?
It was a sunny summer morning, circa June 2019. At the gym, earbuds plugged in, listening to a podcast, when all of a sudden, my day was rocked by the words of the person being interviewed on the pod: “Leaders need to ask themselves . . . am I only doing what only I...
GOOD STRESS VS. BAD STRESS . . . AND HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE
Stress is part of every human being's life, especially among those who lead. Problem is, we can't lump all of our stress into the category of being harmful. Some types of stress actually help us. Other types hurt us. Today, Jaime Hlavin unpacks the subject of stress,...
SHORT-TERM PAIN OR LONG-TERM PAIN?
It was the 2nd evening of 2020, I was sitting with a bowl of popcorn on my lap, watching a football game, and enjoying life. A pretty uneventful night. Woke up on Day 3 of 2020 with tooth pain. I thought, “just tooth sensitivity, no big deal.” Day 4 of 2020, the pain...
SLAYING THE TWO-HEADED MONSTER: WORKAHOLISM & LAZINESS
Today our teammate Jaime Hlavin brings a fresh post that clarifies the struggle between two evil extremes: workaholism and laziness, and how different generations tend to think (improperly) about each other when it comes to these two troublesome twins. Enjoy! ~ John I...
WAVING GOODBYE TO PEOPLE-PLEASING
Nothing good ever comes from a ministry devoted to pleasing people ~ Chuck Swindoll The fear of man is a snare ~ Book of Proverbs When I think about my first fifteen years of pastoral ministry, so much of it was tinged with a subconscious thirst for people to like me....
CHRISTMAS AND THE EXTRAVAGANT HEART OF GOD
Today, another great post from our teammate Jaime Hlavin! Wishing you a Merry, Jesus-filled Christmas this year! ~ John My childhood Christmases can best be described as “extravagant.” My brother and I each received a massive pile of gifts every year and a large...
THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN 2019
Can you believe 2020 is less than three weeks away? Near the end of every calendar year, I take time to reflect and write down the two or three most important things I learned during the year. I want to remember them. Practice them. Live life differently because of...
THE IRREFUTABLE POWER OF SLEEP
Today Jaime Hlavin brings another insightful post . . . about the impact of sleep (or a lack thereof) on leaders. I know you're going to enjoy today's post ~ John If ever there was a child meant to have a pet dog, that child is my 12-year old daughter. From the time...
5 REASONS I’M GIVING THANKS IN 2019
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day! I’ve heard business and psychology gurus pitch the idea that we can think our way to a better life. Their premise? Our brain is soft-wired, and can be re-wired by thinking positively, and in doing so, we can have a happier life. Since...
WHEN OUR ALIGNMENT LOOKS LIKE A CURVY SPINE
Today Jaime Hlavin brings another insightful and thought-provoking post to us on the subject of personal alignment. The more aligned you are, the healthier you get. And the healthier you get, the better chance you have of reaching your full potential ~ John At...
FALLING PASTORS: KEYS TO FINISHING WELL
It’s not easy to finish. It’s even less easy to finish well. Recent public denunciations of faith by well-known ministry leaders bring this reality to the forefront. In August of this year, Marty Sampson, a worship music writer, singer, and member of Hillsong,...
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Jaime Hlavin is back today with an insightful post on why getting to know yourself matters so much. I know you'll enjoy it ~ John According to a quick and unofficial Google search, there are approximately 2,500 different “tools” available to determine personality...
QUESTIONS SELF-AWARE PEOPLE ASK
“We all have blind spots. To deny it is to prove it.” ~ Russ Ramsey Ever been in a conversation with a person who had no idea how their words were negatively impacting you? Ever had a boss who was clueless about how their angry rants were demoralizing you and your...
FAMILY LIFE & MINISTRY LIFE: ARE THE TWO COMPATIBLE?
Managing the tension between ministry and family is one of the more challenging items leaders deal with. How do we integrate our passion for our spouse and children (and grandchildren), and our passion for the assignment God has given us vocationally? Every leader...
WHEN GOD LEADS YOU DOWN A CONFUSING PATH
“Hi John, I’ve got something I want to propose to you.” The words of my lead pastor three and a half years ago via the cellular airwaves interrupted my smooth-running day. What he was about to propose would interrupt more than just my day. It would send me down a path...
THE GRATEFULNESS REMEDY
Gratefulness is a leader’s secret weapon. Its power is often underestimated and underutilized. And it costs nothing. While many contributors to building amazing teams exist, gratefulness expressed to existing team members might be the most effective one. In today’s...
WHEN THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING
We live near a busy road, one that my son Chad and I jokingly call "the drag strip" The noise pollution from the “drag strip” is substantial, consistent, and—if I can be totally honest—a bit annoying at times. Enter Plains, Montana. A curious name for a small town...
AUTHENTIC: YOU KEEP USING THAT WORD
Transparency. Authenticity. Two buzzwords often used, but often misunderstood. Today, an insightful post from Jaime Hlavin that brings better understanding of these words, and hopefully healthier behaviors along with it ~ John. The van bounced along the bumpy, rural...