THE EFFECT OF RE-ENTRY BURN ON LEADERS . . . WHAT EVERY CHURCHGOER SHOULD KNOW
Today, a powerful, transparent post from our teammate Jaime Hlavin about the rigor and stress of reentry into the public gatherings of our churches. Enjoy ~ John Back at the end of May, the country watched NASA launch the SpaceX Crew Dragon toward the International...
REFLECTIONS OF A THREE-TIME PAPA
One week ago today, our third granddaughter made her entrance into the world. She’s a beauty. The first pictures of her popping up on my phone made my heart leap and my eyes leak. I feel magnetically drawn to this tiny little person. I think of the Christmas classic,...
WHY EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS THE NEW LEADERSHIP CURRENCY
What’s it like to be on the other side of you? I remember our lead pastor posing this question to us during one of his talks several years ago. It’s an intimidating question to ask ourselves. Even more intimidating to ask someone else, “What’s it like to be on the...
SIMPLIFY
Today, an important post from our teammate, Jaime Hlavin, on the subject of simplifying. ~ John This week was weird. The governor of Michigan has begun to reopen our state. And it felt almost “normal.” And by “normal,” I mean exhaustingly busy to the point that I...
DEPRESSION . . . SUICIDE . . . AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THEM
In last week’s post we talked about the sudden passing of pastor Darrin Patrick, and used it as a launching point for a discussion regarding the problem of suicide in the United States. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in...
IN VIEW OF DARRIN PATRICK’S PASSING
We’ve lost another one. Another husband, father, and leader . . . gone. Another person whose life ended prematurely. Another encourager of pastors whose helpful voice was silenced. Megachurch pastor Darrin Patrick died on May 7th, at age 49. Patrick was a teaching...
QUARANTINE-WEARY? FIVE STEPS TO RE-ENERGIZE YOURSELF
In today's post, an encouraging word from Jaime Hlavin. Enjoy ~ John Last week, the state of Michigan’s executive order to stay at home during the COVID-19 crisis was extended until the end of May. While some restrictions were lifted and it seems like maybe there’s a...
THE LIFE-CHANGING POWER OF GRATITUDE
Gratitude is a choice. A powerful choice. Especially in difficult seasons of life. Problem is, gratitude is an unnatural response for most of us humanoids. Even in normal times (are there such times?) being grateful doesn’t come automatically for the majority of...
LEADING IN A POST-QUARANTINE WORLD
What happens when things get back to “normal?” When the COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted? What will our churches look like? What do we need to bring forward from this season into our leadership when we can gather again? Our writing team here at...
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...