Aug 23, 2018 | Abuse, Anger, Anxiety, Burnout, Depression, Difficult people, Emotional Health, Pastor, Stress
In 1992, I was the lead pastor of a growing church. We were having a banner year. Highest attendance ever. More people committing their lives to Christ than any year prior in our tenure. Record financial giving. We were in a wonderful stretch of organizational...
Aug 16, 2018 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Depression, discouragement, Doubt, Emotional Health, Fatigue, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Quitting, Success, Uncategorized, Work
I love what I do for a living. Coming alongside leaders and helping them lead better, lead longer, and enjoy it more is deeply fulfilling. Some days I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. Getting to do what you love every day is a gift from God. But that...
Jul 19, 2018 | Abuse, Anger, Bitterness, Depression, Difficult people, Disappointment, discouragement, Emotional Health, Family, Forgiveness, friendship, Loneliness, Relationships, Stress
“Lord, I’m hurting this morning.” Ever prayed that prayer before, or some version of it? I’m not talking about physical pain here—rather, about emotional pain. Especially the variety that issues from disappointing relationships. You know, the kind of pain that feels...
Jul 5, 2018 | Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Health, Perfectionism, Stress
I am a recovering perfectionist. It was circa 1997. I was in a pre-service prayer room, getting ready to speak to a group of about one hundred teenagers. I was pleading with God for twenty agonizing minutes to help me, use me; praying like I was trying to wrench...
Jun 28, 2018 | Anxiety, Burnout, Calling, Career, Depression, Emotional Health, Fatigue, Rest, Stress, Uncategorized, Workaholism
I have several friends who suffer with Arterial Fibrillation or A-fib. With A-fib, the heart’s upper chambers (atria) beat out of coordination with the lower chambers (ventricles). Another word used to describe A-fib is arrythmia. Arrhythmia is a problem with...
Jun 14, 2018 | Anger, Bitterness, Depression, Difficult people, Emotional Health, Family, Forgiveness, friendship, Relationships, Uncategorized
Do you struggle with the F-word? The last two weeks we’ve been looking at the subject of getting a grip on our anger and learning how to express it in a healthier way. You can’t talk about anger very long without wandering into the minefield of forgiveness. Ugh....
