Nov 10, 2022 | friendship, Growth, Pastor, Self-Care, Success
Ah growth . . . an oft-used word in our world. Many times, an oft-misunderstood word. And our misunderstanding can get us into trouble. What happens when we get the “growth thing” right? What happens when we get it wrong? 30 years ago, I suffered through major...
Oct 13, 2022 | friendship, Pastor, Relationships
“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...
Nov 5, 2020 | Depression, discouragement, Emotional Health, friendship, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Relationships
This past Sunday at church, a good friend asked me, “How are you?” I gave her the standard, “I’m good” response, even though I came to church that morning carrying some heaviness. She persisted, “How are you . . . really?” It was like she had radar and could sense...
Oct 22, 2020 | Alignment, Emotional Health, friendship, Introverts, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships
Today Jaime Hlavin rejoins us after a brief hiatus. An introvert by nature, Jaime opens up about her struggle with nurturing this most important piece of personal alignment . . . replenishing relationships. Enjoy ~ John As I’m sure you know, John recently launched his...
Jun 4, 2020 | Calling, Family, friendship, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships, Uncategorized, Work
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...
Apr 2, 2020 | Anxiety, discouragement, Doubt, Fear, friendship, Leadership, Loneliness, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Peace, Relationships, Stress, Trust, Uncategorized
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...
