Jan 16, 2020 | Difficult people, Family, Forgiveness, friendship, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships, Uncategorized
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...
Jan 2, 2020 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Depression, Difficult people, Emotional Health, Leadership, Likeability, Ministry Leader, Pastor, People-pleasing, Relationships, Uncategorized
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....
Nov 7, 2019 | Calling, Career, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships, Self-Awareness
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...
Oct 31, 2019 | Family, friendship, Leadership, Likeability, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships, Self-Awareness
“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...
Oct 3, 2019 | Anxiety, Doubt, Fear, Peace, Relationships, Spirituality, Uncategorized
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...
Jul 18, 2019 | Anger, Criticism, Emotional Health, Family, friendship, Marriage, Pastor, Relationships, Uncategorized, Words
I like to play golf. Golf isn’t super-exciting. In fact, it’s kinda boring. But hitting a little ball hard with a club can be therapeutic. I’m a below average golfer. Golfers at a below average level use mulligans occasionally. If you’ve never played golf, you...
