Sep 15, 2016 | Calling, discouragement, Fear, friendship, Relationships, Uncategorized
A famous proverb begins: “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but…” Perhaps no words ring truer for pastors than these. There’s a second part to that proverb… but I’ll share it with you in a bit. When I was a pastor—especially during my years as a lead pastor—the...
Sep 8, 2016 | Calling, Career, discouragement, Fear, Leadership, Uncategorized, Work
The word “health” gets tossed around a lot regarding pastors. The question is: what does health look like for a pastor? I reached out to a few good friends and asked for their definition. Here are their responses: “The ability to breathe in and out. Many pastors only...
Sep 1, 2016 | Depression, discouragement, Leadership, Stress, Uncategorized
Pastors suffer a rate of depression 4x that of the general population. For most, it sneaks up and surprises them. Emotional crisis often bubbles unnoticed under the surface until it blows up in your face. So today I’m following up my last two blogs, 7 Reasons Pastors...
Aug 25, 2016 | Anger, Calling, Depression, discouragement, Leadership, Stress, Uncategorized
It was the night of June 13, 1974. I was in a coffeehouse on Hamilton St. in Saginaw Michigan, with my best friend Kirk. He had roped me into attending a Christian concert. He talked about Jesus many times prior, so when he invited me to the concert, I knew what he...
Aug 18, 2016 | Calling, Career, Depression, discouragement, Fear, Leadership, Stress, Uncategorized, Work
Two days ago I posted this on FB: “It should deeply trouble us that more than 50% of pastors leave the ministry within their first five years.” One of my pastor friends replied to the post: “What’s the top 5-8 reasons? What 1-2 insights (advice) would you give to...
Aug 12, 2016 | Calling, Career, discouragement, Leadership, Productivity, Uncategorized, Work
“The effective business focuses on opportunities rather than problems” ~ Peter Drucker. Great advice from a respected voice in the business world. Drucker’s words remind me of a guy I used to work with years ago. His previous employer would fly him around the globe to...
