Oct 27, 2016 | Calling, Difficult people, Leadership, Relationships
“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” The apostle Paul wrote these strong words to Titus, a pastor who apparently had some...
Jan 7, 2016 | Calling, Career, character, Fear, friendship, Jealousy, Leadership, Relationships, Uncategorized, Work
Many leaders struggle with the demon of insecurity. (I’m using the word “demon” metaphorically, not literally.) King Saul was the crown prince of this particular character flaw. Chosen by God to be Israel’s first king, Saul had good looks, leadership skills, flashes...
Dec 3, 2015 | character, Contentment, Depression, Fear, friendship, Relationships, Rest, Stress, Work
We live in a crazy world. If you watch the news, you’re bombarded with disturbing images and stories. Most news programs don’t lead with stories about the positive things in life. Human nature defaults to focusing on what’s wrong in life. As a result, our world...
Nov 13, 2015 | Calling, Career, character, Depression, Family, Leadership, Relationships, Rest, Stress
Being a pastor has its great points. Being a pastor has its not-so-great points. Some people have a naïve view of pastors. They’re convinced since he or she is doing the Lord’s work, a pastor’s life is a charmed life… exempt from normal human pressures, and the wear...
Aug 20, 2015 | Anger, Calling, Career, character, Contentment, Depression, Productivity, Relationships, Rest, Stress, Uncategorized, Work
In last week’s blog – The Power of No Part 1 – we introduced the idea of saying no as a brave thing to say. We considered three filters we can run our “no” through: Mission, mindfulness, and methodical-ness. We learned the power of no can keep us centered and sane. In...