The Most Important Question I Ask Before a Meeting
The very nature of my position of leadership in the church demands that I spend a lot of time in meetings. "Meetings are toxic," wrote Fried and Hansson in their book, "Rework," and for the most part I tend to agree. However, meetings are a necessary evil in many of our organizations, so we must use them wisely or...
Who I am Drives What I Do (Not The Other Way Around)
When I used to be involved in Gospel magic, I remember a highly acclaimed magician getting up at one of our national conferences and explaining that what he does is not who he is. At first I didn't quite understand what he meant. You're a magician, that's who you are! Are you telling us you are resigning as a magician?! I...
Stop Scourging Yourself
Honesty relieves us of the scourge of self-judgment. So long as we remain in hiding, alone with our sin, it is easy to wallow in guilt and shame. We flog ourselves with memories of every time we failed to live up to expectations—ours or those of others—and cringe with shock and dismay at the depth of our unworthiness. Since...
Redefine Greatness: Living Out God’s Definition of Success
I came back from a long day of classes and meetings, just wanting to let my mind unwind. As I set my bag on my chair I notice that across the top of my desk someone had written in black ink, “REDEFINE GREATNESS.” At first I just wanted to know who had done it, and what kind of message...
Avoid Being a Dumb Ox: Tips for Abolishing Pride
In high school there I had this one girl that became the bandit of my breath and the captor of my heart. She was my dream girl and I was sure I was her dream guy. I had built myself up in my own mind to the point that I was convinced I would meet this girl’s wildest dreams and be...
The Power of A Ten Minute Task
You know those project in your life that seem to always be there and never really make progress? I seem to have many of these. There are things that I have either procrastinated on or that seem to mount faster than I can keep up with them. There are also are those project that are never urgent, but simply...
The Essential Elements of Christian Corporate Worship
Within the Body of Christ, worship is more than musical songs of great arrangement or harmonious melody. Worship is the underlying effort of all the saints gathering together to praise God through song, proclamation, fellowship and giving. In the book, Worship and Entertainment, A.W. Tozer states that worship is to be the perfect mixture of admiration, fascination resulting in...
The Biblical Mandate and Procedure for Church Discipline
God has laid out a clear mandate and plan the universal church to call people to repentance because He cares for the souls of men and their reconciliation unto Himself. Many people over the years of church history have avoided the commands to discipline people for the sake of repentance. Some church congregations have made excuses as to why...
Why OmniFocus is Great for Pastors
The main role of a pastor is to care for the sheep. One of the main ways that we care for those in our churches is by meeting (or exceeding) expectations. If a pastor remains unorganized, then he is bound to fail expectations and therefore not tend to the sheep. Why are met expectations essential for shepherding? As pastors, we represent...
Killing Giants: Tips for Getting Through Daunting Tasks
How do you kill your giants? That's right - One at a time. Yes, there are millions of saying like this, but there is truth in all of them - if we are going to take care of those monstrous tasks before us, we have to just take it one little step at at time. Lately Iv'e been in one of the...
Swindoll on Spurgeon and Pastoral Criticism
My sister sent me this article, and I felt it was something that needed to be shared. For more resources from Chuck Swindoll visits www.Insight.org. Spurgeon's Channel of Encouragement by Charles R. Swindoll Read Matthew 5:10--12 Charles Haddon Spurgeon remains one of the most colorful and gifted preachers in the history of the church. Any man who loves to preach and desires to cultivate...
“Touch Base Weekly” – A Way to Check Up On Your Staff Without Overwhelming Them
When I served as the Associate Pastor for a large church I needed a way to connect with all my staff each week. In the same way, not that I am leading a smaller church, I want to ensure my staff feel cared for. Therefore I created a simple email process I refer to as "Touch Base Weekly." It...