Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category
Last month I turned 45—that was a shift (I’m now closer to 50 than 40) This week, my life is about to change again. Drastically. On Saturday I’ll serve my last day as a denominational overseer, and then, on Sunday morning, I will be installed, and preach, at the church […]
Read More...‘We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again” When I was a sixteen year old punk rocker, I wore a tattered army jacket with the sleeves torn off that I had marked up with a sharpie. The statement written in large black print on the back of the […]
Read More...Not long ago I heard someone say that Jesus was often called the Good Shepherd, but never was called the Good Leader. Of course, Jesus didn’t shy away from leadership. He understood and made it clear that He was Master and Lord. Even so, He very often called Himself a […]
Read More...The other day I was catching up with my Bible reading plan after having fallen behind in the Old Testament a bit (that never happens to you, right?). The realization that I had missed a good portion of Zachariah made me decide to just set aside some time to sit […]
Read More...At the Greater Los Angeles District pastors conference on October 10, 2013, I spoke to our leaders about what kind of shepherd, and church, will be able to discover the next big thing that God has for them. Let me apologize: The audio quality is a bit rough—there are a […]
Read More...The other day I had an honest conversation with a dear friend of mine. It was good—I was challenged in just the right places to think through some of my assumptions. I left without taking any offense whatsoever; if anything, I was encouraged to grow to be a better leader. […]
Read More...Are You a Collaborative Leader? Not too long ago I was asked what kind of a leader I was—did I lean more towards micromanaging or releasing? I didn’t really answer the question: “I think I’m a collaborative leader,” I said, “somewhere in the middle.” So, what’s a collaborative leader? A […]
Read More...“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…” (Acts 17:6) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Equilibrium (def.): A condition…resulting in a stable, balanced, unchanging system. It’s common for church leaders to work very hard to maintain constant equilibrium in their congregations. They try not to upset anyone, especially anyone […]
Read More...“In the beginning God created…” (Gen 1:1 NIV) The very first thing we learn about God in the Bible is that He is creative—and for the first 26 verses we see God at work masterfully creating an unfathomable cosmos, life-sustaining systems, invisible atoms and everything else imaginable (and unimaginable). Then, […]
Read More...The other day I took a look at the details of my job description and was intimidated. I started to wonder if I could actually ever accomplish all the conditions set out for me—then I began to think about the other 13 District Supervisors who are called to the same […]
Read More...Perhaps you’ve heard, or even used, the maxim that a large ship takes a long time to turn around but a small boat can be turned on a dime. Often this is used concerning organizations: The thinking is that small operations can withstand quick change and large ones need lots […]
Read More...King Josiah had a major mess on his hands. He had inherited leadership over a nation that was in spiritual shambles, had no clear vision, and was distracted by all kinds of things that took the place of God. A major shift needed to happen (2 Kings 22-23). Twenty-six year […]
Read More...While on vacation in Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago, a friend and I spent a Sunday visiting ten churches. I realize how potentially dysfunctional it is for me to do that on vacation, since visiting churches is part of my job—but the fact is, I passionately love the local church, […]
Read More...One of my favorite business writers and thinkers is Jim Collins who is responsible for books such as: Built to Last, Good to Great, Good to Great in the Social Sector, How the Mighty Fall, and Great by Choice. A few months ago I had an opportunity to sit with a […]
Read More...I’ve taken very comprehensive notes while sitting through countless-hundreds of classes, and seminars, and speeches. Most of those notes? I’ve never looked at them again. I have a feeling I’m not the only one. When I was in 9th grade, a social studies teacher told my class how to take […]
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