Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category
I just returned from a week of gathering with other leaders from my extended church family. This convention is something that I have tried to attend since I became a pastor 17 years ago and I have been at each of the last 12 of these assemblies. It’s not because […]
Read More...It’s been almost 3 weeks since my last blog post (sounds a little like a confession). I’ve got a bunch of stuff rolling around in my head, but as I press towards the end of the College year, there just is not enough time in the day to get any […]
Read More...It’s been going on for years now…the night before Easter I can’t sleep at all. I want it to be the next morning so badly that you would think I was a kid on the night before a big trip to Disneyland or waiting for Christmas day to show up. […]
Read More...Yesterday a friend posted the following quote on Facebook: We are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations, and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy […]
Read More...Once I was sitting with a group of local pastors at a ministry association Christmas lunch. The President of a nearby seminary asked all of us a question: “what is your favorite part about being a pastor?” One by one the men and women in attendance answered with stories of […]
Read More...While I was in the throws of studying for a sermon, I sent my assistant an instant message that said I was wrestling with preparing my message. Her reply back to me was supposed to be funny: “Don’t forget the head-lock, that’s a winning move”. The humorous response actually impacted […]
Read More...“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity…it is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mt. Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133) A couple of years ago I had the joy of hiking some trails around […]
Read More...Yesterday at I was at Starbucks at 6am to meet some guys from the church and the College. We’re reading the Bible together and praying—a small group in public—it’s really a lot of fun. Anyways, we read from Mark 3 about the time that Jesus appointed those He would later […]
Read More...A few days ago, billionaire Mark Cuban unveiled a radical stimulus proposal on his blog. He asked people to publicly post a business plan that could be profitable within 90 days and he would consider funding it—up to no maximum amount. The catch is that he may or may not […]
Read More...This week reminded me that Southern California is not built for rain. It’s been a stormy week. Most places in the country would be anticipating this kind of weather at the beginning of February; but not here. You’d think we were buried in 5 feet of snow the way the […]
Read More...“Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.” (Exodus 23:12) All of my life I’ve struggled with the practice of Sabbath. […]
Read More...This week I participated in an intensive Grad class on strategic design and organizational change. Besides the delight of this being my last Masters-level course before I will receive my degree (yeah!), I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Our world is in a period of profound cultural transition, and churches need […]
Read More...One of the Christmas traditions at our church is lighting the candles in the advent wreath. Advent means “the coming”and it represents a period of anticipation surrounding the celebration of the coming of the messiah. About 10 years ago, when I wanted to use the advent candles in a series […]
Read More...Then Saul dressed David in his own (armor). David fastened on Saul’s sword over the tunic and tried walking around because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these because I am not used to them”, so he took them off. (1 Samuel 17:38-39) Do you have […]
Read More...Today my family celebrated Thanksgiving well in Newberg, Oregon. Newberg is a sleepy little College town about 10 miles outside of the urban area of Portland. It was 12 members of my wife’s family, plus Al. Al is in his early 50’s and doesn’t have family around, so he hung […]
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