Jesus Sets Us Free

December 3, 2012

In my last post, I wrote about a friend who has struggled over the years with an addiction to his work and his insight that he had internalized the message that work would set him free. Somehow, Work had become a tireless task master who was running his life and was showing no signs of […]

Read the full article →

Will Work Set You Free?

November 30, 2012

I recently met with a good friend who has struggled for some time with keeping a healthy balance in life between work and home. Some might use the term “workaholic.” He has a new job but his struggle is the same. Recently, he saw a sign that had been posted over the entrance to many […]

Read the full article →

Christmas Focus

November 28, 2012

It’s easy to say that busyness is the bane of the Christmas season. How can we properly recognize and celebrate our Savior’s birth if we can’t even stop long enough to catch our breath? It’s easy to agree with this proposition when we’re talking about “secular matters” (such as shopping and office parties) but what […]

Read the full article →

Gratitude Road

November 26, 2012

Thanksgiving reminds us all that we need more gratitude in our lives. The question for this post is, how can we instill gratitude in our children? Like most parents, I like to remind my children that they could have it worse off. In my better moments, we pray together for those who are in need or we […]

Read the full article →

Hospitality, Long-Suffering, and Prayer

November 16, 2012

Genesis 18 is a remarkable passage layered with cosmic significance and questions about long-suffering and the power of prayer. From the beginning, Abraham’s value of hospitality for his divine guests is on full display. Abraham rushes around with urgency and gives these visitors his best. Despite their best hospitality, however, the announcement of the child […]

Read the full article →

Living in Accountability

November 14, 2012

In a previous post, The Hazards of Success, I suggested that the best safeguard against the hazards of success was accountability. But how can a pastor create and sustains effective personal and vocational accountability structures? First, take stock of what accountability structures exist. A pastor in a mainline church once told me the problem with non-denominational […]

Read the full article →

The Danger of Diversified Growth

November 13, 2012

I was hiking with my wife recently and ran across a cautionary tale of the dangers of diversified growth. The trail cut horizontally across a moderately sloped hillside. On the left, about ten feet up the hill, a tree had fallen downward toward the trail, but had gotten lodged between two trees on the opposite […]

Read the full article →

The Hazards of Success

November 9, 2012

Steven Berglas writes about the four hazards of success for a leader: 1. Aloneness (loss of accountability). 2. Arrogance (loss of humility). 3. Addiction (pursuit of novelty, new challenges, etc., to maintain high levels of arousal). 4. Adultery (pursuit of the ultimate pleasure). Loneliness asks the heart, “who near me understands the weight of what […]

Read the full article →

Ten Non-negotiables for Life

November 7, 2012

I recently heard a veteran pastor share his ten rules for life. He did not start ministry with these rules, but developed them to protect his heart and his ministry after a he suffered from a severe bout with jealousy and envy. 1. Take Responsibility for your life 2. Your decisions have consequences 3. Clarify […]

Read the full article →

Simplementation – Five Strategic Approaches to Simplicity

November 5, 2012

What do you do about existing programs that aren’t 100% aligned with your vision? At Auxano we talk about five strategic approaches to simplementation. Simplicity isn’t about dumbing down our ministry structures to compensate for an obtuse or recalcitrant congregation; simplicity is about helping people make decisions. 1. You can combine ministries that serve similar […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →