Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category
Christmas fell on a Sunday again this year, and there were more and more churches who decided to “close up shop”. All of the pastors I know who decided not to gather as a Church on Sunday morning had a full complement of Christmas Eve (and even Christmas Eve-Eve) services […]
Read More...It’s Christmas Eve, 2011, and I’m enjoying watching my city kids play on Grandpa’s 2 acres in the country outside of Eugene. This is the first year in a long time that we took off for Christmas vacation and didn’t have church responsibilities to distribute before we left. This year […]
Read More...My wife and I have a Starbucks mug collection that’s very special to us. We built the collection over years as we have moved and traveled and ministered all over the country and the world. In each place we’ve lived, in many places we’ve served, and in select locations where […]
Read More...“…it’s easy to get a laugh making fun of somebody, but the Muppets never make jokes at other people’s expenses. It makes the writing a little bit harder, but it’s so much better.” Jason Segel, on co-writing The Muppets. In the original draft of the Muppets, apparently there were a couple of […]
Read More...When I was a teenager and twenty-something, I sang and played bass in a number of post-punk/rock bands. Triumphs of Faith, Dino’s Lucky Eggs, The New Resistance, Enclave, 45 North, and Average Joe are all names you probably haven’t heard, but they took up a whole lot of my creative energy […]
Read More...When I was in my late teens I worked on a couple of different janitorial crews. Those who worked these jobs had some things in common: We wore the same color shirts, we knew how to change a belt on a vacuum, we carried walkie-talkies (yes, before cell phones) and […]
Read More...“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” Max De Pree Yesterday I said “thank you” to a great congregation I have been leading for a little over 5 years. As a leader and […]
Read More...In the story of David vs. Goliath (1 Samuel 17), David carefully picked 5 smooth stones from the creek; these were rocks he knew would hit their mark. But in the heat of battle, as David ran towards the giant, he couldn’t carefully decide which specific stone to put to […]
Read More...Recently my best friend John Fehlen used the following quote in a sermon he preached. Are we giving people God, or are we giving them our good ideas? Hint, our culture needs more than our “success” and redeemed strategies; they need the presence of Jesus! “Many Christian leaders are uncomfortable […]
Read More...In a classic story, a strong, young man was hired as a lumberjack. The first day he cut down ten trees; the second day he felled eight; but the third day he could finish-off only two. When he went to apologize for his unexplained loss of strength, his boss asked […]
Read More...Last month my family was vacationing in Oregon. We LOVE Oregon. Whenever we visit (at least once a year), Deborah and I drop the kids off at the in-laws and spend a couple of days in Portland. You may disagree with me, but Portland is close to my idea of […]
Read More...Last night my wife and I went to a U2 concert. I’ve caught nearly every tour since 1985, and this was one of the best performances I’ve seen…let’s just say these guys are consummate showmen! I stood directly in front of the sound board. I’ve found when I have general […]
Read More...I don’t know that I would plan what every one of these men is planning, and even wonder if some of it will work, but I do LOVE that they are talking about it and wrestling with it. Watch Live Sex this video to see three men of God verbally […]
Read More...In his book Courageous Leadership, Bill Hybles famously shared a list of his top three qualifications for leaders who serve on his team—these are: Character, competence, and chemistry. Recently I was talking to a young leader about these and other qualities that I look for when choosing leadership team members. […]
Read More...NOTE: This is an open letter to pastors in our denomination who are over 50. At some point it will be used publicly. At this point, I’ll post it on my blog and look for your feedback! Thanks. Dear Pastors and Leaders, For a few years now, we have had […]
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