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September 17, 2019

How to Speak the Right Words at the Right Time In Your Ministry

Strategy matters. Vision is critical. Structures and systems are vital. These are all important aspects of organizational leadership. But, they are trumped by what leaders actually say. Words matter. Lately I’ve been studying the book of Proverbs and thinking about the impact of words on our lives and organizations. I’m realizing that there have been turning points in my life that are a direct result of something someone said to me. When I was in 9th grade, my youth pastor told me, “You are a leader.” When I was in 11th grade, my English teacher told me, “You are a […]

September 12, 2019

Spiritual Mirrors

Being a follower of Jesus requires us to be obedient and submissive to his commands. And although we often fail to do so God does not leave us on our own nor does He expect us to do so with our own power. God gives us His Holy Spirit to enable us to follow His Son. His Word says in Acts 1:8 that “we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us.” In Romans 8:26 it says that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” And in Galatians 5:16 it says that “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful […]

September 8, 2019

How to lead in a world of distraction

Clay Scroggins is back on the podcast with some fresh insights from his brand new book, How to Lead in a World of Distraction. In an open and vulnerable interview, Clay talks about how the pressures of leadership led to him missing some of the signs of emotional ill-health, breaking down in his boss’s office, and finding quiet and healing in a noisy world. And if you think this is just theory, Clay is learning all this while leading a church of over 9,000, nurturing his marriage, and parenting five kids under the age of ten. Welcome to Episode 292 of the […]

September 5, 2019

5 Preaching Trends That Will Shape the Future

Continued from PART 1 here. 4. PREACHING TO THE HEART/AFFECTIONS (MARK) One of Jonathan Edwards’ great fears during the awakening that happened around his preaching was that the conversions of thousands of people to Christ weren’t real. That they were surface level, even counterfeit. His desire was that the gospel would change someone from the inside-out vs. the outside-in (through Religious Guilt or Cognitive Teaching, etc.,). He knew what Augustine said was true: that we are what we love, that the most powerful part about us wasn’t our thinking, but our feeling, our gut, and that true and effective preaching […]

September 3, 2019

5 Preaching Trends That Will Shape the Future (PART 1)

In a culture where everything’s changing, so is preaching. Sure…the message never changes, but the method has to if you want to be effective. What worked in preaching a decade ago is less effective today, not because the scripture or Gospel has changed, but because the culture has. The fact that 70-80% of all churches are plateaued or declining and the rash of deconversions we’re seeing are evidence that in many cases, what used to be effective isn’t anymore. This is a post I wrote with Mark Clark, Lead Pastor of Village Church, a church that reaches over 5000 people each weekend […]

August 27, 2019

Navigating the Life of a Pastor’s Wife

The life of a pastor’s wife (PW) has, for the longest time, been popularly known as a life of self-sacrifice, of discouragement, disillusionment and hurt. With Pastors’ Wives conferences or retreat themes like “From Bitter to Better,” “Embracing My Role as a Pastor’s Wife,” “Enjoying the Ride,” “Overcoming,” “Responding to Trials,” etc, it would thus seem that for most of her life, she is in an embattled situation, facing problems and difficulties on a regular basis with members of the church, other women and even with herself – situations that make it difficult for her to enjoy her life and […]

August 22, 2019

The Emotions of Pastoral Succession

resharing with kind permission from Carey Niewholf Succession has emerged as one of the major issues facing the church in the next decade. Businesses are not that far behind in struggling with succession. Most senior pastors (especially founding pastors) hang on too long. The question is why. In a candid and disarmingly honest interview, Amplify Founding Pastor, Lee Kricher, and his successor, Jason Howard, talk about how they paved the way not just for the next generation of leader, but for the next generation of church, allowing the model to change while the leadership changed. In the midst of it, […]

August 20, 2019

Sarcasm in the Bible?! How Old Testament Narrative Uses Sarcasm

reshared with kind permission from Leadership Resources. Sarcasm in the Bible?! NO WAY… Actually, yes way according to Dr. Dale Ralph Davis. In his helpful book The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts, Davis explains why sarcasm is used in Old Testament narrative and provides a few examples: Occasionally the biblical writer dips his pen in acid and uses mockery, derision, or put-down to drive home his point. The device may not be prevalent but likely occurs more often than a casual reader thinks. One thinks immediately, of course, of Elijah’s taunting the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel […]

August 15, 2019

Leading in Suffering

reshared with kind permission of Leading International. Last month in Nepal, I had dinner with a pastor who spent time in jail for evangelizing. His case is still ongoing and he potentially faces several years in prison. I asked him whether he was nervous about going back to jail. Without hesitating, he simply replied, “No brother, we have already won!” His statement took me by surprise. How can someone view this as a victory? He explained how in jail he was able to share Christ with all the inmates and guards, and I realized that his comment about winning wasn’t […]

August 13, 2019

5 Ways to Preach a Half Done Sermon

Whenever I meet with a pastor or church planter, I ask them, “What are you preaching on this Sunday?” I love hearing what series other guys are doing, the creativity. Recently whenever I ask this question, I get blank stares or a response of “I’m not sure, I think I have a title.” Sometimes they aren’t even that far along. Too many pastors allow the busyness of their lives and ministries to crowd out their sermon prep. Here are 5 ways to make sure that you are killing yourself on Saturday night to put a sermon together. Is your sermon […]