I’ve been reading John 13-17 for the past few weeks, and here’s an amazing truth the Spirit highlighted to me recently: It’s a single word from John 13:1 – “Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father.” Did you catch it? Jesus’ description of where He was […]

Last week we talked about “Bookend Prayer” – the tendency for leaders to say a quick prayer on the front-end of a project and ask God to bless it at the end. It’s easy to fall into this trap – we’re busy, there’s tons to be done, and we want to see results fast. But […]

We’re all guilty of it. In the fast-paced world of leadership, there’s plenty to do and not plenty of time. We know we need God’s wisdom, so we fire off a prayer and charge into our project without waiting for His response. When the task is complete, we pray again, asking God to bless our […]

As leaders, we typically like goals and gas pedals. The problem is, while we’re good at getting someplace fast, it may not be the best destination and our team may not arrive with us. But when we’re willing to slow down and wait for agreement, we’ll reach the right destination with our team intact. A […]

New vision comes to us like a gentle breeze or a gusty wind. Either way, it’s refreshing and stimulating. We survey the new territory God’s calling us to and picture the positive outcomes – more people served and more lives transformed. All is well until we reach a valley filled with a chilling fog of […]

Quiet. Stillness. Listening. These aren’t words typically associated with leadership. For most of us words like busyness, charging ahead, and verbal communication characterize our days. While there’s a place for full schedules and important dialogue, there’s also a place for slowing down and listening to God’s perspective. It’s a place where silence becomes golden as […]

A good friend of mine, Bill Velker, heads up prayer at LIFE International. I was talking with his wife recently, and she said, “Bill made little signs for everyone’s desk that say, ‘Every meeting is a prayer meeting.’ He wanted to remind people of the ever-present opportunity for prayer.” The phrase rang true and made […]

As leaders, discouragement can come at us from all directions. Income is down. Criticism is up. Piles of work are scattered all over the place. Before long, we realize we’re engulfed in a dark cloud. But here’s the deal – leaders regularly face a plethora of challenges. It’s not so much what’s happening around us […]