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 […]
If you’ve been in leadership more than a month, you know that conflict comes with the territory. Churches and ministries are comprised of human beings, and “to disagree is human.” When verbal fists fly, it’s tempting to throw a few of our own and before we know it we have blood on our hands. So […]
Leaders like to be in the know. After all, knowledge is power. Knowledge is comforting. But knowledge isn’t always a given. There are seasons in ministry when we don’t know the path ahead because God hasn’t revealed it yet. Leading through times of uncertainty can be disconcerting. But there’s a way to walk through the […]
As leaders, hands-down the most vital relationship in our lives is with Jesus Christ. It’s also the most private, invisible, and perhaps for those reasons – easiest to shortchange. Yet, when our relationship with God is thriving, the systemic impact in our lives and leadership is unmistakable. So how are we – today, in this […]