A Leader's Personal Needs Archives - Page 2 of 4

Family News from Hawaii

Brace yourself for a personal and somewhat mushy story. My wife and I are just home from Hawaii and bursting with thanks to the Lord for the good things he’s doing in our family. It all centers on a psalm, “God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to…

You Can Beat Anxiety, a FREE course

Anxiety can be a killer. It nearly took me out of ministry. A panic/anxiety attack made me think I’d lost my mind. The doctor assured me “that 100 percent of people who have what you have come out of it.” Nice words, but not all that comforting when every problem I faced threatened its worst…

Lightning Can Strike Twice

I was told that lightning never strikes twice – in nature and in church. But I don’t believe it. There have been instances of people struck by lightning twice while standing on the same hilltop, though years apart. It also happens in church multiplication. God blesses whoever he calls, whenever he calls. And when I…

Forget Something?

Old guys like to remember the good times. I know – I’m old! But the 70s were more than a time of turmoil. Those were easy times to plant a church. Sure, we were recovering from three assassinations, Broadway shows fixated on beating up on Jesus and even full-frontal nudity. But they were good times…

Making Friends in the Neighborhood

I’m scared! I want to host a block party but don’t know what to serve. Most of my neighbors are second-generation Iraqis. Their culture, customs and foods are foreign to me. The mix includes many African Americans and Asians. We’re all different, which is good! However, my wife and I hope to know them better,…

Why Christian Apologetics Matter

As a young person, Christian apologetics held a strong appeal for me. I thought “having all the answers” would enable me to beat my non-believing friends into a relationship with Jesus. As a youth pastor, I’d often take young people on evangelistic training missions. Armed with scripture booklets and arguments, we’d randomly accost strangers with…

Seven Steps to Adopting a Church Multiplication Culture Without Breaking Wineskins

Most healthy churches are in a constant state of flux as they respond to their people’s needs and the ever-changing external environment. Technology, politics and certainly pandemics demand flexibility. The move from a congregation- centric culture to a church multiplication culture is a once in a lifetime shift for any congregation. It is rare, substantial…

Race-Casting Differs from Racism, But…

When I worked at Hope Chapel in Hermosa Beach California the pro football team named the Raiders had just moved to our area from Oakland. I used to play basketball with several of the team’s members, including television personality Howie Long. The skill level of the players let you know that most of the guys…

The Two-talent Parable

The other students loved it. The teacher didn’t. And I was angry with the teacher–still am! I’d just delivered my first “real” sermon in a college class on preaching. Though I’d been teaching the Bible since age 18, I’d always worked from a lesson guide. That day, I flew solo, bringing my insights to the…

Disciplemaking, Church Multiplication and the Wisdom of Jethro

Church planter? Disciplemaker? COVID-19 pastor? All three have much to learn from an ancient multiplication leader/driver. We tend to romanticize modernity. This social evolution paradigm mistakenly confuses technical developments with elements of civilization and social constructs. Sure, democracy as we know it is relatively new, but some things never change (Solomon said that, I think).…