If you’ve been battling “low-grade” depression lately you’ve got lots of company. I read that one in three Americans is dealing with symptoms of stress and anxiety these days resulting from Covid-19. We’re used to crises and disasters having a time-limit. But this crisis has been...
One thing all crises have in common is that they trigger self-reflection and examination. Crisis exposes us to what we can’t control and manage on our own. Extreme trouble strips us of pretense. It shatters the illusion of self-sufficiency. It takes our egos down to...
It’s stunning how quickly life can change. We got a taste of this here in New York City during 9-11. Now it’s the coronavirus. Calamities like this are unforeseen. They’re never anticipated. We’re never prepared. So it always fuels high anxiety. As someone commented, “Right...
Leadership for me is more about the sort of person I am and how I respond to life and opportunity than what I know. Leadership springs from within. It’s about who I am as much as what I do...
When I first signed up to be a pastor it was with a sense of excitement, anticipation and commitment to a call to ministry – recovering the lost, making disciples, caring for souls, partnering with Jesus, making a difference for God’s kingdom. But along the...
I recently had coffee with a pastor who was bemoaning the fact that his congregation was stuck in the doldrums. He complained to me about their absence passion and lack of motivation which he blamed this on busyness and the lack of margin in their...
Spiritual leaders see differently. I think one of the most important attributes of a spiritual leader is the ability to see. They see things others don’t because they have what I’m calling leader-vision. Jesus saw things differently. He saw the world differently. He saw life...
I know I might be stepping on some toes with this post but… Pastor, suppose you fed your family a steady diet of pre-packaged frozen TV dinners. After all they’re made for our ultra-busy lifestyles. They’re cheap, convenient, and require little preparation. But they’re not...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JfjDXCuono&feature=youtu.be In this video cast Mike shares what married spiritual leaders with families should focus their primary ministry on if they expect to last over the long haul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XELWxMnyu6Q...
Pastors, there’s a big difference between giving lip service to the Holy Spirit’s ministry in our churches - saying we value it, even preaching it - and making it a priority, making space to do it in your church services. In my years of pastoring...