The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry. As pastors, we can’t allow negative, anxious thoughts to overwhelm us–at least not for long. After all, we serve a big, amazing God who is greater than all our troubles. When we focus on everything that’s wrong around us, we can become defeated. But … Read More
Leaders Must Be God’s Servant
“So Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone … Read More
Wesley’s Charitable View of Money
“Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart.” – John Wesley (June 28 or June 17, 1703 – March 2, 1791) devout Anglican who remained in the Church of England until his death, considered the “Father … Read More
Going to church is not included in a ‘perfect Sunday’
Today’s guest post comes to us from EvangelicalFocus.com. British research and public relations companies Onepoll and 72Point carried out an integrated research for Harveys Furniture, which “looked what would be included in the nation’s perfect Sunday”. After surveying 2,000 people, the study found that the perfect Sunday “consists of waking up at 8:30 am to the smell of breakfast cooking, … Read More
Shaking Up Small Groups: Planning a Fun Event
The below excerpt is from my book Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups. This revised and expanded edition shows church leaders how to make their small groups work. Each semester, encourage your group to play together at least once. They can plan any type of fun activity they’d like–from attending a sporting event to going out to dinner to taking … Read More
Finding Time Management Difficult? Here Are 6 Ways to Make It Fun
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Time Management. Turning time management into a game can be fun and rewarding. Not only will doing so make these skills much easier to learn, but it will help you to internalize them, to integrate what you have learned into your daily life. Here are six tips that will … Read More
How to Reach Your Highest Potential with Personal Coaching
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life and Ministry. Fulfilling your calling inherently means rising to the highest level of potential God has put in you. In order to reach your potential, you need a coach. Why shouldn’t you? The greatest business leaders, entertainers and athletes the world has ever known have … Read More
Taking Care of Your Body to Protect the Church Body
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry. We are amazing creations of God, creations that cannot be separated into neat little compartments. When one part of us suffers, we suffer in every area. In particular, when we don’t feel well physically, we get dragged down mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We find … Read More
Leaders Stay Strong Under Pressure
If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. —Proverbs 24:10 (NLT)
Wesley on Taking Action
“Prayer is where the action is.” – John Wesley (June 28 or June 17, 1703 – March 2, 1791) devout Anglican who remained in the Church of England until his death, considered the “Father of the Methodists,” known for his personal devotion to holiness.