Today’s guest post comes to us from Jennifer Stasak for Wycliffe.org. Sometimes I skip church. I bet you weren’t expecting that. You probably assumed I’d begin with a convicting Bible verse. Or maybe a disheartening statistic about how many millennials don’t attend church anymore. Instead, I want to start with a dose of honesty: Sometimes I don’t want to go to … Read More
Planning Your Preaching Calendar Retreat: How to Maximize Your Most Spiritually Significant Meeting of the Year
One of the core methods of an effective worship planning system is to have your own preaching calendar. And the process for meeting and building out your preaching calendar is an opportunity to think through and prayerfully consider what God wants to teach in 2019. At The Journey we wrap up our planning in October, but the norm really is towards the end of … Read More
FREE Planning Your Preaching Calendar Webinar – Starts Today!
Today, you’re invited to join me for my brand new FREE online training event, Planning Your 2019 Preaching Calendar Webinar. This webinar will include totally new content that I’ve never taught before plus, a week-by-week, series-by-series look at The Journey Preaching Calendar and my explanation of why we did what we did so you can learn and apply those lessons to your … Read More
Managing Stress Monday: Practicing Positive Self-Talk
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry. If you are one of the many Christians — even Christian leaders — who find themselves plagued by negative self-talk, you are in good company. This is a malady that plagues many of us. The key is to not be content or satisfied with where we … Read More
Lead Without Limitations
“He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27 (NLT)
Carey on Divine Friendship
“All my friends are but one, and He is sufficient.” – William Carey, “Father of Modern Missions”, Particular Baptist minister, and founder of Serampore College in India August 17, 1761 – June 9, 1834
Americans’ Theology Contains Mix of Heresy, Hearsay, and Historic Christian Beliefs
Today’s guest post comes to us from Carol Pipes for FactsandTrends.net. Six in 10 Americans say religious belief is a matter of personal opinion. For 7 in 10 Americans, such religious beliefs include one true God existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A similar number say God is perfect. But an increasing majority of Americans deny Jesus has … Read More
Learning to Delegate as a Renegade Pastor
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life and Ministry. Control is a trap that will keep you from growing. When you try to control everything, you quickly become overwhelmed and stressed out — not to mention, you rob both yourself and others of the opportunity to evolve. If you want to be … Read More
Fulfill Your Calling with a Tender Heart and a Tough Hide: Part 2 of 2
As you pursue God’s purposes, you are going to face negativity and criticism. I guarantee it. Given this reality, developing a tough hide— that is, learning how to deal with criticism well — is key to fulfilling your purpose. Here are 4 tips to help you stay strong when negativity tries to chafe you: 1. Strengthen Your Foundation. The best … Read More
10 Ways the Reformation Still Reverberates
Today’s guest post comes to us from Ray Van Neste and J. Michael Garrett from FactsandTrends.net. Martin Luther’s dramatic challenge to the Catholic Church in 1517 was a watershed event that brought rapid change to the German church. It reached crescendo through the labors of Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and a cast of thousands. The force of this Word-centric … Read More