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 if we keep our focus on the things that are going right, we might … Read More
Bill Bright on Exercising Your Faith Muscles
“I had to learn how to trust the Lord. My faith muscles grew. Just like, you’re exercising your muscles and they may be sore for a while, but they become stronger with exercise.” — William R. “Bill” Bright (October 19, 1921 – July 19, 2003) was an American evangelist and Christian leader. His influence spanned the last half of the … Read More
Charting a New Course: What to Do When You Don’t Respond Well to Stress
Let’s face it: none of us are always going to respond correctly, especially when a challenging situation first hits. So let’s talk briefly about what to do when we’ve had time to reflect and realize that we could have done things better. Here are three ideas about what to do if you find you’ve started handling a difficulty in an … Read More
Managing Stress Monday: Identifying Stressors to Make for Better Ministry
The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry. The reason why we need to take time to become clear about the real stressors we face is that often those stressors aren’t rapidly apparent. They may even deceive us at first. This happens for a number of reasons: Sometimes we are too … Read More
8 Steps to Getting Out of Debt
Today’s guest post comes to us from Rick Warren for Pastors.com. It’s impossible to estimate the kind of good the church could do for the world if every believer was financially healthy and spiritually mature in the area of generosity. The problem is, the church is hurting in this area–badly. I believe we, as church leaders, often underestimate the amount … Read More
Managing Your Time (Part 3 of 3)
In the final part of this three-part blog series, I’d like to share the second practice that will be an essential component to managing your time well. Don’t Start Your Day Until You’ve Planned Your Day You may have heard the old axiom “Plan your work, then work your plan.” The wisdom in that saying is right on point. The most productive … Read More
Managing Your Time (Part 2 of 3)
Last week, we started the conversation on time management in part one of this blog series. I’ve noticed that the average pastor lets urgent matters and other people’s agendas eat away hours of his or her time. Since the greatest ministries require the greatest time management, it’s time to embrace learning to manage your time well. Here are a couple practices … Read More
Managing Your Time (Part 1 of 3)
Average pastors take a passive approach to time. They let urgent matters and other people’s agendas eat away hours rather than directing the current themselves. Outstanding pastors, on the other hand, choose to honor God by intentionally making the most of every hour and every day. What type of manager are you? The greatest ministries require the greatest time management. If … Read More
The Spiritual Side to Fitness: Why Are So Many Christians Unhealthy?
Today’s guest post comes to us from a long-time member of my Titanium Coaching Network, Kent Wilson. Kent is an ordained Lutheran minister who now serves as an assistant to a bishop after 26 years in parish ministry. On the fitness side, Kent is a certified Functional Aging Specialist and developed his own workout system available at www.9Minutes2Fit.com. As a pastor who … Read More
Martin Luther on Faith
“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” – Martin Luther