“I do not cease to give thanks for you…” (Ephesians 1:16a) A recent card I received in the U.S. mail warmed my heart in an unusual and lingering way. It was an expression of thanks for something I had done—in-and-of-itself, …
What we have here is a need to communicate*
“We speak of these things in words—words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.” –I Corinthians 2:13 “What did you say?” Some of my best ministry ideas have gone …
The best leaders champion their teams
“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,…let us RUN.” (Hebrews 12:1) When my granddaughter Mia scores an occasional goal during a soccer match, there is jubilation on the sidelines—her father, her grandfathers, all the wives and …
The Being of Leadership
Over the last several months, I have written to you about leading – why leadership is important, what leaders focus on and do, and how leaders develop. Today I focus on the being of leadership. As much as the doing of leadership is important, if we are not in sync with the being of leadership, all of our doing may not matter or may not connect with people.
Leaders are born, right?
Dear EPA Leaders, I continue to be grateful for your leadership in your congregation and in the larger church. Your gifts and leadership are leading us forward. As we look to engage more deeply in growing faith and developing vital, …
Help Is On the Way!
Everywhere I drive my car these days—and I drive a lot!— I encounter potholes in the road—huge, crater-like, car-swallowing potholes. And nobody seems to be doing anything about it. There’s a stretch of road about four miles long which runs …
Direction: A Key Ingredient for Successful Leadership
Part 2: Mission
Successful leaders lead toward something. Churches, ministries and organizations without direction flounder and eventually fail. There are three things that are essential to successful leadership: vision, mission and goals…
Direction: A Key Ingredient for Successful Leadership
Leaders who are not leading toward something rarely move forward and rarely succeed. Skilled leadership—providing direction through vision, missional clarity and goals—bears fruit…