When I speak at a large event, inevitably someone in a local church will pull me aside and tell me the teaching in their church is not “deep enough.” If you have been involved in church ministry, you have surely heard the phrase. For a pastor who longs to faithfully feed people ...
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Two Wise Approaches for Group Content –
I recently shared that group leaders want direction for their groups. They realize that a wise discipleship plan would be helpful for developing the people in their groups over time. Sadly, many church leaders fail to offer one. So their churches are filled with a lot of guys ...
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Christ Has Set Us Free –
Martin Seligman’s research in the 1960s on “learned helplessness” is still widely respected among psychologists. Seligman and his team placed a dog in a cage designed to receive electric shocks. When they hit the cage with a jolt of electricity, the dog jumped and yelped as ...
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The Cruelty of No Feedback –
“Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive” (Proverbs 27:5-6).
According to the proverb, it's loving to provide corrective feedback to those you love. Corrective feedback, of course, is not ...
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3 Challenges of Being a Pastor’s Wife –
Ministry can be hard on families. The constant burden of loving and leading a local church is taxing, and the pressure a pastor feels inevitably impacts his wife. In recent years, my wife has frequently facilitated groups for pastor's wives. As she has interacted with them, she ...
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Leading Through Change: When “Everyone Is Saying …” –
Perhaps one day it will happen. Perhaps one day the statement “Everyone is saying …” will really mean everyone is saying. Perhaps one day the statement, “A lot of people think …” will really mean a lot of people think. But so far, in nearly 20 years of experience in ministry, ...
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