Browsing all posts in Mission.

One Thing That Will Fuel Your Passion

Earlier this week we had a look at seven things that won’t fuel your passion, which leaves this lurking question:  what will fuel your passion?
Here is one thing I’ve found that answers that question better than anything:
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Face it, there are [...]

Seven Things That Won’t Fuel Your Passion

The longer you’re in leadership, the more aware you become of what really fuels passion over the long haul.  The question that drives me (a lot) these days is this:  How do you stay passionate over a long period of time?
Some things fuel passion in the short term, but they don’t last.  Two things often [...]

How No Leads to Yes

The longer I’m in leadership, the more I realize so much hangs on the ability to say no.  
I don’t like saying no.  It’s hard to say no to your kids, to people you like.  Honestly, it’s even hard to say no to the people you may not be as fond of.  
As a leader, [...]

Does God Trust You?

 "But not with my servant Moses.  Of all my house, he is the one I trust."  (Numbers 12.7).
That’s God speaking , by the way.
Most of us spend a lot of time trying to figure out whether we think God is trustworthy. But this verse changes the game significantly.  Maybe the only question isn’t whether we [...]

Stoked About Sunday?

So it’s tempting as we head into the weekend to say things like "so stoked about Sunday" or "so pumped about our next (fill in the blank for the service or event here). 
But why are we stoked?
Are we excited:

because we’re speaking?
because we organized the event?
because we’re trying to get or we have momentum?
because we’re trying [...]

The Math of Methods and Outcome

Most of us want to be good at what we do. Most of us would love a little more than that – we’d love to be great at what we do.
Think about this math.  If you’re going to get top 10% results, you’re probably not going to get them using the same methods that 90% [...]

Marathon (7): Persevere

Perseverance is highly underrated.  
I sometimes wonder if more than a few leaders who quit were one step away from a breakthrough right before they stepped back.  The temptation to quit is always strongest right before the critical breakthrough. 
To be honest with you, I think one of the reasons I’m still able to lead in [...]

Marathon (6) – Never Make Tomorrow’s Decisions Based on Today’s Emotions

 Life is emotional.  Very emotional.  
One of the worst mistakes you can make as a leader is to make tomorrow’s decisions based on today’s emotions.  

You send the drippingly sarcastic or angry email…and regret it the next morning. 
You are so hurt by the betrayal of a friend that you decide to close yourself off emotionally [...]

Marathon (5): Cultivate a Community of Accountability and Support

So let’s resume our blog series after a brief break (this is a marathon after all).
It’s the 2% that will kill you. 
This one’s huge friends.  Not cultivating a community of accountability and support is a great short cut to getting into serious moral trouble, losing your family, failing the people you lead or simply not [...]

Marathon (4): A Spiritual Walk that Has Little to Do With Work

Ministry might just be the perfect storm.
If you have a marketplace job, your life has some definable components: your work, your family and your personal life.   You might get up, spend some time with God, head off to work, come home and hang out with your family. 
In ministry, these worlds get fused.  You wake [...]