Every now and then we all need a good dose of “perspective”.  A few days ago I was preparing a message from an intriguing story in 2 Kings 7.  It is the story of 4 lepers sitting at the city gate of Samaria.  Surrounding the city is the Aramean army and rather than fight they decide to just cut off

I recently talked with a friend call me about a challenging staff member.  It had all the normal ingredients of a typical staff “situation”… poor chemistry, differences in ministry philosophy, and colliding expectations.   The bottom line is that “it just wasn’t working” and everybody knew it. As we talked, it was clear that my friend had made the decision to

I want you to think of someone that you believe is a great leader.  Go ahead… think of someone that you respect as a leader.  Have you got their name in your mind?  Now, answer this question: What qualities do they possess that makes them a great leader? I’m sure that if we surveyed 100 people with that question we

Virtually anything that can be productive can also be destructive, and this is certainly true for technology.  Computers, the internet and smart phones have opened up a world of opportunity for us and the advancement of the Gospel, but technology also has a dark side. Last week I shared 1-5 of The Ten Commandments of Technology and Teamwork. View Part

Virtually anything that can be productive can also be destructive. Whether it’s a car, a knife, or a credit card, these “tools” can help or hurt people. This principle also applies to technology.  It has given ministries the opportunity to multiply exponentially and has made the bible accessible to billions. But technology also has a dark side. Not only has

I was forty-seven years old and for the first time in twenty-five years I was not a pastor in a local church.  I was in uncharted territory.  The local church was not just a place where my wife and I did ministry, it was a place where we did life.  More than I realized, my identity had become wrapped around