Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
This morning, I was re-reading some chapters in Isaiah and read about Hezekiah’s impending death (Isaiah 38). Isaiah tells Hezekiah, who was ill at the time, that his time is up and that he won’t recover from his illness. After Isaiah leaves, Hezekiah prays. God sends Isaiah back to Hezekiah with news that God heard … Read more
In 2006, two of the churches I was serving at the time merged to form a new congregation, Hope UMC (Alexandria, PA). It was quite an intense experience. I was appointed to Centre Grove in 2008 so I only led the new congregation for two years beyond the merger, but ever since then, I’ve wondered … Read more
This week, I read Juggling Elephants by Jones Loflin and Todd Musig. The book tells a story to present “an easier way to get your most important things done—now!” (subtitle). Time management has been something of lifelong journey for me. I’m always looking to be more effective in the use of my time. Most of … Read more
Yesterday, I wrote 6 Takeaways from the 2011 Leadership Summit. Now I want to look ahead so that we can make the most of what we’ve experienced! We’ve attended enough seminars over the years to know that once you return from an event, no matter how great, it’s easy to put the notebook on the … Read more
Last Thursday, Joleen and I attended the Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit. We expected it to be a great event, but it exceeded our expectations. I knew it would be leadership intense, but I was blown away by how spiritually intense it was, especially Friday morning’s focus on “tough assignments.” Presenters at the Leadership … Read more
I often think about the prophet Jeremiah’s call. In part, God tells Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1.8, NKJV). That was a meaningful reminder for me when I started out. Transformational leadership and communication is not for the faint of heart! Communicators can’t … Read more
We recently returned from vacation where we spent a week in York, Maine, on the coast of southern Maine. It was a great week, and the kids enjoyed it tremendously. They got to spend some time at the beach, mostly playing in the sand at Long Sands Beach. They also enjoyed climbing on the rocks … Read more