Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
I listened to Bill Hybels’ message from the 2005 Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit a few times in recent months (I have it on CD so I can listen to it while driving). The talk is related to his book, Holy Discontent, which I wrote about a couple years ago; it’s also included in my … Read more
There are two times when I am most susceptible to feeling bad: (1) browsing through the books in a bookstore, and (2) looking through the books in our personal home library. In both places, I come across way too many good books waiting to be read! A few years ago I talked about our Reading … Read more
It’s often said that leaders are readers. I’ve always loved what Rick Warren says: “Leaders are learners. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading!” I have put together a list of 15 books that have shaped me as a leader. These aren’t necessarily the best books on leadership—they’re not even all specifically leadership books—but … Read more
Everyone says change is hard. It may be hard, but it’s normal. I often think of a quote from SoulTsunami by Leonard Sweet: What is the difference between a living thing and a dead thing? … in the modern medical world, a clinical definition of death is a body that does not change. Change is … Read more
I’ve been fleshing out some of the reading from The Balancing Act by Bishop Robert Schnase. Previous posts include: “The Balancing Act”, Pray More Than Criticize, 5 Practices to Make the Most of Time, and Change Takes Faith. In one chapter, Bishop Schnase talks about a field he once saw that was no longer being … Read more
I have a couple more reflections on The Balancing Act by Bishop Robert Schnase (previous posts: “The Balancing Act”, Pray More Than Criticize, and 5 Practices to Make the Most of Time). By definition, leaders are change agents, so Bishop Schnase’s thoughts on change caught my attention. Schnase points out why change is hard: When … Read more
I’ve been writing about The Balancing Act by Bishop Robert Schnase (see “The Balancing Act” and Pray More Than Criticize). Bishop Schnase writes on “Redeeming Time.” By that, he means “making time sacred, useful to God, holy” (119). Schnase adds: … redeeming the time involves discovering the holy, gift-like quality, the grace of time. It … Read more
I recently wrote about Bishop Robert Schnase’s book, The Balancing Act (Bishop Schnase is author of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations). I enjoyed the short book, which works well as a 30-day devotional, and plan to highlight a few sections on the blog over the next few/several days. Early on in the book, Bishop Schnase … Read more
In the last couple of years, we (and our congregations) have been impacted by Bishop Robert Schnase’s book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (see posts we’ve written on Five Practices). Bishop Schnase, who blogs, also wrote a small book that can be used as a 30-day devotional called The Balancing Act: A Daily Rediscovery of … Read more
In the The United Methodist Church, ordained pastors must commit to the itinerant system. Nearly three years ago, just before we moved to Clearfield to assume new ministry appointments, I reflected on The Itinerant System of the UMC (i.e., pastors are appointed to congregations as opposed to being called by congregations). I love what Bishop … Read more