Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
One of the books we read in the Doctor of Ministry program at Asbury a few years ago was Shaped By the Word by M. Robert Mulholland. Mulholland challenges readers to move from an informational approach to reading Scripture to a formational approach. An informational reading of Scripture tends to focus more on “doing” more … Read more
Early Methodist editions of the Discipline included instructions on how preachers should use their time profitably. The 1784 Discipline offers the following instructions (written in question and answer format, common practice in early Methodism) in a section titled, “Of employing our Time profitably, when we are not travelling [sic], or not engaged in Public Exercises.” … Read more
Two and a half years ago, I wrote a brief post—Keep Alert—that quoted Jesus encouraging his disciples to keep alert. I often think about Jesus’ encouragement to keep alert. It fits well with what I wrote to start this Lenten season—Whoever Has Ears … listen, pay attention, don’t miss this! This is not an exhaustive … Read more
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Lent is a 40-day journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter not counting Sundays. For many, it is a time of self-examination and repentance—a time of remembering the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In recent weeks, I’ve been thinking about a phrase that Jesus used … … Read more
A few days ago, I wrote about the Common English Bible (CEB). The CEB is conducting a 40-day Lenten blog tour. According to the site, readers are invited: … to experience Christ’s passion—and its meaning for our lives individually and corporately—through the lens of a new Bible translation. Follow the Lenten Blog Tour day by … 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
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
The worship song, “Change My Heart, Oh God” (by Eddie Espinosa, 1982) has been a meaningful and challenging song for me ever since I first heard it a couple decades ago. Lately, I’ve been thinking about it in regard to sermon preparation. A common pitfall for preachers is to preach to others but not to … Read more