“An Unstoppable Force”

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A while back, I put together my list of the 15 Books That Have Shaped Me as a Leader. I’m finally getting around to blogging about An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus. There were a couple books by McManus on my list of 15. The other one is The Barbarian Way, which I have written … Read more

Find and Feed Your Holy Discontent!

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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

65 Books to Read

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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

Winter Life

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It’s been a long winter—snow, ice, and very cold temperatures. Not a good combination for getting outside with the kids! Here are some things the kids have bee doing lately …

15 Books That Have Shaped Me as a Leader

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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

Change Is Normal

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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

Cultivation is the Work of Leaders

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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

Change Takes Faith

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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

5 Practices to Make the Most of Time

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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

Pray More Than Criticize

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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