While listening to a teaching by Andy Stanley the other day I was struck by a statement he made regarding our connection with God and His parameters for us. The Atlanta-based pastor noted that “rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” As his sermon illustrated, that has certainly been the case in many of the stories [...]
displaying all posts about "Leadership"
Your Great and Holy Cause
I was reading a book about the life of Francis of Assisi this morning when a particular phrase struck me. Talking about life in the Middle Ages, the author (Paul Sabatier) commented that “men everywhere had but one desire – to devote themselves to some great and holy cause.” Apart from the fact that it [...]
Measuring the Fruit of Wholeness
Today I read an article by a colleague who has long served as a wise and trusted advisor to pastors around the country. He wrote about how to measure the health of a church. In addition to attendance, giving, program involvement, number of salvation commitments, and baptisms, he recommended evaluating whether people are becoming more [...]
The Pain of Ministry and Its Implications for Parenting and Leadership
While working with Matthew Barnett on our new book, The Cause Within You, Matthew’s selfless service to others caused me to reflect on my typical reaction to other people’s pain and suffering. For most of my life I have sought to develop solutions to the problems that have caused human hardships while remaining personally removed [...]
Leaders Facilitate Peace
While spending the holidays with extended family in Princeton last month I had a chance to re-read parts of Thomas a Kempis’s classic, The Imitation of Christ. The following passage struck me anew. “It is a great matter to live in obedience, to be under a superior and not to be at our own disposing. [...]
The Power of Shared Experiences
The recent Barna Update that I wrote about the lack of accountability facilitated through the local church was a reminder of the importance of personal relationships. Only a fool will voluntarily place themselves under authority without a healthy relationship built on trust of those who exercise such authority. To permit that authority to be utilized [...]
Would Agreeing to Pay Higher Taxes Show Your Gratitude?
There was an interesting article in the New York Times earlier this week by Mark Miller. He argued that rich people should stop trying to wiggle out of paying a higher tax rate and instead demonstrate their gratitude for the life afforded to them in America by paying more in taxes. Given the economic swoon [...]
Who – and Where – Are the Leaders?
This is an interesting era for tracking the appeal and lifespan of leaders. On the one hand, we live in a time when more and more people think of themselves as leaders – more than six out of ten adults say they fit that description. This is probably egged on by the “everybody is a [...]
Thoughts on Election 2010
I don’t know about you, but I find the degree of hyperbole and spin that surrounds elections rather repulsive. It is hard to get any news report or watch any broadcast that gives an objective summary of what has happened. Here is my best effort to try to see things clearly in the aftermath of [...]
