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How Change Happens
On a 2010 trip to Australia, one of the topics I was asked to address at a conference featuring a redemptive view of homosexuality was “Is Change Possible?” This is a controversial question because there are some loud, insistent voices in the culture who say, “Unless you never again have a homosexual thought or feeling, you haven’t changed. And since no one admits to that, any claim of change is an illusion.” No one would apply that strict a standard to any other issue! Former alcoholics living sober and free from the chaos of their drinking for decades still would like a cold beer on a hot day, but that…
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The Blessing of Being Broke
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . You can’t be rich until you’re been bankrupt. You can’t be wealthy until you’re worthless. You can’t have God’s best until you’ve faced your worst. Bankruptcy is a sinister word. Job lost. Career crashed. Identity crushed. Prospects dim. Future bleak. Hope gone. Home about to go. Family tattered. To be broke is to be shattered, ashamed, devastated. Spiritual bankruptcy starts with the same feelings of failure, frustration and hopelessness, the same struggle. the same shame. We ask questions like, “How could I have done that?” or, “When will I be free?” We feel shackled…
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Mortunity
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken Huh? Mortunity? Is that a word? Bet you’ve never seen that one before. I hadn’t until I got it from a friend who made it up while talking with me recently. I was telling my friend that in this year 2015 I have had the greatest sense of mortality ever, that this awareness has colored my thinking and has been a drag on my decisions.I have three things that won’t lie: my birth certificate, my passport, and my mirror—and these all combine to say I’m mortal! At the same time, I have never had greater opportunities, from ministry expansion in Romania and Ukraine,…
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Truth: Does it Blind or Break?
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken As long as truth is theory it blinds. As soon as truth becomes real it breaks. This is something I’ve learned across the years of my life. When I first graduated from seminary, I knew much truth. I could answer nearly every question in some way, often with biblical support. What I could not see was what I did not know. I still can’t, but I’m better at seeing some of my blind spots than I used to be… Every once in a while in my teaching preparation, I go back to an old file and review previous work on a particular passage.…
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Transforming the Heart
Leadership is Broken Because Leaders are Unbroken Nearly three hundred years ago, Jonathan Edwards wrote on of the greatest Christian classics of all time entitled, Religious Affections. By “Affections” Edwards meant the deepest desires and drives of the heart. For Edwards, this is what our faith is about, and, while he doesn’t need me to confirm him, I believe he is absolutely right. I also believe his perspective is missing in today’s thinking. Edwards said, “. . . no one is ever changed, either by doctrine. . . or by preaching or teaching of another, unless the affections are moved by these things. . . . there is…
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Wall Breakers Anonymous
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken Sooner or later all of us hit the wall of inadequacy. There are no exceptions, no escape. There’s only denial, cover up, and futile efforts to break through, get over, get around, or dig under this utterly unexpected roadblock in life. The problem is everything we’ve done before doesn’t work. The barrier may be a career killer or a family struggle or a relationship block, but whatever it is, it matters to us, and we want it to end NOW!But nothing we do makes any difference because this unexpected and unwanted hindrance remains. We try all our tried and true methods, but they…
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Are You Hanging On?
In Experiencing God Henry Blackaby teaches that it is impossible to go with God and remain where we are at the same time. Our 10-month-old granddaughter is close to walking, but she hasn’t yet been brave enough to let go and step out into the open floor. Hanging on to various pieces of furniture is wonderful for babies as they learn to balance and move with their feet, but if they stayed there, they would never walk. When we begin leading in some capacity, we usually depend on others for guidance, training, and support. I am grateful for those who taught me how to lead small groups and how to study the…
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My Life as a Spiritual Klutz
As I spend time each January doing some self-assessment, it becomes clear that I am a spiritual klutz. Why? I don’t often see God answer my prayers quickly or miraculously. I don’t rise before dawn and spend hours with God because I don’t wake up to a coherent state until well after the sun is up. I rarely quote Bible verses because I don’t remember every word and have only a vague idea of where to find most of them. I seldom have people respond when I share about Jesus. I am uncomfortable with what to say when someone hurts. I know a lot about the Bible only because…
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Encourage Spiritual Growth “Ten Things Parents Should Know”
In our modern world we find ourselves surrounded by a plethora of resources including the internet, books, conferences, counselors, and countless “professionals;” all giving advice on the best techniques, the greatest tools, and the most up to date methods to use to be a good parent. How many times have you looked to these resources for the best solutions, techniques, and tools for raising your child? How often do you look to these resources without consulting the best parenting guide available? How many times do you read page after page, chapter after chapter of how to be a successful parent without picking up the most valuable resource ever written? …
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Cleaning Out
Our latest house project has caused us to do a lot of cleaning, which began with the simple need to empty some drawers and cabinets for painting. Then, we had to deal with dust and debris throughout the house from tearing out a tub and shower tile. Cleaning one area led to organizing it, which affected a related area that needed cleaning and/or organizing. Frankly, it’s overwhelming because the whole process of doing what seemed like a small renovation led to cleaning out areas long neglected. Instead of getting cleaner, the house was getting worse as day by day we took more stuff out of hiding. But by the…
