A Key Role Every Pastor should Fill each Sunday
Several years ago I attended a Rick Warren conference when Mark Beeson, pastor of Granger Community Church spoke. I’d never heard him speak before yet ten years later I still remember two qualities about his talk. First, he knew how to tell a funny story. Second, he believed that of his primary roles each Sunday was
6 Reasons Pastors and Leaders Need Adequate Sleep
For many years scientists and philosophers have pondered why we need sleep besides to not be sleepy. Of course we all intuitively know how important sleep is to our bodies, relationships, and walk with God. But as neuroscientists are learning more about the brain, they are discovering many positive brain benefits from sleep. This list
Cut your Losses and Do Something Different?…the Sunk Cost Bias
Leadership demands our time, energy, and often our financial resources. Hopefully the projects and people we invest ourselves in are worthwhile and fulfilling. Often we invest so much of ‘us’ into a project that we can’t imagine not finishing the project. When we’ve already invested considerable time and energy into something, stopping it may seem foolish. Unfortunately,
4 Subtle Signs of Stress
For years doctors have warned us that prolonged stress can hurt our bodies such as causing high blood pressure and stomach problems. But as neuroscientists learn more about our brains, they’re discovering that stress can diminish brain functioning which in turn shows up in subtle ways in our bodies. Take the quick self evaluation below and ask yourself
My 7 Do-Overs after over 40 Years in Ministry
In my 40-plus years in ministry I’ve served as a singles pastor, discipleship pastor, teaching pastor, church planter, and as a lead pastor. I’ve served in the deep south (the land of grits, I live there now), the southwest (the land of Mexican buffets), the far west (the land of fish tacos), the mid-west (the
Avoid Ministry Burnout by Asking Yourself 4 Questions
A few years ago I commissioned Barna Research, Lifeway Research, and Christianity Today to survey almost 2,000 pastors to discover what issues can cause a ministry or a leader’s passion for ministry to die. I based one of my books on those findings. Out of those findings, these four key questions emerged that all spiritual leaders
6 Ways to Keep Pornography out of Your Life
Pornography is an epidemic today. It’s a temptation we must protect ourselves against. A simple acronym, PURITY, captures 6 ways we can pull out of sexual sin (porn or other sexual sins) and/or stay sexually pure. I’ve summarized it here. THE PURITY PROCESS TO STAY SEXUALLY PURE Purpose to change/stay pure before God. You must start here.
10 Benefits from Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a big deal in today’s culture. Businesses such as Apple, sports figures such as basketball player Kobe Bryant, and the popular press such as Time magazine have all given it their stamp of approval. Governments are spending hundreds of millions of dollars researching it[1]and it has become a billion dollar a year business[2] In
5 Ways to Minimize Decision Fatigue
Decision fatigue is a term that describes how a long series of decisions can actually diminish the overall quality of future decisions. Many leaders have unwittingly diminished their leadership effectiveness by making too many decisions. This is true whether or not you are a leader. Ego depletion is a related concept that simply means the tireder you get, the
12 Things that Tempt Men to Peruse Porn
As I’ve researched the issues caused by porn, I am shocked not just at its moral consequences, but at its social costs, damage to marriages, and what it does to our brains. In my research I learned that these 12 personal issues may increase the temptation to watch porn. These 12 things may predispose you to view
