What I Learned in an Audition for a Commercial
When most people think of improv, the TV show Who’s Line is it Anyway usually comes to mind. I’d seen the show a few times and never envisioned myself taking an improv class. But several years ago I took several classes and had a blast. It also gave me the chance to hang around some people who didn’t embrace Christ.
A Powerful Tool to Help Create Change in your Church
Change in every church is difficult, but necessary. Things that are alive, change. One powerful tool that can help move change forward in your church is storytelling. I’ve excerpted a brief portion of my newest book Brain-Savvy Leaders, the Science of Significant Ministry below that describes the power of storytelling to create change. Narrative persuasion is a
7 Thinking Errors that Hinder Church Growth
My first degree, industrial engineering, taught me to think systematically which has in turn benefited my pastoral leadership. Since then I’ve read many books on church planning and been certified through Ministry Advantage and Auxano, two strategic planning/pastoral coaching organizations. I’ve also led two churches where I’ve served through a year-long strategic planning process. So, I’m well-versed
The Controversy Behind ‘Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Tithe’
Recently I posted a blog titled “Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Tithe.” I took it from a recent sermon I preached at my church, West Park Church in London, Ontario. I didn’t expect it to go viral and certainly didn’t anticipate the controversy it generated. Here’s the reader interaction stats on it (from my website, Google
Five Reasons I’m Starting to Read a Paper Bible Again
I’m a self admitted geek. I love tech stuff. My dad was an electrical engineer and our basement was filled with all kinds of gadgets. When I was a kid I spent hours playing with his tools and gadgets. And as we entered the computer age, I became one of the first among my friends to embrace
What Makes a Great Staff Meeting? This May Surprise You.
Staff meetings…a necessary part of the ministry and the workplace. I’ve led hundreds. Some went well. Some, well, didn’t. My friend Tim Stevens just wrote a great book to help leaders not only lead great staff meetings, but become better leaders as well. It’s called Fairness Is Overrated: And 51 Other Leadership Principles to Revolutionize Your Workplace. I highly
Would you Give Up Your Job so Someone Else Could Have it?
I have the privilege of leading a young men’s leadership development group on Thursday mornings. Recently one guy, Sam, shared an amazing story about “giving up” in the workplace. Since this is guest post week, I asked him to write this post. You will be encouraged and amazed. I was burned out and ready for
Are you a Brain-Savvy Leader? 7 Posts that Show you How
One of my passions is to bring the conversation about how brain insight can help us love and serve God better. My blog tag line is even titled, NeuroMinistry: Leveraging Brain-Based Insight for Kingdom Impact. I’m serious about this as I’m completing an executive masters in the neuroscience of leadership (May) and wrote a book focusing on
My Top 10 Most Read Posts in 2014
Another year has passed and it’s been an exciting one for our family moving from the U.S. to pastor a church in Canada. Even through the transition this year I was able to write almost 100 blogs and saw over 55,000 unique viewers visit my site with almost 220,000 pageviews. Thanks so much for following and reading.
When Tough Times Hit: Reflections During my Daughter’s Eighth Brain Surgery
As I write this post I’m sitting in the waiting room of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago as my 27-year-old daughter Tiffany undergoes her eighth brain surgery. Due to intractable epilepsy (epilepsy non-responsive to drug therapy) caused by a brain tumor diagnosed at age 1, doctors implanted a device in her brain 8 years ago to
