I had two grandmothers – one was “good” and the other was “bad.”
My “bad” grandmother didn’t go to church. She smoked—a lot. She drank, she swore, and she gambled.
My “good” grandmother was a member of her church. And she wasn’t a smoker, drinker, or gambler.
But here’s where it gets interesting…
My “good” Christian grandmother became angry… Read More
It’s Father’s Day and Sunday – so I’m gonna share what I read (and watched) online this week that’s worthy of a shout out…
This video, “Stuff Dad Never Says.”
This post, “Courage to… Read More
Leadership—specifically Christian leadership—is a messy business. It’s messy because it’s never pure. The motive behind what we do is a mixture of Ego, Ambition, & Holy Calling. And there is this shadowy dark side that goes along with our leadership strengths – what I call the Underbelly of (Christian) Leadership.
Is it possible to do great things without abusing power, inflicting damage on others, becoming a control freak, or leading with a sense of entitlement (breaking rules to satisfy personal desires)?
Is it possible to do great things without becoming Darth Vader?
In my opinion, it’s not.
Let me clarify: If the goal is ME DOING GREAT THINGS, I will inevitably abuse power, inflict damage on others, become a control freak, and lead with a sense of entitlement. If it’s about me doing great things, I will become Darth Vader.
Not too many years ago, my goal was to someday have a church of 10,000 people. And my motive was a mixture of… Read More
Several years ago, I read the book “Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership” by Gary McIntosh and Samuel Rima. To be honest, the big idea of the book scandalized me. Basically it said,
You know that thing about you that you’re known for? The thing that makes you strong and effective? That gift, strength, or disposition you have that comes naturally to you—especially in your work? Yeah, well, it has an evil twin. For every strength you have, there is a shadowy dark side that goes with it.
Dang. Ouch. REALLY??!!!?!
This can’t be true about ME.
I guess it’s pretty easy to see this at play in others, but it’s not so fun to think about it in my own life.
For instance, it’s obvious to me that Jeff Lewis (from TV’s Flipping Out) has a strength in being… Read More
Several years ago, I heard a well-known mega-church personality talk about the imperfect blend of motivations behind every Christian leader who has a platform and a microphone. He said,
“I’m a piece of work. All pastors are. Think about it. What makes me believe I should be standing here on this stage with a microphone in my hand telling all of you what to think and do? That’s pretty messed-up.”
I loved hearing him acknowledge the fact that our motivations are not 100% pure all the time. There is a constant mixture of ego, ambition, and holy calling that fuels our leadership endeavors.
This isn’t necessarily an evil thing.
I’m generally thankful for ambition. Ambition gets stuff done. And I appreciate some of what ego brings to the… Read More
Each Sunday I like to share some recommended reading with you – so here’s what I enjoyed this past week while slugging through the internet…
This post, 20 Years. We Just Celebrated 20 Years of… Read More
There’s a back entrance to the office building at my church – and it leads right to my office, so it’s the primary one I use. I’m pretty sure I use that specific entrance more than anyone else does.
Recently I’ve noticed a growing supply of cigarette butts just outside my door.
It makes sense. It’s probably the best location for smoking on our campus – it’s private, it’s covered, it’s sheltered from the wind, and there are some nice steps for sitting down on. I’m not surprised about the collection of cigarette butts there…
And although I am not surprised, I am bothered by it. Not because I’m concerned about smoking being a sin or bad for your health or whatever.
I’m bothered because every time I walk by them, my first reaction is to wonder if anyone thinks I’M THE ONE SMOKING… Read More
Jean Vanier is the 85 year old Canadian philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian who is most known for founding the L’Arche communities. L’Arch (French for “the ark”) began in 1964 when Jean Vanier took two men with disabilities into his home in the town of Trosly-Brevil, France. It is now an international organization operating some 146 communities in 35 countries.
He has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Here are a few quotes from his book, Community and Growth…
“To love someone is to show to them their beauty, their worth and their importance.”
“A Christian community should do as Jesus did: propose and not impose. Its attraction must lie in the… Read More
One of my favorite lines from Sunday’s sermon (while reading from Revelation 6.9) was this: “It sucks to be a racist in the Kingdom of God.”
I saw an endless sea of people – every variety and type, every race, every background, every class, a beautiful representation of God’s creative diversity—standing before the Lamb of God. —Revelation 6.9
Earlier in the week, as I was going through our church Bible reading plan, I noticed something special… Read More
Most Sundays, I like to give a few shout-outs and share what I enjoyed from around the internet during the past week. Below are some posts from guys that ya gotta read…
This post, Lose The Christian Swag, by Carlos Whittaker. His blog is one of the… Read More
