Ready or not. . . it’s here. . .the most wonderful time of year!
Usually somewhere at the bottom of the list we have the task of year-end tax planning. There is no way to avoid it – the end of the year will come on December 31st whether we are ready for it or not. So take the opportunity while there’s still time, to positively impact your 2015 income taxes.
Creating God in Our Own Image
So often, we see God only through our own eyes. It is so difficult to get our own desires and perspectives out of the picture in order to see God and His desires. Honestly, we create Him in our own image, instead of seeing ourselves as being created in His image.
Is He a God of Plenty or of Little?
Today, on Black Friday, I am hit by how so many of us spend our money, especially in the Church. So often in the Church, we buy what is cheap, not what is needed. Whether we’re buying equipment for our building, assessments for our team, or even when hiring staff, we feel like we need to make a little go a long way. So we parse out our funds a little at a time buying what is cheap, not what is best for the situation. Too often there is such a difference and the resulting poor decision actually results in Kingdom set-backs instead of improvements.
Scientific Church
These are just some of the vital systems needed in a healthy church in order for her to fulfill her mission…to see people come to know Christ and follow him in all with of their heart. Seems in most churches we were afraid of Scientific Management so we reacted and never developed systems.
Multiplying in the Midwest – We’re Better Together
In 2012 states leaders and a few other interested pastors from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and HGC gathered in Indianapolis to wrestle with a couple key questions: How can we do church planting/church multiplication more effectively? How can we help our states move more toward a culture of multiplication? That conversation led us to ask an intriguing question, could we do it better if we did it together? The answer to that question was an emphatic yes! Trust grew quickly and a partnership was formed. The Midwest Multiplication Initiative was born that day and we went to work together!
Thoughts on Coaching…from a restaurant?
Recently, my wife and I stopped at Coach’s Bar & Grill for dinner. What I saw on the back of the menu struck me…
Reflections from Sabbatical – Part 3
In this article I want to talk about what to do in preparation for a sabbatical to increase the likelihood that it goes smoothly and doesn’t have ministry interruptions. Al Ells (www.leadersthatlast.org) coached me on some of these and I just lucked out on the others.
Reflections from Sabbatical – Part 2
Every leader needs a trusted and wise mentor to speak into his or her life, someone in his or her life with whom they are transparent and who has permission to speak into his or her life. I am a better person, husband, father, pastor and leader from having Al as a “mean friend” over the last 11 years. And the time with him while on sabbatical was priceless and will impact me for the rest of my life.
