Recently I had a conversation with a pastor who shared some of his frustrations in ministry—about his staff, board, and direction. He felt like few understood the level of commitment he had to lead the ministry. We went on to discuss his experience over the years. He had been in ministry for four decades—serving in…
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Every generation tends to have a favorite music genre. Even as time passes, they stay forever connected to that one particular era—for my parents it was the 60s and 70s, for me it was the late 90s, for my kids it’s something more recent. This music isn’t special to us because we objectively think it’s…
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Terry freezes, locking his eyes on a hawk yards away that sits on a tree branch. He grips the camera hanging from his neck and brings it up to his eye, aiming for the perfect shot. He needs another lens, but he sees the hawk jerk his head towards the opposite direction. The bird’s about…
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“Girl.” The robotic voice enunciates the word clearly through Khaira’s headphones. She stares at it on her computer screen. Well, the class’s computer screen. She doesn’t own a laptop. Her son had one in Iraq, and they left it behind when they fled their country due to terrorism. She can still see the Arabic letter…
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My daughter, Jada, has a giant pair of clippers in her hands. She looks tiny in comparison to the monstrous gardening tool. I can easily imagine it snipping off one of her little fingers. Yet, I don’t feel scared. While Jada may still be a child, I’ve trusted her more and more as she’s gotten…
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I had someone challenge me years ago by telling me that what I was doing wasn’t sustainable. He said, “If you’re always giving a hundred percent, then at some point, you won’t have anything left to give.” At the time, it didn’t totally make sense to me. I was a lot younger in ministry then.…
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This is a story about two churches. Both churches have been around for a long time. They have very similar programs, teaching styles, histories, doctrinal statements, and structures. Both churches have had an incredible impact on the world — directly serving, sending, and supporting all kinds of ministry and church plants. Both churches place the…
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In any job, burnout is inevitable. You’ve seen it—people get tired & frustrated over the years, and it slowly wears them out. What did that look like for me? As a senior pastor for 16 years at a church I started, I found myself constantly battling anxiety and depression. When you’re leading a ministry, running…
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