An area of church health in need of healing is the renewal of unity. Positionally, according to verses like Romans 12:5, we are one, but practically, we are not living as one. It seems we have falsely been conditioned to believe unity or oneness means uniformity. “Look like me, behave like me, Read more…
In previous posts, we have looked at the concept of waiting and how it forms our lives. We have identified these seasons as “wilderness,” or seasons of waiting, marked by uncertainty, adversity, and personal growth opportunities. How we navigate these wilderness seasons will profoundly impact our lives. Failing to do Read more…
In 2002, while serving in my first full-time church ministry job as a youth pastor, I attended the National Youth Workers Convention. During the convention, I attended a seminar called Getting Fired for the Glory of God by Mike Yaconelli, one of my spiritual and ministry heroes. It would be Read more…
One of our three key areas of ministry focus is Church Revitalization. There is a prolific amount of writing on church revitalization, including various definitions. Our team at Preparing for Amazement once asked how we, as a ministry, define church revitalization. Our definition of revitalization includes three considerations. Looking like Read more…
Ever feel like you have been running the race marked out for you and it seems like someone stuck their foot out in front of you and tripped you? I mean the kind of fall that’s more than a skinned knee, but rather the kind that paralyzes you. What then? And why is Read more…
We looked at waiting and its discomfort and inconvenience in the Part 1 of this series. If it’s inevitable, how should I approach these seasons? I find it helpful in life to call something what it is. If it’s a good idea, say it is. If it’s a beautiful day, Read more…
As long as there are people, there will be problems. As one of my colleagues and friends likes to say, ‘humans tend to human.’ There is no such thing as a problem-free church, yet most churches have far more problems than are necessary or desired. Over the years, I have Read more…
Chances are that you’re reading this right now while waiting on an appointment to show up, to be called back, or so that you don’t have to make eye contact with anyone (we introverts tend toward that). We are more accustomed to waiting than we might even know. I remember Read more…
Have you ever said something so obvious, you wonder why you had to say it? I find myself saying such a statement much more often recently. Funny thing is, I tell it to myself more than anyone else. Even funnier, I need to hear it. What’s that statement? “Transitions are Read more…
Recently in meeting where a group of us were discussing a discipleship model for academic theological education, I made a statement that I make often about my own formation as a follower of Jesus. I said, “The person I am today comes as a result of three things: Jesus, the Read more…
