Search

Preacher on the Run…

Faith, Family, Ministry, and Everything in between

Open Search
Tag

Leadership

Starting Small…Staying Small (Feature Friday 09/13/19)

Like every leader, I see growth as a good thing. I want the areas I lead to grow. I desire to see an upward and to the right trend year over year. However, that is not always reality. There are many causes for why organisms and organizations don’t grow, but many of those obstacles to growth can be removed.

While getting bigger is not intrinsically better, if I, as a church leader, am going to reach a community, growth is a healthy desire. Therefore, I must pay attention to factors that can not merely cause growth, but also those that may hinder growth. This is what Carey Nieuwhof’s article “Why Most Churches That Start Small…Stay Small.”

Even if you are not a church leader, Nieuwhof covers realities that apply to any organization and one’s that every leader to should be aware and attentive to. As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day. Enjoy the article and I’d love to hear your feedback or response in the comments below!

Photo by Alem Omerovic on Unsplash

 

Advertisements
0

A Job Well Done (Feature Friday 08/30/19)

It has been over 3 years, but I still remember it like yesterday. I had flown to Dallas, TX for a week-long intensive class I needed while pursuing my master’s degree. Work had been crazy leading up to that week and I knew we would be discussing how to be fulfilled in what we do for a career. Needless to say, I was feeling anything but fulfilled. That is when my professor said it.

“If you love 60% or more of what you do, be content with your current situation, because it’s a great place to be”. I didn’t know what to do with that. I wanted to love everything in my job. I wanted to look for that “perfect” spot. But the strange thing was, I wasn’t discouraged by his statement, I was encouraged. I went back home and to work with a renewed sense that what I did, not only wasn’t bad but that it mattered…greatly.

Unfortunately, I don’t think many people are there. As Tim Challies writes in his article, “There are very few jobs in this world that are consistently exciting.” That is what I wanted, but once I had my expectations aligned properly my attitude and thus actions changed as well as my perspective on my work.

Check out Tim’s article, “Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Opportunity“. As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

 

0

Have more Fun (Feature Friday 08/23/2019)

The past few days have been exhausting. Our six year old has had the flu (including all the fun things that come with that). Our 14 month old has been avoiding sleep like the plague, even though sleep is what he needs and we want most. With all this going on we feel like we are just surviving.

I am up early preparing for the day, taking the breakfast shift before I head out to work and have gotten home late because of multiple evening meetings. My wife is managing the ever growing piles of laundry, making sure everyone is fed, and doing the bedtime routine solo most evenings. Needless to say we are exhausted.

It is in weeks like these where I can come home, we can do the dinner, clean up, bath, and bedtime routine on autopilot. But there is something we have been missing and I needed the challenge in…Having More Fun as a Family.

Anyone who knows me know I love a good time, but this last week or so has been a struggle to have or even want to have fun as a family. So I was exhorted and encouraged by this article.

I hope you will remember and seek to have some fun this weekend as a family or individual. Enjoy the article and as always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

0

Leadership Chaos (Feature Friday 08/16/19)

The day was almost over. Having just wrote and sent that last email of the day, I was excited to turn off my computer, gather up my things, and head home for my day off. Before shutting down my computer I checked my task list to see where I stood and there it was. The long list of things that were yet to be done with additional ones I thought of to add.

At that exact moment my wife texted and asked me to stop by the store on the way home, one of our kids was sick. So I headed out with a few things on my mental to do list when I was stopped by a co-worker on the way out the door who asked me for my help with another project. In that moment, life felt chaotic.

Leadership can be that way…chaotic. But the good news is, it doesn’t have to be. Which is why I needed to reminders from Carey Nieuwhof’s article “5 Signs You’re a Slave to Leadership Chaos“. I have to admit I still see bits of all 5 signs in my life, but I’m working on them.

If you are a leader or hope to lead in the future do yourself a favor and read this article. I hope it challenges, convicts, and encourages you to take action like it has for me.

As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash

0

Prayer Is Hard (Feature Friday 08/09/19)

I know that it is good for me. It has proven fruitful and helpful in times past. There have even been occasions where I saw immediate results. And yet when it comes to prayer and being consistent in prayer, it’s difficult. I guess that is why they call it a discipline.

But what I have discovered over the past few years about prayer is interesting. What is difficult as a personal discipline is often difficult as a corporate discipline as well. In the multiple small groups I have led in the past few years, the prayer time can still be awkward, uncomfortable, and difficult to say the least. I have often wondered, is it worth it to keep forcing the issue.

The answer is a resounding YES! Keep praying as a group. Keep praying for one another and with one another. Ian Carmichael gives some great encouragement and ideas as to “How to Continue Steadfastly in Prayer at Group.” He provides needed optimism on praying together and helpful tips for the group.

So don’t give up, keep praying, read the article, and be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

Photo by Rosie Fraser on Unsplash

0

Feature Friday (09/19/19)

Have you ever felt like you’re just not being heard? You’ve entered into a conversation with another person and at some point during the interaction the other person seems disengaged. Maybe you’re simply getting the subtle head nod or the bland “mmm hmmm”. Whatever form it takes we all know it leaves you, the one talking, feeling unvalued.

Unfortunately, I have been guilty of not listening well. I have done with my wife, my kids, and my friends. As a leader I am ashamed to admit it, but it’s the truth. Thankfully Jim Putnam wrote a helpful article on intentional listening.

If you are a leader, and we all are to some degree, we must value those we lead and interact with. We need to know how to listen well, to listen with purpose. For help in doing so check out “These 4 Levels of Intentional Listening“.

Enjoy the read and as always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!

0

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d bloggers like this: