I have always been fascinated with words and concepts. They are my stock and trade. Words are powerful. They are a gift that allows us to relate to each other with understanding. And understanding is the grand achievement of all communication from advertising to preaching. Without understanding, no objective that requires more than one to
World Domination Persecution Beheadings Crucifixion One World Government Rome AD 33: What has changed in 2000 years? Not Much! You might have thought as you read the words in the graphic above that I was talking about ISIS and 2015, but actually the statements were referring to AD 33 and the Roman Empire. The Romans
I believe that the fountain of right and wrong, both in the area of decision and action, is motivation. Motivation has in it a root word, motive. And the word has come to have a largely negative connotation. But we all have motives. They rest quietly behind every decision and action we make. The question
The 2000 Presidential election was one of the most contentious in American history. George Bush narrowly edged out the incumbent Vice-President, Al Gore, by the smallest of margins. In fact, the race was simply too close to call on election night and was eventually decided by the US Supreme Court in a 5 to 4
There is something outside of you calling out to something inside of you to arise to the challenges of the day! When I look around and see the condition of our nation, our polarized politics, fragile economics and a culture that is becoming increasingly hostile to our Christian faith, I feel something pulling me, something
I once read something that Ruth Barton said about developing leaders. She said, and I’m paraphrasing, “We do a great disservice to young leaders when we teach them, first, what they can accomplish before we teach them what manner of people they should become.” And I believe this is true from the classroom to the
Jesus clearly intended for His followers to broadcast the news of salvation in His name to the ends of the earth. And they empowered with the Holy Spirit, did just that. How effective was His plan? Well, we call it the “great Commission” and “Great” really doesn’t do it justice. It is without a doubt
Working with leaders over the years, I have often remarked to them, “If you will reveal your thoughts to me, I will reveal your future to you.” “What you meditate on, you will become over time.” Our words are simple expressions of the thoughts of our heart. These thoughts are dictated and defined by our
Maturing into Effective Teambuilding It has been said over and over again that there is “no ‘I’ in team”, but today I beg to differ a bit. Now, I understand the idea of selflessness and group cooperation that this cliché implies, but the truth is, every team is composed of at least two
One of the great temptations in ministry is to become inwardly focused. Often, it’s not because of ego or pride, but sometimes simply the weight of the responsibility that we feel as ministers can become overwhelming, all consuming. Between advancing our vision and at the same time working desperately to keep people on the “merry-go-round”
