When we cross the line into “fixing” our ministries instead of leading them forward to greener pastures, we are overfunctioning. Overfunctioning can be defined as: doing for others what they can and should do for themselves. Distinguishing when we have crossed that line into overfunctioning requires discernment, courage, and at times, wise counsel from others. In this podcast, I introduce this large theme by inviting you to listen to Geri’s reading of the audio version of an outstanding chapter out of The Emotionally Healthy Woman called “Quit Overfunctioning.” By the time you finish, it will make sense why quitting overfunctioning is foundational to leadership. In fact, unless we take up this biblical challenge, it will be nearly impossible to raise up healthy, biblical communities that effectively engage the world with the gospel and deeply transform lives. For example, you will be introduced to four realities that should motivate us to make this a critical topic. Read more.

I am a great believer in prayerfully discerning God’s vision for our work as leaders and strategically and thoughtfully setting priorities and goals to get there. The problem, however, is that our emphasis tends to be only numerical – e.g. attendance, number in small groups, giving – and a number of important goals are easily overlooked. I spent last week expanding on the first goal we tend to overlook in our leading: investing in our own development and growth in Jesus. In this week’s podcast, I explore four other goals we frequently overlook in our leadership: Each person on our team is blossoming with a personal/ministry growth plan as a disciple of Jesus. Our team models the quality of life in Jesus that we want to give away, i.e. we embody what we seek to happen in others. Each member of our team defines success in God, thoughtfully and prayerfully, for their area. Each. Read more.

Setting priorities as a Christian leader is one of our most challenging and difficult tasks. If we get it right, fruitfulness and joy follow. If we get it wrong, feelings of failure and misery follow. In present-day church culture success is mostly measured by numbers: attendance, giving, conversions, baptisms, small groups, new church plants, people serving, etc. In the process, however, we can miss other key goals that, while they may be more difficult to measure, are also biblical and important. This podcast (Part 1 of 2) will consider, in detail, the MOST frequently overlooked priority and goal of our leadership – ourselves! The greatest gift of leadership we give those around us is our continued diligence to be a disciple and to follow Jesus wherever, and however, he wants to lead us. Every year I ask: “Where is Jesus inviting me to grow this year and in what areas of my life? And. Read more.

This podcast, a 15-minute experience of silence and stillness before the Lord, is our Christmas gift to you, our way of saying “thank you” for being one of our faithful podcast listeners. The large majority of you may be driving, walking, or working out as you listen. Nonetheless, I will lead you in this podcast through this very slow experience by reading the words as they appear on the screen. I trust you will be able to experience a portion of this gift even without seeing the images. But for the fuller experience with Jesus, let me invite you to click on the image below and watch it via your phone or computer. Note: I saw the seed of this idea for this somewhere in 2008. (However, I am not sure where that was.) I watered that seed and developed a sermon around it to help people at New Life Fellowship Church integrate silence. Read more.

Sadly, Advent is a low point spiritually for most Christian leaders. This was my experience for years. I was told Christmas was THE time to get as many people to the church as possible, to close the financial year strong, to thank all our leaders, and to model reaching out to our neighbors for Christ. The problem was that, in the process, I lost the wonder and beauty of celebrating God’s coming in Jesus of Nazareth. This podcast talks about the top 4 Christmas killers and what we can do to resist them. Rushing. The one who hurries delays the things of God (Vincent de Paul). Rushing is violent to our souls. The pressure of too much to do, in too little time, causes us to push a button into an “autopilot” spirituality. We end up speaking of profound spiritual realities but our hearts slowly shrink. What can we do? Follow Jesus in withdrawing to. Read more.

Prior to stepping down as Lead Pastor of New Life Fellowship Church, I wondered: “What are the essence of the seeds I have planted? What are the seeds I pray the church cherishes, waters, and grasps more deeply in the years to come?” Among the seeds were this – God’s ways are little and slow, i.e. they are a mustard seed. For those of us swimming in 21st century Western culture, this is one of the most important biblical truths from Jesus that we must allow to sink deep into the soil of our being. Mustard seeds appear insignificant, powerless, imperceptible, and defeated. Few of us signed up to lead in this way. I surely did not! Yet Jesus pleads with us to resist the big, powerful, and sensational ways of the world and embrace his way. This one truth, found in Mark 13:31-32, is powerful enough to transform our self-understanding, our view of. Read more.