Not long ago I was spending time with some young pastors, hoping to learn how leaders today define ministry success. The word "influence" seemed to be a common theme.

Many leaders obsess over growing their followers, gaining digital credibility, and creating captivating sound bites for social media. While there is nothing wrong with having a following, there exists a pressure and allure to making that the primary scorecard for ministry impact. This way of thinking only leads to destruction.

In many ways, this is nothing new. The 3 deadly temptations that Jesus faced in the desert, are the exact temptations we face as leaders, no matter what generation you are from.

• Expectations from others (i.e. board, supervisors, people we serve)
• Internal pressure to be a great leader or to create momentum.
• The “shoulds" of everything that feels important. (i.e. “We should be doing more of this...")

• We diminish the long-term impact of our ministries.
• We allow the wrong people exercise power and leadership. 
• We perpetuate immaturity. 
• We grow resentful and live in dis-ease. 
• We waste the time, energy, and money of God’s people.
• We increase anxiety in everyone around us.
• We, and our community, become less playful (and more “intense/heavy.”)

Every day, people all around us live in a chronic state of dread, anxious about what tomorrow will bring.

Nations and economies are crumbling. News media agitates our deepest fears. It often feels like the ground is shaking beneath our feet.

In a time like this, it is critical that we continue to LIVE and LEAD out of deep rest in Christ.

But how do we break free from the gravitational pull of bad news and despair?

I believe we must recalibrate a biblical vision of HOPE. (Hint: it's more than optimism)
 
Let's be clear – this doesn't happen easily. We must contend for God's vision of reality and vigilantly pursue deep rest in Christ.

In today's podcast episode, I share keys to cultivating hope and deep rest.

Hiring new staff (paid or volunteer) is one of the most difficult responsibilities of church leadership.  The difference between the right hire and the wrong hire will have long-term consequences in your church.

Two weeks ago on the podcast, I brought the first part of "Emotionally Healthy Hiring (Paid or Volunteer)", in which we covered the first 7 principles that leaders must consider before making a hire.

Today, I bring the second part, offering the next 6 out of 13 principles for emotionally healthy hiring. (It's shocking to hear how often principle #11 is overlooked when hiring staff!)

Churches around the world are rebuilding in a post-pandemic world. Leaders are assembling new teams and desperately trying to fill vacant positions.

The temptation to cut corners in your hiring process (paid or volunteer) is ENORMOUS. When you feel the pressure to onboard a new worship leader or children's pastor in order to keep "the wheels on the bus", it's easy to make poor hiring decisions.

In today's podcast, I share 7 out of 13 principles that MUST be considered before your next hire. On the following podcast, I'll release part two of this series with the remaining principles. 

Today, very few church leaders feel like they are winning.

We look at our churches compared to what they used to be or what we'd like them to be, and it's hard to feel like we're making a real difference.

So we're faced with a difficult temptation...

Do we use our best energy to chase the perception of momentum? Or do we pursue heaven's perspective and seek to live with integrity from the inside out?

In today's podcast, I want to encourage you as a pastor or church leader. Jesus is King and He is ruling over the whole world – including your church!

Great news! I'm officially back from my summer sabbatical and I'm excited to share with you insights from my time away. 

In the 3rd - 5th centuries, early Christian men and women fled to the desert to escape the moral compromise in the church and the idols of the world. They did this, not out of self-righteousness, but in order to send a life raft to the church and be a gift to the world. 

The truth is – we must find a new way to live as desert fathers and mothers if we are going to live with deep peace and a powerful witness.

In today's podcast, I share 8 ways you can create for yourself a desert from which you can better love God and love others.

One of the most destructive temptations leaders face is living and leading from the veneer of a "false self". In other words, we project an image of how we'd like to be perceived, rather than living from truth.   

In today's podcast, I share a sermon from Colossians 3 that explores how we can overcome our false self and live out of our true self in Christ.