Tag Archives: spirituality

10 Questions to Ask in the Crucible of Differentiation – EH Leader Podcast

When I was in a very painful season of differentiation during 2006 and 2007, I developed a set of questions that I wrote in my journal and returned to over and over again. They became an anchor for me as I regularly and prayerfully brought them to God during my morning prayer time, asking Him for wisdom and power to deeply change me. I mark that season as a crucible – painful, severe, purifying, yet liberating. Without doubt, it was a turning point in my 30 years of growing into a more effective pastor. And they formed the foundation of The Emotionally Healthy Leader book that I wrote eight years later. When I accidentally rediscovered them in an old journal recently, I was taken aback at how carefully I had crafted the questions for myself, and how they had become so much a part of me after that two-year period. I offer them to. Read more.

Leadership Lessons from the Life of David – EH Leader Podcast

If you and I were sitting down with David towards the end of his life, and we asked him what tips might he have for our own leadership today, what might he say? Listed below are a few key tips I believe would be near the top of his list. What I appreciate most about David is that he was both deeply broken and a man after God’s own heart – just like many of us. He is one great biblical example of a highly differentiated leader. For this reason, this podcast is part of a larger podcast series on differentiation that I will continue next week. Also, on Tuesday, July 10th at 2 pm EST, I will host a 1-hour Webinar on Growing in Differentiation as Key to Great Leadership. (I mistakenly called it a podcast on this podcast!) Join others in sending me your specific questions around the application of differentiation to. Read more.

Becoming a More Differentiated Leader: Part 2 – EH Leader Podcast

Growing in differentiation is hard. The only thing harder, at least in the long-run, is not doing that hard work. Differentiation, as I talked about in Part 1, involves remaining connected to people and yet not having your reaction or behaviors determined by them. Our primary task, like Jesus, is to calmly differentiate our true self from the demands and voices around us, discerning the vision, pace, and mission the Father has uniquely given us. In this podcast I talk about four practical truths that can help us make the radical transition of dismantling our false self in order to lead faithfully out of our true self in Christ: Paying attention to our interiors in silence and solitude Finding trusted companions Moving out of our comfort zone Praying for courage Join me in this journey. And you’ll discover the fruit of growing into a more differentiated self. You will find that you’ll be less. Read more.

Becoming a More Differentiated Leader: Part 1 – EH Leader Podcast

In this podcast, I introduce the paradigm-shifting concept of differentiation as one significant reason why exercising excellent leadership is so hard – whether it be in a church, a business, a non-profit institution, or an educational institution. Differentiation involves remaining connected to people and yet not having your reaction or behaviors determined by them. Our primary task, like Jesus, is to calmly differentiate our true self from the demands and voices around us, discerning the vision, pace, and mission the Father has uniquely given us. It involves being clear about our life goals and not becoming lost in the anxious emotional processes swirling around us. (See Edwin Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve.) Jesus, of course, models for us a 100% differentiated person. In this podcast, I address three key questions that have helped me to grow in differentiation and to maturely navigate high-charged situations that have come my way: What do I do with. Read more.

You’re Incredible

To live and lead like Jesus requires that we embrace the fact that we are people with deep weaknesses and vulnerabilities. At the same time, it also requires we embrace the glorious truth that we are incredible – with unique passions, histories, gifts, experiences, sufferings, and destinies. In the early years of my faith, most of the discipleship I received focused primarily on depravity and sin. The good seeds of God hidden beneath my unique person as an image-bearer of God were rarely mentioned. Granted, every part of our being is flawed and disfigured by sin. Nonetheless, because of God’s image in us, goodness also dwells within every human being. Henri Nouwen describes it well: For a very long time I considered low self-esteem to be some kind of virtue. I had been warned so often against pride and conceit that I came to consider it a good thing to deprecate myself. But now. Read more.

10 Reasons Sabbath is Core to Leadership – EH Leader Podcast

Practicing Sabbath, much like prayer or reading the Bible, doesn’t save us. We are saved by Jesus alone. But if we are not routinely reading Scripture or praying, it is unlikely we are growing much spiritually. Keeping Sabbath is a core spiritual practice – an essential means God uses to slow us down and mature us. In this podcast, I expound on ten core reasons Sabbath is so indispensable for us who lead in Jesus’ name: Sabbath is something God did, and being made in his image, we are created to do it as well. Sabbath was built into the DNA of the creation. Sabbath time is set apart as “holy” within God’s creation of a 7-day week. Sabbath helps us embrace our humanity, vulnerability, limits and finiteness. Sabbath protects us from doing violence to ourselves. It doesn’t save our souls, but it saves our lives. Sabbath reminds us God’s world is good, offering. Read more.

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