Where Leadership Begins
“All things are created twice.” We are often judged by where we’ve come from. Jesus experienced this. To Nathanael, Philip’s announcement that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (John 1:45f) was met with skepticism: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nazareth was deemed an “utterly insignificant” village. It was not mentioned in the Old Testament or any other writings […]
Faithfulness
“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3 Remember the movie White Squall? It tells the story of the brigantine Albatross, which was capsized by what mariners call a white squall: a violent “perfect” storm that can appear without warning and is almost impossible to survive. Does anyone else feel like the current […]
Advent and the Dawn of Grace
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us … John 1:14 Advent. The celebration of the coming of the Messiah. The Advent season is meant to take us on a journey of remembrance, anticipation, and joy. What is amazing is that the birth of Christ marks not a culmination but a new beginning. We […]
Finding God in Hard Places
(On May 31st a team from Neighborhood Ministries – six younger, seven older – traveled to Nairobi Kenya. As part of the Emerging Leaders Initiative, urban youth experienced life in a culture very different from their own. Can God be found in hard places? What we discovered changed our lives …) One afternoon, while the […]
Insights Double-Edge
Insight transforms ministry. But it comes with a price. Last month, I had the privilege of walking leaders through the principles of transformational discipleship. At the start, I asked: What do you hope to gain from the Transformational Youth Ministry workshop? Responses varied, yet they all seemed to echo a single need: Insight – they sought insights into how to better […]
