Catch the seashore vision

As a young church planter, knocking on doors in the 70s and struggling to get a new church up and running, I had a vision that has since directed the rest of my life. In my vision I was standing at the seashore in southern California. I was joined by other church...

One of my favorite stories

Some of you who have heard me speak may have heard me share one of my very favorite discipleship and church planting stories. It’s out of Honduras, and goes to illustrate how effective ministry can be with almost no resourcing, no technology, no telephones, no...

Affirmation as the foundation of change

When we see someone doing something poorly, what’s our natural inclination? To tell them what their problem is, of course. How else would they fix it unless we tell them what they’re doing wrong? Advice, “constructive” criticism, unsolicited feedback… these are our...

There’s always time to do God’s will

Whenever you find yourself truly genuinely overloaded– and I’m not talking about those temporary blips on your calendar where there’s a seasonal crunch– but when you find yourself genuinely overloaded long-term, then one principle is true:  something you...

Half a loaf vs. half a baby

When is compromise appropriate and when is it not appropriate? I first learned a helpful rule of thumb from Carl George. There are times when half of something is better than none of it: half a loaf of bread is better than no loaf of bread. It may not be all you...
Working on your ministry, not in it

Working on your ministry, not in it

  There’s a book by Michael Gerber called The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. One of the points he makes, which is equally applicable to church planting, is that many entrepreneurs get caught up working in the...