Listening to the Holy Spirit together with others
If we are to practice a kind of discipleship that is truly tailored to the individual, we absolutely need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Where God is calling one person to focus their growth is not necessarily where he’s calling another to focus. We can...
When it’s okay to fire the client
Almost always my time coaching people is a wonderful experience where they gain insight, address challenges, experience breakthroughs, and take positive steps toward their vision. But there are times when we just don’t seem to get traction. When those kinds of...
A diagram for change
Sometimes if you want to see change, you need to change your assumptions about yourself and about your ministry. Take a look at the diagram below from Releasing Your Church’s Potential. The upper right portion, transformational, is where change works and...
Introducing change
Today’s entry is from guest blogger Dr. Steven Goodwin. A woman came home from a swap meet with a crocheted wall hanging that read “Prayer changes things.” Proud of her new acquisition, she asked her husband for his opinion. “I don’t like it,” he said without...
A different outlook
This Friday morning I just wanted to share with you an anonymous comment from a coaching client on the value coaching can bring: I left the office on Friday feeling great. Nothing much had changed, it was still cold and grey outside. I realized that what had changed...
Do you want to get well?
Remember the story where Jesus approaches a man in need of healing and asks him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) I used to think that was such a strange question. Of course he wants to get well! What invalid wouldn’t want to get well? Yet one of the observations...
Permission vs. ownership
A critical mistake many pastors make is they assume that if they get their governing board to give permission or approval, they’ve won the battle. It’s true that governing board permission is needed for certain initiatives, but the more critical issue isn’t...