In many cases, the success of an endeavor is measured by whether it accomplishes the intended outcomes. And if the outcomes are something under your control, that’s a perfectly fine measurement to use. Yet I’ve found that in ministry, we often tie our success to...
One of the things I quickly noticed when running an inner city ministry for middle schoolers was that these kids have a long history of broken promises by significant adults in their lives. These kids were really insecure about trusting adults, because adults had...
A man I work with in the transitional living center recently wrote a letter to me and Janet asking for $100. Our policy in environments where we volunteer is that is that we don’t give money directly to individuals, but we do give time and training to them. That’s the...
When you’re working with people, and they’re trying to make a decision on where they need to go or what they need to be doing, I often ask them, “How has God led you in the past?” They then rehearse where God has led them and that informs their current situation. They...
God often tests the quality of our commitment to a vision by asking us to humbly accept a smaller initial role. If you’re not willing to mop the floor, you shouldn’t be the senior pastor. Before God provides great resources, he asks for faithfulness with what he has...
Street improvements in Mexico, I am told, happen like clockwork once every five years—the year before elections. Every five years they’ll have some improvements done, but not the rest of the time. Any additional road work will wait until just before the...
