Sometimes ministers go through difficult seasons. Sometimes elders go through difficult seasons. At times it seems that entire congregations go through difficult seasons. Sometimes a difficult season occurs because of someone’s irresponsibility, incompetence, meanness, manipulation, or thoughtlessness. Some ministers and some elders have been guilty of all five. Ministers and elders will make mistakes. Human… Continue reading Church Leaders are Called to Behave Better
Author: Jim Martin
Are You Committed or Still Flirting with Another Way?
Most married people will say that commitment is critical in marriage. However, some seem to still flirt with other possibilities. Some singles talk about the kind of marriage they want one day. In the meantime, they date people solely on the basis of physical attraction. Nothing wrong with physically attraction. However, when this becomes the… Continue reading Are You Committed or Still Flirting with Another Way?
Give it Five Minutes
Author Jason Fried tells the story of hearing a speaker at a conference in Providence, Rhode Island. While the speaker was speaking, he was “making an inventory” of the things he didn’t agree with. After Fried met the speaker, he immediately began to express to him the things he didn’t agree with. Fried then describes… Continue reading Give it Five Minutes
When Preachers Suffer Self-Inflicted Wounds
Serving as a minister can be hard – very hard. Yes, there are many situations where preachers and their families have been mistreated by their own congregation. These are real situations and deserve our thought, attention, and prayer. Yet, I don’t want to overlook another reality for many who preach. This reality is the self-inflicted… Continue reading When Preachers Suffer Self-Inflicted Wounds
Monday Notes
The following are some examples of what I read in the past week. Perhaps some of these will be of interest to you. ”Benny Hinn is my uncle but prosperity preaching isn’t for me,” Costi Hinn, Christianity Today, September 10, 2017. “Managers as Mentors,” Walter C. Wright, Comment, December 1, 2006. ”Happiness Traps: How We Sabotage Ourselves… Continue reading Monday Notes
How to Avoid Messing Up Your Future By Focusing on Today
You can’t have low standards for whom you date and high standards for whom you marry. Typically people do not date low and then marry high. This principle is true for so much of life. Some of us like to envision a future for ourselves in which we live right, marry right, and raise… Continue reading How to Avoid Messing Up Your Future By Focusing on Today
10 Game Changers for Christian Leaders
1. The very best thing you have to offer a church is your own transforming self. (Credit to Ruth Haley Barton for this language.) That is, you are a person who is in the process of being shaped and transformed into the image of Christ. 2. Manage yourself. You can spend much of… Continue reading 10 Game Changers for Christian Leaders
“I Was Just Kidding”
A regular stream of critical words has a way of taking the joy out of a marriage. A marriage in which a husband and wife regularly criticizes one another can feel like you are being nibbled to death by a duck. Sometimes we will level a criticism toward our spouse followed by the words, “I… Continue reading “I Was Just Kidding”
Three Important Behaviors for Any Church Leader
Have you ever looked at your to-do list and felt totally overwhelmed? I certainly have. Years ago, I thought the answer was to just work harder. I soon learned that I was missing certain priorities. If you are church leader (or businessperson), you may have had a similar experience. Yet, in all of the things… Continue reading Three Important Behaviors for Any Church Leader
When Sunday Morning is Just Too Silent
Many of us who have been a part of churches for years know all too well about the silence. I was a young minister. Actually, I was a young minister, husband, and father. Not much experience in any phase of life. The one thing I knew with certainty is that I had a lot to… Continue reading When Sunday Morning is Just Too Silent