I was recently reading the parable of the landowner and the vineyard (Mt 20:1-16). This is the story in which a landowner hires workers in the early morning, then more at midday, then again more at midafternoon, and finally a group near the end of the day. The punch line is that he pays […]
Patience: An Unhurried Virtue
Hurry is a primary problem among Christian leaders and continues to grow.?The fruit of the Spirit most related to unhurry is patience. Here are a few thoughts about patience in life and ministry. When I think about how I?ve sometimes ?done? church, I ask myself which would be better: ten one-year ministry cycles, each with […]
Spiritual Direction: Nurturing Our Uniqueness
I was reviewing some of my recent reading and came across this great word from Eugene Peterson about the gift of spiritual direction, especially when we?ve been down the road with Christ for a while. As we grow into maturity in Christ our distinctiveness is accentuated, not blunted. General directions, useful as they are, don?t […]
Healthy Leadership Formation Takes Time
One of my favorite arenas of reading is any book that wrestles with the integration of spiritual formation and leadership development (or some version of those two arenas). A while back, I read David Bosch?s A Spirituality of the Road. Listen to this from him: Because the ambassador?s role is so crucial he has to […]
Psalm 23: The Lord is My Shepherd
In a sermon a while back, I shared insights from Psalm 23. First, as David begins, he doesn?t say, ?The Lord is a Shepherd? (in a general way), or ?The Lord is the Shepherd? (in a definitive way), but ?The Lord is my Shepherd? (in a personal way). He doesn?t just shepherd the world of […]
I?m Not Wild About Mild
?Christ is saying [in describing the church as the salt of the earth] that mild religion, far from being of partial value, is of utterly no value. We can lose our Christianity! It is easy to go on with the motions; it is easy to continue a structure; it is easy to go on with […]
Thoughts on Jesus? Way of Discipleship
?Jesus? methodology presents a challenge to the present-day culture of productivity, which demands a speedy programmatic approach for the process of making disciples.? (Keith R. Anderson & Randy D. Reese. Spiritual Mentoring: A Guide for Seeking & Giving Direction. Downer?s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999, p. 38.) Jesus? way was unhurried. He knew that good fruit […]
