25 Lessons in 25 Years – Lesson 7: “It Is All Too Easy to Forget”

July 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

We recently returned from a PEACE trip (that’s Saddleback’s Missions Initiative) in Manila. We took a team of parents, staff and 6th graders. We were given total access to a public elementary school, which is something that is quite uncommon in that part of the Philippines. We focused our ministry efforts on 5th and 6th grade students by offering a VBS style event two times each day on their campus. It was one of the most impactful mission trips I have ever been a part of. I cannot wait to go … [Read more...]

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25 Lessons in 25 Years – Lesson 6: “It’s URGENT”

June 5, 2013 by 1 Comment

Have you ever received a voice message or text that had that phrase in the message...”It’s urgent”? It certainly gets your attention. The interesting thing is we all interpret urgency differently. If my cable provider suddenly stopped my TV service during the Super Bowl or College Football’s National Championship, well that might not mean much to some people, but to me...it is a matter of URGENCY! Our kids have funny interpretations of what is urgent as well. It could be anything from the … [Read more...]

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25 Lessons in 25 Years – Lesson 4: Take Time to Think

February 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

In part 4 of this series I want to share a valuable lesson that is actually a discipline that I am still trying to master…the discipline of intentional thinking. Because of the busyness of life and ministry I can tell you this, if you are not taking time for intentional thinking then it is probably not happening. If that is the case, there are probably brilliant ideas lingering in your mind just waiting for the opportunity to be released. Years ago I read a book written by John Maxwell … [Read more...]

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25 Lessons in 25 Years – Lesson 3: Leave Well

February 1, 2013 by 1 Comment

Transition is a natural part of ministry. Some are fortunate enough to spend their entire ministry in one location, with one church. But the reality is, if you are in ministry for very long, you will probably have to make a transition at some point. And all too often those transitions do not go well. I would be willing to bet that you know someone who had a bad experience in a ministry transition. In fact, some of you reading this blog have experienced that personally. Whether you leave by … [Read more...]

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25 Lessons in 25 Years – Lesson 2: Submission to Authority is Underrated

January 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Today we continue a series I started several weeks ago called “25 Lessons in 25 Years.” Today's lesson is this…submission to authority is underrated. I know the word “submission” is not a popular word in today’s pop culture and for some people it carries negative connotations. But I know this to be true, submission to authority brings blessing. I have heard some say that there is no clear Biblical support for the principle of submitting to authority. I have also heard some say the … [Read more...]

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25 Lessons in 25 Years – Lesson 1: The Unexpressed Thought

January 11, 2013 by 3 Comments

Today I am beginning a series called 25 Lessons in 25 Years that I will post on Fridays. Simply put, these are ministry and life lessons I learned the hard way. I am sure your experiences have brought similar learnings, but my hope and prayer in sharing these simple lessons is to give you an “edge” so you can learn new and different things and share your learnings with me. That's life…live and learn! Put 10 people in a room with one topic and you will have 10 different opinions. Which, by the … [Read more...]

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