Summary: Everyone wants a mighty army and a set of mighty men. But we must be willing to put in the time to make duds into studs. Use your physical eyes and spiritual eyes to see the unseen and be led by the Spirit of God.

Read Article

Here is some important advice: You go to war with who you’ve got, not who you wished you had. Let me say that again. You go to war with the army you have, not the army you wished you had. Some people might be a dud in the eyes of man - but we will form them into a warrior-woman-for-God. Honestly, this may be that super eager person, yes that one person who has all of the ANNOYING new ideas that will probably not work. I can work with eagerness. I can work with one person. What I cannot do: do it all alone.

I think it is very important to remember that David had his mighty men. However, who were David’s mighty men before they were mighty? The debaters, the disenfranchised and the downtrodden. They were the disaffected, the discouraged and the duds. That is who David went to war with. They did not start out BEING the mighty men. They BECAME the mighty men through time, experience and David’s leadership. Everyone wants a mighty army and a set of mighty men. Few, however, are we willing to put in the time and work with a set of DUDS in order to make them into STUDS.

Bottom line, you need to have an eye for leadership - which is your PHYSICAL EYES. You need to be an observer of your people. You need to cultivate the ability to see a diamond in the rough. Beyond that, you also need to know how to shape a rough stone into something that gleams and shines. However, you need to have your SPIRITUAL EYES open as well. You need to be able to see the unseen and be led by the Spirit of God.

Speaking of David, let’s not forget his humble beginnings, being overlooked and passed over by the stronger, the older and those thought to be more qualified. Listen, start praying for spiritual eyes. Stop overlooking those others may consider duds. Your job is to build people, not just the pretty people.

Summary: The day that you plant the seed is not the day that you eat of the fruit. A wise master farmer understands that you work hard now for a future harvest. The blessings I'm standing in right now are because I worked super hard two years ago. Today needs faith and hope for an expected harvest.

Read Article

The day that you plant the seed is not the day that you eat of the fruit. Think with me for a moment about the fruit you have right now in your life. This current fruit came from the hard and intentional work we did 22 months ago. Our hard work is just starting to bear fruit right now. Listen, a wise master farmer understands that you work hard now for a future harvest. The blessings I'm standing in right now are because I worked super hard two years ago.

And I think it takes a real sense of faith and a sense of commitment to lead with the future in mind. I challenge you to look back on your own personal history to see what seeds were planted that are now helping you right now. Things take time. You see germination is not an overnight thing. The Bible says we should not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, therefore, shall he also reap. It takes time, plus consistency of behavior.

Listen, think of the blessing you're standing in right now. Could I challenge you to go back in time and see where your current standing has historical foundations? When did you plant the seeds that are helping you right now? This is the law of the harvest.

At this time, I want to provide you with a logical next thought. What you plant right now, will help you 18-24 months down the road. I want you to start planting right now. I want you to do this so that 18 months from now, you're going to be receiving that blessing. You don't receive it right away. Be committed to the long haul. Today needs faith and hope for an expected harvest.

Summary: Leadership is less about positional authority. Leadership is more about influencing the direction of things to come. A boss has the title, but a leader has the people.

Read Article

A boss has the title, but a leader has the people. I couldn't agree more. Leadership is influence. Leadership is less about positional authority. Leadership is more about influencing the direction of things to come. I didn't always have the title and yet I don't think that it matters. I don't think titles really do us any favors.

I think having a strong heart and great work ethic beats a title every day. I think being relationally savvy, so much so, that people cannot wait to follow you, beats a title every day. A boss may have the title. But if somebody thinks they're leading and yet nobody is following, they're just taking a walk.

If you're, if you think you're leading and nobody's following, you're just taking a stroll by yourself up a hill. Let’s contrast this with a person that people follow. What is a leader? It is a person that wherever they go, people are just hungry to go that direction. You see, a boss has a title. Yet the authority of a title doesn't really do too much.

A title can get you an initial start in a new organization. It can get you a little distance. But a leader is somebody who has the hearts of the people. Think about it. Do you just have a title, or do you have the people? You don't have to have the title in order to make a supreme difference in the life of your church and in the life of your volunteers. You don't have to have a title. You have to have the hearts of your people.

Summary: Train people so well that they have an abundance of skills and abilities because you poured into them. They can leave and take on a different job because you have equipped them so well. But treat them so well that there's no way that they would ever want to leave your side.

Read Article

Train people so well that they can leave. Treat them so well that they want to stay. This is one of my favorite quotes. Train people so well that they have an abundance of skills and abilities because you poured into them. They can leave and take on a different job because you have equipped them so well. But treat them so well that there's no way that they would ever want to leave your side.

You see, I want to train people to be better than me. I want to train people to be able to run a ministry. I want to train them to run the entire show. However, I want to treat them so well and even befriend them that they would never leave in their wildest dreams. I want people to be getting all the goods but also be treated super good.

I want people to say, “I love this guy. He has taught me so much and there is so much more he can teach me. I would love to stay right here with this guy. The way he treats me is so amazing and this is such a sweet experience to learn all these things.”

Now I have been in ministry contexts where people didn't train me that well, and they didn't treat me that well. That's a painful experience. And I want to challenge you to pour into people and prepare people for great things in the Lord. You need to be an educator of how to do the tactics and the practices of ministry. But you also need to be an educator of how to treat people. Always remember, much more is caught than taught. They will learn so much by HOW you treat them, more than any lesson on how we should treat people. Train your people so well that they literally could take a job at another church, but treat them so well that they're like, man, I don't know if I would have it so good over there like I have it here. Train them well, but treat them even better.

Summary: I want to have a face that people are eager to approach. This is a “yes face”. People pick up on our facial expressions, our body language and our non-verbal communication. It can start with a simple smile.

Read Article

In a ministry context, I think one of the most important things is simply to smile. Yes. At the end of a Sunday, I would come home, and my face would feel sore because I had worked the muscles, my smiling muscles. You see, I want to have a yes face and not a stress face.

I want to have a face that people are eager to approach. This is a “yes face”. Let’s contrast that with a “no face”. I don't want to walk around on a Sunday morning with such a stern, rougher composure, like I am on a mission and not to be interrupted. Could you smile more? I think we can all look a little more approachable. I think we all look a little bit more open to others. I think people will want to be around a smiler more than they would a person to continually frowns. My encouragement to you is simple. Smile more smile today. There is a stark contrast between the Yes-Face and the No-Face. Get into the habit of having a resting “Yes face”. I think it will make a huge difference.

Does your normal and natural “resting face” communicate YES or does it communicate STRESS? 90% of communication is non-verbal. So, I am communicating, even when I'm not intending to communicate. People pick up on our facial expressions, our body language and our non-verbal communication. Let’s start with the easy win. It can start with a simple smile.

Summary: Everyone wants to be asked HOW they are doing. Before we assess WHAT someone is doing, or before we start asking someone to volunteer, it is important to ask HOW they are doing.

Read Article

Volunteers want to know that YOU know how they're doing. We need to be care-givers to our volunteers. So, before we assess WHAT they're doing, it is important to ask HOW they are doing. This is true in my life, right? You are probably the same. Don't you want people around you to know HOW you're doing rather than to check up on WHAT you're doing?

Before I begin to have important vision casting conversations or recruiting-type conversations, I would simply ask the question, “Hey, what's God doing in your life?” This simple question became a type of temperature reading. I wanted to find out how is this person really doing, rather than me launching into my vision casting thing.

My encouragement to you is for you to use this simple phrase, “Hey, what's God doing in your life, right now?” I do not want you to use this as a trite question so you can get to your agenda. Rather, enter into a deeper conversation, seeking to truly know what God is doing in another person’s life.

You might find out the challenge of an elderly parent that they're having to parent. You might find out that they have a kid who is challenged at school. You might find out that their marriage is challenged. You might find out that they're experiencing an absolute season of blessing. I want you to lead with the question, “Hey, what's God doing in your life” before you start asking them if they'll participate with you in ministry.

I think everyone wants to be asked HOW they are doing. And everyone wants to report out about the realities of what's happening on the inside of their lives.

Summary: If you've heard me say it once you've heard me say it a hundred times: Everything in ministry comes down to relationship. From start to finish, it's all about relationship.

Read Article

If you've heard me say it once you've heard me say it a hundred times: Everything in ministry comes down to relationship. From start to finish, it's all about relationship. I think this is true for a bank teller. I think this is true for a doctor. It was definitely true when I was a teacher. How much more is relationship key to ministry!

There is a trap, however, in ministry. It is the trap of “Nuts and Bolts”. Ministry, like all other jobs, has lots and lots of minor details. Let’s call those the nuts and bolts. We can get so focused on the machinery of ministry that we miss out on the entire point of ministry: PEOPLE. Yes, there's a lot of paper to be pushed, but the purpose of pushing that paper is to set up relationships with people. We want to make the paper pushing processes easier so that I am available for relationships.

We live in two worlds if you are in ministry. Process and People. But I want you, as a ministry leader, to not get so focused on the processes that you forget people. The purpose is relationship building.

We are here to be shepherds. We are here to be pastors. Never forget that people have spiritual emergencies in their lives. I want us to have margin to deal with the most important thing, which is people. Listen, it's our job to establish relationship with people.

Everything is about relationship building. Certainly we have got to know how to push the papers, but the purpose of the papers is to make margin for the people.

Summary: If you want to call your own shots, if you want to cut your own way, if you want the keys to the car, if you want to have a “yes” from your supervisors, if you want more freedom, the answer is diligence. The hand of the diligent will rule, but the Slack hand will be put to forced labor.

Read Article

If you have journeyed with me for any length of time in these different leadership circles, you have likely heard me share this next proverb. The Bible says that the hand of the diligent will rule but the slack hand will be put to forced labor. If you want to call your own shots, if you want to cut your own way, if you want the keys to the car, if you want to have a “yes” from your supervisors, if you want more freedom, the answer is diligence.

The hand of the diligent will rule, but the Slack hand will be put to forced labor. Years ago, I was working on staff at a church and a peer of mine came to my office. He said, “Man, why is it that after the senior leaders come out of a two-hour meeting, they walk out and hand me stuff to do that has nothing to do with my ministry area?”

I told him, “I think the senior leaders walk out of their meeting and start looking around to see who has margin and time on their hands. They take one look at me and how full my hands are and they don’t hand me stuff.”

I continued, “But if I can be honest with you. You look like you have margin. You look like you got time on your hands. As they look across the landscape of the church staff, they think: ‘He appears to have time on his hands.’ Therefore, you get handed things you do not want to do.” The Slack hand will be put to forced labor. Forced labor means doing something no one doesn't want to do. The hand of the diligent will rule, but the Slack hand will be put to forced labor. Get after it and you will write your own ticket.

Summary: Your people want to walk into a well-constructed meeting that is highly engaging and that is balanced. Providing an agenda sends a signal that you've thought through where you're going. Take note of what is bad at someone else's meetings and make yours dominate.

Read Article

“Stop having sucky meetings”, said everyone always. Now I don't know about you, but I have sat through a number of sucky meetings. I sat through sucky meeting when I was a teacher. But when I was a full-time pastor for over a decade, I certainly sat through my fair share of sucky meetings. One of the reasons why I think meetings kind of suck, is that leaders don’t think that they need to have a meeting agenda. And I want to tell you, in the lead volunteers’ material, we have a fantastic four-part agenda that you should follow for all of your meetings.

Providing an agenda sends a signal that you've thought through where you're going. There's nothing worse than walking into a meeting and having this sixth sense that your leaders are making up the meeting as they go. You know what? I have a particular set of lenses that can pick that out almost immediately.

Your people want to walk into a well-constructed meeting that is highly engaging and that is balanced. There's a time of prayer. There's a time of personal connection. There's a time of deeper teaching that would educate them how to do ministry in the long haul. But then at the end, there is this punch list of brief items that need to be executed.

Sucky meetings can be overcome. And I really want to challenge you. If you've had sucky meetings done to you, that does not mean that you have to hold sucky meetings for those you lead. Take note of what is bad at someone else's meetings and make yours dominate. Stop having sucky meetings and people will want to come to your meetings.

Summary: Stop shrinking to fit into a place that you’ve outgrown. I want you to find your passions and allow God to exploit your passions for the kingdom. Maybe you're ready for a new challenge.

Read Article

I want you to find your passion. I want you to lean into being fully you, the unique masterpiece that God created you to be. Sometimes, however, we start shrinking to fit places that you've clearly outgrown. This is super, super important for me to remember. I am an ever-growing person and where I was fitting yesterday, might not be where I fit today. There have been seasons in all of our lives when we have felt boxed in. Like there was a ceiling. There sometimes feel like we have cinder blocks that were touching our shoulders, preventing growth and we were getting cramped.

I want you to find your passions and allow God to exploit your passions for the kingdom. What is your dream? Now I have tons of dreams and I'm pursuing some of those. And I don't want to shrink myself and to say, “No, this is my narrow lane in traffic. Just stay in the Prius, even if you have Tesla dreams.” I want a Tesla-type dream. Now, please understand I don't care about a Tesla, as in owning that type of car. I am talking about potential. It is about dreaming bigger than what I am currently experiencing. I want you to pause right now and dream.

I want you and I to blow past what other people would see as normal. I want you to dream big. What's your dream? Stop shrinking to try to fit into a place that you've outgrown. Maybe you're ready for a new challenge.