What I Learned This Week: When Someone Else’s Success Bothers You
What if instead of critiquing from a distance, I led with curiosity? What if I assumed the best? What if I looked for what God was doing in them instead of immediately measuring it against myself?
Because when I lead with curiosity, I almost always find something worth celebrating. I discover a part of the body of Christ I needed but didn’t know I was missing. I see a different gift, a new perspective, or a unique approach that expands my own understanding.
What I Learned This Week: When Fixing Isn’t the Fix
What if, instead of rushing to fix what’s right in front of you, you slowed down long enough to ask what’s underneath — and even more, who you’re becoming and who you’re helping others become in the process?
What I Learned This Week: What If No One’s Actually Thinking About You?
What I Learned This Week: What If No One’s Actually Thinking About You? What if we worked from the approval of God rather than for it—and for the benefit of others rather than their applause?
What I Learned This Week: The Conflict Beneath the Silence
What if you stopped trying to “keep the peace” this week, and instead, stepped into a moment of (potentially awkward) honesty and humility — at work, in your church, or even around your own dinner table — all with the goal of making peace?
What I Learned This Week: Asking the Wrong Questions
What if you slowed down this week and asked “why” one more time before you jumped to solutions — at work, in your church, or in your own home? Could you truly solve a problem rather than just addressing a symptom?
The What If Journal: Reflections from a Leader in Progress
Leadership isn’t a destination. It’s not a point on the map where you finally get to kick back and say, “I’ve made it.” It’s a constant journey of curiosity — of staying open, asking questions, and wondering, “what if?” What if there’s a better way? What if this could be clearer? What if…
The Hidden Cost of Inactivity: Why Waiting Too Long to Decide Is Still a Decision
Most church leaders don’t set out to avoid decisions. In fact, we’re making them all the time — about staff, budgets, calendars, volunteers, and ministries. But there’s a particular kind of indecision that quietly drains the health and momentum of a church: the failure to act when the moment is ripe.
Spend Your Time Where It Multiplies: Leading with Intentional Investment
Time is one of your most limited resources as a church leader — and one of the easiest to spend poorly. Not because you don’t care, but because you do. When we talk about stewardship in the church, we usually mean money. But your time may be the most valuable thing you steward. How you spend it signals what you value. Who you spend it with signals what you prioritize.
Part IV: Steward Yourself — The Leader’s Most Overlooked Responsibility
Your church can’t run on an empty tank — and neither can you. Healthy leadership flows from a healthy leader. If you burn out physically, emotionally, or spiritually, it will ripple through your team and congregation. So there is one more stewardship investment we can’t afford to overlook — and it’s the one leaders tend to neglect most: Steward Yourself.
Part III: Steward the Systems — How Structure Protects the Mission
Vision gives direction. People carry the vision forward. But without healthy systems in place, even the clearest vision and most committed people will eventually slow down, stall out, or burn out. That’s why the third stewardship investment is Steward the Systems.
Part II: Steward the People — Why the Right Relationships Deserve Your Best Time
Vision alone won’t move the mission forward. Vision needs carriers — people who believe it, own it, and run with it. That brings us to the second stewardship investment: Steward the People.
The Four Stewardship Investments Every Church Leader Must Make
Stewardship isn’t just about finances. It’s about your vision, your people, your systems, and even your own health. Neglect any one of them, and the cost will eventually show up in your church’s momentum, unity, and mission.
Let’s start with the first investment: Steward the Vision.
Leading Through the Seasons of Ministry, Part 4: Spring — The Season of Deepening and Growth
Spring is the season for deepening. It’s not just about doing more. It’s about helping your people grow deeper in their walk with Jesus and more engaged in the mission of the church.
This is a key moment. Don’t let it slip by.
Leading Through the Seasons of Ministry, Part 3: Winter — The Season of Reflection and Pruning
In nature, winter is when things look dormant — but under the surface, critical work is being done. Roots grow deeper. Energy is conserved. Pruning happens. And that hidden work is what makes future growth possible.
Ministry has a winter rhythm, too — and wise leaders know how to lean into it.
Leading Through the Seasons of Ministry, Part 2: Fall — The Season of Assimilation and Activation
Part Two: Fall. After a summer of looser schedules, vacations, and flexible routines, many people enter the fall ready for some structure. Families are looking for patterns. Individuals are seeking clarity. They may not use this language, but what they’re really asking is: Where do I belong? Where am I going? What’s next for me here?
Four Part Series: Leading Through the Seasons of Ministry
In this series, I want to explore four ministry seasons — Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring — not as fixed dates, but as leadership mindsets. Each one offers unique opportunities (and challenges), and when we recognize and lead in rhythm with these seasons, we can shepherd our churches more faithfully, strategically, and sustainably.
Part III - When the Vision Is Just Right: Spirit-Led, Strategic, and Surrendered
Many pastors live on one of two extremes: they're either stuck managing reality or chasing fantasy. One leads to burnout from busyness, the other leads to burnout from disappointment. What if vision wasn’t about dreaming bigger or shrinking to fit—but about aligning with God’s voice, timing, and provision? In this three-part series, we’ll explore what happens when vision is too big, not big enough, and just right.
Part II - When the Vision Is Too Small: Control, Caution, and the Fear of Failure
Many pastors live on one of two extremes: they're either stuck managing reality or chasing fantasy. One leads to burnout from busyness, the other leads to burnout from disappointment. What if vision wasn’t about dreaming bigger or shrinking to fit—but about aligning with God’s voice, timing, and provision? In this three-part series, we’ll explore what happens when vision is too big, not big enough, and just right.
Part I- When the Vision Is Too Big- Fantasy, Burnout, and the Illusion of Faith
Many pastors live on one of two extremes: they're either stuck managing reality or chasing fantasy. One leads to burnout from busyness, the other leads to burnout from disappointment. What if vision wasn’t about dreaming bigger or shrinking to fit—but about aligning with God’s voice, timing, and provision? In this three-part series, we’ll explore what happens when vision is too big, not big enough, and just right.
Not Every Ball Is Equal: How Embracing Priorities Can Set You Free
Whether it’s a missed text, a late response, or an overlooked task, there’s something in me that recoils when I know I’ve let someone down. I’m wired as an achiever—I want to do the job well, show up fully, honor people, and keep all the plates spinning. I take commitments seriously, and I don’t like giving anything less than my best.