Have you ever played the game where you try to guess what a word is, as it is slowly revealed to you one letter at a time? If not, here is how…
Author: mark
A Call to Contend
I stopped reading the Bible. Seriously, I did. Truth be told, though, I actually stopped reading everything (dumb concussion). After a few weeks, when I tentatively picked up the Bible again, I…
A journey of reluctant acceptance
Three weeks of forced downtime can cause a person to think. “Why now?” – Seriously, why now? Of all the times to have a head injury, why does it have to happen…
You’re Doing What?
One of the most common questions I’ve heard in recent weeks is “You’re going to be the president of what?” (or some similarly worded question). The short answer is this … starting…
Comfort, Challenge, or Calling?
Have you ever made a life-changing decision? Well, technically, every decision (and non-decision) is life-changing. The only difference between them is that some decisions have a bigger impact than others. What I…
A New Path?
Earlier today, if you were at Westwood Church, you would have heard me talk about a leadership transition and move that may be happening in my life. It is possible that some…
Do you Empower and Defend?
Leaders, two of the greatest gifts you can give your team members are to empower them and to defend them. In almost every leadership position that I have had (both church and…
Searching for (and finding) your Purpose
On a Sunday morning last May (Critical Questions: Are you for us or for our enemies?), one of the three main points that I talked about was the concept of “me aligning…
The Importance of Leadership Values
Many leaders have a leadership philosophy and/or leadership principles (read this and this for a couple of examples), but how often do we think of our life and leadership values? It is…
If you have left the church …
If you have ever left the church, whether 30 years ago or 3 weeks ago, Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith may resonate deeply with you. Largely the story…