Think about a time when you experienced a spike in your desire to grow as a leader. What was the trigger? Where did the increased motivation come from? Most leaders answer this question by identifying a set of leadership skills they wanted to refine or develop. That’s probably… Read More

My wife makes the best peanut butter and jelly. I don’t know this firsthand. I don’t eat PB&J regularly, nor are my children raving about the sandwiches they eat. But every Saturday morning, starting at 5 AM, friends of ours who are homeless and heroin-addicted remind me. A few years… Read More

Participation takes many forms. Understanding the different stages can help as you mobilize others toward a more robust understanding of Scripture. The following types of participation are adapted for Scripture engagement from an economic model, Jules Pretty’s Typology of Participation. When I was doing… Read More

I remember one of the first youth retreats I attended as the featured speaker. The retreat center was located in Pennsylvania, and I lived in East Texas. Instead of flying, my wife and I drove the entire way. In the snow. Inclement weather had closed several of the roads,… Read More

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” (John 1:14 MSG). Who is your neighbor? In a time when nearly 70 percent of Americans are on social media, we can think of “neighboring” in terms of both physical space and cyberspace. Just… Read More

I grew up in the church, but when it came to the Bible I didn’t understand what I was reading. I was in the youth choir. I was a praise dancer. I was very involved, but generally it was more about seeing my friends than hearing the… Read More

I once asked legendary Bible scholar Brevard S. Childs to describe his method for interpreting the Bible. He replied that he didn’t have a method at all, but instead he let the text speak for itself, in its own context. He went on to explain that this context involves faith,… Read More

“Talk less. Smile more.” That piece of advice, from the smash-hit musical Hamilton, is given by the politically astute Aaron Burr to the overly verbose Alexander Hamilton. Spoiler alert: That relationship doesn’t turn out so well. But that line has been running through my head lately, as I’ve been thinking… Read More

“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” In books and talks, leadership guru Simon Sinek discusses the importance of “starting with the why.” The context is business. Sinek’s TED talk includes references to tipping points, early adopters, and Apple products. But there… Read More

Several weeks ago I attended the Q Conference. This year’s gathering in Nashville brought together Christian leaders and innovators to present their ideas, movements, and research in a series of nine-minute TED-style talks. I listened to each segment with a quickening heart. I wanted to take action. Dream bigger. Read More