Category Archives: Leadership
Soul care, equipping and encouragement of those who find themselves on the front lines of vocational ministry. The endless demands of church growth, budgets and growing healthy vibrant communities of faith place a lot of pressure on leaders and their families. Be equipped and resourced to lead well, proven strategies for balancing family and ministry demands, conflict resolution plus preventatives to avoid burn out. Focusing on your needs as a ministry leader so you can continue to serve those within your community.

Motivated by Meaning

A fascinating 1972 video clip of Viktor Frankl, filmed in Toronto, Canada. In this video, Frankl is calling humanity to aim to a higher standard, to pick a target beyond ourselves and while we may fall short, he argues we will reach further or closer to wholeness than if we aimed for something less. In…

Once upon a time, there lived a woman who wished she could understand the difference between Heaven and Hell. She petitioned God for such an experience, and one day God came to her in a dream. God said to the woman, “I have heard your prayer, and I am willing to grant your request. I…

In my quiet time this morning I was reading a piece of scripture for the New Testament. I found myself lingering around Jesus’ temptation in the desert in Matthew 4. 5Then the Slanderer carries him off into the Holy City, and stood him upon the pinnacle of the Temple, 6And says to him, “If you…

Christmas day is fast approaching and many people are in a full-on lather of activity; shopping for gifts for our friends and family, attending Christmas social events, Church events, and Children's Christmas activities and concerts. Not to mention scrambling to get things tied-up at work before the Christmas break! This is just par for the…

There was a tradition in a segment of Psalms referred to as the lament psalms. It was the pouring out of one's grief with all its ugliness to God. It was often in response to great loss, death, war, captivity and often gave voice to great despair and anger. In all the rawness that could…

People who meet me today are shocked to learn that as a younger man I was a bouncer at a somewhat legendary honky tonk in Calgary, Alberta. It was a fairly rough place at times, and a night wasn't complete without helping people leave the premises often under duress. In that position we had two…

Conventional wisdom tells us it is a good idea to share our goals with others for the purpose of vocalizing them and soliciting help with accountability to help keep us on track. But Derek Sivers suggests this may, in fact, be counter productive to realizing your goals. Sivers argues based on the work of social…

The Radical Middle. Healthy Faith in a World of Extremes

Driving the backroads of rural Alberta can be an adventure into some of the most lovely country in the world. There is a unique beauty of the Alberta prairie. Driving the gravel roads can be a bit of a trick as different stretches of the road can be different than others - washboards, deeply rutted,…

Once upon a time there was a rich investor, and she had a very successful portfolio of investments. One day she determined that she would have to go on an extended business trip, and she called three of her managers to her office. She explained to them about the business trip and that she…

The great poet T.S. Eliot once wrote: We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.   A profound turn of phrase and very true if we live even slightly awake. It is most certainly true with…

June 19, 2012
$3 Worth of God Please

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. Continue Reading...
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October 2, 2012
Shedding False Responsibility

Have you ever found yourself feeling really weighed down and anxious about a situation that seemingly you have no control over? It is an ugly feeling that seems to gnaw away, sometimes quietly and other times quite overtly, but all the while bringing a general sense of dis-ease. This is a very real form of stress and it is an Continue Reading...
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February 10, 2021
Head to the Heart – Prayers, Poems & Other Stuff

“You must descend from your head into your heart. At present, your thoughts of God are in your head. And God himself is, as it were, outside you, and so your prayer and other spiritual exercises remain exterior. Whilst you are still in your head, thoughts will not easily be subdued but will always be whirling about, like snow in winter or clouds of mosquitos in summer.” ~ Continue Reading...
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Motivated by Meaning

A Hell of a Difference

Trash Talk with Scripture

Navigating the Christmas Rush

Lament

Punched, Naked and a Long Walk

Keep your Goals to Yourself?

The Radical Middle. Healthy Faith in a World of Extremes

Investment Strategy

Used by God – Revisited

My Blog – Articles

$3 Worth of God Please

Shedding False Responsibility

Head to the Heart – Prayers, Poems & Other Stuff