As a pastor, I often told our staff that “Christmas is the new Easter”. It wasn’t something I could say as easily on Sunday morning without receiving the ALL CAP Monday morning emails. This requires a bit of an explanation.
Easter will always be the most important holiday for believers. […] Continue Reading…
Opening disclosure. This post is going to seem negative, and I am far from a negative person. The glass is always over half full for me. I actually intend it to be positive if it encourages churches.
The transition 18 months ago to the Dallas area was difficult when it […] Continue Reading…
A Life Transition for The Edmondsons
I recently resigned my position as CEO of Leadership Network. Although my tenure is much shorter than I had anticipated when I arrived almost 18 months ago, I feel it has been a productive time for me and the organization. Leadership Network has a […] Continue Reading…
One of my goals in ministry is to help protect other ministers and their family. Through this blog I reach thousands of men and women who serve God in a vocational role. My heart is heavy when I hear from those who are drowning with burnout and whose family […] Continue Reading…
I came close to titling these “essential” skills, but I knew that was unfair. God grows churches and He works through all different types of people. I have heard great pastors say — “I know how to teach and care for the people, but I’m not always sure how […] Continue Reading…
One of the hardest decision a leader makes is to release someone from employment. Making any kind of employment decision comes with the sobering reality, regardless of what the person did wrong, that the decision will likely impact others who are many times innocent.
I’ve heard many times that we […] Continue Reading…
After years of leading, I have learned there are four seasons of leadership. There could be more, but I’ve been able to clearly identify these four.
Misunderstanding this can lead to frustration. You may think you are doing something wrong. Yet you’re only in a different season.
Four […] Continue Reading…
The Christmas season can be hard on relationships. As a pastor, I can’t tell you how many times I met with a couple after the holidays because of problems developed – or were exaggerated – between Thanksgiving and New Years.
How can you protect your marriage this Christmas? Sounds like […] Continue Reading…
Are you truly thankful?
I find at times I am, and at other times, I’m like everyone else. I can be a grumbler.
What would it take to learn the secret of contentment – to really be thankful all the time?
Here are 7 ways to be more thankful:
Consider what you […] Continue Reading…
Have you ever heard the phrase, “There are no bad questions”?
In leadership, this might be true.
I have learned in my years of leadership – I only know what I know. And many times I don’t know much. Plus, the people I am trying to lead only know what they […] Continue Reading…
After years mentoring younger leaders, I’m convinced there is something all leaders with more experience need to understand as we welcome young leaders to our teams:
Every young leader shares some common fears.
And they aren’t talked about much – or even admitted. The pressure to perform often keeps us from […] Continue Reading…
I love having creative people on teams I lead, but, honestly, they can make leading much messier. Leading creatives can be difficult.
In case you’re wondering, here’s the top Google definition of a creative: relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.
Creative […] Continue Reading…
I remember talking with a concerned man about his church. He was concerned the church was wasting a lot of resources and accomplishing little towards its vision to make disciples. They have a large building and staff. There is a rich history of Kingdom-building, but the building sits empty […] Continue Reading…
Cheryl and I are in a good season of life and marriage. In many ways it is a stressful season with work, family demands, and constant transition, but it is a good season in so many other ways. We’ve been empty-nesters for a number of years now and we’ve […] Continue Reading…
In helping marriages, I often try to share some of the barriers that I have seen to having a good marriage. My theory is that if couples are aware of the barriers before they become an issue it’s much easier to deal with them when they arise.
One of the […] Continue Reading…
