Tweet There’s always an excuse if we’re looking for one. I’ve made so many excuses in my life. For years I may have sensed God was calling me into vocational…
Tweet The WHAT Test. Over the years, I have found numerous uses for this simple strategy of thought. The WHAT Test is an acronym of steps to force you to…
Tweet I talk with so many younger people, and some my age, who want to be in leadership. They may feel they’ve been passed up, haven’t been given their chance…
I was talking with a 25 year old pastor recently. He is frustrated with his church. He was brought to the church because they wanted him to help the church grown again, but they see him as too young to make decisions on his own. They won’t take his suggestions. They consistently undermine his attempts to lead. They expect him to speak each week and visit the sick, but they won’t let him make any changes that he feels need to be made. It has made for a very miserable situation and he feels helpless to do anything about it. He’s ready to quit and the situation is negatively impacting every other area of his life.
It wasn’t the first time I have heard a story such as this. I hear it frequently from young leaders in churches and the business world. I didn’t want to be the one to tell him, but I didn’t want to mislead him either. The bottom line in this young pastor’s situation:
Tweet I’ve worked with a lot of church plants. And, I’ve been involved in two church plants as the planter. Every planter goes into the process hoping to see lives…
Tweet People talk. People gossip. People love to share what they hear. That’s true about what they hear from a pastor too. If the pastor talks about his personal life,…
Tweet Some pastor excel in church revitalization better than others. Nothing wrong with that. The ones that do seem to have certain commonalities. I am somewhat unique to have done…
Age and maturity has helped me get better at discerning what I can do and should do based on my strengths, weaknesses, passions and dreams. It’s freeing when we become more certain in who God has wired us to be and who He has not.
Still, I’ve learned (through many different seasons of life) that there are often more opportunities than time in life…even God-honoring, seemingly good opportunities. Recently, I have had to say no to some great opportunities. These were things that I would have clearly thought had to be “God appointed”, but as much as they line with my strengths, passions, and dreams I have for my life, I said “no” to them.
How do you know when to say no to what looks like a good thing…perhaps initially even like a “God thing”?
Here are four things I look for in examining my heart before responding. I say no when:
This week I had two people email through my blog asking for suggestions when interviewing with a church for a staff position. I am thinking it could be an issue worth addressing.
Having sit on both sides of the table, here are 7 suggestions:
Tweet I was coaching a group of pastors and was asked a question I’ve encountered, but never really answered. It’s a question, which seems to come up frequently these days….