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The ball dropped… The fireworks shot off… Toasts were made… Confetti went everywhere… And just like that a new decade was ushered in. But has anything changed?!? Well other than a couple of digits so that the year now reads 2020 (and let’s be honest, that’s kinda cool). I mean we are 10-ish days into […]

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS MAGICAL.    And by that, I mean that the Christmas spirit is real! The sense of anticipation, the hope of something new, and the promise of a better day are all ingredients in the Christmas spirit felt by so many this time of year. Whether you believe in Jesus or not, a sense […]

An all-time favorite game in any youth setting is a good old-fashioned tug of war competition. Aspiring winners line up on both sides and take the rough rope firmly in their hands. They begin to position themselves for the strategic “leverage spot”, often digging their feet deep into the ground. Almost immediately, the rope becomes taut as both […]

Humility Found There is a rare quality among leaders. It is rarer than a precious jewel, scarcer than water in the desert, and about as commonly seen as an animal on the brink of extinction. The characteristic to which I refer is the spirit of humility… and it seems to be in short supply these […]

Have you ever gotten a wake up call while staying at a hotel? These calls tend to be jarring because hotel phones, for whatever reason, tend to be loud. They are necessary, but often unwelcome…especially to deep sleepers. Consider this post a wake up call for youth ministry. My prayer is that the jarring (but […]

Average Despised   A third allergy to which leaders have an adverse reaction is the notion of average, also known as mediocrity. It doesn’t take much to conclude that if we are motivated by the grace of Jesus, we should never settle for “good enough” or a job half done. We see how finishing well those […]

Unnecessary Drama   As we continue our discussion on ‘leadership allergies’ being the reactions that occur as a leader develops, that is to say that a leader develops an adverse reaction to that which is unhelpful to a leader’s development and/or ability to maximize their capacity.    As the leader invests in his or her leadership […]

Part 2: Time Wasted   Last week we discussed a healthy, though often times underdiscussed, aspect of the leadership journey. It is something called ‘leadership allergies.’ Which can be defined as an adverse reaction to that which is unhelpful to a leader’s development and/or ability to maximize their capacity. The more the leader cares about […]

It’s been said many times in many different ways, leaders have the ability to envision what could and should be, and then take the necessary steps for that vision to become reality. In other words:    the kind that doesn’t settle for “good enough”   the approach that believes no obstacle is too big   the […]

My brother just crossed the Rubicon called your 40th birthday (sorry to rat you out bro but dang you are getting old)! Anyways, his wife asked those closest to him to write a letter that she would then present to him on the big day. I decided to write mine from the perspective of what I hope […]