Jan

10

What’s in it for God?

January 10, 2012 | 2 Comments

As I always try to do the first week or so of January, I’ve been praying a lot about my year. I’ve evaluated last year, rejoicing in the things that worked and critiquing the things that didn’t. What do I want to repeat in 2012? What do I want to avoid like the plague in [...]

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Mar

25

How Do You Identify and Define Your Lay MInisters?

March 25, 2011 | 4 Comments

Dan Lentz has a great article on Small Group Dynamics called “Why ‘Lay’ Small-Group Leaders Should Carry ‘Clergy’ Business Cards.” He makes the point that the distinctions between “lay” and “clergy” are counter-productive. Amen, Dan! This has been one of my soapboxes for most of my Christian career. In every church that I’ve been a [...]

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Aug

30

Think You’ve Got it Bad?

August 30, 2010 | 1 Comment

Sometimes we think life is pretty difficult. Sometimes we feel sorry for ourselves. Here’s someone who knows that joy isn’t based on our circumstances. Now, stop whining!

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May

6

The Gift of Dignity

May 6, 2010 | 1 Comment

When dealing with challenging people, I’ve found that simply treating them like human beings makes a huge difference. Very often, a challenging person in your church or group is a challenging person everywhere. And because of this, they are often shunned or ostracized. For many, this has happened all their lives. What we consider challenging [...]

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Mar

30

Christian Beliefs a Bit Mixed Up

March 30, 2010 | 4 Comments

Did you every wonder why it’s so hard to lead a group, pastor a church, or disciple a new believer? Consider these religious “mix and match” findings of approximately 4,000 U.S. American Catholics and Evangelical Protestant adults from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and reported in The Washington Post and the February [...]

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Oct

1

Ready for a Little Amish Peace?

October 1, 2009 | Comments Off

On a couple of trips to the east coast, we’ve visited Lancaster, PA. I’ve always been fascinated by the Amish and love driving around the Pennsylvania countryside. Their properties are pristine, with laundry drying in the breeze and cattle grazing in the fields. I’ve enjoyed the antique stores, the furniture stores, and the living history [...]

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Feb

23

More On the Value of Maturity

February 23, 2007 | Comments Off

Yesterday we began looking at the Principle of Maturity. Today we get a little more personal. I guess that’s why this value is so important to me, especially in small groups. In a small group, we not only have the opportunity to hear, but also to study and interact with God’s Word. We have the [...]

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Feb

22

The Value of Maturity

February 22, 2007 | Comments Off

People lead groups for many reasons, but I have one overriding purpose no matter what type of group I’m leading. Or just about any other form of ministry for that matter. The first principle I address in Why Didn’t You Warn Me? How to Deal With Challenging Group Members is this: The Purpose Of Any [...]

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Feb

18

More on Imago Dei

February 18, 2007 | Comments Off

I love God’s timing. Today our pastor added a couple of thoughts to expound on my post on the value of the imago dei. He said that because each person is created in the image of God, he or she has potential and value. It’s wonderful when we can see each person in our group [...]

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Feb

15

The value of the imago dei

February 15, 2007 | Comments Off

I want to spend some time on values—those foundational beliefs that drive my involvement I small groups and virtually every form of ministry I’m drawn to. Probably the primary value I hold is that of the imago dei—that each person I meet is created in the image of God, beloved and treasured by him. And [...]

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