Thoughts from Pastor Steven

Archive for the 'Personal Development' Category

It

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

Lots of pastors preach through books of the Bible verse by verse, thus alleviating the “What shall I preach about this week?” conundrum. That’s how I was taught to do it in seminary. That’s not how I do it. At least, not right now.
I do take the task of excavating the message [...]

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The Comfort Zone and the Sweet Spot

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Don’t confuse being in your sweet spot with being in your comfort zone.  Because when you’re in your sweet spot, there’s nothing comfortable about it!  I know this is a little confusing, and definitely counterintuitive.
When I’m in my sweet spot, doing what God has called me to do, God stretches me relentlessly.  But I find [...]

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On the lookout

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Great leaders always seem to be on the lookout.  What mediocre people consider everyday experiences, they approach as a sort of safari:
Can they spot a new idea to implement while waiting in line at Starbucks?  A good title for that sermon in a series that’s coming up in 3 months while browsing in Borders?  They’ll [...]

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Explore your rhythms

Monday, April 21st, 2008

I’ll tell you what’s helping me a lot in my leadership and preaching right now:
I’m giving myself permission to explore my rhythms more than ever before.
In some ways, it’s a new luxury that wasn’t possible when Elevation was smaller.  Back then, my rhythms revolved around the schedules of the volunteers who were serving as staff [...]

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