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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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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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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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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