Many of us feel extra pressure during the Christmas season. In a recent poll taken by Think Finance, almost half of respondents said their level of stress related to holiday expenses is high or extremely high. Believe it or not, 45 percent indicated they would just as soon skip the season due to financial frustrations….
Your Christmas Visitors
Christmas is the most likely time you’ll have first-time attenders at church. It is so easy just to “go through the motions” and focus on the church family. However, during the holidays, people will drop in and others will bring family and friends, sometimes for the first time in a long time.
Giving First
Yesterday was Giving Tuesday also known as the National Day of Giving. It’s interesting we put that day after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We have it backward, don’t we? –After all our getting, we add giving, almost as an afterthought. The Bible says it should be just the opposite: we should give first, not…
The Greatness of Gratitude
Happy Thanksgiving! We’d all agree that being thankful is more than a holiday. We should be thankful every day! In fact, the Bible commands us to be thankful! (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I believe God’s commandments are good for us. They are given to help us live a better life! LET’S TALK Interestingly, there has been…
Quotes from Conference
These past few days we’ve gathered our pastors and leaders for our Annual Conference. This is our business session but amidst the motions and seconds, approving the budget, and ratifying decisions, we’ve spent time in meaningful prayer and learning about our Core Commitments as a tribe–what we believe matters most. The Conference will be over…
Conference is Coming!
Yes, Conference is coming! Next week is our Annual Conference at Valley View Church (November 12-14, 2018). I look forward to seeing many of you! Once again, we’re moving our time together away from the exclusively business and information formats of the past and adding what we hope will be encouraging and inspiring. Yes, we…
Sacred Cows
Every church has at least one. They are called sacred cows. A sacred cow is something so valued, that no one would dare change or criticize it. It just means that much to us! These sacred cows are not based on Biblical conviction but personal preferences. We get emotionally attached to these sacred cows, so…
Five Takeaways from the Exponential Conference
The last two days, five of us pastors have attended the Exponential Conference in San Jose, CA. We had a great time of worship, learning, and getting to know each other better. Exponential is a church planting movement committed to producing multiplying leaders and churches. Church Planting is still one of the most effective ways…
Ways to Walk
One thing we can miss in our Bibles is all the walking they did. Did you know that the word walking or walked is mentioned over 200 times in the Bible? Yes, I think that is a Biblical argument for us to walk more : -). It was at least a four-day journey for Jesus…
Four Things Pastors Dread Doing
Any job or responsibility has things we don’t like doing. Pastoring a church is no exception. As pastors, we believe we are called by God to equip His people for ministry. (By the way, one of my pet peeves is calling a pastor The Minister. The Bible teaches that we are ALL ministers. Right?) But…
How to Deal with Criticism
Here’s a newsflash…you cannot please everyone! Everyone gets criticized especially if you are a leader. Aristotle famously said, “There’s only one way to avoid criticism: Do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” But our task is too great to waste our time doing, saying, and being nothing which leaves us with the job of dealing…
7 Things to Pray for Your Church
I don’t pray enough. One thing that helps me in my prayer time is having a guide for what I am to pray about. Here’s my list for us to pray for the local church. I hope it will prompt you to pray more for your church.
