Christmas Music
This past weekend, we enjoyed the California Baptist University Christmas musicale entitled “The Spirit, Songs and Story of the Season.” It was spectacular! Once again, our friends at CBU demonstrated why they are at the forefront of Christian universities in the United States. Beside the talent on display, it helped that they were working with […]
People Who Believed in Me – Part Two
During this Thanksgiving season, I have been reflecting on people who made my seminary education possible. They invested much in shaping me for future ministry leadership. Last week, I told you the story of two families who paid for my first seminary degree. Here’s the second part of the story. My first pastorate was at […]
People Who Believed in Me – Part One
During this Thanksgiving season, I have been reflecting on people who made my seminary education possible. They invested much in shaping me for future ministry leadership. Just before we moved to seminary, a family invited us to their home for lunch. They were a modest-income family facing the financial challenges of two sons leaving soon […]
Confusing Momentum with Vision
During my presentation to our Board of Trustees which initiated our current presidential transition, I opined many older leaders often confuse vision with momentum. What does this mean and why is it an organizational problem? Effective ministry leaders cast compelling vision for their church or organization and their constituents are enthused by that vision. The […]
The Pendulum Effect
Discussing some of my leadership shortcomings with a colleague reminded me of a common mistake often made during leadership transition. While trying to compensate or recover from the weaknesses of an outgoing leader, people overreact and choose a new leader who swings the organization too far in the other direction. This is called the pendulum […]
An Identity Crisis
An identity crisis is a period of uncertainty or instability in a person’s life. They are not uncommon. In fact, they are a rite of passage – a part of growing up and growing older in any culture or context. An identity crisis is often experienced during personal upheaval – like a broken relationship, serious […]
The Toughest Issues
Some of the toughest pastoral challenges today are handling issues related to gender, sexuality, morality, and marriage. A friend recently confided in me his son is now identifying as a woman and asked for guidance on how to respond. Another friend’s son recently got married, to a man, and he also asked me for counsel […]
A Christian Response to Tragedy
Massacre. Atrocities. Carnage. Those were some of the words used to describe the results of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. Infants were mutilated. Women were raped. Senior adults were beaten. People were murdered, indiscriminately slaughtered in their homes, at work, and at public events. Pure evil – on stark display on terrorist-produced social […]
A Catholic Shift
The future of the Catholic Church is being debated and discussed at a Synod of Bishops, with a follow up meeting scheduled for this time next year. The gathering includes a cross section of Catholic leaders – not only priests, but lay leaders and women as well. This is the first time a synod like […]
The Blind
Movies are a powerful media. Christians have used them to communicate our message with mixed results over the years. Poor production quality, amateurish acting, and one-dimensional storytelling have often undermined these efforts. But, thankfully, that has been changing with recent productions. A new movie, The Blind, has recently been released to a limited engagement in […]