Lead Well

I love the beginning of the year.  It's a great time to look back at the previous year and look forward to the next.  Every year, I make a list of books I want to read and work off of that list.  Sometimes I add books and take others off, but I always try to meet my goal. I read 13 books in 2015, which is significantly less than last year. However I'm learning that it's not the quantity of books read throughout the year, but the quality.  It doesn't do me any good to finish reading a book and not be able to apply what I've read. I plan to read even fewer in 2016, but I think I will get more out of them than I did in the past two years. Here's what I read in 2015: Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell Lead Small Culture by Reggie Joiner, Sue Miller and Kristin Ivy Good Leaders ask Great Questions by John Maxwell Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni Not Normal by Sue Miller and Ad

I get a lot of questions this time of year about what kind of Bible to buy for kids.  While there may be no perfect Bible out there for your kids, some are certainly better than others. It can be confusing with so many different translations and Bible types.  I want to help you make the best decision possible. First, let's talk about translations.  Before 1973 there weren't a lot of options out there.  You read King James Version (KJV) or nothing.  Thankfully, Zondervan put out the New International Version (NIV) and turned the Bible world up on its head. Now, there are hundreds of versions ranging from old school KJV to paraphrases like The Message by Eugene Peterson. Which one is right for your kids? It really depends on their reading ability and comprehension; however, there are a few versions that have stood out to me in the past few years.  They are: New International Version (NIV) New International readers Version (NIrV) New Living Translation (NLT) I'

Recently we held an all church volunteer training meeting at my home church.  It was a great morning full of fun, learning, and food.  The following is a my main talk about Owners Vs. Renters and the coinciding notes. Session Notes Student Notes Teacher Notes What trainings have you done with those you lead?

On May 27, I held a small group leader training that focused on classroom management.  We had a great time and learned a lot. Below you will find the training video as well as the notes for the training. Student Notes

Let’s face it life can get tough. We endure things we never thought we would have to endure. We experience pain and disappointment, and we’re left questioning, “why?” Just like you, I’ve been through those tough times. I’ll admit, I started to question everything. Even God. However, I kept coming back to that one inescapable truth. His grace is sufficient for me. Whatever we’ve been through, Jesus knows what it’s like. While here on Earth he experienced loss, heartbreak, betrayal, and quite literally excruciating pain. Jesus knows. He also didn’t give up. He knew he had a mission to accomplish. He knew before he ever came to Earth what he’d have to endure and that didn’t discourage him. Was he scared? Yes. Did he have moments of doubt? Yes. Did that stop him? No. Because of what Jesus did for us, we cannot give up. As Paul told Timothy , “[Paul] has fought the good fight and finished the race…” We should do the same. Paul also told the Philippians, “Do not b

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t initially sign up for this gig. To be honest I fought it. I have always been good with kids and can organize things quickly, so it was natural for the Youth Pastor to ask me to step in to kid’s church and help. You see, back in college I was interning at a local church. The children’s pastor had left, and the youth pastor was asked to step in. I really didn’t want to, but because I considered him a friend, I agreed to help for the summer. Before I knew it, I was running the thing and in a few short months, after leading a kid to Christ, I was hooked. Now I can’t imagine serving anywhere else. God has designed each one of us with gifts and talents. Just as Esther was put in a place for “such a time as this”, God has us in our place to do His work. Sure, I’m a pastor. That’s what I do everyday, but it wasn’t always this way. For a while, I worked at Sam’s club, and God used me there, too. (He taught me some stuff as well.) God can us

A few weeks ago, I started to build our Evangel Egg Hunt website.  I’m not a web developer by any means, but I know enough to get around.  As I was putting the finishing touches on the site, I realized there was a problem.  The menus didn’t work like they were supposed too!  It wasn’t a big deal, but it made the site look amateurish. I googled and asked around.  The first person I asked  wasn’t able to solve the problem, but pointed me in the right direction.  Energized, I spent 5 hours of my day off with my family trying to solve the problem, I was no further along than when I started.  I was stuck and had to ask for help.  In a matter of a few short hours the site was fixed. My story is a common one.  Change the names and the project, and we can all find ourselves there.  I call it being a Lone Ranger. It’s insisting on doing it on your own.  Lone Rangers take every task head on.  They are confident and competent.  They have been well trained and have a proven track record.  Th