Tag: family

  • Christmas Traditions

    Every year on December 6th (or close to it) our family celebrates Saint Nicholas Day. The kids love it because they get a small taste in their stocking of the gifts that are coming on Christmas Day. My wife and I love it because we get to share a small version of the history (and…

  • The Top Five Things I Love About My Leaders (in no particular order)

    One thing that is clear to me from being a pastor and leader is how important our teams of leaders and supporters are to what we do in the world. Our leaders are not just a part of the church, they ARE the church. They are not just a part of what we do in…

  • Leadership Lessons from My Dad

    In my experience, strong leadership isn’t something that we learn in a lecture or a classroom. It is something we develop through our experiences, challenges, and the examples of others. Some people are a great example of strong leadership, while others are equally valuable to observe for the benefit of seeing the effects of poor…

  • Running on Empty

    You can only get so far when you are “running on empty.” But you can get up and go again once you refill. Keep going. Don’t quit. It gets better. I’m one of those guys that never allows his gas tank to go under half full, but… Recently my son joined a “Blastball” league, and…

  • My Priorities

    Over the years I have settled on some priorities in life that enable me to continuously grow as a husband, dad, and leader. My hope is that every man would consider these priorities to lead well in his family. I understand we all have different personalities and relationship dynamics. Not all men are “Type A” outgoing…

  • Wash Your Hands

    I wash my hands a lot because I am a dad, which means I change a lot of diapers and handle food in rapid succession. I realized today that I make the same mistake every time I wash my hands. I turn on the hot water and start rinsing and by the time my hands…

  • Life is Fragile

    Life is Fragile. I’m reminded of that all the time, so apparently I’d better remember this. On Monday I took my 37 weeks pregnant wife to the hospital, because she fell down a flight of stairs. I found her lying face down at the bottom of the stairs after hearing a loud noise while I…

  • Why I Love Mondays

    People ask me all the time why I love Mondays. I love Mondays because they set the tone for the rest of the week. Pastors across the entire country are building off of Sunday which is fresh in our minds, full of stories, feedback, energy, and ideas. Mondays tend to be very productive for me.…

  • I’d Love To Be There, But The Answer Is NO

    Some things in this world used to be really important to me; now I have new priorities. I used to think if I wasn’t at every event it would look like I wasn’t on top of things or could get accused of showing favoritism or whatever. I just don’t care anymore. I can’t be out…

  • Things That Didn’t Used To Matter But Now Do, Part 3

    Here is my third installment of “Things That Didn’t Matter To Me That Now Do (Part 3).” For a complete picture, you also need to see Part 1 and Part 2, as well as my Top 10 List of Things I Don’t Care About Anymore (Part 1 and Part 2). 4. Mercy: I’m so different than I used to be, I really…