Palm Sunday is an interesting event in Christianity. There are really two separate events going on at the same time; just from different perspectives.

From the disciples and crowds perspective, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem, preparing to take His throne as the earthly king they’ve always expected Him to be. The Palm branches, the coat laying, the singing, all of it indicates that Jesus is supposed to take the political power from Caesar and establish the kingdom of God in the holy land. The oppression is over, and the king is making His triumphal entry into power. It’s a victory lap, essentially for Christ.

It was all a premature celebration.

But Christ saw it for what it was: the final, hardest leg of His journey.

Christ understood that this parade into Jerusalem was not going to end well for Him, and certainly not how the disciples and crowds expected it to end. He saw plainly what was coming; betrayal, arrest, torture, and execution.

And still, He rode into town that day.  Continue reading →

I have to confess that I’m not much of a car/engine guy. I can change my oil, but that’s about the extent of my automotive skills. But there is a concept I’m familiar with about engines, which is the misfire. Misfire’s can be sneaky, because the engine can still; it’s just not as effective as it should be.

An ideal engine has everything well timed and fitted in order to maximize the power. A well tuned engine both maximizes power and efficiency. But an engine doesn’t have to be running at it’s best in order to run. Many engines will have ‘misfires’, where the timing is just a little off, or a part isn’t moving as smoothly as it was before. In those instances, the engine still runs the car, just not as efficiently or powerfully as it should.

I’m learning more and more that there are lots of chances to misfire in leadership. Maybe information doesn’t get distributed as quickly or smoothly as it should, causing confusion. Maybe you have a person in the wrong position. Or maybe the timing of the team(s) are just slightly off.It’s a ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’ kind of situation, where things are out of order.

My church has continued to grow, which can let me feel like everything is going just right. But I’m reminded that I’m still growing as a leader all the time. Every leader will experience ‘misfires’, so here are some ideas I’ve had that help me:

Continue reading →

There’s a popular story in the Gospel of Mark where a paralytic man (whom I’m going to call ‘Jim’) is carried by four people to meet Christ. Jesus was quite a popular preacher, which isn’t really that surprising. He was so popular that the house He was preaching in was completely packed, and the crowd couldn’t, or wouldn’t, let Jim and his friends get through. So Jim’s friends take him up to the roof, where they proceeded to tear the roof off. Or at least, enough to lower Jim down to Christ. Jesus sees the faith of Jim’s friends and forgives his sins and heals him of his paralysis. It’s a powerful story found in Mark 2:1-12.

This story is often preached exhorting the faith of friends and family who tirelessly carry people to Jesus. And that point is true. Many people have come to a relationship with Christ because of the tireless efforts of friends and family. I have, and will again, preach that point.

But I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else the church needs to hear out of this passage:

Sometimes the church stops people from meeting Christ Continue reading →

One of the biggest challenges people face within the church is actually feeling like they can connect with God. My sermons can be excellent. The music can be great. Sunday school can be fun and engaging. Books can be read, bible studies attended, and service projects completed. And still people will feel distant from God.

More and more I’m growing convinced that we are our worst enemy when it comes to connecting with God. You and I, as people, seem to be quite gifted at creating barriers to connecting with God. Some of them may be intentional, but I suspect most are not.

Here are 5 things I think stop us from connecting with God: Continue reading →