God is in charge of history. He asks us to work, to try, to pour ourselves out to make things better. But he is an actor in history also. He chastises and rescues, he intervenes in ways seen and unseen. Or chooses not to. Twenty-sixteen looks to me like a chastisement. He’s trying to get […]
Category: Influence & leadership
Humility in writing and pastoring
The greatest challenge with wielding influence is getting out of the way. Whether I’m writing, teaching, or praying, my focus often drifts back to me — and I am not the point. Brett Lott references this theme in Letters & Life, his slim volume on being a writer: I saw, suddenly and fully, that a story was about the […]
Jane Austen on being a pastor
These two excerpts, drawn from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, reflect the honor and importance of local pastoring. There’s much to be said about shepherd and sheep knowing each other. A clergyman cannot be high in state or fashion. He must not head mobs, or set the tone in dress. [Rather, he] has the charge of all that […]
Five waypoints to live by
When you go through a crazy season and need to regroup, how do you find your bearings? In our family we forged a set of shared waypoints — the five ideas we use to gain perspective and clarify what matters: It’s better to be than to seem. Love is stronger than will. Seek the truth. Take the long […]
Maturity
Maturity is about hitting stride. Writers mature as they develop their voice, honor the reader, and deliver the goods. It’s not about complexity or creative energy. Such things are add-ons. Maturity is about being complete. It’s the essence of what was meant to be. So — what does spiritual maturity look like? How is it distinct from the wisdom of age, experience, […]
