And Why I’ll Eventually Leave It Behind. Once upon a time, an English translation of the Scriptures was hard to come by. Soon enough, with the invention of the printing press and subsequent technological advances, copies of, and access to the Scriptures increased the opportunity for new translations. That being said, our English translations are…
Most churches are planted with the Gospel in focus. The church where I pastor has a rich Gospel history, beginning back in 1946. Our founding pastor, Rev. H. Lee, was on his way to Alaska, when God called him to stop in the Yukon, eventually planting the first evangelical church in Whitehorse. As time moved…
Paul, to the Corinthian Church: “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.” (1 Cor. 12:1) Does this still apply to the church today? Should we, living in 2018 Western world take Paul’s words seriously? And if we do, is today’s church informed enough? Not sure? These 3 questions will…
Listening is difficult. I just completed an 8-week mentorship as part of a Christian Leadership course. Each week, we’ve hashed out an array of topics focused on becoming a better leader. Our last discussion was centred around listening. I think I’ve always understood that there’s a huge difference between hearing someone speak and listening to…
Transformational Leadership Via Jesus. I was chatting with my mentor this week, and the focus was on transformational leadership. How does one move a follower toward the position of leader? I think consensus among all Christians, is that Jesus is the author of transformation. Looking at Jesus leadership, and specifically how he raised up his…
Evidenced in the legacies of two WWII figures. This week, my mentor and I discussed the concept of influence; defined as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.” (Oxford Dictionary) Think about that definition for a moment. Think about the power of influence….
Looking at the lives of Moses, David and Jesus. This week, my mentor and I discussed character. The Oxford Dictionary defines character as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” Therefore, character is neither positive or negative. Someone can have great character or poor character, all depending on the choices they make and…
The Bible is an excellent leadership textbook! As I continue to work through my leadership course, one of the assignments was to write a personal Theology of Leadership. A key component of that assignment was to explain what Christian Leadership is. As I discussed with my mentor this week, and as you may have guessed…
Facing the results is tough, but worth it. Have you ever completed a personality or Spiritual gifts inventory? They’re a good news, bad news exercise aren’t they? On one hand, we get affirmation of strengths. On the other hand, our weaknesses are highlighted. The worst part is when that weakness shows up in the results. It’s that…
It’s not just about vacation. This past week, I sat down with my mentor again. I’m meeting with him every week for 8 weeks as part of a leadership course I’m completing. On this occasion, we focused on something called, “Rule of Life” and where pastoral absences fit into Rule of Life. What’s Rule of Life?…
“You want a hot tub on the stage?“ The Program Director for the Yukon Arts Centre asked for clarification. “Yup!” I Replied. “For baptisms!” “Well that’s a first!” He exclaimed. We had booked the Arts Centre for our quarterly Celebration Sunday. A service designed to celebrate the next steps of commitment that people are taking in…
We start our day with ambition, thinking about all the tasks we’re going to accomplish. Then all of sudden, it’s 5:00 PM, and we wonder if we did anything significant at all?
This is where a Personal Mission Statement can bring focus to our fast-paced, over-crowded careers.