Matthew | April 30, 2012
Often a preacher believes that the job of preaching is finished by merely stating words. As long as he preaches truth, God is pleased and the congregation is happy. Any focus on style or form is needless because the passing of information is all that it takes to preach. This is a short sighted idea. Jesus did [...]
Matthew | April 26, 2012
There is always this advice from preachers to preachers about always allowing the cross to shine through in preaching. It is usually given by saying “never stand in front of the cross.” ”Good preaching removes the preacher.” This advice comes from one’s metaphor for the preacher. A metaphor is someone’s under-riding idea of the role of the preacher. [...]
Matthew | April 25, 2012
Probably few noticed. Maybe the one or two people who check out this blog, but it has been a while since the last post. It was not that I stopped blogging, which is the case for some bloggers in this world, rather it was because I have been on vacation. This year the whole family [...]
Matthew | April 16, 2012
This was a wonderful weekend for the Castle Rock and Tri-Lakes congregations. We partnered together to bring in Aubrey Johnson who is a well known speaker and author in the church. He has written many books which are published by the Gospel Advocate. He addressed the deacons on Friday and Saturday. During this time, my [...]
Matthew | April 12, 2012
This weekend the Castle Rock church of Christ and the Tri-Lakes church of Christ are coming together to host a Dynamic Deacon’s seminar with Aubrey Johnson. We are highly excited about this opportunity as we have heard wonderful reports about this time. Aubrey is a top notch author with the Gospel Advocate, and a highly [...]
Matthew | April 11, 2012
It seems that more and more congregations are providing a sabbatical for the minister. It seems that seven years of faithful service with a congregation is the marker. These times can be from 3 weeks to 2 months. I like these ideas because it is something to look forward to in a ministry with a [...]
Matthew | April 9, 2012
The number one theme through most leadership books is the leader’s ability to cast vision. A leader can picture a positive future, an Active Follower can mostly participate in the tasks of an organization. This dynamic separates the two groups. Since there is an abundance of material on casting vision in a congregation, this comes [...]
Matthew | April 5, 2012
A leader is influential. John Maxwell states “If you do not have influence, you will never be able to lead others.”[1] In a congregational setting, the use of influence is essential. Perhaps, in a secular organization in which there are various motivators to secure cooperation from people, such as promotion, raises, company perks, and the [...]
Matthew | April 3, 2012
This is a fascinating book. It is dealing with how trust is established and broken in a society. It talks about the fight for dominance in society, and the principle of those who break the rules, and those who submit to the rules. He uses the terms of dove and eagles. One groups lives at peace with each [...]
Matthew | April 2, 2012
As preachers, we have all heard the story of the minister who said something wrong in the sermon on Sunday, and on Monday was fired. Not sure I met someone in which this happened, but the story is told over and over again. This is an example of the Issue and Love chart. On the [...]
