conflict

Which Will? (part six)

In many quarters of the Church, the contemporary understanding is that Christianity is lived in the passive voice. Wikipedia says: “the passive voice denotes the recipient of the action (the patient) rather than the performer (the agent).” The assumption is that the Christ-follower empties herself of all ambition and self-determination and simply waits, patiently, for […]

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The Long View (part one)

As a coach to pastors and Christian influencers, I’m sometimes surprised at the vacillating commitment of we who claim to be Christ’s.  I completely understand that life gets tough … so much so that, at times, I want to tear the hair from my head. What I struggle to appreciate is the apparent over-arching power

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Compendium (part five)

Leadership Courage Series # 39 The fourth trait to lead effectively in a Church caught in a culture of cowardice: Stand, as an exemplar, in the sabotage and backlash that must come. A Christian leader is not simply someone who gets things done or who gets others to behave in desirable ways, in a religious

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The Adventurous Life #3

Why is it that the Christian life is such an adventure? What has your experience been, following hard after God, as best you know? In my life, I repeatedly find myself in dilemmas that are completely beyond my ability.  This was far less common before I surrendered my life to Christ.  Now, it seems, the

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Leadership Courage Series #11:

Leadership in a Culture of Cowardice (part two) After illuminating characteristics of a Culture of Cowardice and making sobering observations about how appropriately it applies to the Church, we’ve turned our attention to the kind of leadership that can serve to restore the Church to a place of redemptive influence in society.  Edwin Friedman, in

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