This is the 50th blog entry on distinctions I often make in coaching. For close to a decade, it’s been my privilege to coach pastors, primarily. Invariably, our conversations center on leadership. And, because of the inseparable link between the two: on character. Pastors who lead well do so because of who they are. Who […]
Squared off to Bunt (part two) Read More »
No book has been so confounding to me and, at the same time, so powerfully influential as Martin Buber’s I and Thou. Large chunks of the book, clumsily translated from Buber’s original German, for me are indecipherable. Then, like a flash of lightning, a paragraph or a page will suddenly illuminate the sorry condition of
Which Will? (part one) Read More »
We’re considering the importance of sustained commitment; commitment to vision borne of God though impossible to be actualized in the here and now. Our example is the Duomo di Firenze: an architect’s vision of a majestic cathedral with a dome so immense that it could not have been built when he conceived it. At 142
The Long View (part two) Read More »
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
The Long View (part one) Read More »
The concept we’re examining is being an invitation. Everyone you’ve ever met is an invitation. So are you. For pastors and Christian influencers it’s a great advantage to determine: what is the invitation that you will be, from now on. In other words, what do you intend to invite? The clearer you are, the more
The Invitation (part four) Read More »
We’re looking at distinctions employed coaching pastors and Christian influencers. I hope coaches find these helpful with their clients. Pastors read this blog to more effectively lead those God’s entrusted to them. So, whether you’re a pastor, a coach to leaders, or both, this is for you. Christian ministers have a tricky leadership challenge. With
The Invitation (part three) Read More »
I’ve invited you to consider that, regardless of your personality, you are an invitation. All day every day, you invite … something. To discover what you invite, notice what keeps coming your way. Why would you want to know? If you’re not intentional about it, you’re likely inviting what you don’t even want. I coach
The Invitation (part two) Read More »
Have you noticed that some people consistently attract what they don’t want? Maybe it’s true for you, too. It’s as if you’re wearing one of those sandwich boards — visible to others, but not to you. And, the distinction between what you invite and what you want may be subtle. Years ago I attended a
The Invitation (part one) Read More »
Last time I suggested that the “game” you’re in determines how you play in life. At the end, we considered two married couples. To shift the nature and quality of their relationship, both spouses need to examine the game they’re in, in the marriage as they’ve designed it. There are moments when we have little
The Game You’re In (part two) Read More »
As a professional coach to ministers I get to invest my life in catalytic conversations. Conversations that produce change. And, change that transcends behavior. It’s a change in being. Clients have the opportunity to fundamentally shift the way they perceive themselves, their challenges, their ministry context, and those in it. Conventional coaching, I think, is
The Game You’re In (part one) Read More »