How many times are we going to reference COVID-19 this year? Well, at least once more. This many months into COVID-19 and the ever changing restrictions and isolation, we may be beyond done with the dynamics that affect us all.

Today, knowing that we are all in different places emotionally and physically, I simply want to offer a 5-minute retreat called SLOW. Some of you may have already watched this video. It is one of our most popular YouTube videos.

But some of you may not...

In her new book, Soul Care in African American Practice, Dr. Barbara L. Peacock illustrates a journey of prayer, spiritual direction, and soul care from an African American perspective. She reflects on how these disciplines are woven into the African American culture and lived out in the rich heritage of its faith community. 

Using examples of ten significant men and women―Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Darrell Griffin, Renita Weems, Harold Carter, Jessica...

When I was a young Christian, it was common in the communities of faith in which I found myself to aim at reading through the Bible in a year. I’m grateful for my vision of Scripture today because of how many times I took on that discipline. At the same time, I ended up with a great deal of undigested and unpracticed insights. It sometimes formed in me the habit of reading more than I could actually put into practice.

These days I find myself slowing down with scripture. I often...

In my coaching, consulting and leadership training work, I have the privilege of interacting with Christian leaders around the world. And one thing is clear: our experience of church has radically changed over the last few months. It has been for some a painful challenge, but it has also been for some a unique opportunity. Jay Kim, author of the book Analog Church, talks about this church reality.

Your experience of church has probably changed as much as ours has over the last many...

“Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (Ephesians 4:7)

Our perception and reception of this grace has everything to do with our vision of “the measure of Christ’s gift.”

How much grace can you imagine?

Do you view the measure Christ uses being small and anemic or large and overflowing?

As a brief example, let’s look at Ludwig van Beethoven. Here’s what from The Piano Guys had to...

“To be human is to be lonely.” Jason Gaboury was deeply affected by these words from his spiritual director. Most of us have experienced loneliness multiple times over the course of our lives. And in this season of pandemic and self-isolation, that loneliness has only deepened for some. Jason has a message of connection and God with us that can inspire us all. 

Sharon Garlough Brown, author of the Sensible Shoes series, has this to say about Jason’s book, Wait With Me...

As a young follower of Christ, I remember reading J. I. Packer’s classic book, Knowing God. A deep conviction formed in me that this was at the heart of what being a Christian was about. I wanted to know God. I read my Bible as often as possible. I went to as many gatherings at the church that I could find. I wanted to know God.

But at many points it became an exercise in knowing about God rather than knowing God in loving relationship. I think this can happen to any of us in...

Christian faith has often focused on right beliefs and right choices as the key to personal growth. But biblical evidence and modern brain science show that our character is shaped more by whom we love than merely by what we believe. 

In Renovated, Jim Wilder shows us how we can train our brains to relate to God based on joyful, mutual attachment, leading to emotional and spiritual maturity, as our identity and character are formed by our relationship with God. 

Dr. Jim Wilder...

When my boys were little, I enjoyed the standard game of peek-a-boo. I got a kick out of it when they actually thought they were invisible. When a small child hides their face, they often think they are, in fact, completely hidden. But, of course, we can still see them and their cute little toddler selves. 

So isn’t it ironic that we sometimes think we can hide from God? 

We know that we are never hidden from God, so why do we act like we can withhold something...

How do we live in a way that doesn’t leave us drained and weary? How do we lead from places of refreshment and vitality instead?  

Alan recently enjoyed a great conversation about “sustainable leadership” with Alan Briggs from Stay Forth Designs. Briggs work intersects at many points with what Gem and Alan have been doing for a while now. So sustainable leadership is what we’ll be talking about today.

As we continue to navigate the practical changes that COVID-19...