Along the way, God uses our life experiences to form us and to help us lead from an authentic and healthy place. The power of God’s presence is not just for your benefit but also for all in your sphere of influence. Today, I’m talking with Ebony Small, a younger leader who serves as a pastor and a mentor. 

Ebony has a wealth of experience in both churches and organizations. She's got practical and biblical wisdom to offer whether you are just starting or are looking for...

I start most mornings by making my favorite cup of coffee. It starts with some hand-roasted beans. I roast them by the half-pound on our BBQ propane burner using a Whirly-Pop popcorn maker. I grind the beans by hand with a manual grinder. I measure precise grams of ground coffee to precise grams of water. I preheat my mug because I enjoy my coffee as hot as I can get it. I use a one-serving French press because I’m the only regular coffee drinker in our family. I lightly heat the heavy...

We continue to find ourselves in unsettling times, don’t we? I’m sure I don’t need to unpack that any further for you, right? Many of us have struggled with what prayer looks like in this season when things are happening we never asked for. How do we pray when life feels more like a threatening night than a bright and dawning day?

It was good to have a chance to speak recently with Tish Harrison Warren about her new book, releasing tomorrow in fact, called ...

1. Please CLICK HERE to learn more and to sign up for this coaching experience.

Photo by Min An from Pexels

Do you ever feel like the child in the image? You’re just out there trying to enjoy the waves. And all of a sudden a big one comes and crashes into you. Water up your nose, a little discombobulated, you gather yourself and head back out.

This is resilience. Get knocked down, get back up again. Of course, this image is our son, in Hawaii, having fun. But in real life, this dynamic can begin to wear you down.

It’s perfectly fine to decide you don’t want to be hit...

My guest today is Nikole Lim and she’s written a book entitled, Liberation is Here. Nikole weaves together a narrative of God’s grace and healing amid fear and trauma. Her journey proves that liberation is not just near, but it is here―in the eyes of the broken, the hearts of the oppressed, and the untold stories of our global community. 

Because of today’s subject matter, I want to extend a trigger warning for those of you who have or are experiencing...

A new year hasn’t brought as much change as I’d hoped it might as we came to the end of a hard 2020. What has been your experience? I can’t think of anyone who predicted a year ago what we would be facing and experiencing today. Sometimes I feel like a blind man being led somewhere I’ve never been. Does that sound familiar?

That’s why I was so helped when I recently read one of the prophecies of Isaiah that said something along the same lines:

...

Creation is a living masterpiece of God. It is full of life, beauty and vitality. And maybe one of God’s greatest creative expressions is a tree. They are the longest-lived of God’s creations. They are the lungs of the planet. They are a wonderous reminder that the good God does develops over decades, even centuries. Trees remind us of God’s unhurried way.

Recently, Gem and I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Dr. Matthew Sleeth about his book Reforesting...

Here we are in the new year. And, don’t worry, no one is going to encourage you to make resolutions. They rarely last more than a couple of weeks anyway.

All I want to do today is remind you why it’s good to engage unhurried living. And I’m not talking about our organization. I’m talking about your very own life.

Let’s begin with some common myths about living an unhurried life.

• It’s pain free.
• It’s a luxury.
• It’s lazy.
• ...

In this podcast episode, we are talking about easing into the new year with gentleness and grace. This is much needed after making it through 2020. What does 2021 hold for us? We don’t know what circumstances will arise, but, as always, we have a choice about what we think and how we act within every situation. So, let’s lean into some gentleness and grace.

For all of the complaining we can do (and rightfully so) about social media, I have met some genuine, lovely, heart-forward...