✅ DAILY OFFICE STARTER GUIDE -  The Daily Office is an ancient practice to help you stop 2 - 3 times a day to quiet yourself and be with Jesus. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/dailyoffice

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In today’s chaotic and disorienting world, where leaders face intense challenges, Elijah’s life offers us profound wisdom. 

Whether you lead a ministry, organization, or family, Elijah’s hidden life with God speaks to the core of how we navigate leadership in tumultuous times.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah faced overwhelming exhaustion, fear, and disillusionment after pouring out his heart in service to God. As a fugitive, fleeing from Jezebel’s threats, he reached his breaking point—ready to give up entirely. It’s here, in the wilderness, that God met him in a way that transformed his leadership and life.

God didn’t fix Elijah’s problems immediately or offer a grand inspirational speech. Instead, He invited Elijah into the stillness and silence in the cave at Mount Horeb. 

In today’s podcast episode, we’ll reflect on how entering our own “caves” of silence can transform not only our leadership but also our relationship with God. 

✅ PREVIEW THE COURSE -  Ready to introduce your church to Emotionally Healthy Discipleship? Preview our game-changing discipleship course for FREE and find the right time to run it in your church. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/preview

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As leaders, we have an internal drive to see our ministries flourish. 

We have a vision for our churches, families, marriages, and cities to experience the resurrection life of Jesus. That’s why we do what we do!

Also, many of us know how easy it is for our God-given ambition to be hijacked by our shadows, fears, and insecurities. 

The truth is - it's possible to build a large ministry, but in the process, lose your soul.

On today’s podcast, I hit this topic head-on and share with you 5 MUSTS for growing a flourishing ministry without losing your soul.

✅ [FREE VIDEO] Learn a 5-part framework for communicating with others https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/community

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Staff meetings, like it or not, are a critical building block for an emotionally healthy church culture.

Over the years, I have learned that staff meetings are a powerful opportunity to bring encouragement, clarify roles, and learn how to be with Jesus together. There are books written about how to have a productive or efficient staff meeting, but in today’s podcast, I take a different approach. I’ve identified 5 ways to cultivate emotional health in your regular meetings.

✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift

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All around the world, there is an electrical charge surging through the minds and hearts of the people we lead. Our political climate has made this another difficult, yet important time to pastor and lead well.

So how do we navigate politics personally AND from the pulpit without falling prey to the common traps of both sides of the aisle?

In this podcast episode (Part 2 of 2), I share what I believe are 4 invitations from God to the Church in this moment.

Within these invitations are keys for us to lead with grace, steadiness, and wisdom, as we pastor our churches through this storm.

✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift

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All around the world, there is an electrical charge surging through the minds and hearts of the people we lead. Our political climate has made this another difficult, yet important time to pastor and lead well.

So how do we navigate politics personally AND from the pulpit without falling prey to the common traps of both sides of the aisles?

In this podcast episode (Part 1 of 2), I share what I believe are 4 invitations from God to the Church in this moment.

Within these invitations are keys for us to lead with grace, steadiness, and wisdom, as we pastor our churches through this storm.

✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift

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As a young leader, I wanted so badly to succeed.
I wanted to pastor a growing church, and preach the best sermons in town.
I wanted to grow our ministries – bigger, better, and more influentual.

To this end, I was told by leadership experts to develop my skills and competencies. I learned to preach and vision cast, to exegete the scriptures, do effective evangelism, lead staff meetings, and launch small groups.

But over time these outward facing competencies became a WEIGHT that squeezed the life out of me.

To make a long story short, this is what catalyzed a complete revolution in me. I knew that I (and we) needed a massive shift in our leadership paradigm.

On today's podcast, we explore the GREAT SHIFT we need.

✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift

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Loss, change, and transition are all around us.

Yet, one of the lesser-known practices of emotionally healthy leadership is learning how to let go and transition from one season to the next. Throughout our lives there are countless endings and new beginnings that invite us to pay attention:

Closing a chapter of life, Leaving one church and joining a new one, Starting a new job or role, Moving away or into a new home, Changing relationships, Succession and release of leadership

In every transition, there are gifts waiting to be discovered if we are able to slow down and reflect in gratitude. When we rush through transitions, giving little thought to what is happening, we actually miss out on the hidden ways God is trying to come to us.

In this podcast, I explore this theme further and share insights on how we can navigate transitions well. 

• Why YOU are your child's biggest problem (and what to do about that)
• How to create a SAFE environment in your home
• Why CONNECTION is more important than rules
• The importance of knowing your POWER with your children

🎯 FREE TEAM TRAINING: Grow a healthy team culture with our team transformation videos
https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/team

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One of the most difficult and nuanced callings is serving as a board member of a church or ministry. This role is both legal and spiritual, affecting the entire church culture. Very few are trained to do it well.

Sadly, often it is only after a crisis or scandal that people realize the "Board" was not really functioning, trained, or doing what they were entrusted to do.

But the truth is – that healthy, thriving, flourishing churches have healthy, thriving, flourishing boards.

In today's podcast episode, I outline the 7 must-have qualities for building an emotionally healthy board. When your board gets these 7 things right, everyone in your church wins for the long haul.

📺 FREE WEBINAR: Develop High-Impact Leaders in Your Church
Get a roadmap to disciple the next generation of leaders. Register for the next webinar:
https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/highimpact/

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Pastors and leaders want to make an exponential impact for Jesus.

We often spend our energy on what will affect the most amount of people. So we prepare cutting-edge weekend services, craft sermons for large groups, publish social posts that we hope will have a viral reach, all while squeezing in time for people when we can.

But when we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he focused his time on a few. In fact, he turned the world upside-down by concentrating his ministry on 12 men!

In today's podcast, I answer common questions like "How do I choose just 3 or 12 disciples?", "Who should I be looking for? (and, who should I avoid?), and "What do I actually do with them?"

This is not easy and fast work, but when we get this right, the church will be transformed.

📣 FREE E-BOOK: 8 Practices of Emotionally Healthy Preaching & Teaching 🌟
Learn the essential practices to deliver sermons with depth and power.
https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/preaching

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Leadership is a crucible through which God is changing YOU into a new kind of person. Throughout your leadership journey you will be taken through a series of fires or tests from God that exists to purify you from the inside out.
 
In today's podcast, I share about the many tests you WILL encounter if you haven't already. If you are not prepared for these tests, you will stumble and drown in discouragement. If you are prepared for these tests, you will be transformed into the image of Christ.

A course won't change your church.
Neither will a book, a podcast, or a sermon series.

So the question is, how do people truly change?

This is a question every pastor and leader needs to answer. Over the years of my pastoral ministry, and even today, one thing I've noticed is how often we UNDERESTIMATE the personal time, presence, and intentionality it takes to disciple people into transformation in Jesus.

True change is slow because it is relational. Change does not happen on an assembly line.

Over the past several weeks on the podcast, I've shared with you the importance of reclaiming a spacious life - one that is not rushed, crammed, or overscheduled. Many leaders are coming to understand this as it relates to their PERSONAL life and walk with God.

But today I want to share with you about creating spaciousness for OTHERS. I believe it's the secret ingredient our churches need to experience deep communal fruitfulness.

As leaders, we know that PRAYER is the heartbeat of life in Christ. But often, our vision of prayer can become lop-sided, leading to a heavy weight on our shoulders.

For my first 17 years as a Christian, I had a one-dimensional view of prayer. I thought prayer was a tool I was supposed to use to make God's kingdom come. So I would devote 6-8 hours a week in prayer meetings, interceding for revival and believing that unless I prayed, God wouldn't come. I thought that was what Jesus called us to.

But over time I learned to see something different in the prayer life of Jesus. The gospel of Luke highlights a way of being with God that is less about striving and more about attunement.  It is true that prayer DOES require perseverance and devotion, but for reasons different than we think.

In today's podcast we explore the prayer life of Jesus and what that means for us today.

• Is all self-promotion really sinful? 
• Aren't we called to reach people?
• How do we live and lead publicly without being robbed of joy and contentment?

In 2024, church leaders will be sifted left and right.

Mature from immature.
Wise from foolish.
Substantial from surface level.

This I know – the most effective leaders (and the ones worth following) will draw a line in the sand and put a full stop to accepting a rushed, cluttered, and constricted life.

They will reject speed, crowds, and noise in favor of a graceful, unrushed way of life. I call this lifestyle "spaciousness". It's one of the secret weapons of true spiritual mothers and fathers of the faith.

On today's podcast, I explore the theme of spaciousness, making applications for how leaders can resist the way of the world, and decisively shift into a new way of life with Jesus.

Leaders in 2024 are facing pressures and challenges greater than any other in my lifetime.

Elections, wars, rumors of wars, economic pressure, global instability, scandals, artificial intelligence, etc.

This may seem overwhelming, but there is a unique opportunity before us. As leaders, this will require the decision to radically re-align ourselves to God's purposes and plans in the world today.

On today's podcast, I share some personal reflections on what I believe "radical realignment" looks like and then offer 3 specific invitations from God in this season.

• A staff member is chronically late to team meetings
• Your children are texting during a family meal
• A volunteer is saying they are doing their role, but they clearly are not
• A church elder or board member is living a non-exemplary life
• Someone dropped the ball on getting out promotions for your Christmas Eve service.

• Your spouse and friends will feel seen and heard.
• Your staff and volunteers will feel like you get them.
• Your church will experience you as compassionate and present.
• Your love for others will grow exponentially.

For the first 17 years of my Christian life, my emotional life was completely divorced from my spiritual life.  Or so I thought.

When sadness, anger, or disappointment surfaced from my soul, I did not see them as gifts. As a leader, I saw my emotions as interruptions to "my real work" – moving the church forward and reaching the lost!

As a result, I was not present with myself, with God, or with others. I saw my sadness as something to be overcome through prayer and Scripture. I would declare, "the joy of the Lord is my strength!" while ignoring the deep cries of my heart.

The truth is that emotions never die. They are only buried alive. They always resurface, leaking into other parts of our lives and relationships. 

It took a work of God for this to change in my life and marriage. When my wife Geri and I discovered the permission to explore our emotional life, it was like opening up a dam. The world went from black and white to color almost overnight.

Emotionally healthy leaders see their emotions as invitations, not obstacles to the mission of God.

The fruit of this journey leads to less anxiety and more freedom in our lives, leadership, and relationships.

In today's podcast episode, my wife Geri and I share more about the skill of emotional discovery we call "Explore the Iceberg" in Emotionally Healthy Relationships. 
 
Bottom line, your emotional life is a matter of life and death!

Leaders, by definition, are captivated by the future – moving forward, making progress, and changing the world.

But what many leaders fail to appreciate is that we are all anchored in our past. In other words, none of us are "blank slates". We each bring the blessings and curses of our families of origin (Exodus 20:5) into our relationships, churches, organizations, and businesses. 

Emotionally healthy leaders understand that you cannot go forward without first going backward.

That is why the GENOGRAM is one of the core tools in both parts of the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Course.

When I became a Christian, I believed I was a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17) and that I no longer needed to deal with my past. However, when I discovered the genogram tool, I found a new way to bring all of the baggage of my family of origin to Jesus to be changed. 

The truth is – you cannot change what you are unaware of.

In today's podcast episode, Geri and I share our history with this powerful tool and how it helped us name the reality of our past to catalyze the transforming work of Jesus in our lives and leadership. Don't miss this one!