The world is your ministry oyster if you’re up for the challenge.

Giving advice is rarely as useful as listening. It’s never as powerful as a great question.

Be intentional about building relationships with parents and caregivers by being open, gracious and discerning as you know, love and serve families in the way of Jesus.

We often think that if we get the public ministry we were called to, then we will be fruitful. But what if the real inward strength of the Spirit is gained while we are in the desert times when there is no fanfare and things don't make sense?

My identity as a child of God is unchanging and it is something that can’t be taken away from me. Being a child of God gives me hope for the future, whatever the future may bring.

Knowing your leaders’ stories, loving your leaders’ passions, and serving your leaders’ ministries is an open handed approach. It’s not always easy to do, but in the end it’s always worth it for the sake of Christ. Your challenge is to build a community of kid-influencers in the way of Jesus so that as many children and youth all over the world will come to know, love, and serve Christ. Are you up for it?

Avail yourself to children. The manner of your presence will mirror the accessibility of God to them as well. As a result of opening yourself up to children and youth, reaching “more kids” for Christ will happen in increasing measure.

Let Christ disrupt you through and through before taking another step. Take in what knowing, loving, and serving Him in return is really all about. Honor God in this way. When the time is right He will send you out on His behalf to know, love, and serve.

Why I changed my mind … as I saw people change through the power of action and practice.

As we grow secure in our leadership it can become harder to discern between anointing, depth of respect, loyalty and strength of character. This is the danger zone where we have to be aware of the power we are wielding. Unfortunately, often by this time we are unaware of the danger and no one is willing or able to say NO. Let me illustrate with a YWAM story.

Jesus gave Peter a do-over and he can do the same for you. In what areas do you need a do-over as His steward?

Everybody faces conflict. Wise leaders, however, know how to manage conflict when it comes. Four good questions arise from Acts 15 for how to face conflict.

Pastors may lead the church as shepherds, but they are not the owners. They are not the only ones who will be held responsible for the condition of the church. That’s on us all.

I’m an Evangelical, and as an Evangelical I have the right to join my Evangelical brothers in confessing a currently-devastating sin, in repenting from it, and in making amends. I fear that the majority of us Evangelicals have been covering up one of the most significant truths of our modern age: More people are coming to faith in Christ around the world than ever before in history, while our Evangelical denominations in the West are declining.

Leadership work is a performance and we are like the drums. If we are hard and unprepared we may break when the beating starts. To prepare us ‒ we go through the fire process. We are warmed up, stretched out and made ready for our beating. As the Bible says, we go through the refiner’s fire.



You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

While leading yourself is vitally important, it is also extremely challenging. The famous pastor D.L. Moody quipped, “I have had more trouble with myself than with any other man I have ever met.” We struggle with ourselves. As you wrestle with the challenge of leading and caring for yourself, here are some practical ways to avoid burnout.

I am not a medical doctor or counselor, but I have learned the rhythms in my own life and have sought counsel continually from leaders I respect. I have seen and also learned the hard way that pushing through seasons of exhaustion can backfire. Here are signs I look for and encourage other leaders to look for in their own lives.

For many leaders, our biggest challenge isn’t giving love and encouragement — it’s receiving them.