The First Five Things I Learned as a Lead Pastor
Two years ago today – I remember it so clearly. The day I became a lead pastor. I remember laying in bed the night before, unable to sleep. I remember standing in front of that room full of people, wondering if they would accept me, if I would know what to do to lead them. I had so many ideas – so many solutions to problems that seemed so easy.
The reality was going to be so much different than what I expected.
To the Father of an Independent Daughter
She was one of those girls I’m drawn to. Messy and wild. Fire in her eyes. Grit in her spirit. She’s not the first of her type that has sat across from me, dreaming and boiling over with what God is doing in her. She’s not the first of her type who has shrugged off her relationship with her dad while swallowing her water.
If You Didn't Have a Mom...
Some time ago I was chatting with a friend who does ministry with college students. He said to me, “I was surprised to find that the deepest issues these students have are not that they’re fatherless – it’s that they’re motherless.”
How Do I Know My Calling?
The space you are in right now – the job, the classes, the life you’re living – your current season is not an obstacle to your real calling. It is where you are called right now.
The Beatitudes
Blessed are you who doubt – who aren’t sure – who can still be surprised by grace.
Blessed are you who have nothing to offer.
Blessed are you who keep trying and nothing seems to work.
I Failed Speech Class. Twice.
I, who now speak every weekend and am minorly sought after for other events, failed speech class. Twice.
No One is Brave
Everyone is so much braver than I am. I don’t feel brave at all. I feel scared most of the time. I feel like a faker – like if people really knew me, the real me, they wouldn’t think I was capable of anything.