Today, we are going to talk about two people whom God finds to have the greatest faith. One is a Canaanite woman, of whom He says, “Woman, your faith is great!” And the second person was actually a Roman officer. The Lord says, “It will be done to you according to your faith” (Matt. 9:29). You see, if my faith …
Faith in the Making
Faith … it is a word that has been misunderstood, misused, diluted and generalized. Faith has become synonymous to a person’s religious preference. In coming to grips with what is most important, let’s let faith not only be defined, but let’s press on until we let faith define us. “As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, …
The Cross
The cross was rugged — a place of offense where blood was shed. It’s where Christ died for your sins and mine and for the rest of the world. In 1 Corinthians 1:23, Paul says, “But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.” To hang on the cross was horrid enough. However, historians say that …
Nation Under Friendly Fire
Today, we are a nation under friendly fire. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov. 14:34). The Bible says that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin disgraces it. It’s not the wars waged on the outside that wreck havoc and depress a nation and its families. It’s the sin within. It’s the inside job …
Making Room at the Top
In high school, I noticed a strange phenomenon. The freshmen got smaller every year. It was really weird.
When my friends and I walked onto campus for the first day of our freshman year we were legit high schoolers, admittedly a little intimidated by the seniors, but plenty cool in our own right.
Not so with the punks that came in the next year. Something must have happened at the middle school to stunt their growth. None of the new ninth graders were anywhere near as big, smart, or mature as we had been the year before.
Innovation’s Blind Spot
If Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret is that most innovations fail, innovation’s blind spot is the failure to see that protecting the past is as important as creating the future.
Recently, while discussing what makes for a successful serial innovator™ with a group of pastors and business leaders, I was struck again that when it comes to leadership and innovation, all the sex appeal is on creating the future. But all the peril comes from failing to protect the past.
Slow Down – You Move Too Fast!
Because North Coast Church has been somewhat innovative over the years and successfully made lots of changes, I’m often asked by other pastors and leaders about the best way to go about making major organizational and ministry changes.
My answer often surprises them. I usually tell them to, “Slow down.” It’s not what they expect from someone with a reputation as an innovator. Now let me be clear. I don’t tell them to stop. No way. But I often tell them to slow down. And here’s why: