We all know it is imperative for leaders to have and maintain a vision.  “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight” said Helen Keller, “but has no vision.”  Vision is what distinguishes the leader from the follower.  It is the one thing that differentiates the average traveler from the informed, observant driver: the ability to see up ahead.

Vision is especially important in pastoral ministry.  As a pastor I am not only preparing for this Sunday, I am preparing for the Sunday 5, 10, 20 years from now.    Mel Lawrenz hits on this notion in …

1. What Do You Do?

The old joke says the pastor only works an hour and a half each  week: thirty minutes on Sunday morning, thirty minutes on Sunday night, and thirty minutes on Wednesday.  Though most people realize that is not true, they may wonder what the pastor does on a daily basis.  My grandfather used to tell me that “preaching is the easy part” of ministry; I didn’t understand the magnitude of that statement until I became a pastor.

The responsibilities of the man of God are many: reading, writing, studying, counseling, visitation, evangelism, preaching appointments, organizing, planning, …

The Painful Side of Leadership has a different tone from most leadership books on the market today.  Most material on leadership details what a leader should do or how a leader should act.  If you pick up any bestselling leadership book you will find that much attention is given to the qualities, attributes, and characteristics of the leader.  Jeff Iorg approaches the subject from another angle.

He deals with the often-neglected aspect of leadership: the pain, the problems, and the perplexities.  In a very practical style, Jeff Iorg steers the reader into the troubled waters of leadership.  He deals with …

I have been in the ministry now for over 15 years; and I will be the first to admit that I have not learned everything that I need to learn. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we ever get to a place in the journey where we have learned it all. We should be continual and constant students, not only of the Word of God, but of life. I will say however that there are some truths that I have discovered in my years of serving the Lord that I wish I had known as a young preacher. …

The book of Job gives many life lessons from which to glean: dealing with tragedy, handling depression, overcoming grief, experiencing death, encountering bitter relationships, mysteries of the afterlife, the creation, the existence of man, and ultimately the providence of God.  However, as you study Job’s life one thing is often overlooked- his attributes as a godly father.

When looking for material on family, parenting, or fatherhood one would assume that the best material would be from the latest and greatest author who understands our time, our culture, and our generation.  But that’s what makes the Word of God so powerful.  …