This true story from an airline pilot about a fallen soldier’s journey home illustrates a fundamental fact about human nature: since we are all made in the image of God, we are designed to be kind to one another. Here is what the pilot wrote. My lead flight attendant came to me and said, “We
Whenever we’ve done something wrong, our natural instinct is to conceal, deny or minimize our guilt. This dynamic began with Adam and Eve and is painfully evident in the current race for the White House. Sadly, it is also displayed in many churches, where both pastors and parishioners often give in to the tendency to
Mom’s Night Out (not to be confused with Bad Moms) provides some superb examples of relational wisdom … especially by a big, tattooed biker. The movie involves three mothers who decide they need a night away from their kids. In order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they
By God’s grace, a new generation of training in relational wisdom launched this morning. This interactive online course addresses the theology, benefits, and practical applications of relational wisdom. Using a cutting-edge learning management system, it is available for individual or group study using a computer, tablet or smartphone. This training is designed to improve your
With just six days to go before we launch our new online course, Discovering Relational Wisdom 2.0, God gave us a special gift this week. Feedback from two people who have been using our beta version confirmed that we’ve succeeded in our goal to make the material theologically rigorous enough to use in seminary and
I received a lot of positive feedback on last week’s post about a pastor who admitted his need for physical rest, spiritual renewal and relational retooling. One of the most insightful responses came from a different pastor’s wife, who described how both she and her husband also came close to burn out. I read your last
It takes a great deal of humility, wisdom and courage for a popular pastor to admit that he is a “bruised reed” in desperate need of physical rest, spiritual renewal and relational retooling. That’s exactly what my friend Rankin Wilbourne did last Sunday … which catapulted my already-great respect for him to an even higher
Most of us are blind to our own poor relational skills. As a result, we often fail to see how our behavior impacts the people around us and undermines our witness for Christ. One of the best ways to counteract our self-blindness is to ask for candid feedback from those around us. Their answers are
One of the many interesting groups I engaged during the recent European Leadership Forum was the Leaders of Christian Organizations Network. This network is comprised of executive leaders from many of the most respected Christian organizations in Europe. Prior to the conference, I asked for descriptions of the most challenging relational issues these leaders face
Corlette and I are having an exciting time in Poland interacting with 720 church and ministry leaders from 45 European countries. They’ve gathered together for the European Leadership Forum (ELF) for a week of training, fellowship and planning on how to “renew the biblical church and re-evangelize Europe.” Although these leaders are invariably warm and friendly,