January 28, 2012 8:00 PM
I just watched the Pentecostal preacher Jim Cymbala give an altar call and about 400 Baptist pastors came forward for prayer. Here's what happened. Cymbala told a moving story about his young grandson, an adopted child from Ethiopia named Levi....
October 7, 2011 9:25 AM
Now I know why people enjoy listening to Mark Driscoll. He’s engaging, funny, provocative, pastoral, and so darn interesting. Here are a few of his best one-liners: •"Some people deal with fear by reading books on the rapture and continually...
October 6, 2011 5:32 PM
Here's a quick take from Francis Chan's talk. Chan started with 1 Samuel 30, a story from David's life. David and his soldiers had just returned from battle only to find their entire village razed and that the captors had...
August 19, 2011 12:00 AM
As the summer comes to an end and a new ministry season launches in many congregation, I thought we should start a new segment on Out of Ur. So every Friday we will have a post about prayer called "Praying...
January 3, 2011 12:00 AM
The latest issue of Catalyst Leadership has been released. This time we are focused on "The Drive." What fuels your ministry? What keeps you going? And what does a godly ambition really look like? As we being a new year,...
October 7, 2010 3:00 PM
Daniel Pink is the author of "Drive," a new book about motivation. He brought his core message to the Catalyst crowd. Money is a motivator, he admits, but it is limited. (You can’t pay someone unfairly. But once you pay...
October 7, 2010 2:36 PM
“The tension is good.” That’s the theme of this year’s Catalyst Conference, and Andy Stanley’s opening session talk described the tensions caused by our appetites: “Food and sex, and food and sex, and the guys in the room are saying...
October 6, 2010 10:17 PM
Perhaps my favorite lab of the day was led by Pete Wilson, pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville. He titled the session: “Temptations in the Dip,” and by that he means seasons of life when things aren’t going well....
August 20, 2010 12:00 AM
I love and hate the book of Job. I love it because it poses challenging pastoral questions—like being tested by God or God’s tolerance for the devil—but I hate it because it challenges my understanding of what it means to...
July 16, 2010 12:00 AM
It’s true confession time. I struggle to be thankful. I’ve been reading a lot in the Old Testament recently (for a class; I’m not so holy.). One of the themes that has jumped out at me again and again throughout...
July 13, 2010 12:00 AM
If there’s one issue that all pastors must wrestle with, beyond how the Gospel applies to their own lives and ministry, it’s the issue of rest and Sabbath. Wait—scratch that. Those are actually the same issue. There was a time...
April 27, 2010 12:00 AM
I’m struck by the fact that Tozer wrote these words in 1948–more than 60 years ago. Was he ahead of time? Or is the craving for simplicity a constant one? Are there always distractions and busyness–whether you’re living in the...
April 13, 2010 12:00 AM
As you discovered last week, we’re going to be celebrating Tuesdays With Tozer this spring. Tozer has a knack for stirring up the hunger to know God in my own heart and I hope he’ll do the same for you....
November 11, 2009 12:00 AM
I do not think clergy need more lectures about self-care. It seems that at every ordination or installation service I attend there is a charge given about clergy self care. One minister stands up and tells another minister that they...
October 14, 2009 12:00 AM
There is nothing like a recession to put Americans in a reflective mood. Unemployment and a devalued stock market have led many to consider whether money is the pre-eminent form of American idolatry. New York Times columnist David Brooks...
October 9, 2009 9:18 AM
The irrepressible financial guru Dave Ramsey burst on the Catalyst stage talking about “momentum.” “When you have it, you look better than you are. When you don’t have it, you’re better than you look.” He talked about times his ministry...
October 9, 2009 8:39 AM
As a leader, you face a lot of great projects to take on, a lot of good directions to go. But in Friday’s first session, Priscilla Shirer reminded the Catalyst crowd to proceed only down those paths on which...
October 8, 2009 2:28 PM
Rob Bell warned the crowd before he began: “I’ve never talked about some of this publicly but I have a sense that we need to.” So we buckled our seatbelts. He talked about the pastor he met who wanted...
October 7, 2009 2:34 PM
A few minutes into his talk on the church and the environment, Matthew Sleeth, MD called up a young man named David to share his story. David recounted how he had recently suffered a grand mal seizure. After a...
October 7, 2009 10:47 AM
Mark Batterson led off the Catalyst lab sessions with a few words from his upcoming book Primal, which led into a reflection on the foundation of ministry. (Kevin Miller was across the room blogging this session as well, and...
October 7, 2009 10:39 AM
> Skye Jethani, managing editor of Leadership and www.OutOfUr.com, introduced Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. Batterson described his forthcoming book, Primal (Multnomah):...
March 31, 2009 10:29 AM
As we journey through Lent toward Easter, I want to be mindful of the dangers that surround this season and threaten the soul of a community and the soul of a pastor. What danger? The temptation to bait and switch....
November 18, 2008 12:00 AM
by Dave Gibbons I imagine you may be paying more attention to the market news. Our 401Ks have turned into a 201Ks! The markets are in transition. Most likely this recession will not be quickly fixed with bailouts and the...
October 20, 2008 12:00 AM
Has the economy got you worried? When pundits are throwing around statements like, "The worst market since the Great Depression," it's natural to get concerned. But Andy Crouch has a different take. He's written a really insightful article for our...
September 9, 2008 12:00 AM
Pulling up to a busy intersection recently, my wife and I were startled to see a car with its rear windshield shattered. Out of the damaged car leaped a man with a baseball bat, yelling and chasing the two apparent...
August 12, 2008 12:00 AM
Something's wrong. We pastors are the stewards, the spokespeople, the advocates of a message of hope, life, and peace. And yet so few of us seem to be experiencing these qualities in our own lives. Something's wrong. In a world...
April 24, 2007 12:00 AM
"If I'm to preach to people effectively, I must be freed from my need for their approval and applause. As long as I am chained to that need, then my preaching will really be trying to fill up something in...
March 8, 2007 12:00 AM
Have you ever heard of Nikolai Velimirovic? I hadn't either until Brian McLaren introduced me to a prayer written by the Serbian Orthodox bishop. McLaren credits the bishop with helping him process the increasing criticism he's received in recent years....
February 15, 2007 12:00 AM
Dallas Willard has written about the importance of soul care for those of us in ministry. He says, The call of God to minister the gospel is a high honor and a noble challenge. It carries with it unique opportunities...
December 13, 2006 12:00 AM
"We modern, well-educated, pastoral Dr. Phils may, if not careful, begin to think our answers are more important than God's Word or God's presence. But we must remember that we are servants of Christ in the ministry of healing damaged...
February 22, 2006 12:00 AM
Leadership's editorial team is posting from sunny San Diego this week. We've gathered with 1700 other church leaders for the National Pastors Convention. At the opening session Methodist bishop Will Willimon spoke (with his charming and colorful Southern humor) about...
October 7, 2005 12:11 PM
(Here's a post from Cory Whitehead, editor of the Building Church Leaders newsletter, one our Leadership guys on site at the Catalyst conference here in Atlanta.) Integrity. We hear all about it today, or at least the lack thereof. Enron,...
