Links & Quotes

You cannot get Scripture from the Bible into your heart and mind by osmosis! To develop a biblical worldview, we have to put the Word in so the Holy Spirit can help us work it out.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“Without goals, training has no direction.” —Natalie Coughlin 

John Piper saures 12 resolves for Christians to fortify them against viewing pornography. In the post called The High Price of Watching Nudity, Piper says, “I want to invite, frankly, all Christians to join me in this pursuit of greater purity of heart and mind. In our day, when entertainment media is virtually the lingua franca of the world, this is an invitation to be an alien. And I believe with all my heart that what the world needs is radically bold, sacrificially loving, God-besotted freaks, aliens.”

“Accountability closes the gap between intentions and actions.” —Craig Groeschel

T.M. Moore wrote, “Who are your ten most admired pastors? Probably we could all make a list. Why do we admire them? Because their churches are growing? Would they want you to say of them that they really know how to grow a church? We make two mistakes here. First, we mistake big numbers with real growth. The Bible’s view of growth is much more qualitative than quantitative. Second, we think we can get ‘growth’—in numbers—by simple mechanics: Find the right combination of programs, the latest in worship music, and a nice refreshment area. That won’t get the growth Jesus is seeking.”

Links & Quotes

For personal growth and team growth, consider how you can set both small, bite-size goals that can be done daily and also bigger, stretching goals that energize the competitive drive. Check out more leadership content from The Craig and Greg Show.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“This chapter contains the premier teaching of Christianity. It is an undying expression of Jesus’ doctrine of heavenly love. This chapter is more potent for the building of the church than any, or all, of the various manifestations of God’s power. Love is the church’s most effective weapon. Love is the essence of God’s nature. Love is the perfection of human character. Love is the most powerful, ultimate force in the universe. Without love, al various gifts of the Spirit are of no avail. … What a call to self-examination!” —Dr. Henry Halley, commenting on 1 Corinthians 13

“The transition from the good man to the saint is a sort of revolution; by which one for whom all things illustrate and illuminate God becomes one for whom God illustrates and illuminates all things.” —G.K. Chesterton 

T.M. Moore launched a new series of articles about the coming of God’s Kingdom in these last days. In the first article, T.M. wrote, “In his Pentecost sermon Peter announced that, with the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the pouring out of God’s Spirit, the ‘last days’ had begun (Acts 2:14-17), the new economy has been put into effect. Paul says Jesus came in ‘the fullness of the times’ to inaugurate His great work of redemption in these last days (Galatians 4:4). The ‘fullness of the times’ in which the divine economy is unfolding, is now. We are living in the last days, the fullness of the times, when the Lord of heaven and earth is establishing and expanding His divine economy.”

Once again, a new fossil discovery doesn’t fit into evolutionary models, but instead bolsters the facts recorded in the Bible about Creation and the Flood.

“For years, Michael Pratt operated in the shadows of the internet, profiting from coercion, deception, and exploitation under the guise of adult entertainment.” Pratt has now pled guilty to sexual trafficking charges. Fight The New Drug wrote, “The story is more than a courtroom headline. It’s a stark reminder of how the porn industry can weaponize vulnerability, disguise abuse and trafficking, and sell it as fantasy.”

A really penetrating question from John Piper: Why do so many PhDs in theology commit adultery?

Links & Quotes

High-capacity leaders may need to tap the brakes a bit for the sake of their teammates. Otherwise, their teams may get discouraged and then completely disengage. Check out the full conversation on The Craig and Greg Show.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” —Albert Einstein 

“A steady and balanced diet of God’s Word provides the spiritual energy disciples need for the work of the Lord. … Preachers and teachers must always bear this in mind. Disciples don’t grow into Christlikeness in leaps and bounds, but incrementally, here a little and there a little. We must teach the glory and majesty and scope of the whole counsel of God, but we must teach the disciples how to discern what that requires for every next step in their lives.” —T.M. Moore 

Some skeptics of Christianity try to push their claim that Easter is really a pagan holiday co-opted by Christians. But reading the historical records shows that this is clearly not the case. Check out this helpful article from Michael A.G. Haykin. 

Caiaphas was a key high priest during the New Testament era. The Bible Archeology Report has a really cool archeological biography of this man.

“One step at a time is all it takes to get you there.” —Emily Dickinson 

Links & Quotes

Whether you call it grit or stick-to-it-iveness, those who don’t give up easily are the ones who will become leaders by their example. Check out the conversation we had on The Craig and Greg Show.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

I was thrilled to be asked to write an article for Influence Magazine about the biting sheep that every pastor has experienced. I am praying that this article will help pastors recover and thrive in their shepherding ministry.

“Knowing our lowliness and Christ’s worthiness, we neither grovel nor saunter into the presence of God. And we do not go home flippant or weeping. In Christ, we will receive what we ask or what we should have asked.” —David Mathis

In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, the apostle Paul warns us not to quench the Holy Spirit. T.M. Moore asks, “How do we quench the Spirit?” and then gives Christians seven warning signs to avoid this quenching. Check out his post Joy In His Spirit.

I really enjoy these archeological biographies of biblical people and places. The Bible Archeology Report writes, “The Neo-Babylonian king, Amēl-Marduk (biblical Evil-Merodach) is only mentioned twice in Scripture (in 2 Kings 25:27–30 and the parallel passage, Jeremiah 52:31–34), both times in connection with the restoration of Jehoiachin, king of Judah.” In a separate post, John Stonestreet shares an archeological discovery in a Roman cemetery in Frankfurt of an amulet that shows that “the Gospel spread farther and faster than historians thought.”

Kenneth Blanchard shares his novel way of setting personal and business goals for the year in a post ‘Look forward to looking back at your goal success in 2025.’

Links & Quotes

Fellas, the godly superwomen in our lives have unlocked our leadership potential. What are you going to do with that? You have only two choices: steward it or squander it. We only honor these godly women when we steward that potential well. Watch the full Father’s Day sermon here.

I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

Dan Reiland addresses an important topic for busy leaders: busy work vs. real work. “Doing the easy stuff makes us feel good, doing the hard stuff helps other people live better. When we focus on our real work over busywork, we see intentional progress toward a focused vision or goal, rather than just checking things off a list.” Check out the four things Dan calls leaders to focus on. 

“Because of what Jesus did for us through His life, death, and resurrection, we are no longer the worst things we have ever done. We are now the best thing God has ever done for us! That’s what God saved us from. That is our history. Now the question is, what has God saved us for? That is our destiny!“ —Jim Wiegand, in the Everything Begins With Purpose reading plan on YouVersion

A good reminder for pastors. “Call your own soul often to account; examine the temper, the frame, and the motions of your heart with all holy severity, so that the evidences of your faith in Jesus, and your repentance for sin, and your conversion to God, be many and fair, be strong and unquestionable; that you may walk on with courage and joyful hope toward heaven, and lead on the flock of Christ thither with holy assurance and joy.” —Isaac Watts

“The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does.” —Herbert Brocknow

“‘The fear the Lord.’ This refers to an awesome respect for God, which is a good thing. Without it, people are presumptuous before God. Those who do not fear God fail to respect His awesome power and righteousness, and they do not recognize the infinite distance between their sins and His holiness.“ —Quest Study Bible commentary on Psalm 128:1

“Our Lord did not ask us to give up the things of earth, but to exchange them for better things.” —Fulton J. Sheen

“Abortion advocates have long labeled humans in the earliest stages of development as ‘nothing but’ clumps of cells. This description is like calling Michelangelo’s David ‘a clump of marble.’ The only difference is that while art historians know every detail of this statuary masterpiece, scientists are still unlocking the secrets of the embryo.” John Stonestreet shares some astounding new research about the ways that the cells of a baby develop in a way that can only be attributed to an All-Wise Creator. 

The unrighteous always seek to pull down those who hold to God’s righteous standard. How sad that they think it easier to pull the righteous down than to repent of their own evil. God sees this: He rewards the righteous who do not compromise and He punishes the unrepentant unrighteous who try to force the righteous to compromise.

The Craig And Greg Show: Setting Goals, Making Changes

Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.

Goal-setting and change-making are integral parts of a leader’s job. However, it can often feel like actually accomplishing these tasks is one of the hardest parts of the job! In this episode, Greg and I dive into how to successfully set and accomplish goals, and how to strategically create change in a way that doesn’t disenfranchise your team.

  • [0:30] Why aren’t more people successful in their goal-setting? 
  • [1:30] Focusing on too many things can paralyze a leader.
  • [3:48] Leaders—by definition—have a lot of things on their plates. How do we find the areas that are the most strategic for us to change?
  • [5:28] Leaders need to set a place of change that the entire team can stick to.
  • [7:02] Leaders must learn to trust their teammates to get tasks done.
  • [9:01] Changes are vital for us personally and organizationally, but we must choose those changes strategically and carefully.
  • [10:02] Celebrating accomplishments in meeting our goals is very important.
  • [12:08] How do leaders find the speed of change?
  • [13:39] Enlisting and energizing change agents in the organization will extend a leader’s influence.
  • [15:57] Leader’s shouldn’t make key decision when they are exhausted or distracted.
  • [19:12] Greg shares a helpful acrostic for F.O.C.U.S.
  • [21:29] A coach can be invaluable in helping you be successful in all of your change initiatives. This is where we can help you.

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.

Making Better Resolutions

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

Is New Year’s Day really the best time to make a resolution? Well, maybe! Here are some thoughts to help you be more successful whenever you resolve to make some healthy changes in your life.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

If you would like to go a little deeper on this, check out these posts I previously shared:

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. Like a first look at the cover of my brand new book. ◀︎◀︎

The Craig And Greg Show: Personal Development Grows Leadership

Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.

As leaders, it’s our responsibility to help our organization grow. As Greg and I discuss in this episode of The Craig And Greg Show, one of the best ways to do that is by focusing on your own personal development. It might seem counterintuitive, but by focusing inward we make ourselves more flexible, robust, and prepared leaders. This, in turn, enables us to better influence and encourage others in our leadership roles.

  • [0:20] Why should leaders set goals?
  • [0:45] What do we mean by “personal development”?
  • [2:15] I discuss healthy personal development in Shepherd Leadership.
  • [3:38] Greg wonders why personal development takes us so far.
  • [6:19] Why do people procrastinate on their own personal development? 
  • [8:29] Where does delayed gratification come in when we are growing and learning?
  • [10:50] Personal development is not about fixing something in ourselves.
  • [12:54] The book Strengths Finder can help leaders know where they should develop themselves .
  • [13:21] How can we identify and lift lids in our lives?
  • [16:04] Watch your self-talk!
  • [17:21] Check out some of the benefits of personal development.
  • [19:15] It’s important to self-reflect on the areas where we’ve already grown.
  • [20:34] More benefits that come with personal development.
  • [23:10] Personal development is the best resume.
  • [25:07] I have seen that as I develop myself I am able to be a greater help for my team’s development.
  • [26:14] Comparing is a personal development killer.
  • [27:24] Progress is exciting!
  • [29:22] Greg and I would love to help coach you in your personal development.

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.

The Craig And Greg Show: Dream With A Plan

Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.

On this episode of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:24] We want you to dream!
  • [1:47] What are some reasons people don’t set goals?
  • [3:10] The trap of comfort zones.
  • [5:14] Are you afraid of achievement?
  • [5:57] The balance of internal and external discipline.
  • [9:21] We would love to help you stretch to the next level!
  • [10:30] Why do people set goals?
  • [13:42] Why are goals hard to attain?
  • [14:31] Time is not manageable.
  • [15:30] Self-awareness and clarity are tools to help set goals.
  • [17:48] Be a goal-influencer by supporting others’ goals.
  • [19:20] Take time to celebrate reaching goals.
  • [22:40] Sharing goals with others lets them know what’s important to you.
  • [23:31] Celebrating steps toward a goal helps maintain motivation.
  • [25:00] I love this quote from Andrew Wood on incremental steps.

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.

The Craig And Greg Show: Thoughts On Setting Goals

On this episode of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • Greg and I follow up on the last episode where we talked about how leaders need to be healthy in every area of their lives  
  • repetition and habits are a leader’s friends 
  • we need specific goals  
  • Greg tosses his Mt. Dew can (literally!)
  • it’s more challenging to set goals in the areas of mental, emotional, and social health than it is for physical health
  • as leaders get healthy, it encourages their teammates to get healthy  
  • small goals done daily have a huge cumulative effect
  • leaders need to be around other leaders that can invest in them
  • on our website we have added a new page about our coaching huddles 
  • leaders should set only 1-2 goals per area of their lives—physical, mental, emotional, spiritual 
  • leaders need to think about their nutritional “diet” in every area 
  • an accountability friend will help you stick with your goals 
  • I unpack Stephen Covey’s Urgent/Important quadrants and how to find the time necessary to make necessary changes
  • Greg and I discuss what helps us decompress

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and iTunes.