Links & Quotes

Christians do a disservice to the Gospel when we’re known more for what we’re against than what we’re for. Check out this full message hereI have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

The Hebronites faithfully served God and King David without any fanfare or recognition. God shined His light on these “men of outstanding capability” so that they were finally recognized publicly. Note that they didn’t try to promote themselves. They faithfully served and God promoted these humble men in His timing.

I always appreciate the straightforward leadership insights that Ken Blanchard shares. He wrote, “Leadership is not something you do to people, but something you do with people.” And in this post he discusses some strategies when one of your direct reports is struggling.

“If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed.” —Thomas Edison

“We are a Christian people, according to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledging with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God.” —1931 Supreme Court ruling

The Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s Word. But in order for Him to remind us, we have to study it first! Check out this full message.

“Your real, new self…will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for God.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

“Just because they say it’s impossible doesn’t mean you can’t do it.” —Roger Bannister, who broke the “impossible” barrier of running less than a 4-minute mile on May 6, 1954

The Craig And Greg Show: Goals Instead Of Gossip

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

When you are in a leadership role it is unavoidable that you will occasionally have to talk about people. Perhaps it’s gathering more information or discussing an incident with a fellow leader. However, we have to be very careful that these discussions don’t cross the line into gossip. Gossip is toxic for your organization, and left unchecked can lead to disastrous results. Check out this episode where Greg and I discuss how to make your conversations about goals instead of gossip.

  • [0:31] Leaders have to have lots of conversations on different levels—how do they do this without gossiping about their teammates? 
  • [1:32] Leaders need to have a goal for each of their conversations.
  • [3:39] What holds leaders back from having the productive (but difficult) conversations?
  • [6:02] Leaders need to be careful of the diabolic nature of gossip.
  • [8:58] We need to try to make all of our conversations constructive for us, our teammates, and the entire organization.
  • [11:01] Productive, healthy conversations must become a part of your organization’s culture.
  • [13:09] Do your teammates totally trust that you, as their leader, have their best in mind?
  • [16:51] Leaders need to prioritize transparency at all levels of the organization.
  • [18:36] Leaders can empower their teammates to make healthy changes.
  • [22:33] With the privilege of leadership come responsibility. Greg and I can help you raise your leadership impact through our coaching services.

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.

I Wish I Didn’t Have To Write This Book

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

This is a book that I wish I didn’t have to write. But it needed to be written, so let me tell you what it’s all about.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Here are some helpful resources from this episode:

If you would like to watch the full interview I did on the Converge Coaching podcast, check that out here.

Order your copy of When Sheep Bite here!

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. ◀︎◀︎

Talk To Difficult Peers

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

When we have a difficult coworker or team member, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of talking about them to others and avoid talking directly to them. 

Check out this portion of the conversation Greg and I had on our leadership podcast called The Craig and Greg Show. This is from an episode called “Leading difficult peers.”

Getting counsel from others about this difficult person is important, but then we must use those insights to have a productive conversation directly with that team member. If we don’t talk directly to them, we’re ultimately gossiping about them, which is never productive. In fact, that gossiping will actually make the situation worse. 

You can check out the full Craig and Greg Show episode on this topic here.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Thwarting Infighting

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

Something from J.R.R. Tolkien and something from the Bible collided on the exact same day.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Here are some helpful resources from this episode:

The Scriptures I referenced are 1 Samuel 30:1-19 and John 10:10.

David learned how to find his encouragement in God from his friend Jonathan. Check out The Jonathan Experience.

I have a lengthy series of posts on the attributes of godly leaders which you can find here.

My new book When Sheep Bite is available for pre-order!

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. ◀︎◀︎

The Craig And Greg Show: Thinking About The End

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

Have you thought about what you’d like said at your funeral? Stick with me here, this isn’t an episode about contemplating your death. In this episode, Greg and I want to encourage you to begin with the end in mind, and live as the type of leader that you picture yourself being remembered as.

  • [0:15] Hang with us on this one: We’d like you to take a moment to think about your funeral. 
  • [3:15] We could think of our own epitaph like we’re building a house.
  • [4:14] Greg asks me what I would like on my epitaph.
  • [6:00] We aren’t talking about planning our funeral, but about doing lasting and beneficial things with “the dash” between our birth date and our death date.
  • [9:20] There is a leadership caution when we’re thinking about this topic.
  • [10:21] Greg has been thinking about one word that could sum up his life.
  • [13:31] Here’s what we need to live for today.
  • [15:41] I give an example of someone whose character and reputation didn’t align.
  • [18:09] I brag on something special Greg does for others.
  • [20:54] How do leaders get beyond themselves?
  • [24:05] We need to be living our leadership story every single day.

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.

Guilt Constricts Leadership

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

Without a doubt, a leader plagued by feelings of guilt is a leader that is operating well-below his or her full potential. 

One of the best ways to avoid these feelings of limiting guilt is for the leader to admit that he or she isn’t an expert in every aspect of their organization. 

In this short clip, Karl Vaters and I are specifically addressing pastoral leaders, but the principles can be applied to leaders of any organization. 

You can check out more clips from this interview by clicking here. 

The two related blog posts I made reference to in this video are:

You may also be interested in a whole series of posts on godly leadership and in my book Shepherd Leadership. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Links & Quotes

Jesus asks us to proclaim the message about Him, not argue about Him. The best witness is one who truthfully shares his or her personal life-changing experience with Jesus. There is never a reason to quarrel about this! Check out this whole message here. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

“In 1977, 40 years after arriving in Guatemala, the Franklins retired from full-time ministry, returning to the United States. They made numerous short-term trips back to Guatemala to rejoice with the people who had become their family. From the five small groups of believers they found in 1937, God had blessed them with 600 established churches, 700 licensed ministers, and 55,000 Assemblies of God believers.” What an amazing testimony of faithful, Christ-honoring ministry!

“Enduring peace cannot be bought at the cost of other people’s freedom.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt

“When we are out of the way of duty, we are in the way of temptation.” —Matthew Henry

“Work of the enemy! Such deeds he loves: friend at war with friend, loyalty divided, and confusion of hearts.” —Gandalf, in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Return of the King 

I absolutely love the leadership insights I discover during my daily Bible reading. I have turned many of these insights into an ongoing series called Godly Leadership.

“Before one can correctly understand the work of the Holy Spirit, he must first of all know the Spirit Himself. A frequent source of error and fanaticism about the work of the Holy Spirit is the attempt to study and understand His work without first of all coming to know Him as a Person. … If we think of the Holy Spirit as so many do as merely a power or influence, our constant thought will be, ‘How can I get more of the Holy Spirit,’ but if we think of Him in the Biblical way as a Divine Person, our thought will rather be, ‘How can the Holy Spirit have more of me?’” —R.A. Torrey, The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit 

The Standard Of The Leader

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

Good leaders hold themselves—at a minimum—to the same standard for the rest of their team. But the best leaders hold themselves to an even higher standard.

Check out this humorous story that makes this point so clear.

Check out this full conversation Greg and I had on an episode of The Craig and Greg Show called “Be honest with yourself.” 

In Proverbs 19, wise King Solomon shares a whole list of blessings for those who live with integrity. And on the flip side, you may want to check out my post Don’t putrefy your leadership.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

De-Sizing The Church

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

I’d like to tell you about a book that I think is an absolute must-read for those in church leadership. Check out my interview with Karl Vaters, the author of De-Sizing The Church, on this episode of The Podcast.

Purchase your copy of De-Sizing The Church here.

You can keep up with all that Karl is doing on his blog.

And if you would like to check out when Karl interviewed me about my book Shepherd Leadership, those videos are here.

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. ◀︎◀︎