Tonight I had a few of our student ministry leaders over to celebrate what God has done with and through them in our student ministry this semester.  Some of them lead small groups.  Others are leaders at our Wednesday night service.  All of them lead in separate ways depending upon their schedules and passions, but [...]

Nobody ever likes conflict.  If you do, then there is literally something wrong with you.  Conflict is one of those things we could do without in our lives.  When I wake up in the morning, I can promise you that I am not looking for conflict with my wife and family.  When I get in [...]

Last night at Foothills Church, we had our first student event of the year — The Summit. The Summit is designed specifically for our upcoming 9th graders — and this time it was just for guys.  This is a leadership event (level 4/5 if you know David Adam’s 5 Levels of Programming) where we talk [...]

Nobody likes criticism.  Nobody likes constructive criticism. I mean, I don’t know anyone who likes for people to tell them how bad of a job they are doing — or how they can improve in the job they are doing.  And NOBODY really likes to get criticism when it concerns a reflection of their personal character. [...]

Last Wednesday morning around 4:30 AM, I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock in Orange Beach, AL.  It was way too early for me to even think about being nice to anyone.  I was exhausted, as it was the last day of our Student Life Beach Camp and I had to catch a [...]

Are leaders born or made?  Surely, both.  On the one hand, leadership is an “elusive and electric quality” that comes directly from God.  On the other, leadership skills are distributed widely among every community, and should be cultivated and developed.  Often our skills lie dormant until a crisis arises. Some people become leaders by opportunity [...]

Chivalry is a word that has lost its luster lately.  For the sake of definition, it means courteous behavior or qualities expected of a leader toward the weak.  The placement of this word is most often found within the context of knights who ride nobly into battle, protecting the innocent, and putting their lives in [...]

My wife and I recently moved to accept a position at her home church in Cincinnati. In the process, I just bought my first bookcase. It was so much fun. I am a booklover, and for the past five years of my transient college life, my books have been confined to little cardboard prisons. Now, [...]

If you know me at all then you know that I am very fond of leadership.  My column, Crossing the Rubicon, has great leadership implications within its name; it is an idiom which refers to passing the point of no return.  In fact, this idiom is quite old.  It refers to Julius Caesar’s crossing of [...]

This question is more of an enigma then anything.  Nonetheless, here are some good questions for young men that love both Jesus and women. 1.  Are you attracted to her? This is a no brainer. 2.  Does she love Jesus? This should be the first thing that makes or breaks a relationship.  The apostle Paul [...]