God often takes us places we didn’t plan to go. As I got into my rental car in Louisville, Kentucky, to head out to The Groups Conference in Mattoon, Illinois, where I was speaking last weekend, I set the route I wanted to take in Google Maps and headed out. I was driving along the highway with the radio cranked …

How does the way others think about you—or what they’ve said about you—affect your ministry? How does the way you think about yourself, perhaps based on those tapes that keep playing in your head of what others have said to or about you, affect your ministry? If we are honest, my guess is that most if not all of our …

What do you do when you don’t have enough? Not enough money to pay the bills. Not enough skills or experience for the job you want. Not enough patience or compassion to deal with, much less love, that person in your life. Not enough leadership abilities or knowledge to lead that group or ministry or church or organization. Not enough …

As a shepherd leader, you are undoubtedly concerned about those you lead. You care about their souls. You pay attention to their spiritual conditions and want to lead them deeper with God. At least I hope so. Being in a small group is—or should be—good for your soul as well. But I’ve found, through my own experience and from talking …

Like you, I’m reading and listening to people who don’t understand why a Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk is refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on her religious beliefs. This is a clash of worldviews. Some see their religious liberties being violated. Some see their rights, as upheld by the Supreme Court, being violated. Some see this as …

What will happen to the church and to small groups if (or when) it becomes illegal for Christian ministers to publicly hold up biblical values? What if your testimony became “hate speech”? These are the questions Francis Chan addresses in this three-and-a-half-minute video. The video, I believe, is actually misnamed. While politics is the backdrop of his comments here, Chan’s …

This is Day 3 of my 7 ideas your group, class, or family can use to celebrate Christmas. See #1 HERE. #2 Remember the folks in your circles who struggle this time of year. Many people—inside your group and among your group members’ friends—are vulnerable during the holidays. Many hurting people find it difficult to be thankful at Thanksgiving and come to …

I know so many people who deal with the debilitating effects of depression. Family members. Friends. I also have gone through several seasons of depression in my life. Now, I don’t want to oversimplify depression and its effects. I’ve seen the necessity and benefits of helpful medicines for my immediate family members, but I believe they are not the end …

The Lord is on our side.  I came across these six little words as I read Psalm 124 this morning. These words are so vital to our lives that the writer, David, asked the people to repeat them. I took some time to simply meditate on these small yet profoundly impacting words. Here are a few of my thoughts. Let’s …

Hope. Someone—perhaps everyone—in your small group needs it, especially now. When I watch the news each day, I see tons of people who need it. When I talk to the men in my small group, each one needs it for different reasons. When I look at our family’s finances, health and health insurance, kids growing up into adults, family members …