What is the greatest obstacle that you are facing today? In this podcast, I talk about moving beyond an intellectual belief in the resurrection of Jesus to a practical trust that transforms our obstacles into gifts. Each of us encounters storms and circumstances we cannot overcome. That is the normal Christian life. Why? It is one major way God transforms us and reveals himself to the world. In a famous passage in John 11, we look at Mary’s struggle to trust Jesus after Lazarus’ death.  Jesus had delayed his coming two days. By the time he arrives, Lazarus, her brother, has been dead four days! While rabbis taught that a soul lingered for three days after a person died, on the fourth day it was considered gone permanently. In other words, there was no hope in this situation. Into this situation Jesus asks Mary a question: Did I not tell you that if you. Read more.

The whole core of the Christian life can be summed up as praying, abiding, and being with Jesus. Our first work in life is not to get something from God but to be with God. Sadly, many of us can fall into a cultural Christianity if we aren’t intentional. The core of the EH Discipleship Course is for people to learn to be with Jesus and cultivate their own first-hand relationship with Jesus. In this podcast Pete shares a message from John 2 on prayer and trusting in a wine that never runs out. May it be an encouragement to you to trust in Jesus and cultivate a life of deep connection and being with Jesus each day. P.S. This Thursday, Aug. 29th, we are offering our LAST live stream training for the year. After that, training will only be available on-demand through our Course Launch Bundle. Register now and get 20% off your. Read more.

 “We must not give to others what we have received for ourselves; nor must we keep for ourselves that which we have received to spend on others. You fall into the latter error, if you possess the gift of eloquence or wisdom, and yet—through fear or sloth or false humility—neglect to use the gift for others’ benefit. And on the other hand, you dissipate and lose what is your own, if without right intention and from some wrong motive, you hasten to outpour yourself on others when your own soul is only half-filled.” words from Bernard of Clairvaux. What will you do with the treasure of your life? -Pete & the EHD team P.S. On Aug. 29th, we are offering our LAST live stream training for the year. After that, training will only be available on-demand through our Course Launch Bundle. Register now and get 20% off your future purchase of the Course. Read more.

Being a disciple is an on-going shaping and molding by God. It can certainly be hard, slow and even frustrating sometimes. In this podcast based on a recent sermon, Pete shares how Jesus wants us to “stick with Him,” allowing Him to radically transform and reorient our lives. – EHD Team P.S. Check out Pete’s latest YouTube video “How Do We Take a Sabbath When Life is So Busy?”.

In this final podcast on The Emotionally Healthy Leader, I respond to the questions:Why are endings and new beginnings, i.e. transitions. so often handled poorly in our ministries, organizations, and teams? Why do we often miss God’s new beginnings, the new work he is doing? The answer is multilayered, yet it revolves around the application of one central biblical truth — death is a necessary prelude to resurrection. To bear long-term fruit for Christ, we need to recognize that some things must die so something new can grow. If we do not embrace this reality, we will dread endings in the same way our wider culture does, as signs of failure rather than as opportunities for God to do something new. In this podcast, I talk about how integrating ending and new beginnings is a critical leadership task to master if we are to do God’s work, God’s way, and in God’s timing. I. Read more.

I spent 8 years writing The Emotionally Healthy Leader. But it was the lessons learned from pain around “Power and Wise Boundaries” that initially served as the impetus for the writing of that book. It was, by far, the most difficult chapter to write. Almost every church, nonprofit organization, and Christian community I know bears deep scars and hurt due to a failure to steward power and set wise boundaries. I was no exception. In this podcast I give many examples of ways we can do this in a healthy way, attempting to nuance the different situations in which we find ourselves. I address two large challenges each of us confronts: Our exercise of power, i.e. our capacity to influence others. That power is God-given. When we under-use our power out of fear, a need to be liked, or an aversion to conflict, we hurt people. This is the most common problem I observe among. Read more.