Do you ever catch yourself daydreaming about living a different life? When the pandemic began, most of us had the foresight to know things would not go back to normal for a few months. But here we are, six months later, and our lives are still only shreds of what they were before. Collectively, this has taken a toll on everyone, not to mention, pastor and leaders. It’s easy to look at our churches and get the sense that everyone is leaving. Over time, this breeds discouragement and might even lead us to question our own staying power. In today’s podcast, I share with you a message from the book of Revelation that has grounded me for years – especially in times of uncertainty. If you are a pastor or leader and currently weighing your career options (maybe even thinking about jumping ship), then this episode is for you.

Do you ever daydream about living someone else’s life? In times of sustained pressure (like the one we are in), it’s easy to wish things were different. It was the same for Moses. When God called Moses to liberate the people of Israel, there were many obstacles before him. He was a murderer. He was too old. He was alone. It had been 400 years since Israel had been taken into captivity. Who was he to get the job done? But when God appeared to him in the burning bush, Moses moved toward the bush, not away from it. In today’s episode, we dive into the story of Moses and explore the excuses that could have kept him from responding to God’s call on His life. If you are a pastor or leader wishing your circumstances were different than what they are, this episode is for you.

When a crisis presents itself, what is your first instinct? At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders rushed into vision-casting mode, hoping to make the most of this new opportunity. Others expended a tremendous amount of energy launching new programs and initiatives in an attempt to overcome the disorientation. But in times of crisis, leaders need a dramatically different set of skills and practices in order to stay healthy for the long haul. Recently, Geri and I were asked to share our thoughts on leading during crisis. This wasn’t your typical Q&A interview. This was an open and raw conversation where we expressed our heartfelt encouragement to young leaders trying to lead in this moment. We address topics such as revival, anxiety, and the need for well-differentiated, non-anxious leadership. At the close, Geri ends the interview with a comment about “saving civilization” that is perhaps worth the entire podcast!

One of the great challenges before us is allowing God to transform the way we see. These days, much our perspective is shaped through the lens of daily news headlines. This view has the potential to lead us into deep discouragement and blind us to the ways God is at work in our lives. In today’s podcast, I explore a revelation that came to the prophet Isaiah in a time of great change. In this vision, he saw God on a throne and that a great future was going to spring out of an unlikely place. How can we learn to see God at work even when he appears absent?

No one enjoys the feeling of bewilderment. As leaders, we spend many of our days praying for clarity, resisting confusion, and seeking understanding, thinking “Isn’t this what God wants?” But often, we forget that God transforms us by leading us through a three-phase journey: Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation. In today’s podcast, I share with you a sermon based on Isaiah 43 exploring God’s divine purpose in a season of disorientation and how we can step into the plan of God.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is clear that many of our churches will not be gathering in large, in-person groups for quite some time. Even for churches who are re-opening, stats are showing us that people aren’t flocking back to gatherings like we thought they would. This creates a sizeable challenge for leaders who rely on Sunday services as their primary expression for being the church. In today’s podcast, Pete addresses this concern head-on. Drawing from historical and global case studies, Pete helps us reframe how the church can thrive even when we can’t gather.