Sometimes, you mess up.  Sometimes things go wrong, you experience loss or defeat, you become overwhelmed by change, or you fall under insurmountable obstacles.  Whether it’s your fault or not, it all falls apart, and then you experience shame, chastisement, rejection, and other consequences, and you’re left wondering what you are supposed to do next and questioning everything you’ve been … Read More

We celebrate many things.  When we grow another year older, we celebrate. When we add another year to the length of our marriage, we celebrate. When our favorite team wins a championship, we celebrate.  When we graduate – from kindergarten, from high school, from college – we celebrate.  When our child is born, we celebrate. When we get a promotion, … Read More

In the summer right after I graduated from high school, I had the privilege of working for one of my uncles, who was a general contractor and owned a construction company.   During this particular summer, he was building an apartment complex, and I was there to do whatever manual labor he assigned me to do.  My first day on the … Read More

For over twenty years, I lived my life in the same (over)weight range, always believing that I needed to lose some weight, but never really doing so.  I tried a variety of diets and exercise regimens, but nothing ever moved me out of that range, nor did any of them ever become a long-term lifestyle.  I finally convinced myself that … Read More

If you have been following this series, by now you realize that I have found that the book of Ezra is chock full of lessons and illustrations on leadership.  I have already written about topics like understanding God’s sovereignty in my plans, preparing myself for leadership, team leadership, the work of leadership, and seeing the big picture.  In my study … Read More

I enjoy puzzles. I enjoy all kinds of puzzles—word puzzles, number puzzles, brain games, etc.—but in this instance I am specifically referring to jigsaw puzzles, the ones that are pictures cut into hundreds of little pieces that need to be assembled. And I have a preferred method of assembly: first turn all of the pieces face-up, setting aside those that … Read More

In my first year as the head of a school, I was enthusiastic and organized, with big dreams and a plan that I was developing and implementing.  At first, though, I kept finding myself getting frustrated, because I would have seemingly constant interruptions that kept me from getting to the tasks that I needed to do in order to carry … Read More

As I have studied the book of Ezra (and I’m not sure why I did, but I think it originally had something to do with being struck by a particular verse – Ezra 7:10 – which in turn piqued my interest and led to a lengthy study) I have learned many lessons that were personally valuable for my spiritual growth.  … Read More

Do you remember your first opportunity to serve in a leadership capacity?  I do.  I remember feeling like I was not ready, but putting on a front to convey the opposite.  I was young, and had accepted a position as the head of small Christian school.  I knew how to teach, because I had been doing so for a number … Read More