Major Disruptions

Some people are simply stuck.

• A pastor I talked to recently told me he’s been on the verge of burnout for years.
• A close friend has been struggling in his marriage for almost a decade.
• Some ministries seem stuck in time.

If a small change or disruption would make the difference, you would have made the change a long time ago. Maybe you need to make a big change.

When I finally admitted that I was constantly overwhelmed with ministry, a trusted advisor told me, “A few days off here and there won’t change your problem. If you were going to overcome this challenge, you would have done it a long time ago. You need to get some help.”

That’s what I did. I’ve made major changes.

Maybe that’s what you need to do.

Tags: Changes, Disruptions, Life

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Disrupt The Voices

I am very thankful for my team.

• Sarah has been my assistant for six years.
• Mark and I have shot videos together for eight years.
• The four other directional leaders have served with me for ten years.
• Amy has been my wife and best friend for seventeen years.

I love the loyalty and consistency of those closest to me. I will always appreciate their wisdom. But the same people will often say the same thing. They lose objectivity. That’s why it is important to occasionally (or often) disrupt the voices.

• Invite someone new to offer you an opinion about your message.
• Develop a friendship with someone from a different country or religion.
• Read outside your comfort zone.

Some of our best insights can come from those outside our normal circles.

Disrupt the voices.

Tags: Changes, Disruptions, Life

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Disrupt The View

For the past five years I’ve prepared sermons in the same place.

• My office at church looks exactly the same as it did five years ago.
• My view out the window hasn’t changed.
• The people outside my door are, for the most part, the same people.

Although I find comfort in what is known, it is also easy to get in a rut.

I suggest disrupting the view.

• If you’re a pastor, pray or study in a new place.
• Counsel someone outside on a pretty day.
• Drive 30 minutes out of town and spend a half day reading in a different spot.
• When possible, get out of town for a few days and do the same work in another place.

I am writing this post from the Newark airport after 24 hours in Manhattan. Even though I had little time for prayer and study, God worked in my heart in a big way—simply by disrupting the view. Talking to tons of people and seeing the thousands of people who don’t care much at all about Christ made my heart bigger for people.

What can you do this week to disrupt your view?

Tags: Changes, Disruptions, Life, preaching

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Strategic Disruption: Disrupt Your Rhythms

The longer you do ministry, the easier it becomes to minister from memory. You tend to do what you used to do. It is safe, comfortable, and convenient.

To stay spiritually and creatively fresh, I suggest “strategic disruptions.” Today we’ll talk about disrupting life’s rhythms.

Because people can be creatures of habits, life often looks relatively similar from day to day, week to week, and year to year.

I suggest defining your rhythms—then disrupting them.

• If you drive the same way to work, take a different road.
• If you study the Bible the same way, try a different approach.
• If you listen to the same type of music, tune into something entirely different.
• If you read the same books, stretch yourself. Read out of your comfort zone.
• If you order the same thing off the menu, venture out and try something you’ve never had.

By disrupting your rhythms, you may experience just enough to change your perspective slightly. Suddenly, you could be more sensitive to hear something new from God.

Tags: Changes, Disruptions, Life, Rhythms

21 comments