THE DAY I FINALLY STOPPED “TRYING HARD”
I wanted the perfect career, perfect marriage, perfect family, perfect house, perfect car, perfect church, perfect hobbies, perfect attitude…the perfect life. And I was willing to do whatever it took to make all of that happen. You know, “try hard…you can do it, Mark.” So much for MY plan. Of course perfection is elusive because it doesn’t exist—no matter how hard we...
I WAS WRACKED WITH GUILT
Worshiping the Activity Management Game Living an “Activity Management” lifestyle is dangerous. Even with the best calibration, a wheel spinning too fast will eventually blow out. I know this to be true because it is an important part of my life story and the way God taught me a very important lesson. That’s what I want to share with you here. As a corporate CEO in...
Can You Play Second Fiddle?
It wasn’t until my knees buckled under my own power that I was ready to receive God as the true and one Lord of my life. On that day my natural self was vanquished with its last breath and I was ready to “play second fiddle.” When bad things happen in life, we need to see them as necessary trials that God uses to glorify himself and bring us closer to him. Through spiritual discipline...
Where is your Refuge?
Where do you go when the storms of life hit? Do you escape to a “warm and safe” bunker? Do you deny reality and hope the storm passes? Or do you go on a hunt for any diversion you can find—even if it’s unhealthy? If you answered yes to any of those questions, welcome to my club because I’ve tried them all! Thankfully I’ve learned to...
My Insatiable Thirst for Money, Mansions, and a Materialistic Lifestyle
I endured much pain (self-inflicted) earlier in my life because I did not know about God’s “Even if” and “Even Though” promises. My ability to be strong through the adversity of life back then was pathetically weak. I can see now that it was because I had done nothing to develop a relationship with Christ to learn what he would have me think and do when the going got tough. That meant...
Are Lay Leaders Qualified to Serve?
Of course they are! The problem is that we have unwittingly created a wall between pastors and lay leaders that is sometimes defined by the use of “theological bonafides.” What can be an impenetrable barrier keeps a believer’s calling and suitability to serve at bay. Throughout my 20 years as a Christian leader and Marketplace CEO, I repeatedly heard about believers from...
Tear Down This Wall!
“MR. GORBACHEV, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!” Ronald Reagan in West Berlin, Germany, 1987. Even though the concrete wall between East and West Berlin turned to dust nearly 30 years ago, it still offers a powerful metaphor for this story about a figurative wall that exists between the church and Christians working in the marketplace. What divides the two “sides” in my...
How are you spending your time?
Stewardship of the talents and gifts God gives us can be gauged by how much of our time is spent on the day-to-day bustle of life, and how much is spent on spiritual growth and service. “Make the most of your chances to tell unbelievers the Good News. Be wise in all your contacts with them.” Colossians 4:5 OK, great…what can I do to check how I’m spending...
SWATTING FLIES
We all try SO HARD in life when God says TRY EASY and trust him. Many of us occasionally view the notion of keeping our life in balance as a low priority. I know I am susceptible to that wayward thinking when things get busy and I shift into the “try harder” gear. CAUTION! We’re playing with fire when we convince ourselves to just try harder when times are tough,...
GLORIOUS UNCERTAINTY
What?! Glorious uncertainty? C’mon, you are kidding, right? Nope. No kidding. It’s definitely possible and I want to share with you how God brought me to its peaceful state. Our culture has taught us that fear and worry, just like stress, are part of the package we get in life. We are told to endure the constant pressure of life’s uncertainty and to keep trying hard so we...