Radical Faith
A humorous anecdote told since the early 1950’s goes like this: A chicken and a pig are seen peering through the dining room window at a family having a breakfast of ham and eggs. “Doesn’t it make you feel good to know that you can make a contribution to the happiness and well-being of a family like that?” the chicken asked. Making a wry face, the pig replied, “For you it is a contribution, but for me it is total commitment.” When Jesus recruited his disciples he didn’t just want them to make a contribution, he called...
read moreThe Type of Person People Follow
What do team members look for in their ministry leader? Are there any specific personal characteristics that can be identified? I like to follow people who have at least these seven personal characteristics. Vision: I want to know where I am headed. Don’t candy coat it, just paint me an image I can understand. Don’t describe Hawaii to me then lead me to North Dakota. Integrity: I want to be able to trust the person I am working with. Are they transparent? Do they honestly love and care about me as well as the...
read moreTen Years From Now
Imagine life ten years from now. This is your ideal, preferred future so dream without limitations. Dream big. Dream in detail. Dream without burdens. Where will you be sitting reading this Leader Lifter? What kind of work will you be doing? Who will you be doing it with? What does your work environment look like and feel like? What typical activities will you be doing throughout the course of your day? Don’t worry about the feasibility of creating this life, just let the image develop and place yourself in the...
read moreBreakthroughs
In the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s the Berlin Wall served as a tangible reminder of the Iron Curtain separating Western democracies from Europe’s Soviet-led Eastern bloc. The East German government erected the wall to stop their prominent citizens from fleeing westward. The wall stood 12 feet high and was 4 feet thick. It stretched nearly 100 miles and was made of reinforced concrete. Soldiers patrolled that wall from watchtowers poised high above with official orders to shoot on sight anyone attempting to scale the wall. Official...
read moreFollow Him
Recently I have been reading the passages of scripture that describe the calling of Jesus disciples. The one thing I noticed is that when they were called they didn’t fit Jesus into their lives, they changed their lives for Jesus. When Jesus called James and John they left their fathers business and followed Jesus immediately after he called out to them. When Jesus invited Peter and Andrew to follow him they left their fishing nets and followed him. They left their livelihood, their families, their security, their way of living and...
read moreTen Years From Now
Ten Years From Now Pastor John Braland Imagine life ten years from now. This is your ideal, preferred future so dream without limitations. Dream big. Dream in detail. Dream without burdens. Where will you be sitting reading this Leader Lifter? What kind of work will you be doing? Who will you be doing it with? What does your work environment look like and feel like? What typical activities will you be doing throughout the course of your day? Don’t worry about the feasibility of creating this life, just let...
read moreHitting the Wall
“Pastor John, I feel stuck.” I hear these words often when I meet with people to discuss their spiritual life. It’s not that they want to plateau in their faith, they just “hit the wall.” Maybe they hit the wall because God isn’t answering their prayers like they think he should. Lingering unemployment, a nagging health problem, family troubles, you name it, all can cause us to hit the wall and wonder if God is even listening. Others hit the wall when they feel like they have stopped growing. Church doesn’t feel as inspiring as...
read moreDo I have to love everyone?
For the most part I am a pretty nice easy going guy. I like to help other people and would give the shirt off my back if I knew it would help them, but I’m only human. And my humanity gets tested often because I plow snow. A few years ago I was plowing snow in a townhome development. It was early in the morning and our crew had been working all night. Around 6 am we met on a corner to talk about a few final details before we wrapped up for the day. I heard a garage door open and looked over my shoulder only to be greeted by the ice cold...
read moreWhat do I do now?
“What do I do now!” she expressed with intense emotion. Moments earlier she had invited Jesus Christ into her heart and life and now was experiencing an intense feeling of peace with her decision. I live for these moments; the moments when I get to participate in what God is doing in some one’s life. The moment we establish a relationship with Christ we become different, changed, restored. In a very literal and spiritual sense we move from one environment to another. “I just feel different, free and full of life!”...
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