I was on the inside seat of an airplane recently. It’s my least favorite place. On top of that, I tried in vain to pull my sweater off. I felt trapped, really trapped, in a “tight place.”

Are you in a tight place financially, emotionally, or relationally?

People think that when they get married they will “never be lonely again.” Wrong.

Loneliness in marriage is predictable. The longer you live together, the less you feel the need to talk. No wonder so many empty-nesters divorce after their kids leave: the silence is deafening. What causes it and how do we cure it?

So many spiritual leaders are competing these days. Visibility, getting noticed, and ranking is huge. Being the biggest, fastest growing and having the largest audience seems to be all that matters. Where did all this come from and where will it end?

I remember when my Dad found out about a small Nazarene church in our town whose building program was struggling. He volunteered our large maintenance staff to go over and take the project from the sheetrock phase on. We invested heavily with money and manpower.

After a couple of months, their pride and joy auditorium was complete. The 72 year old pastor welcomed us to their small dedication and openly described his amazement at one local church helping another. Why? “The kingdom.”

Guess what? It’s not YOUR kingdom, it’s HIS.

On time is what every airline strives for.  I’m told the Swiss run a news story if a train is a few minutes late!  What difference does it makes to be “on time” and how can you hit that elusive mark?  I can help you with that.

Every Wednesday morning at 7:30 for six years I met our Governor and his staff for a Bible study.  One morning, I WOKE UP at 6:50!  In eight minutes I was up, showered, dressed and out the door!  I walked in breathing hard with five minutes to spare…and learned a valuable few lessons. 

Here they are:

As we round the corner into a New Year, we all want to get focused on where we can experience a great breakthrough.

I recently read about the “tree of life” in Revelation. The Bible says it bears “one fruit every month.” What if you could experience “one miracle every month” in 2022?

Growth is first internal, then external.

Whatever your job, your business, your ministry, or your finances, you can grow beyond it this year. Change is inevitable, growth is optional. Wouldn’t it feel good to CRUSH that invisible barrier you haven’t been able to penetrate?

During this holiday season, I like to spend time with the “5 F’s”: “friends, family, food, fishing, and football!”

I also like to take time to give thanks to God for one other “F”: Fellowship.

Knowing God is amazing. Worshipping God is better. Hearing from God is the best!

I’ve pastored long enough to know the mood swings of the holidays:  cheer, euphoria, laughter and loneliness, regret, and depression.

How can you prepare for the “swings of the season?”  Try these six remedies: 

Shoelaces are important.

They hold everything together.  When they are tight, they keep you from falling.  No one tries to walk in loose, floppy tennis shoes without good, snug laces.

YOUR FINANCES HAVE “LACES.”  If they are untended, your entire life could come crashing down. 

What are the 5 financial issues you need to keep “tight?”

All of us face hurt.

Some of us choose to forgive.

The rest of us live in bitterness.

How do you “forgive and forget?” We have a pretty good Example.

Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

You will hopelessly hold on to hurt until you realize what He knew:

Forgiveness becomes easier when we realize our hurt is really Satan vs. God. People are just caught in the middle.”

How do you “forgive and forget?” We have a pretty good Example.

Here are 4 perspectives that will help you to forgive:

Is it possible that your thought life is holding you back? I’ve watched hundreds of leaders succeed or fail and almost always it goes back to one thing: how much they change their thought life.

Marriage has to have a foundation. If it doesn’t, you will endlessly drift on the sea of culture, disappointment, and changes. I have boiled down my seven most important lessons that give Melanie and I stability now in our 40th year of marriage.

A great deal of your success as a leader is in the ability to spot and recruit talented leaders. King David seemed to be a master at attracting and enlisting top talent (see 1 Chronicles 11-12). Your ultimate legacy will be the leaders you attracted, trained, and released as great warriors. At one time, we had 28 pastors on staff. As I travel around the nation speaking for many of them in their own churches, I am amazed to see their innovation, talent, and ability to multiply.

FEAR is the biggest enemy to your future.

It comes in many forms, mainly having to do with your future: failure, rejection, lack, or death (to name a few). Abram was mighty in battle yet his deepest fear was not having a successor.

How will you overcome the fears that limit you?

Integrity is the currency of influence. Power and success are like paper money but integrity is the GOLD.
“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1:1). Job, in the Old Testament, "had integrity."

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they will see God” (Matthew 5: 8).

Do you want to live under God’s blessing? The nine beatitudes (“beautiful attitudes”) form an “umbrella of blessing” over your life.

Where is “home?” God is Home.

“Real” estate is not “real.” It is like a motel room. This world is tangible but it is temporary. Set your affection on the Person of God Himself and you will enter into true happiness.

Here are a few perspectives to keep your focus correct.

Life, family, health, finances, and relationships can all be “broken.” How can you repair them? By putting them back into order.

Do you ever wonder why some leaders are magnetic and others are not? Is the “it” factor something you can learn? Is it a skill that can be developed? I believe it is.

Therefore, I can help you learn how a disorganized person can become…mainly organized!