As leaders, it's so easy to get distracted by the demands on our everyday–the deadlines, the unforeseen circumstances that sap our time and energy. In the midst of our packed schedules, we can find ourselves chasing after that which is most pressing rather than that which is most necessary. We need to be intentional about pursuing God and seeking his voice in our lives. We ...

When I start to feel drained of energy, or when I snap at people or feel resentful when I'm asked to help, these are my clues that my life is out of shape. Usually saying yes to too many opportunities is what pushes me over the edge. When life starts feeling like it's getting out of control, it's time to stop and assess priorities. Here's a check-up I use ...

I've been thinking a lot about Lent this year and wondering how best to walk through the next seven weeks. I know people who are giving up Twitter, chocolate, and a long list of self-indulgent or addictive activities and foods.

Yet as a leader, I recognize that one of the areas that I need to always continue to grow in is my dependence on God throughout ever day. ...

Many leaders believe that to lead well they have to superimpose winning strategies upon themselves. In reality, great leadership flows from a healed heart. The best thing you can do for your "followers" (whether that be in work, friendships or family) is to run after personal healing.

Cheryl learned this difficult lesson when she worked for a ministry leader ...

A deadline looms. A project hangs over my head, unfinished. The to-do list stretches by the minute. The laundry pile grows, and the dishes overflow the sink. And I just can't focus enough to finish anything.

I bet you know the feeling.

The guilt of what's left undone starts to get the best of me. I begin to beat myself up over my lack of focus and discipline. ...

I'd been mindlessly flipping through cable channels when I caught a quick glimpse of TV hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly bursting through the doors of an ornate cathedral, followed by a choir singing The Hallelujah Chorus. When my Spidey senses warned me that something was not right, against my better judgment, I lingered.

A young priest, at the front of the sanctuary, ...

I saw a shooting star tonight!

I've never seen a shooting star before, and I wouldn't have seen it this time except that I was walking up a rickety wooden pier in the lake and just happened to turn my head to the right, in time to see a brilliant downward flash of light that disappeared only a second after my mind understood what it was. I'm so grateful that ...

I was recently flipping through a copy of Good Housekeeping and scanned the editor's opening letter. She described being at an "improbable place: a women's retreat" for part of a Saturday. "Ironically," she wrote, "the topic was time—how to think about it, handle it, make peace with never having enough of it. And I discovered that ...

Leadership is lonely.

We know that. We've been told that a zillion different ways from a million different leaders.

But, have you ever had one of those days that is beyond just lonely? One of those days where it feels so dark, like the world is closing in and you want to just walk away?

I call those the dark days of leadership. The days when the shades of gray ...

Every few weeks, my husband and I get together with a group of friends. Since we all met at church—and since we were the brainchild of our teaching pastor and his wife—we might look like a "small group," but that's not quite right. We get together and eat and drink and talk. And talk and talk. Whoever hosts gets to choose the topic of discussion—or ...