In 2004, LEGO redesigned EVERYTHING to address their declined influence around the world. Today, in 2020, LEGO is the second largest toy maker in the world and has experienced the highest level of success in their history. In reflection, here are 5 ways the Church can learn from LEGO to address decline and realize the infinite potential the Church has in our world today.

Today is the World Day of Suicide Awareness and Prevention. Unfortunately, suicide is the second leading cause of deaths between the ages of 18-35 and is increasing on a daily basis during COVID.

I have experienced the painful realities of suicide myself. My younger brother was tragically taken away from us FAR too early. This post is to offer practical HOPE for those who are struggling with self-destructive thoughts and suicide. You are NOT alone!

If you work with people for a living, there will be times you will experience disappointment, be misunderstood, hurt (intentionally or unintentionally), and perhaps even betrayed. AND as ministerial leaders, we have to be careful not to become calloused by it.

It is easy to slide into pessimism, overly critical, and angry. It is easy to justify the hurt caused by others.

WHY? well, because we live in a broken world.

With that said, Jesus (which is the leaders of ALL leaders) experienced this too. He was disappointed in others, misunderstood by many, hurt by those closest to him, and was even betrayed.

BUT, Jesus remained soft to those who hurt him.

HOW is this possible? Here are 5 observations I see.

Is your preaching engaging people through COVID? How do you know people are being transformed? In my experience, I have seen these 5 principles at play when engagement levels rise… I hope this post will encourage you today.

Want to launch well for the fall? Let DUCO be a part of your plan.

Win with DUCO this summer as the next mentorship intake is for September 15, 2020. Limited spots are available. Check out the details here.

Ghosts.

We all have them.

Things that POP up every once-in-a-while that tend to reveal their ugly face.

It can be a leadership blindspot, an unaware character trait, stress behavior. We tend to see ghosts MORE often during times of crisis, pain, or hurt. In fact, ghosts can hinder leadership currency if not dealt with face on. I see it all the time.

And with that said, there are some GREAT ways to deal with the ghosts. In fact, the BEST way to deal with ghosts is found in mentoring.

This post is the 5 REASONS of WHY you need a mentor in your life and HOW to find a great mentor.

What if…

• What if you and I had the ability to reach as many people as possible with the Good News of Jesus,

• What if you and I had the opportunity to build disciples (discipleship journeys) who, in return, build disciples (leadership tracks),

• What if you and I had the luxury to adapt quickly to the needs around us.

Well, we do.

Covid has given you and I the opportunity to reimagine EVERYTHING. Why? Well, because…

The world is shifting, changing, and morphing at such a fast rate. Daily updates with COVID, the digital age, social media, real-time/instantaneous information is OUR reality. This will DEMAND for real-life ministry. This post is to address “The NOW: HOW to respond to “real-time” ministry for “real-life” in a COVID-culture.” Feel free to add your thoughts to the conversation.

Have you ever had to take your vehicle in to get a tune-up? To get fixed? To replace a part? Of course, you have!

In fact, we get our vehicles regularly maintained to get the most out of them. WHY? So we extend the life of our vehicles.

In the same way, resilient leadership works this way. The emotional dashboard starts to beep at us, we feel the fatigue, the leadership vehicle starts to sputter AND we need a personal “tune-up”. This is an example of personal resiliency.

AND, one of the COVID leadership lesson(s) I have observed is around resiliency; personal and ministerial resiliency.

You may ask, “What is resiliency?” This post is about the signs of personal and ministerial resiliency…