My Blog Posts
I love coffee! Some would categorize me as a ‘coffee snob’. My morning ritual includes the stove-top brewing of an Italian coffee poured into my favourite cup. The aroma, the sound of the percolator, the rich flavours on the palette! Yum! My Italian stepfather called this ‘espresso’. Its short, its potent, and packed with flavour. It’s the way to start the day! On the other hand, my friend, who is a coffee roaster, once explained the process of coffee extraction to me. I realised within 2 minutes it was an involved science that required more thought than my stovetop percolator.
The following blogs are both espressos and extractions. Espressos are 2 minute reads, designed to be punchy and thought provoking. The longer blogs are like Extractions, they require greater thought and consideration of their application to leadership. Oh by the way, there is also an essay or two, for those who want to grapple deeper with an issue. These will require a second coffee!
You are Not Alone
Leadership can be lonely. I was at the end of myself. I remember sobbing and trying to put my thoughts into sentences. I was speaking on the phone to a friend 16,000 kilometers away. He was absent but present. He patiently listened and reflected with me. He also...
Women in Leadership – An Essay
An essay submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Leadership, Alpha Crucis College University, Dec 2021. Abstract The debate concerning women in church leadership has raged for centuries. The resulting divisions have created...
Intro to APEST
In these days there is a lot of leaders asking a new set of questions about the future of the church. The decline in church attendance and the dramatic increase in the number of people claiming they have no religion, has caused us to rethink our ecclesial models and...
Seven things they didn’t tell me about pastoring a church
I never wanted to lead a church. I was happy for someone else to carry that responsibility. The portfolios and roles I carried over the years have always been challenging, stimulating, and rewarding. My desire to steward the God-given gifts in my life has always been...
Reset
It felt so strange and unfamiliar and apocalyptic. There I was in a friend’s house sitting at a dining room table in front of a camera and tripod, recording my sermon for a Sunday morning service. It was lockdown in northwest Brisbane in March 2020. Suddenly...
Success
What is success? So many leaders strive to achieve it, but what is it? There is a plethora of answers to this question. For most, their answer is both conventional and corporate, and based on their ability to achieve goals, increase numbers, and fulfil a strategic...
Mega vs Meta
Let’s face it, megachurches have been a great blessing to millions of lives. Whether it’s the large arena-type churches in the US, the concert-venue style church in Australia, or the stadium-like megachurches in Nigeria, many lives have been impacted by the message...