What I Am Learning about Ministry

After 28 years in ministry,
I am still learning new things.
  1. Ministry is not about ministry, it's about people. Once people discover who Jesus really is, it's very hard not to want to follow Him.
    2. People always know more than is apparent at first.
  2. Ministry is a form of art.
  3. The most important tools for ministry are ears with which to listen, mouths with which to speak truth and encourage, eyes with which to affirm and observe needs, hands with which to reach out and help, and a heart with which to love.
  4. God is never boring.
  5. The best ministry training is failure.
  6. I must examine my heart before I examine my head.
  7. Deep down, people want to be challenged and stretched. If I can convince them to trust me.
  8. Love is simple, by definition, but extremely hard to live out.
  9. Most problems are directly related to an inadequate view of God.
  10. I am the sum of the questions I ask God, myself, and others.
  11. The older I get, I am sure of fewer things, but of those things I am more sure.
  12. No one can grow without community.
  13. The Gospel is not about salvation from sin, it is about salvation from everything that would keep us from living in the image of God.
  14. There is no substitute for memorizing the Word of God.
  15. We all walk with a limp.
  16. Conversations are more persuasive than lectures.
  17. Asking questions is the beginning of creativity.
  18. God loves a good conversation with us.
  19. Ministry is about becoming a student of God, our culture, and human nature.
  20. I am writing my legacy every day by how I live my life.
  21. My greatest sources of learning are: God, my wife, my family, and my doubts.
  22. Half of ministry is knowing what to disregard.