O Blessed Christ, O Son of God, O Image of the Father! In all of the Father’s gladness, he is most glad to share with us his most beloved Son. In giving us Christ, the Father held nothing back. He took his most precious treasure and unwrapped him and sent him to us, that we might know the Father. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the ultimate reason for gratitude—in showing us the Father, he makes a way to the Father for us. O Blessed Christ, O Son of God, O Image of the Father!

Here are 24...

We’ve written previously about employee engagement within the workplace. This reader wonders if the same principles apply to congregations: “What you’ve written about engagement...does it also apply to church members? What does engagement look like in a church?” That’s an excellent question and as a leader in a new church, a question that personally interests me.

I like to turn to Gallup for engagement questions because they’ve researched and reported on...

In my experience of being an internal coach at a software company and having a private coaching practice, there are five main reasons people get coached. The details may be different, and the clients may explain their situations in different ways, but when boiled down to the essential, the reasons for getting coached can be counted on one hand.

Once you learn these five reasons, you can discern what clients are really looking for. And once you discern their real need, you can make clear the...

I was fortunate to be asked to write eulogies for two of my grandparents, and there are family members who have put their requests in for the same. I consider writing a eulogy to be a sacred honor, and although I cry my way through, I’m grateful for the opportunity.

To eulogize someone is to call attention to their essence and celebrate that rare light and warmth that makes them irreplaceable. This may sound strange, but I actually enjoy writing eulogies. I don’t enjoy that to...

It has been a long-held belief that the main reason people leave their jobs is because of their managers. But a report by IBM’s Smarter Workforce Institute, which looks at data from 22,000 employees, says otherwise.

In discussing the new study, Talent Management and HR asks, “So why has this concept of employees leaving managers become so wildly accepted and popular amongst HR leaders and pros? You won’t like this answer: We [HR leaders and pros] liked using this reason for...

When clients hire a coach, they’re interested in outcomes. What will be the results of Christian coaching?

Here are 95 outcomes of Christian coaching:

1. To discover your best life rather than design it
2. To partner with the Spirit not just positive thinking
3. To affirm your hope and future rather than hope for the best
4. To pray in agreement with your coach rather than just start
5. To hear the whispers of the Father in the place you need to hear them
6. To fulfill your purpose rather than miss it
7. ...

This is a very special time of year for our family. Tomorrow we celebrate our son Asher’s eighth birthday. But that’s not why it’s so special. We adopted Asher from the Philippines when he was four—four years ago—which means on this birthday, Asher will have lived with us longer than he has lived with anyone else.

Asher was the second child we adopted. Rex, who’s ten, came from the Philippines a few years before. And before that, my wife Colette and I had...

(Aug 31, 2016)

Six months ago in a blog post, I signaled that a change was coming. I didn’t know how it would play out, but I sensed there was a journey to take. I wanted to understand more about my life mission, so I wrote:

Some people refer to it as your calling or holy discontent or life mission or the reason you were put here. I like what Frederick Buechner says: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

So...

The Gallup Organization published its 2017 State of the American Workplace report. Gathering data from more than 195,000 employees and 31 million survey respondents, the report looks at the American workforce. It’s critical reading because it contains critical information about your life.

Did you catch that? I said it contains critical information about your life. But it’s just a work report, you say.

In his book, Work Rules!, Google’s Laszlo Bock writes, “You spend...

Recently I had a lunch meeting with a high-level executive from a company in town. I’ve known him for a while. He’s extremely sharp, skilled, and ambitious, so it’s no surprise he has advanced in his career throughout the years.

But it was a surprise when he said: “I have a good salary, a good title, and a lot of responsibility. But I feel so discontented. What’s wrong with me?”

As he went on, it sounded familiar. I’d often heard the same thing in the...