Gallup published a book this past May that discusses the most significant factor in an organization’s long-term success. What is it? It’s the manager, and the “research is based on the largest global study of the future of work.”

I’m making this point not to put undue pressure on managers—“If I mess this up, the company’s going to crumble!”—but rather to put realistic pressure on them. The manager is vital to the health of the...

As I’ve spoken on the different prayer types with folks, there are two that seem especially remarkable to people. More than any others, these two seem to stop people in their tracks and draw them to say, “I need more of that.” In this post, we’ll unpack listening prayer.

You may remember the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus (and probably his disciples) visit the home of these two sisters. True to custom, sister Martha busies herself to serve her guests,...

You may know that I’m a life coach and I use various personality assessments in my work. If you’re around me enough (or maybe just a little), you’ll hear me talk about CliftonStrengths or RightPath or my current fascination—the Enneagram—which I love and hate at the same time.

Some people think personality assessments are chiefly self-centered activities, driving us to sit around all day pondering ourselves, “Here’s what I think about me, what do you...

We’re in this prayer coaching series in which we’re asking ourselves questions about our prayer life. We’re trying to understand four areas: our current situation, our ideal future, the obstacles in our way, and a plan to get there.

Some people resist this approach because it sounds too methodical or mechanical to apply to prayer. Prayer is too mystical, relational or organic to turn such questions toward. Prayer “just happens” and you can’t plan it,...

In a previous post, we asked you to identify the obstacles that are in the way of the prayer life you’ve always dreamed of. This “obstacles” question (what’s in your way?) is important to ask, but only after you’ve examined the state of your current prayer life (how is it now?) and thought about the prayer life you want to have (what do I want it to be?).

This is after all, a coaching series on prayer. You can’t coach without asking vital questions....

The Bible says, “Be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power.” (Eph 6:10)

If something’s worth doing, something else is going to jump in your way. Expect it. It’s rare that anything of value comes without a fight. You might say that salvation and grace come freely, but that’s not true. Do you know what Jesus went through to offer you new life?

Only after overcoming every temptation common to man, only after giving himself up to torture and death, and only after...

If you want to do God’s will, you’ve got to prioritize prayer. There are some things from God you can’t learn by reading them or listening to others; they come by personal experience alone, experiencing God like only you can.

And the way to experience God like only you can is to pray with your own voice.

That’s why Psalm 77:1 says, “I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and He gave hear unto me.”

Twice the Psalmist says he cried out...

Psalm 84 says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty.”

So you may have dreams for different parts of your life—your dream marriage, your dream children, your dream friends, your dream job, your dream house, your dream body, your dream bank account, your dream retirement. We could go on.

But let me ask you—have you thought about your "dream" prayer life?

Psalm 84 says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD.”

We have many...

We’re in this series on taking a coach approach to prayer. Last week you answered some questions about your prayer life. This week I’m going to share something personal. Usually a coach doesn’t divulge much about his own life—the coach approach is all about the client.

But the point is worth making, and the story important to tell, in making it.

A few Christmases ago, I visited the hospital with chest pains. I was 36 with a wife and three children at home. The chest...

If you want to get more from your prayer life, you’ve got to work on your prayer life. It’s that simple. There’s no magic pill. A way to work on your prayer life is by taking a coach approach to prayer.

Taking a coach approach means you get curious about your prayer life. You begin by asking, “Where am I now?” This is the “present” question. It wonders about your current reality. What is the present state of your prayer life? How are you getting...