Articles for tag: Best or Worst Advice

Intimacy and Inï¬‚uence

By Vince Antonucci (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) The best advice I”ve received is from one of my spiritual mentors, Dean Trune. In fact, you can find this advice in every e-mail Dean sends out. The advice is that the most essential thing I can do today is spend quality time with God. Jesus said we can accomplish nothing apart from him. He said as we stay connected to him, we will produce much fruit. Intimacy with God leads to influence in the world. Dean lives that, and I want to. Vince Antonucci serves

July 26, 2014

Church & Ministry

Two Kinds of Churches

By Gary Johnson (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) As the lead servant at Indian Creek Christian Church (The Creek) in Indianapolis, I will be forever indebted to the late Dr. Joe Ellis, one of my favorite professors at Cincinnati Christian University. Dr. Ellis told me there are two types of churches: member driven and mission driven.Â Member-driven churches account for roughly three out of four churches across America, and the desires of the members drive these congregations.Â However, only one of four churches in our nation is on mission to seek and to save

July 26, 2014

Against the Current

By Steve Reeves (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) I have been very fortunate to have Max Hickerson as my mentor in ministry. He has given me much practical advice over the years. While in seminary, he gave these “Notes to Help You Immerse Others into Christ: If you are ever called on to baptize in a creek or river, always have the candidate lie back in the water against the current. Let the current help raise the candidate from the water. Always go into the water of rivers, creeks, or lakes by yourself first

July 24, 2014

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

Big Buildings, Big Holes

By Howard R. Brammer (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) A few weeks into my new ministry with Traders Point Christian Church, it became clear we weren”t growing as quickly as anticipated. We told no stories in the church newsletter of rapid growth and large worship service crowds””there were no such stories. Actually there were unprinted accounts of a few people who were leaving. My concern increased to the point that I brought the matter to the attention of church leaders. I didn”t anticipate I would receive timely advice I have applied to many ministry

July 24, 2014

Hire, Fire, Decide, Defer

By Gary Weedman (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) I have received three pieces of advice that have been of equal value to me in the latter part of my professional career.Â When I went to Milligan College, Dave Rose, a retired insurance executive and alumnus of Milligan, said to me in his cantankerous way, “Weedman, if you”re going to be a successful administrator, you need to learn what I had to learn”””˜hire slowly and fire fast.”” Take your time, attend to due diligence with the first; when you”ve made a mistake, don”t let it

July 21, 2014

Service Reminder

By Doug Priest (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) During my final year of high school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, our school newspaper wanted to run an article where the seniors (there were 20 of us) would state the profession they wanted to go into. I wrote that I wanted to be either a psychologist or a missionary. My school was a boarding school, so I did not see my parents for months at a time. The next time my father was in town, I was telling him how hard it was to decide which

July 21, 2014

Be More

By LeRoy Lawson (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) The best advice I ever received? An almost impossible question! When you”ve lived as long as I have, and have sought as much counsel as I have needed, how do you highlight just one bit of advice? I could write a book on the extrabiblical proverbs (from unlicensed, insightful masters of living) that have guided me. Here”s one that would receive a whole chapter of its own in that book: Be more than you seem. When I”m tempted to boast about this or that achievement or

July 20, 2014

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

$hort, $imple, $ignificant

By David Eubanks (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) My deceased father-in-law, Joseph Perry of Williamston, North Carolina””farmer, church elder, Sunday school teacher, and one of the finest Christian men I have ever known””gave me my wife, Margaret, and through her to me, a piece of advice that we have tried to follow in our lives, our marriage, our home, and our work.Â “Live within your income.”Â Its shortness and simplicity belies its significance. Yet disregarding it destroys marriages, limits the spread of the gospel, corrupts and stymies government for the real benefit of the

July 20, 2014

A Simple Charge

By Rick Atchley (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) When I was a student at Abilene (Texas) Christian University, one of my favorite professors was Dr. Neil Lightfoot. He loved the Bible, and he taught us to love it too. His one charge to all his students was simple, “Preach the Word!” Anything else in his eyes was a betrayal of our calling. For years after this, whenever I returned to the campus and crossed his path, I knew what Dr. Lightfoot would say. He never asked, “How large is your church?” or “How many

July 19, 2014

The Secret to a Level Head

By Dudley C. Rutherford (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) My dad told me many years ago that whenever someone compliments or criticizes you, you should only believe about 10 percent of it. For example, I”ve had people come up to me after a sermon and tell me it was the best message they”ve ever heard. That”s encouraging to hear, and there might be some truth in their words. But if I allow myself to steep too long in flattering remarks, I”ll eventually drown in my own pride. On the other hand, I”ve had people

July 17, 2014

Would a Belly Have Been Better?

By Tim Harlow (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) The best and worst advice I ever received was from Sky Allen, the previous minister at Parkview (then the Tinley Park Church of Christ). I got the same advice from my friend Haydn Shaw, who was a minister in the area. When I asked them whether I should accept the senior minister position here in 1989, both of them very strongly said “NO.” The place was a divided, leaderless, and visionless church that was being held together with duct tape by the area church planting organization.

July 17, 2014

Things Will Get Better . . . or Worse!

By Cal Jernigan (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) The best ministry advice I have ever received has to do with putting things in perspective. The simple advice was captured in one little sentence: “Things are never as good as you think they are, and things are never as bad as you think they are.”Â While it might initially sound a tad pessimistic, it”s anything but. When things are good, it”s easy to be euphoric and to exaggerate the significance and impact of what you”re celebrating. It feels so good and it feels so right.Â

July 17, 2014

Too Pretty?

By Mary Kamau (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) It is very easy for me to pick the worst advice I ever received. The heart behind the advice was pure, but the thinking behind it was opposite of the direction God was leading. The advice came from a trusted board member of our organization. He felt we were growing too fast. Somehow we needed to slow the growth and take more control. He wanted us to stop the growth until all aspects of the ministry were “pretty.” This advice was offered in 2008, when we

July 16, 2014

Christian Living Work & Vocation

Selling Carpet and Serving the Lord

By Wayne B. Smith (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) I was saved at 10 years of age in a revival at the Church of Christ in Delhi, in western Cincinnati, Ohio. Two years later an elder asked if I would like to attend Northward Christian Assembly, a Christian church camp, near Williamstown, Kentucky. It was a life-changing experience. On Friday night, after a moving message at vespers, an invitation was extended for anyone willing to accept the challenge of specialized Christian service. I responded, with the understanding that someday I would be a preacher.Â

July 13, 2014

Loose Hold

By Dean C. Collins (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) My late friend and mentor Smith Lanier gave me my best advice. He once told me: “I have learned that whatever God gives you in life, you must hold with open and loose hands. Never clinch your fist around his gift. Whether he gives you money or an idea, a talent or property, you must remember that everything is really his and he gives it to be used for his purposes.” Dean C. Collins serves as president with Point University, West Point, Georgia.

July 12, 2014

Quality First

By Gayla Congdon (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) Some of our best advice came from the late, great Mike Yaconelli (Scott and I received this advice from him when he was a member of the Amor Ministries board): “Focus on quality and quantity will come.”Â Mike”s advice was based on his belief we were measuring our effectiveness based on the number of participants coming on trips. We took his advice and shifted our mind-set to creating a quality mission trip that was relationship-based versus numbers-based. The result was that growth came in significant numbers.Â

July 12, 2014

Even Leaders Need Forgiveness

By Ken Idleman (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) The worst leadership advice I ever received was during the second year of my presidency at Ozark Christian College. It was unsolicited, from a member of the teaching faculty. At age 32, I was still just getting oriented to my new role. One day I sent out an impulsive written communication to the staff. After sleeping on it that night, I realized I had made a mistake. The very next day I distributed a follow-up letter, explaining and apologizing in print. My former colleague came rushing

July 12, 2014

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

Wayne’s Words

By Jack Cottrell (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) As early as junior high school I had decided I wanted to be a preacher, but well-meaning high school teachers pressured me in other directions. I grew up on a farm and was active in vocational agriculture during high school, and was awarded a nice scholarship by our county farm bureau. Thus, by the time I was a senior, I had changed my mind and decided to enroll in the University of Kentucky to study agriculture. Either in the summer of 1954 or 1955, during senior

July 11, 2014