Articles for tag: Eddie Lowen

May 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Called to Forgive

By Eddie Lowen If vengeance comes easier than forgiveness, I understand. But for every Christian, and most certainly for church leaders, there is a better way. Have you seen the movie The Revenant? In the gruesome film, Leonardo DiCaprio”s character, a fur trader named Hugh Glass, is attacked by a grizzly, assaulted by his companions, and left for dead. He somehow recovers, tracks down those who abandoned him, and takes violent revenge. But the real-life events that inspired the film may have played out differently. Glass was, in fact, mauled by a bear and left for dead. Historians believe he

April 29, 2017

Christian Standard

Slow to Tweet

By Eddie Lowen This is no self-righteous rant about abandoning social media. But I do wonder if I””and many Christians I encounter online””have always thought through the implication of what we post. There were no newspapers, radios, or TVs. No blogs, podcasts, or social media. Sending a letter to 100 people meant scratching it out on parchment 100 times (that was a punishment when I was in elementary school). E-mail? Tweets? Voice mail? Unimaginable. In an age when no instant or mass communication tools existed, when fewer people lived on earth than in the United States today, James wrote, “Everyone should be quick to listen,

April 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Fear Knot

By Eddie Lowen How to untangle boldness, fear, and pride. I wonder how Pharaoh and his crew sized up Moses when he barged into their presence. Did Moses look “fresh from the farm” after decades of rural ranching? No doubt, age and circumstance had altered Moses” appearance. Those easy childhood years as adopted grandson of an earlier king were long gone. However, what Moses lacked in fashion and grooming, he overcame with boldness. True, he hedged at the burning bush. Yet something had shifted in him. His presence was amplified by another presence. Aaron went along because Moses lacked confidence as

February 18, 2017

Christian Standard

Sayings

By Eddie Lowen Build the culture you want with the phrases you repeat. Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon put some thought into his team”s 2015 season motto. He unveiled it at spring training: “Embrace the target.” The sports psychology behind the motto was sound, but it didn”t catch on. Some players began using their own motto: “We are good.” They were, but not quite good enough to reach or win the World Series in 2015. As the Cubs entered the 2016 season, Maddon joked that the team motto would be “Try not to suck” (note: though definitely slang, the word

December 22, 2016

Christian Standard

The Wrong Kind of Strong

By Eddie Lowen Three attributes we should seek when we say we want a strong leader. In Disney”s animated film Beauty and the Beast, a strapping young man named Gaston cannot fathom why Belle (the Beauty, herself) is so disinterested in him. After all, Gaston is Mr. Everything. As the song sung by Gaston”s sidekick exclaims, he”s the slickest and quickest, and his neck is the thickest! No one can “hit” or “match wits” like Gaston. And for the record, no one can spit like him, either! With a bio like that, what young French maiden could resist? Answer: Belle. She

October 30, 2016

Christian Standard

God Spoke through the Sermons

What I learned from a year”s break from preaching By Dustin Fulton A few years ago, after a difficult season of ministry, my wife and I sensed a definite call to plant a church. Since we were weary, we were advised to take a sabbatical, as well as quit our jobs, sell our house, move out of town, and wait to see where God was leading us. Of the many aspects of the sabbatical, one that really excited me was getting to refresh my preaching skills by hearing from as many preachers as possible during my year”s break from the

October 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Be the Lead Servant

By Eddie Lowen A question for church leaders: Do you make time to worry about whether or not people think you”re inclined to serve? I met the world”s best restaurant server. From the moment he approached our table, he was the personification of service. He flawlessly memorized orders. He was fast without seeming hurried, informative without being verbose. He was genuinely friendly. He succinctly offered great recommendations, anticipated all we needed, and even kept the table from becoming cluttered. But what registered with me strongest was that he enjoyed taking care of us. His final words were, “I”m glad I

September 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Costly­””The Price of Avoiding Sermons about Money

By Eddie Lowen “Our minister doesn”t teach on giving, at least not very directly or often.” I haven”t counted how many times staff members or elders from other churches have said something similar to me, but I”m sure the tally is approaching 50 by now. It makes me wonder. . . . During the last year, how many churches have hosted a four-week series on biblical money management that emphasizes tithing (or growing generosity) to the church? How many churches regularly offer Financial Peace University or a similar series that equips people to master their finances? How many churches have

June 6, 2016

Christian Standard

Leadership Reincarnated

By Eddie Lowen With changing times has come fresh interest in leadership. That”s good, because a constantly evolving culture demands regularly rethinking how we lead. If there is a field of study that has been reclaimed or reincarnated by baby boomers, it is leadership. When I entered ministry, leadership wasn”t a hot topic. There were a handful of leadership books and a few gurus making the rounds, but not many. Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar talked leadership before it was cool, no doubt. But over the last 25 years, there has been an explosion of writing, speaking, tweeting, and blogging

April 25, 2016

Christian Standard

Unveiled

By Eddie Lowen What I”m learning about becoming transparent, and how I”m trying to communicate that with the staff at the church where I serve. When Moses descended from the mountain in Exodus 34, his face glowed from having been in God”s presence. At first, he didn”t realize it. But soon, Moses sensed people were being weirded-out by his shiny face. His solution? A veil. Why? Here”s my best interpretation: it required less explanation. Paul recalls that event in 2 Corinthians 3. In verse 13, he surprisingly states, “We are not like Moses.” Paul explained his goal was to live

February 26, 2016

Christian Standard

Our Target? Everyone

By Eddie Lowen For a long time, I believed every church needed a target group: the irreligious, the unchurched, men, young families, singles, young adults . . . some group that is underrepresented in most established churches. But my thinking has shifted. I am now cautious about identifying target groups. Let me walk you through the New Testament passage that altered my philosophy and shaped our church”s mission language. Acts 10 introduces Cornelius, captain of the Italian Regiment. It”s safe to assume Cornelius looked and sounded much like the soldiers who brutalized and killed Jesus. That unsavory association made Cornelius

January 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Counting the Cost of a Growing Church

By Eddie Lowen Before you decide you want your church to grow, let me tell you the price you will pay. After taking the staff and elders of a former church to a leadership simulcast in the late 1990s, I learned that I still had a lot to learn. For several years, Rick Warren”s book The Purpose Driven Church had been making a huge impact on churches applying its principles. The simulcast was a way for our leaders to catch this kind of vision. Our church was already growing in size and health, but I knew there was another level

October 27, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Nothing More Valuable

By Mark A. Taylor Maybe most wouldn”t suspect that loneliness, discouragement, temptation, and insecurity are companions of the person leading their church””especially growing, dynamic ministries like those led by the four guests in our most recent Beyond the Standard podcast. But each of them””Ben Cachiaras, Tim Harlow, Eddie Lowen, and Greg Nettle””admitted to at least one of these problems. And all four credited their association with each other as a key to rising above barriers to emotional and spiritual health. They”ve created a group where they”ve found the freedom to confess sins, share doubts, discuss problems and possibilities, and discern

October 17, 2015

Christian Standard

Gut Check

By Eddie Lowen Pixar”s movie Inside Out is clever. It”s about an 11-year-old girl whose family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. The genius of the film is its vivid and humorous portrayal of the memories, thoughts, and emotions that compete to control the girl”s behavior. If I had to select one word to capture all three of those elements””memory, thought, and emotion””I”d choose the word instinct. How good are your instincts? Let me guess: pretty good. As you read my question, you thought, I trust my gut. My instincts are above average. That”s the problem. Everyone thinks his or

October 12, 2015

Christian Standard

Quitting Solitaire

Four ministers. One concern: How to find a “band of brothers” for accountability, insight, and help to finish well. By Eddie Lowen I was set apart for ministry by the first church that employed me. I was only 19 when they hired me (and 20 when they ordained me), yet they took a chance. They took a chance that I would graduate a year after my ordination. They took a chance that I would mature in many ways. They also took a chance that I would find a wife! Seriously, at the time, an unmarried pastor was rare. Most of

August 31, 2015

Christian Standard

Back to the Present

By Eddie Lowen Over the last couple of years, I”ve heard several of my pastor heroes reveal what they would do differently (and the same) if they could start over in church leadership. Those talks have been rich with wisdom. Since I emulated them in multiple ways, I listened closely each time, wondering if they would express regret over something I mimicked. I carry notes from their leadership talks on my phone, an indication of the regard I have for the wisdom of these men. I reread and meditate on them. It seems wise to give weight to the reflections

June 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Missed Turns

By Eddie Lowen Three college buddies and I decided to attend a conference that was 1,200 miles away. Inadequate budgets didn”t allow us to book a hotel along the way. Inadequate brains didn”t allow us to consider anything other than a 24-hour marathon drive. During the early morning hours of our journey, as three of us napped, our on-duty driver missed a turn. About an hour later, I awoke and asked, “Where are we?” The answer: 50 miles off course. That”s how missed turns are discovered. Someone wakes up and says, “Hey, this is not where we intended to be.”

April 24, 2015

Christian Standard

Super-size Your Volunteer Base

By Eddie Lowen In August 2014, our church raised up 700-plus brand-new volunteers and commissioned our entire volunteer force for a new era of volunteer ministry. Below are excerpts of the talk I delivered at Volunteer Bootcamp 2014. Readers are welcome to adapt and use it. When Marshall Faulk played college football at San Diego State, he entered training camp as the team”s fifth-string tailback, eventually working his way up to second-string. Early one game, the starting tailback was injured, so the coach gave Faulk the nod. The rest is football history. In the remaining three and one-half quarters, Faulk

February 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Gagology and the Gospel

By Eddie Lowen Not long ago, Drew Dyck read this inspirational quote from Oprah Winfrey on the java jacket of his Starbucks coffee cup: “The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life you want.” The Leadership Journal editor instinctively analyzed this Oprahism. It”s exactly what you”d expect from Oprah. Or Joel Osteen. Having an eye for theological truth””more simply known as truth“”Dyck realized what was intended as inspiration was actually a giant dose of what I call gagology. He was so troubled by the misleading potential of Oprah”s message that he literally crossed-out the word

December 7, 2014

Christian Standard

In Praise of Pretending

By Eddie Lowen Few values have bigger buzzword status in the Christian community than authenticity. I”m glad. Sincerity is always in season. When churches and church leaders are genuine in motive and style, spiritual seekers find and follow them. Everything written about reaching young adults stresses the importance of “authentic community.” While the phrase now seems overused, the value can”t be overemphasized. It”s crucial. But I do have one caution concerning authenticity. In my own journey with God, growth has not always felt natural. Some of the progress I”ve made has been forced and awkward, rather than instinctive. So, I”ve

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