Reggie Joiner's Blog, page 36

5 Tips To Help Balance Your Time At Home And In Ministry This Christmas

by Lisa Molite

I’ll be home for Christmas. You can count on me . . . [insert record scratch here] . . . well, unless you’re a ministry leader!

Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for many (whether you serve in ministry or not), Christmas provides an extra helping of stress and pressure, as more is heaped on our already full plates. In addition to our regular routines, we are now in the throws of buying and wrapping gifts, making cookies, sending cards,...

Comparison Is the Thief of Contentment

“Gracie gets super excited when her big brother comes into the room and calls out ‘bubba!’ Plus she says ‘doggy’ and ‘book’ and ‘ball’ and ‘milk.’ She’s just so bright and never stops chattering!”

My Facebook friend was enthusing about her 9-month-old.

My 15-month-old son was currently stuck on “dada” for everything. Even “mama,” which had shown up for a while, had dropped out of the rotation.

I gritted my teeth and scrolled down past another friend’s professional family photoshoot in a...

The Spiritual Discipline of Gratitude

by Sam Luce

There are many disciplines in the Christian life. When you start to quantify them you usually get into trouble. Of all the disciplines that can be practiced and demonstrated in the Christian life I believe Gratitude is the single most important discipline. Gratitude is the byproduct of something we can’t produce ourselves. Gratitude is something we feel when we have been given what we don’t deserve. Gratitude happens when we experience grace and it happens with regularity when we...

Maximizing Family Time During the Holidays

The hustle-and-bustle of the holiday season doesn’t just pertain to shopping. Ministry work seems to get kicked up a notch between October and February. We have Fall Festivals, Hallelujah Nights, Trunk or Treats, Thanksgiving events, Christmas services, New Year’s services, and new families coming to jump-start their faith journeys this year. With all of these moments that are scrunched together by calendars, how can we make sure to protect our family time?

Establish your family time early in...

How Churches Can Use Partnerships to Reach the Community

Within your community, there are hundreds of organizations and likely thousands of people with a common goal: to reach and to help people.

They have this goal in common with your church. This is why the church and the community not only need each other for practical purposes, but are better together for the good of the world.

Instead of simply saying, “Let us know how our church can help!” there are many reasons and many ways a church can begin to actively use partnerships to impact the...

Big or Small, Your Church Matters

Can I shoot straight with you? Up until about four years ago, I had no idea what a small group was. When it was explained to me, I thought, Oh, so basically my Sunday School class.

The church I grew up in didn’t have small groups or large groups. It didn’t have screens for lyrics and message notes. And it for sure didn’t have a band.

My church ran about 50 on a good Sunday. My dad was the head deacon, the adult Sunday School teacher and the maintenance man. My youth leader was a full-time cop who volunt...

The Purpose of Fear in Authentic Leadership

Leadership in ministry is not for the faint-hearted. We only need to look around us to witness the ravages of an unrelenting war on character, on relationships, on hearts and minds. Volumes have been written on building strong churches, growing high-capacity volunteer groups, and designing creative ministries that appeal to every age. Leadership books are quick to list tips for being more effective, more charismatic, more relevant, and more dynamic. But there is little offered to help those o...

A Leader’s Top Priority This Busy Holiday Season

A few days ago while driving home, I could feel my blood pressure rise and my heart beat quicken when I heard the radio DJ announce that there was almost 30 days until Christmas. My mind started rattling off all the things my wife and Istill need to do/start to do: gifts, decorations, Christmas cards, travel, parties, teacher gifts, and so much more. We’re so busy right now. How can I even think of adding more onto an already very full plate?

For those of us in ministry leadership roles, it’s...

3 Easy Ways to Impact a Middle Schooler’s Identity and Faith

11, 12, 13. These are the awkward years. You remember right? Greasy hair, frizzy hair, don’t care. Weight gain and weight loss. You feel like an adult but everyone treats you like a kid.

Life for a middle schooler is rough. Forget trying to figure out who you are in Christ. Preteens are hanging onto the struggle bus for dear life.

Of course you now know that middle school drama, like everything else, won’t matter in a few short years. With the right approach you can help preteens focus on things that...

Why Every Generation Needs a New Revolution

I love movies. I love Broadway shows. I love books. Basically, I love a good story. But what I love even more is a when a good story is based on a true story.

The Best Stories are True Stories

Musicals like Hamilton, books like Unbroken, and movies like A League of Their Own, Hidden Figures, A Beautiful Mind, The King’s Speech, Selma, or Remember the Titans (I told you I liked movies) are all stories based on real life people. 

And the people on the pages of...