It’s often been said that when God closes one door, He opens another. We see this as people lose jobs, get demoted, or choose another path.

I wholeheartedly believe God opens doors. It’s what He does. He gives us opportunities to move into new territories.

But, today, I want to issue you a warning.

Choosing Your Open Door

There are plenty of open door opportunities that are not God-ordained. These are doors of convenience, happen-stance, or “luck.” These doors are open and waiting for you to walk through them.

However, we know leaders need to be discerning. They need to look at the doors in front of them and choose wisely.

Today, I want you to ask yourself 3 questions the next time a door opens in your life.  Read more...

We all want to make a difference in our families, the organizations we work for, and our churches. The problem is that we fall into the trap of thinking we have to make all the differences ourselves.

Our desire to see change, to be change results in us trying to take on too much. We see the problems in front of us and we tackle them.

Instead, I want to encourage you to make ripples.

Make Ripples

I was listening to On Fire by John O’Leary. In his book, he mentions Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.”

Hearing this, I pictured myself skipping rocks with my family. You find a nice, smooth stone. You look out at the lake. Then, you swing your arm and let loose. The rock skips across the water, creating ripples along the way.  Read more...

We know the age-old phrase that you are the sum of the five people you hang around with the most. It’s something the late, great Jim Rohn said often.

We share variations of this quote as well. I saw a friend share a meme that talked about breaking news. The news? You need to ditch the people in your life that won’t fit with your future.

It sounds fantastic. You want to become better, right? You want to become successful, right? How do you do that? You jettison the friends and family who have been there along with you.

Today, I want to ask you something different. Instead of what friends do you need to get rid of… Instead of who’s holding you back… My question will change you. It will stretch you. It will bring difficulties into your life.  Read more...

Do you know what you have to offer? Have you even considered the possibility YOU have something to offer?

We all have something to offer. Not all of us are offering what we have.

The Gateway Church in Spring Lake, Mi picks an organization to support every year. Last year, we focused heavily on Team World Vision and bringing clean water to those in need.

This year, our focus has shifted. We’ve begun to lean in heavily and focus our efforts on garnering support for Project Rescue. Project Rescue is a great organization with a great mission.

They exist to rescue and restore victims of sexual slavery through the love and power of God.

That’s pretty awesome if you ask me.

For Team World Vision, we asked our congregation to move their feet to raise money for clean water. This year, we did something different. We empowered our people (youth and children included!) to do something impactful.  Read more...

As I started a recent Friday, I began to think about the simple pleasures in life. These are the things that are so easy to overlook that we take them for granted.

My typical Friday has looked something like this:

• An early morning chat with a band of brothers
• A quick trip to Aldea, a local coffee shop, with my dog
• A drive down to the beaches of Lake Michigan
• A quick read-through of a few comic books
• A nap on the couch
• A movie

There’s more to my Friday’s but I was reminded of the importance of these little pleasures in life. They bring me great joy and contentment.

As leaders, we need these simple pleasures in our lives. We cannot live a life devoid of simple pleasures.  Read more...