Category: Thursday Thoughts

Have you ever thought about the difference between wisdom and truth? Wisdom is surely built on the foundation of truth, but I have shared a lot of truth that wasn’t wise. So what is the difference between truth and wisdom? Philosophers have struggled for millennia defining truth. When Jesus responded to Pilate, “You are right in saying I…

Last week I discussed why we are seeing such an alarming rate of pastors and church leaders morally flaming out, burning out, and/or simply dropping out. I said there were two reasons, 1) “hero worship” in our culture and in the church and 2) pastors believing this false narrative.  Last week we dealt with the culture…

We all change. We have also witnessed many leaders fall from positions of influence or impact over the past three decades. As I have known or studied great leaders who later plummeted from prominence, it became clear that they changed over a long trajectory of leadership. It seems the problem has become more endemic these past three decades…

As I look at my life, I can tell my pace is slowing, but my production seems to be increasing.  How is this possible? I think it is because as my pace has slowed, I have given more time to think more deeply, which has led to more impact. Wisdom is knowledge applied. There is a…

Recently while on a flight, I watched the movie ​Puss in Boots: The Last Wish​. It wasn’t a kid’s movie considering the theme, language, and depictions. The movie focuses on death and how many of us try to resolve the tension of facing our own death by denying it or living in fear of it.…

I was recently asked by some close friends if their observations about their pastor were appropriate. We talked for a while and then hung up. But I was awakened in the night with the following thoughts. Here is what I wrote them: From spending almost half of my adult years as a pastor and the other half…

For those who are new to the concept of faith in God, it can be challenging to understand the different meanings of the word, faith, or the many ways in which faith is used in the New Testament. There are three primary ways that faith is used: salvation faith, a body of doctrine or system…

Spoiler alert…I didn’t write last week’s Thursday Thought…an AI bot did. The entire blog last week was written by an AI chatbot. Very few of you noticed! I first gave the AI bot a sample of my blog to review (the one on Polarizing Positions—four weeks ago). The bot then generated an analysis of my voice from…

The Dangers of Social Media: How It Fuels a Comparison Mentality Last week I briefly mentioned social media being either a resume or a journal.  Let me share some deeper perspectives. In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. While it has its benefits, social media also has…