"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood." ~ Hebrews 12:4

You're on the cliff edge, and you've got no wings. You're facing the giant, and so far it hasn't budged, even after all this time. You're swinging your sword like a madman, but the blade is never striking home. You're failing. Repeatedly. You're exhausted. Hope is slipping away like the fading light of dusk.

You had no idea it would be this hard. You need a win ~ even a tiny one ~ just to keep going. But there are no wins in sight.

Where is God’s strength now? Why doesn’t He come charging in

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." ~ Mother Teresa

As a leader, there are a few lessons you learn very quickly. One is that people are beautiful. The other is that people are messy, and leading them a messy business.

I’ve yet to work with a leader who didn’t have to grapple with significant relational conflict within his or her organization. Like it or not, it comes with the territory. But rather than resist it or deny it or try to wish it away, I challenge leaders to see conflict for what it really is: an essential element in God’s developmental

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." ~ Michelangelo

I love the turning of a new year.

I’m a firm believer in fresh starts and setting goals. But this year, it’s been different. In this season of clean slates and daring resolutions, I find my thoughts drawn to a different sort of resolve ~ not just of taking on new challenges, but also letting go of old, tired burdens I have carried for too long.

So here are 5 things I’ve resolved to let go of in 2012:

• False Obligations ~ A pastor and client of mine recently confessed that he’s been