Catalyst Articles

You don’t just have the right to say no; you have the responsibility.

One of the vital lessons we must learn, as Change Makers, is to give a reverent and attentive ear to the sage voices who have walked before us.

What if we stop letting the past keep us from moving to where we feel God is calling us to go?  

For leaders, self-reliance can quickly turn into pride and the exclusion of God altogether. We think our plans, innovation, and methods are great because they succeed. We look at what we’ve built and say, “Man, Look what I can do.” 

Somewhere along the way ministry had become a job. Another waypoint in my efforts to save the world. I spent more time talking about God than talking to Him. More time describing God’s presence than bathing in it.

As leaders it can be easy to become distracted and miss the plans and purposes God has for our lives because our focus is on unimportant, insignificant things (that just happen to be screaming the loudest for our attention!). 

These girls deserve to be the change makers they believe they can be. They deserve to live preciously dangerous lives, reminders that no force of hatred and ignorance must ever be allowed to prevail as long as the people of God are willing to fight against it. 

Imagine the difference for pastors to know that they can stand on stage and tell their congregations with confidence that going to church matters for your marriage.

I still remember the first time I was getting ready to share my story in a church setting.  Just as the congregation was getting ready to trickle in, a woman looked at me and said, “Are you sure you want to do this? People will never look at you the same again.”

Maybe your church has a pastor who has been teaching for years, or maybe you work for someone who is well-respected in your organization. Can you become a great leader, with your own distinctive style, while working for another great leader?

The more we tell ourselves to forget past secrets, the deeper the heart aches for realization. If we get really honest with ourselves we know that secret is still there, waiting, breathing and creeping up on us only at times to destroy and demolish us from the inside out.

In our minds, we become right simply because we’ve been wronged. Perpetuating this idea is what ruins friendships, ostracizes those we love, and leaves entire cartons of ice cream empty. Why? Because playing the blame game requires a voracious appetite for validation, one that is never quite satisfied.