Posts tagged clarity
THE CHURCH OF THE DO WHAT YOU WANT
THE CHURCH OF THE DO WHAT YOU WANT

Almost three decades ago a mission trip with my high school youth group changed my life, but not in a way you might expect. It wasn’t the people we served or the work we accomplished that helped define my path. Instead, it was the words sung by a second-rate band at a cheesy “Christian nightclub” that I want to tell you about.

We were in Virginia Beach, maybe a dozen of us students, and in our free time we went exploring to see what we could find in the resort town. We happened upon this club where the band was singing about “the church of the do what you want, the church of the do what you please.”

The words struck me like a thunderbolt. And even though I was only 14 years old when I first heard them, I’ve never forgotten. In fact, that indictment of so much represented by Western church culture has colored my whole ministry and purpose in life.

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Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVagechurch, church leaders, christians, christian, passion, uncomplicated, leadership, leading, universal, probelms, problem, vision, unclouded, clarity, clear, pathway, Jesus, bible, scripture, music, band, christian musicComment
EMBRACING LONELINESS OVER ISOLATION
EMBRACING LONELINESS OVER ISOLATION

I don’t know about most of you, but the last year of leadership in ministry has had some very lonely moments. For some it has even been isolating. There were moments where it was lonely pre-pandemic, but in the midst of it, it has been even more lonesome and even isolating at times. Throw in political, racial, and social upheaval, and you have a perfect leadership storm of loneliness that can turn isolating quickly.

“It’s lonely at the top.” Like most clichés, this one gets repeated so often because it expresses at least a little truth. In fact, according to some research, at least half of all CEOS report feelings of loneliness. As one researcher puts it, “You can imagine that … over time having to make a lot of tough, unpopular decisions that are constantly going to upset at least one part of your constituency could start to feel isolating.”

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Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageloneliness, lonely, alone, isolation, embrace, church, ministry, leadership, jesus, clarity, discover, desire, community, hurt, covid, corona, pandemicComment