Posts tagged pride
WHY AND HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN AVOID BEING AN INSTITUTION
WHY AND HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN AVOID BEING AN INSTITUTION

It’s usually sad when a person is institutionalized.

When your aging grandmother becomes too confused to take care of herself, her children institutionalize her.

When your elderly uncle becomes too weak to live alone, your cousins institutionalize him.

When a child with a physical or mental disability can’t function in normal society, he or she is institutionalized to keep them safe and help them survive.

Institutionalization is about protection, not propagation; guarding, not going; building a defense, not mounting an offense.

It’s often necessary for the weak—or the wayward; we institutionalize criminals, too. But when thriving enterprises become institutionalized, it’s never a positive sign of strength.

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Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVagechurch, church leaders, institution, prison, preservation, pride, prevention, principles, mission, people, preferences, traditions, transformation, transformed lives, lives, liveComment
THE THING THAT MIGHT BE KILLING YOU AND EVERYONE AROUND YOU
THE THING THAT MIGHT BE KILLING YOU AND EVERYONE AROUND YOU

Most of us have heard more than one sermon about pride, this star among the Seven Deadly Sins. So I was a little surprised to receive such a positive reaction when I preached about pride last Sunday. More than one emailed or texted to say, “I really need to hear this.”

Maybe that’s because sooner or later, pride will be an issue for all of us. Maybe it’s because, as one preacher told me, “Pride is the soil in which all other sin grows.” Maybe some responded because my need to hear this sermon myself was under the surface when I preached it to others.

In any case, I can’t stop thinking about pride, and I want to think some more about it with you as we share this post.

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Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVagepride, hindsight, sight, forgiveness, power, church, leadershipComment