Leadership Blog

25 Jan

Authentic Praise Honors God and Builds Churches Too! by Pastor Jim Graff As a young pastor in training, I heard my father-in-law, the late John Osteen tell an interesting story.  He described a worship service that one of the church businessmen brought his attorney friend to.  The businessman was concerned that the worship might be a little too exuberant for this dignified attorney. ...

03:47 / Leadership Blog
25 Jan

Making Disciples Pastor Jim Graff Have you noticed how eager people are to reach new places of success in their lives? Most of us are constantly and carefully planning the next step vital to our desired destination. I clearly remember one morning when my son confidently explained to me that he was ready to take the training wheels off his bike. He was...

03:45 / Leadership Blog
25 Jan

Contagious Churches by Pastor Jim Graff Are you praying for insight about how your church can impact the unchurched?  I remember thinking – “If our church ever becomes popular among the unchurched, we’ll sure be able to do lots of good.  After all, there are lots of people needing redemption in our community.” Think about this, do you remember who led you to...

03:43 / Leadership Blog
25 Jan

A Call to Compassion … Watch it connect you with your community by Pastor Jim Graff A destitute woman.  A sick and desperate mother.  A prodigal son; these were the kind of people Jesus exercised continual compassion toward.  After demonstrating his great compassion in every synagogue and village of Israel, Jesus did something else.  He made it clear that he was calling...

03:15 / Leadership Blog
24 Jan

When Addiction is a Good Thing by Pastor Jim Graff If you know my wife, you know how much she loves coffee. To her, it’s a non-negotiable. She has to have three cups every day just like she has since the time she was a kid. I grew up differently. I didn’t drink coffee. I had a mother who was 5’4” and a...

02:23 / Leadership Blog
23 Jan

Experiencing The Reality of Christmas by Pastor Jim Graff I have to admit, I love special moments. And I would say that, for a man, I am pretty sentimental. I love to slow down and squeeze the special out of something, to create a memory to celebrate. You know what I’ve realized? God loves special moments too. All throughout the Bible, we...

18:15 / Leadership Blog
23 Jan

Jesus With Skin On by Pastor Jim Graff Life has a way of challenging us all. It has a way of throwing our missteps and failures in our faces in an attempt to discourage us from keeping on. No matter who we are, we’re subject to that discouragement, and most of us have been there quite a few times. (I know I have!) In...

18:08 / Leadership Blog
23 Jan

Getting Rid of the Stench by Pastor Jim Graff Years ago, when my kids were young, my wife and I had a date night to remember… and not in the best way. We were on our way to our favorite restaurant, excited for a night to ourselves, when all of a sudden a terrible stench filled the suburban. Now, at this point, we...

06:10 / Leadership Blog