In this 4th and final episode of a sermon series on the life of Jacob, Pete observes the life of Jacob in contrast to his son Joseph.  One lived as if all things were against him.  The other lived knowing God was for him even in difficult circumstances. How might you be living? Here are some questions to ponder as you listen to the podcast. Am I anxious and fearful or am I waiting and trusting? Am I living lies or am I living truth? Am I distracted or focused?

 Tension. Distress. Difficulty. Pressure. Walls. Do these adjectives describe some days in your leadership? Listen to Part 2 of “Hard Lessons from the Life of Jacob” as Pete shares how God met Jacob in the mess, strain and conflict of his leadership. God is there to do the same in our own difficult leadership days. Enjoy!    

Tension. Distress. Difficulty. Pressure. Walls. Do these adjectives describe some days in your leadership? Listen to Part 2 of “Hard Lessons from the Life of Jacob” as Pete shares how God met Jacob in the mess, strain and conflict of his leadership. God is there to do the same in our own difficult leadership days. Enjoy!    

Jacob offers us a rich study of leadership. While he was richly blessed by God – chosen, destined to greatness, and deeply loved – he struggled to rest in that reality. Instead, we observe him as manipulative, aggressive, and restless. His very name meant “cheat or grabber!” Over the next few weeks we will look at a number of stories out of his life that come out of his earthly spirituality – while traveling, in conflicts, and with his family. I can relate to Jacob. I trust you can also. In this message I unpack the lessons of Jacob’s exploitation of Esau to ensure he gets God’s blessings for the future (cf. Genesis 25:21-34). This fear drives him to manipulate circumstances, and his brother, with devastating consequences. Jacob shows us that true spirituality is not about grabbing or controlling, but about resting, trusting and surrendering to God’s love and plans, even when they unfold. Read more.

Jesus’ challenge to the leaders in his day, found in his sermon in Matthew 23, is so biting and sharp that some interpreters have wondered if these words are authentically Jesus’. They are. I’m convinced Jesus intends this profound teaching to serve as a warning for us in every generation. He means it to be a means of deep surgery in our hearts. In this podcast, I break down Jesus’ challenge into 5 categories: Be careful to practice what you preach. We need to be careful that the gap between our role and our soul diminishes, not widens, with time, and that we slow down enough to actually live what we preach. Be careful of showiness. Jesus railed against leaders who “do everything… for people to see” (Matt. 23:5). The temptations we face to draw attention to ourselves and to do things that show we are great are powerful. Jesus was the opposite of. Read more.

How might you answer the following questions: Do you move in quickly to advise and fix things lest they fall apart? Do you have difficulty allowing others to struggle with their own problems? Do you find that, in the long run, it is simply easier to do things yourself? Do you say yes when you prefer to say no, even if you are overloaded? Do you struggle to trust others to do as good a job as you would? Do you not like asking for help because you don’t want to burden them? If your answer is yes to three or more, you probably suffer from a case of overfunctioning, i.e. doing for others what they can and should do for themselves. In this podcast I invite you into my personal journey of slowly breaking patterns and behaviors that reflected my overfunctioning posture as a pastor for the first seventeen years of my leadership.. Read more.