As leaders, we must keep growing. We are not yet fully conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29), so God isn’t through with us yet. Sadly, growth is often very slow. Slower than I would like. But I keep striving, by faith, to move forward and grow as a leader. There are three areas of my life […]
Author Archives: Luke Simmons
How Long Could You Do Ministry Without God?
This is one of the most important questions a leader can ask, and Geoff Surratt’s post about it is one of my all-time favorites. Worth reading over and over. In one part he says: Israel created an elaborate and efficient church that ran very well without God. The priests and Levites excelled at their roles, the […]
Lessons From a Weekend Alone With the Kids
This past weekend, Molly traveled to Ohio for a baby shower for her brother’s wife. She was gone Thursday-Monday and I was home alone with our 5 and 7 year-old daughters. We had a great time and I learned a few important things. 1. My kids are a lot of fun. They are creative, funny, […]
How Special Should Easter Services Be?
Easter is just days away and, by now, most church leaders are pretty squared away on what their Easter services will look like. At least I would hope so. Though Easter is undoubtedly special, as it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, churches should beware of making their Easter services too special — or more specifically — […]
Preaching the Bible vs. Using the Bible
On a regular basis I will hear a shocking phrase from somebody who is new to our church. “It’s great how you guys actually teach the Bible.” What a bizarre idea. A person experiences our ministry and is refreshed because we actually teach the Bible. What is everyone else doing? This used to strike me […]
6 Lessons from What’s Best Next by Matt Perman
I recently finished reading What’s Best Next by Matt Perman, who runs a blog by the same name. The book’s subtitle is “How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done.” It’s the best book I’ve read so far this year. I have read and benefited from a number of productivity-related books (Getting Things Done, […]
Would I Want to Go to This?
This is a question every leader should ask seriously when planning anything — an event, worship service, training, or meeting. Would I want to go to this? If you wouldn’t want to go, there’s a good chance that others won’t either. And if you go but you don’t really want to, everyone will feel it. […]
Podcasts Worth Listening To
One of the marks of the best leaders I know is that they are eager to keep learning. One of the blessings of technology today is having so many fantastic resources so readily available (sometimes too many). I learn best by listening, so podcasts have been a God-send for my life and leadership. I thought […]
Reflections on ‘Noah’ Movie
My in-laws are in town from Ohio and my daughters have been dying to show their grandma their newest passion in life, Frozen. So, faced with hearing “Let it Go” for the 6 millionth time, I opted to go with the guys to check out this movie you might have heard of…Noah. Here are some […]
Top 5 Posts from March
This month has been the most active month ever on Faithful and Fruitful in terms of readers. To close out the month, I thought I’d share the top 5 posts people were reading here in March. 1. What I Learned from 10 Churches in 4 Days. 2. How Our Multi-Congregational Church Model Works. 3. 5 […]
