The other day I came across this quote from humorist Mark Twain: “If you have to eat a live frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning ..read more

In my last post, I shared some information regarding the struggles pastors are facing today. What can we do to help hurting pastors ..read more

I recently came across an article by Jill Foley Turner from the National Christian Foundation that offered some powerful and, sadly, troubling insights on the current state of pastors ..read more

In my previous post, I introduced a key aspect of discipleship that comes from Paul’s N.T. letter to the Ephesians ..read more

  A piece I read from pastor and author Mark Batterson grabbed my attention last week and it has yet to let me go. It has to do with vision. When it comes to leadership, we typically think of vision as dreaming big and thinking long. It’s something we cast to people in the hope that they will see what we see. And to be sure, that has value. However, Batterson points out that there is another less celebrated type of vision that may be of equal importance. It’s a kind of peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is that which occurs outside the point of fixation. Though we can see that ..read more

  Tucked away in the book of Proverbs is a verse that is unfamiliar to most of us, but oh so important to grasp. It’s Proverbs 17:9 – “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven but dwelling on it separates close friends.” What brought this verse to mind was an incident that took place recently. I received a text from an old friend with whom I had become estranged. Minor slights had seemingly grown into major offenses.  Though we live in the same city, we hadn’t seen each other in over a year. And there was no expectation that that would change. It seemed this was to be yet one ..read more

  If you’re a mariner lost at sea, triangulation is a very good thing. It’s a navigational technique that allows you to figure out where you are by measuring the triangle formed by two known points and your unknown point. But in the arena of relationships, triangulation is another thing altogether — and a bad one. This kind of triangulation happens when one person takes an issue or conflict with another person to a third person. It happens all the time in the workplace where gossip and grousing are part of the “menu” in the lunchroom.  Sadly, it also happens in the church.  ..read more

  I enjoyed meeting with my coaching groups last week.  It’s so gratifying to see these young pastors eagerly leaning into their professional development.    Yet it was in a follow-up phone call that I witnessed another need.  It had to do with personal development.  And, by God’s grace, I was able to speak into it.   Let me explain.  Early on, I had told the guys in the groups that I would be more than willing to speak one-on-one with them if they ever had a desire to do so. I realized that there might well be more private issues that they’d like to d ..read more

  As I write this, it’s the day after Easter…and I am remembering what this day was like for me during my 34 years as a lead pastor. I’m also wondering if some of my fellow pastors may be feeling the same way today. One would think that I would have viewed this day with a lingering sense of victory, savoring the Easter services of yesterday. You would be wrong. I know this seems hard to believe, but for many years this day was hard for me. I felt very much like the Old Testament prophet Elijah who, following the incredible triumph over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, was found hi ..read more

  When Gwen and I were seeking to discern what it was that God was calling us to in this season of our lives, these concepts were really helpful to us and eventually led us to launch Dave DeSelm Ministries. I think these truths are transferrable to all of us as we seek to live our one and only life for the glory of God and His Kingdom. Made for a Purpose One of my favorite texts is: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). The first half of the verse decla ..read more