Today I officiated the funeral of a 27-yr-old and her unborn son. Life is so fragile and short. Hug, don’t hate. Choose grace over gossip. God doesn’t bless grudges, He blesses when we try to reconcile together.  Isaiah 40....  Read More

PRAYERPray for God to give you a white-hot vision; a picture of what the future COULD be and SHOULD be.PLANWrite out a plan from Point A to Point B to Point C of all the steps required to make your vision a reality.PERSPIREThen, move the plan forward by taking action! Do not allow PRAYER to become an EXCUSE for INACTIVITY.  If God has called you to it, He will bring you through it.Remember these 3...  Read More

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THE THREE STRUGGLES OF PASTORS- by Chad Graves -In the last week I have had meetings with multiple pastors. It has been a reminder and an eye-opener. Pastors all over the country are dealing with intense stress. Recently, 3 different churches asked me if I knew of anyone I would recommend as a possible candidate for them. Many churches are without pastors. I will repost something I worked on a cou...  Read More

Sunday morning's event is free and open to publicby Jon Becker, for the Midland Daily News  |  May 19, 2022 MIDLAND — Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and … church? Yes, you read that right. America’s pastime is not normally associated with passionate preaching, live bands and a worship service, but that’s exactly what’s going on Sunday, May 22 at Dow Diamond.Life Church, a Great Lakes Loons 2022 par...  Read More

I’m not concerned about being criticized for taking risks to reach people far from God.  I’m concerned about not being criticized. Recently I was invited to teach a breakout session at a conference in Chicago based on my book, Holy Shift.  The topic was so popular among church leaders that we ran out of seats!I had fun sharing my journey in comedy and ministry, the unique story God is writing at L...  Read More

Are you ready to climb the mountain again? Maybe you've set goals for yourself or your business. Maybe you've decided to take a risk. Whatever it may be, I know this much to be true: with a little hard work and consistency, anyone has the ability to build something good. But what does it take to build something GREAT? 1. A PACE THAT WILL LAST A LONG TIMEI recently heard this quote about money that...  Read More

KEEPING IT R.E.A.L.I recently learned this acronym from a leader I’ve looked up to for as long as I can remember.  He says that everything he does, he does through the lens of R.E.A.L. It stands for Relationship, Equipping, Attitude, and Leadership. Let’s explore how to lead and live life through this lens.R - RelationshipVALUE YOUR RELATIONSHIPSAll of life flows from relationships. You can’t do l...  Read More

A video-blog on my doctoral journey thus far....  Read More

Marines get stuff done.They face impossible missions yet always prevail. 2 Timothy 2:1-6 tells leaders to think like a Marine. During a recent Leadership Coaching Session, I shared 8 Leadership Lessons from the Marine Corp: Common Sense Principles for Success.I hope these 8 Leadership Lessons encourage you and your team to fearlessly lead your church to grow!...  Read More

We had a BLAST throwing this free, fun family event last weekend at Life Church!Over the years, we've discovered that this annual event not only brings people together and builds trust with our community, but also it serves as a faith catalyst for many households. Your church can throw a huge, free party for families that will:● Get them on your campus for the first time● Allow guests to have fun ...  Read More

We often think about what our team owes us -- what we expect from them.But there are four things we owe them, as well:1) GRACE: Not expecting them to be perfect.2) HONESTY: Shooting straight and being transparent.3) PROPER PLACEMENT: A place where they can thrive.4) PRAYER: This opens our hearts to them and provides wisdom and insight to love them....  Read More