Dan Reiland, Executive Pastor at 12stone Church in Atlanta GA joins the guys today to talk about the myth of a balanced life.

Isn't it just like us pastors to beat ourselves up over the inability to balance our lives? We have family, ministry, fitness, relationships, community connections, hobbies, rest, etc. that we try to balance. 

Dan claims that a balanced life is simply and absolutely a myth! Rather, how do we manage the imbalance that actually is life?

Today's conversation with Dan comes from his blogpost titled: How Does a Leader Live a Balanced Life? In this episode he asks the following five questions:

1. What is and where is your "center"?
2. What is your energy level?
3. What is your family system?
4. What is your church culture?
5. What are your primary responsibilities?

Dan talks about finding your rhythm, experiencing the pendulum swing, and always trying to come back to center.

If you are experiencing frustration because it feels like your life is out of balance, or you are in overwhelm right now with your life and your responsibilities, this episode will be an encouragement to you - join the party!

If you enjoy the coaching of Dan Reiland, you can find all the times he has been our guest (more than 20!) by visiting the Dan Reiland Series Page right here! 

Check out Dan's book, Amplified Leadership Here. (see and click on the pic at the bottom of the page too)

Jeff loves to tell the people in our congregation that our building isn't the church--we are. It's a simple message, but one that bears repeating again and again: the church isn't where we meet, the church is the people of God--and we live and operate in the world, not just in our buildings.

On today's podcast we welcome back David Fitch to talk about how the Church joins with God in the work he is doing in the world. David is a professor at Northern Seminary and a Missiologist who has written extensively on the topic of the church's mission in the world. David's new book, "Faithful Presence" is available for pre-order now on Amazon!

If you are looking for more challenging content from David, check out episode 145 and episode 164 where David unpacks the idea of being a "church on mission" further. You can also find David writing at Missio Alliance and on his own podcast, Theology on Mission. If you're looking for practical stories of what being on mission looks like, we can't recommend our episode with Lori Harris enough. 

We pray that you've been encouraged and challenged by the podcast this week and we can't wait to release another new episode next Wednesday. Just for you.

Have a great week!

Hello Pastors!

We've all had that conversation, right? Where someone is sitting across from you and they are so filled with a desire to read their Bible and pray and get on track with their discipleship, but they just can't figure out how to do it.

"It was easier when I first came to Jesus."

"I can start strong, but within a few weeks (or days) it all falls apart."

"I'm worried there's something wrong with me. What's missing?"

Sometimes, the answer can get kind of complicated. But most of the time, it's pretty simple.

On today's podcast, Ray Hollenbach joins us and shares on a variety of topics, including how to think "discipleship" in your small church. Ray leads seminars throughout the US and uses his years of ministry experience as he coaches pastors around the country. Ray shares with us the four "foundations" that must be in order before discipleship can take place, and also talks at length about the importance of succession plans in ministry and following the call of God to empower the next generation of church leaders.

​Ray can be found on Twitter @Hollenbach, probably on Facebook - look for him :-) and at his website, www.StudentsOfJesus.com. You can also find Ray's 2016 book, Deeper Grace right here!

As we talked with Ray, I was reminded of similar conversations around the topic of grace we've had with John Lynch and Bill Thrall. Episodes 61, 64, and 112 are all excellent resources and they can all be found right HERE--along with a few blog posts. If you've never heard these pastors, we would encourage you to tune in and be captured again by the beauty of God's grace.

For more on the topic of transitions, check out our episode with Sam Prellwitz and check out this short video by our friend John Finkelde on some nuts and bolts of transitioning well.

We hope you were as encouraged as we were by Ray this week and we can't wait to reveal our SPECIAL GUEST for episode 200 of the podcast in the coming weeks!

The evening had gone perfectly until then!

My girlfriend and I had just pulled into the driveway when I looked over at her awkwardly. She sensed the tension and asked me directly "what is it?" 

I was the opposite of smooth: "Well... umm... I just have a question. Are you... well... are you, you know, a Christian?"

I'd be lying to you if I said that conversation went well. And, looking back, I'm not surprised that it didn't. But somehow, despite THAT being my best effort at "evangelism," my girlfriend was gracious and kind. So kind, in fact, that she eventually became my wife!

(And, yes, she was a Christian)

Why am I telling you this embarrassing story? Because to my 17-year-old mind, THAT was an appropriate way to talk to someone about faith. Completely unnatural. Completely out of the blue. And completely without tact.

And yet, that's still how some churches approach outreach today: Unnatural. Out of context. Tactless.

On today's podcast, Dave Jacobs joins us for the first time in three months to discuss why churches are struggling with outreach and evangelism, and what they can do about it. If you're new to the podcast, you might not know that Dave is a pastor's coach who specializes in small churches of all denominations. He's a great friend of the show and has some keen insight on today's episode!

For even more episodes with Dave, check out his Podcast Series page on our website or hit him up at his website or personal blog. And if you want some more ideas on outreach, give a specific listen to Dave on episode 82 of the podcast or episode 137 with our friend Rob Tarnoviski who pastors a church doing amazing things in Philadelphia, PA. 

We hope you've been encouraged by the podcast this week. If you are enjoying these weekly emails and episodes, please considerheading over to iTunes and subscribing, then leaving a rating and review!

Have a great week,

Jonny (and Jeff)