Brother — From your Rock Solid season, you undoubtably recall this stop-you-in-your-tracks statement from an unnamed Navy Seal: 

Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion,
you sink to the level of your training.

True. Very true.

That’s why we start the day with our Father, aligning our heart with His.

That’s why we have a regular intake of God’s Word, replacing the cheap calories of the world’s “wisdom” for truth that builds and nourishes.

That’s why we seek Him out in solitude, enjoying His presence and listening to His voice. 

That’s why we say yes to the gift of Sabbath, knowing that it is essential to our wholeness—spiritually, emotionally, relationally, physically, mentally.

That’s why we suit up every day in His armor, knowing that the real battle is the unseen one.

That’s why we choose community, knowing that isolation is a destructive tool of the enemy.

So mark it down. Embrace this truth: Our Father always has us in His schoolhouse of preparation. 

He is always seeking ways to shape our hearts to be like His. 

He is making us mission-ready.

He’s doing His part. Let’s honor Him by continuing to do ours.

Fighting for the hearts and souls of Kingdom leaders,

PS: For those who live in proximity to the San Gabriel Valley, join us on Sunday, March 16 for Solitude Sunday. We will rally at 2:30 at Brookside Park in Pasadena.

Brother — As we launch 2025, I want to showcase my all-time favorite leadership word:

INTENTIONALITY

Intentionality is the decision to act with purpose. 

In contrast, not to be intentional is to be random, thoughtless. It’s the closing of football season, so think of a football bouncing around. You’re never quite sure where it’s going next.

Our world is overrun with so-called leaders who are bouncing around, floating through life. Head down. Focused on the immediate (what’s for lunch?), having lost track of the big picture. Doomscrolling. Indulging. Escaping. Numbing. Avoiding.

Been there? 

Done that?

Here’s the deal: An intentional leader, a Rock Solid leader, refuses to live reactively.

Again, in sports language: It’s not about trying not to lose (pardon the double negative), it’s about aggressively putting points on the board.

• I’m intentional when I power down the smart TV to get to bed at a decent hour so that waking up a bit early allows me to carve out some 1:1 time with Jesus.
• I’m intentional when I hit pause and look into my wife’s eyes and tell her how much I appreciate all the things that she does to make our marriage vibrant.
• I’m intentional when I put down my cell and put my kids to bed with words of encouragement and prayers of blessing.
• I’m intentional when I arrange my schedule to take a walk or hit the gym in order to steward well the one and only body I’ve been given.
• I’m intentional when I end my workday on time so that I can enjoy dinner with my loved ones.
• I’m intentional when I order off the menu not to satisfy my appetite, but to consider what would best nourish my body.
• I’m intentional when I am in consistent heart-to-heart, no spin-zone communication and fellowship with a like-minded brother.

Life’s too short and the stakes too high to be a floater.

As a new year awaits, let’s double-down on our commitment to live and lead with INTENTIONALITY.
By design.
With purpose.
For His glory!

Dear Brother — As a follower of Christ, would you agree with me that there are things in life that can only be explained by God’s grace?

That’s exactly how I feel about the work God is doing in and through Lead With Your Life.

BY GOD’S GRACE,
the life trajectory of hundreds of Kingdom leaders has been changed.

BY GOD’S GRACE,
more and more leaders are embracing servant leadership instead of me-first leadership.

BY GOD’S GRACE,
more and more leaders are grabbing hold of the calling He has for them to impact their world.

BY GOD’S GRACE,
over 550 leaders have participated in Rock Solid—the intensive, nine-month leadership/discipleship experience provided by LWYL.

And it’s all by God’s grace that we are seeing Him faithfully change the leadership narrative of our day…

one leader at a time…

AS 2024 COMES TO A CLOSE,
I know that you are thinking about ways to
contribute to ministries in addition to your local church.

Would you consider joining Pattie and me in
including Lead With Your Life in your year-end stewardship?


Your support is exponential. When you impact ONE leader that leader
turns around and impacts countless others… for generations to come.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN
Donations can be made:

From my heart to yours, thank you for your
partnership with Lead With Your Life!

Brother — Each November, in anticipation of Thanksgiving, I like to rally every Rock Solid grad to be ready to maximize this significant holiday.

As a Kingdom leader, Thanksgiving provides a Grand Canyon-sized opening to lead well, serve well, and love well as you gather with family and friends.

Knowing that you may be the go-to person in your respective Thanksgiving gathering, what’s your game plan for leveraging your leadership that day? 

Let me jumpstart your thinking by uploading some considerations:   

During or after your feast, what if you were to…

• Have each person pray a blessing over the person seated next to them. Consider using the blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26 as the lead-in to this time.
• Seated around the table, give each person a blank sheet of paper with their name at the top. Then pass the paper around the table for each person to write down a few words of why they are thankful for that person. Have each person read aloud what was written about them.
• Tell a Stone Story (Joshua 4). Invite your loved ones to hear about a challenging season in your life, sharing with transparency and also calling out how your faith-walk deepened as a result.
• Bring a photo to the table from the family archives of someone who has gone ahead, reflecting on how your family is different/better because of their legacy.
• Tee up a provocative question that shifts the conversation from everyday talk to eternity talk. “Over these past months, here is something that I’ve learned about life and about God…”
• Share a verse or passage from Scripture that is significant to you. “The older I get, the more I find God’s Word to be an anchor to my life…”

May your initiative as a leader create space for the Spirit of God to visit with you and your loved ones in a way that moves it from mundane to meaningful…from ordinary to extraordinary.

Brother — You might want to sit down for this one…

I want to be different…better. I want a trendline that demonstrates growth…change…transformation. I want to be more like Christ.

I’m guessing you do too.

But how?

Here’s my take…

Life change is essentially a dynamic cooperation of the transforming work of the Spirit of God within me AND my intentional decision to create the opportunity for that change to take place.

God does the heavy lifting (praise Him!); BUT…I’ve got to do MY part: create the space.

That, Brother, is what ‘spiritual practices’ are all about (Bible reading, prayer, solitude, Sabbath, journaling, etc.). Each is a means to an end. I am deliberately choosing to make myself available for the Spirit to shape me more and more into the likeness of Christ. 

Of all the spiritual practices (NTF: I tend to shy away from the word ‘disciplines’, which connotes for me duty/obligation…this is all about opportunity…invitation), I believe that the most foundational practice is the habit of how you start your day. 

I call this indispensable time my Secret Place. 

• He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. –Psalm 91:1 
• But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. –Matthew 6:6

But this start-the-day time has got to be more than a check box. There has to be a compelling WHY driving it.

And here it is…

The secret place is where I renew and delight in my love relationship with Jesus who is the lover of my soul. It is also the place that I find strength and wisdom and understanding for the complexities and uncertainties and disappointments in my life this side of heaven.

In short, I NEED this time.
Desperately.
EVERY day.
Full stop.

I believe deeply that how you start your day determines the success of your day.

Candidly, some of my start-the-day time is more ‘vanilla’ than ‘chocolate brownie chunk’ (think Handel’s 😉). But it’s like eating. Not every meal is Michelin ranked, but you still eat, carbo-loading as it were for the requirements of the day.

Or think of it this way: The Scriptures are said to be profitable for “training in righteousness” (Hebrews 4:12). And ‘training’ typically is hard work without a lot of immediate payoff. But you still put in the reps. You’re playing the long game.

You get the picture. I’m not TRYING harder. I am TRAINING smarter.

Brother, whatever ‘halftime adjustments’ you need to make in order to prioritize your start-of-the-day practice as THE most important thing in your daily life, DO IT. Like compounding interest, the results—though sometimes imperceptible—will over the long haul yield a ROI that is soul-satisfying and a gift to those who count on you and your leadership!

Brother —A few weeks ago, Lead With Your Life hosted its annual Rock Solid Grad Breakfast in Altadena, CA. It was a very significant morning. Check out the snaps below.

Let me attempt to capture the essence of the message God planted in my heart to share that day. 

My talk emerged from God’s words to the prophet Jeremiah. 

Jeremiah had an awesome job. (Said no one. Ever.) He had the unenviable task of telling God’s recalcitrant people that they were standing on the precipice of captivity. And he was worn out as the bearer of bad news.

Seeing his weariness, instead of delivering sympathy, God offers strong words of challenge:

So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men, 

what makes you think you can run with the horses. –Jeremiah 12:5 MSG

In short, if you can’t deal with TODAY’S realities, how will you face with TOMORROW’S challenges? 

With that question ringing in our ears, we took some time to ask two questions:

1. If I’m gonna run with the horses, what do I need to STOP doing?
2. If I’m gonna run with the horses, what do I need to START doing?

Rock Solid brother, we live in a world of ever-increasing opposition to all we stand for as followers of Christ. But in His providence, God has placed us into His grand storyline…now. THIS IS OUR MOMENT.

He is calling YOU to “run with the horses”. 

You in?

Brother — You might have heard me drop this quote a time or two. It’s one of my all-time favorite go-tos. 

Ready?

Wait for it…

My personal holiness is my people’s greatest need.

For context, this statement was made by a person who served as pastor. But the application is transparently UNIVERSAL. Whatever hat in life you wear, it fits.

Let me provide a few snapshots:

• Your personal holiness (your Christlikeness) is the greatest need of your wife.
• Your personal holiness (your Jesus-like character) is the greatest need of your kids.
• Your personal holiness is the greatest need of the small group you lead.
• Your personal holiness is the greatest need of the neighborhood where you live.
• Your personal holiness is the greatest need of your clients, co-workers, business partners.
• Your personal holiness is the greatest need for the church you serve at.

In short, wherever you show up in life, your greatest impact will come as a result of following hard after Jesus. The benefits and blessings you bring to your circle of influence will come from the overflow of your walk with Him.

A simple, straightforward truth. 

With immeasurable ROI.

Brother — Do a quick inventory of your Rock Solid season and you will be reminded that one of the most important things about you is your IDENTITY…WHO you are!

Simply stated, your identity is a bold declaration of truth about who we are from God’s point of view. 

Mark it down. Etch it in stone. 

Get your identity right and you get life right; 

because if you don’t, you won’t.

Your identity statement serves both as an anchor to your soul and a spring to your step. It centers you. And it inspires you.

What’s at stake? A ton! Because the accuracy of your identity determines the size of your story. 

Typically, I will pronounce my identity (usually out loud) during my first-thing-in-the-morning time with the Lord. I encourage you to do the same. You will be amazed at the ‘orientation’ it provides for your life and for your leadership.

When all is said and done, WHO you are—in God’s eyes—is the most important thing about you. 

Fighting for the hearts and souls of Kingdom leaders,

PS: For those living in SoCal, be sure to mark your calendar for the next Rock Solid Breakfast: Saturday, September 21 in Altadena. 

Hey, Brother — You cool if I keep it short?

Here it is: How you START your day determines the SUCCESS of your day.

Brother, there is simply no substitute for launching your day in conversation with Jesus. 

None.

It’s not a box to check. It’s a relationship to pursue.

Indeed, I count everything as loss 

because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 

–Philippians 3:8 ESV

Whatever re-arranging needs to take place in your life and in your calendar for this to be your top daily priority, do it.

Those invaluable moments at the start of the day, anchor you in your faith walk, providing you with the wisdom and strength required for the hours that lie ahead.

Remember, we wake up to a world at war. No soldier worth his salt wanders onto the battlefield. He prepares. He suits up. So that he can stand strong.

Let’s be leaders who lead and serve out of the OVERFLOW of our walk with Jesus–all day long.

Strength and honor,

For those living in SoCal, be sure to mark your calendar for the annual Rock Solid Grad Breakfast: Saturday, September 21 in Altadena.

Hey, Brother — A few weeks ago, I had the awesome privilege to sit in a room full of Rock Solid grads. During our time together, we talked about KPIs. Metrics. Specifically, how do you measure whether you are becoming more and more rock solid on the inside? 

We tossed around several ways to keep score and then landed on one in particular: You know you are becoming more rock solid on the inside when those closest to you have the highest regard for you.*

We live in a best-foot-forward world in our everyday, public lives. But what about behind the door of our everyday, private lives?

What if someone interviewed your wife? Or your kids? Or your roommate? Or your business partner?

If those questions spike your blood pressure a bit, then more than likely there’s some work to be done.

Truth be told, ALL of us have work to do. All of us are works in progress. The key is the trend line. We are not about perfection, but we are all about progression. 

Sit for a moment in the words of the Apostle Paul penned under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit: 

I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above. (Philippians 4:12-14 NCV)

What are you reaching for? What are you STRAINING for? 

Let’s make sure that we are scoring well on the KPIs that matter most. 

Let’s show up strong for those closest to us. 

For those living in SoCal, be sure to mark your calendar for the next Rock Solid Grad Breakfast: Saturday, September 21 in Altadena.

*Props to Carey Nieuwhof for crafting this language.

Hey, Brother — The other day at the gym—in between tossing around 300 lbs on the bench press 😉—I got to chatting with my buddy Ron. He’s got seven grandkids. I’ve got six. And we both agreed that a large part of our motivation for working up a sweat several times a week is to be able to enjoy our grands by having a measure of fitness to do some of the activities that they enjoy.

In the bigger picture, paying attention to our physical health is an important dimension of what it means to steward well all that God has entrusted to us.

So where are you at?

As you look in the mirror—in this case both figuratively AND physically—what do you see? If you were to retain the same fitness gameplan for the next 10 years what would be the outcome? Would you like the result? Would you have set yourself up well for being fully present and healthy for those God has entrusted to your care? Would you have set yourself up well for having the requisite stamina and energy for God’s call on your life?

Here are a few questions to ponder:

• Do I eat thoughtfully? Do the majority of my meals throughout the week strengthen my body or just feed it?
• Do I proactively arrange my schedule to get adequate sleep each night?
• Do I have an exercise routine that creates vibrancy in my daily life?
• Do I drink alcohol moderately? Or has it become my ‘escapist behavior’ (as we learned in Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership)?
• Do I faithfully have check-up appointments with my doctor to monitor my health?

And how about a bonus question for those who are married?

• If you were to sit down with your gal and vet these questions, what would she say? Would you listen wholeheartedly without being defensive? And would you honor her in your response?

Here’s my ASK: Carve out 10-15 minutes to sit in God’s presence with these questions. Invite Him to guide you into whatever mid-course correction He is asking you to make. Write it down in your journal. Share it with one of your Rock Solid brothers. And most of all, do it.

Brother, let’s not misuse the gift of health God has granted to us. 

Let’s not short-change our loved ones and those in our circle of influence by compromising our vitality or our longevity.

Let’s play the long game.

In your corner,

For those living in SoCal, be sure to mark your calendar for the next Rock Solid Breakfast: Saturday, September 21 in Altadena.

Hey, Brother — As you know, I love to read, especially about the intersection of leadership and spiritual formation.

Recently, I found great value in Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church. This book is filled with leadership wisdom. In its pages, I found a proverbial goldmine of what the life of a spiritual leader actually looks like. 

1. His leadership is shaped by faith, not fear. 
2. He leads out of humility and neediness, not pride and self-reliance. 
3. He is quick to give grace because he knows how much he needs that same grace. 
4. He does not love power and position more than he loves God and the people he has called him to serve.  
5. He is as excited about and committed to the private pastoring of his family as he is to his public leadership work. 
6. He resists being defensive, and is humble and approachable toward others and quick to confess sin. 
7. He does not take credit for things he could never produce on his own without the sovereignty and grace of God and in partnership with others. 
8. He cares more about living and leading in a way that pleases God than about gaining the praise of those around him.
9. He does not look for his identity in his role as leader but rests in his identity in Christ.
10. He has such a rest in God’s wise and loving control that he does not need to be in control.  
11. He leads out of a generous heart, more ready to give and to serve than he is to demand and to get. 
12. His leadership is marked more by love than by power. 
13. He is always committed to reconciliation and restoration, no matter how costly. 
14. He sees his physical body as an instrument of his calling, and because he does, he gives it proper attention and care. 
15. He is not more irritated by the sin, weaknesses, and failures of others than by his own.
16. He does not ask of others what he is not willing to do himself. 
17. He is not jealous of or intimidated by the gifts, experiences, and successes of fellow leaders. 
18. His public leadership is always connected to and driven by robust personal worship and meditative study.
19. He is as committed to sabbaths of rest as to the achievement of goals.
20. Personal holiness motivates him more than leadership position or success.
21. He does not take advantage of the perks of his leadership for the purpose of personal gain.
22. He does not crave power but willingly cedes it to others.
23. He willingly sits under the instruction of others and weighs others’ opinions with humility and grace.
24. He loves Jesus more than he loves himself.
25. He longs for the gospel to transform the deepest reaches of his heart, and he is open to the instruments of gospel transformation that God has placed in his life.
26. He owns his errors and never defends what should not be defended.

As I read (and re-read) this list, I am struck by two things. First, oh my, I’m a work in progress. Lots of room for growth. I fall short…regularly. And second, God doesn’t condemn me in my failings. Instead, He meets me there, gifting me with His enabling and empowering Spirit to rise up. Another shot. Another opportunity. That’s GRACE, Brother!

Leveraging this descriptive list, can I offer a next step?

Bookmark this blog. Open it up tomorrow morning when you start your day in God’s presence. Invite the Holy Spirit to perform an MRI of your heart. Wherever He shines the light, own it. Confess it. And embrace His transforming power and grace in laying hold of your next step in becoming more rock solid on the inside…so that you can be more dangerous for His Kingdom on the outside.

Let’s go!

Hey, Brother — As you know, one of the many highlights of the Rock Solid journey is Solitude Sunday—the spiritual practice of being absent from people and things for an extended time in order to be fully present with Christ. This year was no exception.

After each of us enjoyed out time of solitude, we rallied to debrief.

During our download time, I was reminded of the words of Henri Nouwen: Without solitude, it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life.

How true.

In addition to our DAILY rhythm of fellowship with Christ—in His Word and in prayer—we need a REGULAR rhythm (weekly or monthly) when we have an extended time (2-3 hours) with Him.

Why? Because there is a depth of conversation that Christ longs to have with us. Just us.

This time of solitude is certainly a time of friendship. But perhaps also a time of affirmation. Or guidance. Or correction.

It’s a time when we downshift the RPMs. Sit with Him. Stroll in His presence. And listen. 

In short, it is a one-on-one conversation between two intimate friends—who long to be together.

Hey, Brother — Circle back with me to when you took Rock Solid. It’s Gathering #7. Our prep includes reading chapter 4 of Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. In the middle of the download, one of the brothers calls out his big takeaway by reading a portion of page 68. From the storyline of Moses and the burning bush, the indwelling Spirit reaches down and divinely ‘connects the dots’ for you with laser-like clarity: 

For a leader to take time to turn aside and look is no small thing. In the rush of normal life, we often blow right past the place where God is creating a stir to get our attention. But at the heart of spiritual leadership is the capacity to notice the activity of God so we can join Him in it. Amid the welter of possible distractions, an essential discipline for leaders is to craft times of quiet in which we allow God to show us those things that we might otherwise miss. We need time for the chaos in our soul to settle so that we can turn aside to look at the great sights in our own life and seek understanding about what they mean.    

Did you see it? Did you catch YOUR job #1? 

Amid the welter of possible distractions, an essential discipline for leaders is to craft times of quiet in which we allow God to show us those things that we might otherwise miss.

While God’s job is the work of transformation, our job is the work of creating space. At the end of the day, life change is essentially a dynamic cooperation between the transforming work of God’s Spirit within us AND our proactive choice to create the opportunity for Him to do that work. Make no mistake: He does the heavy lifting, but we still have a pivotal part to play.

Brother, there is always a next faithful step in creating space for God’s work of transformation in your life and in your leadership.

What’s yours?

What rhythm/habit/practice is God inviting you to engage more deeply so that you can show up strong in your circle of influence, looking more and more like Him?

BTW #1: If you live in or close to the San Gabriel Valley, join us for the 2024 Rock Solid Solitude Sunday at Eaton Canyon in Pasadena on Sunday, March 10. All Rock Solid grads are invited! Here are the details.

BTW #2: We have a couple more spots available for Rock Solid NEXT: Road to Character. Here are the details.

Hey, Brother — It’s impossible to navigate life without regrets. Impulsive decisions made that needed more thought. Hurtful words spoken (that seemed justified in the moment) that deeply damaged a relationship. Fill in the blank…

While we can’t erase the regrets of the past, the good news is that going forward we can change the game. We can write a better script.

To that end, I want to encourage you to listen to this message by Jon Tyson. It’s both thought-provoking and convicting. He talks about how regret happens, the consequences of regret, how to avoid regret, and how regret can be redeemed. 

Allow this teaching to set the stage for a year where we live intentionally, generously, and reflectively.

Let’s go!

Before you go, I’ve got two more items to put on your radar:

• Book Notes. If you want to dive deeper in the topic of living life with fewer and fewer regrets, check of these Book Notes from Andy Stanley’s book Better Decisions/Fewer Regrets.
• Solitude Sunday. If you live in proximity to the San Gabriel Valley, plan to join us for Solitude Sunday on Sunday, March 10 from 2:30-5:00 PM at Eaton Canyon Park. Here are the details.