Posts by Steve Harling
Loved. Loosed. Appointed.
“Now to the one who constantly loves us and has loosed us from our sins by his own blood, and to the one who has appointed us as a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and domination throughout the eternity of eternities! Amen!” – Revelation 1:6TPT In Christ… I…
Read MoreNobody Wants to Work with a Victim!
As ministry leaders, it’s easy to fall into a victim mindset. Far too many pastors and ministry executives project fear, frustration, and scarcity to the people that work with them. “The Elders don’t get it!”“Millennials are entitled.”“People don’t give.”“No one’s coming back after COVID.”“Churches don’t care about missions.” Enough of the negativity! The sky isn’t…
Read MoreSteve’s Top 10 Big Leadership Learnings
Who you are is who you are ‘in Christ.’ The most important thing about you is that you are in Christ and Christ is in you. As a leader, it’s’ tempting to put your sense of identity and worth in what you do for God or in how well you do it. Big mistake. You…
Read MoreFive Final Instructions
For the Church Family I’ve Come to Love Serving as the Interim Lead Pastor of CHBC has been a joy and privilege! Over the last nine months, my heart became deeply attached to this wonderful community of believers. It’s been tremendously rewarding to help prepare the church family for a new leader. In two weeks,…
Read More10 Things to Know about Pastors
Being a pastor is a high calling and an awesome privilege. It’s a tremendous blessing to spend hours studying and preaching the Word. It’s fulfilling to share in life’s most cherished moments with the families and individuals entrusted to our care. It’s rewarding to see broken lives and relationships restored, and it’s fun building teams…
Read MoreThe Top 10 Perils of Pastoring
It’s a wonderful privilege to be a pastor. It’s fulfilling to craft and deliver messages. It’s fun to build teams and reach goals. It’s rewarding to share in life’s most meaningful moments with the parishioners that the Lord has placed in our care. But as life-giving as ministry can be… it’s also fraught with peril.…
Read MoreWrapped Up in Christ
I can’t get enough of what it means to be in Christ… Been reflecting this morning on the promises from Ephesians 1:1-14. Because we are wrapped up in Christ… Because He has joined us to Himself… Because of our union with Jesus, the Anointed One… We’ve been made holy; seen through His eyes with an…
Read MoreMichael’s Dilemma
After emerging through customs at Ben Gurion airport, we were met by our tour guide who hastily gathered us together and ushered us to the waiting bus. Once we were underway and cruising toward the coast, the tour guide took the mic to make a rather strange announcement: “Welcome to Israel! I’m glad you’ve come…
Read MoreThis Is Eternal Life
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Growing to know Jesus Christ at a heart level is the greatest pursuit of life. As Jesus put it: “THIS is eternal life.” We tend to think of eternal life as never-ending life. But that’s not how Jesus defined…
Read MoreThe Top 10 ‘1st Truths’ of Every Follower of Jesus
I am in Christ and Christ is in me. That changes everything. I am the beloved Son of the Father. My primary identity is not in what I do or what I’ve done. Who I am is who I am ‘in Christ.’ I am a Sent One. Like Jesus: “My food is to do the…
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