This week, I had the honor of meeting with the leaders of Scottsdale Bible Church in Phoenix to present them with candidates for their next Student Pastor. I'm always incredibly honored to play a part in such a holy crossroads in a church's life. The week prior, I met with LifePoint Church near Nashville--which meant I was able to stop by and spend time with my oldest daughter and her husband (and, of course, their new puppy). And last week, I was able to spend a weekend away celebrating my wife's birthday. I'm blessed to have time to spend with family despite a busy schedule.

We've pulled some articles to encourage you this week:

Time Management For The Time-Challenged by Kristi Hedges via Forbes

I always encourage my team to manage their time wisely and tell me when they are overloaded. But as much as I encourage time-management, it's up to each individual to steward their time. This insight from Kristi Hedges is extremely practical and applicable for every personality, no matter how unorganized you think you are. This is especially helpful for pastors, who are notorious for saying "yes" to too many things.

Why Teams Don't Play Up To Their Potential by Paul Alexander via TonyMorganLive.com

Do you ever feel like your staff is full of talented people yet it's not quite performing to its full potential? Every team has been there (or will be there). Paul Alexander wisely points out the various reasons why your team isn't quite dialed in yet. Keep this article in mind when you're hiring a new team member as well. Hiring a "rockstar" who isn't a team player will upset the cohesion of your team.

The Surprising Benefit Of Being Inflexible by Michael Hyatt via MichaelHyatt.com

One of the core values we have at Vanderbloemen is "Ever-Increasing Agility," and we pride ourselves on being a flexible, agile team. But don't take this article as face-value. What Hyatt is talking about is that kind of flexibility where we allow ourselves to bend on our goals or our boundaries. As he wisely points out, some of our priorities need to be "no exceptions." Read on...

How Lead Pastors Can Improve Their Teaching Team by David Whiting via Vanderbloemen.com

My colleague and friend David has such great advice for Senior Pastors (shameless plug: he's also hosting a Lead Pastor Coaching Network this fall). One of the best things that Pastors can do is build up a strong teaching team around them, so they are not having to preach more than 40 or so weekends a year. Follow these steps from David to make sure you never have to worry about your other teachers being unprepared or inexperienced.

What are you reading this week? Let me know in the comments below.