Author Archives: drjohnjackson

“I just want things to go back to normal….” We all want a return to our favorite activities from our pre-Covid19 world.  But think returning to normal is actually not the goal. God is doing a new thing, and part of that is to reveal the truth about our lives.  Revelation leads to reset andContinue reading “When Normal Stops Being the Goal….”

I believe we are in a new season.  The men of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32) “understood the times and knew what to do”.  Ours is a time that calls for that wisdom. For the past 15-20 years, I have been increasingly burdened that we have entered into a new season and yet churches I ledContinue reading “New Season Christians and Shifting Atmospheres”

Virtually no pundits or prognosticators believed in a Donald Trump victory.  And yet in November of 2016, President-Elect Donald Trump not only won the election, shocked the political class and destabilized the mainstream media, he has also moved to calm tensions and recently met with President Obama to generally positive reviews.   Appointments of the PresidentContinue reading “The Redemptive Quality of Disequilibrium”

When it comes to how Christians relate to their culture, there are several options which have been articulated by theologians, most notably 5 specific approaches articulated by Reinhold Niehbuhr in his classic work, Christ & Culture Christ in culture Christ above culture Christ against culture Christ outside of culture Christ transforming culture I suspect thatContinue reading ““Upstream Living in a Downstream World””

Former Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes is reported to have said “I wouldn’t give a fig for simplicity this side of complexity but I’d give my right arm for simplicity on the other side of complexity”.  That thought has been rolling around in my mind as I think about transformational leadership for our troubled times.          TensionContinue reading “Simplicity & Complexity for our Troubled Times”

         I’m a leadership guy so I’m always looking ahead to the future.  Dr. John Richardson said when it came to the future; there were 3 types of people: “Those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened”.           In a world as fast changing as ours, itContinue reading “Created to Create the Future””

Have you ever started telling the story of you and your camp and recognized that you were being “turned off” or “shut down” before you ever got to the exciting part?  Ever feel like if people could only “see” or “feel” what happens at your camp they would become supporters, but you can’t seem toContinue reading ““Communicating Your Story with Style””

© Dr. John Jackson for The Clergy Journal, 09/02/08 Everyone has a unique personality.  No problem.  Every personality in leadership interacts with other personalities. Now that can be a big problem!  In my roughly 30 years of vocational ministry, I have heard (and said!) it many times….”Ministry would be no problem if it weren’t for theContinue reading “LEVERAGING YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE”

Should we or shouldn’t we?  Which is better?  Can you prove that?  All those questions are reasonable about a critical issue in the life and ministry of a healthy church.  When we are trying to disciple people, should we teach or should we train? The Miracle of “And”          I believe in the miracle ofContinue reading ““Discipleship: Teach or Train?””

© Dr. John Jackson, 2007          We all know (or should!) that the goal of preaching is life change.  We want to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).  We want disciples to be made and thus fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).  Preaching is about life change.  But, I also believe preachingContinue reading “Preaching for Leadership Impact”