Guest Contributors | TonyMorganLive.com

I F@%!ive You

March 19, 2011 in Guest Contributors,Leadership with 3 Comments

This is a guest post from Lance Morgan. (We’re not related. At least I don’t think we are.)

I remember the first (and last) time I got my mouth washed out with soap. What brought out the bottle of liquid soap and toothbrush? I had smarted off at my mom.

Now, before I had my mouth washed out, I had heard of this type of punishment from my friends. So I have to admit, I was pretty curious as to how the punishment was going to be executed. Was I going to have to hold a bar of soap in my mouth like in the movie, “The Christmas Story”? Or was I going to have to bite off a piece of soap and chew it up, and swallow it.

None of the above. I had to squirt liquid hand soap on my toothbrush and scrub my tongue for five minutes. I believe that is the worst way to execute that punishment. Since I had to use my regular toothbrush, the taste of soap lingered for a couple of days after.

Speaking of saying things we shouldn’t, have you ever said the F-word? It’s not that easy to say. There are situations in my life right now, where I need to drop an F-bomb. But this time, it’s an F-word we actually should be saying.

I forgive you.

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Churches Need Good Leadership & Good Followship

March 13, 2011 in Guest Contributors,Leadership with 1 Comment

Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!” – Joshua 1:16-18 (NIV)

A lot of emphasis these days is put on the need for good leadership in the church, but the reality is the church does not just need good leadership and good leaders but also good “followship” — people that can follow well.

It’s easy to point the finger at leaders that have made mistakes or not led well, but what about followers taking responsibility for how well they have followed leadership? I think this is a really interesting thought that has the potential to produce a whole lot of good and very healthy, effective churches – if we dare to think about it.

In the scripture above, we read about some great followers – the followers of Joshua. This is the second time Israel had been given an opportunity to inherit the land God had promised (as you know the first time did not go so well). Why did it all go wrong that first time when Moses was leading? If you read about that account, the problem was not actually with the leaders (Moses, Joshua and Caleb) it was with the followers. They were the ones that caused the nation to not enter in.

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How I Got My Groove Back

February 19, 2011 in Guest Contributors,Leadership with 8 Comments

This time last year, I was at my wit’s end. For the first time in my life and ministry, I was depressed. Not just down. Not just discouraged. Depressed. It had been coming for months, and it lasted for months.

Today, however, is a vastly different story. I can testify to “joy unspeakable” (1 Peter 1:8). I still have problems aplenty. I still face attacks and plenty of discouragement. But somewhere, somehow, in the past few months, I have definitely gotten–or been given–my groove back.

So how did it happen? It is a gift of God, first and foremost, just to be clear. But I think (to quote an old Hamburger Helper commercial) “I helped.”

Here’s how I helped:

Prayer – Sure, sure, sure. You would expect a pastor to say that, I know. But seriously. God is my salvation from depression, and prayer was a daily means of grace to me. Some days my praying was fairly unintelligible, I’m sure, and often repetitive (along the lines of, “Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord have mercy have mercy have mercy”). But as I look back in my prayer journal over the last couple years, I can SEE how prayer sustained me (a really great reason, by the way, to keep a prayer journal).
Exercise – Late last year, I began to run. I didn’t want to. I started slow, and built up, and lo and behold one day very early on, I experienced the runner’s high people talk about. It truly made a huge difference in my mental and physical ability to “spring back” from discouragements, old and new.
Counsel – When I went to my first appointment with my first “shrink” (I’ve had two), he asked me the standard question: “Why are you here?” I explained that I wasn’t in crisis (this was before my bout with depression), I had no pressing issues to discuss, but I knew that someday I would, and I thought it would be wise to have a counselor I knew and trusted (and who knew me) when that day came. Boy, was that ever prophetic! My “shrink” was absolutely crucial in helping me through and out of my struggle with depression. (more…)