How do you know if something’s alive? How do you know if that living thing is healthy?

DiscipleshipDave DeSelmApril 8, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, signs of life, growth, reproductionComment

Signs of Life: Growth and Reproduction

This is the third post in a series on the topic of “The Seven Signs of Life.”

DiscipleshipDave DeSelmApril 8, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, signs of life, growth, reproductionComment

Signs of Life: Respiration and Sensitivity

In my last post, I began a series on the topic of “The Seven Signs of Life.”

DiscipleshipDave DeSelmApril 8, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, signs of life, respiration, sensitivityComment

The Seven Signs of Life

There are 5-10 million living species on our planet. Yet, amazingly, they all share seven “signs of life.”

DiscipleshipDave DeSelmApril 8, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, signs of life, movementComment

Showing Mercy

Justice…mercy…grace. Most of us are familiar with those terms and their definitions.

Heart, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmMarch 25, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, joyComment

Shrinking the Joy Gap

Gwen and I just got back from a couple of weeks at the beach. We had been excitedly anticipating this trip since we planned it nearly a year ago.

Heart, RelationshipsDave DeSelmMarch 11, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, marriage, joyComment

Growing Pains

Most of us are familiar with the term “growing pains.” Physiologically, growing pains are an ache or soreness in the legs that can occur in children

Heart, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmFebruary 25, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, Lord's Prayer, church growth, when people leave the churchComment

The Practice of Prayer

When the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Lord, teach us to pray,” we can assume that they had been watching and listening to their Master’s regular habit of praying.

Heart, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmJanuary 28, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, prayer, pray, praying, The Lord's Prayer, Lord's PrayerComment

A Pattern for Prayer

The beginning of a new year is often a time when we take stock of where we are and where we would like to grow in the months ahead.

Heart, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmJanuary 28, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, prayer, pray, praying, The Lord's Prayer, Lord's PrayerComment

The Power of Story

Nearly every parent has heard their child say, “Tell me a story.” Why is this?

Heart, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmJanuary 14, 2025Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, story, storytelling, power of storyComment

Ebenezer

The annual turn of the calendar is not only a cue that a new year awaits. It’s also an occasion to remember what the past year offered.

Heart, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmDecember 31, 2024Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, loss, Ebenezer, God's faithfulness, faithfulness, remembrance, gratitudeComment

An Empty Chair at Christmas

When you’ve lost a loved one, every “first” without them can feel excruciating. The first birthday…or Mother’s Day…or Father’s Day. Then there are the holidays.

Heart, RelationshipsDave DeSelmDecember 17, 2024Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, grief, loss, holidaysComment

Turning On the VCR

Whether you’re a pastor or a parent, a spouse or a friend, the occasion will arise when you encounter someone going through a difficult time.

Heart, RelationshipsDave DeSelmDecember 3, 2024Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, VCR, validate, comfort, redirect, Marcus WarnerComment

Words Create Worlds

I came across a phrase a while ago that has stubbornly stuck with me: Words create worlds.”

Heart, Relationships, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmNovember 19, 2024Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, the power of words, words, encouragementComment

An Election Day Reminder

I don’t know about you, but I am really ready for this presidential election to be over.

Heart, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmNovember 5, 2024Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, election, sovereignty of GodComment

Koinonia vs. Koinonitis

Recently I met with a group of pastors I am coaching and we talked about the challenge of assimilating newcomers into an established church body.

Skills, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmOctober 22, 2024Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, newcomers, visitors, welcome, assimilationComment

Appreciating Pastors

For over thirty years October has been observed as Clergy Appreciation Month in the United States.

Skills, DiscipleshipDave DeSelmOctober 4, 2024Everyday Pastor, pastors, leader, leadership, church leaders, leadership development, Leadership, clergy appreciation, pastor appreciation, appreciation, gratitudeComment

Discipling Our Politics

I recently came across an article titled “The Top 10 Problems Facing Pastors Today.” I was not surprised by #1, which was “job-related stress,” or #2, which was “feelings of loneliness and isolation.” I was dismayed, however, at #3.