One of the more peculiar habits I have, which I learned from a mentor, is to observe dedicated thinking time. Just as it was strange to me when I first heard the concept, it is strange to most when I tell them about it. What is thinking time? A scheduled time, not rushed, in which […]

A few months ago I went to the Dominican Republic (DR) with a ministry I serve with. When we boarded the transportation bus, the leader in charge of the DR arm of the ministry kept asking everyone, “Are you excited?” She seemed excited. She frequently demanded a response from us. When we returned to the […]

For many years, a close friend and business advisor told me that I must have a strategic roadmap, a five to ten year plan, but I resisted. Like many leaders with an entrepreneurial bent, I enjoy the freedom of the open road. I am always looking for new opportunities. Once I understood all the planning […]

Why was I born? Why did God create me? And to do what? When we ask these questions because we seek an answer in the form of a profession or a list of tasks from God, we err. Why were we born? We were born to be united with God. Full stop. From that unity […]

The fastest way to grow is in partnership.  When I first heard this principle, I had an immediate revolt to the idea. Still, I kept thinking about it because I highly respect the person who said it. A few years later, after thinking and observing, I am now a believer. Initially I wondered, Aren’t partners […]

The following four words are a powerful entrepreneurial principle: start small, start soon. If you follow them, you will accomplish much in life. Many never start. They think, dream, and pontificate, but never pull the trigger. If you are thinking of creating a new ministry, a new business, a new business line, a new service—then […]

My wife Joanne and I got into raising chickens. A close friend who does the same told me how he bought some chicks to incorporate into his chicken flock. His intention was to add fun to his family. But as he continued, he realized how a small decision to manage more chicks ultimately started managing […]

If you have been thinking about going back to school, particularly for some time, I recommend getting online to see what your options are and consider how you could successfully integrate your education into your current stage in life. Let me share my after-40 education journey with you. In 2006, I finished my MD residency […]

For many years, I saw the traits of entrepreneurship as worldly because I believed that the end goal of an entrepreneur was to turn a profit by fulfilling humans’ carnal greed for more. Certainly, this conflicts with a Christian worldview. Today however, I understand entrepreneurial traits are essential for the Christian leader, in business, ministry, […]

I was born at home in Beirut, Lebanon in 1976 because war was raging on the first day of my life. It was the beginning of a 15-year civil war that killed about 6% of the Lebanese population. To say Lebanon was divided would be an understatement. The country was ripped apart by regional geopolitical […]

In yesterday’s article, I encouraged you to rate the level of unity in different spheres of your life, and that is the first step. Before you can devote yourself to maximum unity in any area of importance, you must be willing to do the hard work of any leader to create and protect unity. Below, […]

If on one side of the spectrum is extreme unity and the other is complete division, how would you rate the level of unity in the following areas of your life? Your marriage Your family Your work team Your church Other non-profit/ministry work Give each group a score from 1 to 5 according to the […]