Ron Edmondson

JULY 30, 2015

This is one of those posts I hope someone learns something from which can help them in life. Okay, I hope that for all of my posts — otherwise why am I writing. But, I see this one as a life-giving post for those who will read it and take some of it to heart. Specifically, my target is those who are in their 20’s, who are starting out in their adult life and career.

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Ron Edmondson

JUNE 16, 2015

Cheryl and I had a model for our parenting. Whenever I say that to people they hear “complicated” It wasn’t. We aren’t complicated people. Simply put, we attempted to implement grace into our home. Our boys are now grown — in their mid-twenties, but we have seen the fruit from our methods. We have two amazing sons. They love Jesus, they serve others, and they respect their parents.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 14, 2015

'Every believer wants to hear from God. Why would you attempt to follow God closely if you didn’t want to know His voice or hear what He has to say? Jesus said, “ My sheep know my voice.” (John 10:27). That’s especially true in the circumstances of our life. When life is happening — we want to know: Is this God? Is this what He is telling me to do?

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 28, 2015

'People ask me all the time for advice on raising girls, and honestly, I’ve got some, but they all involve a shotgun and long ankle-length dresses, so you probably don’t want that. Just kidding. I always wanted a daughter, but God gave me boys. And, I think He knew what He was doing. Imagine that! I’ve learned a few things about ministering to men — and understanding myself more — by raising boys.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 18, 2015

'I occasionally like to correct a myth I have heard all my life. How many times has someone said to you, “God will never put more (trials) on you than you can bear”? I challenge you to show me that in the Bible. God WILL allow more than you can bear. He will. The problem I have with that lie is that — as innocently as it is given — even offered mostly as encouragement — is that it’s not encouraging at all.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 11, 2015

'I write a lot about introversion, because I’m an introvert. Introversion is a personality preference, based on the way a person has been shaped by experiences and life. In very broad terms, it means we are fueled more by our inner thoughts and reflections than a by social engagements and interactions with others. Alone time fuels us. Our idea of “fun” might be reading a book in a room — or field — all by ourselves.

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Ron Edmondson

JUNE 3, 2015

I was talking with a couple of pastors recently about leading in church revitalization and growth. Both of these pastors are seasoned church leaders — having far more experience in total than I have in vocational ministry. Mostly I listened to their stories. Both are currently in difficult pastorates. One of them serves in a church that has a history of very short-term pastorates.

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Ron Edmondson

JULY 24, 2015

I am an introvert. Some people can question whether they are or not. I don’t. I’m certified in Myers Briggs, so I know the language well. I’ve studied the concept. It didn’t require much study though for me. I’m in the camp. It means Sundays I’m more tired when I go home. It means I avoid certain crowds unless I have a clear purpose for being there.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Are you easy to follow as a leader? I might ask — are you followable? Followable may not be a Scrabble approved word — or even a word — but the application and the intent of the word is huge. A followable leader has people who want to follow. See how elementary I can be? Seriously, leaders who are easy to follow inspire people to join them on a journey and they develop loyalty from their team.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 10, 2015

'Guys, can I be honest with you? Marriage can be hard. Did you know that already? Sometimes you do the wrong thing before you even knew you did the wrong thing. You try to figure out the one you love the most but the more you try the more confused you get. I get it. I understand. Men and women are different. (You can tweet that.). We don’t always think and respond to life the same way.

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Ron Edmondson

JULY 6, 2015

I’m a runner. I had some knee issues for a few months that kept me from running as much as I would normally. As much as I hated missing my runs, and I tried to substitute the time with other workouts, I learned a few things about myself during the time of healing. I was reminded, by not running as much, how valuable to me the exercise is for me personally.

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Ron Edmondson

JUNE 1, 2015

In my position, I hear from men and women continually. In most relationships — communication appears to be the biggest struggle. It’s a constant work in progress in my own marriage. The difficulty is in the way men and women communicate. My counseling background and years of experience working with couples has given me insight into some of the barriers men and women face when communicating.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 20, 2015

'I recently wrote a post about 7 things you may not know about your wife. It was a popular post and I committed to write a companion post for the wives. Here are 7 things wives need to know — but may not know — about your husband: His ego is more fragile than you imagined. I know, you’re probably tired of hearing about the male ego.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 16, 2015

'I meet with young church planters frequently. I hope that continues. We had great experiences in two successful church plants and it’s certainly in my heart. Currently we are working to plant churches in Chicago. I love the energy of planting. We need lots of new churches. In this season of my life, God has called me into revitalization. We are positioning an older, established church, that was once in decline, to grow again.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 10, 2015

'How does a once good marriage slips away? I get asked that question when it becomes public that a marriage everyone thought was rock solid falls apart. As the song goes — It’s a slow fade. A good marriage doesn’t deteriorate overnight. It diminishes gradually. There are probably lots of reasons. There are usually a few common causes in my experience.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

The statistics are staggering. The older a child gets today, the greater his or her chances are of disappearing from the church. The church must intentionally plan to reverse this trend. I was a part of a church plant built around a desire to reach people who may not have previously been interested in church. We were amazed at the number of young people we reached.

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Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

'Every pastor needs at least one good pastor friend. I’m thankful to serve and have served in churches with a good number of staff members I consider not only co-laborers, but friends. It’s a blessing to do ministry with people you actually enjoy being with each week. But, I also have several good friends who are pastors in other churches.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 12, 2015

'I have had conflict most of my life between what I think I want and what I really need. Most people share this conflict with me. That conflict also appears in our children as well. We don’t have to teach children to struggle with determining between wants and needs. It’s a natural response to life. And, if they need any help doing so — they can easily learn the struggle from us.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

One thing I learned in obtaining a master’s in leadership is defining leadership is difficult. John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence.” I love that simple definition. Simple works. Its effective and communicates. Still, I have observed leadership is often not easy to define as a few simple words. In fact, there are many myths when it comes to even what leadership means.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 6, 2015

'I have held a senior leadership position for over 20 years and been in leadership over 30 years. In this post, I want to express some things I’ve observed (and experienced) as some of the critical abilities that a senior leader must have to be effective. The intent of this post is not to appear arrogant as a senior leader, as if I have qualities others may not have, although I’m confidant some will take it that way.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 13, 2015

'What fosters team spirit? What makes a healthy team? All of us want that. I would even say especially leaders. Most of us understand that progress towards a vision is more possible if a healthy team is working together. Also, all of us want to go home at night feeling we’ve done our best, were appreciated for our efforts, and are ready to go at it again tomorrow.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 4, 2015

'I’ll never forget the day a young college-aged girl told me recently that she didn’t enjoy reading her Bible and asked if there was an alternative book. At first, I didn’t know what to say. Then I realize she was very serious. “Well…no!”, I thought, but didn’t say. The Bible is THE BOOK! There is no substitute.

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Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 11, 2015

'I’ve written previously about the first seven years of marriage. We don’t know why necessarily — I have some theories — but the years between 6 and 8 of marriage are often the most difficult. It seems so many marriages fail in the 7th year. It makes sense then that protecting the marriage during those years is critical. And, it doesn’t take 7 years.

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Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 14, 2015

A leader’s most effective tool — Prayer. Here are 10 good prayers of an effective leader: Dear Lord, grow my love for you so I will trust in You when I can’t see the path ahead clearly. Dear Lord, help me not to say yes when no is the right answer. Dear Lord, never allow my plan to get ahead of — or in the place of — Your plan.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 17, 2015

'Pastor, there are some things your church can’t do for you. They simply can’t. Please understand. I love the church. Greatly. I’m a local church guy. But, they simply can’t do these things for you. And, if you think they can, or you leave it up to them to do these things, you’ll someday find out the hard way — they can’t.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 19, 2015

'Dr. Martin Luther King wasn’t perfect. And that should be encouraging to all of us. I’m reminded of the great prophet Elijah from the Bible. God used him once to hold back the rain. He was fed by ravens. He kept a widow and her son alive — miraculously. Yet, one of the most encouraging Bible verses about Elijah to me is James 5:17: Elijah was a person just like us.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 29, 2015

'I hate disappointing people. And, every time I say the word “No”, someone isn’t happy with my answer. That’s reality. “Can you do a wedding — this weekend?” “Can you speak at my event?” “Will you write a guest post for my blog?” “Can I have an hour of your time — today?” “Will you mentor me?

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 26, 2015

'I deal with a lot of new leaders. I’ve been one myself numerous times. To some, as I approach 3 years in my position, I’m still the “new guy” Starting as a leader is difficult regardless of the experience one has as a leader. Each time a leader is new there will be new experiences that challenge everything the leader knows or has experienced previously.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 8, 2015

'Years ago I became fascinated with the questions of Jesus. It occurred to me that if Jesus was asking a question it must be an important one. In fact, depending on our response, they could be life-changing questions. I realize that in the culture in which Jesus lived asking questions was a method of learning, but Jesus always knew the answers. He didn’t need to ask them.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 27, 2015

'Where life involves people — whether among family, friends or co-workers — there will be potential for conflict. Any disagreement there? Want to fight about it? In fact, if relationships are normal, conflict is inevitable. But, conflict doesn’t have to destroy relationships. It can actually be used to make relationships better. That takes intentionality, practice — and a whole lot of grace.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 17, 2015

'One of the toughest jobs in the church is that of being a pastor’s wife. . It has been called the loneliest job in the church. No doubt I have one of the best. Cheryl has a professional job as an accountant, is an excellent mom and wife, but the demands on her as my wife are some of the most overwhelming. Still she handles it with grace and a smile.

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Ron Edmondson

MAY 1, 2015

And without faith it is impossible to please God… Hebrews 11:6. We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. 2 Chronicles 20:12. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27.

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Ron Edmondson

JUNE 12, 2015

Ladies, there’s a secret your husband probably won’t share. He may not even like that I’m sharing it. It’s not that he doesn’t want you to know. He does. But, it’s hard to admit sometimes. Or, difficult to find the right words. But, I feel you need to know. It could make a huge difference in your marriage. Here goes: He needs your unconditional respect — in fact — he needs you to be his biggest fan.

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Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

'I’ve been an introvert all of my life. I was born that way — or at least I’ve been that way as far as my memory carries me. As a child, I remember at social gatherings people asking me if there was something wrong with me. Because to some people it’s “wrong” to not be talkative. I had to force myself to engage others all through high school.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 21, 2015

'Recently I was able to share some encouragement with church planters in Chicago. Having been a planter twice, I understand the unique challenges facing planters. They are constantly struggling with leadership issues, finances and simply knowing what to do next. I get it. Most of what I know now came from experience and the wisdom of others. Many of the suggestions I shared are suitable for young leaders in any field.

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Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 29, 2015

I love working with younger leaders. It keeps me young and it helps to know I’m investing in something and someone who will likely last beyond my lifetime. I also love sharing some things I’ve learned from experience. Some of it hard experiences. If you can learn and practice some of what I’ve learned early in your career it will help you avoid having to learn them by experience.

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Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 28, 2015

I write and speak a lot about leadership. I know lots of good leaders. In fact, I work with many good leaders. I hope some would even say I have days where I meet the standard – whatever the standard is. I also write and speak a good deal about wisdom. And, I think wisdom is critical to the field of good leadership. A wise leader has developed certain attributes – wisdom learned from the personal experience of success and failure and from the insight of other leaders – which se

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