by Derek Sanford | Aug 21, 2023 | Articles
Character is critical in leadership, and it’s also critical in life. Here are six reasons character is so important. 1. God sees your heart. It was a time of transition, Samuel was choosing the next king, God had already rejected Saul due to character issues. Samuel...
by Derek Sanford | Aug 16, 2023 | Articles
We dropped our first child off at college this week. It’s a moment that Kim and I had been both anticipating and dreading for years. Caleb is attending Duke University as a member of the class of 2020 and we moved him in to Epworth Hall. The 9 hour trip home from...
by Derek Sanford | Aug 14, 2023 | Articles
My dad is a coach. So, the definition I always heard growing up is, “Character is who you are when nobody is looking.” I still think that one holds up pretty well! The Oxford Dictionary says character is, “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.”...
by Derek Sanford | Aug 14, 2023 | Articles
What do Bill Hybels, Tiger Woods, and Lance Armstrong all have in common? They all had skills that outpaced their character. They are all examples of the adage, “Talent can take you where character can’t sustain you.” There’s a great description of leadership in Psalm...
by Derek Sanford | Jul 24, 2023 | Articles
This post is part of a multi-part blog series called Preaching Principles. Click here to watch the introduction video. Here are four categories for evaluating the effectiveness of your sermons: Solid Theology Scripture-centric (every point comes from the text, helping...
by Derek Sanford | Jul 17, 2023 | Articles
This post is part of a multi-part blog series called Preaching Principles. Click here to watch the introduction video. At Grace Church, we have 21 preaching guidelines for anyone preaching. They are… Bring yourself to the text and the pulpit first. Authenticity...
by Derek Sanford | Jul 10, 2023 | Articles
This post is part of a multi-part blog series called Preaching Principles. Click here to watch the introduction video. At Grace our ministry year runs from September to August. Which means we are planning our church calendar for the coming year in April and May the...
by Derek Sanford | Jun 30, 2023 | Articles
This post is part of a multi-part blog series called Preaching Principles. Click here to watch the introduction video. I never thought the day would come, that due to COVID-19 every pastor in America would be forced to do what I had been doing for the previous 10...
by Derek Sanford | Jun 18, 2023 | Articles
This post is part of a multi-part blog series called Preaching Principles. Click here to watch the introduction video. ‘I don’t need your personal stories, I don’t need your “next steps,” I don’t want to hear about your “application points,” don’t mention of the state...
by Derek Sanford | May 31, 2023 | Articles
This post is part of a multi-part blog series called Preaching Principles. Click here to watch the introduction video. At the end of his ministry, Jesus ascended to heaven, then the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, and the church era was born. But as the Holy...
