On the Road to No Place Left

Chuck Wood II and I talk about the dangers of being a reductionist in ministry. Read the article we discussed here: https://pheaney.substack.com/p/beware-reductionismQuotes:The trap we can fall into is being too reductionistic with ministry and how we go about it, thinking if I just follow a few easy steps: Boom, we're going to turn out a movement. Or if I do A, B, and C, then I'm going to have a new healthy disciple. We need to just be aware that that's not really how life works, not even how the kingdom works, if we read the Gospels and we read Acts.If you're struggling with the messiness and long-term timeline that this takes, go and look into the mirror and ask the question, how is God so patient with me? And when you come to that answer, then you will extend that same patience, that same endurance and persistence in your disciple-making ministry as well.Season 9: On Pioneering/How to Stick, Episode 12 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pheaney.substack.com

Chuck Wood II and I talk about what happens if we hold on to our familiar tools too tightly. This is a conversation about my blog post: https://pheaney.substack.com/p/learn-to-drop-your-familiar-toolsQuotes:That's the one thing that Jesus came off the top ropes on the Pharisees for: You elevate your traditions above the commands of God. We don't want to get sideways with Jesus over tools, you know.Principles transcend time, culture, and geography. Tools do not. And so we, as pioneers, have to adapt our tools to the principle.Season 9: On Pioneering/How to Stick, Episode 11 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pheaney.substack.com

Chuck Wood II and I talk about the two main traps we can fall into, thinking we’re being productive for the Kingdom.Quotes:In modern knowledge work, and it can also be true in ministry, there's a lot of things that we don't actually have an accurate, real measurement of how they might contribute to the bottom line.I think a lot of our results are measured by obedience versus outcome. Did I spend time with Jesus in the Word and prayer? Did I share the gospel? Did I practice my gift? Those kind of things, those are obedience-based versus results-based.Season 9: On Pioneering/How to Stick, Episode 10 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pheaney.substack.com

Chuck Wood II and I discuss Riding the Wave: https://pheaney.substack.com/p/riding-the-waveQuotes:I love that idea of perfectly unrushed... For being fully God and outside of time in one sense, it's awesome to see what fully God, fully man looked like just walking in time, never busy... always with things grabbing for his time, but never hurried, never rushed.A soldier is built for war, not for the hospital. And so if we're spending all our time in the hospital, we're doing great things, but we're not winning the war... I think it's in the heart of every believer that they know the fight is out there among the lost.You actually are commissioned to go make disciples of all nations. But on the other side, the same thing is true is you have no chance of fulfilling the Great Commission.Season 9: On Pioneering/How to Stick, Episode 9 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pheaney.substack.com

Chuck Wood II and I discuss a surprising way to persevere if you’re in a season of ministry that feels like the prophet Jeremiah. This conversation is based on my post, The Progress Principle: https://pheaney.substack.com/p/the-progress-principleQuotes:If your leaders are not asking you questions that facilitate rest and recreation, you might wanna find different leaders because your wheels are gonna fall off sooner or later. And that's part of making disciples.When somebody walks away from the faith or walks away from our discipling or our even shepherding or leading, that actually hurts and that does something to us. There's a little therapy in the fact that I can go and I do this job. And when I came back the next day, those wires didn't move themselves out of the wall.Season 9: On Pioneering/How to Stick, Episode 8 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pheaney.substack.com

Chuck Wood II and I talk about how to conduct an autopsy when something in ministry isn’t going as you thought, or is an outright flop.This conversation is based on this post: https://pheaney.substack.com/p/how-to-fail-forwardQuotes:The original intent is the idea that we failed. But we're moving forward because we learned something from that failure. I think we can misuse it if we just say it flippantly without actually thinking about it, then that's what's going to lead to the actual fail and not the ability to move forward.The Army cranks out 300 to 400 paratroopers a week. The last time we had a major airborne assault was World War II... So why in the world is the army investing time and resources in teaching people an antiquated combat delivery system? One word: courage. The paratrooper learns courage, which translates to everything in a soldier's job... The goal wasn't teaching people how to jump out of the airplane. The goal was teach them courage.Don't be afraid to pull the plug.Season 9: On Pioneering/How to Stick, Episode 7 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pheaney.substack.com