What you celebrate determines what you reproduce.

I said that sentence twice in a teaching earlier this year, and I haven't been able to shake it since. It's one of those lines that sounds simple until you hold it up against your own church. Then it starts asking uncomfortable questions.

This is t...

The Lie I Kept Telling Myself

I used to tell myself a lie: I just need more help. I said it in my head on long weeks, and if I'm honest, I said it out loud to the people closest to me more than once.

Over the years God has confronted me with what was really going on. I had all the helpers I needed...

The Assumption That's Quietly Costing You

What if one of your assumptions about how to be effective is actually working against you?

Here's the one I want to put on the table: competition. Not the healthy kind that sharpens a team, but the quiet, low-grade version that lives inside most of us — th...

What would it look like to create a ministry that outlives you?

That question can change the way you walk into work on a Monday morning.

Most of us arrive with a more immediate set of questions: What needs my attention? What’s coming up this weekend? How are we going to fill that position, solve t...

Most pastors do not set out to become the bottleneck in their ministry. It usually happens for good reasons. You care deeply. You know the people. You can solve the problem faster than anyone else. When something is important, you step in and make sure it gets done.

That instinct may help a ministr...

Most of us assume our teams are shaped by the big moments (the vision series, the strategic offsite, the all-hands meeting where we finally get everyone on the same page). But after years of leading, I've become convinced the truth is quieter than that. Teams are built, or broken, in a handful of or...

The Beach Moved

It's really easy to drift.

Picture yourself swimming in the ocean on a perfect day. The sun is out, the water's just right, and you're having the time of your life. Then you turn to look back at the shore — and the beach has moved. You didn't feel it happen. You weren't doing anyth...

Not all mistakes are created equal.

As a mission-minded leader, you know risk comes with the territory. You’re building something that doesn’t exist yet. You’re stepping into uncharted waters, trying to multiply good in the world—and in that process, you’re going to mess up.

The question isn’t if ...

Ever felt like your soul was lagging behind your schedule?

You’re out there leading a movement, raising money, making disciples, building something that matters. But underneath all the motion, there’s a nagging question:

“Why do I still feel so empty?” 

I want to speak to that today — not as a cr...

What To Do After the Big Day

We all know what it feels like to gear up for a big day.

Maybe it was your company’s product launch.
Maybe it was a home renovation you finally finished.
Maybe, like me, it was Easter weekend—five services over two days, an incredible team, and a ton of heart and hard ...

The Real Reason You're Stuck (And What Great Leaders Do Instead)

by Gabe Kolstad | Leadership Coach | gabekolstad.com

Let’s get real for a moment:

You’re not stuck because you’re lazy.
You’re stuck because you’re solving the wrong problem.

Most leaders I work with aren’t struggling with apat...