Successful Successions

05/07/2026

The "Secret Sauce" of 40 years of leadership.

Succession isn't just a handoff; it’s a culture. After 40 years at Cape Christian, I’m reflecting on why "change as a constant" was the best thing that ever happened to us...

4 decades.  40 years.  480 months.  14,610 days ago. On May 7, 1986, we pulled our Ryder moving truck into Cape Coral, FL. We were on a mission. A calling. An assignment from God. Kn…

05/07/2026

From a Ryder Truck to a Movement: 40 Years of Awe

4 decades. 40 years. 480 months. 14,610 days ago. On May 7, 1986, we pulled our Ryder moving truck into Cape Coral, FL. We were on a mission. A calling. An assignment from God. Knowing we had the support of two other couples was a blessing, but the unknowns were overwhelming. We had no guarantees and few assurances of success. Our only goal was simple but massive: start a church that would reach unchurched families....

4 decades.  40 years.  480 months.  14,610 days ago. On May 7, 1986, we pulled our Ryder moving truck into Cape Coral, FL. We were on a mission. A calling. An assignment from God. Kn…

05/07/2026

"My fruit often looks, smells, and tastes better growing on someone else’s tree." After 40 years of leading Cape Christian, people often ask what the "secret sauce" is. It isn’t about being an overnight success. It's about purposeful succession and embracing change as a constant. I’ve distilled 40 years of leadership into 4 simple pillars. Full blog post drops tomorrow morning.

04/06/2026

Grateful. A dream come true from over 20 years ago when I was 50: to see Cape Christian flourishing long after I am out of the Lead Pastor seat. Now to celebrate our 39th Easter weekend, with both the current and future Lead Pastors (Cory Demmel and Kyle Jackson) sharing the platform together. Remembering the 97 who attended that first Easter service to now having 10 services on two physical campuses with multiple overflow venues, and a thriving online campus now with a total of approximately ten thousand participants. What an amazing ride these last almost 40 years since we arrived in Cape Coral to start the mission of God!

11/25/2025

Travel: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

The phrase was first used in 1924 to promote photographs and was trademarked in 1927. It was later used in advertisements for other products, including radios and RCA color televisions. As a professional photographer, I never realized that the phrase originated in photography, until now. But that phrase has been on my mind all morning as we move into Thanksgiving and the Christmas season....

The phrase was first used in 1924 to promote photographs and was trademarked in 1927. It was later used in advertisements for other products, including radios and RCA color televisions. As a p…

08/13/2025

My mentor from afar, Dr. John Maxwell, recently spoke at the Global Leadership Summit and one sentence really captured my attention. “People will describe your life in one sentence – pick it now!” He went on to say, “You don’t have to wait until you die to figure out what people think.” That’s good. Really. Good! When I was in my late 50’s, I picked my one sentence....

My mentor from afar, Dr. John Maxwell, recently spoke at the Global Leadership Summit and one sentence really captured my attention.  “People will describe your life in one sentence – pic…

08/10/2025

Every year, for at least 25 years now, the beginning of August is a pinnacle experience for me. I learn. I grow. I look in the mirror. I make decisions. I give thanks. It is a highpoint of my year. I always attend a two-day leadership-stretching conference. In fact, it is appropriately called, The Global Leadership Summit. For two solid days, I was sitting at the table…...

Every year, for at least 25 years now, the beginning of August is a pinnacle experience for me. I learn. I grow. I look in the mirror. I make decisions. I give thanks. It is a highpoint of my …

07/03/2025

This week, I had the privilege of speaking to several hundred teenagers. It was at our middle school and high school youth camp from the church my wife and I started 39 years ago. Later, when I saw a social media post of dozens of photos of the teens worshipping, being prayed for by the adult leaders and them weeping as God was doing His work on the inside, I wept....

This week, I had the privilege of speaking to several hundred teenagers. It was at our middle school and high school youth camp from the church my wife and I started 39 years ago. Later, when …

04/19/2025

This is a Big Weekend. Not only is it one of the biggest weekends for all people around the world who are followers of Jesus Christ, it is also special for an additional reason. Thirty-eight years ago, (April 19, 1987 on Easter Sunday) my wife Linda and I had the privilege of being spiritual mid-wives. We helped God birth one of His churches, …...

This is a Big Weekend.  Not only is it one of the biggest weekends for all people around the world who are followers of Jesus Christ, it is also special for an additional reason. Thi…

11/27/2024

New blog post... "Leave Nothing to Chance."

For the last several weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, forty gardeners have been planting 7 million tulip bulbs at Keukenhof Gardens in the village of Lisse, a short drive from Amsterdam,…