Thought I’d blog some thoughts on Erwin’s session.

I’ve always resonated with Erwin. My neck is sore from nodding during his session! I love his unique perspective and voice!

Here are some Erwinisms:

“Studying the Bible doesn’t change people. Just look at seminaries.”

Love the distinction Erwin made between knowledge and obedience. The true measure of spiritual maturity is not how much we know but how much we obey. And the truth is–all of us are educated way beyond our level of obedience! We certainly need to keep learning. But our primary problem isn’t a lack of knowledge. Our primary problem is that we aren’t obeying what we know!

I love the way Erwin validated ambition. I think God wants to sanctify our competitive streaks and use them to serve God’s purposes. Erwin said, “Selfish ambition is a bad thing, but ambition is a good thing. I don’t want apathy to feign as humility.”

There is a new demand for authenticity and honesty! People aren’t looking for perfect pastors. They are looking for human pastors who share their struggles. Erwin said, “Take people into your process.” He said people are sick of sermons! They want to be invited into your conversation with God.

Two biblical analogies really impacted me.

Erwin cited the story of the Israelites moving with the cloud. When the cloud moved they moved. When the cloud stopped they stopped. I love Erwin’s simple observation: don’t be still when God is moving and don’t be moving when God is still.

Erwin also said that leaders need to identify what drains them. He said one minute of counseling is more of a drain than an hour of strategizing for him. He referenced the story of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Identify what drains you?