"What you are doing is not good."

Has anyone ever said that to you?

For a performance-based, people-pleaser like me, those words were painful to hear–even though they were told in love–because they were true.

Now I know how Moses must have felt when Jethro, his father-in-law, said these same words upon evaluating his leadership. Here's how ...

When I was a young, single Christian woman, I was completely engulfed in ministry, living 1 Corinthians 7:34a to the fullest–"In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit." I split my time between evangelism outreach, gospel choir, tutoring, nonprofit chaplaincy, and other volunteer work. ...

Thirty-some years ago, someone I love was sexually abused by a trusted adult. Although this incident occurred when we were kids, time has done nothing to heal my friend. All it's done is stolen peace, freedom, and wholeness from him. Harboring hatred has a way of eating away at one's soul.

Child abusers are the most reviled people on the planet. Even hardened criminals view ...

A couple of years ago a leadership mentor challenged me with a tough statement. She said, "Jenni, how you steward your influence as a leader will directly impact the rest of the women in your church." That statement has haunted me ever since.

I'm ashamed to admit that up until that conversation, my leadership had been very me-centric. I was worried about ...

I've been thinking a lot about Lent this year and wondering how best to walk through the next seven weeks. I know people who are giving up Twitter, chocolate, and a long list of self-indulgent or addictive activities and foods.

Yet as a leader, I recognize that one of the areas that I need to always continue to grow in is my dependence on God throughout ever day. ...

Last week two high school girls skipped over to me and announced with smiles, "We want a small group, and we want you to lead it!" There's nothing I love more than being with faithful and available students who want to grow in their relationship with God. But something strange happened in my heart at that moment, something I've been wrestling with for ...

Entering the room, I looked up to view this semester's preaching class. I mentioned something about the lack of estrogen, to which the professor replied: "You'll need to assert yourself in class." It was then that the truth became evident. I was the only woman in a preaching class of 20 men.

I felt myself becoming unglued. God, you led me to this seminary. It's hard enough ...

A couple of summers ago while my husband and I were in Las Vegas, we decided to enjoy a bit of the great outdoors. This is not uncommon for us. We love the thrill of exploring new places!

On this trip we opted to tackle Turtlehead Peak at Red Rock Canyon. Turtlehead Peak is a 2,000 foot mountain that you ascend at a pretty steep grade. We had our work cut out for us in ...

Image: F.J. Jiménez/Getty

When is the last time you acted on a dream that could fail?

Six months ago, I made the switch from professional volunteer to paid church employee. Along with my bank account, something else changed too: my appetite for change. With the weight of now being paid for my position, I had lost some of my hunger for being an agent of change at our church.

Intuitively, I knew I had ...