<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Living Leadership Ministries]]></title><description><![CDATA[Living joyfully, serving faithfully]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 01:24:54 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.livingleadership.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[How Not To Be Cynical]]></title><description><![CDATA[Let’s be honest for a moment. Most cynicism in ministry doesn’t begin with arrogance. It begins with disappointment. You believed people would change. You thought unity would last longer. You imagined faithfulness would be rewarded more quickly. And then . . . it wasn’t. Over time, disappointment hardens into suspicion; suspicion takes on the armour of scepticism; and scepticism, if left unchecked, calcifies into cynicism. We stop expecting much - from people, from institutions, and sometimes...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/how-not-to-be-cynical</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cbceb823cd039934780e45</guid><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f845a_31ea15c6fad244dd8619a1aa1b9113eb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_338,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jim Crooks</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Seeing The One Who Sees]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes, we find light in the darkest of places. In January, I read the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, and I came to this verse. Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed—     and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors—     and they have no comforter. Eccles 4.1 You may not believe me but I actually found this verse extremely encouraging. Here’s why. First of all, there’s something...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/seeing-the-one-who-sees</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699c73fd9509a0da66f7104d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2026 05:59:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_9cd6b8552f9743caa454593561e60e08~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_493,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Graham Cooke</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Living Leadership News Roundup - February 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[In this weeks’ blog we want to share with you how God has been at work through LL’s ministries is recent weeks and some things that are coming up soon… Praising God for… Streams in the desert Over the last few weeks, we have been delighted to welcome over 150 leaders and spouses to our Pastoral Refreshment Conferences  in Hertfordshire and the Lake District. These three conferences, over two weeks, enabled those attending to take time away from the pressures of life and ministry to slow down...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/living-leadership-news-roundup-february-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698db534636516a3166fc4e1</guid><category><![CDATA[News]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 11:24:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f845a_86bb8b44b40f40f88e26fe26e5a3611e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Living Leadership</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Nothing is Working]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes, nothing seems to work. Many—perhaps most—church leaders have experienced this, though it’s often hard to admit. Here are some examples. You pray faithfully, but the breakthrough doesn’t come. You plan carefully, but momentum stalls. You preach your heart out, yet it feels like the words barely land. The harder you try to fix things, the heavier it all feels. I experienced all of these during my forty years in Christian ministry. They can quietly erode our confidence and leave us...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/when-nothing-is-working</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6979e481c3ee543e1f34c1c2</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 05:59:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_abe1866f6ae848958ac2e2f0b7e1b750~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jim Crooks</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Refreshing Resolutions]]></title><description><![CDATA[What were you doing last Friday? Well, if you’re someone who made a physical New Year's resolution, statistics from Strava suggest that was the day you first broke it; the first day your running shoes stayed in the porch untouched, and the day the gym began to go quiet. What’s more, research suggests that by the 19th January, 92% of people with resolutions will have already quit them. It can be easy to feel guilty about that. We once again have “failed”. We “haven’t tried hard enough”. We...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/refreshing-resolutions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69678ae46ae8988b73fa3340</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 05:59:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_a3f0e225f78a4e518ddc20a6b85733cb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_499,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jess Coles</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Prayer for Busy Festive Days]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you’re anything like me, in this busy season of ministry, I can get so caught up in the “doing”, I scarcely take time to pause. I can end up spending all the time talking about the awe and wonder of that first Christmas, and not truly basking in it myself. So today, no especially deep thoughts, but an invitation to join me in prayer. Won't you join me as we approach with wonder and worship, and ask the Lord to be at work in us, as well as through us, in this busy season. Everlasting...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/a-prayer-for-busy-festive-days</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69412233da4eb64781360817</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 05:59:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a7de6d_e27d9ba54fca4e55a9955960d7dd7ae6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jess Coles</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Coffee Spoons and the Creation Mandate]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s a line about time that has stuck in my memory from senior school English lessons: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” It’s from T.S. Eliot’s famous poem, The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock , though I confess that I had to Google the phrase to discover that. And that in my memory it was sugar  spoons. But the point remains – it is a memorable image. The passing of time is such an intangible thing in so many ways – and the idea of measuring it in a concrete unit of daily...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/coffee-spoons-and-the-creation-mandate</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693040b7644b95bce4b2edea</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 05:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_d94dd3b4bfc044eb91770b594a4bf566~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_485,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Sweeting</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is Humility the Best?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Colossians 3.12. You may know it. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Col 3.12 Have trouble memorising it? Here’s some help.   Catie. Knits. Harry. Green. Pyjamas.   This mnemonic does rely on remembering that Catie is spelled with a ‘c’. However, since my wife is called Cate, this isn’t a problem for me. I hope you find it helpful too.   Back to the verse, and what a verse it is!   Several...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/is-humility-the-best</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6915c49d2d98b143a5453b5e</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2025 05:59:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_7485a76c48784abf9dae6f4a1a628ffa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_450,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Graham Cooke</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Three Postures for Living Leadership]]></title><description><![CDATA[What should we do? It’s an interesting question, and one I’ve been pondering during my first few months in post as the new Chief Executive of Living Leadership. The question comes from a poem by Roger McGough, whose work I loved as a child. His poem ‘The Leader’ (look it up) is written in the voice of a wannabe leader who, when finally appointed, asks the immortal question, ‘OK, what should we do?’ With typical insight and brevity, McGough is making a clever point about leadership, and the...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/three-postures-for-living-leadership</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6909f70396a2942ab275bd41</guid><pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a7de6d_4b1b76a5524d4ec88314a917be0c117e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phil Sweeting</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Confident Hope in Uncertain Times]]></title><description><![CDATA[‘We are living through a season of great unpredictability’. This is what a church leader said to me recently and I think I agree. We are...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/confident-hope-in-uncertain-times</link><guid isPermaLink="false">687763f798e9e24ce49214f1</guid><pubDate>Thu, 17 Jul 2025 04:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f845a_d742f17af13748e59454387425c516f7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marcus Honeysett</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Practice Hospitality]]></title><description><![CDATA[Meet Susan. She’s a visitor to St. Every Church, that has a congregation of roughly two hundred and fifty. After the service, she’s...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/practice-hospitality</link><guid isPermaLink="false">686673135312404dc7cd522f</guid><pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 04:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_e564d1e4580f45d1bcb9a6a6a064ebe8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Richard Collins</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Believe in the Holy Spirit]]></title><description><![CDATA[And we believe in the Holy Spirit,       the Lord, the giver of life.       He proceeds from the Father and the Son,       and with the...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/we-believe-in-the-holy-spirit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">685d4cee1a45e6791f593d1d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 04:59:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_765437033a414f428aa3ef170f9fa3df~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_429,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Paul Coulter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Introducing our Personal Spiritual Refreshment Day Guide]]></title><description><![CDATA[In last week’s blog, Dan Steel invited us to consider the importance of building retreat into our rhythms of soul care. (i)   This week,...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/introducing-our-personal-spiritual-refreshment-day-guide</link><guid isPermaLink="false">685bc37bd99c65dd82f05eb1</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 04:59:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f845a_0451e85c998f4ad19c2d3e68f4b3aafb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melinda Hendry</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Time to Retreat?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are you God? No, I didn’t think so. In his excellent book, The Imperfect Pastor , Zack Eswine highlights the need for those of us in...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/time-to-retreat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">684166d49ea23bff7ce052cc</guid><pubDate>Thu, 19 Jun 2025 04:59:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_039187cce5534cf7957685dfb294ec9e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dan Steel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Living Leadership Welcomes Phil Sweeting as New Chief Executive]]></title><description><![CDATA[We are delighted to announce the appointment of Phil Sweeting as the new Chief Executive of Living Leadership Ministries, effective from...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/living-leadership-welcomes-phil-sweeting-as-new-chief-executive</link><guid isPermaLink="false">684fdc8f653508bea40127d3</guid><category><![CDATA[News]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2025 09:00:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f845a_a0ac395656f94cd1a355f9f8b8e1327d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Living Leadership</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tricky Bits]]></title><description><![CDATA[Do you like the Bible? I absolutely love it. As a follower of Jesus, I love it because it tells me of God’s love and grace towards me. As...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/tricky-bits</link><guid isPermaLink="false">682eeb14ce61513cbe92baaa</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2025 04:59:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_44291145926a408ca6182e53032945a0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_522,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Richard Collins</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Believe in Christ’s Return]]></title><description><![CDATA[He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. Nicene Creed He will come to judge the living...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/we-believe-in-christ-s-return</link><guid isPermaLink="false">682de7a1e687d9d15c474836</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Jun 2025 04:59:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_83f1e81b111a4cedb1fb78aa71421bfd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_300,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Paul Coulter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Summer Term Update: Refreshment Days, Ministry Check-Up, and Spouses Seminar]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s a joy to see how God continues to refresh, equip, and encourage leaders and their spouses through the ministries of Living...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/summer-term-update-refreshment-days-ministry-check-up-and-spouses-seminar</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68372181ef7cbe27ff4c105f</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 04:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a7de6d_dae6ebe412c249ca929234e718953041~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Living Leadership</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Can't Be Honest]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve been supporting church leaders around the U.K. for twenty years. That’s enough time to get a good sense of the major challenges many...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/i-can-t-be-honest</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6813912f80e2422fe50fdca5</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2025 04:59:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_c6c09253aa2f4be8a24c53dcf8a569ac~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_460,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marcus Honeysett</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Balancing Ministry and Parenting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Allow us to begin with a quote. One of the easiest ways to get a group of ministers to shift uncomfortably with guilt is to ask them how...]]></description><link>https://www.livingleadership.org/post/balancing-ministry-and-parenting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68137bfa80e2422fe50f8fd1</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2025 04:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/70f4b8_4c116169441546f785f6b5f86b6ec4c2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_496,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gareth and Claire Wroe</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>