Tom Greentree's Blog

Big goals can hinder our growth. I’ve seen it, you’ve felt it. We love to set massive goals. And why not: we can point to others who have achieved great things and we just know we can, too! I’m going to run a marathon this summer! I’m going to pray for an hour a day! … Continue reading "Want to Grow? Then Go Slow: 4 Habit Hacks Helping Me"

Why don’t people just listen to me? Have you ever wondered that? You’ve got insight, you’ve got experience–people got problems, and clearly need help. So why isn’t your brilliant criticism being heard? Why aren’t people responding to what you know they should do? Here are 10 reasons why that might be happening. 1. You approach … Continue reading "10 Reasons Brilliant Insight Falls on Deaf Ears"

Yes, I’m a country boy, but I love the city. Does that surprise you? I love city culture–the wonderful connections, the ethnic diversity, and the architecture and parks and shops. And when it comes to helping more people discover God’s love and grace, cities are incredibly strategic. God loves cities and he’s working in them … Continue reading "7 Things I Love About Living (and Pastoring) in a Small Town"

Have you ever been paralyzed by opportunities? You’ve got a creative idea, a fresh invitation, a chance to make a change or do something new or go somewhere different, but something holds you back. That’s been true for me. In order to start, continue, and then finish my book Growing Good Influence, I had to … Continue reading "8 Battles We Fight to Create New Things."

How would you feel if, having faithfully given to your local church, your pastor sported $1,000+ shoes? Would it matter to you? Should it matter to us? There’s a new Instagram account blowing up, all about preachers and their expensive sneakers, and it’s raising interesting questions. It’s a pretty simple set up: PreachersNSneakers displays a publicly-available … Continue reading "Is it okay for preachers to wear expensive shoes? How the Instagram “PreachersNSneakers” kicks up questions for me"

Can we be emotionally healthy without sustainable habits? And I don’t mean the kind of habits only nuns can sport, but the kind of habits regular folks like you and I can build into our everyday lives. Truth: We often overlook our need to sustain healthy, emotional growth in accessible, practical ways. And we do … Continue reading "4 Habits You Need For Your Emotional Health"

I’m not easily given to semantic wrangling–it can be pretentious and unhelpful. But words do matter, and there are times when common yet incorrect words must be challenged for supremacy. I think “nature” is one of those words, at least when it’s applied to the planet. Calling the world around us, particularly the non-human aspects, … Continue reading "Does it matter if we call the world “Nature” or “Creation”?"

Do you understand the full extent of your influence? Likely not. I know I don’t. And maybe we can’t fully know. There is a mystery involved in how God uses us to impact others, something we often don’t know about and won’t know about, at least not until the resurrection. But what would happen if … Continue reading "Take Your Influence Inventory: I’ve got a free gift for you, available now."

When we think of our influence, we immediately go to the obvious–our friends, kids, co-workers, church members, or whomever. And we should. Let’s get clear on that. But there’s a rung of influence we often don’t consider: those who overhear us influencing others, and are then influenced themselves. In my new book, Growing Good Influence, … Continue reading "The Inadvertent Influencer: Or, how we affect those who overhear us when we don’t even know it."

My new book has launched on Amazon! (You can get it here!) And why did I write this book? Because I believe the world needs greater influencers, that kind of influencers that can bring change that makes a real difference in the world. But, if we are to have any hope of growing our good … Continue reading "Growing Good Influence? How do I get in on that? Here’s how!"