find yourself not planning, not thinking of the future, not seeking a vision for the church—you’re just trying to survive.” If pastors become preoccupied with the dragons, afraid to challenge them or at least too concerned about “fighting only battles that need to be fought,” they often lose their spontaneity and creativity. Change is stifled, growth stunted, and the direction of ministry is set by the course of least resistance, which as everyone knows, is the course that makes rivers crooked.