CLA+

What’s so good about Good Friday? Why isn’t the day called Bad or Sad Friday? After all, it’s meant to be a day of sorrowful reflection, not a day of celebration. Sometimes, this day takes other names, such as Holy Friday. In Germany, it’s called Karfreitag, or Sorrowful Friday. So where did we get the tradition of calling it “Good”? Some believe it may have originated from the older tradition of calling it “God’s Friday.”

No matter the origin of the name, it’s still appropriate to call the Friday Jesus died “good.” Out of Christ’s sacrificial love, He died for our sins. That’s why Good Friday is good. And the great news is that three days later He rose from the grave in victory.

D.A. Carson wrote, “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and it was his love for sinners like me.” We read in 1 John 4: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v. 10).

The good news of Good Friday is that God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us! Because of that love, we’re called to love others (vv. 7, 11). When we do, we show our love for Him.

Why is it so hard for leaders to admit they need care?

In this bonus episode of Behind the Seal, Mindy Caliguire returns to explore the internal resistance so many leaders face when it comes to their own health. Joined by ECFA President Michael Martin, this conversation moves beyond theory and into the real-life tension leaders experience every day.

From the hidden cost of constant output to the surprising discomfort of rest, Mindy and Michael unpack why leaders often avoid what they need most, and what happens when they finally choose to face it.

You’ll also hear:

• Why self-awareness is the first and hardest step
• What leaders discover when they stop “powering through”
• The unexpected reality of sabbatical (it’s not always what you think)
• Why it’s never too late for God to meet you — even in burnout

If you’ve ever felt stretched, exhausted, or unsure how to slow down, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

About Mindy Caliguire:

Mindy Caliguire is the founder of Soul Care, a ministry dedicated to helping leaders cultivate a healthy soul. With decades of experience in spiritual formation and leadership development, Mindy has guided countless leaders through seasons of burnout, renewal, and long-term sustainability.

Her work equips individuals and organizations to integrate rhythms of rest, reflection, and relational support into everyday leadership so they can flourish for the long haul.

Key Takeaways:

• Leaders often struggle to admit they need care, even when the signs are clear.
• Self-awareness is the starting point. You can’t address what you won’t acknowledge.
• Leaders have countless ways to avoid their struggles. Busyness often masks deeper needs.
• “Powering through” comes at a cost. Eventually, the system runs dry.
• Sabbatical isn’t about breakthroughs — it’s about rest and letting the ground lie fallow.
• The most meaningful transformation often happens in ordinary moments with God.
• Leader care fuels mission effectiveness. It’s not separate from impact, it sustains it.
• It’s never too late to begin. Even crisis moments can become turning points.

Additional Resources:

• ECFA Leader Care Resources
• Soul Care by Mindy Caliguire
• Spiritual direction & coaching resources

Call to Action:

If this episode resonated with you, take a next step:

• Share this with a leader who might be quietly struggling
• Subscribe for more conversations on healthy leadership
• Reflect honestly: Where am I avoiding the care I need?

We would love to pray for you! Please send us your requests here.

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Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Your mind is more powerful than you think. Are you leading it well?

Dr. Caroline Leaf breaks down the science and practical steps to manage your mind under pressure—and how rewiring unhealthy thought patterns builds the mental resilience great leaders need.

Get the free leader guide for this episode here: https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/cognitive-neuroscientist-the-formula-to-rewire-your-mind-dr-caroline-leaf.

We're giving away 5 copies of Dr. Caroline Leaf's latest book, Help in a Hurry. Comment on this YouTube episode for a chance to win. 

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ABOUT CRAIG

Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church and one of today’s most trusted voices in leadership. Since 2016, he’s shared practical, empowering leadership insights to help you grow through the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast.

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You stare into the darkness. The ceiling fan whirls above you. Your husband slumbers next to you. In minutes the alarm will sound, and the demands of the day will shoot you like a clown out of a cannon into the three-ring circus of meetings, bosses, and baseball practices. For the millionth time you’ll make breakfast, schedules, and payroll…but for the life of you, you can’t make sense of this thing called life. It’s beginnings and endings. Cradles and cancers and cemeteries and questions. The meaning of life, the poor choices of life.

Did you know God answers the mess of life with one word? Grace. Do we really understand it? God in the Bible says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV). That’s grace! Grace calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.

Read more Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

When I broke my upper arm, my friend Rex surprised me by shipping a care box of frozen soups with a beautiful silver ladle. I was deeply touched and kept the ladle long after consuming the soup. My arm has healed and dear Rex has since passed away but his gesture of love continues to express God’s love for me. Every time I lift the ladle, I thank God for His love to me through my friend.

Jesus gave us a tangible gift in the celebration of communion to help us remember His incomparable love for us (Luke 22:19). The apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians how Jesus broke bread saying, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Then Christ “took the cup, saying, ‘The cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me’” (v. 25). God’s lavish love is remembered again and again as we take the bread and lift the cup as believers in Christ.

Rex showed his love through the tangible gift of a care box, leaving a ladle to remind me month after month. Jesus loved us in the life-altering gift of His body sacrificed on the cross for our sins. He left us the practice of communion to remind us of His unchanging love.

Revenue is up, but your bank account says otherwise. In this episode, Dave Ramsey takes a call from a business owner and breaks down the hard truths behind cash flow issues and the practical moves you can make today to stop bleeding money and stay in business.

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Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

God’s grace. It has a wildness about it. A white-water, rip-tide, turn-you-upside-downess about it. Grace comes after you.

Some years ago I underwent a heart procedure. I asked the surgeon, “You’re burning the interior of my heart, right?” “Correct.” “You intend to kill the misbehaving cells, yes?” “That’s my plan.” “Could you take your little blowtorch to some of my greed, selfishness, superiority, and guilt?” He smiled, “Sorry, that’s out of my pay grade.” But it’s not out of God’s, my friend.

We’d be wrong to think this change happens overnight. But we’d be equally wrong to assume change never happens at all. It may come in fits and spurts—but it comes! Titus 2:11 (NKJV) says, “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared.” The floodgates are opened, the water is out. You just never know when grace will seep in.

Read more Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.