What does Tribe teach about dull axe?
Drawn from the message where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At Tribe, the teaching on the dull axe starts with a verse Brian introduced earlier in his 'Work Smarter, Not Harder' series, drawn from Ecclesiastes 10:10: using a dull axe requires great strength, so sharpen the blade, because that is the value of wisdom. Brian used that image as the organizing frame for the final week of the series, applying it to the confusion that builds up when key words like identity, calling, talent, gift, occupation, and ministry get mixed up with one another. The picture is straightforward: when any of those things are misplaced, you end up swinging the same axe harder and harder without making much progress.
The teaching pressed into what dullness actually looks like in practice. Identity confusion happens when something like past failures, politics, or lack of education carries the full weight of who a person believes they are, and the result tends to be a default toward victimhood and blame. Calling confusion pulls people into causes that are not wrong in themselves but drift out of balance, losing their grounding in care for people. In each case, the problem is not the effort being put in. The problem is that the blade has not been sharpened, and wisdom is what sharpens it.
Brian's point across the series was that clarity about these distinctions is not just good self-knowledge. It is the practical difference between straining at work that does not move and moving with the grain of how God made you and what he is doing through you.
Taught from Ecclesiastes 10:10 · Psalm 18:6
The passage taught · Ecclesiastes 10:10
10 If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.
World English Bible
Messages that go deeper
- June 28, 2026 The Danger of Dullness Brian Hunter walks through identity, calling, gifts, and ministry, warning how confusing these things leads to culture wars, burnout, and empty religion.