Category Archives: Leadership

Conferences, Discipleship, Experience, Faith in Action, Giving Thanks, Hope, Leadership, Life, Ministry, Music, Worship

Catalyst Day 2

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Another Catalyst is in the books.

Today was great. The highlight?

Dave Ramsey’s talk on practical leadership for your organization? Maybe.

Matt Chadler’s challenge to live and teach in such a way as to leave a lasting legacy? Could be.

Certainly the highlight must have been Tim Sanders plea to bring our Christian values of love, sacrifice, and service into the workplaces of America? Missed it by that much.

None of these come close. The absolute highlight of my day was when the Daraja Children’s Choir of Africa skipped on stage (literally skipped) and broke my heart singing God of Wonders. Then three of the children took to the mic and whipped out some incredible scripture references. To say I cried would be an understatement.

God put Africa on my heart a few years ago now. My heart breaks for the people of that continent. I have had a desire to go and do something there but that desire battles with perceived reality and usually ends up in the “good intentions” pile. Today was different.

Today I heard God say to me, “You are going to Africa.” This wasn’t communicated to me in a “someday” voice but in a “Get Ready!!!” voice. How will I get there? When am I going? I don’t know but if that really was God’s voice then I can’t wait to find out the answers to the When, Where, and How.

Conferences, Discipleship, Leadership

Catalyst Day 1

Today was a great day!!!

I literally sat at the feet of Andy Stanley, Jim Collins, Steven Furtick, Seth Godin, and Craig Groeshel. I had a nice comfy chair right up against the stage for the entire first day.

While the chair was comfy the teaching was anything but. Messages ranged from how leaders must live out moral authority to moving your church from good to great to begging God to stretch, heal, and ruin you. It truly was an awesome day.

Oh yeah, and Jon Foreman from Switchfoot hit the stage (again right in front of me) for a few tunes. It was like a private concert just for me… and 12,000 friends.

I found myself unable to capture all the great teaching with just my pen and notepad. Good thing I purchased the tapes!!!

Tomorrow looks to be another banner day. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me… and my 12,000 friends.

Collecting Experiences, Conferences, Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry, Remarkable, Worship, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

Divine Appointments and Convergence

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A few years ago I was introduced to this idea of “divine appointments.” We’ve all experienced these in one way or another.

You know… when you just happen to meet someone going through a similar season of life that you are experiencing and your “chance” meeting brought clarity or encouragement.

Or when your plans get changed and in the midst of being frustrated and angry you realize that there was a reason your plans were changed- You missed something so-so and God provided an Oh-Wow.

Today I experienced the “divine appointment” in spades.

First I arrived at the Catalyst Labs still unsure as to whether or not I was going to purchase a ticket. As I walked in the door a guy asked me if I had a ticket. I kinda brushed him off thinking, “I can read the signs dude. I know where to get the tickets.” But the guy insisted. Turns out one of the people in his group couldn’t make it to the Labs and so I was suddenly presented with a ticket! Terrific I thought and I proceeded in to the Labs thinking I was only going to be able to catch the last few sessions. Nope. I was 20 minutes before the “Opening Session.” I hadn’t really missed a thing! For once it paid off getting to the airport before dawn!!!

Another concept that I have been working with recently is this idea I call “Convergence.” Convergence happens when I’m really listening and learning and connected to the Father. It is as if I have a heightened sense of spiritual hearing. I feel like God’s getting my attention when I start hearing things over and over and in different mediums. When this happens I get this sense that everything I’m reading, watching, hearing, conversing about all seem to “converge” together.

The only Lab I chose to go to was the first one. More on this is a second.

Lab Number One was taught by Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed. His Lab was based on his latest book, The Blue Parakeet, a book about examining how we read and apply the Bible. As a youth minister (and semi-pro-semi-amateur Bible scholar) this subject is a pretty important aspect of my life. However, just in the past month I have been wrestling with the short-comings I have perpetrated and the vision I want to put forth for teaching teens how to read their Bibles in a way that naturally leads to living out that Good News. That is exactly what Scot’s lab was about. Sha-zam!

For Lab Number Two I kinda got squeezed out of my preferred Lab so I settled into a familiar named author’s class. I have read Reggie McNeal’s This Present Future and Practicing Greatness so I though that I would see what he had to say. First off, the man is funny. I mean real funny and with a slightly warped Office-like-awkward-pause-kind-of delivery. Secondly, the man knows his stuff. His topic was to speak on his new book but he disregarded that subject to focus on his last book. He laid out the 7 Practices from Practicing Greatness spending the bulk of the time (read: all) on Practice 1, The Discipline of Self-Awareness. I am working through a 60 day self-leadership study right now. What reggie had to say is echoed in this book I’m working through and the notes I took seem to be a perfect supplement to walk me through the next part of the study. Weird huh?

Finally, I experienced a divine appointment and convergence in Lab Three. Thankfully, the space time continuum stayed intact.

I chose my speaker and subject for Lab Three, found my seat, settled in and then… I different speaker walked onto the stage. Now, I knew who this guy was and I was fine with the switch but I hadn’t chosen to listen to him speak. I chose the guy that hadn’t shown. As this speaker began his talk he looked out into the audience and said, “Some of you didn’t mean to be here. But God has set you up for a divine appointment.” Whah!?!?!?!

The speaker then went into a pretty detailed exegesis of Genesis 1-3: the creation and fall of man. Last Sunday Genesis 1-3: the creation and fall of man was the subject of my Sunday school class. I got some great questions from my teens and I got some good feedback but I felt like I left some questions unanswered. This Lab went a long way to help me work through some of their questions. Awesome!

I am so thankful that God had some divine appointments scheduled for me today. What a blessing!

More Catalyst to come.

Conference, Experience, Leadership, Ministry, Remarkable, Resources, Worship

Leavin’ On a Jet Plane

I’m off to the ATL in the morning for the Catalyst Conference. I’m looking forward to a challenging conference, hanging with good friends, and waiting hours in soul crushing lines for gasoline. Wait…

I guess I’ll settle for two out of three.

Catalyst is the highlight of my year. I cannot wait!!! I wonder what magic is in store for us all at the Gwinnett Center?

Discipleship, Ethos, Faith in Action, Leadership, Politics

Where I’m At

Yesterday I posted a bit about how frustrated I am with politics right now. I usually point to the Who’s song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” with it’s pitch-perfect line of “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” to sum up my political feelings. The problem with feeling that cynical is that it leads to giving up and inaction. Those are two options that I’m not willing to settle with right now.

I’ve found a new(er) anthem to take me through November and beyond. This song addresses what’s wrong with today and then challenges me to do something about it.

This is the world we live in. Do something great.

Land of Confusion
Genesis

I must’ve dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They’re moving into the street.

Now did you read the news today
They say the dangers gone away
But I can see the fires still alight
There burning into the night.

There’s too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can’t you see
This is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands were given
Use them and lets start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Ooh Superman where are you now
When everythings gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But theres not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands were given
Use them and lets start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

I remember long ago –
Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago –

I won’t be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
Were not just making promises
That we know, we’ll never keep.

There’s too many men
There’s too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can’t you see
This is a land of confusion.

Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands were given
Use them and lets start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.

This is the world we live in
And these are the names were given
Stand up and lets start showing
Just where our lives are going to.

Books, Ethos, Leadership, Ministry

Small Leadership Bites

Here are a few chunks of leadership goodness from Bill Hybels’ latest Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs for your Monday.

Vision: Paint the Picture Passionately
Vision and passion are inextricably bound together in the life of a leader. God made it so. When you have eyes to see the vision that God has given you, you’ll know it because your heart will feel it so deeply that, over time, any lingering uncertainty will vanish.

Bold Moves
As the years went by, my teammates and I began to notice that the primary reason we were making significant progress as a church was that we had enough people making “bold moves.” They were thinking fresh thoughts, pioneering cool new programs, and trusting God to accomplish significant kingdom-building activity in their midst.

Only God
It’s more than an axiom. It is a theology… We watch for our heavenly Father to move and stir and act. and call. And when he does, we humbly thank him with the only two words that could even begin to give credit to the one to whom alone credit is due:”Only God.”

Books, Leadership, The List

The List: 10 Books On Leadership

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1) Good to Great by Jim Collins
2) Leadership from the Inside Out by Kevin Harney
3) 360 Degree Leader by John C. Maxwell
4) Put Your Heart Into It by Howard Shultz
5) The God-Bearing Life by Kendra Creasy Dean and Ron Foster
6) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
7) Leading From the Second Chair by Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson
8) 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley
9) Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley
10) Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels

Bonus: Bono by Michka Assayas. Kidding. Sort of. Dwight would read it.

Discipleship, Ethos, Leadership, Ministry, Popular Culture

The Why of Leadership pt. 3

Sometimes people fail to lead because one thing stands in their way: Fear.

Fear of the unknown, the never-known, and the what-ifs can become an albatross around the neck of even the greatest heroes. Even Superman.

Did you know Superman has a fear? Actually he has two fears.

These fears are not exclusive to the Man of Steel either. They represent a virus of fear and false leadership that can strike at the heart of us all. They represent two ends of the spectrum and need a healthy examination to make sure that these fears and their effects don’t take hold. We’re all susceptible but knowing that they are there is half the battle. (I’m mixing my metaphors. Oops.) Once we identify the fear, we’ll identify the cure.

1) Superman fears that he will become too powerful.
Let’s be honest Superman could just as easily destroy as save. He is the ultimate weapon. He is the most powerful being on he planet and he knows it too. This knowledge could have kept him in Smallville and working on the farm for his entire life. The fear of himself and his gifts could have killed any hope of ever becoming a hero much less a leader. This fear goes by another name and it isn’t pretty. It’s called Pride and it has destroyed many a leader. If Superman, with all his gifts and powers, fears pride then shouldn’t we?

Again, let’s be honest. Most leaders do not fear their pride. In fact most never think about what happens when it starts to be more about themselves and less about others until it is way too late. The damage gets done, the leader fails, and people get hurt. Again, our fear of pride can keep us from doing anything at all. Thankfully, there is a cure to our pride and it’s called Humility.

Here is a little fact from the nerdery: Batman has a piece of Krypton locked away in the Batcave. Did you know that? Batman didn’t recover this piece of Krypton from a field in Kansas and he didn’t take the Batship out into deep space to find it either. So how did he get it?

It was humbly given to him by Superman. If ever Superman gets out of control, if ever he threatens the planet, if ever his pride blinds him to his true mission of serving humanity, Batman is to use that piece of Krypton to stop (kill) Superman.

Accountability is where humility begins. Afraid of your pride? Remember that you are accountable. Leaders are accountable to God, their people, their families, their friends… this list goes on and on. Approach leadership with pride and be destroyed. Approach it humbly and make a difference.

2) Superman is afraid of failure.
On the other side of the “All Powerful” coin is the fear that no matter what he does he can never do enough. This fear of failure is just as debilitating. Many a leader has disqualified themselves from leadership because they are afraid of failing. Lex has used this fear against Superman a few times over the years and each time we see Superman retreating away to Smallville or to the Fortress of Solitude. Self-pity really isn’t a great virtue. Self-pity really is the ugly step-sister to pride isn’t it?

Leaders fall into self-pity because they have forgotten that leadership isn’t about them it is about others. So what’s the cure? How do we get over that fear?

I can’t be filled with self-pity when I’m focused on the needs of others.

I guess the cure to both of these fears – Pride and Pity – is to again focus on the why.

Are you leading just to get ahead? Are you leading because you like/need the spotlight? Are you using your position to have your needs met? Have you forgotten about the needs of those you serve? Watch out for pride.

Are you afraid of failing? Do you second guess every move because of some great big unknown? Do you feel too inadequate? Do you feel worthless? Are you scared about looking foolish? Watch out for self-pity.

Are you focused on lifting others up? Are you excited about seeing those you serve win and win big? Do you care more about someone else getting the spotlight or the glory? Do you lead with humility? Is it more about others than it is yourself? You might just be understanding the why of leadership.

When you know the why behind what you do, then you begin to lead. Understand the why.

Discipleship, Ethos, Leadership, Ministry, Popular Culture, Theology

The Why of Leadership pt. 2

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Why is Superman a hero? Why does he stick his neck out for humanity? Why does he serve them?

The answer is… because he has to.

He is compelled by love and concern and responsibility. It isn’t for money or fame or glory. He simply understands the gifts he has been given and knows that he must use them to make a difference. There is the why.

Some people think that the opposite of leading is to follow. I don’t subscribe to that.

The opposite of leading is… not leading. We don’t see it that way because we live in a time where the person at the top or out in front or whoever has the microphone or whomever looks the part is considered the leader. However, this doesn’t guarantee that they are leading. Yet it is obvious these people are not following either. We need to coin a new word or phrase for these pseudo-leaders.

Something like dis-leaders or frauds un-leaders. Something like that.

Dis-leaders are everywhere. They have a position of a leader but their actions tell another story.

Superman leads because he is compelled in his heart to lead. Lex Luthor does what he does because the pay is incredible.

Superman leads because he sees a need. Lex Luthor only wants his needs met.

Superman leads through example. Lex Luthor stays safe in his own little world high above the city.

Superman leads regardless of the situation. Lex Luthor keeps his options open.

Superman sacrifices for others. Lex Luthor sacrifices other’s well being.

Superman leads with vision (laser vision at that). Lex Luthor moves only with today’s newspaper.

Both Superman and Lex Luthor are a huge presence in Metropolis. Both are mighty men with great influence and power. Both have access to the media and live at center stage.

One is a leader and the other is not. The difference is in the why.