Someone Is Waiting On You To Start A Movement
Back in October 2011, my wife Julie and I were in New York City during the time of the Occupy Wall Street protests to attend a conference on ministering to immigrants that are arriving daily in the United States. While walking through the area around Wall Street in Manhattan, I came across the guy above and asked if I could snap his photo. Apparently he was wanting to start his own movement (no pun intended). Today, several years later I came upon the photo and began to wonder, "What type of movement could I begin that produces change." Change for myself, my family, my friends, people I coach and train that are planting churches in Cleveland. I believe that we have the ability and capability to begin movements that create change. Change that is temporal as well as eternal. This has me asking the question, how?
In my thought process, either wrong or right, a movement can take on the nature of a business, a political agenda, or a movement that is spiritual. Some people might call a movement a cause, but I think that is really one dimensional. A movement is more than a cause, it is different. A movement changes me, the individual. It changes others.
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You Are Not As Good As You Think Either!
What if there was only one rule you had to keep, in order for everyone to be happy and life to be great. Think about it kids, your parents only have one rule. Students just one rule – no dating until your 20! On your job – just one rule. In your home, just one rule. You would be asking, ''Where do I sign up?'' In my last post, I shared how I thought I was really good at tennis back in my younger years only to be proven that was not the case. But what about my life? I mean, at one time or another we think, "I'm just as good as him or her." It's only natural to compare ourselves to others when it comes to morality, looks, and life in general. The problem in that, is that we are using the wrong measuring stick to compare ourselves to. If there were only one rule I had to keep to be good... (more…)
Crafting A Personal Vision Statement
Info Graphics have been gaining in popularity as a simple visual to help communicate ideas. I have created a info graphic that outlines visually how to write a personal vision statement.
Writing things down is so important in life. For us men, how many times has our wives given us a task that we have quickly forgotten about because we failed to actually write it on the honey-do list? Big mistake! Most people think they don’t need to write things down because they have a great memory or it isn’t that important in the first place. I have learned that writing things down makes things a lot easier in life, especially the things that are important to my wife.
I have had the opportunity to attend many conferences during my adult life, in both the business world and also as a pastor. Nearly every one I’ve attended has dealt with vision, goals, etc., and all have made it a point that one of the keys to knowing where you are going is to write out your life/church vision or mission statement. In May of 2004, I attended Ken Davis’s “Dynamic Communication Workshop” in Colorado. There, I met Cheryl Dick, the director of operations for Chick-fil-A restaurants. As we exchanged business cards, I was pleasantly surprised to see Chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose statement on their business cards: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” It didn’t impress me that much that the fast food chain had a purpose statement printed on their business cards, as this is rather common. What did impress me, though, was that they had the audacity to start their statement with their purpose, “to glorify God,” Followed by their vision, “to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
The vision statement is what God wants you to do. What you are going to do next is work on the reasons for the vision to begin to take shape.
Back in 2013, Julie and I took the opportunity to visit our close friends, Wally and Rhonda Kesling in their new home in Ocala, FL. We were looking forward to a few days of R&R laying by the pool and soaking up some rays. That was until Wally texted me to see if we would be open to going zip lining. Always up to the challenge I immediately text back to Wally, "Sure!" Then he wanted to know if Rhonda went would Julie go and of course I said, "Sure!" It's never a good thing to answer for your wife when it comes to something as risky like that. Once at the zip line course there was trepidation on both Julie and Rhonda's part, but after the first zip line they performed like pros. We had a blast traversing back and forth over an old quarry filled with water and through the central Florida forests. I highly recommend spending three hours at The Canyons Zip Line in Ocala if you get the chance. (more…)
Here is a ten thousand-dollar time management seminar in two letters. NO. That ability to say no. You remember the anti-drug motto, “Just say No.” A lot of us are addicted to speed. Not the drug, the lifestyle. We’re addicted to the adrenaline it produces. We’re addicted to the lifestyle of going faster and faster and how important it makes us feel. We have to learn in our lives to just say no. It’s difficult for many of us to say no to others, to the requests that they bring. Many, many of us have great difficulty with that. The number one reason our lives get overloaded is we just say “Yes” too many times to too many people, people that we love, to too many things that are important. But soon, once again our schedules are overburdened. We’re living this verse in Proverbs 20:25 “A impulsive vow is a trap. Later you wish you could get out of it.” Ever have that one? “Why did I say yes to that? Why am I doing this? Why am I caught up in this?” Don’t promise without pondering. Don’t decide without deliberating. Carefully and prayerfully make your commitments. (more…)
Are Christians Non-Intellectual?
I will have to confess that I stand guilty when it comes to the area of anti-intellectualism. It’s not that I am anti-intellectual, if that were the case I would not have pursued three different degrees. What I am saying is that I have not made a conscience effort to be anti-intellectual, but I have not actively pursued it as well. I believe that some of what we have been taught in our religious upbringing has been wrong. We have been taught that all we need to do is to accept Jesus, be baptized, attend church, remember some scripture, tithe, and serve every now and then and everything is going to be fine. (more…)
Freedom of Speech And Followers of Jesus
We live in a country where we insist on our freedom of speech. You can’t tell me what to say or what not to say! I have my rights! I have the right to speak my mind! Sound familiar? It’s our constitutional right. It’s our God given right. Or is it? Do we have the right to speak at the expense of others? Do we have the right to speak even when our words may hurt the person who we are speaking to or about? Do we really have the right?
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Duties of A Dad As From The Bible
In the past 25 years, the number of Dads present at their children’s births has risen from 27% to more than 90% today. More than 75% of men say they would trade rapid career advancement for more time with their families.
Joe Maxwell, writing on the web site called ibelieve.com, summarizes the state of fatherhood in an article entitled, “Dads: The New Endangered Species.” Here’s what he says: “In other words, guys really want to be good dads more than ever, but they aren’t changing much. When the good news is combined with the bad, it seems that fatherhood in the United States is poised for either a great awakening or a gory collapse.”
Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (more…)
If you want to know whether or not you are passing the leadership test, it is very simple -- Look over your shoulder. Jesus said in John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice and I know them and they follow me."I Cor. 11:1 Paul said, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." We all need human models. Sure we're to follow Christ, but we need human models to follow.
John Maxwell's parable of leadership, "He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk." Or in my words, you failed the leadership test. (more…)
A time management expert was teaching a seminar for executives. He placed a large, clear open-mouthed jar in front of the group. Next, he put seven or eight large rocks into the jar until it was full. “Is the jar full?” He asked. Everyone nodded. Then he took pebbles and filled up the jar with the small rocks until they reached the rim. “Is the jar full?” By now, they didn’t answer. So, he poured fine sand in. “Is the jar full?” Some nodded. He proceeded to take a pitcher of water and filled up the jar again. “What’s the lesson about time management?” he asked. Hands shot up, and everyone agreed “No matter how busy you are you can always fit more things into your schedule.” “Wrong.” he replied. “The lesson is: unless you put the big rocks in first, they never will fit in. You must figure out what the big rocks are for you.” What are the big rocks in your life? Giving time to God? Giving time to your marriage and to your children? If you don’t put those big rocks in first, someone else will fill up your jar. Understand: (more…)
