Note to everyone reading this.  If TLC or any other network offers you money to be on a reality show about pastors, please decline their money and tell them to have a nice day. Here’s the press release about a new show where the pastors involved did not have that wisdom. For the life of me, I can’t think of anything good that could come out of this… Set to premiere in the fall of 2013, the “docu-series” stars Bishop Noel Jones, Deitrick Haddon,Bishop Clarence McClendon, Pastor Wayne Chaney, Bishop Ron Gibson and Pastor Jay Haizlip as they navigate roads of riches,...

Larry Osborne answers the question: I’M SURPRISED HOW OFTEN BOTH BUSINESS LEADERS AND PASTORS ASK ME ABOUT THE NUMBER OF HOURS THEY SHOULD EXPECT OUT OF A SALARIED STAFF MEMBER. The answer is a coin with two sides.On one side is what kind of work ethic can a leader realistically expect from the troops? On the other side is what kind of work ethic can Jesus rightfully expect from a Christian? Today I want to look at it from the leader’s point of view. In my next post we’ll look at it from the staff member’s point of view. TO BUSINESS AND MINISTRY LEADERS WHO ASK THE “HOW MANY HOURS”...

Today’s advice from Donald Miller: If you’re an extrovert, getting people to like you is simple: Stop talking so much. No seriously. Stop it. I know a lot of people who, out of nervousness or excitement think the best way to engage people is to talk them into utter submission. As if their endless words, jokes and anecdotes infused with Red Bull and hooked up to a V8 engine will fast-track them into the Connection Economy. What so many don’t realize is that the secret to building relationships isn’t in the words you say, but in the questions you ask. If you’re an introvert, the same truth...

Dan Rockwell offers this list of the top 12 reasons that leaders fail.  Take a look at the list.  How many fallen leaders do you know that failed because of something on this list?  Also… do some self-inspection  Are there things on this list that you need to watch out for personally? Neglecting culture. Culture building is job-one for all leaders. Lack of paranoia. The paranoid think about what could go wrong and make contingency plans. Bitterness, grudges, and resentment. People fail. Successful leaders allow fresh starts. Task rather than people focus. Accepting complexity. Lack of...

Mike Bonem writes:  When you hear “IQ,” you know what it refers to. And you’re probably familiar with EQ, which stands for emotional quotient or emotional intelligence. But what about LQ? It’s short for “laughter quotient.” It’s actually something that I made up, but I think it’s vitally important for you and your staff. I recently led a retreat for a group of ministry leaders. All came into the retreat feeling tired and stressed. One evening, we intentionally avoided any kind of formal learning agenda and instead played a couple of different games. We laughed and laughed, and that’s...

Thom Rainer today provides a list of things that scare church leaders: Procrastination. Fearful leaders put off tasks for fear that they cannot do them well. They are experts at passive-aggressive behavior. They can receive an assignment to do a task, then “conveniently” forget to do it. Over analysis. Fearful leaders want to over-analyze every situation in an attempt to eliminate risk. They never stop analyzing because they never eliminate the risk. An organization built around fear will have an excess of analysts and policy wonks. A bias against actions outside the status quo. The status quo is...

Tim Hawkins suggests over a hundred ‘Christian’ swear words. How many do YOU say? How many would be acceptable in your Sunday message? Enjoy. Todd

I admit that the thought never even crossed my mind. Nobody wants to bury the Boston bomber, Tarerlan Tsarnaev. Nobody. This article asks why no Christian (or anyone else for that matter) has stepped up to show enough mercy to take the body and bury it. From the article: “I’ve not heard a lot from the Christian community” on this issue, said Joel Anderle, senior pastor of Community Covenant Church in West Peabody, Mass., and president of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. “This is one of those curious areas where Christianity, and in particular Protestant Christianity, has come to believe...

Why does this remind me of some sermons I’ve heard (and then later found online)? Found here.  

Does your productivity run in spurts? Mine does. And it’s not always at the time I want it to be. This graphic pretty much sums it up:   I’m a night owl… and some of my best work comes when I’m ready for bed. That’s frustrating. I’m slowly learning to be more productive early in the day… in fact… sometimes I can fit what seems to be a full day of work into the first couple hours of the day… when it’s quiet, and when I’m fresh. What’s your productivity graph look like? Read more...