My oldest daughter, Hannah, and I recently spent a few days in Nashville visiting colleges. Yes, it's hard to believe in one year she will be off to college ... somewhere. So, we're doing the college tour routine: Schedule a visit, sit through a presentation, and take a walking tour. In Nashville, we had the opportunity to tour three schools: Lipscomb, Belmont, and Vanderbilt. Also known as pricey, pricier, and priciest. While I had grown up in the same church tradition as Lipscomb, I had never actually visited the campus until this week. I was pleasantly surprised by the campus (though I'm not exactly sure why I was surprised that it would have a nice campus). On the walking tour, I even passed an old acquaintance -- Keith Lancaster, of Acappella fame. Hannah was given a free t-shirt (swag!) at the end and so we picked up a t-shirt for Hope…
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Typically, the only time Facebook makes me cry is when someone posts something so outrageously funny that it brings me to tears. Or, it's so insanely stupid that I cry tears of sorrow ... for myself and whoever should have had more sense than to post that picture or goofy update. Not so yesterday. After a long -- but good -- elders meeting at which we discussed the mission and vision of our church, I slumped on the couch and fired up Facebook. Three or four updates down on the page was one I did not expect. It made me cry. Still does even right now. A good friend of ours from San Diego died of brain cancer. Tonya and I first met Mike and Rita Osbourne when Tonya began teaching at the same school as Rita. Mike was an elder in a sister congregation and we had several opportunities…
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“Of the modes of persuasion furnished by the spoken word there are three kinds. The first kind depends on the personal character of the speaker; the second on putting the audience into a certain frame of mind; the third on the proof, provided by the words of the speech itself.” – Aristotle This ancient Greek guy was on to something. The three modes of persuasion came to be known as ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos = the credibility of the speaker. Pathos = creating empathy with the audience. Logos = facts, evidence, and logic. Whether preaching or giving a business presentation, the credibility (or believability) of the speaker is important. The audience must believe you are trustworthy. If they believe you know what you're talking about, they're more likely to listen. If not, you're in trouble. This is even more important when you're speaking to the same audience on a regular basis.…
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At its core, effective leadership is really stewardship. As the leader of a church, I am not the owner; I am a steward. God has entrusted to me both human and financial resources and expects me to utilize them effectively. As a leader, I will be judged not only by how I used my own resources but also the resources of those around me. Did I bring out the best in them? Did I allow them to grow and expand? Did I encourage their development? Did I become a bottleneck, requiring all decisions to flow through me? Did I inhibit a good idea simply because it wasn't mine? How would thinking of leadership as stewardship change the way you lead?
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In my sermon this past weekend, I shared several demotivational slogans from Despair.com. They are parodies of the motivational posters you can hang in your office. One of my favorites was this one: "Underachievement: Because soaring with the eagles requires so much more effort." As funny as that it is, it's also true. Because achievement, effectiveness, and success require work, there are some who opt to underachieve. It's easier to be average. Coaches who turnaround losing teams understand that it requires more -- not less -- work. Breakthrough leaders in any field have a low tolerance for quitting. Artists or engineers who pursue excellence do so knowing that it comes with a cost. As hard as it might be, when you reach cruising altitude, the view makes the hard work worth the effort.
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