I have a friend who works at a local defense contractor. Theoretically, all the employees have every other Friday off. Theoretically. In reality, many of them find themselves working on their "off" Fridays. He calls this "chasing the unicorn." Unicorns, you might remember, are legendary animals -- resembling a horse with a horn on its head. Everyone has heard about them but no one has ever seen one. What unicorns are you chasing? Are you chasing a life that is one hundred percent trouble free? Are you chasing a career that is all about upward mobility? Are you chasing a husband that will be "Mr. Right"? Are you chasing the perfect child? Are you chasing a life like one in the movies? Are you chasing a God who responds to every prayer request like a cosmic ATM? The idea of a unicorn is cute and compelling. It's also not true.…
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Groups are susceptible to downward spirals. Momentum can move in either a positive or negative direction. Thoughts feed off other thoughts. Feelings feed off other feelings. Attitudes are contagious. In a group setting, all it takes is one person to infect the others with a critical spirit. Negativity is like pollution: it's easier to notice when you're visiting from out-of-town than when you live with it everyday. When a team gets stuck in the loop of a downward spiral, it's often easier to continue the slide than to reverse it. So, how do you stop a downward spiral? Incrementally. If you find yourself in a downward spiral, introduce something positive to your routine. One slight, positive adjustment alters the course of a meeting or a day. If you don't like the direction you're going, steer a different direction. Instantly. There are times when a negative environment must be confronted head-on.…
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I recently started reading Scott Berkun's book, "Confessions of a Public Speaker" and I want to share this great line with you: "All good public speaking is based on good private thinking." The more I thought about that line, the more I became convinced it's true. For those of us who preach, I would modify it this way: "All good preaching is based on good private thinking, and praying, and studying." Natural talent alone is not enough. Natural talent may make you a decent player in pick-up basketball but it's unlikely to carry you all the way to the NBA. Effective lawyers don't stand up and "wing" their closing arguments because they are relying on their gift of gab. If you think about it, you can tell the difference between a speech or a sermon that is well thought out and one that isn't. I'm not even talking about the…
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Let's be honest, there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about what "church" means. For those of us who are employed by a church, who spend six or seven days a week working on details, programming, and events, it's easy to begin to think of "church" as the collection of details. Or, to use a phrase that has become a favorite of mine lately, we get caught up in the weeds. Perhaps the most common misconception has to do with bricks and mortar. Our language betrays us ... "I'm stopping by the church on the way to dinner." "We're meeting at church to car pool to the game." What we are referring to is a physical building. I'm just as guilty as the next person on this one, though I've tried to make a conscious effort to say "church building" instead of just church. The true nature of the church is much more…
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We also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. -- 1 Thessalonians 2:13 When the Thessalonian church heard the apostle Paul preach, they had a choice: do we dismiss his message as simply a human message or do we receive it as the word of God? To dismiss it as merely human might have been the easiest route. Take the pieces you like and throw away the rest -- or, at least, dispose of the more uncomfortable parts. Instead, Paul commends them for receiving his message as the word of God. We would do well to explore the implications. If the message of the Bible is simply a matter of one human writing to another…
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