"In some people religion exists as a dull habit, in others as an acute fever" (William James). Jesus didn't die to pass on to us a dull habit.
Read More
I began preaching before I was old enough to drive. The church I grew up in was a fantastic place to preach my first sermon. I was fifteen years-old the first time I preached. It was on a Sunday night and I can still remember surveying the crowd and seeing the faces of Sunday school teachers who had taught me when I was still in diapers. Honestly, it was a bit intimidating. Our pastor took a special interest in me and encouraged me to try preaching (I think he enjoyed having a Sunday night off every now and then). Looking back, I am so thankful to have had a church and a mentor that encouraged me to get in the game. This weekend I will be concluding our current series with a message about how you will grow spiritually when you move from spectator to participant. Why settle for a…
Read More
In a Harvard Business Review article entitled "Rebuilding Trust: Why Capping Salaries Isn't Enough", author Diane Coutu talks about how a leader goes about rebuilding trust. Among the four values she lays out, I thought I would pass along this one: Consistency is the real engine of trust. Even if a leader shows competence, integrity, and respect, but fails to behave consistently, she won't capture people's hearts and minds. No one wants to follow a leader who is trustworthy one moment and unpredictable the next. Without reliability, there can only be pseudo trust between people - especially in relations where the power is asymmetrical.
Read More
Have you ever noticed ... we tend to judge ourselves by our intentions and judge others by their behavior. In other words, we're quick to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, even when our actions don't match what we set out to do. But we're slow to grant that same favor to others.
Read More
One of the things I love about the web is how one thing leads to another -- unintended consequences. While reading a blog on leadership, I came across a link to something called "The Cult of the Done Manifesto." It reminds us to stay focused on the "doing." In business or at church, we can easily get caught up in talking and never take action. This post reminds us to get things done! The Cult of Done Manifesto There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion. Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done. There is no editing stage. Pretending you know what you're doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you're doing even if you don't and do it. Banish procrastination. If you wait more than a week to get an…
Read More