After more than 25 years of standing in front of people and speaking to them, I've become a bit more comfortable doing so -- and hopefully a bit better at it, too. Recently I was reflecting on two characteristics that seem contradictory but actually complement each other well when it comes to public speaking: less inhibition and more discipline. Less Inhibition. Don't be so uptight that you make every else uptight, too. Be yourself. Be real. Express yourself with emotion and vividness. When I am "in the flow" in front of a crowd, the right words seem to show up at the right time. This typically means I am less focused on myself and more focused on the audience. More Discipline. I can't say everything. During my preparation, I usually generate three or four good sermons but can only preach one of them. The more disciplined I am about paring…
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It's true: I'm a news geek. I watch the news, read it on my phone, and even watch C-SPAN on occasion (and not just the free-for-all British Parliament programming). Normally I don't venture into the political waters on this blog. And this particular post is not intended for political purposes. But something happened recently that I believe applies to leaders at all levels: Good leaders accept responsibility and accountability for what happens on their watch. You probably know about the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Libya. Four people were killed, including an ambassador. The spin/fall-out/excuses started immediately. The first explanation blamed the deadly uproar on a YouTube video. Later we learned it wasn't a spontaneous attack, it had been planned for quite a while. Yet people kept appearing on news programs telling us it was the video's fault. Then they started throwing each other (and each other's agencies) under…
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I'm not sure how it happened. Somewhere between our old house and our new house, we lost our bathroom scale. Technically, it's likely buried at the bottom of a box in the garage labeled "miscellaneous." To be honest, I didn't miss it for the first few weeks (OK, maybe for a whole month). But that changed while shopping at Bed, Bath, and Beyond last week. Our old scale had been in the family since the time we got married. Bed, Bath, and Beyond carries these new fancy scales. Glass frames, digital displays. I think you can even play Angry Birds on one of them. So I decided it was time to buy a new scale. I settled on two that were both glass frames and similar in price. I took the first one and placed it on the ground: it registered 188 lbs. Putting it back, I placed the second…
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Here is a commercial that Hope and I shot to promote LifeGroup participation. Join a Lifegroup! from Mountainview on Vimeo.
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"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." - Colossians 3:15 I read this verse this morning and thought about the connection between peace and thankfulness. It's there. It's definitely there. The most peaceful people I know tend to be the most thankful people I know. There is a gratitude that flows from them in every conversation, in every situation. You can't talk with them long before hearing words like "blest," "fortunate," "grateful" and others like that. Conflict is fueled by a sense of being wronged. It is fostered when one person feels cheated or deprived of something. Contentment, on the other hand, flows out of thankfulness. And content people tend to be peaceful people. If I am content, I do not have to resent you for what you have and what I don't have.…
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