Due to COVID-19, we made the switch to online-only services in March of 2020. For months, we gathered the worship team and any weekend speakers to prerecord our worship services. Even after we resumed in-person services, we continued to prerecord our online services on Saturday night. I often said during this time, "Aren't you glad this isn't 1985?" In other words, we are fortunate to live in a time where technology allows us to stay connected. We can watch a weekend service in our living room, attend a small group via Zoom, and enjoy countless other ways of communicating. But I have to admit, it was a bit weird preaching to a camera and an empty room. The camera never blinks, nods in approval, or appears confused (all regular expressions of a live audience!). In other settings, like recording our small group teaching material or shooting a promo video, speaking…
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A few years ago I led a group of people through the leadership principles of Moses, which I then turned into a small book (Lead Like Moses: Ten Characteristics of Good Leaders). Although the royalties have only amounted to a good cup of coffee, the principles themselves are invaluable. In preparing for a staff meeting, I recently revisited the story of Moses and the burning bush. If you're not familiar with it, it's found in Exodus 3. It's the story of God calling Moses to return to Egypt - where he was born and raised, and also murdered someone! In fact, Moses had fled Egypt 40 years earlier. For the last four decades, he had been carving out a new life in a new land. After 40 years, he had to be feeling comfortable. Plus, he was 80 years old! But God's plans didn't include retiring in Midian. The Hebrew…
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This shouldn’t surprise anybody … but I’ve not always made decisions that honored God. There have been times in my life when my actions were more influenced by my friends – or those I wanted to be my friends – than they were by Jesus. There have been questions that I processed more as an American than as a Christian. Truth is, we’re all shaped by something or someone. As Christians, we are called to be shaped by the cross of Jesus.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here. Professor at Warner University church planter with Stadia former former president, Church Planters of the Rockies masters in business administration (mba) helped start 2 for-profit…
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As a leader, one of my most important responsibilities is being a good steward of the resources entrusted to me. While we most often think in terms of financial resources, I would argue that our most valuable assets are the people we lead. In the last two posts, I talked about two ways to help people feel valued: pay attention to them and give compliments. Here's tip number three: #3 Be Honest How does it feel when someone lies to you? If you're like me (and most everybody else), it doesn't feel too good. Depending on the lie, it might range from annoyance to anger. Why does lying bother us so much? Would we have a different reaction if it was a "nice lie," one intended to make us feel better about ourselves? Probably not. In fact, that might even be worse. Lying bothers us because it communicates this: I…
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In my last post, I wrote about the importance of helping people feel valued. As a leader, this is more an attitude than a tactic. In other words, it first begins as a matter of principle and then manifests itself as a practice. Tip number one was to pay attention to people. Here's tip number two: #2 Give Compliments (and say "thank you") We've all known people who struggle to give compliments. I'm not sure why, whether it stems from personal insecurity or jealousy or just complacency. Whatever the reason, a lack of gratitude eventually suffocates the fire. When you give a compliment or say thank you, what you are really saying is this: I noticed you. By telling someone that what they did was worthwhile, you are also communicating that they have worth, too. This is more than positive reinforcement. This goes to a person's identity - how they…
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