General

Our family spent the Labor Day weekend in Manitou Springs, where I was privileged to perform a wedding on Sunday.  The weather cooperated wonderfully and the rehearsal and wedding ceremony went well.  As an added bonus, the wedding couple had put our family up in a hotel in Colorado Springs, allowing us to explore the area in our free time. We went Sunday night to Seven Falls, a waterfall with seven different bends and turns.  At night it is lit-up with color and is beautiful to see.  The colors even made the 222 steps to the top seem bearable. On Monday, we checked out of the hotel and headed south to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.  Billed as America's highest suspension bridge, it is quite a sight to see.  We walked across the bridge itself, stopping to take pictures by different state flags.  Then we rode the airtram back…

One of my favorite business writers spoke this morning at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit: Jim Collins.  He spoke on the subject of his latest book -- "How the Mighty Fall."  It's a great book I read about six months ago.  He walked throug the stages of decline that faltering companies (and churches) go through. Tim Schraeder has a good summary of the talk which you can read here.

The following is an excerpt of an excellent blog post on The Harvard Business Review by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. The best campaigns for change have five elements: Memorable messages. Campaigns, like brand marketing, start with a clear, succinct, easy to repeat, emotionally compelling message. Stories. Narrative is a powerful tool for campaigns. People remember other people and stories better than numbers ... Personal testimonials motivate people, particularly when they see that those they admire take new actions. Action tools and roles. In a successful campaign, there is a clear step anyone can take, without requiring elaborate new processes, even if more complex change is required eventually. Coalitions of partners. Change campaigns need many suppliers, distributors, and allies. "Point of action" nudges. Popular media messages get generalized attention, just as commercials for products do, but like marketing campaigns that require point of sale support, successful behavior change campaigns need to place…

Have you ever second-guessed yourself?  Second-guessed God? Most of us have had a time when we've made a decision ... began living the decision ... and came to a point where we wondered if we made the right decision. In some ways, it may be natural.  As finite beings with limited access to knowledge of the future, we make decisions (hopefully) based upon the best available information at  hand.  In so doing, we recognize our limitations and choose to live with a less than perfect knowledge of what may or may not happen. Second-guessing may be natural and, at times, helpful.  If it means we pause to clarify where we are -- contrasted with where we hoped we would be -- then it can be helpful.  It  may lead to a mid-course correction or lane change.  In fact, it may be another way God guides and directs us. At other…