Manic Monday Minute is a serious mind-dump that will probably take you one minute to read. Here are some thoughts going through my head right now...
This is the Manic Monday Minute Is it a new week already? I enjoyed this weekend so much I'm not ready for the week... Concert, time with friends, a brief down time and awesome weekend services! Our services were incredible yesterday. We had only one service and it was a special commitment service. We asked our people to make their commitments towards our stewardship campaign... and I've heard that our people came through in a HUGE way. Can't wait till November 22nd when we make the big announcement! Got some bad news in our family this week. My mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer. We'd all appreciate your prayers. I'd be down with you adding her (Rita Howell) to your prayer list. Looks like its early stages (so that's good)... but its an excruciating process as I understand it. This past week was an emotional roller coaster. I've appreciated the support from family & friends the last few days. Enjoyed seeing Casting Crowns and Matt Redman in concert on Friday. A good friend hooked me up with backstage passes. #GoodTimes. Haven't spent much time on google wave. Maybe my invite was sent in vain? Preparing to speak this weekend at Crossroads. If you haven't clicked to become a fan on Facebook yet, you can do so [here] I got a call earlier this evening from "2007." Literally, the YEAR was on my caller ID. I'm gonna do a whole post on this one. It was f-r-e-a-k-y! Shipped some resources out to youth workers today. One package even went down under. Thats right, Australia! Ugh. I need a new battery for my MAC. I'm about to eat a scoop of Rocky Road icecream. Can't wait to finish this post... Also speaking this weekend at a breakfast gathering for men. Should be fun. I cannot wait till Christmas. Spending it in the big S-C. I accidentally ran my chapstick through the dryer earlier today. That was a hot mess. Funny post by Jon Acuff over at SCL titled "Youth Group Rules." I'm a little uptight about the healthcare bill that just passed. I am skeptical of many of our politicians.... just sayin. My birthday is right around the corner... 20 days away in fact. Watched a riveting interview with Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield the other day. It was their first face-to-face interview since Tyson tried to chew off Holyfield's ear. It was a great testimony of forgiveness. I'm all registered and ready to go to S-Y-M-C in Chitown. Hope to see you there. Learned recently about "Forever" stamps. I think I was the only one in North America that didn't know about it. I'll never buy any other stamps again. Weather was PERFECT on Sunday. I mean, PERFECT. Today wasn't bad either. I love Simply's current "Buy 1, Give 1" campaign. Check [this] out... Let it simmer folks... all week. I'll see you next time.
Labels: Manic Monday Minute
My heart has been broken for people in need lately. I thank God for that. My prayer is that we, as church leaders, never forget the broken. That we actually see (and respond) to people in need. I spend a lot of time praying for these folks. In the Church today I think we sometimes get so far removed from where people are. We are living life in our little church bubble.
I was reading the blog of a pastor yesterday who had an affair months ago and has been removed from the world of church leadership and has transitioned to what he calls "the real world." After reading his post it further underscores my point that we have segregated ourselves. And for what reason? The Church I pray for is a Church that sees people in need, has compassion on them, and is called to action.
Video courtesy of TK McKamy. Shot & Edited by TK McKamy for the STORY Conference. Music by Lifehouse.
RSS Subscribers: there is video [here]
Labels: Church, Hot Topics, Issues, Leadership
Perry Noble has a great post today titled "15 Signs a Church is in Trouble." I can't help but agree with his list. I'll include a few highlights and you can click [here] to read the rest.
#1 – When excuses are made about the way things are instead of embracing a willingness to roll up the sleeves and fix the problem.
#2 – When the church becomes content with merely receiving people that come rather than actually going out and finding them…in other words, they lose their passion for evangelism!
#6 – The leaders within the church cease to be coachable.
#10 – The people in the church lose sight of the next generation and refuse to fund ministry simply because they don’t understand “those young people.”
#11 – The goal of the church is to simply maintain the way things are…to NOT rock the boat and/or upset anyone…especially the big givers!
#12 – The church is no longer willing to take steps of faith because “there is just too much to lose.”
#15 – When the leaders/staff refuse to go the extra mile in leading and serving because of how “inconvenient” doing so would be.
#1 – When excuses are made about the way things are instead of embracing a willingness to roll up the sleeves and fix the problem.
#2 – When the church becomes content with merely receiving people that come rather than actually going out and finding them…in other words, they lose their passion for evangelism!
#6 – The leaders within the church cease to be coachable.
#10 – The people in the church lose sight of the next generation and refuse to fund ministry simply because they don’t understand “those young people.”
#11 – The goal of the church is to simply maintain the way things are…to NOT rock the boat and/or upset anyone…especially the big givers!
#12 – The church is no longer willing to take steps of faith because “there is just too much to lose.”
#15 – When the leaders/staff refuse to go the extra mile in leading and serving because of how “inconvenient” doing so would be.
Labels: Church, Hot Topics, Issues, Leadership
A long time ago someone told me about Deadly Viper. It's an online community that was created by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite for the purpose of candid conversations about radical integrity and grace among church leaders. They've grown their audience online to thousands and have recently launched something new their calling "the Man-Cave Online: Leadership Manswers with Mike and Jud." I love it! You can check out their live experience tonight [online] at 6PM PST.
Labels: Church, Hot Topics, Issues, Resources, social media, Youth Pastors
Manic Monday Minute is a serious mind-dump that will probably take you one minute to read. Here are some thoughts going through my head right now...
This is the Manic Monday Minute Weather stunk it up for most of today. Actually yesterday wasn't much better. We experienced all 4 seasons over the course of the weekend here. This weekend was bizee. How was yours? Didn't really do anything special for Halloween. Actually, I only saw 2 people in costumes the entire day! It definitely didn't feel like Halloween. I got to see This is It. Thought the movie was very good. Just noticed Jackson's guitarist, Orianthi, just started following me on twitter. Looking forward to seeing Casting Crowns and Matt Redman in concert this week. Can't wait to meet those guys. Got me a google wave invite. Been checking it out a little today... If you haven't clicked to become a fan on Facebook yet, you can do so [here] Speaking of Facebook, I got asked by FB to POKE Jerry Falwell the other day. That would be a little weird don't ya think? Soooo many people are sick. Missed seeing lots of families at our church on Sunday due to illness. We have a few reported cases of swine flu around. Had great services on Sunday. Enjoyed a chili cookoff on Sunday evening. Had a great time tasting pot after pot of chili... Looking forward to this Sunday. We're in the middle of our stewardship campaign and our BIG ASK is this Sunday. It's going to be a great day. Election Day is tomorrow. Don't forget to vote. I'm tired of the political ads. Glad that'll soon be over... at least for a hot minute. Just saw a Christmas commercial for Walmart. Yep - its that time again. My birthday is right around the corner... I heard STORY and Cultivate went well. Regret I missed both events. Watched part of the National Youth Worker's Convention live online this weekend. Been on the search for something I lost. I hate when I misplace things! Got family coming to town next week. Oooh.... can't wait. Busy day tomorrow. Need to get some sleep. Let it simmer folks... all week.
Labels: Manic Monday Minute
I've been thinking a lot lately about management. Mostly likely its on the brain because I actually did a sermon recently on the subject. Over the years I've been managed by a diverse group of men and women and I've come to the conclusion that its been a good thing for me. I've learned "how to do it" but mostly, how "not to do it" when it comes to managing others. One thing you must realize as a manager: you are mentoring your staff - mostly indirectly - at ALL times. I'll share a few snippets here from my own experiences:
I recall one boss that was a bit of a control freak. She never let me take risk and gave me very little responsibility. I felt I could have grown a lot in my role had they taken a chance on me and allowed me to fail.
Another manager allowed me to make mistakes over and over again but never addressed them until the evaluation months later. You can imagine my surprise when I sat down for the review and he read off page after page of the copious notes he had taken. I'll never forget being in tears after the first evaluation because I was so discouraged! If only my leader had addressed problems as they saw them. I could have corrected my mistakes and received a glowing review later for my hard work.
One leader I reported to seemed to lack vision. He never communicated expectations and left me and the other staff to wonder where we were headed. This probably explains why we [as a staff] were always frustrated.
I've made a list of some key ingredients in great management as I see it:
Great managers provide roadmaps. Provide a clear vision and expectations to your staff. You are on a journey together, so make sure everyone on-board is tracking with you. Regular check-ins are a good thing! Not only will you be more likely to succeed as a team but you will also keep your staff focused throughout the journey.
Great managers listen well. People have a natural drive to be heard and you communicate value to your staff when you listen (well) to their ideas and concerns before responding.
Great managers encourage. If there is one thing I've learned its that you can never encourage your staff enough. Discipline yourself as a leader to observe the efforts of your staff, what work they have completed, and what milestones have been reached. Regular affirmation goes a long way. And don't limit your encouragement to public recognition alone. Affirm your staff privately for their hard work also.
Great managers share the wealth. Even when the budgets are tight look for ways to bless your staff. Take your staff members to lunch "on you" occasionally or look for alternative gifts when bonuses are cut to reward them for a job well done.
Great managers allow you to lead. Give your employees responsibility. Allow them to take risk and to fail. Recognize and reward accomplishments and provide coaching when they make mistakes or utterly fail. Your staff will love you forever.
I recall one boss that was a bit of a control freak. She never let me take risk and gave me very little responsibility. I felt I could have grown a lot in my role had they taken a chance on me and allowed me to fail.
Another manager allowed me to make mistakes over and over again but never addressed them until the evaluation months later. You can imagine my surprise when I sat down for the review and he read off page after page of the copious notes he had taken. I'll never forget being in tears after the first evaluation because I was so discouraged! If only my leader had addressed problems as they saw them. I could have corrected my mistakes and received a glowing review later for my hard work.
One leader I reported to seemed to lack vision. He never communicated expectations and left me and the other staff to wonder where we were headed. This probably explains why we [as a staff] were always frustrated.
I've made a list of some key ingredients in great management as I see it:
What would you add to this list? Share your own personal experiences. What key ingredient do you think is most important?
Labels: Church, Hot Topics, Issues, Leadership, Personal, Resources, Youth Pastors
Manic Monday Minute is a serious mind-dump that will probably take you one minute to read. Here are some thoughts going through my head right now...
This is the Manic Monday Minute What a Monday! Talk about M-A-N-I-C. How was yours? I didn't even tweet all day today. Yes, that is a bit strange for me. Definitely not normal activity. Watched the U2 webcast last night with millions of others. It was incredible! They broadcast their concert live from the Rose Bowl in Pasedena, CA. The quality of the webcast was unprecedented. I keep going from hot to cold in my house. I can't seem to get my temp regulated. Urrgh. My facebook seems all jacked up lately. In fact, I sent a message out to one of my networks on Saturday and they just got it today. weird! WinterJam Tour artists have been announced. I watched the movie Slumdog Millionaire on Friday. It was really good. Cultivate and STORY are this week. Hope both go incredibly well. Praying for two church leaders who resigned from their churches on Sunday. We had a great SHINE festival on Sunday. Lots of guests on our campus that day. Glad to see my friend Marko is blogging again. If you haven't clicked to become a fan on Facebook yet, you can do so [here] I'll be doing giveaways at random there. Lots of people getting sick. Hoping to steer clear of it here. A paper mill in Franklin, VA announced its closing. Over 1,100 people just lost their jobs. Very devastating to that community... and to Virginia. I have sooo many books on my list to read. Lots of people are suggesting them to me lately. I don't know where to start... Weather was AWESOME this past weekend. I even did some biking in Va Beach on the boardwalk. Just as I typed the last line the heavens opened up and the rain started pouring. =) Yard work was also accomplished this weekend. I have a nice callous to prove it. Really getting a kick lately out of the Fail Blog. Check it for yourself. Going to see a midnight showing of This is It tomorrow evening. I cannot wait. Good night San Diego. Thanks for stopping by.
Labels: Manic Monday Minute
I hate pictures of Jesus. Always have. Don't get me wrong... I'm not a Jesus-hater. Actually, quite the opposite. I just hate pictures of Jesus... or should I say pictures of what we think Jesus looks like. Maybe it's that whole "no graven images" thing that gets me.
My grandmother use to have a rather large (and I do mean large) size picture of "Jesus" in her living room. I loved grandmother's home but hated the picture in her living room. Once I even took it down and hid it somewhere hoping she wouldn't notice. Somehow, someway it got hung again later.
One of the churches I use to serve in had a picture of Jesus hanging in the sanctuary. And yes, I always wanted to take it down. I casually mentioned it now and again to see if someone would take action but it never happened.
We don't know what Jesus looks like (even though scholars might say "well, we have a pretty good idea") so why do we try and mock-up some kind of portrait of him? We try so hard as followers to wrap our minds around who He is... and put him in our little box. This is one of the reasons I think I loved the book "The Shack" so much. William Paul Young said he wanted to help readers think outside the box when thinking about our redeemer. I loved it!
Are pictures of Jesus a sin? I'd venture to say "no." Is the worship of the image of Christ a sin? I'd venture to say "yes." We don't know what Christ looks like but one day we will. Regardless of how "off" we are, one thing is for sure... everyone will stand in complete AWE of Him and every knee will bow and confess Him as Lord.
Labels: Church, Hot Topics, Issues, Personal
Didn't make it out to LA for the National Youth Worker's Convention but I did watch online. I thought this vid captured snippets of the heart of each of the speaker's messages.
To find out about the upcoming Cincinnati or Atlanta conventions, click [here].
RSS Subscribers: there is video here.
To find out about the upcoming Cincinnati or Atlanta conventions, click [here].
RSS Subscribers: there is video here.
Labels: Conferences, Youth Pastors
Manic Monday Minute is a serious mind-dump that will probably take you one minute to read. Here are some thoughts going through my head right now...
This is the Manic Monday Minute Whew! Busy week-end. Spent the weekend with students on a retreat. Had a great time hanging with them on a ranch. I'm not a cowboy but I had fun getting away. Our theme for the weekend was "Punk'd." It was awesome seeing God move through our group and students make decisions. Weather was damp & cold the entire weekend but it didn't interfere with our good time! I keep going from hot to cold in my house. I can't seem to get my temp regulated. Urrgh. Yesterday was the first day I turned on the heat. Speaking of... this twitter post made me say [ouch] Tony Nolan and I had a little twitter exchange today about twitter. It was pretty funny. You can see Tony this year on the WinterJam Tour. Follow my daily musings on twitter. I've had "Nobody Said It Was Easy" by Coldplay in my head this weekend. If I had a nickle for everytime I've sung it... Every week seems to offer a different song. What is the song stuck in your head right now? Working on a blogger meet-up for my area for February 2010. It's gonna rock. Been extremely busy lately with our stewardship campaign. Was on the way home from our leadership meeting this evening (around 8.30PM) and saw two mormons biking through the intersection. Why don't we have the same dedication in sharing our faith as they do? Just watched the trailer for this movie that was made by a youth pastor. I visited a number of blogs today. Most of them haven't been updated since mid-September. FYI - I don't plan on going anywhere. Thanks for reading!
Labels: Manic Monday Minute
Recently I created a Fan Page on Facebook. I did this for a number of reasons. A number of people are doing this... especially those reaching 5,000 friends on their Facebook page. While I don't have 5,000 friends on Facebook I find a few more uses of the fan page over a profile or group. Here is a little comparison I worked up between a fan page and a group:
Pages are generally better for a long-term relationships with your fans, readers or customers. This is the number one reason I created my fan page. People may "friend request" you through your profile page at the mere suggestion by a friend but when they "become a fan" they are taking special interest in what you offer or who you are. Through my fan page I'll be doing something I enjoy -- resourcing and sharing with leaders.
Groups, on the other hand, are generally better for hosting a (quick) active discussion and attracting quick attention. If you'd like to become a fan, click [here]
Pages are generally better for a long-term relationships with your fans, readers or customers. This is the number one reason I created my fan page. People may "friend request" you through your profile page at the mere suggestion by a friend but when they "become a fan" they are taking special interest in what you offer or who you are. Through my fan page I'll be doing something I enjoy -- resourcing and sharing with leaders.
Groups, on the other hand, are generally better for hosting a (quick) active discussion and attracting quick attention. If you'd like to become a fan, click [here]
Labels: Personal, social media
Manic Monday Minute is a serious mind-dump that will probably take you one minute to read. Here are some thoughts going through my head right now...
This is the Manic Monday Minute Awesome weekend. Surprise visit by an aunt & uncle. Enjoyed spending some time with them. Follow my daily musings on twitter. If you aren't following me, you'll want to start. Over the next 2 days I'll be giving away a few things only on twitter. I've been getting lots of mail in the mail-bag lately. I'll have to share a few here on the blog. Love these man-bags, especially "messenger 3." Went to a race on Saturday evening. I'm not a racing fan... but I had fun. Gearing up for a weekend with students on a retreat. Loved this vid about a 92-year-old grandmother who shared her faith with a robber. One of my students told me a joke. Didn't get to attend #cat09 as I had hoped last week. One friend took the liberty of texting me every time I missed something. I deleted them from my friend's list after that. [that's cold] My schedule is slammed for October. Watched a special on the production behind the MTV VMAs yesterday. I was floored by all the work that goes into the show. A publishing company just asked me to join their team of writers. Awesomeness. Found out yesterday that 2 of my former classmates passed away recently. Very shocking, considering we are the same ages. Little chilly lately. I'm loving it. Working on a blogger meet-up for my area for February 2010. It's gonna rock. Working on rebranding our ministry. I'm STOKED over the latest designs. Booking 2010 dates. Like now. I like the new Miley Cyrus song "Party in the USA" (don't judge me) Crawford out.
Labels: Manic Monday Minute
I’m convinced I have the best team of sponsors (and there's room for more!). Do me a favor and click through to one or two of these sites. If you find something you like, tell them I sent you.
Here are the folks that are making things move & shake around here:
Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries that are slick, user friendly and very affordable.
Youth Ministry Coaches - equips youth ministries by providing consulting, communicating, coaching and counseling services. [Tell David I said hello].
Media Works - a design-based print and promotions company producing incredible work for companies, ministries and organizations. [Frank is the man!]
Story Chicago – a first-of-its-kind experience for communicators of the Gospel on October 28-29 at Chicago's legendary Paramount Theatre.
If you’re interested, we still have advertising spots available for your organization. Email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!
Here are the folks that are making things move & shake around here:
Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries that are slick, user friendly and very affordable.
Youth Ministry Coaches - equips youth ministries by providing consulting, communicating, coaching and counseling services. [Tell David I said hello].
Media Works - a design-based print and promotions company producing incredible work for companies, ministries and organizations. [Frank is the man!]
Story Chicago – a first-of-its-kind experience for communicators of the Gospel on October 28-29 at Chicago's legendary Paramount Theatre.
If you’re interested, we still have advertising spots available for your organization. Email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!
Ran across this amazing resource called Glo. It's the Bible for the digital age and it's available October 15. Glo provides simple, intuitive ways to browse through biblical content through 5 main lenses. Check the following video for a brief overview.
RSS Subscribers: There is video [here]
Labels: Church, Creative, Marketing, Media, Resources, Site Shout, Students Only, Youth Pastors
