REPOST: Leadership Lesson of the Week

Ok, I don't really follow sport, so I don't really know who this guy is...
But I can connect with his perspective on "it's the failures that stick out in your head" concept.
This original post is by my dear friend from college who was then and continues to be an encouragement and compass.

Leadership Lesson of the week

from thoughts and things by theodude

Check out these thoughts from former NFL quarterback Steve Young on accountability. It does make you think.

Chaos' Map

This is a re-post from Diary of Avid Readers blog.


Not able to see the forest through the trees? Maybe you can't even identify that those things you're bumping into are trees? Well, an airlift out of this life you're living/this ministry you're doing isn't really an option... But how about a map?

Now a map doesn't tell you where you're going. YOU pick the destination. A map doesn't even tell you where you are or where you've been. It only gives a wide-angle view of all the landscape, which enables the reader to identify localities, destinations, and the paths between them.

This is what Scott Wilson's Steering Through Chaos is. His map of ministry & vision helps the reader recognize landmarks of church (or other ministry) growth and transition.

I have to confess that I'm not moving through this book with my typical speed and voracity, not because it's a slow read, but because I keep recognizing landmarks. I find myself stopping and unpacking some point (current and past) in a ministry I've been a part of with the perspective of Scott's "map."

You can change without growth,
but you can't grow without change. -Scott Wilson

(from chapter 2: Vision)

F.O.C.U.S.

F--First things first.
O--Other things second.
C--Cut out the unimportant.
U--Unify behind vision.
S--Stick with it.

Simple. Yet life changing, if we can do it.

I'll be honest, I'd practically be rewriting the book here to pull out all the gems. As I read, at each new idea or example I think of pastors and leaders in my life that I think could benefit from hearing the message I'm hearing in that passage. By chapter 2 alone, I had a list of a dozen people I want to give copies of the book. I don't mean that in a "...you've been doing things wrong, so read this and get it right" kind of way, rather a "Be encouraged. Here's an outside look at what you're neck deep in. Know that others have been where you are--mired in the chaos of ministry, growth, and transition. You're not alone."

Wilson reminds us that it's God's calling on the lives of pastors and leaders. And, truthfully, He does allow us to experience failure in our lives and ministries but to His glory and our growth.

I really could camp out on every third page or so and affect great change in my life and ministry, but even in that, I must FOCUS on the changes He is making. Knowledge and insight are WONDERFUL things, but without the application of God's Wisdom they are in vain.

I am encouraged. I can't wait to see what God is doing in my life and ministry the fifth time I read this book!

--
Blog Tour "Map" for this book

North! Or Be Eaten - Blog Tour!

Peterson's Igiby family is in full adventure in North! Or Be Eaten. After creating an intricate world and laying out the myriad of background details in On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, we pick up right where we were left off with Janner, Tink, and Leeli in their uncle's tree house.

The adventure is just beginning.

It's easy to forget the band of travelers is three young children with their mother and two older men. They are all quick on their feet and determined to re-find a normal life at the end of their journey. The moment-to-moment happenings make you wonder how you'd survive! The Fangs continue to track them as they dodge the many creatures of Skree, including the toothy cows!

Just when you think you might know a little more than they know, the story takes a distinct turn in an unexpected direction. They are pushed to their limits. It's impossible to know the friends from the foes, and the secret history or gifts of each traveler will stretch your imagination.

Though the musical storytelling of Andrew Peterson has long been a cherished favorite of mine, I was a bit skeptical of the songwriter-turned-author. He has proven his ability to write a whole world in his mind and introduce us, the unsuspecting reader, in the middle of that world mid-stream, and yet unfold his whole world a bit at a time along the journey. Well-done, my friend.

I have to confess that when I received my copy of his new book I had to quickly go and read the first book in the Wingfeather Saga, which I had loaned out and never read. Now having finished them both in short order, I can't wait for there to be more!

-Laura M. Sanders

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Book Summary:

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

Their escape brings readers to the very brink of Fingap Falls, over the Stony Mountains, and across the Ice Prairies, while villains galore try to stop the Igibys permanently. Fearsome toothy cows and horned hounds return, along with new dangers: a mad man running a fork factory, a den of rockroaches, and majestic talking sea dragons.

Andrew Peterson’s lovable characters create what FantasyBookCritic.com says made Book One “one of the best fantasy novels in a very long time,” and Book Two contains even more thrills, exploring “themes universal in nature, ranging from the classic good versus evil, to the importance of family, and burdens of responsibility.”

Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One in the Wingfeather Saga, and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in a little house they call The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his websites: www.andrew-peterson.com and www.rabbitroom.com

Purpose

Flailing. Floundering.

Sometimes life seems to have more purpose than others. I don't generally ask the big "why" questions, but I do ask God "what now?" Seriously. What now?

Which direction?

A dear friend introduced me to an author of Business Management books, Patrick Lencioni. To my surprise, one of my favorite of his books so far is The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family. I know, you're thinking, "that doesn't seem like a business management book."

Well, it takes some simplifying of business management principles and applies them organizing and structuring home and family.

And, again, I know what you're thinking "Um, don't you live by yourself?" Yeah, imagine how sad it is to be frantic managing the life of one.

We'll see if applying these principles to a life of one puts me on a manageable track for incorporating others into my life...

How do I decide?

Those BIG life questions seem to loom overhead. I confess (probably much too often) to being a commitment-phobe.

Wouldn't it be GREAT if I was writing about some pending man-dilemna? Haha, no such luck. Still man-free here. :)

My current commitment struggle is in buying a house.
It's been a "buyers' market" so they say.
Interest rates have been low.
But there's been no appearance of the RIGHT house.

So now the buyers' market is waning.
Interest rates are rising.
And now I find myself struggling to muster the DESIRE to house-hunt.

I know it's not unusual for first-time home buying to be a scary process, but I heard a rumor that it shouldn't be debilitating.

So how do I decide? which neighborhood? which house? which mortgage broker? what interest rate should I be able to vie for? how much house can I handle? should I even BE house hunting, right now, based on my life NOT the market trends? ? ? ? ?

(Oh, and to make all this even EASIER to process, in an attempt to give me a pep talk, my Realtor likened buying a house to getting married. Um... Hello! NOT MARRIED! Why would THAT help?)

Swaptree - trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games for free

11 days in and I'm already an addict!

Swaptree - trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games for free

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All for Naught?

Is it all for nothing?
OR
Does EVERYTHING matter?

Can it simply be one or the other? In the midst of life's MANY everyday choices, how do you know which ones TRULY matter in the GRAND scheme of things?

Do we typically only figure out what matters after-the-fact?

What if THIS is THE moment?

Every once in a while I hear people ponder "Is THIS what life is all about? Really?"

Do you ever feel like we're living for the what's to come in lieu of the what is?

As children, we can't wait to grow up.
As young adolescents, we can't wait to be in High School.
In high school, we can't wait to get to college.
In college, we can't wait for the real world.
In the "real world," we can't wait to get married.
We can't wait for the Right job.
We can't wait for that great promotion.
When we're married, we can't wait to have kids.
When we have kids, we can't wait for them...
...well maybe THEY grow up too fast.
When the kids grow up,
we can't wait for THEM to get married
(I hear ya, Mom)
or for them to have kids
(that one's on you, Scott & Sacha!).

Anyway, you see what I'm saying.

When do we get to just LIVE our lives?
When, in that LONG stream of things to wait for, do we get to BE who God created us to be?

What if NOW is that moment? The ONE we've been waiting for? As it is?

Married/Unmarried
in-school/out-of-school
kids/no kids
right job/wrong job
good pay/not enough pay/no pay

Life "not-quite-done-but-no-longer-waiting-for-the-finish-to-get-started-REALLY-living."

Boba Fett is GROOVIN'!

First, I thought it was a random clashing of two sides of the late 70s/early 80s. Then, I was a bit awed by the length that some people go to for the detail in costuming. Suddenly, I got it. It's so very clever.

Mandalorian Dance @ Yahoo! Video

More questions about "The One"

Relationships are a common topic among... well... people.

A friend recently blogged about "The One" posing questions that one should ask while in relationship:

• Does this person make me a better person?
• Am I a better person when they are in my life or worse?
• Does this person make me want to be a better person?
• What would my friends say?
  
• When I am with this person, do I draw nearer to God, or move further away?

As part of a conversation, another friend recently posed some more questions to help weigh finding the right "One" for each of us, which led to questions of my own as well:

• Do I believe in a sovereign God to guide my life and the life of my future mate?
  
• What are my standards for someone in a relationship with me?
• What does it look like for me to be cherished? And how do I truly cherish someone else?
  
• What is "good enough?"
• Is "good enough" enough for better or for worse?
  
• What if what I think is good turns out to be not-so-good later?

What questions do you ask yourself, whether you're married or not yet (even once were)?

Are there questions we need to answer about OURSELVES before we can begin to expect to be in a healthy relationship?

• Am I looking for someone to "complete me" or am I whole on my own?
• What do I "bring to the table" in terms of the good, the bad, and the ugly?
  
• With MY FAULTS, can I measure up to be worth someone else's love?
• Will I spend the rest of my life apologizing for who I am (or who I'm not)?
• Am I lovable?

Just a few thoughts to ponder (and COMMENT upon)!

One more:

• Even once I've found whom I believe to be "that person," what if I'm not the BEST fit for them?

Reconnecting

Do you ever question God's timing?

Sometimes I think this is the topic of conversation God and I have most often, and I use the term "conversation" loosely. Mostly, it's just me asking question after question.

"Why now?"
"Why not now?"

Most examples I could offer about these conversations are on the negative side, but recently I've had SEVERAL opportunities to reconnect with friends that I haven't talked to in 5, 10, and even 15 years. (Yay Facebook!)

As much as I'm enjoying these "Pick Up Where We Left Off" meetings, believing that timing isn't coincidental, I find myself asking God "Why all of the sudden?"

Five years ago I wasn't in a place where I had reconciled who I was in high school or even after with who I am today. In more recent years, I've come to accept that misunderstandings, mistakes, rebellious choices, or even doozies are as responsible for me being who I am as good, healthy, positive influences. It's taken me quite a few wrong paths in life (and I'm sure not the last ones) to begin to understand who God created me to be and why.

Of course, the now the question is "Who's Next?"

Ahh... Harry Potter

I started reading the Harry Potter books because I had to know what it was that drew 3rd graders to read a book that's 750 pages long. And so began another book addiction...

Enter the movies, which some will squabble about the "true to the book" issue, I just like them. I like the original stories, and I like seeing them come alive on screen.

And now book six is coming to theaters November 21.
Get a glimpse at coolness...



(To give credit where credit is due, my friend T-Rev posted this video first, and I thought it was such a great idea that I'm doing it, too!)

Can we say TELECOMMUTE?

So, as if being on vacation isn't enough to make someone question the necessity of working (at least until you have to pay bills while on vacation), we here at the beach are all figuring out ways that we could telecommute for our jobs, of course with the concession that we OCCASIONALLY reappear in real life in person.

Blending of artistic talent

This is such an amazing and unique combination of music and visual art...
Song by Andrew Peterson. Drawing by Trevor Little.

"Family Man" from Trevor Little on Vimeo.

Why, God?

"Why does God let bad things happen to good people?"
"Why am I even here?"
"What difference do I make?"

Have you ever heard these questions? Or maybe you've asked them yourself?
In a conversation yesterday, I got a glimpse into some possible answers.

Maybe bad things are simply an opportunity to be shown the blessings God surrounds us with everyday.

(Names are changed.)

Shelli's brother-in-law, Charles, has been diagnosed with a cancer that's causing site loss. He is a husband and a father of two adorable little girls. In a few weeks, he'll undergo surgery to treat the cancer. Bad things happen to good people.

In the days since his diagnosis, people have come out of the woodwork to offer anything and everything in ways of helping. As one example, he made the comment that he would never need to cut another blade of grass for the rest of his life for all the people who have said they'd mow his lawn. It's a humbling experience to have people poor themselves out for you. Charles is a humble guy that spends all his energy pouring into others. Now is a time for him to receive the return blessing in the midst of his awful circumstances. Good things happen in bad circumstances.

So that's great. He's one of "those guys," but I'm not "that" guy.
What difference do I make?
Well, here's the kicker.

Charles and his family go to my church.

They go to this church because Shelli invited them to come to the place that has had an impact on her life.

Shelli comes to the church because she was invited by one of her dental patients, Liz.

My sweet friend, Liz.
What if she had just sat there quietly in the dental chair and not gotten to know Shelli?
Never mentioned her church?
What if Shelli had kept it to herself?
Where would Charles and his family be now?

IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

All Things Shopping

To many it makes me shallow... A typical girl...

...but I REALLY like to shop. Certainly clothes and SHOES are high on my list, and books are a great love of my life, but as it turns out, well-rounded 21st century woman that I am, I enjoy it just as much if it's tools or appliances.

Does that make me odd? Or just "unique" in the world of women? Or am I in fact normal?

Reconcilling your "old" self...

Scripture tells us that as Christians in our lives post-acceptance of God's Greatest Gift, we "lay aside [our] old self" (Eph. 4:22) or "take off [our] old self" (Col. 3:9) or even that "our old self was crucified with Him" (Rom. 6:6). This concept is a great relief to many new Christians... To shed the skin of old habits and vices. [Note: C.S. Lewis has an amazing story picture of this in his Chronicles of Narnia book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace is a dragon.]

Have you ever considered that at some point in our lives we might have to reconcile our "new self" with the old? Can we truly understand what stands in the way of being Christlike until we account for, accept, and apply the lessons of why we were the way we were?

It has to be deeper than "that was just my sinful nature" because those selfish and self-serving tendencies still creep into the new.


Just enough deep thoughts to get you going. More to come...

Silly People Behind Silly Songs!

Crazy Texan Rabbit!

Seriously?

New Book Hookup

So, one of the fantabulous new friends I made in Texas has the coolest hookup... a book publisher sends him books to review on his blog. He gets two copies of each book--one to read and one to give to a friend to read. How cool is that? And the best part? well, for me, at least, I got to read and write a review for one by one of my favorite authors!

Here you go!
[Be kind, this is my first attempt at this kind of writing (at least since school book reports)!]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love as a Way of Life
Gary Chapman

It's amazing how the simplest concepts can revolutionize the way you look at life. As an avid fan of Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages I couldn't help but chomp at the bit to read his new book. The principles he unfolds have the potential be life-changing in understanding oneself. I am a firm believer in the idea that the better we know and truly understand ourselves, the more we are able to care for, care about, work with, be in relationship with, and love others. Just when I think I reached a new plateau in relating to others, I'm reintroduce to Chapman's eloquent, yet elementary, ideas that remind me of my narcissism in life choices.

Because he's a great story-teller who weaves the concepts he is trying to convey through stories, it's very easy to find myself going from chapter to chapter without stopping. Once I got into the meat of the book, I found that I could have spent a week in each chapter looking for ways to unpack that trait and still had more work to do. There was so much there to digest! These "simple" concepts of kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity, and honesty hit home for me in evaluating my own life and putting me in check on judging others. As much as I can easily point out the failings of these traits in others, I realize how truly lacking they are in their truest form in the heart of my own life.

Yet again, Gary Chapman has given new insights to understand and accept and therefore love one another to the core of who we are—relational people. One of the greatest challenges in loving people is to understand them and accept them as who you understand them to be and to love them more the better you understand them. Chapman introduces the reality of tools that should be basic principles in our character arsenal. To love well is a life-long endeavor that goes hand in hand with being loved. This will become a new favorite gift book from me to folks who desire to love and be loved.

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Trevor's Thoughts (My Supplier)

I'm going to agree with Laura. This is a great book. Well structured. Easy to read. Memorable stories and quotes. One of the best parts of the book is the way he fleshes out the ideas into actually go-and-do practical application throughout each chapter. It's definitely a book you interact with, not just give a simple read through. In fact I'm throwing it back up on my To Read shelf, in an effort to carve out more time with it.

Honestly, this is well worth the read. Go buy a copy. I'd give you a free one, but I already distributed it.