This arrived in my e-mail a few minutes ago. It was a good reminder:
soulCARE: reconnect your relationships
Doug Fields & Matt McGill
Ministry is tough work, as time wears on, it takes a toll. Each of us desperately needs a safe place to share personal successes, doubts, and failures. We need cheerleaders, counselors and coaches for encouragement, support, and correction.
God created us for community and we are better when we’re together with refreshing people. As youth workers, we know this, we work hard to help our students experience community, but sometimes we can forget the importance of community for ourselves. Here are a few ideas for connecting with the important people in your life when you need to care for your soul.
WATCH YOUR WARNING LIGHTS
Both of us are mechanical idiots, but even we know the importance of paying attention to our car’s “check engine light”. A decayed spiritual life doesn’t just appear... it decays slowly. The changes are subtle, but they’re not too difficult to detect when we are aware of the warning lights. Soul decay looks a little different for everyone, but here are a few signs that it’s time to get back on track:
Maybe it’s time to take your focus off of teenagers.
..| We spend less time alone with God. We do this guided by the faulty logic: we can get more ministry done if we spend more time doing ministry.
..| We grow short on patience with problems. We become a little more critical and less forgiving of the mistakes of others.
..| We have shallow conversations with others. The busyness of life, and a weaker connection with God, keeps us from engaging with others.
MAKE THE TIME
Reconnecting with a friend won’t get a “to do” item checked off of your project list. However, if you don’t do it soon, you’ll have something much worse to handle than a bloated project list. Stop making excuses and set aside some relational time to reconnect with those who refresh you.
TALK TO THE RIGHT FRIEND
Revitalizing your soul takes conversations with the right friend. Here are some qualities of that friend that we think are important:
Maybe it’s time to take your focus off of teenagers.
..| safe: someone you can trust to respond in love and confidence.
..| admirable: someone you respect as a mature believer to offer solid perspective.
..| positive: someone you know to be encouraging and uplifting (a negative friend is draining and not what you need to be refreshed).
GET REAL
When you connect, talk about stuff that matters. Accountability is only as good as your honesty. Without integrity, accountability is powerless. Be open. Share like a child who has no concern for the consequence of what he just said. Fear of consequence is a killer of meaningful conversations.
What are some of your warning lights that let you know you need to reconnect with the important people in your life?
8.19.2010
5.27.2010
NCV Dad's Bible
I'm not a big fan of the "let's add a little content to a Bible and see how many we can sell". I reluctantly ordered the NCV Dad's Bible thinking I could pass it along a gift some time. THe book over came my cynicism.
First, the New Century Version translation offers simplicity without sacrificing accuracy. For first-time reader of the Word the NCV is an ideal Bible. The NCV manages to maintain the integrity of the biblical text without complex theological vocabulary.
Next, the Dad's Bible itself has great supplmentary content. Sections include:
Walking in authority. Godly Character, Passing it on, Dad's in the Bible, Building your children, Insights, question and answer resource and topical index. This is a great gift for a new dad or encouragemnet for a father wanting to more invovled in reading the Word. Each a helpful and easy to read sections. I'm impressed with the calibre of the NCV Dad' Bible.
First, the New Century Version translation offers simplicity without sacrificing accuracy. For first-time reader of the Word the NCV is an ideal Bible. The NCV manages to maintain the integrity of the biblical text without complex theological vocabulary.
Next, the Dad's Bible itself has great supplmentary content. Sections include:
Walking in authority. Godly Character, Passing it on, Dad's in the Bible, Building your children, Insights, question and answer resource and topical index. This is a great gift for a new dad or encouragemnet for a father wanting to more invovled in reading the Word. Each a helpful and easy to read sections. I'm impressed with the calibre of the NCV Dad' Bible.
5.05.2010
The Right to Lead, John Maxwell
John Maxwell's, "The Right to Lead" is a small but powerful book. The book is ideal if you need a reminder of the core values and keys to leadership or want to make a gift to someone to encourage and grow them.
With deficits in leadership in our churches, homes and corporate world, we need to focus on developing true leadership learned through character and courage. It is unlike me to post full excerpts from a book, however below you will fin the preface from "The Right to Lead". I how you feel its impact as I did.
WHAT GIVES A MAN OR WOMAN THE RIGHT TO LEAD?
It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.
The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.
Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.
In The Right to Lead, you will hear from and read about people who have done these same things and earned the right to lead others. Because of the courage they found and the character they displayed, other people recognized their admirable qualities and felt compelled to follow them.
The followers who looked to these leaders learned from them, and so can we. As you explore their worlds and words, remember that it takes time to become worthy of followers. Leadership isn't learned or earned in a moment.
With deficits in leadership in our churches, homes and corporate world, we need to focus on developing true leadership learned through character and courage. It is unlike me to post full excerpts from a book, however below you will fin the preface from "The Right to Lead". I how you feel its impact as I did.
WHAT GIVES A MAN OR WOMAN THE RIGHT TO LEAD?
It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.
The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.
Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.
In The Right to Lead, you will hear from and read about people who have done these same things and earned the right to lead others. Because of the courage they found and the character they displayed, other people recognized their admirable qualities and felt compelled to follow them.
The followers who looked to these leaders learned from them, and so can we. As you explore their worlds and words, remember that it takes time to become worthy of followers. Leadership isn't learned or earned in a moment.
-John Maxwell
5.04.2010
Puppets gone Wrong
There are good puppets and there are bad puppets. This young man has obviously found some of the bad...
5.03.2010
4.07.2010
The Noticer - Andy Andrews
"Come here son…come into the light”
I am notoriously bad at moving out of the present and looking into the future at the next outcome I am working towards. Every once in a while I need a reminder. I often live a life without the right perspective. I see only the things that I want to see without noticing more about the people around. After reading the Noticer, I felt like my eyes had been opened again to the people before me.
In The Noticer, Andy Andrews, paints a picture of an old man, Jones, who wanders in and out of a small, southern, beach town. The story begins with Jones meeting Andy, an orphaned twenty-three year old that is homeless, living under a local pier. Jones shares words with Andy about perspective that changes the course of Andy’s life forever. That begins one tale of many of how Jones changes his perspective for many people. Jones helps busienss people, married couples, young people and everyone in between.
This encouraging book brings home the importance of every moment of life, small things, big things, and everything in between. Jones crafts stories that bring great life. Jones is kind, gentle, tells the truth and isn’t afraid of stepping into peoples lives.
For any work I ask my self so what when I am done reading it. As I finished reading The Noticer, I was encouraged to do three things:
1. Make sure the people that I care about in life know it.
2. Make sure I am noticing the people in the world around me.
3. Encourage the people whose live I have influence in to care about those in their lives.
My only caution would be great ready to read for a while. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down again.
I am notoriously bad at moving out of the present and looking into the future at the next outcome I am working towards. Every once in a while I need a reminder. I often live a life without the right perspective. I see only the things that I want to see without noticing more about the people around. After reading the Noticer, I felt like my eyes had been opened again to the people before me.
In The Noticer, Andy Andrews, paints a picture of an old man, Jones, who wanders in and out of a small, southern, beach town. The story begins with Jones meeting Andy, an orphaned twenty-three year old that is homeless, living under a local pier. Jones shares words with Andy about perspective that changes the course of Andy’s life forever. That begins one tale of many of how Jones changes his perspective for many people. Jones helps busienss people, married couples, young people and everyone in between.
This encouraging book brings home the importance of every moment of life, small things, big things, and everything in between. Jones crafts stories that bring great life. Jones is kind, gentle, tells the truth and isn’t afraid of stepping into peoples lives.
For any work I ask my self so what when I am done reading it. As I finished reading The Noticer, I was encouraged to do three things:
1. Make sure the people that I care about in life know it.
2. Make sure I am noticing the people in the world around me.
3. Encourage the people whose live I have influence in to care about those in their lives.
My only caution would be great ready to read for a while. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down again.
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