I was a new youth pastor and had just preached my guts out at our Friday night service. And I thought I’d done a fine job. My wife was not impressed. “You just preached that sermon like ___________________ (a popular prof at the Bible college I’d just graduated from). You even sounded like him, and …
Read more “3 Takeaways for Preaching in a Celebrity Preacher Culture”
The time I spend with my kids reminds me that the imagination we have can grow and develop, or it can recede into the shadows. As we get older it’s not that we have lost our imagination, it’s that we have given in to the lie that imagination isn’t important.
Whether you are writing a university paper, an email to a colleague or a sermon for this Sunday morning, there are times when the words and ideas just aren’t flowing. Like drinking a very thick milkshake, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t draw the goodness out! I’m in the middle of writing …
Unfortunately, it’s not just athletes and sports teams who take their foot off the gas before they finish well. Often preachers do the same with the sermon. In what ways do preachers pull up short or mail it in at the last minute? So much time during the week is spent in prayer, preparation and …
The one thing every human being has in common is 24 hours in a day. Not a minute more, and not a minute less. So why is it that some people seem to live so healthy and balanced with those hours, and some look dazed and confused like they’ve just been through a spin cycle?
Margin.
Have you ever felt that there is not enough time in a day to finish your checklist? Have you ever found yourself cramming so many things into your day that you had little time for people? Do you ever have time for reflection where your thoughts can wander uninhibited?
Two weeks ago I wrote a blog about unlocking creativity by doing something different, out of our normal comfort zones. In it, I described how I planned on building coffee and end tables. Well, I want to give an update… I finished my first end table! I had a spot in my freshly painted office …
It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. Even the world’s best and most experienced leaders have to change their leadership style and poor personal habits to stay fresh and relevant. I have seen a real-life example this year in John Tortorella, one of the NHL’s most controversial and polarizing coaches.
There is something special about a fresh start, blank slate (what is a slate?), or cleaned desk.
The weight of ‘once was’ is behind us and the potential of ‘what could be’ awaits us. Humans are creative, and we naturally want to better ourselves. That’s why we make New Year’s resolutions each year, either informally in casual conversation, or sketched out in detail in a Moleskine notebook (the way I roll). Here’s my take on fresh starts.
Every day is new.
There are very few sure-fire ways that you can guarantee to improve your life and leadership. But believe me when I say that these two words will be the high-octane fuel you need to go further, faster. These words? Thank you.
I know, you wonder how I can be so naïve to think that a simple “thank you” will be the key to personal transformation? But it is! Hear me out!