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Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Is.30:21)
Browsing All Posts filed under »Ministry & Leadership«
Crucial Conversations | Notes
Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler. Crucial Conversations. McGraw Hill, 2012. (244 pages) Most breakthroughs in life truly are “break-withs.” – Stephen Covey PREFACE We argued that the root cause of many — if not most — human problems lies in how people behave when others disagree with them about high-stakes, emotional issues. […]
Sticky Faith | Notes & Review
January 1, 2013
Dr. Kara E. Powell & Dr. Chap Clark. Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids. Zondervan, 2011. (222) http://stickyfaith.org/extras What is Sticky Faith? (introductory video): Kara’s talk at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church: http://vimeo.com/5508943 1. the not-so-sticky-faith reality Kids’ Faith Isn’t Sticking (15), … College Students Gone Wild (17), … Christian Kids […]
Toxic Charity | Notes & Review
December 22, 2012
Robert Lupton. Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help. HarperOne, 2011. (191 pages) Chapter One: The Scandal The Compassion industry is almost universally accepted as a virtuous and constructive enterprise. | But what is so surprising is that its outcomes are almost entirely unexamined. (2-3) …it may be hurting more than helping. […]
Love Free or Die | Review
November 17, 2012
watch: http://video.pbs.org/video/2294044250/ (only through November 19, 2012) descriptions: LOVE FREE OR DIE (Special Jury Prize winner Sundance 2012) is about a man whose two defining passions the world cannot reconcile: his love for God and for his partner Mark. It is about church and state, love and marriage, faith and identity-and one man’s struggle to […]
The Ultimate Medium | Notes & Review
November 14, 2012
http://shanehipps.com/films/the-ultimate-medium/ That is the deepst truth, right there. Who we are as a person is ultimately the message. Not just your words, not just your thoughts. Who you are as a person. That is the message. Let’s explore the medium of “you.” 1. You have a body. Do not underestimate the power and the importance […]
Ten Reasons People Resist Change
October 4, 2012
Ten Reasons People Resist Change by Rosabeth Moss Kanter | 12:00 PM September 25, 2012 Leadership is about change, but what is a leader to do when faced with ubiquitous resistance? Resistance to change manifests itself in many ways, from foot-dragging and inertia to petty sabotage to outright rebellions. The best tool for leaders of change is […]
Global Leadership Summit | Craig Groeschel – The Strongest Link
August 10, 2012
(live blogging) Bridging the generation gap. I would not be here today had it not been for the people that went before me. I felt called to give my life, but nobody was calling. I want to talk to the older generation, and then talk to the younger generation. OLDER. Now, some of you may […]
Global Leadership Summit | Sheryl WuDunn Half the Sky – Leadership in the Face of Oppression
August 9, 2012
(live blogging notes) http://vialogue.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/half-the-sky-review-notes/ The central challenge in the 21st century is gender inequality. Opportunity does not determine your success. It’s your chromosomes. There are very few things in life that can actually change your level of happiness. One of those things is contributing to a cause larger than yourself. There is research from Harvard […]
Global Leadership Summit | Marc Kielburger – Against Apathy
August 9, 2012
(live blogging notes) http://www.freethechildren.com/ — Interview with Christine Caine — The number one reason girls don’t go to school in Africa is because they have to get water for their village. How did you make a decision to go down a path from the traditional career success route? What kind of legacy do you want […]
Global Leadership Summit | Jim Collins – Great By Choice
August 9, 2012
(live blogging notes) Why do some enterprises thrive and others do not, even in the most difficult circumstances and challenges, and the same ones? It turns out, that the leadership behaviors map almost perfectly between explorers of the south pole and businesses that thrive and succeed. The X factor in leadership is humility, not personality, […]
Global Leadership Summit | Condoleezza Rice – No Higher Honor
August 9, 2012
(live blogging notes) How different is it to be in government, vs. out of government? The first shock is 9/11. After 9/11, your concept of security changes forever. The second is the economic crisis that changes your concept of economic security. The third great shock, the Arab Spring. Authoritarianism is not stable, and can never […]
Global Leadership Summit | Bill Hybels – The Privilege of Leadership
August 9, 2012
(live blogging notes) Luke 8: sower, seed, rocky, thorny, good soil… Continue to spread the seed, even though it may not germinate, grow, or be fruitful. Consider the “math” of this parable. Jesus chooses a 75% “seed-rejection” ratio in this parable. Maybe instead of complaining about the results not being where I had wanted it, […]
Launch | Notes & Review
July 30, 2012
Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas. Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch. Regal, 2006. (223 pages) http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/, http://www.nyjourney.com/ Introduction Your call to start a church is the most critical factor to the church’s success. Don’t be afraid to raise funds from other churches. Build your church from the outside in. Don’t start with small groups […]
A Leader’s Legacy | Notes
July 27, 2012
Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner. A Leader’s Legacy. Wiley, 2006. (202 pages) Introduction …leadership is everyone’s business. (3) None of us are the sole inhabitants of our organizations or our communities — we do not live alone. …The legacy perspective explicitly reveals that we make a difference. Then the only question remaining to consider is, […]
Love Works | Notes & Review
July 22, 2012
Joel Manby. Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders. Zondervan, 2012. (195 pages) 1. A Hard Day’s Night LEADING WITH LOVE. Inside I longed for a better way — a way to unite who I was as a business leader with who I was as a person. I wanted to care about the people […]
Project Oxygen | Google’s 8-point Plan to Help Managers Improve
July 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/business/13hire.html Eight Good Behaviors 1. Be a good coach Provide specific, constructive feedback, balancing the negative and the positive. Have regular one-on-ones, presenting solutions to problems tailored to your employees’ specific strengths. 2. Empower your team and don’t micromanage Balance giving freedom to your employees, while still being available for advice. Make “stretch” assignments to […]
The Advantage | Notes & Review
July 8, 2012
Patrick Lencioni. The Advantage: Why Organization Health Trumps Everything in Business. Jossey-Bass, 2012. (216 pages) Introduction Jim Collins once told me, qualitative field research is just as reliable as the quantitative kind, as long as clients and readers attest to its validity. (xvii) The Case for Organizational Health The single greatest advantage any company can […]
Ten Most Common Mistakes Made By New Church Starts | Notes
June 4, 2012
Jim Griffith & Bill Easum. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made By New Church Starts. Chalice Press, 2008. (122 pages) 1 Neglecting the Great Commandment in Pursuit of the Great Commission Church planting is a spiritual enterprise that can only be effectively accomplished by deeply spiritual people. …Their goal is not to get people to come […]
Onward | Review & Notes
May 30, 2012
Howard Schultz, with Joanne Gordon. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. Rodale, 2011. (350 pages) http://www.starbucks.com/onward — VIA — Lessons abstracted are ethereal and often lost. Lessons in stories are vivid, palpable, moving, and memorable. It is the latter which makes this book so engaging. Schultz provides a surprisingly transparent […]
Leadership Secrets of the World’s Most Successful CEOs | Notes & Review
March 4, 2012
Eric Yaverbaum. Leadership Secrets of the World’s Most Successful CEOs: 100 Top Executives Reveal the Management Strategies that Made Their Companies Great. Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004. (275 pages) 1. Gene A. Abbott: A good leader makes sure he is surrounded by the right people. Only through one’s willingness and dedication to give one’s self, and […]
Humilitas | Notes
February 26, 2012
John Dickson. Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership. Zondervan, 2011. (196 pages) INTRODUCTION | Humility and How I Achieved It CHAPTER 1 | Thesis: What Is Humility and Why Does It Matter? Learning history (and especially learning from it) is the ultimate exercise in democracy. By it you give a voice not […]
How to Start the Big Project You’ve Been Putting Off
February 11, 2012
11:30 AM Thursday February 9, 2012 My highlights from the recent article in HBR: http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2012/02/how-to-start-the-big-project-y.html … Doing something big and important is rarely as simple as just getting it done. Often we don’t know how to start and, even when we do, we rarely already have all the knowledge and capability we need to see […]
TEDx | Drew Dudley: Everyday Leadership
February 11, 2012
I want to start just by asking everyone in the audience a question. How many of you are completely comfortable calling yourselves a leader? See, I’ve asked that question all the way across the country, and everywhere I ask it, no matter where, there’s always a huge portion of the audience that won’t put up […]
TED | Nancy Duarte: The Secret Structure of Great Talks
February 9, 2012
The most powerful device known to man: an idea. A single idea from the human mind; it can start a groundswell, a flashpoint for a movement, and it can rewrite the future. But, an idea is powerless if it stays inside of you. The only difference between an idea that is adopted and an idea […]
Leadership Gold | Notes & Review
January 29, 2012
John Maxwell. Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leading. Thomas Nelson, 2008. (256) Searching for Gold …everything rises and falls on leadership. (vii) …please understand that… 1. I’m still learning about leadership. 2. Many people have contributed to the leadership gold in this book. 3. What I’m teaching can be learned by […]
Leading At The Edge | Notes & Review
January 23, 2012
Dennis N.T. Perkins. Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition. AMACOM, 2000. (268 pages) This path has led me to believe that the essence of leadership can be found in this ultimate crucible of human endeavor. I am convinced that by understanding the things that work when survival […]
The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture | Notes & Review
December 21, 2011
Shane Hipps. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, The Gospel, and Church. Zondervan, 2005 (176 pages) …every innovation is an amputation as well as an extension. – Brian McLaren (from the Forward) INTRODUCTION This is not a book intended to argue that the church needs to engage culture. Rather, it assumes […]
The Effective Executive | Notes & Review
September 17, 2011
Peter Drucker. The Effective Executive. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. (167 pages) Forward by Jim Collins …replace the quest for success with the quest for contribution. The critical question is not, ‘How can you achieve?’ but ‘What can you contribute?’ (x) Drucker’s own contribution was not a single idea, but rather an entire body of work that has […]
Deep Church | Notes & Review
September 5, 2011
Jim Belcher. Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional. IVP, 2009. (233 pages) This book is written for those who are caught in between [emergent & traditional]. They are unhappy with the present state of the evangelical church but are not sure where to turn for an answer. (13) …this book is written […]
Leadership Exemplified
August 14, 2011
During the Leadership Summit at Willow Creek, the following announcement was made: There are dozens of lessons to be learned here — transparency, integrity, honesty, communication, respect, trust, love, etc. Adam Hamilton wrote a thoughtful response in the Huffington Post, and there are plenty others. But as I have mused and read about this, there […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Erwin McManus – Chasing Daylight
August 12, 2011
“I think the role of leaders at this time in history is to be curators of human talent. They need to learn how to cultivate, how to identify, how to nurture, how to develop and unleash the God-given potential in every person.” — live notes — I’m convinced that one of our greatest challenges is […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Patrick Lencioni – Getting Naked: The Importance of Vulnerability in Service
August 12, 2011
— live notes — People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed. – Samuel Johnson Getting Naked is about The power of Vulnerability. Definition of vulnerable capable of being physically or emotionally wounded open to attack or damage liable to increased penalties but entitled to increased bonuses after winning a game […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | John Dickson – Humilitas
August 12, 2011
“Mistakes of execution are rarely as damaging to any organization as a refusal to concede mistakes. Apologize to those affected and redress the issue with generosity and haste.” — live notes — Leading up to the Summit, I’m struck with the reality that I’m going to be the guy that is going to talk on […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Henry Cloud – The Evil, The Foolish, The Wise
August 12, 2011
“No matter what ‘potential’ someone has, or what talents, brains, or opportunities they possess, unless they also have the character to bring it all to fruition, success rarely happens. Who you are really, truly matters.” — live notes — It’s not long into a consulting session when the issue of “this guy” comes up. “This […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Michelle Rhee – Students First
August 12, 2011
“How can we have an education system where 95% of the adults think we’re doing an excellent job, when, in reality, we are only producing an 8% proficiency in math?” — live notes — Clips from “Waiting for Superman.“ Our theory of change was really to focus on human capital. We needed to ensure that […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Mamma Maggie Gobran, Wess Stafford, & Bill Hybels
August 12, 2011
“When you love somebody, you live it.” — live notes — …with Pastor Stephen Sundar and Bill Hybels We all love “rags to riches stories.” But if we’re not careful, we will begin to think that everything should build and grow, up and to the right. But what if God called certain leaders to lead […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Steven Furtick – Audacious Faith
August 11, 2011
“I’m out to activate your audacious faith – to inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential.” — live notes — One thing I do feel that I’m an expert at, is being dumb enough to believe God can do anything. I […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Seth Godin – Poke the Box
August 11, 2011
“Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done. That would be you.” — live notes — Someone here today, is going to change everything, because they decided to, and because it’s important. In general, our society is built on “more!” I […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Brenda Salter McNeil – Courageous Leadership for Catalytic Times
August 11, 2011
“This generation is multi-racial, global, and relational – we must understand and respect this if we are going to reach them with the gospel.” — live notes — A “catalytic event/moment” is a “game changer.” Who could have expected that these young leaders could have created a revolution (Tunisa, Egypt, etc.). They are developing a […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Howard Schultz – CANCELED
August 11, 2011
“While we are a coffee company at heart, Starbucks provides much more than the best cup of coffee – we offer a community gathering place where people come together to connect and discover new things.” — SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT — This session has been canceled due to a petition. See Christianity Today’s article, WGNtv.com, change.org, First, […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Cory Booker – Stand Up
August 11, 2011
“Stand in Newark and you see and feel the dynamic change, the power and potential, you see that the future of America is happening here.” — live notes — My father tells stories about what it means to stand up for something. You will always face in life, adversaries, that want to hate you, and […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Len Schlesinger – Action Trumps Everything
August 11, 2011
“Entrepreneurs have a passion for discovering opportunities. Once they do, they act.” — live notes — 13 years ago, we asked, 1. Find out who your customers are, 2. Find out what they want, 3. Give it to them. Here, I want to talk about something different. In reference to the “From Here to There” […]
Leadership Summit 2011 | Bill Hybels – Opening Session
August 11, 2011
“Whenever you see something going well – whenever light begins to chase back the darkness that threatens to engulf our world – look closely. There stands a leader who is holding that candle.” — introduction — “Swing hard or surrender your back.” | “Punch me in the face, I need it every 12 months.” | […]
Divided | Notes & Review
July 15, 2011
http://www.dividedthemovie.com/#aboutlink [vimeo link] Divided is a very well produced independent film that communicates a critical message to the faith community (and to the secular community as well, really), that families truly are the most effective means through which children and young adults are raised (discipled). However, that really important message is so deeply clouded in […]
The Truth About Leadership | Notes & Review
June 7, 2011
James Kouzes and Barry Posner. The Truth About Leadership. Jossey-Bass, 2010. (197 pages) Introduction: What Everyone Wants to Know About Leadership Age made no difference. (xvi) In the middle of responding to an audience question one of us was saying, “I don’t know what you call something that’s been the same for twenty-five years, but…,” […]
Leading the Revolution | Notes & Review
June 4, 2011
Gary Hamel. Leading the Revolution. Harvard Business School, 2000. (331 pages) PREFACE …the most successful companies weren’t obsessed with their competitors; instead they were following the polestar of some truly noble aspiration. What counted was not so much how they positioned themselves against long-standing rivals, but how creatively they used their core competencies to create […]
Clear The Room
May 20, 2011
Every now and then a company comes along that speaks more to the human spirit rather than to the human urge. And every now and then we need to be inspired by its message and commitment. http://www.advertisingforhumanity.com/ Clear the room. Start with your employees. Your smart, wonderful employees. Get rid of Blake in the corner with […]
Junia | Notes & Review
April 30, 2011
Eldon Jay Epp. Junia: The First Woman Apostle. Fortress, 2005. (138 pages) FOREWORD: To begin with, most scholars now agree that Romans, in common with other early Christian texts, was written in a specific context and to address a specific set of issues or concerns. (IX) To put the point sharply: there is no Greek […]
Man and Woman, One in Christ | Notes & Review
April 29, 2011
Philip B. Payne. Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul’s Letters. Zondervan, 2009. (511 pages) Let’s begin with the end: To the degree my thirty-six years of research on this topic has led me to understand correctly the message God intends to communicate through his Word, I pray that […]
TED | Stanley McChrystal: Listen, Learn…Then Lead
April 26, 2011
“Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.” “I probably learned the most about relationships; that they are the sinews that hold a force together.” “A leader isn’t good because they’re right. They’re good because they’re willing to learn and to trust.”
May 4, 2013
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