Script Ohio

You can't turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper without being bombarded with negative news these days. I thought I would take a moment during these tough economic times to share something really cool (maybe as a distraction to all the negativity!).

I am very fortunate to be able to attend several Ohio State games each year. This past Saturday Connie and I went to the game with two good friends of ours and we had a blast.

I just stumbled across this video of OSU's band performing Script Ohio before the game Saturday. Check it out and enjoy: click here to see video.

Go Bucks!

Rejoicing in Pain

I have been privileged to get to know Matt Thomas over this past year. Matt is one of the three bishops of the Free Methodist Church in North America. Last week, Matt's 28 year-old son, Mitch died from his battle with Leukemia. I wanted to share this email I received from Matt this morning:

Dear Friends and Leaders of the FM Church:

Praise be to our God and Father, the Giver of life, abundant and eternal!

I want to let you all know how grateful Marlene and I are, joined by our four children (Luke, Mitch, Sam and Charese) and their spouses, for your wonderful support, tireless prayer and encouraging letters over the past 16 months- most specifically the two months of our greatest toil as Mitch labored to stay here and care for his wife and continue his ministry on earth. He yielded to death on September 23, only as an open door to entering the tangible, eternal presence of God- Father, Son and Spirit. We are thankful to God for allowing us the privilege of parenting this wonderful son for 28 years, 4 days, 13 hours and 16 minutes. Truly each day was a joy.

I would like to simply convey in a few words what I have learned through the memorial service, letters, calls and emails over this past week. So far, I am aware of more than 50 people who were introduced to Jesus by Mitch. I have become aware of about a dozen whom he discipled into significant ministry. I learned today that about 700 attended his service yesterday in a wonderful tribute to his life. Today I learned that there were some who renewed their commitments to Christ at the memorial. His impact was broad reaching and deep. And, I stand grateful to God for the joy of having him with us through these years. Additionally, the emails and blogs of Mitch, Marlene, his wife Chelsea and me were visited and/or read by approximately 60,000 first time or repeat visitors. Their (Mitch and Chelsea were wed on August 2, 2008) wedding pictures alone were seen by more than 18,000 people.

Through these avenues, I am aware of dozens who have either committed their lives to Christ for the first time or made recommitments to Christ along the journey. Additionally, we had the privilege of praying with 4 people in the hospital to enter the family of God. All of this to say, “This has been a painful, yet blessed ministry through which one of Mitch’s prayers was answered.” He said, “I simply want God to be glorified through this and for his Kingdom to grow.” God has been glorified and His Kingdom has been expanded.

I realize that many of you receiving this have had similar tragedies. I do not want to compare grief with grief or try to direct attention away from the suffering or sorrow of any other brothers and sisters around the globe. I weep with you as well. I simply want to say thank-you for your part in helping us and blessing us through our journey. To the FMCNA Board of Administration, I thank-you for giving me the opportunity to remain by Mitch’s side for the last 7 weeks of his life. To the Board of Bishops of the FMCNA, I express my deep appreciation for the brotherhood and encouragement you have regularly offered. To the superintendent team in the western U.S.A. and Asia, I want to thank you for your deep love and support, giving me your friendship and keeping your pastoral teams informed and active in their support of us. To the rest of you, Marlene and I have had the privilege of drinking deeply from the well of comfort, counsel and encouragement you have offered through your emails, cards, letters and calls. I am thrilled to be a servant in the Free Methodist Church. The FM family has been just that to us- a family of intimate and great proportion.

Blessings in Christ,

Matthew A. Thomas
Bishop
Free Methodist Church of North America

Matt, I know this is an extremely difficult time for you and your family and our prayers go out for you. Thank you for living out your faith and for your great example!

To read more about Matt's thoughts on this difficult situation, check out his blog.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:4-5

Corn Maze Leadership

Last night, my wife and I went to an event for small group leaders through our church. At the conclusion of dinner we went to a corn maze which was a first for me.

We split up into teams with the men on one team and the women on the other. The men were given a map and the women were not; however, they were given a five minute head start.

Even with the map, we got lost several times. Without a map I can see how you could spend a lot of time in there totally confused.

Well, even without a map, the women soundly beat us (I know that is not a surprise to many of you). But I discovered something interesting. Afterward, we discussed our experiences. The women seemed to bond and grow closer through this experience. Each of them experienced a chance to lead and they each found themselves trusting one another. They said they really felt like they were on the same team.

While we had a lot of laughs, our group did not really experience that. We spent most of our time following the guy with the map. As a result, we didn't bond as a group like the women did and we certainly didn't feel like teammates. Pretty interesting leadership illustration, huh?

As a leader, are you just charging ahead while looking at your map or are you getting everyone involved and building a team?

Lessons From Basketball's Greatest Coach

John Maxwell recently wrote of the lessons we can learn from basketball's greatest coach, John Wooden. It was so good, I thought I'd post it here:

At 97 years of age, John Wooden is a legend in the coaching profession. In 1999, ESPN named him The Greatest Coach of the 20th Century.

The list of honors garnered by Coach Wooden during his coaching career is unrivaled.
Over the course of twelve years, his UCLA Bruins basketball teams won ten NCAA Championships, including an astonishing seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. For comparison's sake, no other men's coach has won more than 4 NCAA titles.

He led his teams to four undefeated seasons; no other coach has had more than one undefeated season.

His teams set a record by winning 88 games in a row, including 38 in a row in the NCAA Tournament.

Winning: More than the score
After glancing at Coach Wooden's record, a person may be misled into thinking Coach Wooden was a man preoccupied with winning. However, nothing could be further from the truth. For Coach Wooden, competition was never about comparing his team to the opposing squad. Despite all of the victories, trophies, and championships, Coach Wooden never spoke to his team about winning.

John Wooden was college basketball's greatest coach because he kept score differently than any other coach. Rather than measuring success in terms of wins and losses, he focused relentlessly on potential and improvement. Coach Wooden would grow livid if his players loafed when the team was ahead by 20 points, and he could be thrilled with his team's performance - even when they lost by 20 points.

Leadership Application: When businesses focus exclusively on market share or the bottom line, they run the risk of overlooking or undervaluing the people, processes, and systems that drive results.

Practice: Not perfection, but preparation
When questioned by reporters about missing team practices, current NBA star Allen Iverson gave a disdainful tirade on the pettiness of practice. "We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean, listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game... how silly is that?"

For many sports fans, Iverson's comments were emblematic of the arrogance and me-first attitude of an athlete in the National Basketball Association. If nothing else, his words revealed his underlying attitude: I'm an NBA superstar; I've arrived; I'm good enough to skip practice; practice doesn't matter, it's my performance on game day that counts.

To John Wooden, such an attitude would have been reprehensible. Coach Wooden's style was best noted for his keen attention to detail and the rigors of his practice regimen. In his words, "If you prepare properly, you may be outscored but you will never lose. You always win when you make the full effort to do the best of which you're capable."

For Coach Wooden, winning happened when the stands were empty and the spectators absent. He loved the day-by-day discipline of practice. By convincing his team to give their best effort at practice, he coached them to perform at a higher level than opponents. As a result, he enjoyed unprecedented success when games were played and championships were on the line.

Leadership Application: Challenge your people to give top effort every day, and prepare to the point of excess. If you don't tolerate sloppiness when the team prepares, then they will perform better in pressure situations.

Peak Performers: More than Talent
John Wooden gained an advantage over other coaches because he had a superior method of selecting players. While most recruiters scoured high school gyms solely in search of talent and athleticism, Coach Wooden began his search from a different vantage point.

When selecting players, Coach Wooden's primary consideration was the student's transcript. For him, a student's discipline in the classroom spoke volumes about the young man's priorities. Coach Wooden wanted players who recognized their primary responsibility was to earn a college degree rather than excel on the court.

When evaluating potential recruits, John Wooden's second criterion was the student's family life. Did the student respect his parents or guardians? Did the student treat his siblings kindly? By looking into a potential player's family life, Coach Wooden measured the player's ability to build healthy relationships. He knew relational skills were essential for establishing teamwork and camaraderie.

John Wooden's third consideration when selecting talent was the composite evaluation of six coaches. He was leery of basing his analysis on a single performance. By diligently consulting the opinion of six coaches, Coach Wooden measured consistency. He wanted to avoid selecting players who gave top effort one night only to withhold it on another evening.
Coach Wooden's final criteria for selecting players were quickness and talent. He wasn't naïve. He knew speed and natural ability were uncoachable and irreplaceable. Even so, he refused to select a player until he felt comfortable with the young man's priorities, relationships, and track record of consistent performance.

Leadership Application: By looking blindly at talent, leaders end up with malcontents who place personal gain above team spirit or talent-rich sluggards who rarely give their best effort. When hiring, consider an interviewee's life priorities, relational history, and career accomplishments. Don't discount talent, but never elevate it as the sole quality in a prospective teammate.

Change

The US Treasury Department announced yesterday that for the first time in 50 years, the penny will be changed...actually four times. Starting on Lincoln's birthday, February 12, the first coin will be released with a change to the "tails" side (shown above). Then every three months after that a new one will be released. Lincoln's head will still adorn the front of the coin.

I remember when the state quarters came out and I thought that was a pretty neat change. I think this change to the penny is also. But why? Change is typically something I am not a fan of. But I suppose this change is OK because it doesn't really impact me. I am sure that is why I think this is a neat thing.

As soon as I need to change or something in my environment changes that impacts my comfort, you can be sure I won't be excited about that. However, as much as I would like to stay in my comfort zone, I also know that the only way I can grow and get better is to get outside of it.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

Adversity Can Be Positive

Many of us go through life thinking that life would be much greater and much more fun if we didn't have challenging times, if everything went along just like we wanted. I once saw an episode of The Twighlight Zone in which the main character wished that he would never again lose a game of pool. He then found himself in the twighlight zone in which his wish was granted.

He was having the time of his life...for a while. Then it got boring. No matter what he did, he couldn't lose. He became very frustrated and it totally took the fun out of his favorite game.

This past weekend the US Ryder Cup team defeated the Europeans for the first time since 1999. It was becoming old, with the Europeans continually winning the cup.

Up until the 1980s the US held the cup and never lost. Rarely was anybody talking about the Ryder Cup. It wasn't until the Europeans upset the Americans in 1985 to break a drought dating back to 1957 that the Ryder Cup became a big deal.

Because the Europeans had a stranglehold on the cup in recent years, the significance of the cup was once again becoming diminished, especially from a European perspective. By winning the cup back, the US team now has added more fuel to the fire so that the next Ryder Cup match played in two years will be a very big deal again.

Let's remember this in our lives, especially when adversity strikes. The adversity certainly isn't fun; however, it helps to add flavor to our lives and actually makes it less boring.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

Positive Thinking

I am a pretty positive person...at least I think I am. Before I became a Christian, I loved positive thinking seminars. You know, the conferences where speakers would get you fired up to go out and conquer the world.

I know many Christians who look down upon positive thinking. They think that is for those who don't know God and that it is all fake. They think it is worthless to attend one of these events. I believe that is short sighted. Positive thinking alone will not take care of anything by itself, but it will help you in almost every case...and it certainly is more productive than negative thinking!

Zig Ziglar agrees as he writes:

Just what can positive thinking do? To be candid, some people have given positive thinking a bad name. I can't stand to hear some gung-ho individual say that with positive thinking you can just do "anything." If you think about that one for a moment, you recognize the absurdity of it. As a ridiculous example, I'm a positive thinker, but I could never slam-dunk a basketball or perform major surgery - or even minor surgery - on anyone and expect that person to survive. Nate Newton, the 300-plus pound lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, is positive, optimistic and outgoing but he'd be a complete failure as a jockey or a ballet dancer.

It's safe to say that positive thinking won't let you do "anything." However, it is even safer to say that positive thinking will let you do "everything" better than negative thinking will. Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome. It works this way. You can walk into a dark room, flip on the switch and immediately the room is lighted. Flipping the switch did not generate the electricity; it released the electricity which had been stored. Positive thinking works that way - it releases the abilities which you have.

The student who hasn't studied and prepared for the test won't be helped by "thinking positively." However, positive thinking will help the student who has studied and prepared by "releasing" the stored knowledge when the questions are asked. To express it in a different way, knowledge breeds confidence; confidence breeds enthusiasm; and enthusiasm is an important key to being and doing more with your life.

Buy the positive approach to life and I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

The Palin Factor

Unless you live in a cave somewhere, you probably know that Republican Presidential nominee John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate. This selection has totally changed the political landscape and has seen McCain make up a lot of ground in the poles and even moved him ahead of Democratic hopeful Barack Obama in many poles. In the case of McCain and Palin, it appears that 1 + 1 = 3.

The reason I bring this up is not to debate politics, but rather to point out a valuable leadership lesson. Whether you love him or whether you hate him, John McCain did something very smart. He selected someone who would complement him, someone who would provide strengths where he is weak.

It takes a leader who is sure of himself/herself to do this...someone who is secure in who they are. I have known many leaders who wanted to surround themselves only with people who agreed with them. This did nothing to help their organizations.

When you can surround yourself with people who don't agree with you all the time and people who are better than you in areas where you are not so strong, it will make you and your organization better. Synergy will take place and everyone wins.

Easy Come Easy Go...

My entire life I have always seen the value of homes increase...until the past year or so. I have always been told that the stock market is a great place to have money as it will provide a greater return over the years than almost anywhere else.

You all know what has happened to the housing market lately. The issues there, coupled with the increase in fuel prices have impacted many other industries, even the financial services sector. Lehman Brothers, a company that weathered the Great Depression, filed the largest bankruptcy in our country's history yesterday. This led to a drop of over 500 points in the Dow Jones Industrial average, the largest single-day drop since trading resumed after the 9/11 attacks.

I was raised to believe that our security comes from the money we have invested and saved. God has really been working on me and showing me that anything I have is actually His and He is just loaning it to me for a while.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

Integrity

If you live in my community you have heard a lot about Extreme Makeover Home Edition finishing a home in Toledo. This was an incredible project to help a family in need. Tim Schlachter, the owner of Buckeye Real Estate Group headed up this project. Tim is a friend of mine and when he told me that they would need to tear down the existing house, clear away the debris, dig the new basement, pour the foundation, then build a new 4,500+ square foot house, that job seemed overwhelming. tThe fact that they needed to do it in 106 hours seemed downright impossible. That is pressure. But Tim is a man of integrity and I know he had confidence in his crew and in the process.

Well, they did it! Everything went according to plan and the Frisch family got to see their new home yesterday.

The other day, I drove by the old Savage Hall on the University of Toledo's campus. This is where I once played basketball while at UT. Savage Hall is undergoing a major renovation which began as soon as last season ended (the construction inside is pictured above). The new Savage Arena is to be completed by the start of the 2008 basketball season.

Think about that pressure. If the contractor doesn't get this done, what happens to the games that are scheduled? Would UT forfeit? Would they need to find an alternate site and would they be able to?

The contractor who won that bid had to be very sure of their plans. They also need to have integrity and do exactly as they say they are going to do.

It's kind of sad that those two words, "integrity" and "contractor" don't seem to go well together. I have had many contractors at our house who did not do as they said they would or did not start when they said they would. I have often joked that that is the first class taken in contractor school--how to break commitments.

This doesn't describe you, does it?

Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned. James 5:12

Begin With The End In Mind

Today, I noticed in our local paper an obituary that saddened me. I know, I know...obituaries aren't usually uplifting, but this one caught my eye.

The reason it stood out was because it was so short. One sentence to be exact. No family listed, no accomplishments listed...only the time and location for the memorial service.

I hope that this obituary was short simply to save money. If not, this is very sad. It's as if this obituary is saying this person really didn't live. All he did was be born and now he's dead. Sad.

Let's not let that be the case with our lives.

I have mentioned this before but I am going to do so again. We must picture our funeral and what others would say about us and how they were impacted by us. Then we must live up to those standards so that people actually will say those things about us.

Live with the end in mind. Carpe Diem!

Garbage In, Garbage Out

I am a huge fan of leadership development. I'm not sure why this is but I am continually looking for ways to improve--maybe it's because I need so much improvement in so many areas.

Regardless, I believe that you are either growing or you are dying. I don't think there is a middle ground or a place of stagnation. If you are stagnant you are moving backward.

All of this is an individual choice. A choice of what we are going to put in our minds. Earl Nightingale wrote of this in this following excerpt from his book The Strangest Secret:

George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them."

Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing... he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.

Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make the decision.

We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.

As it's written in the Bible, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."

Remember the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants - one corn, one poison.

The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

Compassion

I have a soft spot in my heart for people who work for bad bosses. I had a boss several years ago who was a real tyrant. That experience led me to write the book Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders in which I contrast my boss' leadership style with the great leaders of the Bible.

I recently read about a contest in which people were given awards for having the worst bosses. Here is one of the entries:

I had to call an ambulance to take my wife to the hospital one morning. I was due in for work that afternoon. So, as soon as I arrived at the ER and my wife was with the doctor, I called my boss and told him I was at the ER with my wife and she was with the doctor. I told him I would not be in that afternoon. He asked my why I could not come in, to which I replied "Did you not hear what I just told you!" and he then said "You said she was with the doctor." So, I told him again that I would not be in and I hung the phone up.

Then, 6 months later my Grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given less than two months to live. When I was explaining the situation to him, he said (I WILL NEVER FORGET THESE WORDS) "I don't know why you are worried about him, he is JUST your Grandfather and he is going to die anyway." I lost my temper and we argued. I later found out from my co-workers that he was mad about me being gone for the funeral. Needless to say, I found a new place to work, and I hope and pray no one ever has to work for someone like him.

This boss obviously had the spiritual gift of mercy...NOT. Compassion was not his strong suit.

I have found that when you treat people as people and not just cogs in the giant wheel, they will work much harder and be more loyal. They will actually care. And who knows, by treating others this way, you might just open a door for them to ask you why you are so different and you will have an open opportunity to talk with them about your faith.

To read more bad boss stories go here.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15b

A Higher Perspective

This past Saturday, my son and I attended the Ohio State game versus Ohio University with our new pastor at CrossRoads, Dean Angell and his son.

I am so blessed to have season tickets for these games. I request that I get tickets in C Deck in Ohio Stadium, which is the upper deck. I like it up there because you can see everything, even stuff that happens on the other end of the field (the above picture of my kids shows the perspective we have at games).

Dean mentioned during his message on Sunday that while he was at the game, he noticed that he could see plays opening up like never before. He said this was due to a different, higher perspective. From this vantage point he could see so much more of what was happening on the field than sitting down lower.

He continued and said that the same is true in life. God has a much higher perspective and clearer picture of our lives than we ever could. So let's remember to go to Him regularly to guide us and help us with the decisions we must make.

Who's In Your Network?

During our men's group this morning (we meet every Friday at 6 AM), one of the guys shared some pretty devastating news he received this week regarding one of his children. It broke my heart.

I know this was difficult for him to share, but I also know that he felt better for sharing it. He now knows he will have brothers praying for him and supporting him.

I was reminded of my life and how much I have grown by being involved with this group. Six years ago I never thought I would be a part of something like this. I certainly didn't want to share my troubles with anyone else because I wanted others to feel like I had it all together.

It wasn't until I experienced the freedom of being authentic in a group like this that I realized what I had been missing. The Bible tells us we are to be in community so that we can encourage others and so they can encourage us. I have witnessed the power of this in my life and in the lives of many others.

To take a line for a cell phone company, "Who's in your network?"

Millenials

Last week at our private briefing for Truth At Work, Ray Hilbert talked about Millenials, also known as Generation Y. These are the people just now entering the workforce. He mentioned that they will be changing the face of the workplace because work life balance is so important to them.

This balance is critical to all of us, even if we don't realize it. If you are like me, you oftentimes go full-steam ahead when you have a lot on your plate. I feel like if I don't do this, I will get further behind and this stresses me out to no end.

There is probably some good in that line of thinking, but I really think, in my case anyway, that it is a weakness. I know that this inevitably will lead to burnout. I really need to learn from the younger generation about this thing called balance.

If you would like to learn more about Millenials, here is a great article.

Renewal

This past weekend, my wife Connie and I spent some time together at Kelleys Island on Lake Erie. We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast and had an absolutely awesome time. Lots of relaxation and reconnection for us. Lots of time spent in Adirondack chairs on the stone platform above, listening to the waves and watching the sun set. It truly was a time of renewal in our marriage.

This was scheduled right in the middle of perhaps my busiest time in my life (see previous posts about Truth At Work). Yet it was wonderful. I didn't even bring my laptop to check messages!

I was reminded that I need to schedule more times like this to "sharpen my saw", especially when I am busy.