So Be It

I read a book a while back in which the author describes someone as a "So Be It" Christian. I really liked that term and it is something I have been asking God to make me. Someone who, regardless of my circumstances, will say, "So be it," knowing that God is in control.

Yesterday at The Masters, Phil Mickelson, on his second hole, had an important 4-5 foot putt for a par. During his backstroke, some debris from a tree fell right in his line which caused his ball to veer off course. Really an unfortunate break (See above video).

Not only an unfortunate break, but come on, what are the adds of something like that happening?! And happening during one of the most important rounds of his career?!

Yet, Mickelson seemed unfazed. He walked to the next tee and went about his business like it was nothing. It was as if he said, "So be it." Cool stuff.

This could have sidetracked him mentally and he could have lost a lot of shots and the tournament out of frustration. I was sitting at home with nothing invested and I was upset. I couldn't believe that had happened. I felt bad and was still thinking about it several holes later. In fact, I was saying to myself, "I hope he doesn't lose this tournament by one shot!"

But, as you probably know, Mickelson hung on to win his third green jacket by three shots. So be it! Thanks for the great example Phil!

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Philippians 4:11b

Why The Best Leaders Are The Best Leaders

One of my favorite authors on leadership is John Maxwell. I recently received something from him that was very good so I thought I’d share it with you:

From 1996 to 2007, manager Joe Torre led the New York Yankees to the playoffs every year - winning an astounding 17 series in the post-season. Over those same 12 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers did not win a single playoff series. This past season, Torre departed New York to coach the Dodgers. The result? The Dodgers won their first post-season series in 20 years, while the Yankees missed the playoffs altogether. Ask Yankees and Dodgers fans, and they will tell you that Joe Torre's leadership matters. However, they may not be able to tell you exactly why Joe Torre is an excellent leader.

What's true of the fans in New York and Los Angeles is true for many of us. We experience the effects of leadership without understanding the cause. In this article, I hope to make plain why the best leaders are the best leaders. In a nutshell, remarkable leaders give their best to their people, and get the best from their people. Let's look at how this happens.

The Best Leaders Give Their Best to Their People By...

1) GROWING
People naturally follow leaders they respect as being more advanced than they are. For this reason, personal growth is directly proportional to influence. If you desire to gain followers, then pay the price of getting better.

To give people your best, you have to elevate your leadership capacity. Consider the metaphor of walking up a narrow staircase - you can only go as fast as the person in front of you. When leaders stop growing, they quit climbing and impede the progress of everyone following them. However, when leaders grow, they ascend the stairs and create space for those behind them to climb higher. Personal growth involves challenging yourself, and pushing beyond the realm of comfort. When is the last time you did something for the first time? How long has it been since you felt in over your head?

2) SERVING
"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."~ Albert Einstein

Serving others is an attitude issue. Unfortunately, many leaders operate under a king-of-the-hill mentality. They attempt to pull down anyone above them in order to secure the top spot for themselves. In doing so, they clutch at power, grapple for control of company resources, and strive to dominate others. Seeing relationships as win-lose propositions, they ultimately burn bridges and isolate themselves.

The best leaders take an entirely different approach. Rather than dragging down anyone who threatens their position, they extend a hand to lift the performance of teammates and coworkers. They function with a mindset of abundance as opposed to an attitude of scarcity, and they wield their influence to prop others up rather than to elevate themselves. Over time, they are honored for the contributions they have made to the lives around them.

All leaders serve. Sadly, some serve only themselves. Serving is a motives issue, and the crux of the matter boils down to a simple question: "Who?" Does a politician serve the public or his pocketbook? Does a CEO serve to benefit her shareholders or to support her lifestyle? The best leaders set a tone by serving and prove they are deserving of being out in front.

3) MODELING
Growing leaders have something to share; serving leaders have something to give; modeling leaders have something to show. As V.J. Featherstone said, "Leaders tell, but never teach, until they practice what they preach." The best leaders embody their values. Their passion exudes from every pore and demands respect.

Good stuff huh? Wednesday I will share with you the second half of this article which shows how the best leaders get the best from their people.

Calm as a Cat

This is a picture of one of our two cats, Frisco, aka "Fat Cat." Both of our cats do some crazy things that keep us laughing and they are a lot of fun. However, almost every morning they can be pretty annoying as they do a great job of waking us up so they can get fed. Thankfully, most times it is right around the time my alarm goes off which was the case this morning at 5 AM.

As I went downstairs to start my routine (feeding them, working out, quiet time with God) I was struck by how normal this morning was. The cats were acting exactly the same as they have just about every other morning. To them, they are going to have a great day with no anxiety...life is good...they are getting fed.

I thought about how different that is for many people who are waking up this morning with fear or anxiety because of the election results. I have to admit I had a little twinge of doubt in my mind as well.

However, I believe God wants us to be like my cats. Make it a great day...life is good...God is in control!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Are You a Bad Boss?

Several years ago I wrote a book called Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders. In the book, I contrast the leadership style of a tyrannical boss I had to the leadership style of some of the Bible's greatest leaders.

My boss was definitely a "bad boss." However, you don't need to be a tyrant to be in the bad boss category. On www.changingminds.org I just found an interesting article which begins like this:

As soon as the word bad boss is mentioned most people start imagining pictures of a wicked person, a crook, a tyrant, a scheming backstabbing individual, a selfish ogre, etc. And typical textbook definitions of a bad boss is one who screams, threatens, intimidates, grabs credit, fires people, throttles people’s necks and so on. While this could be true in some cases, it is not so in a large percentage of cases. Actually it is not necessary to be a wicked person at all to be called a bad boss. Ironically, a good natured or normal person can also fall under the category of a bad boss without exhibiting the standard boorish behaviors. Here are a few common mistakes good people do to slowly transform themselves into bad bosses.

To read about these mistakes go here.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

It seems like all I hear on TV anymore is gloom and doom. "The economy stinks, our president is the cause of all our problems, Yada Yada Yada..."

I'm getting tired of it.

A steady diet of that stuff can make you depressed. There is an old computer saying that goes Garbage In, Garbage Out. The same can be said of our minds.

How about you? Are you tired of the negative media? Are you letting it affect you? If so, turn it off! There is a lot of good out there, focus on that!

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

Quietly Fighting Through Adversity

I heard this morning that Tiger Woods is to have reconstructive surgery on his ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the year from a golf standpoint. This is sad news for the golfing community.

I have always respected Tiger and his work ethic. However, this news makes me respect him even more. He played 91 holes of golf in the US Open this past weekend (4 18-hole rounds and 19 holes in a playoff) over the longest US Open course ever (just on the course he walked over 21 miles on a very painful knee). In addition, it was revealed that he has two stress fractures in the same leg.

Yet, I never once heard him complain about it. Yes, he answered questions about it but he did not make it a big deal. He did not use his injuries as an excuse of any kind. He just battled through them and did the best he could...which was good enough to win his 14th major championship.

I know some people who have exhibited this same character trait. A good friend of mine named Rick recently ran a full marathon with a stress fracture in his leg. Though it was extremely painful, no one has heard him complain.

Buck, another great friend, was diagnosed with Parkinson's. His prayer request is never for healing but he always asks God for the strength to respond appropriately so that Christ may be glorified.

Cool stuff!

This doesn't just apply to physical ailments but to all situations. So how do you respond when things are not going the way you would like at work? Do you act like I do many times and get stressed and treat people poorly or do you do like Tiger, Rick and Buck and rejoice and fight through the tough circumstance?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 (emphasis mine)

Pruned

If you live in my area of the country, you are aware that we have been racked with some pretty good storms over the past week that have caused lots of damage and left many without power for extended stretches.

Two nights ago I went out to cut my grass. As I surveyed the scene, I was struck with how awful it looked. The grass was not only long, but was covered by sticks and limbs that had been dislodged from the trees in our yard. I realized that I had to clean that up before I could mow so I did what any father would do...I got my son to help me.

We picked what we thought were all of them up and I began cutting the lawn. I kid you not, over the next hour to hour and a half of mowing, I stopped at least 7 times to pick up more sticks along the way (usually handfuls of them). It seemed like it was never ending.

As I completed the lawn, I looked over our back yard and was amazed at the transformation. What once was ugly, now looked great.

Lately I have been reading John 15 and in that chapter, Jesus shares these words, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:1-2)

So, in my yard the branches that were dead got removed and even some live branches were pruned away. Jesus is telling us that our lives are just like this. The interesting thing is that He says we are going to get cut either way...so we might as well bear fruit and be pruned!

No matter what, if the landscape of our life looks bleak or hopeless or less than beautiful, know that the Master Gardener can make it look great again!

A Little Dirt

When I was playing basketball at the University of Toledo, my coach, Bob Nichols would constantly talk to us about the importance of overcoming adversity. He would tell us that adversity will come, that is guaranteed; but the key was how we handled it.

Most of the time I wouldn't pay much attention to him. I was in college and I thought I had life all figured out. As I have grown older and hopefully a little wiser I now understand that what Coach Nichols was talking about was absolutely correct.

I was reminded of this when I received this in an email from David Jeremiah:

A little girl walking in a garden saw a particularly beautiful flower and promptly picked it because she felt it was too pretty to be in the dirt. She then took the flower home and rinsed the dirt off with water. Shortly thereafter, the flower wilted and died. When the owner of that garden saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, "You have destroyed my finest plant!" "I'm sorry, but I didn't like it in all that dirt," said the girl. The gardener responded by saying, "I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be a beautiful flower."

Sometimes we become like that little girl, fixated on the dirt of our life instead of seeing the beauty and growth that will emerge in time. But once we have experienced seeing the hand of God in our life, we have assurance that we can trust Him in His sovereignty. So, if it feels like nothing good will ever come out of what you are going through, be patient and steadfast, knowing that God "plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Sweating The Small Stuff

On Sunday evening I was shutting down my laptop when I noticed that my Microsoft Outlook program was acting funny. I closed it and then re-opened it and I received an error message saying something was not right. As a result, I could not open up the program which contains all my emails and my calendar, etc…

Needless to say, this put a damper on my evening, then my day on Monday.

On Sunday night at our home group we did a study on waiting. We looked at quite a few verses in the book of Psalms that encourage us to wait on the Lord. Then we looked at more verses from the same book where the same author writes about how he is having trouble waiting any more and is wondering where God is.

I have to admit, I am not very good at this waiting thing. I found myself in the category of asking where God is in this and wondering why this happened to me.

However, as the day progressed, I actually found myself asking God what He was trying to teach me through this. Perhaps it was that I have too many plates spinning at one time and maybe I needed to be “disconnected” for a while to show me this really isn’t the end of the world. Anyway, about when I reached a point of not being too concerned about my lack of email, I finally found a tool that helped to fix the problem.

When I treat stuff like this as a bigger deal than it is, I realized I am really trying to gratify the desires of my sinful nature as shown in the verse below. One of these days I hope to stop sweating the truly small stuff! Thanks Lord for the valuable life lesson once again!

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

(Romans 13:14)

Shout Praise, Whisper Criticism

On Sunday, I was asked to give a brief commercial to our congregation about the Willow Creek Leadership Summit at both of our church services. I was happy to do this because this is something I am pretty passionate about.

Everything seemed to go pretty well during our run through at 8 AM. Then at 9, during first service, it again seemed to go well. In between services, Emily (our worship arts leader) came to me and said, "Jim, you did awesome. However, can you go up there a little earlier during next service?" "Of course," I said.

Then I was approached by Denise, who runs the production team. She said, "Jim, you did great! However, can you put the microphone right up next to your mouth during 2nd service? People will be able to hear you better if you do that." I said, "Sure."

As I reflected on these exchanges, I was struck with how Emily and Denise both practiced something that a mentor of mine, the late John Savage, used to say. He would constantly remind me that in order to be an effective leader you must "shout praise and whisper criticism."

Thanks Emily and Denise for practicing this and reminding me of its importance!

How To Handle A Bad Boss

I am a big believer that everything rises and falls on leadership. I am also a believer that we are all leaders because we are all influencing someone. We are either influencing them positively or negatively.

Most people think about leadership in a work context. While leadership is important in all areas of our lives, I want to talk about it at work for a moment.

Hopefully, you have a heart that wants to lead from a Biblical standpoint--the way Jesus, Moses, Joseph, Paul and other great leaders led (To learn more about this, go here). I understand we all fall down and that is to be expected. However, if your heart is in the right place, that is what matters.

However, how do you handle someone who is not this way? What if they are your boss, and they're a really bad boss? I came across an article by Dimitri Ly that I think you'll find interesting. It contains some good advice on how to handle a difficult boss. I hope you enjoy!

Bad Boss Blues

This is comical and sad at the same time. Did you hear this? The state of Connecticut wants to make it illegal to be a bad boss. That's right. If you are a boss that bullies, you would be breaking the law.

This is comical for obvious reasons. It is sad because lawmakers even need to consider this. This type of behavior is very prevalent. I can attest to it (you can read more about my experience in my book, Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders).

This is an excerpt from Hartford Business:

The Senate Democrats have reintroduced an “anti-bullying” bill this legislative session – SB 60 – that would make it illegal for bosses to bully their workers.

On the face of the proposal, it makes sense that bosses should not be allowed to abuse their workers, create a hostile and unpleasant work environment or one that causes physical or psychological harm to an employee.

There are bosses who scream and embarrass. There are bosses who e-mail subordinates at 2 a.m., sending angry communications with the letters all in caps and bolded in a scarlet red typeface.

There are bitter bosses who are angry at the world, unhappy with their own lives, and wrongfully take it out on their staff.

They denigrate their subordinates and inform them of all their faults – real or imagined – in front of an office filled with colleagues.

Bullies can ruin a day on the playground. They can ruin a day at work. That never changes. And of course, it shouldn’t be allowed.

Good places to work do not tolerate such behavior by staff or managers. It lowers morale, increases turnover and, consequently, hurts the bottom line.

However, to make bullying illegal in the workplace requires a definition that is not subject to perception.

Before laughing too hard at this, maybe we need to remove the plank from our own eyes (Matthew 7:3-5) and be the leaders God made us to be.

One Bite at a Time

Yesterday I met with three other guys who each have their own business. We meet once per month as what we call a "Mastermind Group." This term comes form Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich and involves like minded people coming together to make each other better.

Yesterday was my day to be on the "hot seat." The hot seat participant is to discuss the issues he is having in his business and to solicit ideas and feedback from the others. It is always very helpful.

During our meeting I presented some information about my Bleedership business/ministry and I received a lot of constructive ideas. On my way back to my office afterward, my head was spinning. I was really in angst about all of these ideas. I felt like I needed to implement them all right now, yet I didn't (and still don't) feel I had the time to do it. This feeling followed me for the rest of the day.

This morning I was thinking about that and how that really applies to me, and to all of us whenever we realize we need to make a change in our lives. We may feel like it is too difficult or will take too much time so we may never do it.

However, I believe God is telling me not to stress about it and to do what I can today and eventually it will be done. True for all of us!

I have heard it said that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Bless You!

Did you ever wonder how the custom of saying "Bless you!" to someone who just sneezed began? Have you ever thought about what a blessing really is? Ever wondered how you could bless others?

I received an excerpt from a book called May You Be Blessed by Kate Nowak that I wanted to share:

It happened a few days after my father's death, in that mind-numbing period of adjustment after someone we love leaves us. Having gone shopping for necessities for my trip back to my own home, I was standing in an otherwise empty aisle of a large chain store when suddenly I sneezed, the last vestiges of an allergy attack I'd fought earlier in the week.

Almost instantly, from the next aisle over I heard a voice call out, "Bless you," and then another, and another, and yet another. All in all, in the span of only a few seconds, I counted eleven different voices coming from every possible direction in the store, some saying "God bless you," others using the word "gezundheit," but all blessing me, all calling good down upon me.

At first I thought little of it. After all the idea of blessing someone when they sneeze is rooted in superstition, an archaic belief that in the act of sneezing the soul is thrown from the body, and a blessing is needed for spiritual protection.

Today, it is usually offered as no more than a courtesy, a polite response that has come to be socially accepted and expected. But on that particular day, in the first few moments following all those blessings being called out to me, I began to notice a difference in myself: A slight shift in perception that left me feeling more connected and empowered than I had in days. It also left me, for the first time since my father's passing, more confident that everything would be all right.

Driving back to my father's house that day, I continued periodic "feelings" checks, marveling at how much stronger I felt. Later, sitting in my parent's kitchen for what would be one of the last times, I recounted the story to my stepmother. "Do you think any of them realized what they were saying?" she asked. "Or was it just out of habit?"

"Just habit," I answered with a shrug, thinking about what a shame it was that people could give such a needed gift as a blessing and not even be aware of what they had done. "It should be a habit, this business of blessing others," I said a moment later. "But it would be nice if people actually knew they could and were making a difference."

A seed was planted that day and two years later it sprouted, awakening me one morning to a gentle soul-whisper that poured forth as the words of a special blessing. Feeling compelled to take pen and paper from my nightstand, I prodded myself into full wakefulness and then sat on the edge of the bed, like a secretary poised for dictation, pen ready to capture each syllable as the inspired words flowed into my awareness.

Because of the power of the internet, those words have since been sent across the planet and read by millions, and as a result, I have received thousands of letters from people telling me how May You Be Blessed has impacted their lives. And in each and every instance I have found myself blessed in return.

I have often wondered since if my newfound work as a dispatcher of blessings is the result of a serendipitous accident that placed me in a crowded store on a day when I was both prone to sneeze, and to listen to subtle nudges from the heart. Or was it, perhaps, that my father's gentle spirit was present that day, inspiring others to offer blessings so that I might be lifted up?

Of course, it is a question I cannot answer, but I do know that since that time my life has changed remarkably. Each day is now entirely centered on the act of blessing and I have come to recognize it not only as one of the most powerful and practical ways we have for reconnecting with each other, our world and Life itself, but also the most phenomenal way possible to lead us to happiness and success. It is a discovery I now endeavor daily to share with all.

A blessing, I have come to realize, is a sweet release from pain; a sacred reminder that we are made of love and light and goodness and, as such, part of a greater and most wondrous whole. It is an ancient key to a successful and fulfilling life.

Today, whenever I share with others this phenomenal key, explaining how, as we each develop the habit of blessing others we are blessing our own lives, as well, I feel as if I have been given a wonderful gift. I realize once again how truly blessed I am. It is my hope that as you read this book and allow the words of this blessing to enter your heart, you will be blessed in return. I could not ask for anything sweeter to my soul than that.

You Know You're A Bad Boss When...

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant? as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." (Matthew 20:26-28)

This morning in a devotional I read the above verse. Then I read a fun article in the Syracuse Post-Standard that shared in a Jeff Foxworthy-like manner, ways in which you know you’re a bad boss.

I found it interesting how almost each of their points that showed you to be a bad boss showed the opposite of servant-hood. See if you agree:

You know you're a bad boss:

If you prefer to email your employees rather than face to face meetings, even though your office is within 10 feet of their desk.......you just might be a bad boss.

If you treat your employees like your 12 year old daughter, you are definitely a bad boss.

If you believe that your way is the only way a job can be done, you're a bad boss.

If you observe your employees sharing the phone number of a good employment attorney, you might be a bad boss.

If you copy and paste text from last year's performance appraisal into this year's, you're most assuredly a bad boss.

If your employee cuts and pastes your picture into a cartoon with hunting trophies on the wall, you just might be a bad boss.

If you see a copy of "How to work for a J3rk" on your employee's desk, you might be a bad boss.

If your employees have a mirror on their desk to make sure they see you approaching, you are likely a bad boss.

If you have an "open door" policy, but your office is usually empty, you're a bad boss.

If you leave to play golf at 3, but write someone else up for doing the very same thing, you're a bad boss.

If you have ever been quoted "if you don't like it, become familiar with the words "you want fries with that", you just might be a bad boss.

If you have ever referred to your employees as "worker bees" you're a bad boss.

If you want to read about a terrible boss I had that led to something really cool, go here.

26:8

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for you;

Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8

We returned yesterday from Atlanta where we attended the Passion Conference. Passion is a movement started by Louie Giglio to minister to college students. These conferences are all about developing leaders within that age group. We were with 9,500 mostly college-age kids (see picture above). Yes, I felt really old, but the conference was incredible!

At the beginning of the weekend, they mentioned that Isaiah 26:8 (shown above) has been and will continue to be the inspiration behind Passion. They exist to make Jesus famous.

Wow! A pretty simple statement, but what a great mission statement! They exist to make Jesus famous.

I have really been thinking a lot about this all weekend. I thought about all the times I have done things for other reasons, especially to please myself (which is most of the time!). I am going to try to keep this mission statement at the forefront of all I do.

Will you join me in doing this yourself? What would happen if we lived our lives with that singleness of purpose, to make Jesus famous? What would happen if we did this in all areas of our life, even at work? We could change the world!

Common Sense

Don't you love it when you see people use common sense? It is extra special when you can see a leader use it in an arena where it is usually lacking...in politics. Some may read the following article and cringe. Don't get me wrong, I am not necessarily condoning all of his actions. I am not for inhumane treatment of people, even prisoners. However, I believe this man is doing some things right and he is definitely using common sense! Read this story about Sheriff Joe which was recently emailed to me:

Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay.

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior.

They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million.

Teresa and I adopted a Weimeraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas.

He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote.

Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a "Git-R Dun" kind of Sheriff.

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY: Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona) who created the "Tent City Jail": He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights Cut off all but "G" movies.

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get Sued For Discrimination. He took away cable TV Until he found out there was a Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel.When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot Its Gonna Be While They Are Working ON My Chain Gangs. He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value. When the inmates complained, he told them, "This Isn't The Ritz/Carlton...If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back." He bought Newt Gingrich's lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails.

When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in His jails in the first place.

More On The Arizona Sheriff: With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports: About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees Inside The Week Before.

Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS. "It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace," Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. "It's Inhumane."

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "Its 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear, But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Damned Mouths!"

Way To Go, Sheriff!

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

Workplace Bullies

Did you see this? The senate democrats have introduced a bill to outlaw bullying of workers by bosses in the workplace. (To read the article, click here).

My first reaction is that this can't possibly work. How will they determine what bullying is? Where will they draw the line? To me, any legislation like this would be a very slippery slope that would eventually hurt businesses.

Before you think I am pro-bullying, you must know that I suffered at the hands of a workplace bully for over a year and a half. In fact, it was so bad it led me to write Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders.

I am anything but pro-bullying. I am just not a believer in government trying to fix things like this as I believe that creates more problems.

I am a firm believer that as leaders, we need to follow the ways of the great leaders of the Bible. The likes of Jesus, Moses, David, Joseph and Paul (and many others) can teach us much.

The fact that this legislation is even being discussed is sad. But it indicates there is a definite need for leaders to lead in a godly way.

Passion

Lombardi. It is a name that means a lot of things to a lot of people. One trait of Vince Lombardi that most would agree with is passion. While he was coaching, I was too young to be a true fan of the game but I have read a lot of neat stuff about Vince Lombardi.

Someone recently sent me this excerpt from a book, What it Takes to be #1 written by Lombardi and his son, Vince Jr.

Zeal and passion are emotions that move you. My father was once described by the late New York Giants owner, Wel Mara, as having, "The zeal of a missionary." And although the Packers held a special place in his heart, my father's passion and enthusiasm extended into all corners of his life. He could get excited about dinner at a good restaurant, a sunset, Christmas with family, and especially, a game of golf.

His passion overflowed. It was an enthusiasm that could be neither corralled nor fended off. "If you said 'good morning' to him the right way," said a friend, "you could bring tears to his eyes." His emotional ups and downs as an assistant coach with the Giants earned him the nickname, "Mr. Hi-Lo." A fellow coach once chided him for working up a lather over what seemed to be a minor football matter.

Lombardi said in response, "If you can't get emotional about what you believe in your heart, you're in the wrong business."

My father laughed and he cried. He communicated with every emotional tool at his disposal. "I've got all the emotions in excess," he said "and a hair trigger controls them." Spontaneity was the saving grace for this hair-trigger personality. My father could yell at a player and five minutes later honestly couldn't remember who he yelled at or why. People understood this and forgave him the excesses of his passion. Coach Lombardi never allowed his passion – and here we're talking about his anger – to become personal.

Passion and enthusiasm are the seeds of achievement. Enthusiasm is like an ocean tide, there's a certain inevitability about it. Zeal sweeps obstacles away. To motivate people, there must be a spark, some juice, desire, zeal, inspiration. It's rough to be a leader if you can't energize yourself, and then your people. They need to be able to tap into your emotional energy – and you need to be able to tap into theirs.

It's called passion today. In my father's day, it was called "emotion." No matter what you choose to call it, I doubt you could find someone who was as passionate – and this is important – as effective, as my father. Having a plan is important, but along with a plan there must be a hunger, and a zeal to achieve the vision.

Few of us are inherently enthusiastic. Even Vince Lombardi had to give himself an occasional pep-talk. For most of us, the passion to achieve, to be first, must be stoked. Every day you've got to lay on some kindling, strike a match and fan the flames of passion and zeal.
This quote from my father reflects his passion for everything he did...

"There's only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything. I do, and I demand that my players do."

I love what he said there. The only way to succeed is to give it everything. He didn't say this only applied to football. He said it applied to anything! Just like what Paul commands us in the following verse:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

Embracing Adversity

On our trip last week, my 11 year-old son was digging in the sand and trying to keep the waves from washing away his creation. In order to do this, he tried to build a wall around his structure.

But each time a wave would come, it would wash away part of the wall. Nothing he could do could prevent this.

The thing that I noticed is that each time he built his wall, it would have jagged edges. And each time the wave came it would smooth out the rough spots and make it look a lot nicer.

If that isn’t a metaphor for life, I don’t know what is. I thought about the tough experiences I have gone through. It was during those times when I got better...when I grew.

I'm sure you've heard the old saying, "you can be bitter or better"-well it's true. Adversity can be like the waves of the ocean…it can smooth out our rough edges and make us better.