Believe in Yourself

In the book 212, The Extra Degree, the author tells the story of interviewing candidates for a sales position which was open in his company. Here is an excerpt from the book:

I looked up and my 1 o'clock appointment was standing at the door. He was a tall, good-looking guy, and I remember thinking, "This could be the one." We talked for about 15 minutes, and I asked a question I always ask, "What will you be doing five years from now? I'll never forget his answer. He said, "Mr. Anderson, the way these appointments have been going, I might still be interviewing!" Well, that wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. We talked for a few more minutes and I excused him.

Then I looked up and my 2 o'clock was there...a short guy with a wrinkled sport coat. He walked over and gave me a confident handshake, and a few minutes later I asked the same question, "What are you going to be doing five years from now?" He looked me right in the eye and said, "Mr. Anderson, I'm going to be working for you. This job fits my skills and my needs to a tee. I don't just think, I know I can sell your product in this market. And furthermore, if you don't like my performance after thirty days, you don't owe me a cent."

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather! He had just made me an offer I couldn't refuse. But the offer had nothing to do with the money I might save; it had everything to do with his unwavering passion and belief he could do it. Within a year, Bob was the number one sales person in the company.

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

S.E.R.V.E.

For the past couple of days I have been in Cincinnati, Ohio for the first Call2All America congress. It has been pretty incredible.

Yesterday, I attended a session on the business track in which Larry Cox shared with us the leadership principles that Chick-Fil-A has utilized to build their organization in a way that honors God. Larry is the director of the WinShape Foundation, a foundation begun by Truett Cathy, Chick-Fil-A's founder, to "help shape winners."

He began by stating that everything in the company revolves around their purpose statement. This is prominently displayed on the plaque below so that anyone can read it as they enter their headquarters.



He then went on to say that they have used the acronym SERVE to describe their leadership culture:

S - See and Shape the future - there are three parts to vision: 1. Planning, 2. Decision Making, 3. Communication

E - Engage and develop others - Improves organization and let's them know they are valued

R - Reinvent continuously - Need to reinvent personally first

V - Value results AND relationships - Master the genius of AND - figure out how to get great results AND great relationships (In other words, have fun while working hard)

E - Embody the values - 1. Know your values, 2. Share your values, 3. Live your values

Truett Cathy has stated that he believes you can change lives by the way you treat people. He has certainly lived that out and his company has as well. It is no wonder they have been so blessed!

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."

Matthew 20:26

212 Degree Leadership

Each Sunday morning before church for the past six months or so, my 13 year-old son and I have spent time reading a book together. We began the journey reading Preparing Your Son for Every Man's Battle. A couple of weeks ago we completed the section that is appropriate for his age so we began a new book.

We started reading 212, The Extra Degree. The premise of the book is that though it is only one degree, there is a huge difference between 211 and 212 degrees. 211 degrees is simply hot water while water that is one degree warmer makes the water boil, which produces steam. With steam you can power a locomotive. A big difference, all for one lousy degree.

The book goes on to share examples of people who have gone the extra mile and how that extra mile has made all the difference. One such story really struck me. It was a story about General Earl Hailston (pictured above).

General Hailston is the only general in the armed forces who had enlisted and come up through the ranks. When asked if he had any hobbies, the general said, "Yes, I love photography, especially taking photos of my men."

It seems that General Hailston would take pictures of his men and email the photos along with a note to their mothers back in the USA. Here is a sample of one such letter:

Dear Mrs. Johnson,

I thought you might enjoy seeing this picture of your son. He is doing great. I also wanted you to know that you did a wonderful job of raising him. You must be very proud. I can certainly tell you that I'm honored to serve with him in the U.S. Marines.

General Earl Hailston

It is clear that General Hailston understood what 212 degree leadership is all about. As a result, I am sure his men would go the extra mile for their commander, because they knew they were cared for and he was going the extra mile for them.

"If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."

Matthew 5:41

Cheat Work, Not Home

Last week, I showed a video from the 2006 Willow Creek Leadership Summit for our Truth At Work groups. The session was Andy Stanley's talk on The Best Leadership Decision I Have Ever Made.

During the session, Stanley talked about when he was getting his church up and running and the incredible effort it took. He talked about the long hours he and his team was investing. He said he had the attitude, "If I don't, it won't." In other words, it was all up to him. He felt that if he leaned toward home, nothing would get done at work.

Sound familiar? It does for me.

Then he received a revelation from God.

God revealed to him that Andy was instructed to love his wife (Ephesians 5), not his church. He also received insight in Matthew 16 when Jesus says, "On this rock I will build my church..." Andy said, "OK, so Jesus is promising to build the church, not Andy."

Andy said it was out of those revelations that his greatest leadership decision materialized. He decided to cheat the church (or work) and not his home. He made a deal with God which went something like this: OK God. You command me to love my wife and you say that you are going to build the church, so here's my deal. You have me for 45 hours per week to get this church thing done. If you can't build the church with 45 of my hours, well, I guess it wasn't meant to be. He decided to cheat the church rather than his family.

After making this decision, what he found out was that this forced him to operate in his sweet spot, doing what he does best. He also found out that his organization began to thrive because he was only doing what only he could do.

Andy shared one more thing which I think is relevant to all of us who are leaders. Those who love their businesses and not their families, have neither great business nor great families. Wow.

I must admit, I am now doing quite a bit of soul searching and taking a very close look at how I'm spending my time.

Work Harder on Yourself

Yesterday, I drove to Indianapolis with some Toledo Truth At Work members to visit with an incredible company who does a great job of incorporating their faith into their corporate culture.

One of the things that stuck out to me is that they have a phrase which they share with their employees regularly, "Work harder on yourself than you do on your job." It is even on pieces of correspondence with employees.

Let me ask you this, have you ever worked for a company with this sort of attitude? Nope, me neither. Most companies I have worked for have had the exact opposite attitude. They gave me the impression that they wanted me and my coworkers to work ONLY on our jobs and they didn't give a rip about us as people. If it were up to them, they would have liked us to sleep at our jobs.

In spending several hours with some of this company's leadership, I can tell you that they walk their talk. They encourage and reward employees for reading leadership books, attending classes, volunteering in the community and going on mission trips. I talked with some employees who just returned from building houses in Mexico and they were stoked. They said it was the greatest experience of their lives. They even have free lunch Wednesdays where they buy lunch for each of their employees.

They have over 1600 employees and they are only 11 years old. They have been on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies in the US for the past several years. In walking around, it was clear that the employees wanted to be there.

The results show that this company's philosophy is paying dividends. And why shouldn't it? The people obviously feel cared for. This will in turn make them care more about the company. Jesus' advice about the golden rule was right on, even for leaders of companies!

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 7:12

What Type of Leader are You?

I was in a meeting yesterday in which leadership styles was discussed. The guy I was meeting is a coach of sort for pastors and he helps them to become the best leaders they can be. He said something that I found interesting. The way he looks at things, he sees that there are three different leadership styles:

1. Anxious leader
– Very reactive – emails and phone calls will dictate their day

2. Ambitious leader
– Always looking for next great program – one "break" away from "success"

3. Aligned leader
– Focuses on what God’s doing – finds where God is working an asks how they can come into alignment with him

He went on to say that the truth is we are in all of these categories at some time or another. The key for us is to try to spend more and more time in the "aligned" category as that is where we are most effective.

When I hear something like this, my natural inclination is to say, "That's nice. I should really try to be an aligned leader more often." However, as I have pondered this, I have realized that moving more of my leadership time into the "aligned" category just won't happen by itself. It will require a decision, effort and then discipline to seek after it (which will ultimately come from seeking after God).

As the urgent matters of life come at us, keeping our commitment to this becomes that much more difficult. So I recommend you do what you need to to regularly remind yourself of this and surround yourself with those who can hold you accountable to doing the things necessary to move you in this direction.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

New Creation

We just had an incredible Sunday morning at my home church, Crossroads! Today was baptism Sunday.

Dean, our pastor, shared with us that being baptized is not only a command of Jesus, but it is much like a passport. It publicly identifies Who we belong to. Going under water also symbolizes us dying to sin and emerging from the water is symbolic of us being resurrected as a new creation in Christ--a fresh start!

At the conclusion of each of our three services, we got to hear testimonies from those being baptized of what God has done in their lives and we got to celebrate with them as they got "dunked." I love the way this is done at Crossroads as each person's testimony is read so we get to see the transformational power of Christ in each person. It is always very cool and today was no exception. Today, there were a total of twelve who did this.

The best part though was what happened at the end of each of the services. Dean invited anyone who was feeling the tug of God to be obedient to that prompting and come forward to be baptized themselves (with no preparation at all other than a change of clothes). In all, there were 19 or 20 additional people baptized! While we didn't get to hear their testimonies, God moving in this way was the best testimonial of all. Yea God!

This not only was a tremendous day for those 31 or 32 lives who will forever be changed. It was also a big day for the rest of us as who have asked Jesus to be the leader of our lives as we were reminded that we are all new creations in Him!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

1 Corinthians 5:17

So Close & Yet So Far

I was watching a little bit of the Olympics last night and saw an American woman compete in downhill skiing (sorry, I can’t remember who it was). She ran, to me, what looked like a good race. In the end she finished 1.3 seconds behind the leader which, again to me, seems really good. But it was only good enough for 18th place!

That really struck me for some reason. Watch the second hand on your watch…1.3 seconds is not a lot of time. Yet, in this particular race, 16 other competitors were bunched within 1.3 seconds of one another. This isn’t a 40 yard dash either in which the times are in the 5 second range, the total time for the race was more than a minute and a half.

I’m sure this American skier ran through her race in her head. If I’d only come closer on that second gate, if I’d only stayed tucked a little tighter in the straightaway… Little things. They obviously make a difference, a big difference in a race like this.

They make a difference in our lives too. That little extra effort on the project you are working on. Going the extra mile to help your neighbor who is sick. All these things can make a huge difference in our lives and the lives of others.

Little things can make a big difference in a negative way too. That little glance at the attractive waitress. Taking that pen from work to use at home. These can become a slippery slope toward destruction.

So let's make it a point to pay attention to those little things so we can make a big difference in the big things!

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
1 Corinthians 5:6

The Power of Leadership

According to a new survey released in January by national workplace expert Lynn Taylor, author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant –TOT (John Wiley & Sons), U.S. employees spend 19.2 hours a week (13 hours during the work week and 6.2 hours on the weekend) worrying about “what a boss says or does.” Click here to read more.

That number is staggering to me. Almost half of the work week spent worrying about their boss. Sad.

Though that number of hours is shocking to me, it shouldn't be. I spent a couple of years with a boss who was the king of all tyrants. He's the guy I wrote about in Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders in which I contrasted his leadership style with the leadership styles of the great leaders in the Bible.

He was our president and I was vice-president of sales. I saw first-hand the negative effect a tyrannical boss can have on an organization, and not just emotionally. My boss hurt the company's bottom-line...significantly.

Like most companies, we had a mission statement. Something that was nice and flowery, something that sounded really good to clients. However, what we found is that informally, our mission statement changed. It became, Do whatever it takes to avoid the wrath of our boss. I'm serious about this.

This became the way we made decisions. What will make him less mad? Whatever the answer was to that question is how we proceeded. We were so afraid to make a mistake and make our boss angry that it paralyzed us and the company suffered.

On the other hand, our previous leader did things quite a bit differently. He allowed his team to do their jobs the way they thought was best and he allowed them to fail. He also saw his primary role as to remove obstacles so that we could more effectively do our jobs. As a result, we felt like trusted members of the team and we wanted to work that much harder. That team thrived and so did the company.

And then it came crashing down. That's the power of leadership--so lead well!

Synergy

In my men's group, we all recently took a survey called Your Unique Design which provides us a snapshot of how we were made. I have done these types of thing before, and though this provided me with similar results, it was done so in a different way which was helpful to me.

The big thing for me though, was how different the results were for everyone in our group. I was reminded as others in my group were sharing, that not one of the guys was made wrong. They were not a mistake and God knew what He was doing.

The thought also occurred to me that if everyone was the same, it would be a very boring world. Besides, life would be much more difficult.

Yes, people who are different than us might frustrate us or annoy us. They might even make us angry because they do things so differently. However, when others are different, that means that they have strengths that we don't have. This can be very helpful if we work together as God designed.

The definition of "synergy" is: the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. I believe that is what God had in mind when He created each of us. This wouldn't be possible if we were all made the same.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

Romans 12:4-6a

Leadership

I am a leadership junkie. I love to go to leadership conferences, good ones at least. I love to read books on leadership and I love to hang out with leaders. In short, I love learning more about it because I believe that everything rises and falls on leadership.

So it was with interest that I read an email recently which contained a list of things John Maxwell says we can do to become better leaders. I thought I'd share this list here:

Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."

Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United State Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.

Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.

Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.

Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.

Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

The Power of Failure

I was watching Joyce Meyer on TV with my wife Connie a few days ago. She had John Maxwell on as her guest. To be honest with you, I can't remember what it was they were talking about exactly. However, I remember one thing that John Maxwell said that has still stuck with me.

He said, "We impress people with our success but we impact people with our failures."

Wow. I know this to be true, but why is this?

Here are a few reasons why I agree with Maxwell that we impact others through failures more so than through successes:

• I listen to people who seem like they have it all together. But I really listen if they reveal to me that they have failed. Perhaps it is their humility that draws me toward them. Humility significantly increases the chance of making an impact.
• All of us fail at times. We are thus able to relate more easily to those who have also failed.
• When someone is really hurting about something, who else can best speak to that wound? Someone who has been wounded in the same way.

So remember, God never wastes a hurt. Fail forward!

12-3-1

Yesterday, Dean, my pastor shared with us about Jesus and the model He gave us for relationships. He said that in Jesus' outer circle were many people. One circle inside of that contained less people who regularly heard Jesus’ teachings. One circle inside that one contained His 12 disciples. Then inside of that was a circle of three: John, James and Peter. Then there was one more circle which contained John.

Jesus spent more time with each group of people as He went toward the middle. John, He shared everything with. John is actually referred to as the one He loved (John 19:26-27 among other places). It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t love anyone else—that is totally not true. It was just that John had a special relationship with Jesus. He was the one Jesus let get closer than any other.

Dean went on to say that this is an excellent model for each of us. 12-3-1. It would be good for each of us to have a group of around 12 people who have access to our lives and that we can “do life” with. Further, it would be great to have 2-3 people who can keep us on track. Then, to have one who has complete access to our life would be wonderful. We were meant to do life together, in community.

There were eight friendship roles discussed that we should each look for in our lives:

1. Coach – Who brings out the best in me?
2. Thinking – Who challenges my mind?
3. Listening – Who hears my dreams and my heart?
4. Sympathetic – Who cries with me?
5. Laughing – Who belly-laughs with me?
6. Correcting – Who respects me?
7. Playing – Who has fun with me?
8. Seeking – Who deepens my faith?

Answering these questions was a great exercise for me for two reasons. One, it showed me how incredibly blessed I am with the people that God has placed in my life. And, two, it revealed a couple of gaps that I have in my relationship roles that I need to fill.

I encourage you to answer these questions, then to seek to fill in the gaps.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17

Patience and Faith

Approximately once per month I conduct a Private Briefing for those interested in learning more about Truth At Work. This morning was one of those mornings.

My awesome bride accompanies me to these meetings to help me get setup and to greet the guests and give them name tags, etc... (Did I mention to you that she is awesome?)

Because of the snow we received over the past several days, we decided to take Connie's car because it has four wheel drive. We arrived at the location of our briefing at around 7 AM (for the 7:30 meeting) only for me to realize that the keys to the building were at home on my key chain...D'OH!

We live 15 minutes away which means we would be returning at the start of our meeting if all went well (which also means that a locked building would be all that would greet our guests if they were early). So, we rushed back home and called our oldest daughter who is 21 (and amazing) and asked her to grab my keys and start driving toward us. She did so which saved us close to 10 minutes (did I mention my daughter is amazing?).

We turned around with keys in hand and tried to hurry as best we could, yet it seemed like everyone wanted to pull out in front of us and drive extra slow this morning...Ugh! It seems each vehicle in front of us could have had a sign on it like the truck above. My patience, and my faith, were being put to the test.

All the while, I was praying and reminding myself that I can do nothing about the situation. In my head I knew that God had it figured out and that I needed to just release it to Him, yet I was trying to control the situation from where I sat. Not only did I find out that was impossible, all it did was create more unwelcome anxiety in me.

Though stressed at times, in the end, I did a fairly good job of remaining calm (nowhere near perfect, but better than I used to be!). We arrived back at our location with five minutes to spare and only two cars were waiting on us in the parking lot. We quickly got setup and started only five minutes late with 12 in attendance.

The meeting went great and two big lessons were once again learned by me:
1. Always bring your keys if you need to unlock something
2. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Enhanced Performance

A friend of mine named Brian Keel puts out a weekly devotional that I receive via email (if you would like to receive this, simply email him here). It is usually very good. I thought last week's was excellent so I thought I'd share it here:

Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) were in the news again recently when Mark McGwire admitted, as many have long suspected, that he used steroids during his playing career. The general consensus is that his confession was prompted by his return to the game as a hitting coach and was timed to allow the dust to settle before spring training begins. Plenty of what he said felt like justification and covering of tracks but I think he was right on at least one point.

Steroids, HGH, Synthetic Testosterone and all the other PEDs are against the rules. So using them is cheating, plain and simple. However, a person doesn’t just take these substances, put their feet up and wait to get big and strong. The only way to get the benefit is to head to the gym and work and work and work. The PEDs allow a person to workout harder and more often that they could otherwise. They don’t make you strong all by themselves; they just make your hard work pay off faster.

In the same way, reading your Bible and going to church won’t make you a stronger Christian if you just kick back and put your feet up after. You need to take what you’ve learned and work and work and work at it. These activities enhance your ability to follow Christ and have an impact on the lives of others. It makes your hard work more effective. And it’s all perfectly legal.

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

The Richest Man in Town

Humble, thankful, joyful and always eager to help and encourage others. Those are just a few of the traits the richest man in town had. Invest three minutes and check out some of the others above. I think it will inspire you today!

From a Place of Worship & Rest

Last November, I had a very interesting meeting with someone who had spent the past five years on a prophetic team at The International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. I have to be honest, I didn't even know such teams existed.

Anyway, after our prayer time at the beginning of our time together, she shared with me some things that God was speaking to her about me. One of those things was that I would get my best ideas in the coming months and years coming out of a place of worship and rest.

I thought, That's nice. But deep in my heart, I believe I was actually saying something more like, Yea, right. I have never met you before in my life. Like I'm really going to believe that.

You see, I have always felt that in order to get breakthroughs, you just need to focus more and work harder. So, what I was now hearing sounded like a foreign language to me.

In late December, I then attended the onething conference put on by IHOP in Kansas City. During that conference, Mike Bickle delivered a message on loving God with all our hearts which really rocked my world (I highly encourage you to click here and invest 38 minutes to watch it). During the message he shared that according to the Bible we are incapable of loving God totally on our own. We need His love to be poured into our hearts so we can love God properly.

Anyway, since that time, I have been asking for this increase of love in my heart. And, in this past week, I have truly noticed a change in my heart. I have sensed my love actually growing for God. Sounds weird, I know, but it's true.

Yesterday, I was at Toledo's House of Prayer from 9:30 - 11:30, which I try to do each Wednesday morning. I found myself just worshipping God and resting. I was actually not thinking about anything but Him (which is rare for me). And guess what happened?

I actually got seven or eight different ideas just dropped in my spirit. It was like they came from left field. Some were related, some not.

Then today during lunch I was working out and listening to praise and worship songs and the same thing happened! Three new ideas.

Amazing. At least to me. There must really be something to this. God is so good!

I do believe that God is changing my paradigm a bit, no? So what do you say--would you like to join me on this journey of seeking Him through worship and rest?

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Matthew 6:33

Creativity

Invest three minutes and check out this video of Raymond Crowe--very entertaining.

As I watched this a couple of things hit me:
1. I was reminded of how great wholesome entertainment can be
2. It is amazing the creative things that can be done with the bodies that God gave us

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14a

Overcoming Adversity

My family has become a fan of American Idol since its second season on the air. It's one of the few shows that most of us watch with regularity.

This past week there were two contestants who really touched me. The first was 18 year-old Shelby Dressel who was born with a nerve issue which does not allow her to smile on the right side of her face. In the interview shown above, she admitted she is very self-conscious about this. However, as you will see, she does quite well in her audition.

Below, is the audition of Dave Pittman, a guy who was diagnosed at the age of nine with Tourette syndrome. He also knocks it out of the park. Watch it below.

I love it when people overcome adversity!

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:3

Definition of Success

I was asked way back in October, I think, by a friend of mine if I would come and speak to a group of business leaders. My friend owns a very successful business and he decided that he would gather business leaders together to hear speakers who can speak on different business topics. He felt this would encourage the community and could possibly even help his business. The first three of his get-togethers have been very successful with about 50 leaders at each event.

This morning was my turn to speak and I had been looking forward to it as this is something I really enjoy doing. When I woke up this morning I saw there was around an inch of fresh snow on the ground and it was very windy outside. I didn't think much of it though.

When I arrived, it became apparent that the blustery weather was keeping people home. By the name badges that were prepared, it looked like there was over 50 people registered. Yet, only a fraction of that showed, probably 15-20 people.

From my perspective, it appeared that the morning went very well. It seemed like everyone was engaged and having fun and I believe they all took something from our time together. In addition, many gave me some very nice feedback which is always nice.

On my way back to my office I was reflecting on my morning I received a revelation of sorts. Typically, I would have been quite discouraged that so few people showed up to hear me speak. I would have viewed the event as a failure. Today was different. I believe God is trying to teach me to change my definition of success. He wants me to just do my part and leave the results up to Him.

I have not "arrived" by any means, but for today I am trusting Him that the people that He wanted there were there. I am viewing the morning as a success. Thank you Lord!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Young Leaders

How many of you when you think about young people immediately have negative thoughts? How many of you think their work ethic is lacking? How many think their level of respect is well below the standard? My guess is that many feel this way.

I was asked to speak this morning before school to a group of student-athletes at Sylvania Northview High School (my alma mater). These kids gather together every Tuesday morning at 7:00 to honor God. They make up the school's huddle for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

As I was interacting with this group, it dawned on me. These students are light years ahead of where I was at their age. I mean, there really is no comparison.

At that age, I was so concerned about what everyone thought of me. I knew nothing of God. I knew nothing about respecting and loving others. Here they are meeting early in the morning, to honor Christ. I'm sure they catch some flack from other students, yet they get together anyway. They are showing that they play to an audience of One. They are true leaders.

I am sure they asked me to come in to share something with them from my past experiences that might have a positive impact on them. I hope that happened. But I know for sure that they had an impact on me!

One thing I was reminded of is that I need to not be so quick to judge others, especially those younger than me. I don't know about you but that encourages me today and gives me great hope about the next generation!

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

Faith in What?

Watching 40 year-old Brett Favre lead the Minnesota Vikings last night made me wonder if the guy was human. It seemed like he was being hit on every play and yet he kept getting up for more.

The Vikings eventually lost the NFC Championship game to the New Orleans Saints in overtime, but the memories of Favre's effort are etched in the minds of many.

So the question remains, "Will he really retire?" (He's retired and un-retired twice now). He has to be asking himself, "Will my body take another year of this pounding?" For him to continue playing, his body must be able to support him. Even though he seems super-human, the fact is that Brett Favre's body will eventually wear out.

This is where the problem lies with many of us. We put our trust in faulty support systems. We have faith that we will always have a job, that we won't run out of money, that we will always have particular talents and that our bodies will always be able to do what they do.

When we begin to lose these things or they start to deteriorate we find ourselves in trouble. We find that we have put our faith in the wrong things, in things that don't last.

There is only one thing that is eternal and that is Jesus. Put your faith in Him and you will be building your house on a firm foundation.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Matthew 7:24-27

What the World Needs

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurman

I listened in on a conference call yesterday afternoon to a writing "expert" being interviewed. She said that the biggest mistake that writers make is that they write a book without doing their market research to determine what is not being written about. She said you don't want to write about something that has been frequently written about.

On the surface, this makes sense. If you are writing your book for financial gain that sounds like pretty good advice. However, I believe the best advice would be to write what you're passionate about.

The same is true about what we do in life. That's why I love Howard Thurman's quote above so much. He's got it right. Each of us are wired in a unique way. We were crafted this way by God because He wants us to use the gifts and abilities He has given us to do the things that make us come alive while serving Him and others. When someone is operating in their "sweet spot," everyone is better off...that person and the world.

So when's the last time you asked yourself the question, "What makes me come alive?"

Friends

In my last post, I shared about the value of having people in your life who can challenge you, who will love you no matter what and who are committed to making you better. I just got back from breakfast with one of these people in my life. He is not just any friend, but someone I consider to be a true friend. I only have a few such friends--people I can share everything with and who I invite to speak into my life regularly.

Last week I was struggling with the feeling of being overwhelmed while trying to discern where God was leading me. It seemed like I had too many irons in the fire and I was sharing my frustration with my friend. Upon hearing this from me, he said, "Let's get together Saturday to process all this."

So we met Saturday morning...and then into the afternoon. It was an incredible time together and he really helped me to sort some things out and God revealed some great things to me during this time which gave me some clarity.

There were times during our meeting where I just was overwhelmed with emotion and thanksgiving. I was so thankful that God allowed people like him to be in my life. People who will love and accept me, despite all of my issues (of which there are many). People who are willing to give up part of their weekend to help me walk through some things.

On my drive back to my office this morning after my breakfast with this same friend, I reminded myself of how blessed I am to be surrounded with friends like these. I also thought, "Getting together with friends like this to support one another, now, this is doing church."

I share this with you today because I wanted to add something that was not discussed in my last post. Not only will these friends help you to improve in all areas of your life, but you will be incredibly blessed in the process.

If you don't have any friendships like this, my hope is that you would seek them out. These are not things that happen by accident. You must ask people to get together with you and if you feel a connection, then ask if they would be willing to meet regularly.

If you will do this, I promise you will be blessed in more ways than you can imagine.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:25

Accountability

In my post on Friday I talked about the different faces we all have: the public face, the private face and the personal face. I mentioned that the closer these three faces are to one another the more healthy we are and the more integrity we will have.

Saying we are going to work on this is one thing. Actually doing something about it is another.

One of the things I do for a living is to lead monthly roundtable groups of Christian business leaders. As part of each four hour session, we include a time of accountability. During this time, each member is to share what they want to accomplish during this next month in their personal life and in their business. They will then give a report next month on how they did. If they got it done, we celebrate. If not, they pay a penalty which is usual a stiff financial fine. This drives true change!

I bring this up because as humans, we all have a tendency to do the easy things first and to let the tough things slide. Bringing our three faces in line with one another is definitely not an easy thing and it is certainly not a natural thing for us to do. So, we will need help. We will need accountability.

We all need people in our lives who we can share everything with, who will love us anyway and will care enough about us that they will hold us accountable to doing what is right.

Do you have 1-3 people like this in your life? If not, I encourage you to seek them out.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17

Three Faces

In my men's group we are going through a study called Men's Fraternity. Men's Frat is a three year study led by Robert Lewis which is excellent. Our group is midway through our third year and this morning we discussed the things in our life that are adventure busters.

One of the things Lewis shared was that leading a "double life" can rob us of our adventure. He said this is something that is so subtle and it can easily creep up on us, especially if we are Christians.

The reason this is so for Christians is that oftentimes our three faces aren't very close to one another.

He said that each of us has three faces: the public face, the private face and the personal face. The public face is what everyone knows when they see us. The private face is what a few close to us know. The personal face is who we are at our core.

As Christians, oftentimes we put on this public face that is expected of us while inside we are really a mess--our personal face is totally different...our walk isn't matching our talk.

The closer these three faces are to each other, the more healthy we are.

I just looked up the definition of "integrity" and one of the definitions I found was this: "The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness." Being whole or undivided...interesting. In other words, not having a division between our three faces = integrity.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

James 1:5-8

Palindrome

A palindrome is a word, line or verse which reads the same backwards as forward. The above video shows some text which when read forward has the exact opposite meaning as when read backwards.

This is a video that apparently was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP and this video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant.

Take 1 minute and 44 seconds and watch it.

Leaders & Cheerleaders

I get a magazine each month called Sharing the Victory which is put out by Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It is a great read with some very inspiring and encouraging articles. This month was no exception.

This month's cover story is about the record-setting quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees. I highly recommend the article.

Les Steckel, FCA's President talked about Brees and the power of encouragement in his Coach's Corner segment of the magazine which I thought I'd share:

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say something a little controversial. I think Drew Brees is underpaid.

It’s OK if you disagree with that statement. I think I’m a little biased having coached NFL quarterbacks for so many years and seeing the amount of pressure and scrutiny they endured. Guys like Brees—true leaders in every sense of the word—have a certain kind of pressure on them that most of us will never understand. So, in my opinion, when you find a leader who is able to handle extremely high-pressure and split-second situations with such skill and grace, he (or she) is worth a big price tag.

In my travels, I often get one statement from those I meet: “So, tell me about leadership, Coach.”

As far as leadership in my own life, as a former officer in the United States Marine Corps, I personally follow the 11 leadership principles they teach. Some of those include knowing yourself and seeking self-improvement, setting an example, training your men as a team, and keeping the troops informed. But one other trait I’ve noticed in great leaders—particularly through sports—is that they are also the best cheerleaders.

Watch Drew Brees on the field before a game. He’s out there leading his team in a chant to get them fired up and ready to play. On more than one occasion this season, as you’ll read about in this month’s cover story, the Saints have been down by large margins and Brees has led them to comeback victories. How? By keeping his team encouraged and instilling in them the confidence they needed to rally and win.

“We can be powerful reminders to those around us of God’s power and the fact that He works for our good in all situations.”What a powerful lesson to apply to our lives as we begin 2010. Each of us is called to some form of leadership. Whether that is in our business, our classroom, our home, our sport or our ministry, we all are called to lead and govern in some way, even if it is small. How can we do that in a way that effectively inspires others and shows them the love of Christ? One way is for us to begin taking the words of the Apostle Paul seriously when he says to encourage and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Think about the people in your own life who have inspired and encouraged you through difficult situations. How great and wonderful it is to hear a timely “atta boy” or “you can do it” just when you need it the most. I imagine that all the players in a huddle with Drew Brees feel 10 times more capable of doing their jobs on the field after he has reminded them that they are skillful and talented athletes. As Christians, we can do the same thing for our brothers and sisters by encouraging them with truth from Scripture and by reminding them of who they are in Christ and what He is capable of doing through their trials. We can be powerful reminders to those around us of God’s power and the fact that He works for our good in all situations.

I want to challenge you this month to examine your own leadership skills in the area of encouragement. Try following the example of Drew Brees—one of the most effective Christian leaders in the game of football—and be a cheerleader and encourager for those you lead. Bless them by speaking the powerful truth of Christ into their lives and assuring them that, through His power and strength, they can achieve His great purposes. Who knows? You might find yourself being encouraged in the process.

Honoring God in Tough Circumstances

Last night the Texas Longhorns played the Alabama Crimson Tide in the National Championship game for college football. Alabama won the title 37-21.

In my last post, I closed with these words regarding Colt McCoy, Texas' star quarterback about his last collegiate game: "Colt, I hope and pray your light does shine for Him tomorrow night and beyond!"

McCoy was injured and knocked out of the game on the fifth play of the game which severely hindered the Longhorns. So, by all accounts it looked like Colt would not be able to let his light shine for God. However, that is not how it turned out. Check out the short video above to see how he glorified God in spite of the tough circumstances.

Way to go Colt!

The Real McCoy

Tomorrow, the Texas Longhorns take on the Alabama Crimson Tide for the National Championship in college football.

It was fitting that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes featured Texas' star quarterback, Colt McCoy, in an article and had him on the cover of their magazine. By the sounds of it, he is the real deal.

In the article, McCoy had this to say about his lofty position: “I realize God has given me this opportunity and that it’s a platform to shine the light for Him,” McCoy said. “I know I wouldn’t be here without Him. I want to be a guy people can look to and see Christ shining through me.”

What a great attitude.

You don't have to be a star quarterback to have this mindset, however. This is the same attitude we all should take on regardless of what we are doing. So whether you are a president of a company or you sweep floors, read Colt McCoy's statement again and make sure you apply this to your life.

Colt, I hope and pray your light does shine for Him tomorrow night and beyond!

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

How's Your Thinking?

Yesterday afternoon I went to Massage Envy for my monthly massage, a practice I began a few months ago. I was with a new therapist who was recommended to me by a friend and as I asked her questions about her background, she revealed that she was from out of town and moved here about five years ago.

When I asked her how she liked Toledo, she said, "I love Toledo. They've got an awesome museum, a fantastic zoo. It's easy to get around. The people are friendly. There are lots of choices for schools. It's a great place!"

Wow! Was that ever refreshing to hear. I echo her comments as I, too, love living in this area. However, it seems that whenever I open up our newspaper or turn on the TV, I hear about how bad Toledo is. I also hear this from many that I know. They may complain about the cold in the winter and then complain that it's too hot in the summer. Or it might be that it is so grey in the winter, then it too bright in the summer or any number of other things.

I was reminded of a story I heard in which a guy pulls up at a gas station heading into town. He asks the attendant, "Are the people friendly in the town up ahead? I'm moving there from out of town."

The attendant replied, "What were the people like in your old home town?"

"They were the most unfriendly people you've ever seen. They were downright mean."

"Well, I'm afraid the people in this town are the same way."

About an hour later another car pulled up, "Are the people friendly in the town up ahead? I'm moving there from out of town."

"What were the people like in your old home town?"

"They were great people, very friendly and welcoming."

"That's exactly the type of people who live here as well!"

So how's you're thinking?

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 Push

Do you know anyone who knows they need to do something but they are afraid to step out? Perhaps it's starting that new business or talking to a large group or telling a parent they forgive them for hurts from the past. Maybe it's a high schooler staring at the phone for hours wondering if he should call that girl in his class and ask her out.

So do you know anyone like this? Is it you?

In either case, we can do something about it. The above video is a great example of how the encouragement of others can help someone to step out in faith. Oftentimes we think of encouragement as being a kind word; however, encouragement can also be a push.

In the video, the mother eagle wonders, "Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?" Though she had this question in her head, she knew the most loving thing she could do for her children was to give them a push out of the nest.

The same holds true for us. Do you need someone to give you a push? If so, find that person and ask them to help you. Also, be on the lookout for others who might need help. Then give them a push!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Foiled Plans

On Saturday morning I left to fly to Dallas to meet three of my best friends from high school (pictured above). One lives in Dallas and the others live in Charlotte and Seattle. We haven't all been together for over 20 years.

The catalyst in all this was that the Dallas Cowboys were hosting the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and Walt, our friend in Dallas had tickets to the game. The three out-of-towners all booked our flights to come in Saturday morning and to depart Sunday evening after the game which was scheduled for a Noon kickoff. We all were able to book our flights using frequent flier miles so things were working out very well.

We were all very excited to see each other and to check out Dallas' new stadium.

A week ago today, Walt called me and said, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we've got a great game to see this weekend (the game now had significant playoff implications). The bad news is that because it's such a great game the NFL has moved it to a 3:15 start." Not good. If we attended the game, we would all miss our flights home.

We all scrambled to try to look for different outgoing flights so we could see that game. It was not going to work for all of us, however, so we decided to stick with our original flights and just skip the game. Truthfully this wasn't a huge deal as the main thing we wanted to do was just get together, but it sure would have been nice to see the new stadium.

Saturday, I arrive in Dallas and find out that Walt had tickets to the Cotton Bowl which would also be played in Dallas' new stadium on the day of our arrival. So, we attended that game which was a lot of fun (Ole Miss beat Oklahoma State by the way). This worked out great for me as I am much more of a college football fan than pro anyway. Plus we got to marvel at this incredible stadium with the world's largest video screen (remember, they do everything BIG in Texas - it is 160' X 72').

The entire weekend was fantastic and last night I began my journey home. At the airport in Dallas I asked the attendant at the counter if there was anything available in an exit row. She said there was not. For those who don't know me, I'm 6'8" tall and I don't really fit in a regular coach seat. I could not remember the last time I didn't have an exit row or bulkhead seat so I was not looking forward to this flight.

After entering the plane, I folded up my legs and got in my seat and after we were in the air a few minutes began a conversation with a very nice lady sitting next to me. Well, we ended up talking the entire flight which totally distracted me from my uncomfort.

There were quite a few connections between us. She is an author, I'm an author. She is involved in ministry, I'm involved in ministry. She is a business owner, I'm a business owner. It went on and on. The flight seemed to take no time at all.

In retrospect, I can now see why God did not make a way for me to change my seats--I would have missed this "divine appointment."

This whole weekend, from the football game situation to my flight was a great reminder to me that I need to stop complaining about circumstances and trust that God knows what is best for me.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6