A while back, Doug Fields witnessed a parent “smack their kid when he messed up.” This caused him to reflect on how he would have engaged her in a conversation had he had the chance. I think we’ve all been in this situation before. We witness someone do something and we wish we could either […]
In Main Street last summer (2011) we ended up playing games every week for about 15 minutes at beginning if the children’s ministry hour. It was fun. The students had a blast being silly and it brought some great playful energy to the large group time. And, it woke the sleepy students up and got […]
This isn’t the film, but it’s a “teaser”: This film-in-progress was referenced in an Op-Doc in the New York Times called The Role of Youth. In that piece, the video filmmaker says: This video [embedded above and sourced below] draws on ideas and material from a larger film we are making called “Teenage.” That project […]
I’ve been reading a couple of books from the late 1800’s lately. They have offered me an interesting historical perspective on family dynamics. One common, historical fallacy that I have learned thus far is that things “back in the day” were not rosy or perfect by any means and the very things that are deficient […]
“Our brains and bodies need quiet time where they’re not doing anything at all. “This doesn’t mean zoning out in front of the television for an hour and it doesn’t mean getting a full eight hours of sleep per night. “It means setting aside time to process the events of the day, and perhaps the […]
disc-iple Learner Pupil Apprenctice Adherent Follower HT Andy Blanks source YouTube
Until you answer the question why, the cost will always be too high My kids have this down (at least for now). That’s why they are always asking Amanda and I the question: “Why?” They know that it doesn’t matter unless they know the reason they are doing or the function of the object in […]
Between doing the right things and doing things right, always do the right things Sometimes you want to do things in the right way, but they are just not right. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should do something. Ethics should trump pragmatics every time. Character does matter. Success doesn’t have to […]
Lay Hands Hastily On No One I think in almost any circumstance, it is wise to lay hands on no one, than the wrong person. It takes a lot of work, insight, wisdom, and discernment to hire the right person for the job. But in almost every circumstance it is better to wait for the […]
Saul’s Story At the beginning of Acts 9, Saul is a really bad dude. He is in hot pursuit of any followers of the “Way” (Christians) and has authority to put them in prison. On his way to Damascus, Saul was blinded by a light, fell to the ground, had a conversation with Jesus, didn’t […]
Always Have the Courage and Humility to Make the Second Decision When I was in college, I was an RA (Resident Assistant) in the older men’s dormitory. I had made a decision that one of my fellow RA’s thought was incorrect and he asked to meet in order to clarify and, possibly, to change my […]
I made this for the Main Street students to go along with the story of Saul’s Conversion on the Road to Damascus in Acts 9. source Vimeo
People don’t remember so much your failure as they do your claims about their failure As leaders, we know that we fail. And in those failures we hope that those we work with are the forgiving and understanding kind of folk. We know that anyone who is successful they have had to fail their way […]
The Parsley Principle What is the difference between a $15 and a $30 steak? A piece of parsley. Good idea vs. best idea. Often add something extra to it. Often the little extra things go very far. This is the excellence principle. If things are worth doing, then do them well… or at the very […]
In Acts 12, Peter is seized by King Herod in order to “persecute” him and because Herod saw how his killing of James pleased the Jews. Peter ends up in jail, and then through miraculous means, winds up out of jail! We showed this clip when we shared the story of Peter’s Miraculous Escape from […]
Good Leaders Serve Twice Lock-Ins are not my favorite thing to do in the first place, so the fact that the students had trashed the sanctuary with candy wrappers and half-empty pop cans really made me mad. We had already “served” these teenagers by staying up all night with them, and now we needed to […]
King Herod got a little excited that the Jews got a little excited when “he had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword” (Acts 12:2 NIV), so he proceeded to seize Peter also. “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5 […]
People Are Always Down With What They Are Not Up On Gossip occurs when there is not enough information. If they don’t know about something they are a bit suspicious from all 3 angles: followers, leaders, and peers (people you work with). Gossip breeds in silence. Pessimism nurtures dissatisfaction. If people are not included in […]
Always lead people, not programs What are you managing? Why are you managing? Do you try to relate to God through a program and miss actually relating to God? Why is it scary to lead people? Failure? Success? We need covenantal relationships, not contractual relationships. What makes leading people worth the risk? People are eternal, […]
You’re going to enjoy reading this book! Really, you are! I know, I know, I’m reviewing the book so I supposed to say things like that, right?! Well, I typically have to trudge through books, particularly on leadership, because they are boring. Some people enjoy lists of principles and can easily see how to apply […]