Last night on the plane to Dallas I ask myself this question, “Do I Really Need This Conference?” You see, today as you read this post, I am attending the D6 Conference in Frisco, Texas. (Frisco is a suburb of Dallas, which also could describe several other major cities in Texas.) Perhaps you heard or read about D6 and wish…
Vision - Part 3: The Inward Component Visionary leaders are people who see farther, see more and see before others. But not all visionaries should be followed. The world has seen its share of diluted visionaries who led the gullible to destruction. Some have fallen victim to evil visionaries driven by ego or something more sadistic. Others have followed charlatan…
Vision - Part 2: The Outward Component When it comes to leadership, clichés abound. Perhaps you have heard or even used maxims like “If you think you are a leader and no one is following, then you are just taking a long walk” or “there is no I in team.” Visionary leaders understand that “Leadership is a team sport.” A…
People without a vision will be personally frustrated at the lack of purpose, but leaders without a vision are dangerous because others are following them in their aimlessness. Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus in their book Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge said it this way, “The absence or ineffectiveness of leadership implies the absence of vision, a dreamless society, and…
Perhaps you have seen the recently released Nielsen report on Internet usage or at least you have heard the buzz. According to new stats, sites like Facebook and Twitter now account for 22.7% of time spent on the web; the next closest activity is online games, which make up 10.2%. This information is like gold to marketers and those who…
Images of kids crying in the backseat of your car, rushing through airports carrying entirely too much stuff or maybe some comedy movie on the topic quickly emerge when people think of “family vacation.” Obviously there are some negative aspects that cannot be ignored, but it is also a time to build memories. Last night I spoke at our Word…
I made a remarkable scientific discovery in the fifth grade. Actually I did not discover this scientific principle: I just became aware of it. I was playing with two magnets, watching them attract each other, and that’s when it happened. I turned them around and voila! …they repelled one another. I know this is not “earth shattering” information. Most of…
The dictionary says that anticipation is an expectation or hope. I think that expresses my feelings the last few weeks concerning the Where Was God When…? project. I have anticipated it arriving and being used of God to help students and adults deal with the difficult questions of life. Well, they are finally here. The book and DVD set of…
In order to stand on the highest point on planet earth, I would have to scale Mount Everest conquering its peak of 29,028 feet above sea level plus or minus 10 feet because of the snow pack. Since I have no trips planned to the Himalayan mountain range, on the border of Nepal and Tibet, I will settle for the…
Ministry should be dynamic and exciting; it is too important to approach casually or passively. Ministry should always be changing because culture constantly evolves. It is imperative that we be anchored firmly in our Biblical Principles while assessing and changing our methods. I recently read While You Were Micro-Sleeping, Fresh Insights on the Changing Face of North American Missions by…