I've Moved

I have moved my blog over to wordpress... check me out HERE.

Taste and See

Check out my latest blog post HERE at wordpress.
I'm trialing wordpress out. Let me know what you think of the wordpress platform.

Lessons From A Duck

I was listening to a podcast by Ps Craig Groechel and heard this really great story. Thought I'd share it with you:

There was a duck that was late in leaving to join the other ducks that were migrating.
He had to fly alone and was caught up in a snow storm. He grew really tired and his wings began to freeze. The poor little duck crashed into the earth to what looked a sure, slow and agonizing death lying in the snow.
The duck heard a sound... the sound of a cow who stood over the poor bird. The next moment the cow pooped on the duck.
Great, not only was the duck freezing to death but now he was covered in dung too!
But that dung melted the snow and started to defrost the ducks wings.
With excitement the duck began to cry out... but this attracted a cat, who dug the duck out... and ate him.

3 things we learn from this story:

1) Not everyone who drops dung on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who digs you out is your friend.
3) If you're covered in dung, shut-up!

How have these 3 lessons played out in your life? I'd love to hear your story.
Leave a comment and let's get the conversation rolling.

Taking Delegation To A Whole Nutha Level!

I was surfing the other night and I found this incredible blog and web site of Soul City Church. They are a church plant that is looking to launch in early 2010 and are trusting God For $800K to launch. Jarrett & Jeanne Stevens have a big dream and big hearts to go with it.
Their web site is amazing! Check it out HERE.
To give you a taste of whats on their blog I have one of their posts below. Want to see more of their blog posts... click HERE.

Last week I (Jeanne) hit one of those common walls that leaders hit. I looked at my to-do list and realized there were far too many boxes to check than I had hours left in my day. I confess that I am an activator and achiever and so often my first response is to come up with as many possible ways to push past the gift of my human limits and throw on my superwoman cape of capacity and power through. But I know that when I do that it leaves me feeling more exhausted, lacking in inspiration, impatient, and ultimately unsatisfied.

Every day I awake to a list of tasks that are calling out to me to accomplish them. I don’t suspect that there is a day in my near future when there will be nothing on the list. Starting a church, leading a ministry, raising a family, and following a dream happens through the constant accomplishing of tasks and goals one day at a time. But it should never be done alone. I know that if I am the only one looking at the list and tackling the list I am breaking one of our Core leadership Values for the staff & volunteers of Soul City Church.

Doing less is Doing more! Always be looking for someone that you can develop into leadership by giving away appropriate authority instead of developing a follower by giving away a task.

Far too many church leaders are burning out and giving up because they only give away tasks – not authority. Maybe you have hit this wall too – maybe you’re at it right now. My hunch is that there are some amazing people right around you that are hungry to lead with you, not just accomplish a task.

So how can you DO MORE by DOING LESS this week?

Wow, this post was a challenge to me! Handing out tasks is simple... but ultimately gets you no-where. This will definitely take my leadership to a new level.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and lets get the conversation rolling.

Finishing Up In A World Of Drop Outs

I wanted to share a blog post that James Macpherson wrote. I have only included his points, for the full write up please click HERE.

1. Dropping out is irresponsible whilst finishing up is responsible



2. Dropping out shows dishonor whilst finishing up shows honor



3. Dropping out displays cowardice whilst finishing up displays courage



4. Dropping out prioritizes convenience whilst finishing up prioritizes conviction


5. Dropping out shows a carelessness with relationships whilst finishing up shows a commitment to relationships



6. Dropping out diminished a person’s character whilst finishing up builds a person’s character


7. Dropping out creates a reputation and so does finishing up!


From time to time there is a need to finish up. But there is never any excuse to drop out.



What a great post!
Leave a comment and lets get the conversation started!

Are You Looking In The Right Places?

John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Usually we get the picture of God chasing us with a pitch fork if we do not follow Him...
but what if this Scripture is pointing us to the fact that we will only find life... eternal life in Him.
We can look else where, but we won't find the life we are looking for.
Only Jesus has life... or to be correct... is life itself.

Maybe thats why this scripture is one of my favourite:

John 10:10 (KJV)
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this... please leave a comment.

Winning On The Uphills

I found this great post by Seth Godin:

Winning on the uphills

Interesting business lesson learned on a bicycle: it's very difficult to improve your performance on the downhills.

I used to dread the uphill parts of my ride. On a recumbent bike, they're particularly difficult. So I'd slog through, barely surviving, looking forward to the superspeedy downhill parts.

Unfortunately, I had a serious accident a few years ago (saving the life of a clueless pedestrian by throwing myself onto the pavement). Downhill might be fast, but it's crazy.

Lesson learned. Now, I look forward to the uphill parts, because that's where the work is, the fun is, the improvement is. On the uphills, I have a reasonable shot at a gain over last time. The downhills are already maxed out by the laws of physics and safety.

To read the rest of the post click HERE.

Please leave a comment and share your thoughts and experiences with us.

And For those of you who love the crazy downhills...