Run a Collaborative Meeting Without Bloodshed in 7 Steps

This Monday Memory brought by way of a post I wrote in February 2018. I love people. I like meeting with people. I hate meetings. Let me rephrase that.  I don't hate meetings — just the unproductive ones that waste everyone's time... and by everyone's time, I mean my time. "Christmas may not be important to some people, but it is very important to the rest of us!" …

How to Give a Better Dinner Speech

I love my job. I'm a pastor on staff at a church outside of Kansas City Missouri. Once a month we host newer attendees at an informal gathering which is a strategic part of our next steps process. It works well in connecting people that want to get involved at our church. Our pastors all sit …

The Power of Pronunciation

https://youtu.be/aanhAPZoxAI

5 questions to ask yourself before your next ‘Drop the Mic’ presentation

Pastor, writer, and communicator aficionado Andy Stanley has five questions that he asks himself while preparing a communication piece. He's most well known for his weekly teachings as the lead pastor at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta Georgia, but he is also extremely well known for his conference speaking, books and leadership podcast. It …

Start a Blog in 6 Easy Steps

A personal blog is a great way to tell the world your story. Sadly, many people die with never getting to tell others what only they can say. If you’re interested in starting a blog, I hope these few steps will help you as they are helping me. "Today you are You. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than you."  — Dr. Suess Recently …

How to Apologize like a Boss

While driving my son back from an orthodontist appointment he pointed out a grammatical error on a sign over a feeding center owned and operated by a local church.  The sign says "Fishes 'N' Loaves".  I wonder how many people see that sign and completely discount that church as irrelevant based on nothing else.  For all we …

7 Habits for the Aspiring Writer

You have something to say to the world. What you have to tell the world may sound similar to what others are saying, or what has already been said, but no one can SAY it like you can. Your voice–not just the sound of it–is comprised of thoughts, personality, values, upbringing, experience, and a certain …

7 Tips for Churches Upping Their Hospitality Game

"Dear fellow churches, if you leave the guest book open right by the front door, there may be someone who feels like they need to sign in - that is, with a working pen." My wife and I were looking for a place to have a Christmas recital for her piano students and stumbled into …

Now what?

"What are you waiting for?  If not now, when?" After 7 years of grad school I'm finding time that I didn't have.  It's not that there's now unlimited time for goofing off or long naps but weekends don't nearly have the stress that they used to when formerly being preoccupied with reading, researching, writing, submitting, …

Getting Started in Leadership

I had a friend ask mine if I would put together a list of the most important things that developing leaders should do in order to grow. Below is just a brief snapshot of a few ideas. Here's the list. 1. Spend time with leaders. At least once a month ask a leader to lunch …