Archive - Leadership RSS Feed

Nashville In Need

May 11, 2010 in Faith, Featured, Leadership with 1 Comment

Nashville is a place I love. I’ve been there probably a half dozen times, and each time I come away from the trip loving the South more and more. Maybe it helps that my sister graduated from Belmont, or maybe it’s how friendly the people are, celebrities or not. My sister showed me the fantastic food at McDougal’s and Pancake Pantry, and I’ve loved spending time in Gruhn’s Guitars looking at the amazing guitars and banjos. I can still remember one banjo that was all decked out in gold, red, white and blue. I wanted to take it home, but I think the thing cost like $10,000 or something. These are some of the reasons why I’ve been so devastated by the destruction caused by massive flooding a week or so ago.

Probably more disturbing and disheartening than my memories being irrevocably changed by the flood is seeing the lives of people I know be upended. Some people are trying to dry out their belongings in the hope that some of them can be saved. Others are just throwing everything out because it’s not even repairable. Many people have started gutting their houses, others are trying to find a place to live while they live out of a suitcase and a borrowed room at someone’s house. Flooring, walls, carpeting, furniture, appliances, everything that you use in your everyday life is ruined.

Can you imagine what this does to people’s emotions? I wouldn’t blame most Nashvillers (is that a word?) from curling up in a ball and crying for a while. It’s a proper and acceptable emotion in times like this. I know I would spend a fair share of my time doing that. You can only go along so long pretending everything is ok before you hit that wall and just crumple for a little while.

It’s been amazing though to see what most folks in Nashville have been doing. While they struggle through their own devastation and heartbreak, they’ve banded together like never before to help those in need around them. This has been an opportunity for not only the Church to shine in the community, but also for the goodness inherent in all people to come shining through.

Let me commend you all for doing an amazing job of showing true community and love in a horrible situation!

I follow a lot of people from Nashville through Twitter, and I just want to tell you how much I love what Pete Wilson and his congregation at CrossPoint.TV have been doing. This last weekend, CrossPointers banded together and went out into the community to help clean up houses, even though many of them have their own houses to clean out and gut. I know Pete got the opportunity to talk with Anderson Cooper about what’s been going on in Nashville, and CrossPoint has setup a Flood Relief Fund to help out those who have been devastated.

So real simply, here’s how we can help.

I strongly encourage you to click on the link below and donate to CrossPoint’s Flood Relief Fund. I trust them as an organization and know that the money will go towards those that have had their lives upended.

CrossPoint.Tv Flood Relief Fund

CrossPoint’s Flood Relief Flickr

BP Takes it Like a Man

May 10, 2010 in Causes, Leadership with 0 Comments

I have, like many of you, been watching the drama unfold in the Gulf Coast over the last few weeks. People’s incomes, ways of life, and dreams have so far become very close to being irrevocably changed. We watch with anticipation as people prepare sand bags, lay containment booms, and pray that the oil doesn’t make it to shore. Fragile ecosystems are in danger of being destroyed, much of the States seafood population is in danger, and one thing has stood out to me during this whole experience so far.

BP has completely stepped up to the plate to accept their share of responsibility. Repeatedly, BP has stated that they will cover the majority of costs for the oil spill and subsequent cleanup. They haven’t skirted around the fact that it was their lease on the well that exploded, even though they had subcontracted the management of the well to another company.

Not only has BP stepped up to the plate and accepted responsibility, but they are doing everything they can think of to shut this well off. BP engineers are throwing every option that even remotely seems possible onto the table if they think there’s a chance that it might fix the problem. I believe if they thought an iceberg would solve the problem, they would cut a chunk off somewhere in the Arctic and ship it down to the Gulf.

I have to commend BP for accepting responsibility for the fact that this was their well, and doing everything they can to fix the situation. In today’s litigious society, it’s nice to see a company, and a multinational company, and an OIL company, step up. I understand that this may involve higher gas prices for us because of the amount this may cost, as gas is already starting to climb. But in an era of “blame the other guy”, it’s good to see such a large company set a positive example in the midst of a life-changing crisis.

Thanks for setting a good example British Petroleum.

MyGodMadeSex

April 26, 2010 in Faith, Featured, Leadership with 0 Comments

As you know, I work with high school students at my church. The ministry is called Vertical, and we have it at each of our three locations. We decided recently to do what we call a “Big Push.” Basically, we pull out all the stops when it comes to advertising on the radio, tv, and billboards around town over the course of a few weeks leading into a new series. We do this twice a year with our weekend services to try and reach those that don’t normally attend church. This was the first time we’ve done it for our high school ministry.

So what topic is of great interest to high school students? Yep, you guessed it…sex. So we titled the series MyGodMadeSex.com, and filmed commercials, purchased tv and radio spots, and bought billboard space. It created a SLIGHT amount of controversy here in town. :)

Clarifying the Message.
Advertising Sex
MyGodMadeSex: So says Cedar Creek
dar Creek abstinence campaign raising some eyebrows
Toledo Blade Editorial
Church’s sex-ed campaign stirs calls, controversy

The purpose of this series is to explain what God has to say about sex. High school students are learning about sex from a wide variety of sources; Culture, Parents, Media, Friends, “Religion”. These sources are clearly not the best option and way for students to learn about sex. So we are presenting specifically what GOD has to say about sex, straight out of the bible.

Overall, coverage has been positive, including the local newspaper editorial. One quote that did strike me as odd was in the last link, in which the newspaper interviewed a local Baptist preacher, who said “…church is not the place to talk about sex.” Huh?! I would be curious to see how he explains Song of Solomon.

So our first weekend of this two week series was last night. We had over 600 students in total at our three campuses! According to calculations, that means that 1 in 50 Toledo area high school students was sitting at a Vertical service last night hearing about God’s design for sex. That’s amazing! It was a long weekend for those of us who were leaders, and we’ll be doing it again next weekend when we cover “Messing Up to Making Up.”

We’ve had students as the voice and face of this campaign, and even tonight one of them was on the local Fox station defending the purpose of this campaign. They’ve done a fantastic job and I couldn’t be prouder of them! They’ve owned this campaign and risked being ridiculed by being seen on tv, on billboards around town, and at school by putting up posters with their faces on it and having them ripped down, only to have the students post another one in it’s place.

I think another bonus of this Big Push has been the fact that it has shown our students that they can make a difference in the culture around them and stir up feelings and emotions. It shows that they’re not the generation of the future, but the generation of NOW and they can affect things now.

To read another leader’s post on their feelings of the weekend, check out this post by my good friend Jen Funkhouser.

Thrive Africa: A Little Part of My Heart

March 29, 2010 in Causes, Faith, Featured, Leadership with 0 Comments

Jesus talks in Matthew 25:40 of doing things for the “least of these.” In other words, those who for whatever reason cannot do it themselves. Whether it’s to provide food, clothing, shelter, medicine, etc, we as Christians are supposed to take care of everyone. An organization that is doing an amazing job at this is Thrive Africa.

The goal of Thrive Africa is to “equip and mobilize indigenous leaders to become strategic, Godly influences in their cultural communities.” When it comes to making societal changes, it’s great to have grassroots efforts, but you MUST have leaders to propel and champion change. This is what Thrive is doing by educating pastors, young people, and people of all ages.

We see poverty and heartache all over the world every day, but let’s go over so facts about South Africa that you may not know (I don’t think I did):

  • Did you know that South Africa is one of the few 1st world countries (like the United States, England, Japan, etc) that have 3rd world problems?
  • Did you also know that 1 in 4 South Africans has HIV?
  • 88% of the population is unemployed, and 75% of the population is chronically hungry.
  • 3 out of 4 children live in poverty.
  • There are 250 HIV positive babies born every day.
  • 1500 people become infected with HIV every day.

Those are sobering statistics in any country. Thrive Africa is training pastors, indigenous leaders, and youth through discipleship classes, AIDS prevention through abstinence, and in leadership. Their primary area of influence is with the Basotho people living in the Intabazwe and Qwa Qwa areas. This region is considered to be the poorest in the country. Thrive has also purchased what has to be an amazingly beautiful 2,500 acre game reserve as a operations base for their ministry.

Clearly, based on the information above, they have a fantastic team in place to attack such a massive problem. But you should meet Alece. She’s the founder and president of Thrive Africa. You know that list of people you have that you’d like to meet because they make you look really lazy and yet inspire you at the same time? Yeah, Alece is on my list.

So, what can you and I do? How can we help? Why now?
Part of my sudden interest is that Thrive Africa just recently came on my radar. I hadn’t heard about the organization until recently, and it’s a cause that’s close to my heart. Also, I believe and trust in the people and what they’re doing. I’m not going to encourage you to support an organization that I don’t believe in myself. They’ve got a proven track record of success; what they’re doing is working. I got this statistic from Sara’s blog:

Thrive Africa is feeding their needs. Before they began this program, one school averaged 40 pregnancies a year among 7th, 8th and 9th graders. In the four years Thrive’s program has been taught, there has not been one single pregnancy.

So what’s the best way to help? I’ll let Thrive tell you themselves.

We are facing one of the most difficult financial hardships we’ve ever experienced at Thrive Africa. We are pushing forward, assured that God’s not done with us, but the challenge confronting us is real and urgent.

Right now our financial situation is so dire that, unless there is a significant increase in funds, we will not be able to pay the bills at the end of April. We will have no choice but to scale down our AIDS prevention program and other ministry initiatives. We may be forced to decrease our staff team, affecting the 52 nationals we employ and the families who are dependent on their income.

We have taken action by reducing our expenses as much as possible. We have launched an online store and are making efforts to raise awareness through radio, billboards, and an increased online presence. Our founder will be traveling along the West Coast this spring, promoting Thrive in at least 8 cities in 6 weeks.

We have set a goal to raise $80,000 in new support by June 1.

$60,000 in one-time gifts by April 15
to get us up-to-date on our operating expenses

$20,000 in new monthly commitments by June 1
to continue our programs at current levels

We know this is a God-sized goal, but He’s given us a God-sized vision. We are trusting Him to move mightily, and hope your heart is open to Him moving mightily through you.

We humbly yet boldly ask you to help us reach this goal.

We ask you to give generously. Invest in the continued training of African leaders.
We ask you to speak up. Tell others about the need, the vision, and the opportunity to get involved.
We ask you to pray hard. Petition God for abundant provision and divine favor.

Together we can impact South Africa.
(See the nicely formatted version here)

So, I ask you to give. And spread the word. And of course pray.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ -Matthew 25:34-36

I Am Second – Sam and Colt

January 19, 2010 in Causes, Faith, Featured, Leadership with 0 Comments

If you’re not familiar with the I Am Second movement, you should definitely check it out. I love the premise of what the movement is about, and they’ve presented it in an amazing light. Recently, they sat down with both Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, both shining examples of humility, and talked about being second. The combined video is above, and there are links to their individual videos below that.

Are you being second in your life?

I Am Second – Sam Bradford
I Am Second – Colt McCoy

Dreams of Leaders

January 18, 2010 in Faith, Featured, Leadership with 0 Comments

I hadn’t really planned on writing something related to Martin Luther King Jr. day today. I don’t feel overly qualified to talk about race relations or about truly suffering for a cause. But, after watching the video posted by Michael Hyatt today and subsequent discussion of leadership lessons learned from Dr. King, I just had to write down some of the thoughts going through my head.

I honestly cannot fathom what African-Americans went through, especially during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. When I sat down and considered what the equivalent would be in my daily life to be African-American up through the 1960s, I’m quickly humbled. Being a white male, I’ve never truly experienced that other than one time, and that one experience was incredibly uncomfortable.

After listening to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, it put some great perspective to the historic event of Barack Obama being elected president. Regardless of any political affiliation, it’s amazing where we’ve come since 1964. On the other hand, I have a feeling that Dr. King would be disappointed that the media seems to make every issue related to the president somehow about race, like the recent events in Haiti.

I think Michael had it right when he discussed Dr. King’s leadership. Above all else, he was a leader. There very well may have been no civil rights movement without Dr. King’s vision, tenacity, and heart.

So, Dr. King, thank you for showing me what it takes to follow my dreams, be a visionary, and most of all, lead with a relentless passion that encompasses God and those that are struggling. It gives me renewed strength to pursue my own dreams.

What Matters Now

January 14, 2010 in Leadership with 0 Comments

Recently, Seth Godin released a free eBook with short articles written by a large group of authors, Christian bloggers, technology headliners, and a variety of other people you might recognize. People like:

  • Anne Jackson
  • Michael Hyatt
  • Dave Ramsey
  • Gary Vaynerchuk
  • Guy Kawasaki

    • The title of this eBook was “What Matters Now”, and the point was to show what some of the most influential minds are thinking about and working on over the next year, especially with the recent changes in the economic landscape.

    Seth graciously has allowed this eBook to be distributed free of charge, and so I’m publishing it here so that you can download it as well. I think the articles in this book are excellent and will help to drive some innovation over the course of the next few years. The link to the eBook is below. Happy Reading!

    What Matters Now

They Know

December 21, 2009 in Featured, Leadership with 0 Comments

I’ve been volunteering in student ministries for not quite a year now, and it’s been one of the greatest things I’ve done. I absolutely love working with these students. They’re like my little brothers and sisters, and I want nothing but the best for them.

So I would like to throw out a few words of advice or those interested in working with students:

They know when you’re not being serious, when you’re not taking them seriously, when you blow them off, and when you don’t care.

I think we as adults sometimes forget, or we think that students won’t catch on because they’re students. But we all know we hate when someone blows us off, or we can tell we’re not being taken seriously. And if you’re anything like me, you just get upset. In my life, I would rather the person not be there than just patronize me, or throw out some catchy phrase like “Just pray about it.” That’s just avoiding the situation and not wanting to deal with it. In most cases, I’m already praying.

Students aren’t any different. They can pick up on these things clear as day, and it instantly lowers your credibility with all of them, because they’re no different that anyone else. They’ll tell their friends about it. Granted, we all do this from time to time, and none of us are perfect, so we all make mistakes. I’m just reminded as I sit here and write this post that I need to make sure I stay on guard and try to prevent that from happening as much as possible.

How do you remind yourself not to blow people off?

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes