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Showing posts from April, 2016

Building a Leadership Development Cycle

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  Successful churches understand that strong leadership is non-negotiable and that leadership development is equally important. Unlike most secular organizations, it is imperative to create leadership roles beyond paid staff. Lay leadership is critical to the success and mission of the church. Leadership Development Cycle Jesus developed leaders by finding ordinary people and bringing out the extraordinary in them. He didn’t find Peter the apostle; he found Peter the fisherman and developed him into an apostolic leader. Jesus didn’t stumble upon Matthew the disciple; instead he found a tax collector and developed him into a disciple leader. While there’s nothing wrong with hiring leaders, it’s pretty obvious that Jesus’ life exemplifies leadership development. The apostle Paul echoes this in his letter to Timothy. He writes, You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.   And the things you have heard me ...

What Southwest taught me about First Time Guests

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Just last week I was standing in line waiting to board a Southwest flight, when  someone  tugged my jacket and asked what number I had. I turned around to see a kid who was about twelve years old. After finding his place in line, we began to talk. I learned he was from Chicago and this was his very first time flying. He asked me several questions about what to expect. It was obvious the kid was pretty nervous. I watched him gulp hard as our group begin to board. We were sitting a few seats apart on the plane. I watched him as the flight attendants grabbed the microphone did their thing. His eyes were glued forward and he was listening to every word they said. Everyone else was either talking, reading or trying to get last minute emails out; but this kid was mesmerized. A frequent flyer would call these announcements redundant; but for the new flyer, the words were of the utmost importance. The attendants did a great job having fun wit...