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Character In Kids: No App For That

Posted by on November 25, 2013

I will admit that I am torn when I see my grandchildren spending lots of time with electronics. There are incredible upsides to what is available today. However the are major dangers as well, especially if it takes the place of intentional conversations that deal with real life issues. Mark Merrill brings his perspective to this challenge for every parent:

“At times, it can seem as if there is an app for almost everything. There’s no child who will learn about good character from sitting on the couch and staring down at their iPad. It is our job as parents to build character in our kids. Here are 4 ways to teach character to your kids”

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How To Be An Out Of Control Parent

Posted by on November 13, 2013

We all start out as parents providing protection, instruction and correction for our children. The problem is sometimes we get stuck there and its time for them to go to college. If we don’t transition our parenting style they will never be able to assume responsibility and become successful. Mark Merrill gives some practical steps to help in this transition:

“Of course, none of us is ever ultimately in control of our lives or our kids. Only God is. But we do have some control over how we parent our children. When our children are younger, we are more “in control” of them. But as they grow older, we move to being a more “out of control” parent.”

Sometimes the problem is not primarily with the kids but the parents. Read More …

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When Rest Is Forced Upon You

Posted by on November 11, 2013

We all promise ourselves and our families that we will make sure we don’t push too hard and lose our margin. Then we start to get that sinking feeling I am doing too much and boom we hit the wall. Joseph Lalonde gives us some excellent insight how not to cross over that line and the value of rest in our lives:

“One of the things I really enjoy is an early morning run. I’m able to get up and out of the house before anyone is awake and hit the road running.

My mind becomes focused on completing the run within half an hour. Running is a blast.

And yet I’ve suddenly been sidelined. I’ve been forced to rest.

Ever been there?”

Maybe its time for you to build rest into your priority list. Read More …

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How To Overcome A Bad Day

Posted by on November 4, 2013

Regardless of how great a leader you become you will still experience bad days. They are a reality of life and we need to know how to work our way out of these days or we can lose our perspective and then our momentum. Carey Nieuwhof has very practical suggestions on how to move forward:

I had a bad day recently.

Chances are you have too.

Mine blindsided me, and it threw me off so much I got almost nothing accomplished that I wanted to accomplish.

I don’t like days like that. (Does anybody?)

But they’re inevitable in leadership.

Someone sends you an email that sets you off.

A crisis hijacks the day you were going to spend getting a project done.

Unexpected bad news pours in.

You experience conflict with a teammate.

You simply woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

It happens.

Vision Casting To Yourself

Posted by on October 23, 2013

We as leaders know the value of casting vision to inspire our followers to accomplish great things together. The missing piece many times is we don’t know how to keep the passion alive in our own hearts that inspires us to really make a difference. Jenni Catron gives some practical insight in her latest post.

If you’re a leader, you understand the importance of vision casting. You frequently have to remind those you lead why they do what they do. You remind them of how every task, no matter how seemingly insignificant, ties back to the vision of your church or organization. It’s leadership 101.

You’ve likely worked hard to develop the skill of vision casting. Great leaders are masters of this art.

But how good are you at vision casting to yourself?

How To Overcome Discouragement

Posted by on October 14, 2013

We all get discouraged at times and lose our momentum. Carey Nieuwhof offers several practical things that we can do to break the cycle and get back on track again.

Ever get discouraged as a leader? It’s kind of like asking if you have a pulse.

If you’ve led anything for more than a few months, you’ve been discouraged.

Progress isn’t happening as fast as you like

Or may it is happening quickly but you still feel like it’s not fast enough

You’re coming off a great season but you wonder if a slump is right around the corner

The voices of the critics are getting to you

In fact, some of you are discouraged enough right now that you’re thinking of packing it in.

Break Yourself To Improve Yourself

Posted by on October 3, 2013

The post by Joseph Lalonde deals with the need for brokenness and humility in our lives if we are ever going to reach our potential. It is painful at times but very necessary.

“There’s an age old saying that goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. For the most part, I agree with this saying. There’s nothing wrong with letting things stay at the status quo, as long as you’re good not seeing change.

However, for those that want to improve themselves, they know things need to change. And sometimes you need to break yourself to improve yourself.”

Weisure Lifestyle Always Connected

Posted by on September 25, 2013

Welcome to the latest new term to describe the tension that exist between life and work balance. According to Dalton Conley a New York University sociologist, “increasingly it’s not clear what constitutes work and what constitutes fun time.” You can read the entire article on CNN.com/living.

More and more people are using their smart phones and other technology to keep up with their 24-7 lifestyle that keeps them in almost constant contact with others. At one minute we may be quote at work and receive a text message about last night’s game and then later while at quote home get an important email on major project.

It’s one thing to watch a fellow employee scroll through email during a meeting you are attending but now to see the same thing happening during the evening meal is a little harder to swallow.

Apple is probably not going to come up with an app that will schedule time everyday to unplug from all the information that is available to spend time with people who really matter in your life. We are going to have to discipline ourselves to set some boundaries so that we can have the time we need to wind down and even quietly think without interruption.

Technology can be an incredibly good thing if we use it as a tool to improve our lives. If we let it though it can easily change from a means to the end into the end itself and when it does that we all lose.

How do you deal with the tension of being connected all the time?

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12 Things Cause Marriage To Fail

Posted by on September 24, 2013

The is another great post by Mark Merrill that reminds all of us of some things we already know about marriage but so easily forget in the daily pressure of life.

“Of course you don’t want your marriage to fail, do you? You want it to last for life. But if too many of the things listed below are too often a part of your life, then you may be on a dangerous road in your relationship.

Why You Are Never Really A Failure

Posted by on September 21, 2013

Another incredible post by Ann Voskamp that makes a much needed point:

“The coffee shop is quiet except for the sound of voices at the table across from me and I can’t help but overhear.

An older man says, “Most people think failure is here.”

He taps one edge of the table.

“And that success is here.” He taps the opposite edge.

Then he places both of his hands in the center of the table. “But failure and success are really here. Side by side.“