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Category Archive: Church Scattered

There Are No Bad Teams, Just Bad Leaders

Posted by on October 1, 2019

I read the book Extreme Ownership that drives most of the content of this post. I agree with almost everything in the book about leaders casting blame instead of assuming responsibility. I also know in some situations, their can be great leadership from the top and the failure is driven by others who either will not or cannot do their jobs. So you be the judge and see what you think of what J.D. Greear has to say:

“When we are involved in a group endeavor and something goes wrong, our natural instinct is to point the blame. Navy SEALs Willink and Babin recognize this from years of military experience, but we could just as easily arrive there through theological reflection. What happened after Adam and Eve committed the very first sin of human history?”

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10 Traits Of A Humble Leader

Posted by on September 30, 2019

When your significance comes from the approval of the crowd you will do almost anything to be liked and followed. Many leaders fall into the ego trap and eventually it always becomes more about them than the people they were called to lead. This post by Moses Y. Lee is a great read:

“Recent stories of celebrity pastors and worship leaders apostatizing has me thinking about the idea of Christian leadership. Whether leaders reluctantly fall from grace due to moral failure or publicly renounce their faith on Instagram to be more “authentic,” one thing is clear: humility is not a contributing factor.

Even though I don’t consider myself a humble leader—I can be brash and bigheaded (both literally and figuratively)—by God’s grace, I’ve been blessed to serve under many humble leaders. I’ve watched many more from a distance.”

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Be A Light For The Gospel By Supporting Your Child’s Teacher

Posted by on September 25, 2019

Helping Christians live out the gospel in the church scattered is my passion and calling. As we learn to merge the secular and sacred, we will find many opportunities to share grace in the most common everyday patterns of life. One great opportunity is to invest into the lives of the people who are responsible for investing into the lives of your children. This post by Heather Spinger is very helpful:

“We support things that are important to us. For instance, we speak of our support, or lack thereof, in a sports team or a politician. However, conversations seem rare regarding the support of our favorite toothpaste. Why? Because the type of toothpaste does not seem to be as important. So what about our child’s teachers—are they worth supporting?

As a teacher myself, I have had many conversations about the vital role teachers play in a child’s life. In reality, you as a parent are asking the teacher to partner with you in educating your child. This is an extremely important position, and your support to them is vital to their success. And for followers of Christ, this is not merely an opportunity to help a teacher but an opportunity to be a light for the gospel. Given that many teachers face pressure and criticism from parents, your support can stand out all the more.”

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Embracing The Day God Has Made

Posted by on September 24, 2019

One of the most important things I have learned is how to live one day at a time. We are provided with the daily grace we will need if we do not waste it. Using today’s faith on the pain of the past or worry about tomorrow, will cause us to not have the strength we need for today. This post by Carolyn Mahaney is wonderful:

“Nine years ago this month, my dad went home to be with the Lord. One of my sweetest memories of him is how he loved to sing hymns. Whether he was fixing stuff around the house or leading our church’s congregational singing on Sunday mornings, I remember my dad’s strong baritone lifted in praise. Among his all-time favorite hymns was Horatio Spafford’s “It Is Well.” Even now, I can picture him singing, with great gusto,”

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Why The Smartest Leaders Do This

Posted by on September 23, 2019

If productivity simply means that you are doing all the wrong things faster, then in the end it will be a waste of your life. Getting things done will never be as important as why you are doing them to begin with. Leadership today places a higher priority on the character of the person than the list of their results. This post by Carey Nieuwhof is a great read:

“But the longer I live and lead, the more I realize that you can accomplish all the tasks you set out to accomplish in a day or even over the course of your life, and still completely miss the point.

The news is littered with stories of leaders who were at the top of their game skill-wise, but who aren’t in leadership anymore, not because they weren’t smart, not because they weren’t skilled (some were arguably the best in their field), but because their character didn’t match their competency. Here’s the truth for all of us: Competency gets you in the room. Character keeps you in the room.”

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How To Lead With Compassion As A Leader

Posted by on September 22, 2019

In leadership today what was once considered soft skills have become hard ones. What I mean is that in areas of character: honesty, trust, integrity and compassion, these are no longer preferable personality qualities but required leadership competencies. This Forbes Coaches Council post will help explain:

“As an executive leadership mentor and coach for over 15 years, I have noticed that organizations that are managed and led by toxic leaders often experience discord among employees and a breakdown of their cultural norms, which may lead to a dysfunctional working environment. On the other hand, organizations with compassionate leaders at the helm tend to experience harmony and cohesiveness among employees, which leads to a prosperous, harmonious, efficient and effective working environment.”

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3 Types Of Stress For Leaders

Posted by on September 19, 2019

Too much stress can be caused by many things. Routinely too many demands without enough capacity leads to a loss of margin. Poor alignment between what you are doing and your motives for why. Working in a toxic culture that you have no control to change. However, as this post by Eric Geiger points out, all stress is not bad. This is a great read for all of us:

“Right before Dr. John Townsend walked up to shred a guitar to some old Blink 182 songs with the band he has with his sons, I asked him if he was nervous. In a brief moment he talked to me about leaders and the three different types of stress for leaders we can face.

Before I share his insight, let me set the scene.”

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Finding God In Life’s Waiting Room

Posted by on September 18, 2019

I have been in the waiting room far too many times in my life. At times, I was there because I was making bad decisions with wrong priorities and it was time for change. Other times, I have been there in the midst of a time of spiritual renewal. I have learned the hard way, to stop asking Why and transition to What. What can I learn and what is my next step. This post by Alica Akins is a heartfelt story of grace:

“You have a plan for me.”

Each day I wake to these words, the opening lyrics to a worship song I set as my alarm some rejections ago. If I’m untroubled, I stop the song there and start my day. Other mornings, when my pillow is still damp from the previous night’s cry or my heart worn from waiting—35 years for a spouse, 15 months for a job, indefinitely for the resurrection of friendships lost—I let the whole thing play. Battling waves of envy, frustration, and shame I wait, echoing the psalmist’s heavenward cry: “My eyes fail, looking for your promise” (Ps. 119:82).

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Three Dangers Of A Kid-Centered Family

Posted by on September 16, 2019

This is an extremely difficult subject because there is so much right about making our children a priority. However, when we place them above our own spiritual intimacy and our marriage, we have really hurt them and not helped. We are to represent the Father to them but we will be in no position to do that, if we walk away from the other two priorities first. This post by Jamie Ivey is worth your time to read:

“My husband and I have been married for 17 years. We have four kids. When you have four kids, your family often feels as though your life is in a kid-centered family. It’s hard work to make sure that our homes are gospel-centered family vs. a kid-centered family. It’s something that our family continues to work on. And it is hard, but it’s doable.”

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The Secret Of Successful Leaders

Posted by on September 13, 2019

The tipping point for the source of successful leadership starts with how well you lead yourself, not the results you accomplish. Getting the right things done is critical but if you lose touch with why you are doing what you do everyday, you will eventually crash. Today must be self-awareness day and this post by Jenni Catron is outstanding:

“Today’s leaders have the tools to grow things rapidly but lack the emotional and intellectual health to sustain it all. And the fallout is killing us.

Our culture has minimized the responsibility and elevated the celebrity of leadership and with this I believe we’ve lost the realization that leadership is a sacred privilege.

Leaders have the power to change or affect the lives of others and therefore leadership is sacred work.”

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