Though other means of communication have evolved, email continues to maintain its traction. And one of the ways as a leader that my email gets utilized is for subscriptions. If I am going to lead well, I have to be reading other’s thoughts.

But not all content subscribed to is worth my while. There are those that I want, like an engaging leadership blog, but there are those that I dislike, like the ones for major discounts on monogrammed coffee mugs. Free cat poster included.

(Sigh) Again? Ok, who signed me up for that?

It’s a noisy world, isn’t it?

And I do not mean the noise that occurs from that which we call progress: transportation, production, and commerce.

No, I am referring to the noise of all the words we hear everyday. As I wait for flights at an airport, there is always this low murmur of hundreds of voices all mingling at once. And not one discernible conversation among all of the voices around me.

Recently, I had the chance to chat with Chris Willard at Leadership Network for his Generosity Strategies & Tactics Podcast. On it, I talk through some of the ways we have engaged in follow up after the end of our big generosity initiative last year. I’m posting the audio below. You can also just search for it on i-tunes and subscribe to the podcast. I think you’ll enjoy all of the episodes and interviews that Chris has done. Enjoy!

Have you ever been on Facebook or Instagram and noticed someone from your team posting things that made you cringe? I know I have. A couple times, I’ve even taken a screen shot and sent it to the staff person asking if they might want to reconsider this particular post? The simple reality is that

I know I am a geek for new products or processes that help me do my job with more energy or more effectiveness. But this one is really working well for me and so I wanted to throw it out to you as my readers.

I recently got me a standup desk.

Mike Bonem has a new book out on the Executive Pastor Role (Thriving In The Second Chair) and I couldn’t be more excited. I distinctly remember reading his first book (Leading From The Second Chair) over 10 years ago and realizing that I would better serve the church in a Second Chair Role. In my excitement about Mike’s book, I posted a review on Amazon and I think I was one of the first to do so. Here’s what I wrote in April 2006.

I recall 30-35 years ago when I was a teen and my dad worked in the concrete construction business. He was a foreman and would travel from job to job to check in on his guys and the progress of their work. I worked a couple of summers and got to ride around with him.

The crews loved him. Beyond his care for them as people, he was super organized in his work. He knew details, remembered conversations, and made things happen. These were also the days before smartphones and task management apps. 

So what did he use? I distinctly remember. 

I get embarrassed over how many times I have to ask a new contact for their name…a second time.

It’s like they just told me their name and by the end of the conversation, I am asking, “So…tell me your name again?” And even then there might be a chance that I struggle to keep that name with me.

Why does that happen?

Routine is nice, but routine can make me too settled in my thinking at times. I am a linear thinker and I enjoy processes. I appreciate practices that help move me to successful thinking or profitable action.

I like systems that work once and then keep working thereafter.

But I never want my thinking to go stale. Regardless of your vocation, stale thinking does not promote God-glorifying action. I believe that is one reason that God gave us creativity – to push the fences of typical thinking to new possibilities and fresh outcomes.

It can feel like in today’s world, Business Cards are obsolete. But I’ve found that they still serve a purpose.

So how many of you identify with this scenario?

I hear about a situation second or third-hand and in listening to the information, my judgement begins to be swayed and I have already made my verdict and issued a decree of “Guilty!” And this is the mindset in which I approach the other person.

It was a privilege to be interviewed by Rich Birch at UnSeminary Podcast recently. Check out the video on YouTube or listen to the audio on Itunes. Find all the details at the UnSeminary website.  If you don’t already subscribe to this podcast, I’d suggest checking it out. Its got some great practical topics to help you out in everyday ministry.

If you follow this blog, you know that I’m deep into a fairly large building project for our biggest campus. We had the architect, General Contractor and AVL company taken care of, but one area we had not dealt with yet was Kids Ministry Theming. We decided to hire Plain Joe Studios to do the work. Let me tell you why.

A few years ago, a pastor I worked with in my previous church introduced me to the RACI matrix for use in Project Management. I’ve gone back to it again and again as I’ve found it to make all the difference in keeping teams moving forward.