I have been involved in something called the My 500 Words Challenge for the last 18 days. The challenge, begun by Jeff Goins, has been to write at least 500 words every day for 31 days. The premise behind the challenge is to making writing a habit for those who desire to or love to write. I have had the desire to write a book for a number of years. In fact, I have at least two active book ideas that I am “working” on right now. The problem has not been with the idea to write a book, but with the actual “writing” of the book. This is where the My 500 Word challenge comes in. Every published author that I have spoken to has reiterated the importance of writing every day as a habit key to their success. So I embarked on this challenge just under three weeks ago in an effort to develop a habit needed to fulfill my goal. And then…I hit the wall. [Read more…] about What To Do When You Hit The Wall
How to See Life as a Puzzle and Get it Done
I can remember trying to put puzzles together as a child. I started with the small six or seven piece puzzles and progressed to the more challenging ones. There was a season when, along with my mother, I was helping put together puzzles with hundreds or thousands of pieces. These puzzles had elaborate portraits of exotic places or delightful things on the box top. Putting the puzzles together was sometimes very frustrating, and I must admit that there were times when I wanted to give up. Honestly, I did give up on a puzzle or two, and left my mother to complete them by herself. The older I have gotten the more I realize the similarities between life and puzzles. [Read more…] about How to See Life as a Puzzle and Get it Done
How to Avoid Family Regrets
I came across this picture on social media this past week. The message in the picture had an impact on me. I immediately thought of my two children; one now a sophomore in college and the other a sophomore in high school. I thought of my wife and the almost twenty-three years we have been married. As I thought of how quickly the time had passed between their birth and the present, I could hear the first verse of an old hymn…”Time is filled with swift transition, naught on earth unmoved can stand.” [Read more…] about How to Avoid Family Regrets
One Thing Guaranteed to Increase Your Success Rate
The one thing that I believe all pastors and ministry leaders have in common is the desire to be effective in both life and ministry. Whenever I have an opportunity to talk to pastors, ministry leaders, or potential church planters, I share that I have discovered one thing that can increase their rate of success in these areas. There is a widely discussed, but underutilized thing that can immediately benefit every pastor, parishioner, parent, and leader. [Read more…] about One Thing Guaranteed to Increase Your Success Rate
Enough of the Fake Relationships Among Leaders
As a leader, do you have relationships that you would consider brutally honest? The kind of relationship where your friend can tell you the truth and where you can do the same? If you are like many contemporary leaders, especially in Christian ministry, the answer is probably no. The fact that many leaders don’t have these kinds of relationships is not only hurting them professionally and personally, but also hurting their families and the people they are called to lead.
[Read more…] about Enough of the Fake Relationships Among Leaders
5 Life Lessons I Learned on a Field Trip
You never know where you will find nuggets of wisdom to help you on your journey towards your future. You can even learn a lot on a field trip if you are careful to pay attention to what is going on around you. Recently, I had the opportunity to accompany my son on a trip to a student expo at W.L. Gore & Associates.