I have been a strong advocate of the universality of music and how it is an incredible medium to communicate a message. There is something powerful about music and how it speaks to the heart. It really does supersede culture, language and nationality. This is why I believe that the next great evangelist of […]
Cultural Faux Pas
PA Photo Many of the British news outlets caught it right away, while some of the other foreign journalists did not notice it at all. Now, talk is circulating in the media that Michelle Obama made a huge cultural faux pas, when she placed her hand on the back of Queen Elizabeth II […]
Discipleship in Action?
Hmm… well, maybe you should check out the video first and then I can comment. As you can tell, here is a guy trying to teach the world how to use chopsticks. Now, it really doesn’t matter to me that this person is from the lighter hue (a.k.a. Caucasian), but […]
Staying True to Your Roots
I don’t know how many of you are Honest Tea fans, but I had some for the first time when I was down in Texas; and it tasted really good. They jumped out into the market with their branding of using organic ingredients and some funky combinations of flavors. This kind of explains their […]
From Lifestage to Lifestage
I was refreshed this week as I met up with some of our church members. One conversation in particular stuck out for me. As I was meeting with the member, we talked about going through various lifestages; and he shared some of his perspective on “how” he decided to go through the transition for […]
Should We Be Controversial?
Photo by NYTimes Bill Ellis writing for ASSIST News Service wrote an article that asks the question, “Should the Church and its Ministers be Controversial?” Now, I know that there are pastors and church leaders who are controversial for controversy sake. They experience great joy from inciting controversy and “ticking” people off. Then […]
The Need for Evaluation?
Photo by Carmody Consulting John Ortberg wrote an article for Leadership Journal that was pretty insightful. He addressed the topic of “evaluation.” It is clear that there are many people who do not evaluate themselves and their ministry. Ortberg writes, “Some people refuse to ask any questions about effectiveness at all, on the […]
Is Boo-ing Allowed?
Photo by Kentucky Sport Radio Recently, one of my church members forwarded an article to me that drew my attention. The article is titled, “Why Not Boo?” It was written by Terry Teachout, a drama critic for the Wall Street Journal. He was writing how at the famous Metropolitan Opera House in New […]
Some Observations about Twitter
Photo by Twitter I don’t know how many of you are fans of Twitter, but it is taking the social network by storm. I have a feeling that it might supersede Facebook one day – kind of like what Facebook did to Xanga… if you are still using Xanga, I really don’t know […]
Leadership Lesson: Glamour, Gain and Glory – 3 Servant Killers
Photo from “The Passion of Christ” Ever since 1996, I have been trying to teach the members in our church the importance of servanthood. This entails serving God with humility and constantly checking our motives for doing what we do. A lot of times when we examine our hearts, we have to confess […]
Leadership Lesson: Why is Change So Hard?
Photo by Zazzle Albert Einstein coined the adage “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The reality is that people love the status quo. It is usually correlated with our love for comfort. This is why sometimes, as people get older, it is harder to change […]
Leadership Lesson: Truth Always Helps
Photo by BusinessWeek One of the principles that I have been trying to teach our members is: “You will only be helped to the extent you tell the truth. In fact, this principle can be applied to many other areas. Whether it is on opposite-sex relationships, addictions or even accountability, unless a person […]
Leadership Lesson: Leadership is about Influence
Photo by Livesteez I don’t know how many of you have been keeping up with the news, but the situation with the Republican Party’s Chairman, Michael Steele and talk radio host Rush Limbaugh is good material for lessons on leadership. In the wake of Michael Steele’s interview by CNN’s D.L. Hughley, Steele tried […]
Leadership Lesson: Making Wise Decisions
Photo by entrepreneur4life Every leader has to make decisions. Leaders lead, therefore decisions have to be made by the person leading. But all leaders know that there are times when decisions are not so easy. Sometimes decisions are complex. Sometimes decisions will entail a win-lose. Sometimes decisions will hurt others. Sometimes decisions will […]