Curating a Life in Christ
A reporter asked George Bernard Shaw if he could live his life over, and be any person he has known or any other person in history, who would he be? Mr. Shaw replied, "I would be the man that George Bernard Shaw could have been, but never was."
Be a little more like the person you want to be. Michael
The Four Stages of Growing a Team
Every church or ministry leader will benefit from understanding the key stages of team development (both paid and volunteer). The four Stages of team development were originally identified by educational psychologist Bruce W. Tuckman in the mid-1960’s.
Still valid today, they are:
Forming is what happens at your leadership retreat or first meeting. Everyone comes with company manners and is nice to each other. You might do some bonding games or talk about all you will achieve together. Hopefully you leave pumped and feel almost like you’ve found a fresh love.
Back home and back in the trenches, reality hits. The turf wars begin. Team members begin to jockey for acknowledged expertise in an area. Things get tense. You may wonder what you were thinking when you agreed to be a part of the team!
The storming phase has begun. Teammates are diligently working to identify who does and knows what. Pressure increases on how the team works together and challenges how the team deals with differing opinions around the table. Successfully working through this uncomfortable season will establish group norms. Just like after any storm, calm follows, relatively speaking that is.
Norming is building on the outcomes from the storm. This leads to growing trust within the team, and real forward progress begins.
With clear norms, performing becomes doable because the team is attuned to the same wavelength. It’s almost as if you can read everyone’s mind. The team delivers high-performance, and life is good.
Unfortunately, the process doesn’t always work quite this smoothly. Many teams never get beyond storming. Not quite understanding what is going on, leaders risk allowing things to get personal. This can become a de-motivator, and team members may start jumping ship, stalling progress. Teaching your new team the four phases can help them knowingly and successfully move through the storming phase.
Since most teams experience some turnover in their life span, it is vital to be aware that whenever a new member joins the team or someone drops from the team, the process will usually revert back to the storming phase. Be sure your team members are equipped to survive the storming process and work through to norming.
Awareness of what’s going on in your team and what phase you are in can smooth the growth of your team.
Lead your teams well. Michael
Several years ago, I was in a Bible study in which we were studying the Sermon on the Mount. It was most interesting because of the diversity of people we had in the study. You remember that passage, "Blessed are the peacemakers…" The discussion centered on the situation in the world today. On the wars and famines, and the terrorism, the factions.
Many in the group mentioned how they hoped that somehow God would work in the world today and bring about peace. One of the ladies in the room, said something, which just grabbed me. She said, “It seems like God and Jesus Christ is calling us to be ‘peacemakers,’ not just ‘peace-hopers.’" This is one of those statements where we all have to stop and examine what we are doing, just as James asks us to. "Is what I am doing right now—right here, in the family, in the workplace, at the church—does it make me a peacemaker?"
There is a story about a little girl who proudly wore a shiny cross on a chain around her neck. One day she was approached by a man who said to her, "Little girl, don’t you know that the cross Jesus died on wasn’t beautiful like the one you’re wearing? It was an ugly, wooden thing." To which the girl replied, "Yes, I know. But they told me in Sunday school that whatever Jesus touches, He changes."
Let Jesus touch your life today. Michael
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King
Praying that you stand tall. Michael.
In the 2008 annual Honesty and Ethics of Professions poll conducted by Gallup, 56 percent of Americans rated the clergy’s honesty and ethics very high or high. In 2009, that figure dropped to 50 percent. Gallup says the reason for the drop is unclear, but the current rating is even below where it was earlier this decade during the priest sex-abuse scandals. Ratings dropped in 2009 among both Catholics and Protestants, as well as among regular and non-regular churchgoers. [Gallup.com]
An amazing change is such a short period. Any ideas why? Michael
How valuable is salt? 40 million tons are required each year to fill our needs. Homer called it divine. Plato called it a "substance dear to the gods." Shakespeare mentioned salt 17 times in his plays. Perhaps Leonard da Vinci wanted to send a subtle message about purity lost when he painted "The Last Supper"; in that painting, an overturned salt cellar is conspicuously placed before Judas.
In ancient Greece, a far-flung trade involving the exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, "…not worth his salt." Special salt rations were given to Roman soldiers and known as "solarium argentums," the forerunner of the English word "salary." Thousands of Napoleon’s troops died during his retreat from Moscow because their wounds would not heal—their bodies lacked salt.
The human body contains about 4 oz. of salt; without enough of it, muscles won’t contract, blood won’t circulate, food won’t digest and the heart won’t beat a beat. Without a doubt, salt is the essence of life.
And Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth."
Are you worth your salt? Michael
1. Genesis speaks of the creation of the sun. Revelation tells of a place that needs no sun.
2. Genesis speaks of the entrance of sin into this world. Revelation tells of the banishment of all sin.
3. Genesis speaks of the sin-curse that is pronounced upon mankind. Revelation tells of the broken curse.
4. Genesis speaks of Satan’s first triumphant victory over mankind. Revelation speaks of Satan’s demise!
5. Finally, Genesis speaks of the exclusion from the ‘tree of life.’ Revelation speaks of the admission to the ‘tree of life.’
Let this day end better than it began. Michael
The devil has a plan for your life:
Doubt – To make you question God’s word and His goodness;
Discouragement – To make you look at your problems rather than at God;
Diversion – To make the wrong things seems attractive so that you will want them more than the right things;
Defeat – To make you feel like a failure so that you don’t even try;
Delay – To make you put off doing something so that it never gets done.
How’s he doing? Michael
Mac was a hard-driving, tough businessman in his 70’s. He had been a church member for many years. But one Wednesday night as he heard the associate share his testimony, he realized that he had never personally trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Though he had been involved in a lot of religious activity, he never really had a clear idea of what it meant to be a Christian.
After spending a few days pondering and asking the associate questions, Mac made up his mind. At the Sunday night service of their church, he decided to come forward to make a public profession of his faith in Christ. The associate was down front serving as a counselor and was deeply moved by the sight of this tough old businessman coming forward to receive Christ in childlike faith. They were both in tears as they stood before the pastor.
"This is tremendous!" the pastor exclaimed. He told the associate, "This man is one of the most brilliant businessmen in our city! He’s wealthy, he’s talented, and we need to put him to work! I want you to see that Mac is totally involved in what you are doing. We want to take full advantage of what he can do."
The associate said he will never forget Mac, his eyes full of tears, speaking with a sincere, trembling voice: "Pastor, I don’t need a job. I need the Lord."