I recently heard Perry Noble say in an interview with Catalyst (podcast) that Bill Hybels will forgot more about leadership than he will (Perry) ever learn in a life time.
One of the things that I have often admired, as Perry points out as well, is Bill Hybels consummate state of learning. What must it be like to be known as a foremost expert in the area of leadership and leadership development, but by his own admission, have so much to learn?
One of my goals this coming year is to be a continual learner. I hope to read, listen, observe, ask questions and apply new knowledge each and every day. So for practicality purposes, I will share what steps I have already begun to take.
1) I bought several new books on the subject of leadership including: The Starbucks Experience, by Michelli; The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day, by Maxwell; Built To Serve, by Sanders; The Effective Executive, by Drucker; 9 Things A Leader Must Do, by Cloud; You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader, by Sandborn; The Difference Maker, by Maxwell; and The Truth About You, by Buckingham
2) I am committed to listening to various speakers, communicators, authors and more via podcast
3) I am going to make an intentional effort to surround myself with highly integrious, effectual leaders - both in the "marketplace" as well as within the church
4) I am committed to writing, teaching, sharing and living out what I have experienced and learned about leadership
Needless to say, I hope that this year will be a year of wonderful insight, growth and productivity for me.
So, here goes...
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I am experiencing both, excitement and fear for what God is doing in, through and around me.
It's an awesome sense, knowing that God has a plan. My problem, if I can pinpoint just one, would be the simple fact that I wrestle with being in control. My tendencies lead me to pursue the things that I have control over, or at the very least, have some sort of leverage. Ya - not the case as of late. And that's okay, I guess.
It's an interesting place - a place that I have not made myself too familiar with over the years - a place that I am learning to appreciate and embrace. That doesn't make it any easier; just my reality.
That said, I am seeking God's will for my life, my family, my finances, my ministry, my future. Or is it His life, His family, His finances, His ministry and His future?
Perspective changes everything.
~Andrew
It's an awesome sense, knowing that God has a plan. My problem, if I can pinpoint just one, would be the simple fact that I wrestle with being in control. My tendencies lead me to pursue the things that I have control over, or at the very least, have some sort of leverage. Ya - not the case as of late. And that's okay, I guess.
It's an interesting place - a place that I have not made myself too familiar with over the years - a place that I am learning to appreciate and embrace. That doesn't make it any easier; just my reality.
That said, I am seeking God's will for my life, my family, my finances, my ministry, my future. Or is it His life, His family, His finances, His ministry and His future?
Perspective changes everything.
~Andrew
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Good times!
So I am at the Weekend To Remember marriage conference with my wife, Stacy. The conference started on Friday night and runs through Sunday. It has been good - good speakers, good content, good accomodations - good.
Tonight we had a great date night which included a swift stroll through the Westfield Mall in Vancouver, WA and dinner at Red Robin (Bruscheta Chicken sandwich & Garlic fries).
From here, Denny's for a night cap (desert).
Good times!
Tonight we had a great date night which included a swift stroll through the Westfield Mall in Vancouver, WA and dinner at Red Robin (Bruscheta Chicken sandwich & Garlic fries).
From here, Denny's for a night cap (desert).
Good times!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
C3
Introduction
One of the things as a Pastor, communicator, leader and coach that I have wrestled with for years is the way in which we develop something of significance and meaning - a vision - something far greater than ourselves. What's more and looking far beyond the development of any one particular thing or vision is the importance of helping others engage in creating and adopting vision.
Something that I have developed inter personally over the years, as a tool for greater retention and learning is an ability to create acronyms, acrostics and the like. I love the idea of word association. I thrive on 'silly sayings' and rhymes. Call it the right-brained or creative side of me; it just makes since.
In regards to our ministry here at Oregon City Evangelical Church and the incredible opportunities we have to experience God and create effective ministry together, I have been thinking through ways of getting others on board and involved. This article is simply my thoughts on paper - an attempt at articulating what I have found to be 3 things that I think are vital for us as we work together to accomplish the ministry God has given us responsibility over. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying thinking through it.
C3 & Me
Vision
Why is vision important? What's the purpose? How do we go about ideating, creating and implementing vision? These are all great questions; questions that I have wrestled with for years. The late-great Yogi Berra once said, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there."(1)
Vision is the ability to see beyond ones' self, to spot potential and create means to attain vision. And although I am no author, scholar, and certainly no academic or creator of the DATA or Dictionary According To Andrew, I do think that I have a pretty healthy grasp of what vision is, at least in my own life.
Below are three practical steps that I've developed as a system for myself in helping me do something with the visions in my life. These are my thoughts, expressions, and are based on personal experiences and reflections.
Create vision
I believe that God gives each one of us various gifts and unique expressions of self as well as varied experiences; and by putting the pieces together, it creates a wonderful and beautiful Mosaic - a combination of diverse elements forming a more or less coherent whole (2). While recognizing the importance of a leader's role, leaders such as a CEO, Director, President, Chair, etc; we would be remiss not to mention the importance of involving others when it comes to creating vision. A quote that I once read on the subject of leaders incorporate other leaders suggests that, Leaders experiment and take risks, listening to those around them. Those who challenge the process know a good idea when they hear one. Because failure is inherent in risk taking, leaders learn to accept disappointments and move forward. (3)
Lesson-learned: A team approach to creating vision is key.
Cast vision.
If you are prone to day dreaming or love getting lost in your thoughts, if you are like me and you love thinking about the possibilities of what could be, then creating vision probably won’t be too much of a stretch for you. It's the next step that I believe we have to develop in route to making our vision a reality. It's the process of communicating or casting our vision. Beyond communicating our vision, I believe it is equally as important to do so in a way that makes since and is easy to engage, accept and adopt. The problem is that at times we dream dreams and allow it to stop there, never allowing for more than a dream.
Lao-tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher once said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And although I don't know much in the way of philosophy, I do find a great deal of truth in Lao's statement.
I believe in the importance of communicating or casting our vision. I believe in engaging others in thought and action. In comparison, much like a plant without water or nutrients will eventually wilt and die, so too will our visions eventually fade away without intentional words and other means of casting our vision.
Lesson-learned: Vision without casting vision is nothing more than a good idea.
Carry vision.
Have you ever had one of those ‘ah-ha’ moments in life where it seems as though everything comes together in your thoughts? For me, ah-ha moments are too few and far between. So when I have one, I try to make the most of it.
This summer, while speaking at a camp I uttered the words in context to my message, Passion without purpose is pointless. The statement was nowhere in my notes, mostly because I wasn't using notes. When I was done speaking I headed off to my room to write my epiphany down. Later that week while giving a talk on goal setting in relationship to the information learned while at camp, I was able to speak more directly to the statement and really elaborate on the idea. I had a great time with it.
The same is true in connection with carrying vision. It's one thing to create vision and all together entirely different casting vision. Without intentionality behind it, putting the rubber on the road, so to speak, there really is no point.
What I've come to understand is that carrying vision is not possible if one first does not have buy-in or ownership of an idea - thus, the importance of creating and casting vision with, in and through others. It's a team effort. It's a goal that can only be accomplished when everyone is working toward the same goal, direction and with the same end-result in mind.
I guess it can be summed up in one sentence, and so I leave you with this, Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. (4)
Lesson-learned: Passion without purpose is pointless.
(1) Yogi Berra - Baseball Hall of Famer. Father of Yogiisms.
(2) New Oxford American Dictionary
(3) Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge
(4)James Dean - American actor
One of the things as a Pastor, communicator, leader and coach that I have wrestled with for years is the way in which we develop something of significance and meaning - a vision - something far greater than ourselves. What's more and looking far beyond the development of any one particular thing or vision is the importance of helping others engage in creating and adopting vision.
Something that I have developed inter personally over the years, as a tool for greater retention and learning is an ability to create acronyms, acrostics and the like. I love the idea of word association. I thrive on 'silly sayings' and rhymes. Call it the right-brained or creative side of me; it just makes since.
In regards to our ministry here at Oregon City Evangelical Church and the incredible opportunities we have to experience God and create effective ministry together, I have been thinking through ways of getting others on board and involved. This article is simply my thoughts on paper - an attempt at articulating what I have found to be 3 things that I think are vital for us as we work together to accomplish the ministry God has given us responsibility over. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying thinking through it.
C3 & Me
Vision
Why is vision important? What's the purpose? How do we go about ideating, creating and implementing vision? These are all great questions; questions that I have wrestled with for years. The late-great Yogi Berra once said, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there."(1)
Vision is the ability to see beyond ones' self, to spot potential and create means to attain vision. And although I am no author, scholar, and certainly no academic or creator of the DATA or Dictionary According To Andrew, I do think that I have a pretty healthy grasp of what vision is, at least in my own life.
Below are three practical steps that I've developed as a system for myself in helping me do something with the visions in my life. These are my thoughts, expressions, and are based on personal experiences and reflections.
Create vision
I believe that God gives each one of us various gifts and unique expressions of self as well as varied experiences; and by putting the pieces together, it creates a wonderful and beautiful Mosaic - a combination of diverse elements forming a more or less coherent whole (2). While recognizing the importance of a leader's role, leaders such as a CEO, Director, President, Chair, etc; we would be remiss not to mention the importance of involving others when it comes to creating vision. A quote that I once read on the subject of leaders incorporate other leaders suggests that, Leaders experiment and take risks, listening to those around them. Those who challenge the process know a good idea when they hear one. Because failure is inherent in risk taking, leaders learn to accept disappointments and move forward. (3)
Lesson-learned: A team approach to creating vision is key.
Cast vision.
If you are prone to day dreaming or love getting lost in your thoughts, if you are like me and you love thinking about the possibilities of what could be, then creating vision probably won’t be too much of a stretch for you. It's the next step that I believe we have to develop in route to making our vision a reality. It's the process of communicating or casting our vision. Beyond communicating our vision, I believe it is equally as important to do so in a way that makes since and is easy to engage, accept and adopt. The problem is that at times we dream dreams and allow it to stop there, never allowing for more than a dream.
Lao-tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher once said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And although I don't know much in the way of philosophy, I do find a great deal of truth in Lao's statement.
I believe in the importance of communicating or casting our vision. I believe in engaging others in thought and action. In comparison, much like a plant without water or nutrients will eventually wilt and die, so too will our visions eventually fade away without intentional words and other means of casting our vision.
Lesson-learned: Vision without casting vision is nothing more than a good idea.
Carry vision.
Have you ever had one of those ‘ah-ha’ moments in life where it seems as though everything comes together in your thoughts? For me, ah-ha moments are too few and far between. So when I have one, I try to make the most of it.
This summer, while speaking at a camp I uttered the words in context to my message, Passion without purpose is pointless. The statement was nowhere in my notes, mostly because I wasn't using notes. When I was done speaking I headed off to my room to write my epiphany down. Later that week while giving a talk on goal setting in relationship to the information learned while at camp, I was able to speak more directly to the statement and really elaborate on the idea. I had a great time with it.
The same is true in connection with carrying vision. It's one thing to create vision and all together entirely different casting vision. Without intentionality behind it, putting the rubber on the road, so to speak, there really is no point.
What I've come to understand is that carrying vision is not possible if one first does not have buy-in or ownership of an idea - thus, the importance of creating and casting vision with, in and through others. It's a team effort. It's a goal that can only be accomplished when everyone is working toward the same goal, direction and with the same end-result in mind.
I guess it can be summed up in one sentence, and so I leave you with this, Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. (4)
Lesson-learned: Passion without purpose is pointless.
(1) Yogi Berra - Baseball Hall of Famer. Father of Yogiisms.
(2) New Oxford American Dictionary
(3) Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge
(4)James Dean - American actor
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
New Addition
So yesterday my wife and I saw the first image(s) of our new addition - a baby girl. 
Her ETA (estimated time of arrival), March 30, 2009; also the date of my beautiful bride's inception.
The imagery via the ultrasound is so intricate - each new image showing an amazing amount of detail to our little baby girl. And although I have been through this process before with our other children, it never gets old or boring. Our little girl's beating heart showing up on the monitor along with all of her movement - nothing quite compares.
Her ETA (estimated time of arrival), March 30, 2009; also the date of my beautiful bride's inception.The imagery via the ultrasound is so intricate - each new image showing an amazing amount of detail to our little baby girl. And although I have been through this process before with our other children, it never gets old or boring. Our little girl's beating heart showing up on the monitor along with all of her movement - nothing quite compares.
When we arrived home from our appointment, we were met at the front door by each one of our other children accompanied by an army of others equally as excited to learn the sex of our soon to be new addition. That said, I was amazed at the myriad of reactions from each person, everything from utter chaotic-excitement to I'm not changing diapers...am I, with the most extreme being my 5-year old son who lost all of his hopes and dreams of teaching his
kid brother how to wrestle, play ball and other manly-men things that any good older brother would teach. And although my boy's initial response was less than ideal, he too grew increasing excited at the possibilities of this new addition.
Isn't it amazing how much a new addition can bring about change in one's life. In our case, our new addition will be a big change. Once born, and even now, our family dynamics are changing, the size of our family will change, the number of passengers for our vehicle is going to change, many more diapers will need to be changed. You get the picture. And for me, I thrive on change - I love it and do well with it. But for others, change can be a hard thing, so the idea of a new addition may not always be met with much enthusiasm.
Now, let me introduce you to my introspection. I have been thinking since yesterday how much I enjoy change and new additions in my spiritual life. A new location or book, a new project or idea, it rarely matters what it is, I like new additions. Yet there are those around me who don't necessarily share the same view point as me. They don't necessarily welcome new additions. New additions can difficult.
I am challenged to embrace new additions in my spiritual life. Although not every new addition may be exciting at first, my goal is to focus on the bigger picture - to see beyond myself, my expectations and interests, ultimately setting aside my own agenda for the things of God and what God wants to do in, around and even through me.
And so the story goes...
~Andrew
kid brother how to wrestle, play ball and other manly-men things that any good older brother would teach. And although my boy's initial response was less than ideal, he too grew increasing excited at the possibilities of this new addition.Isn't it amazing how much a new addition can bring about change in one's life. In our case, our new addition will be a big change. Once born, and even now, our family dynamics are changing, the size of our family will change, the number of passengers for our vehicle is going to change, many more diapers will need to be changed. You get the picture. And for me, I thrive on change - I love it and do well with it. But for others, change can be a hard thing, so the idea of a new addition may not always be met with much enthusiasm.
Now, let me introduce you to my introspection. I have been thinking since yesterday how much I enjoy change and new additions in my spiritual life. A new location or book, a new project or idea, it rarely matters what it is, I like new additions. Yet there are those around me who don't necessarily share the same view point as me. They don't necessarily welcome new additions. New additions can difficult.
I am challenged to embrace new additions in my spiritual life. Although not every new addition may be exciting at first, my goal is to focus on the bigger picture - to see beyond myself, my expectations and interests, ultimately setting aside my own agenda for the things of God and what God wants to do in, around and even through me.
And so the story goes...
~Andrew
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Really?
Really? Rhetorical, leading and clarifying, this is a great way to indicate direction, meaning and purpose.There is a story in the Bible about a guy named Jonah. Jonah was a normal guy - nothing too crazy. God asked Jonah to go into a city known as Nineveh, to a people who's hearts were far from God. Enter the adverb.
Initially, Jonah poses the word really in the form of a question. Seeking clarification, I can imagine that Jonah might have assumed that God must have been mistaken, or that He had His people groups mixed up. Oops. How embarrassing...for Jonah. Surprised at God's response, Jonah switched his tone. Enter the adjective.
Trying to describe the noun through adjectives - a person (Ninevehites), place (Nineveh), or thing (a lost people), I can almost hear Jonah asking God as though he might not have understand Him the first time. REALLY? Go to Nineveh? Speak to the Nenevehites? REALLY? This is where Jonah is instrumental in the communication breakdown. You see, God was clear with his directives for Jonah, but not on the same page in regards to the actions required of him, Jonah is asking God as though He might not have totally understood what He was asking of Jonah. And so the story goes.
Jonah ended up running from God; His direction and calling on Jonah's life. Jonah ends up on a boat, tossed overboard and swallowed up by a big fish, eventually coughed up three days later...
Really?
What God is showing me in and amongst my really moments, is that while it's okay to ask questions, my repsonsibility is to be obedient to God's leading and direction in my life. My friend Dan Jester said it best this summer while speaking at a Senior High camp. In one of his messages Dan used the term, "First say okay. Then obey".
While I may not totally understand or even agree with some of the directions I sense God leading in my life, my role is to first say okay and then to obey.
Really!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Gettin' dirty
Do you remember what it is like to take pride in gettin' dirty - when the messier the better was not only our mantra but a way of life? What happened to those days? Where did they go?
I was handed a subtle reminder of such times as I participated in our families annual pumpkin carving extravaganza. With each pumpkin strategicaly picked and placed, it wasn't long before my son, Kaedon took to his child-safety knife and went to work on this years masterpiece - an extodinary bat to light up the night.
Although excited about the carving, sculpting and lighting of the pumpkin, the thing that my son and many others like him look forward to the most is the opportunity they have to dive into a pile of soppy seeds and stringy, slimy madness. The look of total satisfaction as my son, with each dive bomb of the hand, captured more messiness than the time before; that's joy. That's satisfaction. That's gettin' dirty. That's the way it is suppossed to be!
So what's happened to us? Where has that passion for pumpkin-like moments gone? Why has gettin' dirty lost it's place in our lives?
I don't know where the excitement for gettin' dirty has gone, but as I sat by, pumpkin in hand, watching my son and company take delve into thier perspective pumpkins, I got excited and engaged my childlike desires for gettin' dirty. It was awesome!
This leads me to my point. I think that our relationships with Christ are no different than our early childhood experiences. At first, we don't mind gettin' dirty. In fact, we seek out opportunities to do just that - get dirty. Unfortunately as we age in our faith, all too often we loose sight of the importance of gettin' dirty.
For me, I have been reminded and challenged to exercise a childish expression of my faith in gettin' dirty for the kingdom. And much like I was a proud Papa when my son called out with great enthusiasm and excitement at his mess, I believe God takes joy in his children when they are gettin' dirty for him.
And now I pray that you too may experience the joy of gettin' dirty!
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