Questions to ask for reviewing 2010

Leadership Qualities of Nehemiah

Nehemiah is one of my favorite people in the Old Testament. He was a leader, pure and simple. Here are several leadership traits that stand out to me that he possessed.

1. Humble- he ranked high in the Kingdom of Artaxerxes- he was cupbearer to the King. Yet he understood the stewardship of his role. And arrived in Jerusalem only with the animal he was riding, when he could have asked the King for many more men to help him and escort him back.

2. Compassionate- when he learned of the suffering of his people, he sat down and cried. And then mourned for days, fasting and praying for his Jewish brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.

3. Visionary- he immediately captured the hearts of the people to help in rebuilding the walls. He was a masterful motivator. To show up and be able to rally the people to work together was an amazing feat.

4. Strength- when confronted with naysayers and even potential attacks from those outside the city, he held the people together, spoke with strength and determination and confidence, and even instructed those building the wall to have a spear in one hand and a tool in the other!

5. Organized- Nehemiah quickly assembled working teams to rebuild the wall with haste, and had people working round the clock to finish the job. Anyone who can lead rebuilding the wall in 52 days has the ability to organize and stay focused on the strategy at hand.

6. Integrity- when Nehemiah learned of the way some of the people were being cheated and sold into slavery by others in the city, he quickly brought light to it and put a new solution and system in place. He wouldn’t stand for the iniquities that had been going on for quite a while.

Chuck Swindoll, Louie Giglio, Daniel Pink, Jeremy Cowart, & more

Check out a couple of the recent Catalyst Podcast episodes- featuring some great leaders.

1. Part Two of my interview with Louie Giglio, where we discuss the One Million Can initiative, Auburn football, the issue of stewardship and calling, and a few other surprises.

2. Also available is a recent episode which features Tim Elmore interviewing Daniel Pink, NYT and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind. Plus, I catch up with Jeremy Cowart, award winning photographer and founder of Help Portrait.

3. And the episode released yesterday features my interview with Chuck Swindoll, pastor, past president of Dallas Seminary, founder of Insight for Living, and author of numerous books, including the most recent The Church Awakening.

You can listen to all of these episodes here, or better yet, subscribe and download from itunes for FREE.

5 Things to check out right now

1. Jesus Culture new album- I’m listening to it constantly. Buy it.

2. Pulse News One of my favorite apps- get it for free for your iphone or iPad- my favorite app for keeping up with a bunch of blogs and websites.

3. Fast Company- either the print magazine, following on Twitter, or visiting their website. Great way to keep up with what is new and innovative in business and culture.

4. PTI- Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. Best show on TV. The one show I watch everyday- 5:30 and 6:30 EST. If you are a sports fan, watch this show.

5. Noisetrade- great website for finding new music. Check out some of the incredibly talented musicians/artists on this site- including Sleeping at Last, Zach Williams, The Civil Wars, etc. Free downloads of songs, along with a way to “tip” the artists, so that they are not just giving away all their stuff for free.

BONUS: A glimpse into my “secret” life…. Chris Ediger captured a moment of me “rapping” at our Catalyst Christmas party a couple of weeks ago. All done to win $100 for the talent contest. I do have a rapping background….My stage name way back when in high school was “Creme L”, and I was part of a rap group called “OREO.” Yep, the creme in the middle. Jay King from Integrity is already signing me to a new record deal, so don’t even try to send me offers…….

Merry Christmas everyone!

Managing Leadership Tensions

“Leaders live and lead in the middle of the mess. Where the tension is constant, prevalent, and real.”

Our theme for Catalyst Atlanta back in October was The Tension is Good.

In looking back, I am reminded of how important understanding this idea is- that Tension is a good thing for leaders

Here area a few thoughts on Tension and the perspective as leaders we should have in managing it:

1. Tension is a powerful platform to clarify what is important. Out of tension many times comes change. Change for good.

2. There is a constant tension between who I am and who God wants me to be. The tension of growth and maturity is always present.

3. Resisting average creates tension. Striving for excellence creates tension.

4. We constantly live with a tension of determining in life how much we give away. Whether it is time, money, talents, resources, or focus, leaders must understand and embrace this tension of generosity.

5. Generational tension is essential in passing the mantle of leadership. For the Church to move forward in culture, older leaders must pass on their wisdom and legacy to younger leaders.

6. Tension among and within a team is healthy. Unity doesn’t mean there’s no tension. Unity means you are pursuing the same mission in the midst of real and purposeful tension.

7. Leaders lead in the fray. Leading in the safety zone is easy, but true leadership happens in the fray where change is happening, and there is a unique tug of war happening in that area.

8. Typically, where there is no tension, there is no real growth. Tension builds courage, character, wisdom and makes us authentic and real. It stretches and motivates us.

9. As a leader, lean into the tension that constantly exist. As Andy Stanley says, some tensions are meant to be managed, not removed.

The tension is necessary. The tension makes us strong. The tension is good.

Interview w/2009 Fastest Growing Church in America

Had the chance to catch up recently with good friend Chris Hodges, senior pastor of Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, AL. Chris also helped start ARC, the Association of Related Churches, which plants churches across the US and around the world. He is a board member of EQUIP, and recently launched GROW, which exists to help primarily smaller churches and pastors broaden in influence, grow in attendance, and break through barriers.

Chris is one of the sharpest leaders I know. I really appreciate his leadership and his heart for the Global Church. Church of the Highlands began 10 years ago, and today is one of the largest churches in the US. In 2009, Church of the Highlands was the fastest growing Church in the US.

In Part One, we discuss the beginning of Church of the Highlands, Chris’ leadership style, and how he’s maintained the strong leadership culture even in the midst of the tremendous growth. He gives a great “swing tip” for leaders, and we talk briefly about his bent towards competition, especially when it comes to hunting!

In Part Two, we discuss the Global Church, why he’s really excited about Australia and Europe, LSU football, and why relationships are integral to collaboration and God’s Church expanding.

In Part Three, we discuss the GROW Network and why he has a passion for helping smaller churches and all pastors/church leaders grow their influence and reach in their communities.

Thanks Chris!

10 Reasons to attend Catalyst West

I’m so excited about Catalyst West coming up March 2-4, 2011 in Orange County (Irvine) CA at Mariners Church.

If you are considering attending, you’ll want to go ahead and REGISTER TODAY to get the BEST RATES on tickets. After today, ticket prices will jump up. So go ahead and get your team or staff signed up at the lower prices. And when you register, use Rate Code FOB for an additional 10% off. Just for being a part of this blog community.

Here are 10 reasons why I am excited about Catalyst West, and why you should attend:

1. The speaker lineup- Andy Stanley, Eugene Peterson, Rev Run, Matt Chandler, Jack Dorsey (co-founder of Twitter), Dave Ramsey, Judah Smith, Christine Caine, Dr. John Perkins, Nancy Ortberg, Soledad O’Brien, Britt Merrick, Randall Wallace (writer of Braveheart). This lineup has me jacked. Seriously. I’m pumped!

2. Gungor- one of my favorite bands on the planet.

3. Tripp and Tyler- funny guys. funny videos. they will be funny.

4. Jud Wilhite- Jud keeps things moving. And provides context. And makes things stick. And is one of the sharpest and most influential leaders around.

5. Take Courage- this is our theme. And I love it.

6. LABS- wow, the wisdom and know-how that will be presenting at LABS is humbling. Come a day early and hear from thought leaders like Mike Foster, Jud Wilhite, Michael Hyatt, Anne Jackson, Jon Acuff, David Kinnaman, Gayle Haggard, Mark Batterson, Rick McKinley, Charles Lee, Bob Goff, Shaun King, Miles McPherson, Jaeson Ma, Samuel Rodriguez, and many others!

7. Opening and Closing Session at LABS- Scot McKnight will be presenting in the opening session of Labs, and David Platt will be presenting in the closing session. Scot is the author of recently released One.Life and David is the author of the best-seller Radical.

8. 3500 Leaders- Catalyst attracts the doers, the influencers, the cultural architects, and change agents. And when you get 3500 leaders and influencers who are intent on making a difference together, great things happen.

9. Mariners Church- a breathtaking campus in Irvine, CA. Lots of green space, and a staff that is incredible to work with. The Mariners team is family, and we love working with them!

10. The Unexpected- Our prayer is always that God would move in the hearts of the leaders who are part of Catalyst in ways we don’t expect or plan for. We love creating what we consider to be a great event, but we trust and know that God shows up in unexpected ways and meets each leader in specific ways. We love hearing stories of life change, of moments of clarity, of great conversations, of powerful times of renewal, etc. The experience of Catalyst is what we all look forward to.

Make sure and Register TODAY. Can’t wait to see you there.

Do you love what you do?

Do you love what you do?

Do you enjoy your job, or are you just enduring it?

Is the greatest intent of your week to only get to the weekend? Or to suffer until the next vacation day?

Is what you do an extension of who you are?

If someone told you that you have to quit your “job” tomorrow, would you be relieved or disappointed?

Many folks go through life simply enduring what they do, instead of loving what they do. Not all of career life is glamorous, or constantly fires us up. I get that. Some things you just have to put up with and endure. But if you daily dread getting out of bed and diving in to your occupation, to your career, to your vocation, then something has to change. It’s not worth it.

Don’t settle for just going through life enduring the 5 days of the workweek, to only have as your greatest goal of the week to make it to the weekend.

Love what you do, or at least like it. It’s too important not to.