Misc

Proud to be an American

Today, I am proud of my country. Yesterday was a historic day. Some might call it a benchmark day in the history of our country. Regardless of what you call it, I feel proud.  I felt proud seeing 2 million people on the National Mall cheering and waving American flags. I felt proud watching the most civilized transfer of power the world knows. I felt proud seeing the first African American president being sworn in. I felt proud watching and listening to Rick Warren's prayer for our country and for our President. I felt proud seeing the crowd on the mall made up of whites, blacks, latinos, asians, old, young, students, children, and grandparents. All Americans. All people who love this country. 

I was trying to remember the last time I felt an overwhelming sense of patriotism and love for my country like this. Probably in 2003 while watching live footage of the statue of Saddam being torn down in the historic district of Baghdad by the Iraqi people. I was overwhelmingly proud of my country and proud of our soldiers then. 

We all know we have an uphill battle. President Obama is not the answer to solving all the problems. I disagree with most of his policies. Almost all of his policies. BUT, change can be good, and he has inspired us. I think he is a good man, and I am going to pray for him and his team, and do what I can to be part of the solution. 

But it is not about one man or one administration or one team. It is about our country. The American spirit and resolve just needs a nudging, a strong reminder of where we've come from, and where we are going.

Today, I am proud.

Young Influencers List- January Edition

It's a new year, and time for a brand new edition of the YIL. View all the past lists from recent months here.  The January edition of the Young Influencers List. Here you go:

1. Josh Loveless- leads the charge on Status, a ministry to students and young professionals in Orlando, and also brand director for Neue. 

2. Vicky Beeching- talented worship leader and songwriter born in the UK but now hanging out in the US. 

3. Jon Bell- works with The Image Group in Grand Rapids, and also leading the charge on Rob Bell's upcoming tour (you'll hear more about this later). Very involved with Heart Support, an online care community. 

4. Dave Barnes- uber talented musician, singer, songwriter,  and insanely funny and all-around good guy. Take time to watch some videos on his site. You will laugh. 

5. Lindsay Orr- founder of LUO, an initiative focused on setting children free from poverty, sickness, slavery and other injustices around the world. Talented artist as well. 

6. Scott McClellan- editor of Collide Magazine, and also purveyor of the Collide blog.

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Interview with Perry Noble and Mark Foreman

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Check out these interviews with Perry Noble, senior pastor of New Spring Church, and Mark Foreman, senior pastor of North Coast Calvary Chapel in San Diego. Perry gives out some down home leadership gold, and Mark discusses his new book Wholly Jesus and also some great insights into his fathering and friendship with his two sons Jon and Tim of the band Switchfoot. You can download from itunes or stream from here.

Inauguration Services Prayer Team includes...

Rick Warren is doing the invocation during the Inauguration. We've all heard that news.  But just released today is other prominent leaders who will be involved in the services surrounding the event. See the related article here. Andy and TD and others. Thanks to Brian for the heads up. 

And related to Rick Warren- an interesting piece from Melissa Etheridge on a recent conversation with Rick here.

10,000 hours

So I am done reading Malcolm Gladwell's latest book Outliers, which I highly recommend you go out and buy right now. I recommended the book back in December, and am recommending it to you again in January.  One of the major points that Malcolm makes in the book is the law of 10,000 hours. Basically in most cases it takes around 10,000 hours to become really really good at something and be considered successful in that area. I am thinking back over the last 15 years for me. I worked on a ranch in Colorado for almost 5 years right after college. I rode horses on average of 3 hrs per day for 9 months out of the year for close to 5 years. That is just over 4,000 hrs. I felt like I was really really good at riding horses, and wasn't even halfway to the 10,000 hr mark. Man.

I've been doing event management, networking, producing, and content development for the last 10 years. That's about 11,000 hours invested. Interesting. 

What's your 10,000 hour mark?

I am Mad at Anne Jackson's Church Disease

Trying to come up with a pithy and catchy subject line to this post.... trying to get the words mad, church, anne, jackson, and disease into the same subject line. Not sure I achieved what I was going after in the appropriate order.... I am not mad at Anne Jackson, obviously. And her Church doesn't have a disease. I hear Pete Wilson, the pastor at Cross Point, is a super cool guy, even though we've never met in person. 

How do I give a proper synopsis on Anne's new book Mad Church Disease? There is a major blog blitz going on right now among all the cool bloggers regarding the book, and for good measure. This book rocks. Most of the more well known bloggers have already posted their comments on their pages, so now it's my turn. So in order to not copy, I revert to my steady standby- the top ten list. 

So here is why I think Anne's new book Mad Church Disease is a book worth mentioning, and a book worth reading. 

1. She compares Mad Church Disease to Mad Cow Disease, and I worked on a ranch after college and know lots about cows.

2. Anne is my friend, and I like to highlight projects that my friends are doing. 

3. She is a carrier of MCD. Her father was a pastor, she grew up in the church, and has worked in church environments her whole life. Someone like me who has never worked in a church has no credibility nor is considered a carrier. Her being a carrier gives her credibility. 

4. We both consider ourselves Oklahomans... ok maybe not, but it sounds good. I having grown up there and Anne spent only six months in the Great State. But even though she spent 23 years in Texas, I would venture to say she considers herself an Oklahoman, and cheers for the Sooners. Who wouldn't want to say they're from a state where the license plates say "Oklahoma is OK......" But Anne is great. 

5. The book includes very cool sidebar interviews with a number of leaders talking about their own journey and struggles- these are entitled "second opinions." Bill Hybels, Perry Noble, Mike Foster, and many others. 

6. Anne gives us a prescription for how to not only overcome burnout from working in the Church, but also how to create unity in the Church and with our brothers and sisters around the world as well as in our congregations. Very important. 

7. She gives us five principles for fighting mad church disease tied to relational health. You'll have to get the book to know what they are. But one includes sleeping more, which is always a positive. 

8. Anne talks about weight and calls out those in ministry to get in shape. A much needed challenge. She also gives practical ways to do this. 

9. This is her first book, so she hasn't become stale and repackaged yet as an author. Not that this ever happens to others......

10. I really like stories. Especially personal stories. And ultimately, this is Anne's story. Her personal journey with all of its ups and downs. 

Being real, honest and vulnerable is not easy, especially when you are doing that publicly in book form. 

Thanks Anne for sharing your story. A story that so many can relate to who have also been hurt, burned out, and thrown out by the church. The great thing is, stories always help us to realign and to be inspired. Especially when they are stories of people who are just like us. 

If you are a pastor, go and buy this book for your staff. And if you are a lay leader, go and buy this book for your pastor. Chances are, many of them are suffering from MCD. They need our help.

Order the book pronto.

Change is Good

Remember as a child how exciting it was for your family to change the furniture configuration in the living room? I do. It was like having a whole new home. It created a major sense of excitement and anticipation for our family, especially my brother and me. Or when you would change your bedroom up and move the bed to the other wall (perpendicular) and put the dresser on the other side of the room, and your trophies in a different spot? Like a whole new room. All good memories. We decided today to reconfigure the office space here at Catalyst. Why? No good reason, other than sparking some fresh thinking and feeling like we are starting "new" in 2009. Everyone was involved. Everyone was excited. Fresh eyes and fresh perspective.

Will it improve productivity? Who knows. But maybe it will spark some extra momentum as we start 2009. With all the change happening around us, it feels right to create some change that we can control.

Gift Card Giver House Partay

yes, I know, I spelled party wrong- on purpose. Last night was the first official NATIONWIDE Gift Card Giver House Party evening. There were hundreds of folks around the country gathered in homes playing games, having fun, and providing unused gift cards for those less fortunate. Check out the new website. And if you have any gift cards laying around, whether unused or just a few dollars left on them, send em in! It's a great way to help others.  [gallery columns="4"]

Top Ten Blogs I am Reading

It's been a week of top tens. Top Ten Books I've read, top ten events to attend this year, and now the top ten blogs I am reading.  Again, this is the top blogs I am currently reading. Not necessarily the top ten blogs I recommend (that would be hard to limit to only 10). No particular order.

1. Seth Godin

2. Ben Arment

3. Tim Sanders

4. Perry Noble

5. Mike Hyatt

6. Anne Jackson

7. Todd Rhoades 

8. Swerve (Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald)

9. Guy Kawasaki

10. Carlos Whittaker

Thrill of Victory... and agony of Defeat

Tough game last night for the Sooners. They didn't have the same mojo that was present the last 8 games. Florida had a lot to do with that. But two trips inside the 5 yard line with no points and two additional drives inside the 20 with nothing will pretty much guarantee a loss. 5 straight losses in BCS bowl games is a real drag right now for the program. Oklahoma is the winningest team in the last ten years among all college teams, but has lost the ability to win the Big game. The agony of defeat. Ugh. 

It pains me, but I now must move Florida into a tie or at least a close second with USC for the best team of the decade. See the updated post here, which I am sure will create some controversy among all the rabid college football fans out there. Congrats to Florida and their team and coaches. They seem to be a class act. And to all the Florida fans who now have ample reason to talk trash.

The power of Margin

Margin is a powerful concept. Margin in business creates profits. Margin in family creates memories. Margin in our personal finances creates opportunities. Margin in our lives overall creates options. Options to pursue dreams, think, pray, relax, meditate, process, grow and ultimately live life more fully. As leaders, it is important that we create moments of margin for ourselves on a daily basis, even if it is 5 minutes to think, walk, pray, or simply relax. And it is equally important to allow for margin in the culture of your team, and margin for your individual team members. Even something as simple as a funny story shared with the team, or a stop by someone else's office. 

On the flipside, lack of margin makes us tense, creates stress and pushes for quick decisions. Lack of margin leads to stale and forced relationships, and drives us towards the most available options, but many times not the best.

Top Ten Events to attend in 2009

My suggestions for what Leadership events you should attend in 2009. Obviously, I highly recommend attending Catalyst in Atlanta (October 7-9), Catalyst West Coast in LA (April 22-24), and Catalyst One Days in different cities (next is February 26 in Atlanta). So outside of those, here is my list of suggestions. 1. Catalyst Events

2. Q- April 27-29, Austin, TX. 

3. Drive- May 4-6, Atlanta, GA.

4. Orange- April 29-May 1, Atlanta, GA. 

5. Innovation3- January 27-28, Dallas, TX.

6. Maximum Impact- May 8, Atlanta, GA. (simulcast)

7. Leadership Summit- August 6-7, 2009

8. Exponential- April 20-23, Orlando, FL

9. Unleash- March 12, Anderson, SC

10. National Pastors Convention- February 10-13, San Diego, CA

bonus event: The Idea Camp- February 27-28, Irvine, CA. A free conference for idea makers.

What Have You Done for Me Lately

Ooooo-ooooo-oooooo-yeah!!! (Don't act like you weren't humming to the Janet Jackson classic from the nineties.... Actually the question is "what have I done for you lately?" If this blog is about trying to create conversations, and maybe in some way create some elements of community, I wanted to throw that question out there to you. How can I help you? 

Now if your response is "let me speak at Catalyst," well I'm not sure that is a realistic expectation! But, seriously, let me know how I might be able to assist you. You can email me or respond here.

Top Books of 2008

Here is my top ten list of books from 2008. 1. Tribes- another classic from Seth Godin.

2. Outliers- Malcolm Gladwell makes me think with every book he writes. 

3. Jesus Wants to Save Christians- Rob Bell

4. Wild Goose Chase- Mark Batterson

5. Made to Stick- Chip and Dan Heath

6. IT- Craig Groeschel

7. Crazy Love- Francis Chan

8. The Starfish and the Spider- Ori Brafman

9. Culture Making- Andy Crouch

10. The Pixar Touch- David Price

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