Tuesday, August 25, 2015

44 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From War Room The Movie

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969 Leadership Quotes

Brian Dodd on August 21, 2015 in Movies

Tonight, my wife and I had the privilege of attending the red carpet Atlanta premiere of the new movie War Room. Brought to you by the same people who gave you two of my all-time favorite movies Fire Proof and Courageous, I had high expectations for this film. And my expectations were well-exceeded.
Focusing on the power of prayer and the impact in can make in every area of your life, War Room is the finest movie I have seen in 2015. I would recommend everyone reading this post to promote and take as many people as possible to the opening on Friday, August 28th.
I also want to point out Karen Abercrombie, who plays the elderly character Miss Clara and the spiritual epicenter of the movie, deserves an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She delivers a career-defining performance.
The following are 44 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From War Room The Movie:

“We want God to use this movie as a tool to bring people back to Him.” – Alex Kendrick in his welcome and opening remarks prior to showing the movie.
“War has been part of humanity in every age…There always seems to be something to fight for.” – Miss Clara does a powerful monologue on spiritual warfare in the movie’s opening. Points #2 through #6 are quotes from the monologue.
Good Intentions Without A Good Strategy Leads To Poor Results – “Someone has to develop a strategy to combat the enemy.”
“Death is part of life.”
“Very few of us know how to fight the right way.”
“Victory doesn’t come by accident.”
Fathers Set The Tone Of The Household – In one of the early scenes, Tony Jordan, played by T.C. Stallings, is filled with anger and rage when he arrives home from work. Obviously, the tone of the remainder of the evening takes a downward trajectory.
Healthy Communication Is A Necessary Ingredient To A Healthy Family – “In order for this family to function we need to communicate.” – Elizabeth Jordan, played by the delightful Priscilla Shirer, to her husband Tony in an attempt to improve their marriage.
Excellence Matters – “A man wears his pants around his waste.” – Miss Clara to a teenager doing her yard work.
Great Leaders Focus On What They Can Do. Not What They Can’t – “I can’t do nothin’ but call folks.” – Miss Clara
True Peace Only Comes From A Relationship With Jesus Christ – Miss Clara says, “God’s still in control. It encourages me.”
Your Talent Can Take You Where Your Character Cannot Sustain You – Though he was an incredibly talented salesman, Tony was filled with greed and stealing from company.
One Person’s Character Does Not Determine Yours – “Submission is ducking so God can hit your husband.” – Beth Moore’s character Mandy to Elizabeth.
A Healthy Life Requires A Healthy Perspective – Miss Clara asks Elizabeth, “You attend church occasionally. Is that because your pastor only preaches occasionally?”
When It Comes To Prayer Do Not Confuse Activity With Accomplishment – Miss Clara tells Elizabeth, “Just because you argue a lot doesn’t mean you fight well.”
Prayer Brings Clarity To Your Role – Miss Clara continues, “My job is not the heavy lifting. That is His job.”
Great Leaders Give People A Picture Of What God Can Do In Their Lives – Miss Clara concludes her challenge to Elizabeth by saying, “I see in you a warrior that needs to be awakened.”
Pay Attention To The Details In Your Child’s Life – As adults, we can let the concerns of life overshadow what is really important in our families, what God is doing in the lives of our children.
“Your husband has his own issues but he’s not your enemy.” – Miss Clara on the devil being the real enemy who steals, kills and destroys.
Christians Should Be Bringing Solutions – “I’m a Christian. I help people.” – Michael, played by comedian Michael Jr, to Tony
Local Churches Are The Best Places Where Your Life Can Be Changed Forever – Jordan says in disgust, “I’ll see you in church.” To which his friend Michael says, “I’d like to see the church in you.”
Money Can’t Buy You Love, Happiness or Contentment – Elizabeth says, “I’d rather have a good marriage than more money.”
Jesus Is Necessary For Success In Every Area Of Your Life – After a foiled robbery attempt, Miss Clara makes the police officers promise to put crying out in Jesus’s name in the their report. “People are always leaving Jesus out and that’s why we’re in the mess we’re in.”
Jesus Shed His Blood And Died For You – “Do you deserve grace?..Jesus shed His blood. He died on the cross for you.”
Surrender Is Necessary For Success – Miss Clara says, “If you want victory you must first surrender.”
Great Results Often Require Great Changes – To get the quality of marriage she deeply longed for, Elizabeth removed all the clothes from her closet to make it a War Room.
“Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” – Elizabeth passionately quoting James 4:7
“JESUS IS THE LORD OF THIS HOUSE!” – Elizabeth
“I shouldn’t fight God because He always wins.” – Miss Clara
What Parents Do In Moderation Children Always Do In Excess – After seeing her mother create a War Room in her closet, Elizabeth’s daughter Danielle, played by Alena Pitts, created her own War Room.
A Life Of Prayer Requires Commitment – “When’s the last time you heard of a woman giving up closet space?” – Michael. Who added, “I wished my wife prayed for me like that.”
Daughters Draw Their Confidence From Their Fathers – As Tony began to invest in Danielle’s life, her self-confidence increased exponentially.
Marriage Is Not Based On Commitment – Elizabeth tells Tony, “I’m not done with us.”
Marriage Is Based On A Person, Jesus Christ – Elizabeth continues in her conversation with Tony, “I am His before I am yours. And because I love Jesus I’m staying right here.”
Those Who Have Been Given Grace Should Willingly Extend Grace – The world desperately needs grace – grace from each other but ultimately the grace which can only be received from Jesus Christ. One of my favorite scenes is when Tony serves a former boss (who was very mean to him) by changing his flat tire.
The World Is Dying For More Godly Husbands And Fathers – “I would rather have a man chasing Jesus than a house full of stuff.” – Elizabeth
Husbands Either Serve Their Wives Or Serve Themselves – You cannot do both. Spoiler Alert – This involves a basin of water and ice cream.
“Raise ’em up Lord! Raise ’em up!” – Miss Clara’s declarative plea to raise up more prayer warriors.

As a bonus, the cast participated in a Q&A following the movie:

“The only one who can fight for us, the Lord can offering healing.” – Alex Kendrick
“When I do stand-up comedy my kids have to repeat it.” – Michael Jr.
“My prayer life, I was only scraping the service.” – Karen Abercrombie prior to the filming of the movie.
“There are men out there that do love their families.” – T.C. Stallings
“We want someone (Priscilla Shirer) who will represent God after the film’s opening.” – Kendrick
“You cannot sit in the film and walk out of the theater just thinking, “That was a good movie.'” – Shirer

In closing, please go see this movie. War Room is a fantastic film!!! In addition to making you a better leader, it is one of the few movies which can truly change your life forever.

14 Things Young Leaders Can Learn From Experienced Leaders

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969 Leadership Quotes

Brian Dodd on August 22, 2015 in Sports Leadership

There are countless benefits of multi-generational leadership. One is younger leaders bring fresh ideas and stretch the thinking of us who by default often roll out tried-and-true ideas which are having diminishing results. But younger leaders can also learn much from the experience of seasoned leaders.
Recently, Monday Morning Quarterback writer Andy Benoit profiled veteran 12-year quarterback Phillip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers. You can read his full article by clicking here. In addition to having a high level of personal character (see video above), Rivers has become a master of the nuances of his position.
As I read Benoit’s article, I gleaned 14 Things Young Leaders Can Learn From Experienced Leaders:

Young Leaders Can Learn How To Produce Great Results With Limited Resources – Rivers is not as fast as young athletic quarterbacks but he knows how to maximize the inches of ground located in the pocket.
Young Leaders Can Learn Accuracy – Do the right things the right way. The most important passing skill quarterbacks must have is accuracy, which Rivers is.
Young Leaders Can Learn How To Handle Pressure – Rivers has learned how to minimize the pressure coming from opponent’s pass rush.
Young Leaders Can Learn How To Make Others Look Better – Rivers’s pocket presence camouflages his blockers’ mistakes.
Young Leaders Can Learn The Importance Of Results – Rivers focuses is always the same: generating positive yardage.
Young Leaders Can Learn Not To Waste Time – Rivers wastes no motion. His throwing motion is extremely compact.
Young Leaders Can Learn How To Handle Conflict – The defense wants to hurt the other team’s quarterback. Therefore, the quarterback position requires Rivers to make plays with bodies constantly flying all around him.
Young Leaders Can Learn HOW To Look For Opportunity – Because he can make difficult plays in conflict, it affords Rivers more possibilities to help the team.
Young Leaders Can Learn WHERE To Look For Opportunity – Not only should leaders constantly be looking for opportunity, they must know WHERE to look for opportunity. This is a nuance only experienced leaders can bring. Rivers knows his opportunity exists within the pocket, not running around outside the pocket.
Young Leaders Can Learn What To Eliminate – What separates good quarterbacks from great quarterbacks is what happens just before the snap of the football. Great quarterbacks identify what is NOT available and does not pursue those options. Rivers is highly skilled in all aspects of the pre-snap phase.
Young Leaders Can Learn How To Build A Great Team Around Them – Chargers general manager Tom Telesco drafted potential superstar running back Melvin Gordon in the first-round pick of the 2015 draft. He also re-signed 6-foot-9, 330-pound guard King Dunlap along with the acquisition of former Denver Broncos free agent guard Orlando Franklin. All of these additions were done with helping Rivers be even more successful in mind.
Young Leaders Can Learn To Make Adjustments – No plan or strategy is perfect. Adjustments must be made. Rivers can brilliantly recognize safety rotations once the play begins and make the proper adjustments.
Young Leaders Can Learn People Skills – Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates have unparalleled chemistry resulting in 10,014 career receiving yards and 99 touchdowns between the two, including 12 last year.
Young Leaders Can Learn To Always Be Available – You cannot be a successful leader if others cannot count on you to be where you are supposed to be when you need to be there. Often the most important ability leaders have is availability. Rivers has the 4th longest consecutive games started streak in NFL history.

What else can young leaders learn from experienced leaders?

7 Reasons People Love Hearing Andy Stanley Sermons

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969 Leadership Quotes

Brian Dodd on August 23, 2015 in Church Leadership

This past Friday evening, my family had dinner with some friends at a trendy outdoor mall located just north of Atlanta. After enjoying our meal together, we began walking around and looking at the different stores. Since we had not had dessert, a nearby yogurt stand caught our attention. As we walked up to the line someone called out our names. It was a family we had become very good friends with over the past year. I couldn’t wait to catch up!
As a result of his very successful business career, this couple and their beautiful baby girl relocated to the Atlanta area in 2014 from another country. The subject of church came up. Because he grew up Catholic, he had never attended a church of any other kind until coming to Atlanta. Now they were attending North Point Community Church pastored by Andy Stanley.
I said, “How do you like Andy?” He said, “I love Andy’s messages”, and then proceeded to give me every point of his message from the previous weekend. After some more small talk, I left to get my yogurt.
Because of the long line, I had some time to think about our conversation. Two years ago I was told people forget 84% of a pastor’s message before they leave the parking lot. So pastors must decide what 16% they want remembered. But here was my friend, an attender of an American non-Catholic church for less than a year, and he could remember all of Andy’s points five days AFTER the message. I had to know why.
After I got my dessert, I went back to him and said, “Can you help me with something? Most people forget the majority of a pastor’s message before they ever leave the parking lot, and you can tell every point of Andy’s message five days later. What is he doing that allows you to do that?” His answer was fascinating.
He said, “First, Andy’s messages are about you personally. Like he said, ‘Do you remember playing with friends as a pre-schooler? Was it what you were playing or who you were playing with? And when you did things as a teenager, was it what you were doing or who you were doing it with?’ Brian, Andy made me realize it’s not the WHAT but the WHO.”
Then he said something which stunned me. He said, “Brian, my business partner and I have been working on a presentation to a client for a long time. I called him Sunday afternoon and told him we needed to talk about WHO we are, not just WHAT we do.”
He continued, “Brian, Andy’s messages are very simple. I can remember them.” And he summed up our conversation by saying, “Go online. You can watch the messages there.”
As I drove home, I gleaned 7 Reasons People Love Hearing Andy Stanley Sermons from our conversation:

Andy Stanley allows people to understand how Jesus Christ is relevant to every person’s life.
Even though there are over 30,000 individuals attending North Point’s weekend services, you feel like Andy Stanley is speaking to YOU individually.
Andy Stanley invites everyone into the biblical text by using real life examples each person can relate to. In this case, who were your childhood friends.
Andy Stanley gives business leaders the tools and resources needed to have a competitive advantage in their industry. My friend changed his sales presentation because of Andy’s sermon.
Andy Stanley speaks in memorable language.
Andy Stanley speaks in repeatable language.
An Andy Stanley message is delivered with such quality that people invite their friends to listen online or personally visit the church.

To Andy Stanley and all the North Point staff, thank you for delivering messages and putting on weekend services unchurched and now previously unchurched people love to attend.
May God bless everything you do.
To hear how Andy Stanley and his team put together great worship services, click HERE to register for a FREE online conference this Wednesday, August 26th at 1:00 PM EST entitled Awaken The Weekend.

Friday, August 7, 2015

5 Ways Fasting Helps Leaders Lead Better

By Jeff Anderson

“Fasting strips away the noise and puts me in position to focus on God—and Him alone.”

If leaders today want to raise their effectiveness for the kingdom, we can’t ignore the power of food. Or more specifically, the power of fasting. (Yep, that’s when you don’t eat.)
Jesus said there are some acts of God that require prayer and fasting. Sometimes prayer alone is not enough (Mark 9:29 KJV). Think about that stunning idea for a moment.
So what is fasting anyway?
Fasting is when you set aside the physical things (food) to tap into the spiritual realm. Fasting is a form of prayer, turbo-charged prayer. Fasting throws kerosene on the fire to flame up the prayers, taking them from Level 1 to Level 2, 3 and beyond.
If prayer is measured in ounces, fasting makes prayers felt in pounds. However prayer intensity is measured by God, fasting raises to a greater power.
Five reasons I fast to maximize my leadership

I fast because I’m a husband and a father. This alone makes me a leader. The responsibility of managing a godly household is a daunting one. Sure, I could wing it (and I’ve done that at times). But I don’t trust (nor do I like) the results that come from my own efforts.

The enemy wants my marriage to suffer and for my kids to fall prey to the trappings of the world. Perhaps the greatest way to attack my ministry is to attack my family. I need a greater power for favor and protection. I need fasting.

I fast to keep my emotions in check. For Christian leaders, pride and insecurity are constant demons. When God blesses the fruit of my labor, I can tend to feel good about myself. When my work seems fruitless and in vain, I question my calling.

Fasting strips away the noise and puts me in position to focus on God—and Him alone. Fasting puts me in position to see ministry success for what it is … the work of God; and to see silence for what it is, too … the waiting of God. By denying my flesh in most basic ways, I’m letting God know that the results are for him to determine. My job is to be faithful.

I fast to tear down (and rebuild) my platform. Fasting is about building my platform with God. Often I become distracted by seemingly important leadership ideas, like growing my tribe, organizing my growth, expanding my influence.

Sometimes I need to set aside my ministry platform goals in order to give attention to my walk with God. Ironically, when I focus on my platform with God, He seems to take care of my platform with others.

I fast to seek God’s anointing on my life. Fasting strips me down when I need it. My sin becomes more noticeable, my thoughts more centered, my heart more open, my soul more hungry. Fasting puts me in a more moldable condition for God to shape me however He sees fit for leadership.
I fast because I want to be a disciple. The Pharisees peppered Jesus with questions like, “Why don’t your disciples fast?” Jesus said they didn’t need to fast. After all, the disciples were already with him. But he said that when they were away from him, they would fast. And when Jesus ascended to heaven, they did fast.

I want to be a disciple too. And while Jesus is away from me physically, I will practice fasting. Fasting is mysterious. I don’t always know how it works. But like with prayer, I trust that God’s attention shines brightly on my life when I fast and that my prayers shout a bit louder.
Take some steps
Perhaps you’ve had past experience with fasting and this post is a reminder for you. Or maybe you’ve never fasted before and your heart is leaning in with curiosity.
If so, I encourage you to take some steps.

JEFF ANDERSON speaks and writes about walking with God, with an approach to discipleship that combines scripture and story. He’s the author of two books, Plastic Donuts and Divine Applause (January 2015). Jeff began his career working as a CPA for a Big Six accounting firm, then became a day trader in the stock market. He now speaks, writes, and consults with churches and ministries. Jeff and his wife, Stephanie have four children. www.DivineApplause.com More from Jeff Anderson or visit Jeff at http://www.divineapplause.com/

5 Ultra Simple Leadership Hacks That Can Help Anyone

By Carey Nieuwhof

“People have given me very helpful advice like walk slowly across the room and smile.”

Sometimes leadership can seem so overwhelming.
In reality, though, leadership is simpler than it first appears.
In many ways, great leaders master some very basic things that other people miss. The advice in this post is so simple you might be thinking, “Well, my mother used to tell me to do that.”
Maybe that’s the point.
You can have a PhD in leadership and read everything there is on leadership and still not be effective.
And yet there are leaders who have little formal education but who lead powerfully and effectively every day.
Often, these leaders gain influence because they’ve mastered a few basic skills others miss.
Here are five of my absolute favorite basic leadership skills that are far too easy to overlook.
Own them, and you’ll become a much more effective leader.

1. Make someone else the hero.

Few of us have a healthy relationship with ourselves.
The narcissists make it all about them.
Insecure people focus on themselves because they can’t bear to give anyone else air time.
And even people who lack confidence can end up being selfish because their lack of self-esteem means no one else gets attention.
How do you escape the trap of narcissism, insecurity or low self-confidence?
Just make someone else the hero.
If you’re a preacher, like me, make sure you point to God, not to yourself, when you speak. Worry more about whether people connect with God than whether they connect with you.
What else does this principle look like?
Well, if you’re a writer, make your reader the hero. The filter through which I try to run every post I write on this blog is what I call a “helpful” filter. I want the post to help you as a reader. I want you to win.
Think about it. You and I love leaders who point beyond themselves to someone else. Why not be that leader?
So when you struggle with narcissism, insecurity or low self-confidence (and we all do … me too), step aside and make someone else the hero.

2. Do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.

If there’s one piece of advice I want my sons to remember, other than everything I taught them about Jesus, it’s this:
Do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.
It puts you ahead of about 99 percent of the planet.
Think back on your last week. Who frustrated you most? Probably the people who didn’t do what they said they were going to do when they said they were going to do it.
Now picture the people you lead. Who are you most likely to promote, reward or even want to hang out with? The people who do what they say they’re going to do when they say they’re going to do it.
Doing what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it is the basis of trust. It’s also the basis for confidence.
Hey … sometimes I’m still the guy who didn’t do what he said he was going to do when he said he was going to do it. But I try so hard not to be that guy.
So what do you do if you struggle in this area? Just stop promising and start delivering.
When your walk catches up to what your talk would have been, reintroduce your talk.

3. Focus on outcomes.

Also in the ‘please stop driving me nuts’ category are people who focus on process, not outcomes.
I realize it’s axiomatic these days to say the journey is more important than the destination. But not always. Really. Come on. What fun is the journey if you end up nowhere with any meaning?
It’s frustrating when you ask someone if something is done and they tell you:
“Well, I emailed him.”
“She never got back to me.”
“I’ve called five times.”
“I think they must have changed their address or something.”
And they feel like the project is complete because they tried.
Trying isn’t the same as doing.
Often, I feel like saying, “You didn’t hear the question. The questions is, Is it done?”
A few years ago, I started encouraging the leaders I work with to stop focusing on process and start focusing on outcomes.
When you focus on outcomes, you eventually stop emailing someone who never returns emails and you text them instead, or call them, or go to their office, or release them and find someone who will help you get the project done.
If you focus on outcomes, you’ll also have a shot at mastering #2. If you don’t, you never will.
And getting things done actually makes the journey more enjoyable, at least in my view.

4. Look people in the eye.

Sure, this is an “I don’t need a blog post to remind me of this.” (So is the next point, by the way.)
But do you ever notice how hard it is to actually look someone in the eye—to make them the sole focus on your attention?
I’m pretty sure I’m ADD, and it’s so hard for me not to focus on shiny objects, moving parts or anything else in the room. Or my phone for that matter.
But the most effective leaders always look someone in the eye.
Sometimes I’m in a conversation with someone and I’ll create a voice in my head that just keeps repeating “Look them in the eye … look them in the eye.” It helps.
I’ll even position myself in a restaurant or coffee shop so I face a blank wall, not the door or a TV. Otherwise, I just instinctively look at whatever is moving.
Watch for it … the very best leaders look you in the eye and make you the sole focus of their attention.
Practice that this week.

5. Smile.

Everyone has a default expression. It’s hard to know what yours is because you never see yourself as others see you.
I learned years ago that my default facial expression is … uptight. If I’m having a good time, I apparently forgot to tell my face. I’m also a fast walker, so I tend to look uptight and annoyed.
How’s that for a guy who’s leading you?
People have given me very helpful advice like walk slowly across the room and smile.
I know that’s so basic, but remember, you’re programming against your default here, so it’s not easy.
I have to remind myself to smile when I teach, to smile when I greet people and to smile in conversations.
It makes a huge difference.
Apparently Michael Hyatt has a similar issue and in this post outlined five positive impacts of smiling more as a leader.
So smile.

Carey Nieuwhof is Lead Pastor of Connexus Church north of Toronto, Canada, blogs at www.careynieuwhof.com and is host of The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast available for free on iTunes. More from Carey Nieuwhof or visit Carey at http://careynieuwhof.com

New Podcast: Is Your Leadership Culture Healthy?

Judah Smith shares about the biggest challenges facing the church today, how he strengthens his leadership team, and how he prepares sermons.

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Don't miss this episode—there's a ton of leadership takeaways. Be sure to catch the segment on creating a healthy leadership culture (around 19 minutes in)—it's leadership gold.

3 False Sources of Confidence in Ministry Leadership

By Brandon Cox

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.” So wrote the elder Paul to younger Timothy (1 Timothy 1:12 NLT)
Paul’s words are the introduction to the Bible’s three volume textbook on pastoral ministry (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). And in that introduction, Paul issues a fairly stern warning to Timothy to watch out for three of the biggest false sources of security and confidence for those who lead in ministry. They were, and are, and have been for me in seasons when I’m not on guard…

1. Our preparation.

That is, we begin to rely on what we know, and we begin to assume that what we know is enough for us to coast. Here’s the thing. When God called me to ministry, I knew pretty much nothing. I was still cutting my teeth on trying to read through the New Testament for the first time. In my early years of ministry, I was a sponge. I learned enough before Bible college that I tested out of the required Old and New Testament survey classes and jumped right into some sophomore-level stuff!
But I still knew nothing, compared to all that there is to know about God, and I still know nothing. I can answer questions better. I understand the context in which God’s word is written better. I can find books of the Bible without thumb-indexing tabs, but I know only a drop in the bucket about the unfathomable God of the whole stinkin’ universe!
So… Rather than rely on what I know, I must rely on whom I know. I know Jesus. He’s enough.

2. Our performance.

We also like to rely on what we’ve done. As if we’ve done much. I believe in having high ambitions and great dreams, but all of my accomplishments in life don’t amount to a hill of beans when compared to all that there is to be done for eternity. We’d like to think that we’ve made progress, that we’ve gotten better, that we’re performing at a higher rate of moral excellence now than we did when God first found us.
Perhaps this is true, in some respects. Maybe we’ve progressively gotten closer to Jesus and therefore sin a little less than in a previous season of our lives. But just as my performance was an absolute flop when it came to God’s willingness to approve of me before I met Jesus, my performance still can’t earn his favor.
So… Rather than rely on what I’ve done, I must rely on what He’s done.

3. The praise of people.

Pastors tend to get plenty of praise, especially when the sermon is over. When I served in a more traditional church, we honored the ritual of everyone filing out past the Pastor at dismissal. I’ve been in the line filing out before, thinking to myself (as an introvert), what can I say that won’t be awkward and will get me out of here without a confrontation of any kind? So we hear, “Great sermon!” My favorite compliment when I was new to ministry was “Well, you’re really growing…” which means, “You stink, but not as badly as you did last week.”
People will give you good press and apply nice labels to you. Don’t let them stick. Die to self by dying to both criticism and to praise. Paul was willing, years into his ministry, to apply a different label to himself: “chief of sinners.” That’s a better pathway to remembering the great grace of God on our lives!
So… Rather than relying on what others say about me, I must rely on what Scripture says about me.
I’m called, chosen, and gifted… all by the grace of God. It’s all unmerited and undeserved. And at the end of the day, my security and significance need to be found in Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy!

13 Things Christians Say. 13 Things Christians Really Mean.

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969 Leadership Quotes

Brian Dodd on July 26, 2015 in Church Leadership

If you have been in Christian leadership for any length of time, there have been more frustrating conversations than you can count. Christians are very kind people. Therefore, they often spiritualize their words to sanitize what they are really thinking.
In an effort to help Christians develop a glossary of terms and cut through the fluff, the are following 13 Things Christians Say and 13 Things Christians Really Mean. This will help you during your next leadership meeting.

Christian leaders say, “I’m not interested in church growth. I’m interested in church health.” What Christian leaders really mean is, “We are plateaued or declining and I don’t know how to turn it around.”
Christians say, “We need to pray for revival.” What Christians really mean is, “Our church needs to start growing but we’re not willing to change.”
Christians say, “I’m not being fed.” One of the many things Christians really mean is “I do not like the preaching.” For eight more things “I’m not being fed” really means, click An Open Letter To All Christians Who Say, “I’m Not Being Fed.”
Christians say, “I’ll pray for you.” What Christians mean many times is, “I really do feel bad for you but I’ll probably unintentionally forget about this in five minutes.”
Christians and non-Christians both say, “Don’t judge.” What Christians and non-Christians really mean is, “I know what I’m doing is wrong but I don’t want to change so mind your own business.”
Christian leaders say, “No one does ministry like we do.” During the 90s, Christian leaders meant, “We have a drum set.” During the 2000s, Christian leaders meant, “Our pastor is bald, has a goatee and we show movie clips during the service.” Today, Christian leaders mean, “Our pastor has tattoos and torn jeans, our church meets in a storefront and we play secular songs during our service.”
Christians say, “We’re led by the Spirit.” What Christians often really mean is, “We don’t have a plan nor do we want one.”
Christian leaders often say during a Board meeting, “Well, I think we need to make this an item of prayer.” What Christian leaders often really mean is, “This is a good idea but I don’t want to implement it. Maybe if we stall this initiative for a month or two it will just go away.”
Christian small group leaders say, “I think…” or “I feel…” What Christian small group leaders really mean is, “I don’t know what the Bible says but my comments must be right.”
Christian worship leaders say, “Worship is not about us. It is about God.” While technically true, what Christian worship leaders really mean is, “I don’t want you talking about how bad our song selection and set was.”
Christians say, “It seems like all we do is talk about money.” What Christians often really mean is, “I’m not giving and I wish we’d move onto something else.”
What Christian finance team leaders often say is, “We don’t want the pastor knowing what anyone in the church gives.” What Christian finance team leaders often really mean is, “I’m personally not giving and I don’t want him to know.”
And now a well-known favorite, Christians say, “Oh bless your heart.” What Christians really mean is, “That was dumb.”

I hope this helps you during your next meeting.

24 Things Successful Leaders Are Thinking

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969 Leadership Quotes

Brian Dodd on August 1, 2015 in Performance

The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is how they think. This is the premise of Dr. John Maxwell’s incredible book How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. Dr. Maxwell has been a mentor in my life for 25 years and I consider him the premier leadership expert in the world today.
Last week, Dr. Maxwell was gracious enough to offer free online coaching to help leaders improve their thinking skills. His session centered on Focused Thinking, one of the 11 thinking skills all successful leaders have.
To know learn the other 10 thinking skills, click HERE or on this image above to order his book.
The following are 24 Things Successful Leaders Are Thinking – specifically in the area of focus. All quotes are from the incomparable Dr. Maxwell unless otherwise noted.

“Unsuccessful people go in too many directions. Successful people focus on the main thing.”
“If a goal is worth pursuing, it’s a goal worth telling others about. There’s no such thing as a silent dream.”
“Houston Chronicles indicates professionals lose 2.1 hours every day in distractions.”
“Leaders have a bias for action…This means we do not make enough focused thinking time.”
“Who fills our calendar? If you fill it, I’m on your agenda.”
“You can’t reach the future successfully unless you’ve touched the past.”
“The Iceberg Thought – the more you see on top of the water, the more you know there is below the water.”
“A lot of people are not iceberg thinkers. They are ice cube thinkers.”
“Focused thinker. I think longer than anyone else.”
“Think until you think your thought through.”

Dr. Maxwell goes on to add 10 ways to think a thought all the way through:

“Think the thought. Schedule time for thinking. 90% of my material is the result of my scheduled thinking time.”
“Write the thought. I capture the thought. There’s a visual component to your thoughts.”
“Rethink the thought. This is the incubation period. I will get clarity to the thought.”
“Verbalize the thought. Talking enhances thinking.”
“Table the thought. Get people around the table and ask them questions. I’m a feedback fanatic. My best thinking has been done by others. Great thougths aren’t birthed in a vacuum. You either sit at the table or I’m going to put you on the menu. You know if you have the right people at the table when they take your ideas and make them better. One is too small a number to achieve greatness.”
“Practice the thought. 99% of great ideas never become a reality. They just stay in the mind. It’s not the thought you have in the shower. It’s what you do with it after you dry off. An iceberg doesn’t become an iceberg quickly.”
“Think the thought some more. This is where a lot of people miss it. If you are a focused thinker, you’ll never be satisfied with yesterday. You appreciate it. But you don’t want to stay there. When you’re a focused thinker, yesterday doesn’t excite you so much.”
“Launch the thought. The greatest test of a thought is the launching of it. ‘Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Show me what you’re going to do.’ – John Wooden. The world is full of small thinkers.”
“Land the thought. Landing dramatically changes the outcome of any score. What do I want them to know? What do I want them to do?”
“Upgrade the thought. All is well that ends well.”

The following are just four of the many additional thoughts Dr. Maxwell gave on where to put your focus:

“I give 100% (of my time) in my strengths, on the main event (top priority), and key people.”
“The only thing a player can control in golf is his own game.” – Jack Nicklaus
“Problems are things I can fix. Facts of life are things I can’t control.”
“Plan while others are playing.”

Dr. Maxwell closed the session by announcing they are producing training material to help all leaders in the area of their thinking. I cannot recommend enough you take advantage of this offer when it becomes available. Click HERE for a link to The John Maxwell Company for more information.
Dr. John Maxwell is largely responsible for my development as a leader. My family loves him dearly on a personal level and I hope have honored him with my leadership.

10 Symptoms of the Unaware Leader

By Ron Edmondson

“As a leader, you may not know all the facts—and you don’t need to know everything—but you will keep an organization very small and very controlled.”

A couple of years ago there was a consistent problem in one of our areas of ministry. It was something that I would have quickly addressed, but no one brought it to my attention. Thankfully, I’ve learned the hard way that what I don’t know can often hurt my leadership or the church the most, so I’m good at asking questions and being observant. Through my normal pattern of discovery I encountered the problem, brought the right people together, we addressed the problem and moved forward.

End of story.
If only that was the end of the story every time. I’ve missed problems equally as much.
It reminds me—the leader is often the last to know when something is wrong. I have consistently told this to the teams I lead. You only know what you know.
And many times, because of the scope of responsibility of the leader, he or she isn’t privy to all the intricacies of the organization. Some people, simply because they would rather talk behind someone’s back than do the difficult thing of facing confrontation, tell others the problems they see before they share them with the leader. Without some systems of discovering problems, the leader may be clueless there is even a problem.
Not knowing is never a good excuse to be unaware.
It’s not a contradiction in terms. I’m not trying to play with words. I’m trying to make an important leadership principle.
As a leader, you may not know all the facts—and you don’t need to know everything—but you will keep an organization very small and very controlled. I spend lots of energy on this blog denouncing that type leadership. But you should figure out how to be aware enough as a leader to discover the facts that you need to know.
Unaware leaders have some commonalities among them. (By the way, I’ve written this in a general sense for all organizations, but it’s equally true in the church context.)
Not certain if you are an aware leader?

Here are 10 symptoms of the unaware leader:

Not knowing the real health of a team or organization.
Clueless as to what people are really saying.
Unsure of measurable items because they are never measured or monitored.
Not asking questions for fear of an unwanted answer.
Not dreaming into the future; becoming content with status quo.
Preferring not to know there was a problem than that there is one.
Ignoring all criticism or dismissing all of it as negativity.
Not learning anything new, relying on same old ways to consistently work.
Making every decision without input from others.
Assuming everyone supports and loves your leadership.

Those are just some of the ways a leader remains unaware. There are possibly many others.
Some things the leader will never know. That’s OK. There are issues within the life of an organization, however, that while the leader may not know readily, or even want to know, he or she should explore continually.
One of my rules of thumb in determining what I need to know and what I don’t: If it has the potential to impact the long-term health of the organization then I need to know about it. It could be a change we are about to make, a mistake we made or just perceptions that people have within the organization. But if I’m eventually going to hear about it anyway, I want to hear about it as early in the process as possible.

Want to test your awareness?

Try this simple experiment. Send an email to a fairly sizable group of people you trust—key leaders, staff members, friends—people who know your organization fairly well. These could be from the inside or outside depending on the size of the organization. Make sure there are some people on the list who you know will be honest with you. In fact, tell them you want them to be. Tell them that you are trying to be more aware as a leader and need their help.
Pick some or all of these questions and ask people to respond to them:
What am I currently missing as a leader?
What do you see that I don’t see about our organization?
What should I be doing that I’m not doing—things if you were in my position you would be doing?
Do you think we are changing fast enough to keep up with the needs of the people we are serving?
What are people saying about me or our organization that I’m not hearing?
Would you say I am generally aware of the real problems in our organization?
Who on my team is keeping from me how they really feel?
If you really want a challenge from this experiment, let them answer anonymously. You trust them, right? We set that in the parameters of who you asked to answer. Set up a Survey Monkey account and let them respond without having to add their name.
See what responses you receive.
Not ready to do that?
You could simply address the symptoms above and see how that improves your awareness as a leader. Whichever you choose.
What other symptoms are there of an unaware leader?

Ron Edmondson is a pastor and church leader passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive, and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Ron has over 20 years business experience, mostly as a self-employed business owner, and he's been helping churches grow vocationally for over 10 years. More from Ron Edmondson or visit Ron at http://www.ronedmondson.com/

16 Leadership Quotes From Albert Tate

Live Blog: 2015 Leadership Summit – 16 Leadership Quotes From Albert Tate

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969 Leadership Quotes

Brian Dodd on August 6, 2015 in Church Leadership

In an effort to add value to pastors and church leaders, INJOY Stewardship Solutions has dispatched me to attend the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. During the next three days, I will be bringing the top leadership lessons from the incredible faculty the WCA has assembled.
As a special gift to everyone reading these posts, INJOY Stewardship is offering a complimentary downloadable Ebook Discipling Financial Leaders. Click Here to Download this Free Resource!
The first day’s final session was conducted by Albert Tate. Albert is the senior pastor of Fellowship Monrovia (CA), one of the fastest-growing multiethnic churches in the United States.
The following are 16 Leadership Lessons And Quotes From Albert Tate from the Global Leadership Summit:

Who to believe – Lies in truth’s clothing or the naked truth?
We’re not supposed to leave it all on the field. We play on the field. We live at home. We must have something left for home.
Live not for your resume. Live for your eulogy.
There are times Jesus wants you to do the math so you will know it can’t be done in your strength.
As a leader leave room to bring a dumb idea because you never know when God’s going to use a dumb idea to do something great.
Dumb Idea + God’s hand = Life Transformation
Jesus specializes is using dumb ideas.
You never know when God is going to put His hand on a dumb idea.
Jesus uses what you bring to do a miracle.
Some of us try to instruct Jesus along the way.
When you get out of the way you discover the awe and wonder of God’s hand.
When was the last time you were blown away by what God did in your church, in your company?
What would it mean to have something left at the end of the day for your family, your children, your church?
Empty is not a sign of a great work ethic. It is a sign of a missed opportunity to see the abundance of God’s work in your life.
We’re not limited by what’s in our hands.
It’s not about my name being great. It’s about His name giving us full access.

I can’t wait for Day 2 tomorrow. We’ve got a lot to process from today’s teachings. And if you have not already, don’t forget to click the image below for your free resource from INJOY Stewardship Solutions.