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Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’

A friend emailed me yesterday to ask if our company had any openings. His son was out of work and was struggling to support his wife and newborn baby. I hurt for him and his son. As fathers our hearts are so closely connected with our kids. It was a sobering reminder of our shifting [...]

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Emil Brolick, Wendy’s new CEO, has a real challenge. The world has changed and Wendy’s has been stuck for 10 years. It’s now woefully behind its more nimble competitors, McDonald’s and Subway. But Emil has this simple plan: Have a vision and a strategy Define reality Give hope Execute Each step is critical, but leaders [...]

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Willow Creek, the poster child for seeker sensitive ministry, is no longer trying to be so hip. At the recent Catalyst Conference, a Willow teaching pastor, Darren Whitehead, surprised us with the new Willow. Thirty years ago Bill Hybels launched Willow and the “Seeker Sensitive” movement from a theater. It was all about being fishers [...]

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Here’s an inspiring story from Pastor James Emory White: Just a few weeks ago, on a Thursday afternoon, a young woman came by the office to give me something. She was going to put it in the offering plate, but decided to just hand it to me. I was in a meeting, so she left [...]

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Over 100 years ago, Charles Spurgeon proclaimed every Christian here is either a missionary or an imposter. Recollect that. You either try to spread abroad the Kingdom of Christ, or else you do not love Him at all. You are either doing good, or you are not good yourself. That kind of challenge has been [...]

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Over 20 years ago, best-selling author Steven Covey shared a quote that changed many lives: It’s easy to say “no” when there is a deeper “yes” burning within you. Covey explained that success is often a result of a clear, deeper “YES”  within us that empowers us to say “NO” to distractions. During those same [...]

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Thirty years ago, Bill Hybel pioneered the “Seeker Sensitive” movement and became the poster child for evangelicals. Casual, connecting, creativity, kicking music, themed Sunday school, anonymity and low expectations were in. Recently, Hybel’s “Reveal Study” highlighted surprising trends. A large part of his church failed to become disciples once they were introduced to Christ. Even [...]

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They may frustrate you with their expectations or intimidate you with their social connections. They’re “Digital Natives” while we struggle as “Digital Immigrants”. What they want from church is very different as well. Here is research data from Dave Tonen regarding what the 18-30 year old crowd want from you and I at church: Community [...]

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Media consultant Phil Cooke reports that the research has been done and the verdict is in (though we hardly needed it to tell us): We are hopelessly addicted to our digital devices. So much so, in fact, that some psychologists are pushing to have “Internet Addiction” broadly classified as a clinical disorder. Take a look [...]

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In his new book, The Next Christians, author Gabe Lyons writes that every generation must confront the unique challenges of their era. Here are three questions that must be addressed to do so: What does mission look like in America in the 21st century? How should the message of the Gospel go forward? What does [...]

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Ten months ago, we met our 12-year-old daughter in China. We were scared and overwhelmed but driven by the vision that we were being called to stretch beyond our own comfort. Francis Chan’s words were ringing in our ears: God hasn’t called us to comfort. We’re called to take big risks so that if He [...]

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My dad passed away last night. He suffered from Alzheimer’s and deteriorated rapidly over the past few weeks. It was a blessing to have my mom and all eight of us kids around his bed as his breathing grew slower and slower. It was a special time as we told stories and sang old hymns [...]

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Friday, February 11th we’re hosting a pastor’s lunch in Naperville, IL. Alan Hirsch is speaking on “Everyday Mission For Everyday People.“ We filled the 100 available seats in four days and have a waiting list. What is stirring this passion to find purpose beyond ourselves? James Emory Wright’s thoughts are very revealing: The names say [...]

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It’s a time for resolutions and fresh starts. But its more than a new year, its a new day. There’s fresh thinking everywhere. The new House Speaker John Boehner took the gavel from Nancy Pelosi yesterday and vows change as we shift from spending to constraint. And constraint is the buzzword for ministry as well. [...]

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With pain in their voices, two friends recently shared how their teenage kids weren’t embracing their faith traditions. They had a healthy relationship with them but the kids were no longer buying into what the parents believed. Could this be due to the new challenges that kids must navigate? They’re growing up in a multicultural, [...]

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