Thoughts on Life and Leading

I had a brief but very encouraging conversation today. The person with whom I was speaking said some very kind things. I felt so good walking away from our talk. Don’t you think we should build up each other a little more?

So…don’t lie, don’t be inauthentic, and don’t be patronizing. But say something nice to someone – say it now – and build them up.

Need some suggestions on what to say?

“I believe in you.”

“You are brilliant.”

“I respect you.”

“You mean a lot to me.”

“You have a very bright future.”

“I love you.”

“What you say and do influences me.”

“I would like to be more like you.”

“You have more impact than you know. “

“Thank you for being you, I appreciate you.”

You never know what an impact you can have simply by saying something positive. What you say may be exactly what that person needs right now. Go ahead, affirm!

It started about 3 weeks ago. I heard friends comment about how early the Christmas decorations were going up in the local retail warehouse store.  I have read some facebook posts about how disgusted some were with the premature push for people to start spending money on Christmas gifts.

While most would agree that the commercialization of Christmas has gotten put of control, I have another take on the issue.

Consider this:

• Whether they realize it or not every person who, in any way, recognizes the holiday, recognizes Jesus. Every light that is illuminated, every gift that is purchased and every Christmas carol that is sung is done in honor of Jesus. Had He not been born, none of this would be happening.  While they may not even mention Him, they can never remove Him from the holiday!

• We live in a nation that still tolerates Christianity. It may not always be this way. In some nations, it has never been this way. Even though it sometimes gets abused, we should appreciate the freedom we have to celebrate Jesus. I love it when I hear music that praises Jesus in major retail stores!

• Early holiday emphasis is your chance to become fully prepared for a meaningful observation and celebration. Use all the hype to get yourself ready for the best Christmas of your life. It will be the best if you really put Jesus first. You can’t wait until December 25^th to do that.

So don’t complain if you see Santa at the mall this weekend. Instead, do your best to focus on Jesus and start pointing others His direction also.

By the way, only 55 shopping days left!

I am a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. Last night they won their eleventh world championship, the 5th in my lifetime.  I am pretty happy about it.

But some things have changed and are changing for me.

While I watched most of the games, it was not as intense for me as it once would have been. I am realizing some perspective changes in my life.

I know that the Cardinals victory doesn’t really change my life – at all. I won’t make any more money, I won’t gain any new friends and my relationship with my family doesn’t change.

I like the Cardinals players but I don’t worship them. Living 15 minutes from where they play Spring Training games, I have had the opportunity to meet many of them. I know guys who work in the Cardinals organization who give me insight about the players’ personal lives. You know what, these major leaguers are just men – men with a lot of talent and even more money. I am not inclined to worship them. I am not loyal to them. If one of them wants more money to the point that he is willing to play for another team to make that money, I say, “let him go”. Don’t get me wrong; I still collect autographed baseballs, signed by Cardinals players. (I may soon be willing to auction off an Albert Pujols baseball) But I’m just not willing to invest as much of myself in this hobby.

Though I’ve been a faithful fan for my entire life, I have made no impact on Cardinals nation. I have made no difference in the life of any St. Louis Cardinal. However, there are people who know me, love me and allow me to positively change their lives. They aren’t a bunch of professional athletes. They are family and friends and colleagues.  The people who know me and love are there for me, and hopefully I am there for them.

So, congrats Cardinals! I really like my team. But I really love my family. Now real life takes over again and there are some very exciting things ahead! That’s what motivates me!

I’ve been a St. Louis Cardinals fan all my life. Having grown up a few miles from Busch Stadium, some of the best memories of my life involve Cardinals baseball. Last night’s World Series game was one of the more exciting games in history – unless you’re a pure baseball fan. For the casual observer, high scoring games are fun. For baseball purists, 1-0 pitching duels that feature great defense and execution of strategy are better.

The St. Louis Cardinals won in extra innings last night over the Texas Rangers. But the reason they were playing in extra innings was really ugly: Terrible defense, no solid pitching and previous games that they had given away.

I really hate the message that this game sends. David Freese is a hero, because he hit a walk-off homerun. But that kind of heroics wouldn’t have been needed if he had simply used two hands to catch the ball like they teach in Little League. Earlier in the game, Freese dropped a routine pop up because he was hot dogging: using one hand to catch, I mean drop the ball. The Rangers took the lead as a result of his error. Freese went from goat to hero by lining one over the wall in the 11^th. Now the message that is sent to little ball players around the world is: fundamentals don’t matter. People don’t care if you are a solid player. They prefer theatrics.

I do see an example of grace in this story. We blow it and Jesus saves us. He saves us not because of our performance but because we are nasty sinners and He loves us. But Freese is not the Savior.

I also saw some chatter on Facebook about Lance Berkman being a Christian and I know for a fact that David Freese has recently given his life to Christ. Some are attributing the outcome of the game to the faith of these players. But that assumption doesn’t hold up for a couple of reasons. Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia also recently gave his life to Jesus but he was knocked out of the game earlier because he was ineffective. And players for Texas are outspoken believers in Christ. So much for God being a St. Louis fan. God doesn’t care who wins the World Series.

While I am glad for the outcome of the game, neither the Cardinals nor the Rangers are playing like World Champs. It’s an ugly series.

Game 7 should be interesting tonight. I guess I should stop analyzing so much and try to enjoy the game, huh? …not a chance. There is lesson in everything.

Without the aid of digital technology, the more copies of copies that are made, the more distorted the image becomes.  In printed documents, lines become blurry and detail is lost. In audio recordings, lows, mids and highs run together. The sound becomes muddy, “hiss” is heard in the background.  Before long, the original is nearly unrecognizable.

It’s been said of the typical family business:

The 1^st generation employs.

The 2^nd generation enjoys.

The 3^rd generation destroys.

The same can happen with a leader’s vision. God puts a fire in our hearts. We recruit others to help us carry it out. And it can begin to degenerate from there.

So how do we keep from watching the vision that God gave us melt away into something that is only a shell of its former self?

We are commanded by God to involve others in fulfilling the vision:

II Timothy 2:2 (NLT) You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

But how can we be assured that, when we share the vision with others who may help to accomplish it, it doesn’t get watered down?  We have to keep the original from degenerating, from blurring.

Seriously, I would love some feedback on this. Shoot me some ideas. I want to know how we share what God has told us with others who will do the same, all without dulling the edge.

You learn some stuff while riding your bike for 120 miles. Maybe the first lesson is: don’t ride your bike 120 miles! Just kidding.

The 120 for Orphans was sponsored by International Orphan Support. The money raised is going to at least 2 projects: a well for the orphanage at Dufailly, Haiti (the money has already been delivered there!) and food, new beds and security bars for the Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala! For more info on these and more projects, click on the website for International Orphan Support.

Simply put: this is all about the kids. They need help and we did something about it.

I had more fun at the 120 for Orphans than I’ve had in a long time. We have amazing friends – I mean really good people. And I am absolutely blown away to see how much people are willing to do for a cause in which they really believe.

I felt like I took a 2-day vacation. The landscape around Lake Okeechobee is breathtaking. It was so nice to enjoy the beautiful weather (God really came through with some stellar weather for us!).  Lots of wildlife, clean air and serenity. And it didn’t hurt that I couldn’t answer my phone most of the time.

Here are some things I learned or relearned on this trip:

 

In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck said, “The best laid schemes of mice and men … go oft awry.” Before we even got started on October 20, things changed. We had planned to circumnavigate Lake Okeechobee, the 2^nd largest lake in the United States. The day before the ride, we discovered that much of the eastern side of the trail had been closed, due to construction. We would either have to get off the trail for 30 miles or so or cancel the project. My brilliant wife came up with the idea of riding half way the first day and returning back the same way on day two. That became the plan. The lesson is to be flexible, change on the fly when necessary, innovate! Don’t get so stuck on your plan that you can’t go with the flow.

The next lesson we learned is: Pavement is easier than rocks which is easier than grass. Most of the unpaved part of the trail is on the western side of the lake. Guess which side we road? You got it. As it turns out, nearly two-thirds of our 120 miles were off road. Since we had only planned on a total one-sixth being off-road, we weren’t quite set up for the journey.  Think of this, our speed dropped nearly in half once we left the pavement. The gravel was huge and the holes were deep. We bounced around like popcorn in a frying pan. We thought that was bad until we reached the prairie grass, which we had to ride through. Imagine foot-long grass, wet and thick, flattened only slightly by the riders ahead of us. We literally dropped to speeds of 5-6 miles per hour at times. It was brutal!

You can’t determine the end by the beginning. Within the first hour or so of our ride, we had experienced two blowouts and one busted rear wheel. Needless to say, we were all a bit concerned about all the riders and bikes surviving two days of this beat-down. As it turns out, we got most of the trouble behind us early on. We did have one wreck (John Morgan is OK!) and some scratches and bruises, as well as a couple swollen knees.  But everyone arrived in one piece. No bikes were destroyed in the completion of this trip.

While I was riding through the rocks and grass, I kept swapping lanes. It seemed that whichever side I was on, the ground is always smoother on the other side. So I flip-flopped like a Washington politician. Some of the other riders laughed at me, but I was persistent. Surely the other side is easier. Guess what? I was wrong. Just like in life, don’t jump round from one thing to the next; it’s no better over there.

It’s not the cost of the gear. Travis Johnson is an excellent cyclist and an even better friend. He is in training for a ride across Cambodia and used the 120 for Orphans as a training run. He has a great bike which cost more than several of our bikes combined. On day one, there were some mechanical issues with his bike. Thankfully, we had brought along a spare 10 year old $116 mountain bike just in case. Travis wound up on the iron horse for most of day one – and he blew the rest of us away with his expertise and strength. He was able to get his nice ride fixed for day 2. So it’s not always how much you spend that really counts.

There is no such thing as over prepared. I was able to train for this ride for a few months leading up. I worked hard getting myself in shape and building strength. I watched my diet and increased my endurance. And I’m very glad I did. This was not the most difficult physical challenge I’ve undertaken. This is not as hard as a marathon race. Nor did it compare with hiking the Inca Trail in Peru at up to 14,000 feet of elevation.  It didn’t even compare to climbing the Pacaya volcano (9,000 feet) in Guatemala. I am glad I prepared. I am a chronic over-preparer, which sometimes is annoying. But this time, it paid off.  I really think I could have ridden another 20 miles both days. Maybe I’ll do a century ride (100 miles in one day) in the near future. Anyone like to join me?

Group-think can be invaluable. Most endurance athletes are independent thinkers. We don’t need a lot of input from others and when it is offered unsolicited, we are annoyed. This trait is sometimes affectionately referred to by others as stubbornness. This trip was different. We needed each other. There were times when the trail was not obvious. There were decisions to be made about which way to go. We shared food. There were mechanical issues which required an extra set of hands. I personally had a blowout and some buddies did the brain work on it. It is good to recognize a dependence on others. This ride provided that for me.

You need support. This is not a joke about sports equipment. There were three ladies who drove their cars round, taking pictures, providing food and drinks, and cheering us on. I can’t tell you how glad we were to, several times along the trail, see their vehicles waiting. This represented a milestone, a place to stop and be refreshed.  You get it? We need support as we journey through life.

The wind is almost always in your face. When it’s not, you can’t tell.  On day 1, we road a comparatively easy 60 miles. We were not aware that the next day, the wind would beat us like a rented mule. Lesson? When it’s not tough, enjoy it. But get prepared for when the wind turns – because it will.

My last takeaway for now: I want to ride this trail with my daughter.  Jessica and I have enjoyed some of the more challenging athletic pursuits of our lives together. She was wanting to ride the 120 for Orphans with us. Hopefully one day, if we do a part 2, she can join us!

I’d like to give a special shout out to the 120 for Orphans Team:

On-site support volunteers: Kelly Blanchard, Betsy Morgan and Letha Whitter.

Behind the scenes assistance: Megan Williams.

A really big thanks to J Simms who came through big again, as usual.

Graphics design: Stephan Burton

Thanks to the riders: Richard Whitter, Efrain Diaz, Britton Winter, Kelly Howell, Kathy Rogers, Travis Johnson, and John Morgan.

Thanks to the donors: to date, we have collected over $13,400! No, it is not too late to give. Just click on our giving web site and donate.

The big question: Will there be a 120 for Orphans next year? My answer: I certainly hope so, but let me heal up first before I commit!

We finished day one of the 120 for Orphans Bike Ride. It was a great day, beautiful weather and an amazing team of riders. Due to some last minute trail changes, we had to adjust our plans. We are still riding 120 miles, but taking a different route.

I blew out a tire today but otherwise fared really well. Day 2 starts at 7:30 – 60 more miles to go.

It is an incredible thing to see so many people come together to make a project successful. They do it because they care about orphans. This entire event is put together by International Orphan Support and will benefit children in Haiti and Guatemala.

Stay tuned for more details.

On Thursday (day after tomorrow) some crazy friends and I will be riding our bikes 120 miles. We are doing so to raise funds for the children of International Orphan Support, a non-profit organization that exists to address the plight of needy orphans in 3rd world countries. The trek is around the 2nd largest lake in the US, the largest in Florida. Lake Okeechobee spans 5 counties.

If you feel compelled to contribute, even after our ride, you may do so at: 120 for Orphans on Crowdrise.com. Every penny will go to the children. We have two specific projects we are funding: the construction of a well at an orphanage in Dufailly, Haiti and beds and food for orphans in Guatemala. Our goal is $10,000, although we’ve already surpassed that goal! There is no such thing as too much support for these kids so feel free to give generously.

Would appreciate you passing this along and praying for the riders on this project.

Pix and video to come!

As far as I know, there are only two ways to get tough:

1 – you’re born tough. You know those kids – they usually have big heads and thick bodies. They dominate sandlot football because no one can tackle them.

2 – you learn to be tough through repetitive practice. If you take enough punches, you toughen up.

Seems to me that this is a time when people need to be tough. We have to be strong to survive. There are a lot of punches being thrown. Wimps aren’t going to make it.

Be tough enough to…

stand for your convictions.

not live for the approval of others.

be able to withstand some resistance.

stand alone when necessary.

If some people discover that they can make you cry by saying mean things – guess what they’ll do? And just for fun!

Listen, toughness and hard-heartedness are not the same thing. People who have been hurt sometimes go into self-preservation mode. They close themselves off because they are afraid of being hurt again. And I don’t blame them. But I am not encouraging hearts of stone. They only destroy. Like my buddy says, “thick skin but tender hearts.”

I am a proponent of old fashioned getting smashed in the mouth and staying in the fight. Be able to endure some pain while maintaining your composure. If you can’t do this, you’ll not survive this season of our world.  If you can take a punch or three, and stand your ground, you’re a tough cookie. You’ll survive.

I have two very good friends who separately are going through extremely difficult times in their leadership assignments. Because of the significant issues they are both facing, I think they may believe that quitting is an option.

What is the most difficult part of leadership for most people?

What causes lots of potential leaders to say “no!” to leadership opportunities?

What brings down more leaders than any other enemy?

They can’t see their way through today’s problems so they can enjoy tomorrow’s victories.

The hassles just get the best of them. The aggravations they face are so great, they lose vision of a better future. They can’t take any more problems that are associated with having others follow them.

So they wear down, get tired, get discouraged, burn out. And quit.

Think about how Jesus succeeded with the greatest hassle ever: (Hebrews 12:2) “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him  endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.” (HCSB)  Just before that statement, we are told:  “Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us…” (verse 1b)

Jesus endured it. He despised it. But He conquered it!

Are the joys of tomorrow worth the hassles of today? They have to be!

Don’t give up. If you’re doing God’s work, it will be worth it. The joy of tomorrow will make today’s problems seem miniscule.

Be encouraged:

II Corinthians 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! (NLT)

Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (NLT)

You bet your life it’s worth it!

On June 1, 2010, my daughter Jessica and I were enjoying the experience of a lifetime: We were hiking the Inca Trail in Peru. We came through a village where a young mom was trying to feed her kids by selling handmade items she had created. I bought a bracelet for a $1.00 and Jess tied in on my right wrist.  This week, 16 months and 2 days later, the bracelet finally fell off.  Thankfully, I didn’t lose it – Letha found it lying in our living room floor.

I had no idea when Jess tied the bracelet on that I was making such a long-term commitment. I assumed, even discussed how the thing would probably last for a month, maybe two. Who would have thought that it would last longer than most Hollywood marriages?

The takeaway: before you engage in an activity or behavior, consider what kind of a commitment may be involved.

The 11 year old smoking his first cigarette this week may not understand that he is signing up for 40 years of nicotine addiction and lung cancer. The husband who crosses the line with a female co-worker may not realize he has committed to losing his wife and kids.  Some decisions you make today have eternal implications. Heavy huh?

Be wise with your decisions and commitments.

It feels like a rubber band, stretched to the max, just about to break.

It might be the economy. Could be the political unrest in our world. I suppose a combination of several things is likely. But man, are tensions high right now!  You see it on the road, in grocery stores and at work. People are completely on edge.  Tempers are flaring. Guys are ready to fight with little or no provocation. I’ve been told off more times recently than I care to mention.

Be on guard. Don’t get sucked into an argument. It would be very easy for you to get into a lot of trouble and to do things you’ll really regret later.

I think it’s important for Christ-followers to be geared to handle tough times like these. God’s Word helps us in real practical ways.

Think about these things:

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.  (Proverbs 29:11)

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.  (James 4:1-2)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  (Matthew 5:9)

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. (Proverbs 15:1)

Don’t do it – don’t break like an over-stretched rubber band.

One of my favorite bike riding trails in our area is Jupiter Island. The scenery is amazing, with ocean views as well as multi-million dollars mansions. There is relatively little car traffic. It is well-known as a bicycle trail so most drivers are courteous and make allowances for bikers. It’s a beautiful place to ride.

But recently, there was another round of thumbtacks in the road. Someone doesn’t want us riding on their road. So they occasionally sprinkle tacks around. When unwitting bikers ride through, they get flat tires, putting a frustrating end to a beautiful ride.

Biker or not, someone or something is throwing tacks on your road. Someone wants you to have a flat, to fail. Someone wants to sabotage your journey.

Who or what is the joy killer in your life? What is it that is trying to prevent you from getting where you want to go?

Whoever or whatever it is, don’t let them do it! Actually, you can’t stop them – if they insist on being a butt, there’s not much you can do. But you can be smart enough to watch out for the tacks and not run over them.

3 points to remember:

• Be aware, not everyone is on your side. Be smart enough to avoid their road hazards.

• Don’t quit! Stay in the ride, Don’t sit on sidelines just because there are some jerks in the world trying to stop you.

• When you get a flat, fix it! No excuses!

Ride on!

In a little more than 3 weeks, some friends and I will be riding our bicycles 120 miles to benefit orphans in 3rd world countries.  The 120 for Orphans (click on for details) is an event sponsored by International Orphan Support.  Over 2 days, we will ride through 5 counties around the largest lake in Florida: Lake Okeechobee. I am asking all my friends to make a donation to help the children. It’s easy and tax deductible. Our goal for the event is to raise $10.000. Currently, we are 58% of the way to our goal. Whatever you can do will be greatly appreciated and will help meet the basic needs of some beautiful children.

Please consider a gift – and help spread the word. Thanks!

I recently read John Kotter’s business book on bringing change to an organization. I really enjoyed the book and thought it may be helpful if I posted a brief summary. While the framework is for business, I found it easily applicable to ministry.  See what you think…

1. 1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency

Without a sense of urgency, complacency will consume an organization. Emphasis on the status quo will strangle any hopes of increased effectiveness on the part of the organization. Kotter discussed the sources of complacency and how leaders can combat and defeat it by revealing the crises being faced by the organization. Effective leaders must create an atmosphere of open and honest communication where team members can discuss the realities of the market, the weaknesses of the organization and the opportunities that are being presented.

Because unawareness of crisis and opportunities will cause an organization to stagnate, a strong sense of urgency to bring change must be fostered by leaders.  Without it, no significant change will be experienced.  With it, employees will observe the opportunities being presented and a foundation for transformation can be established as the change construction process proceeds forward.

2. Creating a Guiding Coalition

In order to affect change in an organization, a leader must strategically develop a leadership team of influential leaders from within the organization, who believe in and help lead the transformation. No singular leader is able to bring healthy and lasting change to an organization of any size. Members of this team must be in position of authority, must possess expertise, must enjoy credibility within the organization and they must be proven leaders among their peers. Both leadership and management skills are needed on this team, with leadership being vital.

A significant part of the success of the transformation coalition is trust. Team leaders must trust one another as well as the processes in which they are engaged. This does not always happen organically: leaders must intentionally focus on efforts to unite the individuals. This is most effectively accomplished in off-site team-building experiences. From a higher level of trust, a common goal will be adopted and invested in by all members.  The coalition can then lead the organization in the transformation process.

3. Developing a Vision and Strategy

Both the creation of a vision and the development of specific strategy must be employed if change is to be embraced.  The author refers to vision as “a picture of the future with some implicit or explicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future”. (p.68) Strategy is what makes the vision “doable”. One without the other is impotent in affecting transformation.

Vision must be imaginable, desirable, feasible, focused, flexible and communicable.  A transformational leader must be able to describe to an interested party the strategy of the vision within five minutes. The importance of vision and strategy cannot be overemphasized, without these vital elements, no substantive change will be enjoyed in the organization.

4. Communicating the Change Vision

One cannot lead change without effectively communicating the change vision. This requires an incredible amount or time and resource investment, which makes the process painstaking and unappealing to many leaders. It is essential that the vision communication be clear and simple.  This is the responsibility of the primary leaders.

Key elements of vision communications are: simplicity, use of metaphor, multiple forms, repetition, leadership by example, explanation of inconsistencies and two-way communication. These elements may be formal in their presentation or more organic in their development but they must be presented on a variety of levels to a variety of people utilizing a variety of media.

It is required that the change coalition be united in the commitment to the vision and communicate that unity to all employees.  Modeling behavior is a crucial element to vision communication.  Employees will observe the solidarity of the leaders and will pattern their behavior accordingly.

5. Empowering Broad-Based Action

Employees and volunteers must be engaged in inclusive action in order to experience true organizational change.  They must be empowered by the change coalition.

There will be many obstacles in the typical organization that will serve as barriers to change. These obstacles must be identified, address and removed, if necessary.  This includes systems or structures which hinder vision fulfillment. All structures need to align with the vision. Many of these designs have been in place for many years, without strong leaders to point out better alternatives, there will be an unawareness of the possibilities.

Individuals within the organization will need to be motivated to resist the status quo and to learn to function outside of a traditional comfort zone. Employees need to be developed and supervisors, as well as employees, who resist the vision must be confronted. The employees who challenge the way the organization has always functioned must be rewarded for their visionary behavior.

This is a painstaking and sometimes frightening stage of change, but required nonetheless.

6. Generating Short-Term Wins

Leaders who wish to motivate change within their organizations must establish the expectation of legitimate short-term terms wins for their team. Too much focus on a big dream without an emphasis on day-to-day improvements can leave employees tired and battle-worn.  Since it does not come naturally, most managers need to include more of a strategic system for creating these wins.  Team members should know that the change is working and those who help to create wins should be recognized for their efforts.

Short-term wins possess these characteristics: visibility, unambiguity, and a direct relation to the change effort.  These characteristics will create a healthy pressure on employees, and create an increased sense of urgency and expectation.  Everyone on the team should have the privilege of celebrating the day-to-day organizational victories.

7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change

At every stage of the change process, resistance to change will continue to arise. The temptation for leaders will be to celebrate short-term wins, but this can be lethal to the change process, and all momentum can easily slip away. In order to sustain long-term transformation, it must be driven deep into the core of the organization.

This stage may seem radical, in that many times, massive amounts of change are required before any change in the organization can be realized.  This is especially true of highly interdependent systems. All systems, structures and policies that do not fit within the vision of the desired change must be addressed. This can be accomplished only by leaders who have built substantial credibility through the patient development of the previous six stages.  This includes hiring, developing and promoting key individuals who are helping to fulfill the change vision.

This stage requires a very long-term perspective on organizational leadership by the leaders.

8. Anchoring New Approaches in Culture

Until a transformation is anchored deeply in the culture of an organization, the change is subject to reversal.  Culture is very difficult to change, it happens only after the actions and behaviors of people have been modified. This is why cultural change happens at the end of the transformation process, not at the beginning.

More effective leadership and better management will inspire increased performance through customer and productivity–oriented behavior.  They will paint the picture for employees as to how these new behaviors enhance organizational success.  Those who refuse to adopt the new culture of change will need to be addressed and may need to be removed.  Those who do adopt the vision should be assured of continued leadership development and succession. Obviously, this is one of the last steps in the change process.

The eight stage process of bringing change to an organization as presented by John P. Kotter in Leading Change is thorough, practical and motivating.

It’s easy to be so busy that you miss a precious moment. I find that there are two mentalities that could be the culprit:

Hindsighters –

People who long for days gone by, who spend their time wishing that things would go back to the way they used to be will, if they are not careful, miss today. They are tempted to spend their time looking back, rather than into the eyes of the people in the room. They don’t enjoy the pleasures of right now because their memories won’t allow them to. Today is lost.

Visionaries –

People who are always looking ahead run the risk of missing today. It is easy to look beyond a real-time experience in the name of advance planning. Potential and thoughts of what could be can rob us of the beauty of right now.  Tomorrow closes the door on today.

Just a little advice: Control the thought processes that pull you away from family and friends right now.  You’ll never get this moment back. While it may not seem as though anything significant is happening, if you are with someone you love, that is profound. God is doing something big right now. Don’t dare miss it! Tempore occupare. (Latin for “seize the moment”)

Michael Gungor song: “God is not a White Man”

Thoughts?

I had a strange encounter yesterday.

First a little background: About 5 years ago, a new family showed up at our church, having left their church across town. The husband/father was quite outspoken. I recall how he dominated the conversation in our membership classes, even making suggestions and observations that were critical of our method of operation. Because I did not want to make the situation more uncomfortable, I did not address it at the time. After about 6 weeks of attending, he requested a meeting with me in my office. In that meeting, he presented his resume and a long list of reasons why I should hire him to serve on our staff. Of course, my decision would not affect their decision regarding attending our church – God had brought them here.  When I explained that we would not be hiring him, he left the office and I never saw him or heard from him again – until yesterday.

I noticed the family in our 11:00 service yesterday. As soon as the service was over, he made his way to me and began explaining who he was. I already knew. With a bit of fanfare, he brought his wife over and reintroduced her. He called his daughter and her boyfriend over.  He said, “We have left our church and are now church shopping. I thought we’d give you a try”.  And then he said, “I enjoyed your message but you left some things out…” He proceeded to point out what I didn’t say that I should have, how I omitted several points that revealed that I was overlooking some very important principles for the church.  I could feel my blood beginning to boil.

I am open to criticism, in fact, constructive criticism is one of the greatest gifts God gives to leaders. But I need to hear from people who are invested in the work with me.

I stopped the man and said, “Let me get this straight. You haven’t been here in many years and you walk in the door telling me what I should preach?”. His answer: “Absolutely!”.

It was at that moment that God gave me an extra measure of grace. Rather than doing something I would have felt good about at the time but regretted later, I took a deep breath. I confess, I was really angry – but I restrained myself. I simply said, “I reject that” and I walked away. I went to talk with some other people.

I can think of times in the past when we were so desperate for new people in the church that I may have put up with that kind of behavior.

I know of times that I wouldn’t have said anything because I did not want to be rude.

I certainly know of times when I would have been much more aggressive in my response.

But I passed this test. And we don’t have to tolerate this kind of stuff in the church. It feels good to know that.

I am betting that this family will continue their church shopping.

I am planning to teach some things during tomorrow’s message at Cross Community Church (“Revolutionary Relationships”) that may appear to be revolutionary or even controversial. But they will only be controversial to those who are too highly influenced by our culture. I plan to say something like this to the guys present:

“Men: that woman in your life is the daughter of God. You need to treat her as such. Don’t sleep with her until you have made a forever commitment at the altar of God to be her husband.”

You think that’s revolutionary?

Wednesday will be a tough day for us. Our daughter Jessica and her 4 month old baby girl, Sophia will be leaving us and heading back to their home in Guatemala. Actually, Sophie has never been there. She was born prematurely on April 22 and the doctors have just released her.  If you haven’t heard the story, you can catch up here: It was a miracle!

We can’t express how grateful we are to God for the miracles of the last four months. We easily could have lost both of them. Our sincere appreciation for all the prayers!

While we will miss that little baby terribly, we know that they are doing what God wants them to do. Jessica and her husband Josh are Directors at Casa Shalom orphanage in San Lucas, Guatemala. It would be very selfish and shortsighted of us to wish they would stay in the States. So, tearfully, we will treasure these memories and say goodbye.

This has been about the best 4 months of my life. I love being Sophie’s Pop!