Lead Well

Courtesy Getty Images You know, a lot of times we get wrapped up in the holidays and forget about what's most important.  I don't know about you, but since I work with kids every week in Church, it's kind of impossible to forget about Jesus.  But let's not take away from what Jesus told us to do.  He told us to love the Lord with every part of us and to love our neighbors as ourselves. When Jesus was asked who was our neighbor, he told them the story of the  Good Samaritan.   He then told the people to go and do likewise.  To be honest, many times this element of the Christmas story is lost on me.  So often, I get so excited about what I'm going to receive, I forget to think about anyone else, especially those less fortunate. After the Christmas Eve service, a lady came up to me to thank me.  I've seen her before, but didn't know her name or her kids.  She thanked me that we, the church, gave her Christmas.  She had just left the hospital because of

Ever had trouble setting goals and keeping them?  You're not the only one.  Here are some quick steps you can take to meet those goals you know you can. Courtesy Getty Images I love goals.  I've been setting and completing them for as long as I can remember.  I find I have a hard time completing any task without setting a goal.  I thought everyone was like this, but when I asked my team to create goals for their departments they were lost.  They had no idea even where to start.  So here 5 easy steps to setting and keeping your goals. Begin with the end in mind If you've ever read Steven Covey's book " The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ," you know this is one of them.  We all need to use a little imagination and envision what our desired outcome will be before we begin any task.  For example, as a new year's resolution, I set as a goal to run a 10k race.  The days spent on the treadmill and out on the road were long and sometimes grueling.  

With so many consoles out there and video games becoming a major part of the American childhood experience, many parents are asking which one should I get for my kids? gettyimages.com As a lifelong gamer, I know the challenges and the overwhelming amount of information that's out there, so I'm creating this guide to help you make an informed decision for your kids this Christmas. First of all you should know that all consoles come with the following features: Online Connectivity Parental Controls At least 1 Controller At least 1 Game Apps such as Netflix and Hulu 1. Nintendo Wii  Cost: $149.99 Free web: yes Kid Friendly: 5/5 Recommended games: Mario Kart, Wii Sports/Resort, New Super Mario Brothers If your kids are under the age of 10, this is the best system for your family.  It has fun, easy, and safe games for your whole family and it's easy on your wallet at only $149.99 making it the cheapest of all the consoles. Even though the next generation console the Wii U ca

www.gettyimages.com I'm just going to admit it. I'm a conservative Republican.  You can imagine my dismay with Tuesday's election results.  I was so upset, I had a hard time getting to sleep that night. All I could was pray.  As I was praying, I was reminded that God is in control of everything. The next morning, I read this tweet from Perry Noble , "Dear believers - the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. (Daniel 4:25)." This verse is found right in the heart of the story where God was teaching the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, just who is responsible for the king's greatness.   You can read the full story here. It is a reminder to us all that God has chosen who will lead us.  We may have elected President Obama, but the reality is that God has ordained him to the leader of the free world for four more years. If we claim to be Christians, then we submit to God's authority and the authority of th

Sabbath. It's a funny word.  Unfortunately, this word is buried deep in the Christianese lexicon, and not many people actually practice this very important spiritual discipline. When I was in my third year of Master's Commission, I was given a lot of responsibility and found myself with a very large workload.  So much so, that I stopped taking a day off.  Monday, which was supposed to be my off day, was filled with planning, writing, and studying.  I had cut all the fun out of my life to get the job done. I loved it for the first few months, but after after 3 months of consistently working 16 hour days, I broke.  I couldn't do it anymore.  Something had to give. I just didn't know what.  Thankfully God knew exactly what I needed. While driving back home to Georgia for Thanksgiving, I listened to Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell .  I got to the chapter called Tassels.  I wept for the next 3 hours.  I realized I had been sinning for months.  I had neglected the fourth co

Big projects.  It seems that I live my professional life from one big project to the next.  Each new event or change is another big project.  I love it. However many people don't.  They get overwhelmed by the daunting tasks.  They get so nervous about the monumental project that they never begin or they get so wrapped up in all the little details that they quit halfway through.  I've faced both of these extremes, but sometimes you just have to get things done.  You have to grit your teeth, buckle down and get dirty. Here are some of the things I've learned that help me complete those big projects. 1. Set a deadline.   I don't know about you, but if I don't have a set time to complete a task, it may never get done.  We need to set a reasonable timeline to accomplish our goals.  Some projects can be done in a few minutes, others a few years.  Either way think about how long you will need to accomplish the goal and set a time limit.  You'll be surprised at

from gettyimages.com A few Sundays ago, we gave the Gospel message along with an opportunity to become a Christian.  We had 9 children raise their hands to signify they were ready to accept Christ.  I am so excited that God moved, and we had so many come to Christ.  Let me caution you, however.  All of these salvations were in second service.  I didn’t have a single one in first.  In fact, I didn’t even offer because I knew they weren’t paying attention.  I justified this misstep by saying that they were all saved anyway.  They already know the story of Jesus crucifixion.  They were bored.  All of these may be true, but may I offer another reason?  I wasn’t ready.  I spent my pre-service time socializing. I didn’t double check my tech.  I didn’t show my sound person what she needed to do.  I didn’t even go over what I was talking about that morning.  The last time I even looked at it was the Thursday before.  As a result, I had to break up the flow of the service to loa