I will never forget my middle school P.E. teacher:  Coach Stansell.  What I remember about him most was his awkwardly loud voice.  This guy had zero concept of an inside voice.  He literally yelled everything.  No matter the setting, he yelled.  Is this common among P.E. teachers?  Is it a pre-requisite that one not be able to whisper at all to qualify for this profession?  Any time I ever tried to speak to him normally all I got in return was an off-putting feeling of being screamed at.  While they may not be loud-talkers, some people are just difficult to communicate with.  I want to focus on ensuring that you do not become one of them!  Here are 3 steps to take to ensure you can talk to anyone about anything, and almost always guarantee they will still love you. 

Recently a few of us pastors on staff at my church took an extended lunch to go see “Dumb and Dumber To.”  There we sat in the theater, three well respected and highly educated guys, laughing at things most people would call “immature."  Ironically, for someone who is secretly still a junior high kid inside, part of my job is to help other people grow and mature in their faith.  One question I consistently wrestle with is, "How do we move our congregation towards spiritual maturity?”  Ever wondered that?  While I am still figuring this out, I have discovered a few practical steps that incite growth in people's hearts. 

I have found that the fear of mistakes are what keep seasoned leaders from putting young leaders in positions of influence.  We fear their mishaps will cripple the organization.  In the process we lose relevance with an entire generation. Years ago my church got intentional about adding leaders in their 20’s and early 30’s to our elder board.  Was it risky?  Maybe.  Did it pay off?  Big time!  We started by only adding 1.  This year we added 4! Here are the top 5 reasons your church or organization should add younger voices to the decision making table. 

What if greatness had a formula?  Wouldn't that just make things easier?  If leadership were as simple as, "do these things" then I would be a rock star! While I cannot guarantee success or "magic" to anyone, I can give you some steps that will set you apart from other leaders in any room. Do these things and you will find yourself rising above others of equal age, experience and talent. Here are 3 ways to make yourself the best leader in the room.

You run pretty hard during the week.  Meetings, planning, counseling, emails, calls, conversations, building teams…you’re starting to feel busy just reading that aren’t you?  To maintain this pace you have to learn the value of pulling away from the routine. Long term ministry is not sustained from raw talent but from a full tank.  Learn now to recover & hear God's voice.  Learn to "press pause.” Unplugging is intentionally focusing on Christ & on yourself. Here are 4 ways to stay strong in the midst of the busyness of ministry.

Can you imagine a world without the magic that Walt Disney created? Imagination came to life through the work of Walt Disney.  We would have missed out on this if Walt had listened to the newspaper editor who fired him as a young man for “lacking imagination and having no creative ideas.”  As a young leader, Walt Disney failed.  Walt understood that failure has two certainties. It is inevitable and it is a chance to learn.  Failure is going to happen.  You have no choice in this matter.  If you want to achieve anything you are going to fail at something.  Learning from failure however, is not such a given.  In fact it is a choice.  Failure sends some people spiraling downward as it is charged with emotion and can attach itself to our self-worth.  Decide that failure will not be your master but rather your teacher. Here are 4 lessons failure can teach us.

Saturdays are the best day.  I enjoy being lazy and having a day to unplug from reality.  There is one Saturday during my year that I approach a bit differently:  the Saturday before Easter. On Sunday we celebrate that Jesus was resurrected back to life after being dead for three days and that our lives have significance because of that same power.  But Saturday is often forgotten.  We do not talk about Saturday.  There are no sermons on the events of that Saturday 2,000 years ago. If we pause and think about it, we can gain some encouragement from that Saturday of the first Easter weekend.  Here are 3 reminders from that day.

I love Starbucks.  Whew, I said it.  Admission is half the battle, right?  I feel better already.  Know why I love it so much?Consistency.  Wherever and whenever I order a tall Pike Place in a grande cup, it is the same.  While I love Starbucks product, I equally do not like hanging out in their stores.  Why?  Inconsistency.  I never know what I am going to get when I go from one store to the next. Why? One word:  Culture.  While the coffee is the same, the culture varies.  Culture is all about behavior.  Most leaders bypass it because focusing on it can be arduous.  That is shortsighted.  You can have a healthy team today and I want to help you.  Here are 5 steps to health.

How did this young woman who recorded the milestones of being "Fifteen" and "Twenty-Two" find herself a high ranking world leader at 25 years old?  Isn't that too young?  Some people think so.  Other people do not.  While her ranking may have confused some, one this is clear:  Leaders everywhere can learn from her.  Young leaders especially can find value in her model.  In honor of her ranking, here are 6 things Taylor teaches us about leadership.

One key to being successful as a leader is to adop the mantra:  Be a goal getter. Goals are your best friend at this season of your leadership. me is an asset in reaching your dreams.  It may be your only asset early on.  Invest your time accordingly.  Binge-watching Netflix is not a wise investment.  Check out these 4 practices that maximize your time and accomplish your goals.