As many of you are aware, I have accepted the call to be the Senior Teaching Pastor of Trinity Church in Lansing, Michigan. For those of you who prayed with and for us, we are thankful to God for you, your prayers and encouragement while we went through the lengthy and productive process. Although the process is over, the work is just beginning. We are excited about the adventure, but we know we can do nothing apart from Jesus. Here are some areas for which we ask you to pray:

1. Transition grace and wisdom
2. That we find the right school for our children
3. That our family builds a strong web of relationships
4. That God would increase my Cultural Intelligence Quotient
5. That I would practice good and wise exegesis of Trinity Church
6. That my Life Accounts (Faith, Priorities, Health, Family, Finance, Friends, and Service) will remain full and healthy
7. That we would remain connected to Jesus in the midst of the transition
8. That I would have a strong implementation of my Ideal Work Week
9. That God would lead us to the right house
10. That God would use us to bring many people to Jesus, for his glory
11.  That we would laugh a lot and have lots of fun

What transitions are you going through in this season of your life? How can my family and I pray for you during this transition time?

Popularity: 31% [?]

As leaders, attempting to move an organization, family, ministry team, department, or small group forward, people can be our most vital assets, and they can be where we receive the greatest resistance. I believe each outcome is determined by how we relate to people. The way we relate to people reveals a lot about our leadership temperment, potential, and success. R.E. Thompson suggests these questions:

1. Do other people’s failures annoy or challenge you?

2. Do you use people, or cultivate people?

3. Do you direct people, or develop people?

4. Do you criticize, or encourage people? 

5. Do you shun or seek out the person with a special need or problem?  

Are there other questions you can add? Based on these questions, how do you relate to people? What does it say about your leadership temperment and potential? In which of these areas do you do an excellent job? In which of these do you need the most work? Weigh in on the convo. 

Popularity: 14% [?]

The Leadership Summit challenges me every year to be a better leader. This year was no different. This year’s faculty was phenomenal and they challenged me in many ways. In no particular order, here are highlights and points that caused me to reflect the most:  

1. Have an adequate personal replenishment strategy
2. Rogue waves provide the perfect conditions for greater ministry and our steepest learning curves.
3. Redemption and renewal are more important than church programs
4. Bring the gospel to people’s hearts instead of pounding their wills
5. Create an environment and context for the Bible to work
6. Celebrate what we have instead of complaining about what we don’t have
7. Love the fringe 
8. Relationships trump vision 
9. Our most courageous act of leadership can be done in our darkest moments
10. Live with a cause in your heart
11. Reflect on our leadership – Be a reflective practioner 
12. Read! Read! Read!
13. Understand and conquer your dark side
14. We might not have a person problem, but a situation problem
15. Big problems are solved by small solutions
16. Help people to anticipate adversity
17. Bright spots help people realize that they are capable of change

Here are a few “simple things” that I have recommitted to doing as a leader as a result of the Leadership Summit 09:

1. Spiritual: Bible, prayer, reflect and journal at least an hour a day
2. Physical: Go to bed by 10:30 each night
3. Physical: Workout 3-5 days a week
4. Emotional: Understand, articulate and conquer my dark side and flesh patterns as a leader by September 30th
5. Intellectual: Read at least an hour a day and journal my insights daily

These are not difficult goals, but they do require hourly, daily, weekly, and yearly consistency. These are the “simple things,” and if I am consistent, these habits can sharpen my leadership gifts and positively and powerfully change my leadership practices and trajectory.

What highlights above speak to your life and leadership the most? What are some “simple things” you can do to change the direction of your leadership?

Popularity: 18% [?]

This evening you will be honored as Person of the Year. Thousands of people are gathered in your honor to celebrate your contributions to your family, friends, colleagues, your organization, and your community. Several key people (spouse, children, colleagues, etc) are scheduled to give speeches, using words to highlight how you have added value to the world through your character and performance. What words and phrases would you most like to hear others say about you? How would like to be remembered tonight? What descriptions would make you feel like you’ve lived your life to the fullest. If you could write these tributes about yourself, what would they say? If you have trouble writing your tribute, start answering the following questions (a non-exhaustive list). Answering these questions will help you to clarify your values, understand what you really care about, and develop an ideal image of yourself:

What are you discontent about?
What do you really care about?
What’s grabbed you and won’t let you go?
What are you passionate about?
When you do this (using your gift), God tends to show up in great power?
What do you stand for? 
What keeps you awake at night? 
What makes you mourn, grieve and weep/cry?
Where and on what do you spend your time? Money?

These words may seem rather ideal and lofty, but the greater the clarity and belief in our values, the greater the probability we’ll act in concert with them. 

What other questions you would like to add to this list, that you think would help to clarify our values? What 3-5 words or phrases would you most like to hear others (especially spouse, significant other and children) say about you? Leave your comments here so others can see and be blessed .

Popularity: 24% [?]

The other day as we were eating breakfast, my oldest son complained about his sister “always” copying him. Tonia and I tried to explain to him that it was a compliment and an honor for his sister to want to copy him. I know it can be annoying to have a younger sister or brother doing everything you do; I had a younger to sister who copied me all the time, and it was annoying and frustrating. However, it wasn’t until I became older did realize that it was a compliment and an honor. Then the sheer responsibility of giving and leaving an example worth copying frightened me. Was I supplying her with a healthy or unhealthy example? Did she see something in me and copy something from me that would negatively affect her later? If so, then I would be responsible for giving her a poor example to copy. I began to feel the weight of my example and pattern? 

Whether we know it or not, people, especially our children, watch us very closely and want to be like us. They imitate the way we walk, the way we talk, the way laugh, the way we sit, the way we eat, the way we write, the way we spend money, the way we treat people, and especially the way we treat God. Can’t you feel the weight of your pattern?  But, we should not shy away from the responsibility of people wanting to copy us, but lean into it. We should say like Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Copy me as I copy Christ.”  The question that I ask myself is, am I giving people a Christlike pattern to copy? Does my life, love, and attitude remind people of Jesus? If not, then maybe I am not doing a good job of copying his radical and perfect pattern. I tell you, some days I simply don’t leave a good pattern for people to follow, not because it’s hard, but because I am selfish and filled with unhealthy pride. Each day, by his grace, I desire to strive to leave an example worth copying and say to others with confidence, Copy me!.  

What about you? Are you giving people around you a good pattern to copy? Are you setting healthy or unhealthy examples for people to imitate? Can you say to someone with confidence, “Copy me!”

How do you feel about telling someone: “Copy me!”

Popularity: 21% [?]