MID SUMMER Reflection Questions...

Some great questions from Tom Harper at a CT article today...read and think!

1. Is narcissism 90% of Twitter?

I mean come on. How can I really follow and read what 1,736 people have to say? Isn't it really all about having an audience of my own? So then, what is my motivation for doing it?

2. Is social media your newest time-waster?

In a recent blog post, Seth Godin wrote, "I'd like to posit that for idea workers, misusing Twitter, Facebook, and various forms of digital networking are the ultimate expression of procrastination. You can be busy, very busy, forever. The more you do, the longer the queue gets. The bigger your circle, the more connections are available."

3. Are we insulting Jesus with all the books and blogs denigrating his church?

I'm reading a thought-provoking book called Why We Love the Church. The authors ask this same question.

4. Do you lead your organization too softly?

Humility is honorable, but is it time to shake things up and perhaps lose a few friends for the sake of the vision? Why not be bolder?

5. Are you blinded by your own vision?

Is it time to get a new one, even if the old one was unique—though not yet achieved?

6. Is it time for you to make a personal leadership change?

Maybe you've done your best and the ride has come to an end. Leaving may be exactly what you and your organization need for rejuvenation.

7. If you were hired to replace yourself, what would you do differently in your job?

Zero-base your position. What would you do if you started from scratch? Why aren't you doing it now?

8. What excites you these days?

Why aren't you doing more of it? Maybe your followers would be more enthused if you were.

9. Do you need to be more accountable to someone?

Someone needs to know what's going on in the world of your heart. God often speaks to me frankly through my wife and close friends.

10. What do you pray about?

Is it the same thing all the time? Is it always about yourself?

11. Is your near-term future one big question mark, or do you have a plan?

Our God is a God of plans. Think two or three years out—what's your next destination?

12. Who was the last person you witnessed to that accepted Christ?

We are called to make disciples. Is it time to hone your skills or simply step out of your comfort zone?

13. Do you read enough books?

It's hard to grow without putting new ideas into your head. I get inspired by books on leadership and management. They encourage me to try new things.

http://www.buildingchurchleaders.com/articles/2010/13questions.html?utm_source=buildingchurchleaders&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=9633197&utm_content=130405170&utm_campaign=2012

JUST DRINK WATER WEEK--Facts to Inform

My good friends at World Vision ACTS are hosting a JUST DRINK WATER week...and here's a few info nuggets they have posted as to why this is such a great idea as we seek to raise awareness and resources:

-800 million people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water

-Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. (GBD_report_2004update_part2)

-90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are children under five years old. (http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/factsfigures04/en/)

-Each $1 invested in safe drinking water and sanitation yields an estimated average of $3-$34 depending on the region and technology. (WWDR3_Facts_and_Figures

-The overall economic loss in Africa alone due to lack of access to safe water and basic sanitation is estimated at $28.4 billion a year, or around 5%of GDP. (WWDR3_Facts_and_Figures)

-Just $20 can provide clean water for one person for 20 years.

Why Speaking Well of Your Spouse Is So Important

Found the words from this post by Michael Hyatt to be really compelling...and it obviously reminded me of the remarkable blessing, friend, and difference-maker Ingrid is in my life...

http://michaelhyatt.com/why-speaking-well-of-your-spouse-is-so-important.html

I am convinced that praising your spouse in public is one of the most important investments you can make—in your family and in your leadership.

This is important for at least five reasons:

1. You get more of what you affirm. Have you ever noticed that when someone praises you, you want to repeat the behavior that caused it? This is just human nature. It can be a form of manipulation if it isn’t genuine. But it can be a powerful way to motivate others when it is authentic.
2. Affirmation shifts your attitude toward your spouse. Words are powerful tools. They can create, or they can destroy. They can build up, or they can tear down. I believe most people have a drive to align their actions—and their attitudes—with their words. If you start speaking well of someone, you start believing what you say.
3. Affirmation helps strengthen your spouse’s best qualities. Encouragement is also a powerful force for good. All of us need positive reinforcement. This is why when we are losing weight and people notice, it gives us the strength to stick with the program. This is true in every area of life.
4. Affirmation wards off the temptation of adultery. When others see you are happily married, they are less likely to proposition you. It’s like a hedge that protects your marriage from would-be predators. You simply stop being a target.
5. Affirmation provides a model to those you lead. To be a truly effective leader, you must lead yourself, and then you must lead your family. Your marriage is a powerful visual of how you treat the people you value the most. When you speak highly of your spouse, your followers are more likely to trust you. It takes your leadership to another level.

Affirming your spouse in public is an investment that pays big leadership dividends. In a world where fewer and fewer marriages last, it can be a difference-maker.

Summer Reading List for 2012...

It is a long trip to get there and back to Zambia...almost 40 hours on planes and we traversed the country from top to bottom to meet amazing people, see remarkable ministry and needs, and gaze at some incredible things in a beautiful country...

And as a result, I had time to do some serious reading even before the summer began...here's the top 3 books I read on this particular trip overseas:

*LOVE DOES by Bob Goff...a remarkable read with amazing stories of the active dimension to our faith as it engages other's lives and needs...it is the summer read for our men's soccer team here at CU as we prepare for our fall season...

*THE NEXT CHRISTIANS by Gabe Lyons...a crucial book for the young generation of Christians I help lead as we engage the role of being a restorer in our world...my Terra Firma leadership team is reading it this summer and having an online conversation about its ideas...

*HOW SOCCER EXPLAINS THE WORLD by Franklin Foer...fascinating read on the way soccer describes the globalization of our world...incredible stories and examples...

And I always love the chance to read while we are at the lake in MN...although my usual reading outdoors was shifted somewhat to the basement of our cabin due to record heat!

Here's the list I am tacking this summer:

*LOVE WORKS by Joel Manby...a powerful read advocating that embracing LOVE as a VERB in our work culture will make our leadership much more effective in every dimension...

*THE WORLD IS A BALL by John Doyle...another read I loved as the author traveled to 2 EURO and 2 WORLD CUP tournaments as he lived the remarkable impact the beautiful game has on so many people and cultures in our world, wherever you are...

*MORE THAN JUST A GAME by Chuck Korr and Marvin Close...the story in South Africa of soccer versus apartheid...and how the game played by Mandela and others on Robben Island helped change a nation and world...

*KINGDOM NEW TESTAMENT by N.T. Wright...I am loving getting to read this translation daily as I work thru the New Testament writings in June, July, and August...