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The Right to Lead

At first glance it seems like a good book for a graduation gift, or great coffee table decor, but when you open The Right to Lead you find that it is much more.  In this short book John Maxwell retells great stories of sacrifice and risk, shares poignant quotes regarding vision and integrity, and speaks to the necessity of action, determination, and service on the part of every leader.

A few of my favorite quotes from the book…

You will never do anything in this world without courage.  – James Allen

We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be.  – R. Ruth Barton

Being the first to cross the finish line makes you a winner in only phase of life.  It’s what you do after you cross the line that really counts.  – Ralph Boston, Olympic Gold Medalist

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stand at times of challenge.  – Martin Luther King Jr.

The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.  – Vince Lombardi

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.  It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever the cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.  – Arthur Ashe

There are dozens of other great quotes in this short book.  If your looking for a short, easy read on leadership this is a great book to pick up.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

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Gearing Up For Greece

In less than 1 month I, along with 11 others from Calvary, will be heading to Thessaloniki, Greece. The 12 of us will be working with two very good missionary friends of mine Tony and Jamie Sebastian (pictured above with their two boys).    Tony and Jamie have some pretty amazing goals for Greece. They will be starting a study abroad program, founding a coffee shop, assisting and developing the local church in Greece,  and much more.

While our team is in Greece we will be assisting the Sebastian’s with the coffee shop (some light construction), working with the A21 Campaign (which is an organization that fights human trafikking), serving the local church in several ways, and more.

Before we leave we have a few tasks to check off the to-do list including: purchasing team supplies, packing, purchasing train tickets from Athens to Thessaloniki (it was cheaper to fly into Athens and take the train, than to fly straight through), and a few other items.

One of the bigger logistical challenges we still face is that we still have a few people who are struggling to raise their last bit of financial support to be able to go on the trip.  If you would be interested in supporting one of these individuals, you can give simply by going to http://bit.ly/cAf7KJ and donating.  It’s that simple.

If you are unable to support our team financially, that doesn’t mean we don’t need you.  We would still love to have you partner with us in prayer.  Please pray for our time of preperation, and for our team as we travel and minister between August 13th and August 22nd.

I’m looking forward to August and being able to go and bless some missionaries…it is one of my favorite parts of my job.

If you are interested in checking out Tony and Jamie’s website, or the A21 Campaign site, you can find them here….

http://www.becominggreek.com
http://www.thea21campaign.org

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10 Year Anniversary

Becky and I celebrated our 10 year dating anniversary yesterday. I still remember our first date.  I splurged big that night, with a super romantic dinner at….Chuck E. Cheese!  Okay, so maybe that isn’t exactly splurging.  Honestly, the reason I chose Chuck E. Cheese is because I was so nervous to be taking Becky out that I thought it would be a little less nerve racking to take her some place fun.  We actually had a great time, and now 10 years later we’re happily married!

Looking forward to the next 10 years dating my wife. Hopefully, we hit up a few restaurants nicer than Chuck E. Cheese in the years to come.

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Ignorance Is Costly

Ignorance can be expensive.  Ask the guy who just paid someone $95 to tell him that there was a switch in his house that accidenitly got flipped, and turned off the heat.  I thought the furnance was broke.  It wasn’t powering on.  The switch next the heater was on, the breaker was fine, but now I know there is an emergency switch upstairs that turns the furnace off as well.  Now I know…but it cost me.

$95 is a lot to have someone teach you about the emergency switch to the heater.  But $95 is nothing compared to what others pay for their ignorance.  Parents, ignorant of how to parent, end up with unruly kids.  Spouses, ignorant of how relationships work, end up with troubled marriages.  Students, ignorant of how to study, end up with poor grades.  People, ignorant of God’s love, end up in an eternity of pain.  You get the idea.

Ignorance is expensive.  It cost me $95, but it cost others a whole lot more.  Maybe there are some areas we should work on gaining some wisdom in?

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Where is God?

Hope.  Not everyone has it, but that is why this book is so important.  Dr. Townsend’s main goal in writing Where is God? is that people would walk away with an “increased sense of hope”, and if you read this book you will.

Although the question of “if God is real, why is this happening to me?” has been asked by millions of people, it is a question we still struggle to answer.  In Where is God? a clear Biblical response to this question is given.  Anyone who is going through a difficult time, or is counseling someone going through a difficult time, would find this book to be a valuable resource.

Pastors especially will find this book helpful.  I discovered some new ideas for counseling, and illustrations for preaching while reading the book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

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Gold Medal of Achievement

Super proud of two of the youth from our church, as they are making huge strides towards achieving their Gold Medal of Achievements.  The Gold Medal of Achievement is the Royal Rangers (our Sunday night ministry to boys) equivalent to an Eagle Scout.    Most recently these two, Josh Fodera and Timmy Parsons, completed their service projects.

Josh led a community wide donation drive to collect items for our church’s food pantry, which we call our Blessing Room.  Josh went  to local businesses, organizations, and people to raise support for purchasing and collecting food, that the church is now able to turn around and give to those in need in our community.  Single moms and dads, the unemployed and underemployed,  and people who are just going through a tough time, can all come and take the food that is now available.  Thanks to Josh, and the effort of those who supported him, there will be people who didn’t have anything to eat, that will now have a whole meal to sit down to.

Timmy, who is a diabetic, did something I am pretty sure no other Ranger has done before.  Inspired by his own life circumstances, Timmy worked with several companies and donors to create 50 diabetic kits.  These kits are going to be given to My Brother’s Table in Lynn, MA, which serves the homeless.   Facing diabetes by itself is challenge, but imagine being homeless and having to face it without proper medical care.  Because of Timmy, 50 people will not have to know what that that is like.

Again, I am super proud of these boys!  Looking forward to them receiving their Gold Medal of Achievements this Summer!

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Attention to Detail

I just had a great customer service moment.  As I was making my final arrangements for me and my wife to attend a conference the customer service agent said, “Here are just a few things you might want to know.   We have the conference room set at a certain temperature.  We think it is the ideal temperature, but some of our guests find it a bit chilly.  This may be more for your wife than you, but we thought you would like to know in case she wanted to grab a sweater….”

Now I have registered for quite a few conferences before, but I have never had one pay such close attention to detail.  I have never had one think about the temperature that they keep the conference room, realize that it might affect the type of clothing their guests would be comfortable wearing, and suggest the appropriate amount of layers.    That is great customer service.

I wish I had similar experiences everywhere I went, but I don’t.

I wonder how many times we fail to slow down, think about the experience our guests (people attending our church, shopping at our store, etc…) will have in advance, and work to improve that experience so that something trivial like a cold room doesn’t impede their experience while they are there?

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Linchpin

I just finished reading Linchpin by Seth Godin.  To say I found the book a great read would be an understatement.  In fact, I would say this is one of the most important books I read in quite a while.  I would recommend this book to anyone.

In the book Seth challenges you to give up living an ordinary, mundane life and become someone who is remarkable.  He challenges you to be extraordinary, which results in you becoming indispensable…a linchpin.

One quick thought from the book as a tease…

“Would your organization be more successful if your employees were more obedient?  Or consider for a second: would you be more successful if your employees artistic, motivated, connected, aware, passionate and genuine?  You can’t have both of course.”

You can have people who follow the rules precisely and do exactly what is asked of them, or you can have people with passion and energy.  People who don’t just appease the status quo, but who wants to take the organization beyond where it is at now.

Again, I would recommend the book to anyone.  You can pick up a copy at Amazon.

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Worth It

This Saturday Calvary is hosting a one day conference for teens and parents entitled Worth It.  Worth It is a one-day seminar designed to encourage and equip teens and parents towards God’s best in opposite sex relationships. There are guest speakers and special workshops that will help every teen discover their  incredible worth, God’s incredible plan, and the incredible joy of seeking God’s best.

Why don’t you consider joining hundreds of parents and teens (and a pro football player, or two) for this fun and informative day that likely will change your life and the way you look at God, yourself, and relationships?

For more information visit http://www.himweb.org/Events/WI/WorthIt.html

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Faith Case: Investigating the Truth

For the past 9 weeks we have been working through Faith Case: Investigating the Truth in Kid’s Church at Calvary, and it has been a great experience.   This curriculum which walks through the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God in 12 lessons, has been engaging for the kids, easy to teach, and just might be some of the best curriculum to come out of AG headquarters.

One example of the kids liking it…. I was recently over at a family from the church’s house and asked the kids what they enjoyed most about KidZone.  One kid gave me the typical “I love the games!”, another said she loved the songs (i.e. worship), but the third said she loved Mr. Trench from the videos.  When she said she loved Mr. Trench from the FaithCase videos, both her siblings said “Oh yeah, we love him too!”  I even pressed them to see if they remembered some of the lessons, and they were able to recall everyone of them that they were there for.

If you want to pick up a copy of Faith Case, it is available from Gospel Publishing (www.gospelpublishing.com) for $120.