3 Questions Every Volunteer Asks
The moment someone signs up to serve on a team, the clock begins to tick. With every passing moment initial interest in your team begins to fade. So, the question is, how do you capture new volunteers and turn them into a fully engaged member of your team? Communicate! When someone signs up for your team, the most important thing you can do is communicate with them! Call them and introduce yourself. Also try to introduce yourself in person so you each have a face to go with a name. Communicate how your team works, the process to get involved, ...
On Getting the Mail
As a short follow up to my last post about an interesting piece of mail I received (You can read it here), I wanted to follow up with a little mail workout you could try at home. Like most Americans I appreciate the extra exercise I receive from retrieving the mail daily. If you’re looking to shed an extra .1 lb., feel free to follow my simple daily routine.* Step 1: Walk outside and retrieve mail (for that extra burn, walk quickly) Step 2: Walk inside and towards nearest trash can (Consider choosing a farther away trash can to shed that ...
I Dream of Pants
Getting the Mail Getting the mail often feels like an exercise in moving paper from my mailbox to my trash can. Every once in a while something breaks through and catches my attention. That’s exactly what happened a few days ago. This one advertisement sucked me in, and even after I threw it away, has continued to haunt me. Who knew one advertisement could hold such power. Here’s the advertisement (The first pic. is from the Gap webpage, followed by the advertisement we received in the mail which I had to save from the trash for the photo): The Jeans I’ve ...
The Prayer That Changed My Life Forever
Perspective is a funny thing. In some ways it’s nothing more than meaningless whispers in our mind, calling us to believe something that may or may not be true. But, in other ways it’s the most powerful force we hold, defining who we are and how we act. I never knew how much my perspective on my dad’s death affected me, until the day my perspective changed forever. I remember the night I said goodbye to my father. It was May of my third grade year. My two younger brothers (7 and 2) and I took the elevator up to ...
Setting Spiritual Goals and a Hot Date
Hot Date Last week I sat across from my wife on a hot date at the Cheesecake Factory. We were about to order our favorite foods when she asked what goals we could make for the new year, which I thought was awesome. Every new year is a new chance to become a better person. It was fun to dream about our upcoming year, including 5k’s, inviting more people over, and finding new ways to give. We’re still trying to nail down the specifics, but it was great to get the conversation started. Thinking I’ve ended up thinking a lot ...
11 Laws of Having a Meeting (#’s 6-11)
We'll continue our discussion on the laws of having a meeting. If you missed the first post, click here. Setting a Meeting Agenda 6. People are looking for CONNECTION as much as information. The more your team knows and enjoys each other, the better the chance they'll prioritize attending meetings. 7. Start within 5 MINUTES, end ON TIME. Start within 5 minutes of your scheduled start time to respect those who came on time. If you start any later, those who are already there will wish they were late and will be next time. ALWAYS end on time! When you ...
11 Laws of Having a Meeting (#’s 1-5)
A Great Time to Build The second half of January and into February is a great time to build your teams. (You can read more about that here) Many people are thinking of having a team meeting for the first time. We've all been invited to meetings we dread. We contemplate every excuse we can think of to not go. But, it doesn't have to be like that. So, I thought I'd share 11 essential parts (laws) to a holding a great meeting I've learned over the years. (I'm still learning, so please add your own add-ons below.) Before you set the meeting 1. Know WHY ...
Top 5 Posts of 2014
I started this blog a little over a year ago to share my thoughts on church, life, groups, and leadership. It also gives me an outlet to share some of the things that make me laugh. Since I began, I've looked forward to writing every single week. I thought I'd share the top 5 viewed posts of 2014. What's your favorite? 5. "Christianese": Not Suitable for Small Group 4. You're Not a Robot: 7 Ways to Experience God 3. 5 Ways My 9 Month Old is Like a Puppy 2. 15 Animals Helping Other Animals And the winner for most viewed post of 2014 is...... 1. 5 ...
David the Angel (Video)
http://youtu.be/2PttPeT-X-Q
When Your Counselor Calls You Intense
The Session I've seen a counselor on and off for years and every once in a while something really hits home. My last session was one of those times. My counselor asked, “Have you ever thought about how you come across as intense?” I nervously laughed for a minute, but inside my head it was like the world stopped and my life flashed before my eyes. I was thinking, “OH NO! My counselor thinks I’m intense!” What does it mean when the dude people pay to listen to their intense thoughts for a living, thinks you're intense?! And what does it ...