Tweet A reader sent me a great question recently. He wrote: Do you think Christians should flash their lights to warn of cars on the road of an approaching radar patrol…
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This is a premature post. My boys will probably balk at it, but I’ll be honest. I’m a people watcher. That’s especially true when I’m out of town where I don’t know anyone.
This week I’m in Florida to perform my oldest son’s wedding. He and his soon-to-be wife have been together for many years, so we feel she’s already part of the family. They say they want to enjoy life together a few years, but we know they both love children, so, even though we would encourage them to take their time, we suspect they’ll have children within the first few years of marriage.
That means we’ll someday be grandparents and it has made me more conscious of what it will be like at that stage of life. Cheryl and I talk about it often.
Today I saw a family out with a grandmother. It was a beautiful family. The kids seemed well-behaved. The parents seemed attentive. The only problem, in my opinion, was an over-bearing, controlling grandmother. Every time the children did anything she corrected them. She consistently over-ruled the parents with the children. She didn’t appear as a loving grandmother, but rather as a family friend who grew impatient with the couple’s children.
I’ve already told my boys, but I feel I need to tell you for accountability purposes. Here are 4 commitments Cheryl and I hope to make as grandparents:
In what I do, if I don’t know how to communicate with people I don’t already know, I won’t be very successful.
I have an occasion to speak to strangers frequently. Thankfully, our church attracts dozens of new visitors each week, I’m invited to speak other places often, and I encounter new people daily through this blog. I’m learning (it’s a continual process) that there are some specific ways I should and shouldn’t speak publicly to someone who doesn’t know me well. Most of these are true to any audience, but especially for an audience of visitors or strangers.
Here are 4 do’s and 4 dont’s when talking to people you’ve never met.
I believe physical health is important for the leader. I have written about this before HERE. I know there are times a leader can’t do anything about his or her health, but if there is an option, the leader should strive to be healthy. It makes me more productive when I feel better physically.
Recently I lost 10 pounds to get in even better shape.
A short history:
I’m 47…I feel good…and I’m in good shape physically. I run almost everyday. I monitor my weight and I eat semi-healthy. In my mid thirties I got slightly overweight, about 15 pounds, and decided to do something about it. I worked hard to reach my ideal weight and stay there consistently for almost 10 years. In the last 18 months, due to stressful, fast-paced living, and lots of traveling, I added back another 10 pounds. I tried what had worked before to lose the weight, but nothing seemed to work.
Some call it a middle-aged spread.
The story:
On March 30th of this year, I had lunch with my friend Michael Hyatt. I hadn’t seen Michael in a couple months and instantly recognized how well he looked. He had obviously lost weight. He is slightly older than me, so I knew he would probably struggle as I had, so I asked him for his secret. Always a teacher, Michael shared with me that he had been closely monitoring what he eats using the LoseIt application.
I had tried this application, but never disciplined myself to actually use it. This time I was determined. It worked!
Here’s how the LoseIt application worked for me:
Many leaders avoid conflict at any cost…
It seems this is true especially of pastors…
Yet conflict is often necessary for healthy relationships…
When needed conflict is avoided, people grow bitter, relationship development stalls, and teams suffer…
Here’s one thing I’ve learned about conflict…
Perhaps this well motivate you to confront what you need to confront…
Tweet The larger our church gets the more I have to say no… It’s become a necessity… To maintain my health, the health of my family and the church, I…
This is a random Sunday afternoon post…
I want to encourage us to have a great week this next week…
I believe and strive for continual improvement…
In my experience, this happens best when we make intentional changes…
That’s the point of this post…
This next week, I want to encourage…challenge…even dare you to make an intentional change to improve something in your life…
I’ll go first…
Tweet “In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be” (declares the Lord)…
I got to thinking this week…the life of a Tweet is so short…
It’s there a few minutes…then gone forever…
I decided to share them here gives them more life.
Here are my top 10, most re-tweeted, tweets this week:
Tweet Will this be my last post ever? It will be according to a recent prediction. It’s been the buzz all week, so perhaps you heard it. Christian radio host…