Make sure you have at least one person in your life…
A danger exists even in completing the things you have to do as a routine…
- Routine assignments at work…
- Routine in relationships…
- Routine in physical activities…
- Routine in daily quiet times…
- Routine in weekly calendaring…
I call it the danger of the mundane…
The things we always do, as good as those things may be, can become so routine that they begin to be seen as more of a drag than a pleasure.
Some of the dangers of the mundane include:
Tweet We moved downtown… After we became empty-nesters, Cheryl and I sold the house where we raised our boys and purchased a condominium in the downtown area of our city….
Over the next few months, I’ll be interviewing some great business leaders. They may or may not be leading Christian companies, but they will be high-level leaders in successful organizations. I think there are helpful things to learn for us in the church world from those leading outside the church.
I begin with Mark Schoenwald, President and Chief Executive Officer at Thomas Nelson. I have met Mark on a couple of occasions and each time he left a great impression on me in a casual setting. I understand he is a runner, which makes me identify with him, but I also gather from our causal encounters that he is professional, methodical, kind, and wise. Mark recently replaced the well-known Michael Hyatt as CEO of Nelson. From the outside, it appears Mark will approach the position different from Michael. I was interested in learning from Mark’s leadership.
Here is an interview with Mark Schoenwald:
Another week has come and nearly gone…
It felt like a normal, almost typical week…
At times it seemed so scattered and chaotic at times that I wondered if I had accomplished anything.
That’s “normal”…
I decided to look back at my calendar to see what I had actually done
Here are some highlights from a “typical” pastor’s week:
I love to surround myself with leaders. Often, when we think of leaders, we consider those with great experience in the field in which he or she is leading. They are the experts, they have experience, they’ve been tested, and they are ready to encourage followers. Of course, experience is never a bad characteristic for a leader, but there is one trait that I look for in a young leader even before knowledge or experience.
I believe:
I consistently encounter people who are desperate for friendships. They feel completely alone. I understand. I’ve been there in several seasons of my life and, as an Introvert, I’ve often felt left on the sidelines while others enjoyed the party.
Here is my best suggestion if you feel all alone:
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. Â 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. Â It worked!
Here’s how the LoseIt application worked for me: