I was recently challenged by my good friend Jerry Aaron to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The challenge goes that if you do not do the ice bucket you are to donate $100 to an ALS research facility. If you do the ice bucket, you still donate but only $10. I will be donating my $10 to the ALS research foundation below:
John Paul II Medical Research Institute
www.jp2mri.org/capital-campaign.htm
The reason for this is the ALS Foundation uses embryonic stem cells. The JPII MRI uses adult stem cells for their research. You may donate to the foundation of your choice.
I challenged Phil LaPonsie, Andy Wiggins, Dr. Dennis Phelps, and Phil Weaver.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
Stones of Remembrance........
The last few weeks have brought on a few milestones. All four of us are working now. Jacob got his first non-seasonal job with Hambino's Pizza Co. a couple weeks ago. For those of you who know Jacob, getting him out of his shell has been quite a challenge, getting a job was made all the more difficult due to his introverted qualities. The owner of Hambino's saw something in him that he could work with. It seemed that all others did not or would not. He took Jacob on with the promise that he would train him to be what he wanted Jacob to be and do in the store. That is true leadership. Not sure where this will lead for Jacob, but it has done him a world of good, and we will be eternally grateful to this man.
Christy and I took Michael last weekend to audition at AMDA, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. AMDA is a college and conservatory for the performing arts. He set a goal to go to school there next year after he graduates. He did his best to prepare for the audition (bought his own music score and selected his monologue). He set a goal to audition and he achieved that goal. If he gets selected now is up to the school, but we are proud of him regardless. We've always told our kids to "not say no for other people." In other words, if he had not auditioned, he would have been saying no for them, and he would never know if they would have accepted him or not. By auditioning, he put the "yes or no" decision on them, plus we got to see New York City.... :-)
I turned "hmmmmm" years old this week. I used to think this age was old, but the older I get the more I realize how young it really is, and, I guess, how short life is.
Christy and I also celebrated 22 years of marriage this week (well, the same day as my birthday...:-) ). I thank God every day for the support she has been to me over these years. It's not easy living the life we have, moving around quite a lot, but she has been my rock, especially over the last year. This past year has been a challenge professionally and personally. I know some of the difficulties I brought on myself, but some were thrust upon us through no fault of our own. Strong, enduring marriages work through their difficulties and do not give up. They allow God to work through them, knowing that He is working everything for our good and His glory. I'm still her "fool in the bushes" (yeah, there is a story there...haha) and am eternally grateful that God has given me a helpmeet who is in it "for better or for worse." I love you.
When I think about this past year, and really over the years of my life, I can't help but think of the Israelites before they went into the Promised Land. They set up a "stone of remembrance" on the banks of the Jordan River to remind them of God's faithfulness. Joshua 4:7 says, "These stones shall be a remembrance to the children of Israel forever." Through the good and through the trying circumstances, God is faithful!
Christy and I took Michael last weekend to audition at AMDA, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. AMDA is a college and conservatory for the performing arts. He set a goal to go to school there next year after he graduates. He did his best to prepare for the audition (bought his own music score and selected his monologue). He set a goal to audition and he achieved that goal. If he gets selected now is up to the school, but we are proud of him regardless. We've always told our kids to "not say no for other people." In other words, if he had not auditioned, he would have been saying no for them, and he would never know if they would have accepted him or not. By auditioning, he put the "yes or no" decision on them, plus we got to see New York City.... :-)
I turned "hmmmmm" years old this week. I used to think this age was old, but the older I get the more I realize how young it really is, and, I guess, how short life is.
Christy and I also celebrated 22 years of marriage this week (well, the same day as my birthday...:-) ). I thank God every day for the support she has been to me over these years. It's not easy living the life we have, moving around quite a lot, but she has been my rock, especially over the last year. This past year has been a challenge professionally and personally. I know some of the difficulties I brought on myself, but some were thrust upon us through no fault of our own. Strong, enduring marriages work through their difficulties and do not give up. They allow God to work through them, knowing that He is working everything for our good and His glory. I'm still her "fool in the bushes" (yeah, there is a story there...haha) and am eternally grateful that God has given me a helpmeet who is in it "for better or for worse." I love you.
When I think about this past year, and really over the years of my life, I can't help but think of the Israelites before they went into the Promised Land. They set up a "stone of remembrance" on the banks of the Jordan River to remind them of God's faithfulness. Joshua 4:7 says, "These stones shall be a remembrance to the children of Israel forever." Through the good and through the trying circumstances, God is faithful!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
The Essence of Leadership
"Managers control, leaders inspire." I shared these words with a CFA team member who is leaving to attend Law School in Grundy, VA. It's always hard to lose good people who are not only good at what they do, but also very versatile. On her last day (well, she will be back for seasonal work), she was thanking us all for allowing her to work over the summer. I commented that it was a pleasure for us that she was here those months. One thing I want her to remember from her time at CFA is those four words....Managers control, leaders inspire.
Managers keep their thumb on their workers, micromanaging every aspect. Managers look for ways that their workers can make them look better. Managers are consistently dependent upon things: numbers, budgets, tasks, etc. Admiral Grace Murray Hopper once said, "You manage things, you lead people." How true this is. Activity doing "things" is not leadership. You can be the busiest person in the world and still not know how to lead. Don't get me wrong, I'm as much of a numbers person as anyone. When the choice comes on whether or not to do the math, I want to do the math. I love numbers probably more than I should, but numbers are things that can be managed, and they are not the main focus.
In his book "One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership, Mike Figliuolo writes, "Great leaders have a keen ability to inspire others to tap into their own pools of energy in a way that unleashes their innate potential." Wow! Unpack that statement for a moment and think of the number of people you can think of who are true leaders. Can you think of any?
People ask me if I miss ministry. I know what they mean. They mean do I miss being in a church, full-time, on staff. My answer is always this: I have a ministry no matter where I am, no matter what I am doing. I don't have to be on staff full-time at a church to be "in ministry." I have the awesome privilege every day to not only inspire those around me with whom I work, but I have the awesome privilege to brighten someone's day with something as simple as a smile and a chicken sandwich. Do we have our crabby customers, you bet, just like we do in the church. However, I've found that for every crabby customer, there are probably 10 or more whose lives I get to touch on a daily basis in a positive way.
My goal every day is to inspire others to be more than they could ever dream to be. To inspire my team to do their best, not because they have to, but because they want to. To tap into their own pools of energy and unleash their innate potential. That was the way Jesus led. He took a ragtag bunch of men and transformed and inspired them to be change agents in their world through His power. May we move past managing people, and learn how to truly lead.
Managers keep their thumb on their workers, micromanaging every aspect. Managers look for ways that their workers can make them look better. Managers are consistently dependent upon things: numbers, budgets, tasks, etc. Admiral Grace Murray Hopper once said, "You manage things, you lead people." How true this is. Activity doing "things" is not leadership. You can be the busiest person in the world and still not know how to lead. Don't get me wrong, I'm as much of a numbers person as anyone. When the choice comes on whether or not to do the math, I want to do the math. I love numbers probably more than I should, but numbers are things that can be managed, and they are not the main focus.
In his book "One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership, Mike Figliuolo writes, "Great leaders have a keen ability to inspire others to tap into their own pools of energy in a way that unleashes their innate potential." Wow! Unpack that statement for a moment and think of the number of people you can think of who are true leaders. Can you think of any?
People ask me if I miss ministry. I know what they mean. They mean do I miss being in a church, full-time, on staff. My answer is always this: I have a ministry no matter where I am, no matter what I am doing. I don't have to be on staff full-time at a church to be "in ministry." I have the awesome privilege every day to not only inspire those around me with whom I work, but I have the awesome privilege to brighten someone's day with something as simple as a smile and a chicken sandwich. Do we have our crabby customers, you bet, just like we do in the church. However, I've found that for every crabby customer, there are probably 10 or more whose lives I get to touch on a daily basis in a positive way.
My goal every day is to inspire others to be more than they could ever dream to be. To inspire my team to do their best, not because they have to, but because they want to. To tap into their own pools of energy and unleash their innate potential. That was the way Jesus led. He took a ragtag bunch of men and transformed and inspired them to be change agents in their world through His power. May we move past managing people, and learn how to truly lead.
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