Well, my wife and I went with some friends to see "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" this evening.  First off:  It was awesome!  I never saw the original (I know – I already caught heat over this), so I had no expectations.  In fact, I had very low expectations because I can’t stand Tim Burton as a director. I’ll give him props for Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Edward Scissorhands & Beetlejuice, but that’s as far as I go with him.  But as I watched the movie, I saw several leadership principles at work…#1 – There’s No Success without a Successor … Read More

I think about how I got into Christian leadership and it is still kind of an enigma. I am a musician by trade and always thought my contribution to the kingdom of God would be through making music. However, here I am leading a church in Miami of all places! But as I look back through my life, I see these moments where a leader was emerging. I remember the first time I thought I was a leader. I was 16 years old and my friend Keith and I had just taken a job working for a landscaping company. I … Read More

Bruce Johnson had a great post today about our capacity to lead and how it directly relates to the opportunities God gives us as leaders.  It’s great to have you posting again Bruce!  This is great stuff!  Read it here.

I talk to Pastors who tell me that preaching is the hardest thing for them to do. Others tell me staffing selection is the hardest part of their job. Others say it’s living in a fishbowl where everything you say and do is judged (usually pretty harshly) is the toughest thing to deal with. But in my role as a Senior Pastor (Or Lead Pastor depending on your particular nomenclature), the hardest thing for me, is to say NO. When someone calls and wants to meet with me for counseling and I have to refer them to a staff member, … Read More

I was at Old Navy yesterday buying some t-shirts when I saw a sign that said if I applied for an Old Navy credit card I could use it at any of their companies: Old Navy, The Gap, and Banana Republic. It got me thinking about how we are trying to reach those that we feel best equipped to reach. While one company owns all of these stores, they market their brand very differently. Old Navy is casual wear. The Gap goes from casual to kind of dressy. And Banana Republic is higher end clothing. My point is this: when … Read More

So I’ve come to a decision.  I’ve decided what I believe leadership to be.  I believe the best leaders are great followers.  They are following Jesus as closely as they can and that by nature has them out in front of many others.  They in turn follow Jesus by following the leader in front of them.  I remember in elementary school that my teachers would commend those who followed her the closest when we were walking in single file down the hall.  I believe Christian leadership is no different.  When people see that you walk with God, they gladly follow.  … Read More

Now that you’re singing The Cars (Which is a greatest hits  everyone should own, by the way), I’ve decided to take my staff to the Drive Conference at Northpoint in August.  We usually go to one conference a year all together as a pseudo staff retreat, and we decided this was the one we all wanted to attend.  We’ve been to Northpoint a few times and we’ve read everything they’ve put out, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the inner working of why they do what they do.  It looks to be a great time. 

Here’s a question I’d love to hear some feedback on:  What’s the best conference you’ve been to and why?  This might inform some of us who don’t know there’s an amazing conference that could really help us.  Or it might encourage us to attend the conference you recommend.  Here’s mine:  Catalyst 2003.  Why?  I was going through a really tough time in ministry.  Things weren’t going the way I had hoped, and God met me there.  I learned a lot of leadership principles, got great ideas, and discovered Rob Bell, but the thing I remember the most is that I … Read More

If you haven’t been to www.practicallyspeaking.org, you’ve got to.  Come on, free Mp3’s by Andy Stanley!  You can’t beat that deal with a stick!  But I finished listening to the first interview on Clarify the Win, which is also part of The 7 Practices of Effective ministry book that Andy and Co. wrote.  But I believe the interview takes the conversation a little deeper.  They started talking about each of their ministry areas and what the win is for every area, including Sunday morning service.  I can’t tell you how challenged I was by listening to this.  It has made … Read More