BA - Fort Wayne Bible College
MAR - Trinity Evangelical Divinity
D.Min - Grace Theological Seminary
Birkman Certified Coach
John Maxwell Certified Team Member
Myers/Briggs Certified
FIRO-B Certified
TKI Certified
25 Years Executive Coaching
If you possess a fixed mindset, then putting yourself in a growth environment will help you change, grow, and adapt
If you possess a growth mindset, then a growth environment will accelerate your development and increase your capacity at a higher rate
As a leader, study the characteristics of growth environments of other leaders to create a better growth environment for yourself and your team
LIVE IT
Realize others are ahead of you – Learn from them
You are continually challenged – Life does not wait on the timid or bashful
Your focus must be forward at all times
Your environment must be affirming
Get out of your comfort zone and into your strength zone
Wake up daily excited – New Challenges
Failure is not your enemy
LEAD IT
How many of the characteristics mentioned do you possess?
Whom have you chosen to mentor your life? If you have not chosen, NOW is a good time
What is your life direction and how will you get there?
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
Your faith choice if essential in reaching your fullest potential
The faithful practice and participation in your faith declaration will cause you to grow according to Divine Design and purposes
When your spiritual potential increases every other part of your life increases as well
LIVE IT
Based upon the Bible Book Ephesians 3:14-20 ……
I pray that you will know God
I pray that you will experience God’s love
I pray that you will allow God to do great things in your life
Make room for God – God can
Do anything
He is bigger than I am
Do what I cannot do in my strength
LEAD IT
Up to this very day have you ever thought about God?
When you read that God loves you no matter what and that you can do nothing to make God love you more than He already does – how does this make you feel?
What action do you need to take in response to God’s invitation to you?
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
Not everyone is a natural risk-taker. Are you facing a risky challenge at this moment?
Do you desire to do something significant and yet sense something big and risky on the horizon?
What does it feel like to be on the edge of risk and significance?
LIVE IT
Reality is your friend during high risk times of your life – stay grounded first
You must learn to become comfortable outside of your comfort zone. Risk is rarely comfortable!
Take the focus off of the man in the mirror. You cannot worry about what others are going to think or fell about your choices. You cannot be afraid of looking bad.
Good Leadership gives you a greater chance for success
The bigger the risk the more help you will need from others
LEAD IT
How good are you at facing reality and assessing the odds when you prepare to take a risk?
When preparing to take a big risk how much consideration do you give to leadership and formation of a team?
Have you learned to deal with discomfort when getting outside your comfort zone?
Have you learned to function in spite of your fear?
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
Regrets are a part of our life. We can’t live without regrets, but we can learn through them.
Understand that it is never too late to take a step in the right direction.
There are 4 key regrets that I want to remove from my life.
Spending Too Little Time With The Right People
Nothing is more ill-fitting than spending time with the wrong person.
•Spend time with people who make your life richer.
•The right people…
• Love me no matter what, despite my flaws, unconditionally
•Add value to me. They make me better.•Continually grow. It makes me more determined to improve myself.
•Walk my journey with me. They know what’s important to me and we travel together.
•Are excited about life.
•Refuel me. They give me energy and inspire me.
Not saying what you need to say.
•The regret is not saying what you want to say, it’s saying what you need to say.
•Ask: How do I need to use my voice?
•Gift voice: what I do well. We all have one. How do you know? It’s in an area where you have intuition and timing.
•Character voice: standing up for what I believe. Not allowing other people to decide for me.
•Experience voice: what I know and what I’ve learned.
•Heart voice: what I feel. This one can cause regret more than others. It’s important to let the people you love know what you feel and what they mean to you.
•Dream voice: where I’m going, my calling.
•Question Voice: what I don’t know or understand. Having the courage to ask for help. Gives me more growth and more joy than anything else.
I make visual and verbal commitments. Tell others what you plan to do so they can hold you ac-countable. You’ll be more accountable if you can see it or you say it.Control your agenda so you can create margins for thinking and doing more than others can do. I control my agenda. You either keep your own calendar, set your own goals and remove distractions. Get in an environment or use your distraction-free time to get your most important things done.I set timelines. I block my time so the major tasks get done or others will set it for you.I evaluate my calendar. I evaluate it based on my actions not intentions.I review my actions and I ask, am I making progress.
Not allowing others to control your destiny.§“I cannot and will not recant anything…”—Martin Luther
Average people want you to stay average. People cannot give what they do not have. If they aren’t fueling you, they have nothing to give and if you hang with them, you’ll run on empty too. You become like the five people you spend the most time with and the books you read. Emotionally dysfunctional people should not control you. Have the courage to speak up and take control of your life.
LINKS
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No single change you make in your life will have a greater positive impact on yourself and others than making a choice to improve your attitude!
Your attitude is one of the most pliable parts of who you are
When I am in need of an attitude adjustment – practice self-talk
When something happens to you recognize that it is external
LIVE IT
Remain Humble – It is easier to face life’s difficulties with a spirit of humility
Be Teachable – Teachability is an attitude of wanting to learn from every experience and every person
Become Resilient – As much as possible do not let negative experiences take hold of you
Keep Perspective – If you live in negativity it is hard to maintain positive perspective on life
LEAD IT
Are you paying attention to your self-talk? What does it sound like?
What score would you place on the following areas of life – Humility, Teachability, Resilience, Perspective?
With so much evidence on the power of positivity, why do people still engage in negativity?
Encourage others to be more positive
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
When you step back and examine the long arch of time from the beginning of man to the Theocratic Kingdom of God at the Second Coming of Christ; Democracy is only a small blip on the radar of time and eternity. The Old Testament writer, Daniel had a perspective that can teach us how to survive the uncertainty of our day. Daniel wrote, “… the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17b ESV). You cannot read the prophetic literature of scripture and miss that in the last days there will be a rise of totalitarian systems that will dominate the last days. We can only conclude that democracy will be diminished in the face of God’s prophecy. We can also say that Democracy is a fallen and limited system of governance.
Let’s be clear that God is the one who appoints or dismisses Political/National authorities. Dick Brogdon founder of Live Dead Missions states in his August 11 devotion book entitled Joy, It may seem that elections and coups result from the work of people and people do play a part, but the Bible is clear that God appoints both good and bad leaders for His own purposes. From a scriptural standpoint the old leadership axiom is true, we get the leaders we deserve! Leaders almost always reflect the culture and context from which they emerge.
God will select the lowliest to lead greatness. The world selects leaders according to componence. God selects leaders according to character. He takes great pleasure in selecting the humble and lowly to bring Glory to himself. Listen to the words of a humble teenage girl who so many years ago said; “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate…” (Luke 1:51-52 ESV Mary’s Song – The Magnificat vv.46-55).
“Mary smiles at her baby while kneeling next to a manger”
Look At The Star – It Says, “God Wants Me To Find Him” – Matthew 2:9-10
“ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold the star that they had seen when it rose went before them and came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
God is not playing the childhood game of “hide and seek!”
“…Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and we have come to worship him.” V.2
Where would I have been if I had not found the star? When you follow God you do not need a crowbar to be pried loose or a cattle-prod to be motivated!
When you find God you will find your purpose. God has provided a travel guide for you – your star of Bethlehem!
God wants you to be a star for others – you are to be a star to lead others to Jesus. Your void and emptiness will never be filled without God!
Look At The Stable – It Says, “God Wants Me To Know Him” – Luke 2:1-7
Men of nobility found him. Shepherds found him. God wants us to find him. He provides celestial phenomena or angels singing in the heavens for the shepherds – bottom line – God wants us to find him.
When you stop long enough to think about it, the only people that Jesus had problems with were religious people.
Religious people always know how the church is to be run and how the preacher is to perform.
Until we become broken over barren altars and fruitless church activity we should not talk.
Look at God – He passed up good people to get to bad people. He passed up well people to get to crippled people.
His love is a “HESED” unconditional love for us.
God says; “I do not want to do thrones – I want to do ‘cow-sheds!’”
Look At The Manger – It Says, “God Wants Me To Be Blessed By Him” Luke 2:7
The manger was most likely hewn out of stone and not wood. This represents longevity, free from rot and serious erosion, a symbol of blessing because food is provided there.
Jesus is the Bread of Life and Living Water
Here is the real meaning: God takes the extraordinary and places it in the ordinary because He wants to be accessible.
We will never surprise God by our behavior.
Religious people are always disappointed in God’s unconditional love.
This is an IQ TEST: “Why would you not want a God who wants you to find Him, know Him, and bless you?”
The greatest way for you to upgrade your life is to become intentional with it
When you increase your intentionality, everything about your life will begin to change
Significance is all about adding value to others. That is an uphill journey!
Our natural inclination is to think about ourselves first
Selfishness is a downhill habit. Significance is an uphill trait
LIVE IT
Every Day Value People
Every Day Think of Ways To Value To People
Every Day Look For Ways To Add Value To People
Every Day Do Things That Add Value To People
Every Day Encourage Others To Add Value to People
LEAD IT
How do you most enjoy adding value to people?
How will you add value to people in the next 24 hours?
Who specifically can you encourage to add value to people?
What specifically can you can you do to encourage people?
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
Deep Change That Required New Ways of Behaving – Luke 2:1-20
This whole Christmas story is one that forces us to behave in different ways. Society then and society now was ingrained in certain religious patterns and ways of performing. Then God sends Jesus to work not only within the religious order but also most definitely to work outside the norm.
For example take note of some of the issues that force new behavior:
Joseph taking Mary unto himself even though she was pregnant while betrothed but not yet married. Joseph believed the messenger of God and he changed his behavior.
Consider King Herod who was perhaps threatened by the inquiry of the Magi regarding Christ. Herod wanted the Magi to report back to him (Matthew 2:1-20) so he could worship. Yet the angel told the Magi differently – Herod wanted to kill the child and Egypt would be the temporary safe-haven for them.
Consider Simeion’s behavior being that of anticipation to see the Christ child through the “Holy Spirit’s report”
Consider the prophetess Anna who prayed and asked continually at the Temple for the coming of Christ child
Consider the whole religious system of religion/government that would be radically altered because of Christ. Their behavior was not that of change but vengeance, because of change (i.e. Slavery was abolished because of Christianity)
Deep Change That Causes Surrender of Self-Control – Luke 2:1-20; Matthew 1: 2:1-20
Take note of the illustrations of surrendering self-control just in the birth narrative alone saying nothing about his life.
Joseph – what a social dilemma, engaged yet Mary is pregnant. Joseph surrenders self-control on the basis of the angel’s visit in a dream = Matthew 1.
Mary – visitation of the angel to tell of her coming son/Savior via the agency of the Holy Spirit. Note her gladness before and after the news. She surrendered; the abortion clinic was not optional.
Magi – these were astrologers that knew something big was about to happen by the mere alignment of the stars. They surrendered control and traveled based on astrology first (Matthew 2:1).
Simeon – surrendered control based upon the Holy Spirit’s presence upon him that told him he would live to see the Messiah (Luke 2:25).
Anna the prophetess – she would be considered a modern day religious feminist radical because of her cultural praying and fasting in the Temple – she believed God’s redemptive plan for the people (Luke 2:36).
Deep Change Is Irreversible – Luke 2:1-20
Author Robert Quinn suggests that significant change, once we are committed, should be irreversible. If changes are always incremental then there will always be a way to go back to the old patterns and habits.
Consider the irreversible change of all the characters in the birth narrative. In every case there was no return – wholesale commitment to what physical science suggested (Magi) or to what angels were reporting – but there was no returning to the old life style patterns.
Most profound of all is the birth narrative is God himself. He stepped into his own creation order without a “PLAN B.”
When you actually think about it, God is asking a wholesale change in lifestyle, wholesale commitment and there is no “Plan B.”
What will you do about Christ? The stable in Bethlehem changes the world then, now, and into this new millennium. How will it change your life – how has it changed your life?
You need Jesus today! There are no other options and choices.
Successful people are highly disciplined in doing their most important work. They are self-disciplined
Most rewards in life involve being willing to do what the majority of people are unwilling to do
Success does not come looking for us. Great things are not accomplished accidently
Self-discipline is what makes most things possible. Everything worthwhile is UPHILL
LIVE IT
Know what is important
Get rid of excuses
Take action before you feel like it
Do not let distractions distract you
Pay attention to time
LEAD IT
Self-discipline is where time and priorities meet
What excuses have become a normal part of your life?
What percentage of time do you actually follow through?
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
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