Category Archives: Connection

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You Must Know Yourself To Grow Yourself

LEARN IT

WHO ARE YOU?

Do you have a sense of direction? To answer this question, you must know who you are!

LIVE IT

You must become aware of your own identity

The best tool that I am aware of for this type of discovery is the Birkman Questionnaire. I will put a link in the notes for a FREE SAMPLE REPORT. This report is based upon Psalm 139:14 – We are Fearfully and Wonderfully made….

LEAD IT

By learning your identity, you are able to Live and Lead on the basis of your strengths and a bright vision for tomorrow versus living and leading from your weaknesses and the past.

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Thriving Pandemic Churches

What does a thriving church look like in an upside world?

Barna Research has measured Flourishing Church characteristics for years. They possess years of research data to give us a snapshot of growing and thriving church communities. This data is not based upon programmatic consideration. So many times, we base success in church upon the shoulders of programs, models, and verbiage. The short version is “Do what I am doing and get what I have obtained. This is never totally true for every church. There are cultural, geographical, and ethnic influences that denies a cookie-cutter method to growing churches.

This “easy-method” approach keeps us from understanding the deeper principles of scripture and life generally speaking. Barna Research has assembled 15 dimensions of thriving churches that are worth the consideration. The expression of these dimensions allows for cultural, geographical, and ethnic influences to shape the expression and manifestation of these dimensions. At the heart there should be an obedience to the principle not the expression. This gives opportunity to lead from a position of data-driven decisions instead of the latest trends and methods. Consider the following infographic.

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. Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Distractions

What can Alexander Graham Bell Teach Us?

Here is a quick history lesson on Alexander Graham Bell. In 1872, Bell opened the School of Vocal Physiology and Mechanics of Speech in Boston, where deaf people were taught to speak. At age 26, the budding inventor became Professor of Vocal Physiology and Elocution at the Boston University School of Oratory, even though he didn’t have a university degree. While teaching, Bell met Mabel Hubbard, a deaf student. The couple married on July 11, 1877. They went on to have four children, including two sons who died as infants. On March 7, 1876 Bell was granted his patent for the telephone.[1]

Most people know that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. However, did you know

Bell refused to have a phone in his study, fearing it would distract his scientific work!

Isn’t that amazing! How is it that inventors of these amazing tools limit their use and accessibility into their work and family life. History also records that Steve Jobs would not allow his children to have “easy anytime access” to the iPad. Bill Gates limited the use of the computer in his children’s formative years of life.

There is something to be said about the tools and devises that we so easily allow to enter our daily lives without questioning their true role and purpose. I can say by experience that interruptions are the kiss of death to productivity and creativity. Our best work never occurs when we allow easy access at any time – any place of glowing rectangles to interrupt God’s true work for our lives.

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. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

[1] History.com Accessed 9 October, 2020. https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-graham-bell

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Goals Vs. Push Notifications

Productivity = FOCUS!

Productivity can be boiled down to one word—FOCUS. There are two types of focus you need to master productivity. First, the ability to manage distractions so that you can focus moment-to-moment on the task at hand, and second, the skill of focusing on what’s truly important to you in the big picture, so you don’t waste your day on stupid stuff. ~ Mel Robbins

Author Mel Robbins suggests that managing distractions is a lot like you following through on your health goals. You are never going to feel like conquering your health goals, but you have to get yourself up and get the body in motion.

Even though you know you should turn off pop-up alerts, silence your phone, and stop checking email every five minutes, this knowledge doesn’t change your behavior. I could bury you with research about how bad this is, but it wouldn’t change your behavior. It does start with a decision that distractions are BAD! Distractions of any sort is the kiss of death to productivity. It is now a fact that open office concepts are destructive to productive focus in corporations.

You know that you should turn off push notifications, pop-up alerts, silence your phone, and stop checking your email every 5-minutes. Knowing that you should do something is not going to change your behavior toward productivity and focused work.

Nothing changes until you change! Push notifications are not more important than focused work!

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. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Leadership Lessons From Prison

Letting Go of Nice Things That Don’t Matter

Philippians 3:5-9

Paul’s absolute focus gave him an absolute willingness to let go of nice things that did not matter. Notice what he was willing to discard: Heritage (v.5), Lineage (v.5), Former legalism (v.5), His past zeal (v.6), Self-righteousness (v.6). Not only did Paul discard things that he once counted as gain, but he counted everything as garbage for the sake of obtaining Christ.

Leaders who have made an impact upon this world have had this same laser focus. Impacting leaders are not attempting to build large churches without a massive community impact. If community transformation is our goal then consider what the following leaders gave up.

  1. Abraham left his homeland, wealth and friends for a new land because he focused upon an unseen kingdom.
  2. Joseph had strength to endure hardship and prison because his dream focused on the greatness of God.
  3. Moses could turn his back on Egypt because focused on God’s plan.
  4. Stephen preached an unpopular message and died a martyr because of his focus.
  5. Paul gave everything up and declared, “This one thing I do…”
  6. Jesus told Martha, “Only one thing is necessary…”

Paul exemplifies an everyday focus that leaders should possess in these uncertain days. How about you? Start here:

  • Work on yourself
  • Work on your priorities
  • Work on your strengths
  • Work with your colleagues

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. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Another Blog On Leadership

Leadership Is Influence

It has been said that leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less. Lord Montgomery implies this when he wrote that leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and the character, which inspires confidence.

If you and I were to write a list of qualities or characteristics usually found among natural born leaders, our list might look something like this:

So here is the million-dollar question: “Are these qualities necessary in spiritual leaders? Before you answer too quickly, I would refer you to some biblical illustrations that would have done quite poorly on a natural leadership test. The truth of the matter is that God chooses people that we would have looked over.

Consider the withdrawn, fearful, and doubting Moses (Exodus 3:10-4:14). Consider the uncultured, negative, ill prepared, unwanted dogmatic, clumsy fig-picker Amos! (Amos 7:10-17). Do not overlook the impulsive, shortsighted, boastful Apostle Peter who suffered from foot-in-mouth disease often.

Stop and consider a little phrase in the Old Testament that reads, “The eyes of the Lord move to and fro…” God is searching for men and women whose hearts are open to His touch. Beyond that fact I do not read about a list of characteristics. Consider the 400 indebted and unorganized malcontents that surrounded David in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1-2). Many of these men would become the elite fighting soldiers for David.

If this fact were not true, let me assure you that if adults had written off a strong willed, aggressive hothead teenager – you would not be reading this blog post.

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, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Leadership Lessons From Prison

The Law of Priorities

Bible Book: Philippians 3:7-14

The Apostle Paul openly communicated his priorities. He clearly states that all past trophies and culture was counted as rubbish so that he could gain Christ.. Paul wanted to know Christ, experience His power, share in and complete his sufferings, and ultimately be conformed to His death (vv.10-11). Paul lived this way for the purpose of attaining the resurrection.

Paul narrowed the focus of his attention to the essentials. You could say that he was a man on a mission. How did He narrow his focus so precisely? What was his secret?

  1. He discerned what hindered him. Paul had to let go of all things he once cherished, considering them distractions to God’s grace – vv.7,8
  2. He discovered what he wanted. Paul wanted God’s righteousness, not his own version of it. Christ became his solitary pursuit in life – vv.9-11
  3. He determined how to get it. Paul with single-minded passion, forgot the past and pursued the prize of his calling – vv.12-14

What about you? Have you narrowed your focus in life? What is the one thing that you desire in your Christian life? Can you list your priorities on one hand? What are you pursuing?

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. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Leadership Lessons From Prison

A Leader That Did Not Make A Name For Himself

Bible Book: Philippians 2:25-30

There are a number of people mentioned in the Bible that were “Nobodies”, they. Never became famous. Yet, they are written on the pages of scripture. Since we know that all scripture is God-breathed, we know there is something to learn from obscure personalities.

Epaphroditus is such a personality that is mentioned in Paul’s writing as a prisoner. The comments that give us a glimpse of who this man was and what his impact upon Paul. What we can state is no memorials were ever erected in his honor that we are aware of from history. He was in a sense a nobody that became somebody to the Apostle Paul. We know that he journeyed from Philippi to Rome to be with Paul and to minister to him. Epaphroditus would be the person to carry this prison letter back to the church at Philippi.

It should be noted that Epaphroditus was a key personality that ministered to Paul during his imprisonment. There are people that God sends our way to minister during our difficult days. So, what does Paul say about this obscure person named Epaphroditus? Notice the following:

  1. A People Lover – Paul calls him a minister. He feels distressed that the Philippians might be worried about him when he became sick – vv.25-26
  2. A Risk Taker – Paul calls him a fellow solider. He keeps risking his life when most would have pampered themselves – vv.25,30
  3. A Tireless Worker – Paul calls him a fellow worker. We know very little about his illness, except it being tied to his hard work – vv.25,27
  4. A Servant Leader – Paul calls him a messenger. Paul tells the church to give him a hero’s welcome. Epaphroditus both led and served as he became a spokesman for the church – vv.25,29

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. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com