Start Small

When you begin to think about making changes in your life often, the thought is to “go big or go home.” Taking significant actions seems at first to make sense: ‘if you are going to make needed changes, why not go all in?’ I, too, at one time, believed this mantra and set out to change my life in significant ways and in just a few days. Only in a…

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Leadership Alignment

One of the dilemmas of leadership is the fact that one may feel they are leading and pause and look and no one is following. If you are leading and “they” are not following you have a problem. One thing that often happens is the there is a gap between what we say and the way we do things. Especially without making sure our words and actions correspond to our…

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Summer at Indian Lake

What an enjoyable few days I have experienced seeing old friends and making new ones. A few days that included visiting, eating, preaching and repeating it all the next day. I had the privilege of spending a few days in an area where I once pastored and spent time with people from both congregations that I pastored in Michigan. I enjoyed visiting with two professors, one from college days and…

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A Good Leader: Develops leaders. Moses and Joshua

There is a lot mentioned today about leadership development, mentoring, and finding your successor. My observation is that all of these things are not taking place on a large scale. There have been numerous explanations offered: “I could not find a mentor. I could not locate a mentee. Conferences on leadership development are cost prohibitive.” Some have said that they could not find a system that resonated with them. There…

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Are You Resilient?

What are the characteristics of those who survive life? How is that some can bounce back from adversity while others are not able to do the same? There are a number of things that could be mentioned as helpful in getting through tough times, but I want to name one that in my observation seems to be the most prevalent characteristic of those who make it in life: Resilience! A…

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A Story From The Fifth Grade!

There are events that happen in life that will impact and color our outlook for years to come. Unfortunately, these events do not arrive with flashing lights and sirens to warn us that we are about to experience a significant event. Mostly they come disguised as the common ordinary experiences of life. Only after some reflection do we come to understand the impact of these events. Some are positive, while…

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Four Reasons to set goals

Goal setting is more than just an interesting idea or subject. If we do not have goals we have no idea of what we are doing or if we are on target. Aiming at nothing may make one never lose or feel badly, nothing is ever accomplished as well. In football a field goal is not counted unless the ball passes through the uprights. Why set or be concerned about…

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