MaxiMeyer

"Real Marriage"

2008-07-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

If it weren't for our faith, Kem and I both agree we probably would have been divorced several years ago. We are both so stinkin' independent and driven... if we're not careful, we can drift into two different tracks in a matter of weeks.

We were out with some great friends (including this guy) last night and had some "real" conversation about our marriages.

Here are some of the lessons I've learned from our 13+ years:

Kem is for me. She wants me to have success in my career and ministry, be a great father, and to do life with her. In the early years in our marriage, I didn't get this... especially when we would fight. Be "for" your spouse.
Marriage is hard work. Really hard. It would be so much easier to be able to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, and accomplish whatever I want to go after. However, like most things.... easier is not better.
I didn't realize how low a low could be in a marriage. When we're in a bad place, life stinks. If we were to try to navigate out of all these times on our own, we probably would not have made it. Let friends in your life and be real with them. Get counseling. Press-in, be truthful and real. Don't go at it alone.
There are several things that are important to Kem that I don't get... I've found that "logically" explaining to her why those things shouldn't be important is bad. Sometimes really bad. Find out what she cares about and do that. :)
People are watching. Our kids are watching. The accountability that comes with leadership makes it all the more important that we work through our challenges. It makes me wonder, how many couples have pulled the plug because they simply thought it really didn't matter to anyone outside themselves?
I love how we talk about ministry, business, strategy, innovation, communications, and what we're learning together. For me, it's one of the top 5 glues in our marriage. We share and do life together overlapping and intertwining passion and purpose in what we do day to day, week to week. It's one thing to be in a bowling league together...it's entirely different when you're on mission together.
I thought Kem was marrying me for my body. She wasn't.
I get great fulfillment working to help Kem in her strengths and watching her grow and thrive. Her mission has become part of mine. Are you all about your talents or are you encouraging and supporting your spouse in what they were created to do?

Kem's feisty, smart, fun, and a babe. I can't wait to see how our relationship continues to grow in good times and bad. She makes me a better man.

This Week's Cool Jobs

2008-07-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ok... I stole this title from my friend, but we really do have some cool jobs as we continue to grow:

Here are the next three on deck:

IT Division Manager/Coordinator

- Oversee a team of 12-15 IT guru's, coordinate schedules, project management, proposals, help desk, and preventative maintenance planning... Raise our bar for creating customer fans.

ERP Consultant

- Work with Microsoft Dynamics product lines (Great Plains, CRM) to implement, train, and lead projects. Accounting background, experience in software integrations, and client contact are all pluses....

Accountant

- What accountants do.

Know of any good candidates out there?

Current employee count: 54

Dealing with Technology Consultants

2008-07-05T06:06:00.000-07:00

Here's what a few of our challenges can be with our clients:

No point person or driver.
Timelines are set for the project(s) but the client is too busy in their day to day operations.
There are users excited about the project but the owner/management is disengaged- key decisions stall out and project could be in peril.
Hardware and software can be buggy. Some clients think it's just plug it, install it, use it.
To save money, some want us to "train the trainer"- the only problem is, no one has told the trainer that or the trainer is not really a trainer.
Too many people at an organization have the ability to order our services with no internal controls. 60 days later the CFO is opening up a can...

The flip side when dealing with a tech firm:

Appoint or create a project leader/team and give them your full support (leaders)
Clear hurdles where you can so they have the time necessary to properly implement
Stay engaged with your point person- hold them to their timeline internally
Hire a reputable firm and check references if you don't have tech's in house to be on team
Be committed to training. Don't accept getting 90% there but not be fully trained. Be upfront and talk about this with your consultant.
Create internal processes for approving consultant time. Don't allow people to grab the IT tech to unclog the printer. Have a specified hit list and stick to the critical items first.
Explore fixed bids with good, clear scopes of work. While the perception is that you may get a "padded" bid, the reality is many times a good firm is eating overages. It also gives you some opportunity to budget rather than deal with an open checkbook.
Ask for quotes prior to work being done.
On development projects, have a fixed monthly amount for regular progress to be made on your project/systems. Work from critical items then down the punch list.

Leading Laggards

2008-07-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

In an organization with 100 people:

20 people are doers.
With a leader.
80 are hanging around watching, experimenting, consuming, or complaining.
When the 20 expand to 40, chances are there's 200 now in the organization (or will be).
The 20 tend to get frustrated with the 80 for not doing anything and at times will tell them. (They should avoid that.)
The 80 will ride the coattails of the 20 and feel like they did it and even take credit for it.
This sometimes frustrates the 20. They should not be frustrated. They should just do.
Great leaders pour vision into the 20 while casting the net out to the 100.
Frustrated leaders spend a lot of time trying to get the 80 be part of the 20.
Of the 80, some will become doers as the organization grows.
The doers that simply do will some day realize there are people following them.
Some of the 80 will become part of the 20 with a simple personal invite.
A leader will be turned down 4 times for every yes. This does not bother great leaders. It frustrates others.
Frustrated leaders have the opportunity to be great leaders.

I want to be a great leader.

"50 to 100"

2008-06-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Since the inception of the technology firm I'm part of, we've experienced an amazing 35% growth year over year. As the company continues to expand, maintaining that type of growth clip is going to be an increasing challenge with several dynamics at play. While the future is always an unknown, I hope to be able to capture the progress of our growth at our current number of 50 employees (actually 54 as we just brought on four more developers over the past few weeks) to 100 employees. It would be great to hear your stories and comments of similar challenges you face in your companies and organizations as we press in together....

Some key challenges as I see them today:

As the project manager (and also involved in some operations), my drive has been to raise the bar in our customer experience and processes within our projects and company. Our ability to continue to improve in this area while growing with new people will be an interesting dynamic.
Currently we have three Sr. Managers each overseeing one of our 3 groups (ERP, Developement, and IT). They are extremely gifted technology gurus who will have to learn to grow into more management function or reshape the structure of their teams. (Either shift from be a do-er to a leader or find some alternatives). This goes for me too, I need to be preparing for what 100 team members looks like...
Our internal processes for leveraging information (task coordination, emails, budgets, scope, proposals, etc...) need to make critical improvements. Implementing and syncing the functionality of SharePoint, MS CRM 4.0, and Outlook with other tools will be essential. Gaps in communication will only grow without continual tightening of our systems...
Outside leaders are going to have to be able to succeed and assimilate into our group. We'll be able to pull some up from within our team, however, most are talented "do-ers" that should stay exactly where they're at...already adding huge value...
Management is going to have to look at the number of direct reports they currently have- typically 6-8 is the max- currently we're exceeding this in all three groups...
Without acquisition, finding top calibur talent to come to South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana will continue to be a hurdle. We may need to stretch our boundaries and be creative with work locations, mobility, and communications to bring on new team members...
We will need to have a plan to help each individual grow in their expertise', feel connected to the team, know how what they do makes a difference, and that they matter and are cared for...
Our service needs to be at a level that's remarkable... something worth talking about as Seth Godin would say....

I love this team. I look forward to this run. While I'll be limited in some of what I can share, I hope to be able to report the core of the experience along the way... stay tuned....

"Leave the Penny On the Ground"

2008-06-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today I picked up a penny that was on the ground. It made me wonder, is it really even worth it? It takes a moment to notice the penny...then, I have to process the thought of whether I should pick up the coin... I wonder, "do I look like a dork picking up a penny? " Finally, I think, who's filming me picking this thing up later to be shown on You Tube as the dude who will actually pick up a penny?... It's a Ben Stiller moment to slyly act like you're tying your shoe when you're actually picking the penny off the ground. If it takes me 6 seconds to finally pick the penny up, I'm paying myself a whopping $6 per hour to pick up the Lincoln-laden coin...

At $6 an hour....maybe it's simply best to leave the penny on the ground...

What's your time worth? What penny-picking up activities are in your workday or your ministry?

Over a 4-day period I averaged 29 emails "sent"... at 5 minutes an email, it's 2 hours and 25 minutes out of an 8 hour workday....
If I'm not saving, creating, or preserving revenue in our business, am I picking up pennies?

If I'm not doing only what I can do, I'm probably collecting pennies.

When's the last time you measured some of your regular activities to understand the cost is it to your organization or team?

What job, hobby, or habit are you stuck in that is paying you pennies?

What you do needs to makes cents. The next time I see a penny on the ground, I hope I can delegate it to one of my kids or I have the focus to leave it on the ground.

There's More to this "One Prayer" Thing

2008-06-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

I am loving this four week push of One Prayer uniting with 1544 other churches and 864,524 total attendance. This past week we were challenged to learn "wisdom from the ages" with Wayne Cordeiro (pay no attention to the palm trees, crashing waves, and scenic volcanoes in the background- thanks Wayne for helping me love Indiana...)

The leverage of technology continues to amaze me to the possibilities....

A great leader could launch a church supplemented or fully driven by messages from the greatest, God-fearing communicators all over the world... Leverage of Teaching
As more synergy is generated within the church, portals or venues will continue to grow to have a warehouse of phenominal teaching resourcing ministry- Who's leading this charge? How will this come together? Leverage of Resources
Multi-site or internet churches will continue to boom- No longer will a pastor need to be a jack-of-all trades- More will be able to focus on their strengths of shepherding, managing, or worship- Leaders with management and a strong vision for their community will be a growing asset and need in fueling growth-
A decentralized, unified brand of church will launch, "One Church"
Helping connect the message with arts, next steps, and a strong vision for changing our local communities will be the challenge in threading these video messages to local relevance-
While many will criticize this methodology... is not God speaking through these great leaders in our generation? Are they not seeking His will and guidance in how they prepare for these messages? I think God happens to know where and how these messages will be used- He's big enough to have that covered.
Many will say that this could be the glorification of man, culture, or other things "of this world". Others will say this may add to the entertainment, consumerism of the church- that this lacks depth or authenticity. I couldn't disagree more.

Thanks Craig for saying yes to God with this incredible vision of One Prayer....

Decentralizing Church

2008-06-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today's technology-driven, viral world has made it easier and easier for businesses, people, and ideologies to become more decentralized in our generation.

Decentralized: No leader. Chaotic. No order. Creative. Not about profit. Quick. Easily mutates. Mobile. Think Napster, al Qaeda, AA...

Individuals are now able to work from their phones, play games on the road, have nearly constant internet access, and can stay in contact minute by minute with friends all over the globe. Life is mobile. As backwards as it seems, relationships can actually grow with technology with no face to face contact. The pendulum is swinging towards decentralization. What about the church?

As people become more decentralized, they will trend toward decentralized options over centralized options. (Church online or podcasts vs. the 10:00 service on Sunday morning)
We have options to experience some of the greatest speakers in the world every week at any time and any place. (There will need to be some strong reasons other than the pastor to keep me at your church)
This trend will distract many people to fall away from their faith, lose focus, and without the weekly structure in their life, ultimately will be distracted in life and simply be growing old. This is true.
This trend will cause ongoing growth throughout the week with multiple options for study, teaching, and connecting with mission all over the world. Faith in action will explode and more people will come to know Christ. This also is true.
Churches that are losing people will either deny this trend, blame culture, blame their local economy or census report, blame other churches or will press into understanding our changing world to find ways to re-connect with the people in their community.
God can handle centralized or decentralized. He is God. He's good. This has not surprised Him. He can handle our various methodologies, styles, trends and personalities.
No change in today's church model will lead to continued decline in church attendance in the upcoming decade. (Just because people aren't within the four walls doesn't mean that God isn't at work- He's always way ahead of any curve, on the curve, and helping those behind the curve)

What does that look like for your church and community? What questions are you asking? This is one takaway from The Starfish and the Spider.

Four Pillars of Project Management

2008-06-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

My core role in my day to day job is project management- over the years from the construction industry and now in technology, I filter and measure our performance based on four pillars/criteria:

Budget:

Is the budget on track?
Are we experiencing any changes in the scope of work that need to be added to the budget?
Is the client comfortable with our progress and billing?

Timeline:

Are we going to be on time with our original targets?
What critical items could affect the timeline, are these clearly established with the team?
Is the client comfortable with our current timeline and plan?

Quality/Scope of Work:

Are we addressing our clients "pain points" with quality direction and solutions?
Have we eliminated any "grey area" out of the project scope- are there any items that need to be addressed?
Have we identified any items that are potential problems? Is there anything that needs to be presented to the client for positive alternatives?

Create a Fan/Communication (most critical):

Is this client/will this client be a fan of ours when this project is complete?
Will they talk about us, recommend us to others?
Are we "wowing" them? Are we communicating the "wins" and the elimination of the "pain points" throughout the project?
Are we communicating well throughout the project and building into our long-term relationship?

There are several other bullets that could be added under each of these four items- these are simply a start. Taking the time to run these through my head with any given project and with our team has served me well over the years.... what about you?

"The Jesus Mobile"

2008-05-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

As I'm "in between" vehicles right now, we've been fortunate to be able to have 3 vehicles with 4 drivers in one neighborhood to get by thanks to my in-laws....

Today I'm sporting a Honda Civic from my parents appropriately called "The Jesus Mobile"- (See Pic). This had become a trademark with my parents- growing up we had a Ford escort called "T.J.M" as it was adorned with a PTL bumper sticker and others... I feel like I'm 16 again...

A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law's Tracker had a bright orange "Exotic Feline Rescue Center" bumper sticker on it.... I wondered what thoughts go through one's mind watching a dude getting out of a vehicle like that... As a bonus, that also comes with a nice, leopard print shoulder strap- I just hope people got past the word "Exotic"....

All that being said... I'm thankful for the faith I was brought up in, the family (on both sides) I get to do life with, and my trip down memory lane in "The Jesus Mobile" today...

Hopefully my new ride will be provided for in the next few weeks- until then, I'm off to the revival!

"Finish + 1"

2008-05-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend at Granger we showed a video where two of us were transplanted into the video game Halo... you should be able to watch it here on May 5th and beyond...

Ben (the cool young dude in the pics played my son) and I had had about seven hours of video shoot time most of which was done in the green room- our video guys are amazing.

My great friend Jeff Petersen runs point for the GCC video/arts team and I've been honored to be able to work with him on several projects over the years. He spent over three weeks tallying up over 150 hours of time in writing, shooting, editing and anything else that has to do with getting this project done all for a five minute video. Jeff's a Finisher + 1.

Leader's like Jeff know:

Great ideas are overrated... getting something done is much more difficult

A lot of projects, businesses, and ministries can function can be average and even good taking a vision to 80-90% of completion....

But, the reality in most endeavors, 80-90% of something is really nothing so we risk having it be a complete waste of time..
However, greatness comes when someone or some team takes the vision to the finish line... The final edits are made with minor improvements to the small details in a video, a good message is rehearsed a few more times to be sharp, or some final adjustments are made to a web-site to make the user experience a little easier...

The final thought is about the +1. Jeff and I have talked about how one extra hour in any drama, video edit, or any endeavor can add just that little extra "something" to the art.

I know when I cut corners. I know when I think to myself, "if I just had more time, that could have been so much better"... I know when I'm spread thin and kicking out a bunch of mediocrity...

What will it take to focus on finishing + 1? What project or vision are you working on that is getting diluted or is mired in the "it's good enough" stage?

Jeff's a great finisher. There aren't too many people out there like him. It was inspiring to see him work... (for the record, I didn't intentionally shoot a pic of him bending over...... dude....)

Time Management Tip

2008-04-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

OK... I'm a geek, but this is how I roll...

After being gone from vacation, it took me a few days to get my feet under me again and I felt overwhelmed by the volume of emails, tasks, and unknowns in my to-do list. After spinning for a few days, I decided to map out some time chunks of the most important items in that day.

I have a lot questions asked of me throughout the day, meetings, quick emails that need responses that currently are simply part of my job. However, my "task work" would start piling up and when I'm not getting enough sleep, I feel buried and very little gets done. I took a stab at my typical day, I guessed I had four hours a day for the most important tasks I had to get done and listed them in 15 min chunks:

Example:

Update Vision/Technology Plan for ARI 30 min

Project Meeting and Update to ABC Inc 15 min

Get initial notes together for Fri Conf call 30 min

Follow up on billing issues with DEF Inc. 15 min

Update and send Sr Manager Update 30 min

Work on 12-month Communication plan 45 min

Review Proposal for Billy Bob Hot Dogs 15 min

Update Vision/Tech plan for Badabing 30 min

Update Help Desk next steps and goals 30 min

Throughout the day I crossed these off as the emails and conversations would take place as time clipped away... Over the last four days, I averaged just over 3 hours of real task time per day actually completed, my email total went down 40%, and I feel more on top on my duties than ever over the past few months... Measuring what I actually do helps me plan for what I actually want to get done...

What works for you?

"Leading from the Middle"

2008-04-17T05:34:00.000-07:00

In my company, we have two partners/owners, three Senior Division Managers, a Sales Manager, four admin, three sales people, a customer service manager, 36 consultants, and me... an Operations/Project Manager. I'm somewhere muddled with the Senior Managers/Sales Manager in a "loose" management team (working on that) and find myself working to lead down, lead across, and lead up everyday...

Yesterday I invited everyone to a local restaurant to celebrate my one year anniversary at the new job... To have a party? No. Because I love hanging out with big groups of people and socializing? No. My goal was simply to get to know my team, let them know in any way that I could that they matter, they contribute, to get to know more about them, their families, and to have some "real" conversations.... it was a great night.

I got home. The life was sucked out of me. I was grumpy to my wife. I just wanted to go to bed. I am not energized by people.

It made me think about leading from the middle... what if we decided one day to "flip the switch" and simply turn off our leadership responsibility? After all.... it's hard. What would that look like?

I could close my office door most of the time
I wouldn't have to be around people or talk to them near as much
I wouldn't look for opportunities to take on more responsibility
I could look for someone else to blame
I wouldn't have to work to find ways to encourage people
I wouldn't have to coach people in their roles and how to communicate with their team
I could simply focus on me, making sure I keep my job, do as little as possible, and let someone else worry about the things broke in the company... after all, it's not in my job description!

Who would notice? What impact would that have on the organization?

If you flipped the switch on your leadership where you're at.... would it be missed?

Leading from the middle often goes unrecognized. It's not easy. It's the harder path.

However, when we choose to lead and engage:

We build trust, overlap, and relationships with those around us
We will have more opportunities to have "real" conversations
Something will be "different" about us that people will be drawn to.. (it's not normal)
We are honoring God by modeling Christ in the workplace
We make it about others and not ourselves

And if we look over our shoulders....there just may be some people taking notice... I want to lead well. How about you? Are you in the middle?

Viral Priorities- April 13th, 2008 GCC

2008-04-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Notes from Granger Community Church this weekend, you can watch it here beginning tomorrow the 14th...

Favorite Quote: "If you have a dream or mission that can be done without friends, your church, and without God- your dream is too small.... it's paltry."- Mark Beeson

The Challenge:

Text, Hosea 4:1-10 v.9 "You can't tell the people from the priests, the priests from the people..." Currently in the church of America, statistically there is little difference in the how Christians look vs. those who aren't... divorce rates are similar, money management, promiscuity... Where have our priorities gone? Have we lost vision of what is means to "give our lives to Christ" and settled for having our faith be part of a list of a bunch of other things we also are? Who would seek "deprivation" (No pastor, no church, no friends, no Bible) in their walk/mission with Christ?

Questions to Ask Ourselves... how important is:

VISION: A picture of what could be and should be... Prov. 29:18 Where there is no vision the people will perish... If I'm different, what does that look like to others?

KNOWLEDGE: Clarity on mission strategy and parameters... What are steps I need to take to be a person that loves others and communicates hope? What do I need to learn?

COMMUNITY: Do I have true friends in my life to help me in my focus, valleys, and direction? Ecc. 4:9-12 Two are better than one... a cord of three strands is not quickly broken...

TEAMMATES: Dependable people who depend on me. Am I dependable? When I serve in a ministry or organization, am I giving leftovers? Is it the first thing that comes off the calendar if I'm tired? Am I a great volunteer? Who is depending on me? If the answer is no one... I need some teammates... I need to engage...
REMINDERS: Tell me again, what are we doing? Much of being part of a church is simply to remind us of stuff we already know... It's the exception to hear something brand new, paridigm shifting, or transformational... most are reminders that help us keep a vision of who we are are where we want to go...

(And by the way, that spells VKCTR for those who love acronyms)

Technology now gives the mesage of Christ "viral" potential, a video on You Tube can be seen by hundreds of thousands in a matter of a few days...

"If this isn't a church and/or pastor where you can find your mission and press in to what God has for you, you should leave and find one where you can."

Personal Takaways and Mind Drifts:

I want people to see Christ in me through my actions, not my words.

I love vision, yet sometimes the needs in our world are so overwhelming it becomes paralyzing for me. Where do I begin? Is what I do even making a difference or is it like shooting a forest fire with a squirt gun? That's why I need teammates, friends, and my church... to help me keep on keeping on....

Focus is important... I see a lot of people with big visions and big ideas... they create a little stir... and then they're on to three other visions... I can get spread too thin and try to wrap my time around too much.... Focus is important. I need to be dependable and work or volunteer with excellence to make a real impact and be on mission.

They showed "The Truth" video for the second time at GCC, it reminds me that great art has the opportunity to be viral. The product and excellence matters. Seen over 700,000 times on You Tube..

"Everyone Needs an Editor"

2008-04-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Daily I'm reminded we all need editors...

We are better communicators when we let someone else review what we write (emails included)
We are better speakers when someone is allowed to give input on points that didn't make sense, the overuse of hand motions, or the fact the light is glowing off our bald head...
We are better teammates when we ask for input, feedback, and ideas for improvement when relating to others, our management style, or how we ran a meeting...

We live more on purpose when we allow others to see how we actually spend our time, energy, and money vs. the vision we have for our lives and what we "say" our priorities are....
We can better see "blind spots" in our faith if we allow others to speak into our lives and engage in some sort of accountability....

We all need editors. The problem is I like me. I'm enamored with me. I think my ideas are darn good. I don't like being wrong. Why? I'm right. My problem is me... I need to get over me. So, I grit my teeth, I try to listen, I try to listen to others and helpful critiques because it's good for me and sometimes I have to keep telling myself that.

If I live and do with only me to see, my life and results will be half of what they could be....

So in that vain, this surprised me... this was a new one... this picture was taken from one of my editors (my wife Kem) while I was working from home at our kitchen table... I was not mad or stressed... I'm sure I was lost in my email and pushing projects and agendas.... so this is my "normal" look..... Would you want to approach this guy if he was working in his office? Does he look like he's loving what he does? Does he look fun? What a grump.

So consider me edited... I'm going to try and smile more. I don't want to scare people.

BIG TAKAWAY: Get your own paparazzi... seeing random photos of yourself may be good for personal editing...

So how about it? Got Edit?

What Hope Looks Like

2008-04-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

When people talk about "hope" in Christ... when challenges in life come, when tragedy strikes.... This is what it looks like....

This 10 minute testimony is better than any 10-minute devotional I can imagine today.... It will be well worth your time...

Anna and Tony Warner have their fingerprints all over Granger Community Church and as we can see, have only continued to take inspiring steps toward Christ after they moved...

My issues seem really small today. Anna and Tony.... you are in our prayers and thank you for your faithfulness..... wow.

"A Few Good Men"- New Spring April 6, 2008

2008-04-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Had a chance to sit through a service for the first time at New Spring in Anderson, SC with Tony Morgan... Their current series was "The Man Series: Sex, Money, & Power"- It's great to see their thriving ministry, a big vision, and a team that knows how to have fun!

From the weekend, they had a guest speaker "Will", a former Clemson football player and current sports broadcaster in their area- Here are my takaways:

He spoke from II Samuel 6, God still looked at David as a man after His own heart despite all his screw-ups.... murder, adultery, blatently disobeying God.... it should give us all hope for the grace we have in God.

What is happening to real "Men" in our society? All around it seems Dad's are abandoning kids, husbands are leaving or unfaithful to wives, and male leadership within the church seems to run very "thin"- I want to lock arms with other men in my circles to step-up... who's in?

Pride and Fear are two of the biggest entanglers for men. I want to run the show. I want my ideas to be chosen. I think I can do things better. I think I'm better. I think I deserve respect. I can fear taking big steps of faith and try to find a "logical" reason why I shouldn't do something. Overanalyzing can mask as fear. Making a joke out of something can mask as fear. I can relate...

When I screw up... I need to accept responsibility...I need to apologize, seek forgiveness, get out of God's way for His plan in my life, and passionately try to do the next right thing.

Respect is "earned", not "owed"... I need to work harder to earn people's respect...

They played a cool, original song on what he learned from his Dad and what he wants to pass on.... It challenged me in my relationship with Easton and my role in his life...

I don't know about you, but I see "broken" people all over the place in my family, friends, neighbors, and church... I want to be God's man to be part of the solution... Let's keep falling forward together.....

"Unchristian"- How People Perceive Christians

2008-04-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

"Unchristian" by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

First, notice the nice copy and paste of this book that includes the "Buy the Book"- in this case, it's worthy to leave on... BUY THE BOOK.

This is a top ten read for me and has me pretty messed up right now... I have lots of notes but here are some quick items of note:

1. I've been pretty frustrated with the image of the church and Christianity... I thought this was pretty unique of me... after reading this book- I realize I am more mainstream with my generation than I ever imagined...

2. I read most of this by a pool in Florida with "beverage" in hand... I had two different people stop and ask what the book was about and generated some great conversations... That makes me take notice... wow.... People are curious about spirituality and have opinions... It was a great opportunity to listen and ask questions... I was jazzed...

3. If you ran a company and your image/perception to "outsiders" was: Judgment, Hypocritical, Too Political, Anti-Homosexual, Sheltered, and focused too much on getting recruits.... what would that board of directors think/do? Uh...Houston, we have a problem... There it is... the research of what "outsiders"/those outside the faith think about Christianity. What is my/our responsibility with this information?

4. The book is very "data"/numbers oriented... that's probably why I loved it... I love numbers...it took a few chapters to get going but after that... I just got smacked between the eyes again and again.... I'm both overwhelmed and inspired...

5. While I think I'm a pretty good dude... I was helpfully reminded again of how much I still judge people, how I still have "baggage" from the church a generation ago, and how much I need grace in my life.

6. I'm overwhelmed by how much the church seems to be missing the target... The resistance ahead from within the church is daunting... the perception for those outside of the church is monsterous... The numbers are the numbers, we can either accept it or deny it... Part of my emotion simply says...."Ugh... I just want to cash it in..."

7. However, the opportunity is amazing... I have the opportunity to be part of the generation(s) that get to right the ship... to present a new face of what it means to be a Christian... I'm inspired by the leaders and vision in this book... it's time to roll-up the sleeves...

8. "Hate the sin and love the sinner" is just one example of cliches' that I've heard for many years... the reality/perception of those outside the church is that they hear those words but don't see it in our actions.... it's more like "Hate the sin...and, well... let's just hate the sinner too..." In business and in ministry...perception matters... and this perception is or is pretty darn close to reality for us... what will we do?

9. I realize that I am careless in how I communicate about various topics. While I believe the the church and Christ is the hope of the world... I can be opinionated around the water cooler about politics, illegal immigrants, lazy people who don't take responsibility for their own actions, government, annoying neighbors, co-workers, other countries and their leaders...(only to name a few).... Am I really living out me being responsible for me and the people I encounter and impact? Am I modeling the hope and peace we have in Christ, my reliance on God rather than government, my value for others rather than myself.... sadly.... no.... I can do much better...ugh.

10. I'm struggling with an old paridigm of "Saved Souls is the ultimate measurement" to "Just love people... serve... don't have an agenda.... Model Christ.." (Big exhale).....

I have lots of notes on this... I'll be chunking them out topically for my own processing... if it's helpful for you... great.... I need to get this out of my head.... My "Wi-Fi" time ends in a few minutes with the 3-day package we bought... I look forward to all your thoughts in these upcoming days...

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job

2008-04-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni

I need books like this for great reminders of how to keep it simple. Have you experienced or are you experiencing any of these 3 things in your workplace?

Anonymity: Do you feel like your manager doesn't know squat about you? Your co-workers? If you feel like a number or no one cares anything beyond what you get done at work.... you might be miserable.

Irrelevant: Do you feel like you're simply digging holes and filling them up again? Is what you're doing making a difference? Who are you impacting? Do you have "Office Space" moments on a regular basis? If you don't understand who, how, and what you're doing that is making an impact, easing a load, etc... you too might be miserable.

Immeasurable: Do you know what success looks like in your position? Do you know when you're knocking the ball out of the park or is it simply "subjective" to your boss or manager? Working for extended periods of time and not knowing if you're winning or not can be extremely unsettling... Are you measured? How?

Here were a few quick takaways from this easy-to-read, quickie:

I want to genuinely get to know my team, not in a lame, fake way- but truly listen and do life with my team- for many of our consultants, it's as if they're self-employed... they do there work (remote many days) log their time and roll-up billing.... But what do we really know about their families, hobbies, or other interests or beliefs?

I guess I've missed this, but the way that people help "me", take the load off, etc.. can be expressed better than a simple "thank you". Telling my team "how" they are actually making it easier for me to do my job and impact my life actually brings some relevance to what they do. Every day I want to find ways to remind people how they're making an impact either for me directly or for our company/team...
Generally our consultants are easily measured in billable time and sales is measured by specific targets. However, our admin team, customer service manager, and myself aren't measured as well. This will be a good topic of discussion for our management team to brainstorm about... How do you measure success for your admin team? I'd love to hear some ideas...

As a manager, these three nuggets are easy and actionable to keep in front of us- If you're not a manager and simply find your job miserable, think of the reverse of these three items... can you engage with people on your team to get to know them? Can you find ways your position makes an impact and how you can measure yourself? If you have a poor manager, sometimes taking control of what you can control can make a difference in your own perspectives...

How to Change

2008-03-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, Kem and I visited Summit Church led by Isaac Hunter in Orlando, FL. It was great to see some old peeps and hear some great, practical steps to initiate change in one's life. Isaac talked about the three components that need to be in place for change to occur quoting from some of Dallas Willard's works (all three need to be in place for effective change):

Vision of who you are, what could be...

Intentions: Having a plan to play out that vision and be that vision

Practical, visible, actionable steps to carry it out

He used a great analogy of a treadmill to our personal growth/faith... You can have a vision to get in shape (You buy a treadmill), you can have intentions of actually using the treadmill (You map out a time, plan, and even have a chart in place to log your times and dates).... but if you never get on the treadmill, actually do the workout... change doesn't happen.. Vision and intentions alone are not enough... Would you then look at the treadmill and say, well that didn't work, I guess I'll return it...?

The same can apply to our personal faith, I can believe I'm a child of God, I can write out a plan of how I'm going to spend time in the Bible, small groups, going to church, serving, etc.. But if I don't actually get off my rear and "be" the plan- can I begin experience God and the inside-out change that can occur in my life? Would I simply say- "Ah, that God-thing just didn't cut it, or man, I just feel like the same person, nothing is changing in me..." when I haven't actually done anything to initiate that change? Like the treadmill, a vision of who we are in Christ and good intentions don't cut it to see inward change in my life- Am I reading my Bible, pressing in with conversations with friends, reading books, going to church regularly, giving my money, praying...? The reverse is true as well.... a bunch of "actions" without a clear vision of who you are in Christ can turn into a "rules" list or a bunch of good "works" without clarity of who you are in Him...

This can apply across the board in business, ministry, personal faith, eating plans, and being a good spouse or parent.

It's not easy, but some things I am working to do:

Share my vision and plans with others, get feedback, schedule times with these key people to talk about how I'm doing or not doing

I'm keeping track of my list of books I read this year- 12 is my minimum, I hope for much more- I try to read in areas I want to continue to stretch, learn, or improve-

I measure my progress in my Outlook calendar weekly- this is where I "live" in my day to day activities-

For more, I recently whiteboarded my life to work on my vision/plan (intentions)

Thanks Isaac for the great reminders and encouragement to press on- I love seeing other churches that "get-it" and are about revolutionizing today's "Christian" and what it should mean... more on this later...

Churches, Money, & A Challenge...

2008-03-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting week with lots of discussions, web-sites, and chat about churches, money, tithing, and what to do as individuals... Here are some highlights and general thoughts..

There's an active debate and discussion of the "validity" of the tithe (giving 10% of our income) and whether or not it's a command of God in our lives today. Look here and here for some samplings...

Depending on the survey you look at, giving among church-goers in America appears to be around 2-3% of our gross incomes.

If the average family credit card debt is around $9,000, at 18% interest... that's about $135 just on the credit card interest every month (or roughly 3% of the average household income in our area) that contributes to big bank buildings, Wall Street, etc...

I think it's awesome that over 400 people signed up for the latest GCC Dave Ramsey class.

The more we give to well managed churches, the more the impact can be on our world.

I am one of the wealthiest people on this planet (if you live in America and have food in your cabinets, so are you.) Much is expected of me. All that I have has been given to me to "manage" and I won't take it with me when I die.

Giving has changed me as a person. My heart truly does follow where my money goes...

If I don't have a goal or a target to shoot for, I really don't get much accomplished...

So here's how I see it... Can we all increase our giving by 1% of our gross income this year? If you don't give, start with 1%. If you give 10%, try to push to 11%. Now the fun part, you get to choose where... pick the best managed, God-ordained, life changing church or organization you're led to.... and give there... One study suggests if church-goers would give 10%, annual giving would increase by over $190 billion dollars per year.... Look what that could do.... Whether you're an Old Testament giver or New Testament giver.... I still believe that we the church can change our world, let's see what God will do!

The MacGyver Plan- Giving March 9, 2008

2008-03-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend at Granger we finished up the "I Love the 80's" series, here are my takaways from this weekend, "The MacGyver Plan"- Do a lot with a little.... You can watch it here....

The mission/vision God has for the church is huge- God's plan for resourcing this mission is through the tithe (giving 10% of our income)
Mark answered 3 common questions, What is the tithe? Why would anyone tithe? What happens with the tithe?

Only 1 in 9 people at Granger tithe- I wonder... what would happen if 2 people in 9 tithed? How much more could continue to be done?

Favorite quote: "Casual anything won't change anything"- If we're casual in our faith, marriage, business/work, exercise/eating plan, etc... that won't git' er done

For kids, take 3 jars, put 10% in one for God, 10% in another to save, the rest to spend- start teaching them early... (I want to do this..)
The tithe is 10%- that's literally what it means... (We need to look at our monthly number and make sure we're not at 8 or 9%)

There's always a part of me that "cringes" when sitting in a service like that- I'm so sensitive the stigma of churches asking for money- I want people to get it... I want them to know it truly does change one's life to give.... I'm glad we shoot it straight... I just wonder how people process it....

I believe the church is the hope of the world- what if we did all give? What if governments world-wide didn't need welfare programs because the church had is covered? I want to be part of that...

With the time change, I went to a service I rarely go to.. I slid in a row near the back only to realize I was sitting behind the very person my brother said to "look for" sometime at church only a few days earlier... hmmm... odd service, out of 1000 plus in the service I sat right behind them... we have a cool God....

Getting to the Bottom of Things...

2008-03-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

1. This is not on my list of things I want to try before I die...
2. I have a lot of questions in life, after seeing this, I have more..
3. Maybe this is how retired baseball catchers replay great memories..
4. This takes bottoms-up to a whole new meaning..
5. Is this what they mean by splash-water falls?
6. Please don't leave the seat up.
7. At least you wouldn't have to worry about someone playing footsies with you..
8. I'm glad they had the "x" and check boxes to clarify, I was a bit confused what to avoid

Making Good Decisions & God's Will

2008-03-05T06:06:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to Andy Stanley's podcast on discovering God's will for our lives- it's extremely practical and great stuff. This is a conversation I run into with many of my peeps and regularly have with myself (yes, I talk to me).... I'm passing it along to several of my friends...

Here are a few quick nuggets from one of his talks:

Who do you ask for help in making decisions?

Someone with nothing to lose. Many of your friends worry more about losing your friendship rather than shooting it straight to you. Talk to someone with nothing to lose.

Someone who is where you want to be some day. Who do you know that is farther down the path from you spiritually, financially, in the marriage, etc.?

Whenever possible, try to get input from more than one person.

Consider getting feedback from people you know AND people you don't know

Go into the conversation with your "radar" up for God to speak to you through these people...

What questions to ask when meeting with these people:

Are any of these choices I'm considering outside the bounds of scripture?

What do you think the wise thing to do is?
What would you do if you were me?

Big Flag: If you find yourself "avoiding" people because you don't want to hear what you know they'll probably say- this should be a big "flag"...

Neat leadership quote: "Great leadership is not about making decisions on your own, it's about owning the decision once it's been made."

Strategy Questions

2008-02-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

For those of you dealing with strategic thinking, brainstorming, project planning, etc.. this is a quick 10 minute braindump I did on questions that came to mind when I was asked- it's a little rough and in no particular order- but maybe it is helpful- any that you would add?

1. What are we trying to accomplish? What's the problem/un-met need?

2. Who are we doing this for? Do they really care about what we're setting out to do? Is there really a customer base for this? Is it a large enough need that justifies our investment of time, money, people?

3. Is this realistic, can this actually work, or is it "idealistic", looks good on paper but people won't respond to this or it just isn't practical?

4. Who on our team will be needed? Are they excited about it? What will they have to let go to take this on?

5. What additional resources/people/staff will we need to make this happen? Is the implementation team set?

6. Who is running point? At the end of the day, someone has to drive this and make the calls- who is it? Do they understand the target objectives, are they energized by it?

7. How will we measure success, what are the benchmarks along the way to know we're on track or need to change course?

8. Can we "test" our strategy in any way before launching fully into the plan?

9. What are the unknowns? Do we know what we don't know?

10. What other support will be needed/leveraged from the company/ministry? (Communications, marketing, legal, sales)

11. Has a timeline been established with tasks for each phase of the timeline? Who is the point person running the task/project management.... is that person in place to have specific deliverable steps identified, scheduled, executed, tested, and approved?

12. What are potential curve balls, deal-breakers to watch for? What are the IF this, THEN that scenarios to be aware of... initial Plan A's or Plan B's?

13. How long can we financially afford to carry out this plan? What is the payback?

14. What are the quality objectives? Is the standard of excellence being met? How will we know?

15. How will we measure our customer's response? What is the win? What adds value? What could/will that look like? Are we creating fans?

16. Is everyone on the team aware of their specific roles, priorities, timelines, and who they need to be communicating with?