Prodigal Magazine
MIKESCHAIR Interview
As the world looks in on Christianity today, they are looking for honesty and for sincerity. Too often, what they have found is hypocrisy in those who profess to be followers of Christ. As a new generation of bands hits the forefront in Christianity today, we are seeing a transparency that has never been seen before. MIKESCHAIR is one band who is definitely not afraid to openly discuss who they are, hoping that in their journey with the Lord, others may relate and come to know Him as well. MIKESCHAIR formed while they were students at Belmont University. The Lord has ...
Father of the Decade
As I began to consider this concept, I thought it would be fairly easy. After all, how many fathers are there in the world? There must be many that stand out. How much news has been reported in the last ten years? There must be great fathers among the reports. Soon after beginning my research, I realized this was going to be a difficult, if not impossible, task. There are fathers in the news alright. Recently there was Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, the father of Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, otherwise known as the "underpants bomber", or the "undergarments bomber", or something like that. He is ...
Interview – Phil Wickham
A few weeks ago, I took a silent retreat into the North Carolina wilderness to get alone with God and to allow him to speak to my heart. I took a copy of 1 cd on my ipod, Heaven and Earth which is Phil Wickham’s latest album that releases on November 17. God spoke to me in many ways through scripture but He allowed Phil’s music to bring me to a point of true worship. I sat down with Phil this morning to talk a little bit about who he is, his career and what inspires his songwriting abilities. History Q- Give ...
Jonny Diaz – Men of God Spotlight
Our God is a God of redirection. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Many of us have planned out our lives, striving to be one thing, only to learn later that God wanted us somewhere else. When we make that commitment to the Lord, we see how God redirects the paths of our lives, leading us to where He always intended for us to be. Jonny Diaz learned this lesson from the Lord and learned that sometimes, that redirection isn’t the easiest thing to accept, but once you ...
Men of God Spotlight: Scott Brosius
At the end of the 1997 season, Scott Brosius wondered where his career was going. He had just completed his worst season in Oakland and now, he was hearing the trade rumors and contemplating where he would be next. God opened a door, one that Scott could not have imagined being opened before that time, reviving his career and providing Scott with a new platform and a new audience. His faith would grow as the Lord moved in so many ways. Scott Brosius is now the head baseball coach at his alma mater. He is in our Men of God spotlight ...
Tag Archive | "leadership"
What’s this got to do with leadership?
Hello again everyone! Thanks for reading my blog. I often wonder how many of you read these entries, and come away wondering if I’m ever going to actually talk about leadership. Well, today is your day (sort of)! You see, I have been talking about leadership since day one. Each entry contains fundamental leadership building blocks that will help you be successful. They may not teach you specific skills, but these characteristics that God is trying to build, strengthen, and maintain in your life will play much more significant roles in your success than any tips I can give you about interviewing, goal-setting, or P&L analysis.
Continue reading...Mentoring 101
Friday, January 30, 2009
Leadership and mentoring both come with a significant amount of heartache, so I’d like to tackle the more negative aspects of mentoring before we jump into the fun stuff! Don’t worry, it won’t last long! I know from personal experience that it can be frustrating when you invest your time, talent, and treasure in another person, and that person ultimately ends up failing. It’s easy to step back and blame yourself—a good leader will always do that—and it’s also easy to want to throw in the towel. If you’re at all like me, you probably feel as though you’ve been kicked in the stomach, and that’s a feeling nobody wants repeated with the next protégé!
Continue reading...The Mo and the Fizzle
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
OK, if you’re Snoop Dog, you might have some idea what that title means, but if you’re anyone else, you’re probably scratching your head. So let me explain. The mo is short for momentum, and the fizzle is what happens when momentum dies out. The fo shizzle is rap language for for sure, and really has nothing to do with today’s blizzle (blog). It’s just there to catch your attention and get you to read!
Continue reading...Plugged Into Joy
Monday, December 8, 2008
Most people, including Christians, are searching unsuccessfully for happiness. I see so many miserable Christians who have no qualms about making their misery evident and available to anyone who wants in. After all, misery loves company! What about that attracts the unbeliever to Christ? Why would anyone want to follow Christ when all Christianity appears to offer is the same bowl of despair with ten scoops of commandments mixed in! What we often fail to realize is that we are not guaranteed happiness here on earth. Jesus says, “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). But He finishes by saying, “take heart! I have overcome the world.” The phrase, take heart, means to have courage or be bold. In other words, stay the course and walk toward the “kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).
Continue reading...Never Join a Band if You Will be the Best Player.
Friday, December 5, 2008
I had a cool conversation with a friend recently talking about keeping challenge, growth and passion ever present in our lives. And I shared an illustration that I know I heard somewhere, and then added my own flavor - but I wanted to share it with all of you. As you look at opportunities or teams to get involved in, whether it is work, a hobby or a passion, never go if you will be the best player in the band. When you are the best player on the band, or the fastest player on the team, there is no where to go but down. Here is why:
Continue reading...5 Tips for having Hard Conversations at Work
Thursday, November 6, 2008
By no means am I now a pro at this. Undoing 27 years of avoidance doesn’t happen overnight. Having corrective conversations with people is still a skill in my leadership repertoire that needs some development. No matter how many times I do it, when I know I’m going to sit an employee down and deliver a hard message, the fear monster from my past arises within me and tries to dissuade me from taking action. He works overtime, trying to persuade me to ignore the problem and avoid a confrontation. But following through on these situations is essential. It helps me develop the disciplinary edge that all great leaders have in some form and it holds employees accountable – all of which contributes to strong leadership and great results for the company. I consider myself on a leadership journey. If you are on a manager on leadership journey of your own, here are 5 tips for having those hard conversations with your employees.
Continue reading...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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