With God all things are possible

What does the book of Job say about God's character? Part 1

2014-11-30T05:20:00.001+02:00

1. God pays attention to people.
In Job 1:8 the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

Here are three things that I see in this verse:
a. God knows us by name.
b. God notices good things in us.
c. God gives his evaluation of our lives

2. God blesses and protects people.
In Job 1:9-10 we read:" Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “...Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land."

What can we see in this statement?
a. God protects us and our posessions
b. God blesses the work of our hands
c. God incrfeases our posessions

3. God defines destiny of people

In Job 1:12 the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.”

Here are three ideas from this verse:
a. God has power over Satan
b. God has control of what we have
c. God sets the limits of suffering

Which traits of God's character do you see in these passages?
I would love to see your comments below.
Feel free to share and discuss this here:

Back Home After 97 Days in Jail

2013-01-17T16:25:00.000+02:00

On October 8, 2012 my friend Sherzod was put to jail. The verdict of the court was to put him to prison for 3 years 10 months and 2 days. His wife and his two daughters did not expect such a severe court decision.

It was very cold in the cell. The food and the atmosphere was far from ideal. He was far from home and his family was not able to visit him often. There were other 17 prisoners with him in the room. Earlier, in 2011 Sherzod was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and has gone through chemotherapy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodgkin's_lymphoma

Many people prayed for his release and God has answered. On December 5, 2012 the Parliament has signed an amnesty decree to free Sherzod. After that he and his family waited for his release every day. I can't even imagine how long these days have been for them.

Finally, on January 15, 2013 at 8 pm Sherzod was allowed to go home.What a happy day it was. We wanted to celebrate and commemorate this day! And we did. It was the first time he was able to take a shower and eat a decent meal.We were so happy to meet Sherzod after he was in jail for 97 days.

Now he is back home with his family. He still needs to pay a fine of 2,000,000 soum, which is about $ 800. Please, pray that we would be able to pay that. You can help by clicking "Donate" button below. Any amount is appreciated. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Can Contemporary Christian Music Be Good?

2012-10-27T03:21:00.002+03:00

I have listened to these guys yesterday. What do you think about this song?

Please, share below:

What if the world had only 100 people?

2012-10-23T17:23:00.001+03:00

The world population has now reached 7 billion people.

This milestone inspired us to conduct research to update our statistics, and the changes over the past 5 years are remarkable.

In 2006, only 1 person out of 100 would have had a college education-- today that number has jumped to 7 thanks in part to advances in higher education in Asia. The statistics provided by Donella Meadows in 1990.

If the World were 100 PEOPLE: 50 would be female 50 would be male 26 would be children There would be 74 adults, 8 of whom would be 65 and older There would be: 60 Asians 15 Africans 14 people from the Americas 11 Europeans 33 Christians 22 Muslims 14 Hindus 7 Buddhists 12 people who practice other religions 12 people who would not be aligned with a religion 12 would speak Chinese 5 would speak Spanish 5 would speak English 3 would speak Arabic 3 would speak Hindi 3 would speak Bengali 3 would speak Portuguese 2 would speak Russian 2 would speak Japanese 62 would speak other languages 83 would be able to read and write; 17 would not 7 would have a college degree 22 would own or share a computer 77 people would have a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain, but 23 would not 1 would be dying of starvation 15 would be undernourished 21 would be overweight 87 would have access to safe drinking water 13 people would have no clean, safe water to drink Sources:

2012 - Fritz Erickson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Ferris State University (Formerly Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay) and John A. Vonk, University of Northern Colorado, 2006; Returning Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison Wisconsin, Unheard Voices: Celebrating Cultures from the Developing World, 1992; Donella H. Meadows, The Global Citizen, May 31, 1990.

Insurance: Is it Sinful or Biblical?

2012-03-28T19:59:00.000+03:00

Have you ever thought about insurance? What were your thoughts? Do you have insurance? What kind? Have you ever got into an unpleasant situation and wished you had insurance? It happened to me not a long time ago.

I had a long international 10,000 mile flight with with 3 stops. Actually there were 4 flights altogether and it took me more than 24 hours. By the time I have arrived to my destination I was exhausted. I waited for my luggage for almost an hour. I have been told that my suitcase has not arrived. I had to file a claim which also took quite some time.

After that the airline has not delivered my suitcase for four days. I was worried is to say the least. I spent hours on phone calls and internet writing letters to the baggage department of the airline. The story gets better, so keep reading. You have to read the whole article to find out what happened. This event triggered many questions in my mind. Here is what I have wrestled with:

If we trust God do we still need insurance?
Could this be avoided? Is it right to make a claim if something goes wrong? Is it worth the trouble? Should I worry about it? There were many questions in my mind about insurance. A few days ago I have read in an article written by Craig Ford from Papua New Guinea. I wanted to share it with you and know your thoughts about it. Let's read it together and see what he writes on his website:

1. Trusting in God does not exempt us from hardship, struggle, and sickness.
In fact, we should not be surprised by hardship (1 Peter 4:12). If we are to anticipate it, surely we are to prepare for hardship. Faith is not the ability to control the outcome of our lives, but rather the attitude necessary to submit to whatever God brings our way.

2. Trusting in God does not excuse us from living lives of wisdom.
Proverbs teaches that in times of surplus we should prepare for an unknown future. (Proverbs 6:6-8)

3. Trusting in God does not encourage us to embrace foolish decisions.
There is no Bible verse that specifically addresses insurance, but I believe after reading through Proverbs not getting insurance would not be described as virtuous.

My story continues
In my experience, I have enjoyed the benefits of having travel insurance. After 100 hours of waiting, calling and writing, I finally got my suitcase back.I was glad I had insurance when my luggage was delayed for four days and I had to buy clothes. I purchased necessary items, including two suits that will be a memory of this event. The insurance company reimbursed over $ 400 for the items I had to purchase.

What if something goes wrong? Should I trust the Lord to protect me? What if something unexpected happened? Does it mean that the Lord has not protected me? Is it wrong to have an insurance? Is it wrong to even think of insurance? What does the Bible say about it?

Does Insurance Honor God?

1. Insurance allows us to protect our family and the church. If we have a financial need, surely that burden would be placed on the church (1 Timothy 5:8). If I am financially able to prepare for an unplanned future I should save the burden from my family and church by purchasing insurance.

2. Insurance honors the biblical principle of reimbursing with compensation those who have been wronged. The biblical principle throughout Exodus 21:12-36 shows that people who are harmed should be compensated. Auto insurance provides us a way to care for our neighbor in case we are at fault in an auto accident. Health insurance ensures we have a way to pay medical bills we owe. We might not be able to personally handle the financial obligation, but insurance will provide the needed resources.

3. In many instances insurance is required as a part of government submission (Romans 13:1).

4. Insurance can be a loving action towards a spouse or family. Life insurance, for example, is a way for a husband to love his wife (Ephesians 5:25). If one spouse is left behind, they and the children will have the necessary provisions.

5. Insurance helps to ensure you will have something to leave to your children (Proverbs 13:22).

6. Insurance provides us with a way to ensure our debts are paid. Major illnesses are the number one cause of bankruptcy. Insurance not only protects us, but also those who choose to serve us in our times of great need (Romans 4:4).

Resume
As you can see, the Bible does not have the word "insurance" the way we use it today. However, there are principles in the Bible that we can find and use in our time. We might not agree with Craig Ford's interpretation of the Bible but it is good to discuss this topic and find answers together.

What do you think about insurance? Please, share below:

Can God Heal Cancer?

2012-03-14T16:03:00.002+02:00

Last year my friend Sherzod has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It has been a shock for him and his wife Nigora. He was just 31 with a wife and two children. Their youngest daughter Daryo is just 5 months old.

What do you do when the doctors say you have a third stage of cancer?

The day we heard about that we started to fast and pray. The Lord has heard our cry. In two days we have heard that the decease has been defeated and Sherzod is not a stage 3 patient anymore. We have seen 70% cancer cells remission since then. God can heal Cancer. Yes!

Sherzod is a bright man, a devoted husband and a servant leader. He is an example to many. I have been to his home many times and have seen him in many situations

He has been receiving treatment for four months now. There were 4 cycles already. His body responded positively. We were able to get medicine from Germany for him for the last cycles. We were also able to send the biopsy to St. James Hospital in London. We are expecting the results next week.

We need to find medicine for two remaining cycles until April 14. We have 30 days to find the following:

1. Bleomycin- 3 packages (15 ml) - $ 103 each

2. Dacarbazine - 3 packages (600 ml)- $ 54 each

3. Doxorubicin - 3 packages (50 ml)- $ 30 each

4. Vinblastine - 3 packages (10 ml)- $ 21 each

In order to start the last two cycles Sherzod needs these by April 14. Please, let me know if you can help by purchasing the medicine, shipping it or giving towards it

I asked Sherzod about what he has learned throuth these circumstaces. He said: “ I have learned not to take any day for granted, take each day at a time and value each day as a gift from God”

Let’s learn these lessons and help Sherzod to live one more day Please, click on Donate button on the left column to support Sherzod.

Thank you for your participation!

7 Tips to Write Faster, Better, And Insightful Articles

2012-02-22T17:33:00.001+02:00

Outline
It’s easy to get lost in your writing. In order to maintain focus, I always try to outline my articles. Sometimes I outline in more detail, and sometimes I just jot down a few sub-headings that will guide me through it all.

Once in a blue moon, I may write without having an outline, but that’s for shorter articles. I live and die by the outline, and it works beautifully for me.
Freewrite
Once you’ve got your outline in place, throw the editors hat on the shelf and just start writing. Don’t censor yourself; let it all come out. It doesn’t matter if what comes out is rubbish. Write, and write some more until you have more than you need.

Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or flow.
Rewrite
Once you’ve got your lump of text in front of you, it’s time to rewrite what you’ve got. Now you take off your creative writing hat, and grab your editor’s hat. Rewrite your article once as best as you can, then sleep on it, and come back in 24 hours. This simple rule works wonders.
Observe
Now, for the insightful part; observe what you think about and what happens during the day. There are a lot of things that happen to you that you take for granted. Many of those things are nuggets of gold for your readers, because not everyone is you.

You may have the solution to a pesky problem many have, but it’s second nature to you that you don’t even think about it.
Read Books
I love reading books. Books are a great place for inspiration and new ideas. You see, books are carefully researched and written, which means you can borrow a lot of ideas, and you can improve your writing by leaps and bounds if you pay attention.
Kill Your Comfort Zone
We all want to be comfortable, safe, and secure, but the truth of the matter is that the more we go out of our comfort zone, the more ideas we have. The more you break through your fear, the more inspiring and interesting you become.

Break your patterns, do something new, and inspiration will hit you like a brick wall. You can’t miss it.

Be You
Last, but definitely not least, give yourself permission to be you, with quirks and all. The more you try to hold back, the harder it is to write, because you’re trying to be someone you’re not.

Think of it like this: the more you can be you, the more of the people you really want to hang out with you will attract.

What’s your take on this? Do you have any secrets to share on how to write faster, better, and more insightful articles?

Set Apart

2012-02-19T15:56:00.001+02:00

by F.V

Disciple.
Disciplined? Me? No.
Radical.
Rooted? Perhaps so.
Set apart to do God’s will,
but will I do it? The question still
lingers in the air unanswered.
My heart says, “Yes!”, my mind says, “Nonesense!”
“To live is Christ, to die is gain,
yet one small loss, and I complain!”
I try, and try, and try once more
to pull my socks up, and adore
Christ most of all, above all things,
But failure, then despair, brings
me to my knees in desperation,
trying to overcome frustration.
Will I never get it right?
Am I going to lose this fight?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As my heart is stilled in prayer,
I find my Father waiting there
to tell me that His righteousness
is not by works, but is a gift.
It’s not about how I perform,
He is the One who will conform
me to His image, and His will,
for He works in me, and will fill
me with His grace, ‘til I desire
and live a holy life on fire.
So I press on toward the goal,
His image stamped upon my soul.
No longer in my strength, this hour
I trust in His unfailing power.
The fight’s still on, and it is heated,
but my enemy has been defeated!

10 Time Management Tips That Work

2012-02-15T23:23:00.000+02:00

Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations and actions.
Any activity or conversation that's important to your success should have a time assigned to it. To-do lists get longer and longer to the point where they're unworkable. Appointment books work. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.
Plan to spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities and conversations that produce most of your results.
Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you're doing. Take, for instance, the concept of having "office hours." Isn't "office hours" another way of saying "planned interruptions?"
Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don't start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time.
Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what's missing in your next call or activity?
Put up a "Do not disturb" sign when you absolutely have to get work done.
Practice not answering the phone just because it's ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don't instantly give people your attention unless it's absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.
Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
Remember that it's impossible to get everything done. Also remember that odds are good that 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80 percent of your results.

BY JOE MATHEWS, DON DEBOLT AND DEB PERCIVAL

The Joy of Statistics Video

2012-02-11T15:53:00.001+02:00

6 Ways in 6 Days

2012-02-01T17:08:00.002+02:00

In 6 days, learn 6 ways to change the world. For more information, visit www.U4theU.com/6ways

What's Your Influencing Style?

2012-01-28T16:02:00.000+02:00

by Chris Musselwhite and Tammie Plouffe

Effective leadership today relies more than ever on influencing others — impacting their ideas, opinions, and actions. While influence has always been a valuable managerial skill, today's highly collaborative organizations make it essential. Consider how often you have to influence people who don't even report to you in order to accomplish your objectives. Success depends on your ability to effectively influence both your direct reports and the people over whom you have no direct authority.

Have you ever thought about how you influence others? The tactics you use? We are all aware that people use different influencing tactics, but did you realize that we each naturally default to the same tactics every time? Or that the tactics we default to are also the ones to which we are most receptive when being influenced?

It is these preferred tactics that define our influencing style. Analyzing the different influencing tactics, researchers have identified up to nine primary influencing tactics. In our quest to further understand personal influencing styles, we did additional research to build on the existing knowledge base. From our research, we've identified five distinct influencing styles: rationalizing, asserting, negotiating, inspiring, and bridging.

You may have an idea what your style is just from hearing these labels, but the most accurate way to identify your style is with an influence style indicator — a self-scoring assessment that classifies your style based on answers to questions about preferred influencing tactics. But even without the indicator, here are some questions you can ask yourself to begin to understand your style:

Rationalizing: Do you use logic, facts, and reasoning to present your ideas? Do you leverage your facts, logic, expertise, and experience to persuade others?
Asserting: Do you rely on your personal confidence, rules, law, and authority to influence others? Do you insist that your ideas are heard and considered, even when others disagree? Do you challenge the ideas of others when they don't agree with yours? Do you debate with or pressure others to get them to see your point of view?
Negotiating: Do you look for compromises and make concessions in order to reach an outcome that satisfies your greater interest? Do you make tradeoffs and exchanges in order to meet your larger interests? If necessary, will you delay the discussion until a more opportune time?
Inspiring: Do you encourage others toward your position by communicating a sense of shared mission and exciting possibility? Do you use inspirational appeals, stories, and metaphors to encourage a shared sense of purpose?
Bridging: Do you attempt to influence outcomes by uniting or connecting with others? Do you rely on reciprocity, engaging superior support, consultation, building coalitions, and using personal relationships to get people to agree with your position?

While answering these questions, take your style a step further. How often does it work for you? Are you more successful with certain types of people? Have you ever wondered why? Since there are five different influencing styles, using only your preferred style has the potential to undermine your influence with as many as four out of five people.

Gaining awareness about our own influencing style and those of others is especially critical in light of today's fast-paced and stressful work environments, and here's why: When we are operating unconsciously out of a preference (our style) and not seeing the results we expect, we actually have the tendency to intensify our preferred behavior — even when it's not working!

If your individual success depends on gaining the cooperation of people over whom you have no direct authority, this should concern you. The way to begin to increase your odds of influencing more people is to learn to recognize and use each of the five styles.

Becoming aware that there are influencing styles other than yours is a good start. To further increase your influence, you must learn what each style sounds like when it's being used effectively and ineffectively. Gaining this awareness will help you recognize when the style you're using isn't working and how to determine one that will.

What's your influencing style? And what are you going to do about it? Leave a comment below:

Good night iPad

2012-01-25T15:25:00.000+02:00

5 Major Changes of Internet in 2012

2012-01-21T14:42:00.006+02:00

1. The root servers may have a new operator.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has overseen the operation of the Internet root servers since the non-profit was founded in 1998. However, ICANN's contract is due to expire in March, and a new U.S.-based organization could end up in charge of this critical technical function.

The Internet's 13 root server farms are at the top of the DNS hierarchy, which matches domain names with their corresponding IP addresses for looking up Web sites. The operation of the root server farms is overseen by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which reports to ICANN.

Instead of renewing ICANN's contract for the IANA function, the U.S. government has opened up the bid to other U.S.-based organizations. On Nov. 10, 2011, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued an open bid for the IANA function. Bids were due Dec. 12 and a contract is expected to be awarded in the first quarter of this year. The new contract for the IANA function will last from April 1, 2012 until March 31, 2015.

2. A new company could operate the .com registry.

Verisign has operated the .com domain since 1999. The .com domain is the Internet's most popular top-level domain, with about 100 million .com names registered as of last month. To put this figure in perspective, the Internet has a total of 220 million domain names registered in 280 top-level domains. The number of .com names dwarfs every other domain: It's more than five times greater than those registered in the second most popular extension, which is Germany's .de.

Verisign signed an agreement with ICANN on March 1, 2006 to operate .com, and that contract expires on Nov. 30, 2012. One positive indicator for Verisign: Last June, ICANN renewed the company's contract to operate the .net registry, which has about 12 million registered names. Verisign will run the .net registry until 2017.

3. Up to 1,000 new top-level domains will start being introduced.

ICANN plans to launch a new program Jan. 12 to add hundreds of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) such as .hotel and .paris to the Internet. This controversial plan has been under discussion for six years, and it is finally scheduled to begin. ICANN's new gTLD program represents the biggest change to the Internet's naming system since 1998, when ICANN was formed.

ICANN has run two previous efforts to expand the Internet domain name space: once in 2000, when it added seven extensions including .biz and .info; and again in 2004, when it added eight more extensions such as .asia and .jobs. None of these new domain name extensions has been particularly successful.

However, if ICANN's latest attempt to expand the domain name space succeeds, it could fundamentally change the way domain names are used. Among the new categories of names that are expected to be approved include: internationalized domain names in non-English language scripts; geographically oriented domains for cities and regions; domain names tied to specific interests as well as domain names tied to individual companies and brands.

4. An additional 10,000 Web sites will support IPv6.

Sept. 30, 2012 is the deadline for all U.S. federal government agencies to support IPv6 on their public-facing Web sites and Web services. An estimated 10,000 Web sites fall under this mandate, which could help drive IPv6 deployment in the United States during the next 12 months.

Established by the Obama Administration two years ago, the federal IPv6 mandate also requires agencies to upgrade internal client applications that communicate with public Internet servers to use native IPv6. But agencies have another two years - until September 2014 - to meet this second deadline. Federal agencies are required to designate an IPv6 transition manager and to purchase network hardware and software that complies with the federal government's IPv6 testing process.

IPv6 features an expanded addressing scheme that can support billions of devices connected directly to the Internet. But IPv6 is not backwards compatible with IPv4, which is running out of addresses. Network operators can either support both protocols in what's called dual-stack mode or translate between IPv4 and IPv6, which could add latency and overhead cost.

5. Europe will run out of IPv4 addresses.

The European regional Internet registry - RIPE - is expected to run out of IPv4 addresses in 2012. Geoff Huston, adjunct research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Internet Architectures at Swinburne University of Technology, estimates that RIPE will run out of its remaining IPv4 address space on July 22, 2012.

In April 2011, Asia depleted all of its IPv4 address space except a small fraction held in reserve for start-up network operators. The North American registry is expected to deplete its IPv4 address space in 2013.

The depletion of IPv4 addresses in various regions of the world will put more pressure on U.S. carriers and enterprises to begin transitioning their networks to IPv6. For example, Comcast has said it will offer production-quality IPv6 services across its nationwide network in 2012.

So, what is your reaction to this? Share here:

Blog Statistics 2011

2012-01-18T19:02:00.001+02:00

1. Traffic statistics:

9.95% Search Traffic

28.42%Direct Traffic

61.63%Referral Traffic

2. AdSense Ads

Visitors viewed

30, 416 AdSense Ads

3. Page Speed Score

With God all things are possible got an overall Page Speed Score of 87 (out of 100)

4. Best Post

According to Google Analytics "Do you like statistics?" was the most popular post of 2011

5. Most used mobile device

iPad was the most used mobile device to visit this blog in 2011

6. Summary There were 2,724 pageviews from 55 countriesbetween January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011
What do you think about this? Leave a comment below:

12 Killers of Good Leadership

2012-01-14T17:00:00.004+02:00

by Ron Edmondson

1. Defensiveness – Good leaders don’t wear their feelings on their shoulders. They know other’s opinions matter and aren’t afraid to be challenged.

2. Jealousy – A good leader enjoys watching others on the team excel.

3. Revenge – The leader that succeeds for the long term must be forgiving and knows that “getting even” only comes back to harm them and the organization.

4. Fearfulness – The good leader remains committed when no one else is and must take risks no one else will. Others will follow. That’s what leaders do.

5. Favoritism - Good leaders don’t have favorites on the team. They reward for results not partiality.

6. Ungratefulness - Good leaders value people, knowing they cannot attain success without others.

7. Small-mindedness – Good leaders think bigger than today. They are dreamers and idea people.

8. Pridefulness - Pride comes before the fall. Good leaders remain humbled by the position of authority entrusted to them.

9. Rigidity - There are some things to be rigid about, such as values and vision, but for most issues, the leader must be open to change. Good leaders welcome new ideas, realizing that most everything can be improved.

10. Laziness – One can’t be a good leader and not be willing to work hard. In fact, the leader should be willing to be the hardest worker on the team.

11. Unresponsiveness – Good leaders don’t lead from behind closed doors. They are responsive to the needs and desires of those they attempt to lead. They respond to concerns and questions. They collaborate more than control. Leaders who close themselves off from those they lead will limit the places where others will follow.

12. Dishonesty – Since character counts highest, a good leader must be above reproach. When a leader fails, he or she must admit their mistake and work towards restoration.

Next Steps

A leader may struggle with one or more of these, but the goal should be to lead “killer-free.” Leader, be honest:

1. Which of these wrecking balls do you struggle with most?

2. What are your thoughts about this list?

3. What would you add to this list?

4. Can you think of any other killers of good leadership?

Please, leave a comment below.

Rick Warren's Leadership Lessons:

2012-01-12T16:03:00.003+02:00

Life is too short to act on every good idea. You have to focus on God's ideas...Often I'll get a dozen good ideas by lunch, but that doesn't mean we're going to act on all of them.

The number one factor that keeps staff motivated is not money, and it is not recognition, and it is not goals, and it is not even relationships...it's progress. If people see progress in their work, then they're committed to it.

Sometimes inaction is the wisest action. Don't be in a hurry to make a decision...Hurry is the death of prayer.

Godly leaders focus on correcting their own faults, but losers focus on correcting others faults.

Strong sermons only have one big point. Weak sermons are a bunch of small points tied together.

God often uses opposition to open doors for you.

Correct privately, commend publicly.

It's far more important for a leader to know the right questions, and who to ask, than to know all the answers

What have you learned as a leader in 2011? Please, share below

The Law of the Garbage Truck

2012-01-07T15:26:00.002+02:00

In The Law of the Garbage Truck, David J. Pollay shows us that by refusing to let others dump their “garbage” (negativity, anger, resentment) on us—and letting it “pass by” instead—we become happier and more successful, both personally and professionally. And when we stop dumping garbage on others, we improve our relationships, strengthen our businesses, and bring our communities together.

Twenty years ago, while riding in a New York City taxi, syndicated columnist and business consultant David J. Pollay narrowly escaped a life-threatening car crash. The driver who almost caused the accident started yelling at the cab driver, who remarkably just smiled, waved, and wished him well. Pollay asked how the cabbie could remain so calm, and his response sparked the defining principle of The Law of the Garbage Truck:

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. . . . And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. So when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally . . . move on.

Now Pollay shows you how to apply his Law in this remarkable book that can help you:
Avoid getting dumped on by rude, thoughtless, and angry people

Stop reliving the negative in your past, and fearing the future

Focus on what you can control, not the negative things you can’t

Reduce incivility wherever you find it, and stop bullies in their tracks

Improve your relationships by not dumping on your friends, parents, spouse, or coworkers

Find happiness again after dealing with illness, loss, and personal tragedy

Increase productivity, respect, and cooperation by creating a No Garbage Trucks! Zone in your business, school, and home

Gain the courage to enjoy every day, do what you love, and make a difference

This book includes short action guides after each chapter to help you implement The Law of the Garbage Truck in your business and personal life, and it contains two powerful, insightful quizzes designed to help you determine how much garbage you are accepting and how much garbage you are dumping. The results may surprise you!

Take control of your life. . . . Don’t let other people’s bad behavior hold you back.

In The Law of the Garbage Truck, David J. Pollay shows you how to respond to the people who dump on you, and how to stop dumping on others. His message is simple, powerful, and transformational. Once you’ve taken The No Garbage Trucks! Pledge, you—and everyone around you—will realize the benefits!

Ten Temptations of a Leader

2012-01-04T22:08:00.011+02:00

by Bill Lawrence is the President of Leader Formation International (LFI) as well as Senior Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Ministries and Adjunct Professor of DMin Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.

POSITION OVER PURPOSE.

I fall prey to this temptation when the greatest day of my life is the day I become President, not the day my organization made great progress forward. I am the victim of this temptation when it is more important for me to be President than it is for my organization to change to meet the needs of a changing world. The drive has been to get ahead, to succeed, so, now that I’m here, I’ve succeeded and I need to do everything I can to stay here.

We see this when younger people are not given opportunities to have a voice in the organization or are not allowed to move into leadership and when older leaders fail to prepare successors. We also see this when leaders seek to move their organizations forward while looking backward.

This is not only a CEO problem. We frequently see it in directors who have arrived at their pinnacle in life: POWER!, and don’t intend to give it up. They cut off all developing leadership, build a coalition of supporters and control every decision.

They have confused their purpose with their power and the seek position over purpose, which means their status is more important than their results. This grows right of a major character flaw: the need to be SOMEBODY!

If you are driven by a need to be somebody, you may well fall prey to the temptation of POSITION OVER PURPOSE. You can’t wash the feet of others because you can’t let them wash your feet. You can never be a slave leader to others unless you first become a slave to God by finding your significance in Him, not what you do.

PEOPLE OVER PURPOSE.

This is the temptation to be popular rather than to lead. In this temptation, the CEO has such a deep need for approval that he cannot hold others accountable. Such a leader has a follower who is ineffective, whose ineffectiveness deeply disturbs the leader, and whose ineffectiveness deeply hinders the business, yet the leader does nothing. Because to do something—to hold that follower accountable—will cost the leader approval.

This temptation grows directly out of a major character flaw: the need for approval. You will never be able to resist the temptation to put people over purpose until you have overcome the need for approval.

Now, in fairness, I know there’s another reason this can happen, and that’s because we sometimes have to take the person we can get rather than the quality we want. Frequently we are shut up to the person who can raise funds, whether he is gifted and experienced for the task or not.

Or we’re the victims of an entitlement culture that says I should have a position in the home office when I return to because I am faithful and loyal. Or, we’re the victims of supporting entities that will believe any self-protecting lie they’re told. Or we’re the victim of interfering board members who mistake effective governance for personal power and love to play the CEO game.

In every one of these cases as a slave leader, you are called to wash feet. And you can never become a slave leader to others unless you became a slave to God by holding your followers accountable as He holds you accountable. Otherwise, you will continue to put PEOPLE OVER PURPOSE.

PEACE OVER PURPOSE.

This is the temptation to put peace ahead of purpose by never allowing any conflict on your leadership team.

Differences of opinion are neither welcomed or tolerated in team meetings. Every agenda is tightly controlled so the only things on at are what you want on it. If any disagreement threatens to break forth, you quickly step into cut if off and bring harmony to the meeting, so you never allow the issues to be discussed. Sometimes that is wise—but all the time, and that is fear.

This temptation, like the rest, reflects a deep character flaw: the need for harmony. It may grow out of your childhood, out of your previous experience or out of a distorted view of biblical unity, but it is a destructive temptation.

Wherever it comes from, it brings disaster with it as it attempts to sweep all kinds of disagreements under the carpet— until the pile gets so high and the stink gets so bad that—if you succumb to this temptation—you’re the only one who can deny it..

You can never become a slave leader to others unless you become a slave to God by doing what Jesus did: allow your followers to express their differences in open and even heated ways. Only then will you know they truly think—and discover their deepest needs. Otherwise, you will continue to put PEACE OVER PURPOSE.

PERFECTION OVER PURPOSE.

Another word for this temptation is paralysis—the need to know everything before I do anything. I won’t make a move for fear it’s the wrong move—and by the time I know it’s the right move, it’s too late to make a move.

Such a leader misses opportunities and frustrates followers—especially leader followers who have a good sense of the right move. Like all the rest of the temptations, this one grows out of a character flaw, the need to be right.

This is the need for certainty, even the need for control. It can grow from great motives—to glorify God, to pursue excellence or to do the right thing But frequently it’s the fear of being wrong, and that fear creates paralysis.

You can never become a slave leader to others unless you become a slave to God by trusting Him to make the best decision with the information you have. Otherwise, you will continue to put PERFECTION OVER PURPOSE.

PROTECTION OVER PURPOSE.

This temptation overtakes us as leaders when our self-protection is more important than our purpose. In these times, we refuse to trust our followers and act with vulnerability toward them. We won’t trust them with our career—so they won’t trust us with theirs. The result is that we end up with a team of close-handed leaders who profess some form of love for one another, but don’t mean it.

We don’t follow the Jesus model of leadership when He took Peter, James, and John and asked them to pray with Him. We don’t follow the Paul model of leadership when he spoke of fear and trembling or his weakness or His insufficiency or his loneliness. This temptation appeals to a character flaw the need to be safe.

You can never become a slave leader to others unless you become a slave to God be becoming vulnerable to your followers even as Jesus did to His. Otherwise, you will put PROTECTION OVER PURPOSE.

EXPECTATIONS OVER PURPOSE.

When I speak of perspective over purpose, I am referring to the perspective or the mind-set that I see in many leaders of regret or resentment or resistance to leadership.

“This is not what I signed up for!” “This is not what I want to be doing!”“This is not what I pictured myself doing when I started out!” So many pictured themselves walking to the African drumbeat or the Latin samba or the Asian gong and not desk bound and flying all the time. And they don’t like what they have to do. You can hear it when things go wrong. “I didn’t want this job anyway!”

That’s not the point. The point is God wants you to have the job. If He didn’t, why did you take it in the first place?

One of the most vital dimensions of leadership is learning to say yes to God when you want to say no. As with the rest, this temptation appeals to a character flaw as well: the flaw of rebellion. Or is it the flaw of discontment or the flaw of pride?

This apparent humility is really resistance to God’s will—the very will to which we committed ourselves so many years ago, this very will we call others to commit themselves to every time we speak. And we can never become a slave leader to others unless we become a slave leader to God by doing what Jesus did—drink the cup God has for us. So as slave leaders Jesus tells us we must wash the feet of our followers—but this means we must also allow our followers to wash our feet.

SUMMARY

position over purpose—significance
people over purpose—approval
peace over purpose—harmony
perfection over purpose—to be right
protection over purpose—safety
expectations over purpose—image
plans over purpose—succeed
capacity over purpose—self confidence
prosperity over purpose—physical security
power over purpose—identity

We think of temptation as a solicitation to a specific act of disobedience, but temptation is actually a solicitation to trust something other than God to meet my deepest needs. Temptation is the call to
replace God with self in some way in order to meet
some deep need apart from God. Disobedient actions arise from the decision to meet my needs independently of God.

This is why disobedience is never a matter of behavior, but always a matter of trust.

This is why surface answers to leadership issues never resolve the issues we face and why most of our responses to obey tend to be legalistic self-reliance that draws from the resources of the flesh, i.e., a trust in self rather than a trust in God.

Every time we fall into one of the temptations, we end up short-circuiting our purpose, sinning against God, harming others, and deceiving ourselves into thinking we are doing well. We are not doing well; we are doing damage.

What are your temptations in leadership?
Leave a comment and start a discussion below. Thank you for your feedback!

Five Things You Should Stop Doing in 2012

2011-12-31T19:55:00.002+02:00

Well, 2011 is over. You and I want to change. Here are some thoughts on how we can have a new start in 2012.

Responding Like a Trained Monkey. Every productivity expert in the world will tell you to check email at periodic intervals — say, every 90 minutes — rather than clicking "refresh" like a Pavlovian mutt. Of course, almost no one listens, because studies have shown email's "variable interval reinforcement schedule" is basically a slot machine for your brain. But spending a month away — and only checking email weekly — showed me how little really requires immediate response. In fact, nothing. A 90 minute wait won't kill anyone, and will allow you to accomplish something substantive during your workday.
Mindless Traditions. I recently invited a friend to a prime networking event. "Can I play it by ear?" she asked. "This is my last weekend to get holiday cards out and I haven't mailed a single one. It is causing stress!" In the moment, not fulfilling an "obligation" (like sending holiday cards) can make you feel guilty. But if you're in search of professional advancement, is a holiday card (buried among the deluge) going to make a difference? If you want to connect, do something unusual — get in touch at a different time of year, or give your contacts a personal call, or even better, meet up face-to-face. You have to ask if your business traditions are generating the results you want.
Reading Annoying Things. I have nearly a dozen newspaper and magazine subscriptions, the result of alluring specials ($10 for an entire year!) and the compulsion not to miss out on crucial information. But after detoxing for a month, I was able to reflect on which publications actually refreshed me — and which felt like a duty. The New Yorker , even though it's not a business publication, broadens my perspective and is a genuine pleasure to read. The pretentious tech publication with crazy layouts and too-small print? Not so much. I'm weeding out and paring down to literary essentials. What subscriptions can you get rid of?
Work That's Not Worth It. Early in my career, I was thrilled to win a five-year, quarter-million dollar contract. That is, until the reality set in that it was a government contract, filled with ridiculous reporting mechanisms, low reimbursement rates and administrative complexities that sucked the joy and profit out of the work. When budget cuts rolled around and my contract got whacked, it turned out to be a blessing. These days, I'm eschewing any engagement, public or private, that looks like more trouble than it's worth.
Making Things More Complicated Than They Should Be. A while back, a colleague approached me with an idea. She wanted me to be a part of a professional development event she was organizing in her city, featuring several speakers and consultants. She recommended biweekly check-in calls for the next eight months, leading up to the event. "Have you organized an event like this before?" I asked. "Can you actually get the participants? Why don't you test the demand first?" When none materialized, I realized I'd saved myself nearly half a week's work — in futile conference calls — by insisting the event had to be "real" before we invested in it. As Eric Ries points out in his new book The Lean Startup , developing the best code or building the best product in the world is meaningless if your customers don't end up wanting it. Instead, test early and often to ensure you're not wasting your time. What ideas should you test before you've gone too far?

10 Top Phrases of 2011

2011-12-28T19:17:00.002+02:00

1. Arab Spring – The series of uprisings, social protests, and rebellions occurring among many nations of the Arab World beginning this spring.

2. Royal Wedding – The wedding of the former Kate Middleton and heir-to-the-British-Throne, Prince William that captivated millions around the world.

3. Anger and Rage – Characterizations of the global electorate by the pundits, though closer analyses has revealed more frustration than anger and more disappointment than rage.

4. Climate Change – No. 1 phrase for the first decade of the 21st century; still resonates into its second decade.

5. The Great Recession – Though officially over, the media term most frequently used to describe the on-going global economic restructuring.

6. Tahrir Square – The scene of the ‘25th of January’ demonstrations in Cairo against Hosni Mubarak.

7. Linear No Threshold (LNT) – The methodology to calculate risk from exposure to radioactive elements from the Fukushima Daiiachi disaster.

8. Bunga Bunga – Re-emerged in the language through ‘bunga-bunga’ parties hosted by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

9. ‘How’s that working out for you?’ – The New York Times credits Sarah Palin, but it predates her use of the phrase by several decades.

10. “Make no mistake about it!” – President Obama has repeated the phrase thousands of times since his 2008 election.

What is your phrase of 2011? Leave a comment here:

25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names

2011-12-17T15:44:00.001+02:00

1. Tittle
The dot over an 'i' or 'j.'
2. Lunule
The white, crescent shaped part at the top of a nail.
3. Crepuscular Rays
Rays of sunlight coming from a certain point in the sky. Also known as “God's rays.”
4. Ferrule
The metal part on a pencil.
5. Gynecomastia
Man-boobs.
6. Muntin
The strip separating window panes.
7. Morton's Toe
When your second toe is bigger than your big toe.
8. Arms Akimbo
Exactly what it looks like. Hands on your hips.
9. Desire Path
A path created by natural means, simply because it is the “shortest or most easily navigated” way.
10. Semantic Satiation
What happens when you say a word for so long that it loses its meaning. Limit limit limit limit limit limit limit limit limit.
11. Skeuomorph
“A design feature copied from a similar artifact in another material, even when not functionally necessary.” For example, rivets on jeans, copper color on pennies, the shutter sound on a digital camera, and the pointless handle above.
12. Brannock Device
What is used to measure your feet at the shoe store.
13. Paresthesia
The pins and needles feeling you get when part of your body falls asleep. Bonus! This is known as obdormition.
14. Phosphenes
The lights you see when you close your eyes and press your hands to them.
15. Armscye
The armhole in most clothing.
16. Wamble
Stomach rumble.
17. Feat
A dangling piece of curly hair.
18. Peen
The side opposite the hammer's striking side.
19. Rectal Tenesmus
The feeling of incomplete defecation. We've all been there.
20. Dysania
The state of finding it hard to get out of the bed in the morning.
21. Mondegreen
Misheard lyrics.
22. Petrichor
The it smells outside after rain.
23. Philtrum
The groove located just below the nose and above the middle of the lips.
24. Purlicue
The space between the thumb and the forefingers.
25. Aglet
The plastic coating on a shoelace.

8 Killers of Motivation and Momentum

2011-12-14T14:23:00.002+02:00

1. Routine

When people have to repeat the same activity over and over again, in time they lose interest in it. This is especially true in a day where rapid change is all around them. Change needs to be a built-in part of the organization to keep people motivated and momentum moving forward.

2. Fear

When people are afraid, they often quit. They stop taking risks. They fail to give their best effort. They stop trying. Fear keeps a team from moving forward. Leaders can remove fear by welcoming mistakes, by lessening control, and by celebrating each step.

3. Success

A huge win or a period of success can lead to complacency. When the team feels they’ve “arrived” they may no longer feel the pressure to keep learning. Leaders who recognize this killer may want to provide new opportunities, change people’s job responsibilities, and introduce greater challenges or risks.

4. Lack of direction

People need to know where they are going and what a win looks like…especially according to the leader. When people are left to wonder, they lose motivation, do nothing or make up their own answers. Leaders should continually pause to make sure the team understands what they are being asked to do.

5. Failure

Some people can’t get past a failure and some leaders can’t accept failure as a part of building success. Failure should be used to build momentum. As one strives to recover, lessons are learned and people are made stronger and wiser, but if not viewed and addressed correctly, it leads to momentum stall.

6. Apathy

When a team loses their passion for the vision, be prepared to experience a decline in momentum. Leaders must consistently be casting vision. In a way, leaders become a cheerleader for the cause, encouraging others to continue a high level of enthusiasm for the vision.

7. Burnout

When a team or team member has no opportunity to rest, they soon lose their ability to maintain motivation and momentum stalls. Good leaders learn when to push to excel and when to push to relax. This may be different for various team members, but everyone needs to pause occasionally to re-energize.

8. Feeling unvalued

When someone feels his or her contribution to the organization isn’t viewed as important, they lose the motivation to continually produce. Leaders must learn to be encouragers and champions of the people they lead.

If you see these at work in your organization, address them now!

Which is these is hardest for you to recognize or address? Which have you experienced firsthand as a killer of motivation or momentum?

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2011-11-28T13:39:00.002+02:00

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Rick Warren's Leadership Lessons:

The Law of the Garbage Truck

Ten Temptations of a Leader

Five Things You Should Stop Doing in 2012

10 Top Phrases of 2011

25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names

1. Tittle

2. Lunule

3. Crepuscular Rays

4. Ferrule

5. Gynecomastia

6. Muntin

7. Morton's Toe

8. Arms Akimbo

9. Desire Path

10. Semantic Satiation

11. Skeuomorph

12. Brannock Device

13. Paresthesia

14. Phosphenes

15. Armscye

16. Wamble

17. Feat

18. Peen

19. Rectal Tenesmus

20. Dysania

21. Mondegreen

22. Petrichor

23. Philtrum

24. Purlicue

25. Aglet