Date: Friday March 9, 2012
Doors Open: 6:00pm
Event Starts: 6:30pm
Tickets: $8 in Advance / $10 at Door
Location: Pathways Church Main Auditorium

Girly Makeovers, Delicious Snacks, Live Music, Dance Party and Fashion show!
Also Special guest speaker, author, and co-founder of www.polkadotgirls.com, Kristie Kerr will be speaking to the girls about how everyone is different but beautiful in God’s eyes. This is one event no girl should miss! Did I mention every girl in attendance will receive a “Beautiful” collectible charm.

Register online at KEVENTS.TV to lock in your special Pre-Registration Price! No CC Needed!!

VeggieTales Live! National Tour
Monday, April 16th, 6pm
Cost: $15 in advance / $20 at the door / $30 VIP Meet & Greet Pass

“VeggieTales Live! God Made You Special Tour” by Big Idea Entertainment, will make a stop in Appleton, WI, as part of its 35–city tour. The show, part story and part musical, will feature the classic duo of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber along with their other veggie friends as they sing “Silly Songs with Larry,” along with favorites like “His Cheeseburger,” “Love My Lips,” “The Hairbrush Song,” and many more! It’s going to be a great event! Hope to see you there!

Tickets on sale at iTickets.com, Family Christian Bookstore in Appleton and Lighthouse Christian Bookstore in Green Bay. Tickets can also be purchased after each of our weekend services or picked up in the Pathways Church office during business hours (cash or check only).

7 Practical Ways Organizations Can Leverage Social Media by Scott Williams
he World Of Social Media is here to stay and that has major implications for the business sector, non-profits, organizations and Corporate America. There are over 250 million bloggers, over 845 million Facebook users, 500 million Twitter users, 40 million Google+ users and 34% of these folks post opinions about products and brands. These shared opinions are a big deal, as research shows 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations and only 14% trust advertisements. Continue Reading …

Lessons From the Wilderness… by Jo Saxton
This Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a tradition observed by Christians around the world for centuries. A season of intentional self-denial, repentance and service, Lent identifies with when Jesus was tested in the Wilderness. Many of us have distanced ourselves from Lent wondering if it’s an antiquated legalistic ritual. Yet when we look at the story of Jesus in the wilderness – we see temptations, so relevant for today that it’s worth season to fast, pray and surrender to God, acknowledging our desperate need for his grace and power. Continue Reading …

7 Steps to Launching Your Next BIG Project by Michael Hyatt
aunching anything new is tough. If you’re like me, you have more on your plate now than you can say grace over. How in the world could you make time for one more thing? Continue Reading …

5 Aspects of the Heart of a Leader by Ron Edmondson
Someone asked me recently what I primarily look for in the hiring of a staff position. I said, without reservation, first and foremost, I look for a heart. I want a heart that honors Christ more than self, that desires to grow and learn, and that is willing to sacrifice personal privilege for benevolent purpose of others. The heart of a leader is more important than any other characteristic. Continue Reading …

Oh, and this one … if for all us single guys out there looking for that special someone to spend the rest of our lives with.

You Probably Shouldn’t Date Her If … by Perry Noble
A few weeks ago I did a post challenging ladies to have incredibly high standards (entitled, “You Probably Shouldn’t Date Him If…”)…this week I want to challenge the guys to have incredibly high standards as well and let you know that you probably should not date her if… Continue Reading …

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.” ~Leo Buscaglia

The 8 Best Worst Ideas For Leadership Growth Ever by Margaret Feinberg
Many articles are dedicated to nurturing a leader’s growth, giving practical advice and insights. But what about those who don’t want to grow to become a good leader? Look no further. Here are the 8 best worst ideas for leadership growth: Continue Reading …

3 C’s of Successful Leadership by Ron Edmondson
To succeed as a leader you need to succeed at character, commitment and competence. Character – Character is who you are when no one is looking. It’s your level of honesty and integrity, and the way you deal with pride and humility. Continue Reading …

What’s at stake if you don’t succeed? by Michael Hyatt
In 1986 I started my own publishing company with Robert Wolgemuth. We had worked together at Word, Inc. and then at Thomas Nelson. Like a lot of young entrepreneurs, we had a big dream, a business plan, but few resources. Continue Reading …

Throw Out the Rule Book by Jenni Catron
By title I am the rule maker and the rule keeper. It’s kind of a given as the Executive Director of an organization. But guess what? I hate rules, policies & most procedures. Continue Reading …

10-That Never Change While Leading by Artie Davis
When you lead, some lessons are learned easily, some are learned through fire. Wisdom is gained by learning through your own failure, and observing the failure of others. Continue Reading …

Let’s face it—God’s greatest leaders have historically been the antithesis of remarkability. The people that have made the greatest difference were never the ones that spoke with the most eloquence, knew all the rules, or even looked the part. But they were the ones that had the audacity to say, “God, I’m nothing without you. If I’m going to do anything for you, I need you to fill me with everything I need.” They made enough space available in their lives for God to do something great.

The good news is Jesus already died to heal your imperfections. To strengthen your weaknesses. To break your addictions. You’re a new creation in Christ—one that will play a vital role in glorifying His name.

~By Steven Furtick

Please take a look at this short clip that Jon recorded sharing with you some thoughts about his new book “The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work“.

As you can see, Jon is inspirational. He has found his greater purpose and today is inspiring millions to find their’s as well. Like I said, I was afforded the awesome opportunity of interviewing Jon. So without further ado …. my interview with Jon Gordon.

What was your first recollection of experiencing great leadership?
I would say meeting and spending time with Ken Blanchard, the author of the One Minute Manager.

Who had the most significant influence on shaping you as a leader?
Honestly the answer is God. I wish I had better leaders in my life growing up and in my early career but I didn’t. People often ask me where my leadership principles come from and they come during my walks of prayers in the morning.

What are three words people would use to describe you?
Energetic, sincere, real.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?
Busyness, stress, fear and negativity.

What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
Optimism. It’s the most important characteristic of a leader.

What advice would you give someone who is considering a leadership position for the first time?
Know what you stand for. Know your purpose and vision and share them. Read leadership books. I’m amazed at how many don’t read to improve themselves as a leader. Books will help you clarify what you believe and shape you and your actions as a leader. It’s not just about reading. It’s about applying.

Over the years, what is one behavior or trait that you have seen derail great leaders?
Pride. It comes before the fall. The best leaders are humble and hungry.

If you could study leadership with anyone in the world with whom would you study?
Abraham Lincoln. For a leader who is living I would say Bob Iger the CEO of Disney.

If you could give my readers one piece of advice on leadership, what would that be?
Lead with optimism. Leadership is a transfer of belief. Steve Jobs had the ability to convince people they could do things they never thought possible and they did it.

What’s next for you? Is there another book in the works?
Yes. The Positive Dog. It’s about the benefits and strategies of positivity.

Within 24 hours I had already gotten the first designs and was less than excited about them to be honest. Then came over some designs from a guy name Justin at Jade Raven Design. Not only did he take the time to check out my site to find out really what my site was about and create a logo centered around its subject matter but he also provided a complete scan with several (6+) different mock ups. From there I requested a few more ideas and finally he hit it on my mark. I told him that was the one and he created it for me within 24 hours. It was amazing, not only how fast he was but also how creative he was.

Now, granted after the fact, I decided to go a different direction with the look of my site and so his design is not being used on my site right now but I wanted to take a moment and share with you all about his amazing service. Below are just a few of the designs he provided.

Justin is the owner of Jade Raven Design. In his early years of design he focused mainly on website design but later began designing print such as flyers, logos, album designs and more. One thing that I really enjoyed about Justin’s work was he provided concepts first instead of jumping right into the design software. Like I said, he literally sent me a scan of pencil sketches he made for my site. Great sketches! He shared with me that concepts are the foundation for a lot of his work. He has found that starting with a pencil and paper has helped achieve very consistent, strong designs that truly shine with his clients. He believes firmly in professional results that capture his client’s message and captivates their audience.

Like I said, Justin has design down. He is the man. He believes that design done right and executed well can be very positive and effective when communicating an idea – whether it be for a small business owner, musician, artist, or even a blog owner like myself.

If you are looking for a graphic artist, check out Justin at Jade Raven Design. I guarantee you will love his work.

Disclaimer: While Justin (Jade Raven Design) did provide services for this review please note that I had the complete freedom to speak my mind about his services. He provided me with great service and design options. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Planning Center Online

This app is one of my focal apps. Our children’s ministry (and worship ministry) utilizes “Planning Center Online” for scheduling, service planning and communication with our teams. This one small app will not only show me the serving schedule for each area of our children’s ministry but it also puts the contact information of every servant leader at my finger tips. I would say without a doubt that this one app is used more than any other app on my phone. Check it out!

Cost: FREE
Created by: Ministry Centered Technologies

Download to your phone through the Android Market

Google Docs

I am known for two things, one is my love of bleach (meaning, I like things sanitized) and two is for my love of Google products. Of all the products that Google has made available, I use Google docs is the product I use almost as much as Gmail. As a matter of fact, as I write this post I am looking at my January website usage stats and I can tell you that 22.1% of my time online is spent in Google Docs. Google docs is heavily used in our ministry because of its collaborative functions. Everything from attendance records, ministry budgets, and even curriculum is prepared and shared on Google docs. Obviously, having this information on hand as you are busy changing the world makes everything so much easier. Google is helping our ministry impact the world BIG TIME!

Cost: FREE
Created by: Google Inc

Download to your phone through the Android Market

Group SMS & Scheduler

This app is a little secret of mine … well was a little secret of mine. I love this app because I am able to send out a mass text message to my entire team but yet have each text message sent out as a personalized message. This is great for showing appreciation to your team or even reminding everyone about an important meeting coming up. I recommend this app to every leader because it’s easy to use and is a great tool for sharing information to your team via SMS.

Cost: FREE (premium options avail)
Created by: AntTek Inc.

Download to your phone through the Android Market

Contact Finder

I am a visual person so this app has saved my life many times. There is nothing that drives me nuts more than when I receive a call from someone but yet I can’t picture who they are. This app is easy to use and searches for photos on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google and other social networks based on your contact list. If you see a photo of the person you’re looking for, all it takes is a tap on the picture and it will save it to your contact list which helps me BIG time when they call or text me. Like I said, this app has saved my life many times! A must have for leaders!

Cost: FREE
Created by: Eclipson

Download to your phone through the Android Market

Busy Me

This app recently has helped me stay focused. I am that guy that feels that every text and every phone call needs to be taken care of right away and so my phone doesn’t go far from my side HOWEVER there are times when you really need to focus on what you are doing without any distractions. I have used this app for many things recently including meetings, prayer time, and even while sleeping. For those of you who have a hard time silencing your phone this app will help you BIG TIME!!

Cost: FREE
Created by: Fernando Dunn

Download to your phone through the Android Market

You see, it’s what is in front of us that dictates our actions. Let me give you an example, this morning the daily routine started in the bathroom like usual however today I decided to make a change. Today I stood in front of the mirror and pictured myself as a healthy fit guy. Yeah, it took some time but it was worth it. That extra 60 seconds changed my entire day and the amount of energy and motivation that I got was unbelievable. Why? It was because I was able to see the vision.

I can’t help but connect this with serving. I have seen so many people walk away from ministry because they lost the vision. They had lost sight of what they were working towards and how they were impacting the lives of people. The truth of the matter is that whatever we keep in front of us (in our vision) determines our success and impact.

God wants to blow our mind away. He has BIG plans for us all in 2012. Plans that we can’t even comprehend (Eph 3:20).

As you we launch into 2012 I want to encourage you to get a vision of the future. Save a snapshot in your heart. Remember that God said in Isaiah 43:19 “I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?”. God is about to do something brand new in you and me. Do you see it?