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My blog has a new home and a new look.

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Great Boldness

I’ve been taking a fresh look at the Book of Acts.

The great boldness displayed by the early followers of Christ really kind of blows my mind.

Take Peter and John for example. In Acts 3, these guys go to the temple, heal a man along the way, and then start telling the onlookers about Jesus Christ. On the surface that might not seem all that bold. But keep in mind, they are doing all of this right in front of the religious leaders that had just orchestrated the horrific torture and crucifixion of their leader, Jesus Christ.

The religious leaders threatened Peter and John and ordered them to stop. And this is how Peter and John responded……….

But Peter and John spoke right back, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question-we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20

This is a great boldness that was not seen in Peter just a short time before on the night that Jesus was arrested. Peter had denied Christ….disowned Him. And now he stood with great boldness, risking his life, because of what he had seen and heard.

Quotable

Most great communicators, writers, and authors are masters of carefully crafting words into 1 or 2 sentences to communicate a message or concept.

They are quotable.

John Maxwell is one of the most quotable authors I have read. His books are full of numerous sentences or phrases that are perfect for jotting down on a sticky note or whiteboard in your workspace.

But John Maxwell is not only quotable, but he appears to be a lover of good quotes from other quotable people.

Here are a few quotes that John included in his book, Talent Is Never Enough……..

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems. – Indian statesman Mohandas Gandhi

When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do. – Industrialist Charles Schwab

When you discover you’ve been leading only half a life, the other half is going to haunt you until you develop it. – Phillip Brooks, writer of the song “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man’s lack of faith in his true self. – Psychologist and philosopher William James

Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. – Benjamin Franklin

Contrary to popular opinion, life does not get better by chance, life gets better by change. And this change always takes place inside; it is the change of thought that creates the better life. – Attorney Kerry Randall

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

My Girl

My Girl….that is what I call my wife, Jennifer.

Let me tell you about My Girl.

She is my best friend.

She is Supermom.

She is a “part-time” teacher for my oldest son who attends a University-Model school.

She is a “part-time” staff member for the children’s ministry at our church.

She does almost all of the house cleaning, laundry, dishes, and everything else in our home.

She is the room mother for my son’s class.

She takes my son to swim practice every day and volunteers as a timer at his swim meets.

She regularly takes our boys to the library to develop a love of reading and learning in them.

She serves as a leader of our small group from church.

She is an awesome friend, twin-sister, sister-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, and aunt.

On this Mother’s Day, I just want to recognize and thank her for all she does. And thank her for being My Girl.

Wanna Get Away?

From time to time, we all need to get away from the…

• noise
• busyness
• pressure
• stress
• chores
• distractions

of life.

Jesus modeled this behavior for us…..

Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Matthew 26:36 (MSG)

While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. Mark 1:35 (MSG)

As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer. Luke 5:16 (MSG)

Where do you go to get away?

My favorite place to get away……Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

Don’t Close Your Eyes

I heard Switchfoot’s song, This is Your Life, on the radio during lunch.

The words of that song are such a great reminder for me.

don’t close your eyes, don’t close your eyes
this is your life and today is all you’ve got now
yeah, and today is all you’ll ever have
don’t close your eyes
don’t close your eyes

Being Big

Really like this post by Tim Stevens at leadingsmart.com

Tim and the rest of the senior team at Granger Community Church decided that…….

We will not be the team that leads a church so big and flabby that it is impossible to move.

I work for one of the largest companies in the world and I attend one of the largest churches in America, so I understand that being big definitely adds complexity to change and innovation.

However, being big is never a valid excuse for avoiding necessary change and innovation.

Strong Words

“sons of hell”

“blind guides”

“hypocrites”

“filthy”

“full of greed”

“snakes. Sons of vipers”

Those are strong words.

Those are the words that Jesus used to describe the Pharisees in Matthew 23.

Jesus could see right through their religious dress, their religious activities, and religious rituals.

On the inside, their hearts were dead.

God is not interested in our religion…..he is interested in our hearts.

Improved Sharing in Google Reader

Today, Google announced improvements to the ‘Share’ functionality within Google Reader.

Now you can share any part of any web page.

And you can add a personal note to the item you are sharing.

Check out the full announcement here

** If you use Google Reader, email me so I can add you as a friend and we can share items with each other.

Talent Is Never Enough

I just started reading Talent Is Never Enough by John Maxwell.

The book covers 13 things that can take talent to the next level.

1) Belief Lifts Your Talent

2) Passion Energizes Your Talent

3) Initiative Activates Your Talent

4) Focus Directs Your Talent

5) Preparation Positions Your Talent

6) Practice Sharpens Your Talent

7) Perseverance Sustains Your Talent

8) Courage Tests Your Talent

9) Teachability Expands Your Talent

10) Character Protects Your Talent

11) Relationships Influence Your Talent

12) Responsibility Strengthens Your Talent

13) Teamwork Multiples Your Talent

Personally, I would say I am in pretty good shape on about half of these items, but I have some room for development in some of the areas like Belief, Preparation, Perseverance, Relationships, and Responsibility.

How about you? Which areas could you improve in to enhance your God-given talent?

What about your team, organization, or company? Is talent being wasted because 1 or more of the 13 items is missing?