Ferret People & Sub-Culture

Was headed to bed the other night and flipping the channels when I got fascinated by a documentary on PBS called “Ferrets: The Pursuit of Excellence”.
The documentary followed a group of ferret owners at the Buckeye Bash Ferret Show.  These were not just any ferrets.  They were show ferrets.  Ferrets of the highest caliber who [...]

Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful…

Heard this song just the other day in a service and was amazed at how fresh it was… Passion never grows old! It’s amazing what focusing on and meaning what you are singing can do to a song that many would consider old…
And the verse is what wrecked me…
I want to [...]

Permission and Mindset

Continuing some thoughts on permission and creating environments of innovation…
The “big news” of the weekend was Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama.  
I think there will be some Republicans who hear what the General has to say and will be influenced by it.  Certainly, some will join him and “convert”.  Not all, but some.
Colin Powell [...]

Organizational Permission and Straw House Thinking

The following is from a post from Tony Morgan. Consider what organizational permission can do…
Once upon a time in a far off land there lived a leader who supervised three little pigs. The leader was committed to excellence in his life and in his organization. He knew there was a direct correlation between the [...]

The Permissive Environment

How often do you say “yes”? Not in the “Would you like cream and sugar” way, but in the “Try something different” kind of way.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about creating “permissive” environments. Not places where anything goes, but, rather, places where people are free to adhere to a core set of [...]

Church Tech Camp

I had a chance to pop in and join the discussions at the first Church Tech Camp in LA yesterday.
So what is Church Tech Camp? From the website…
#churchtechcamp is a localized unconference for people of faith to gather and share their own best practices and “in the field” insights. More simply put – it is [...]

Independence Day in a Multi-national World

One of the truly unique experiences I have as host of an internet-based church community is the interaction with people from all over the world.  It continually challenges my “set ways” of thinking about how I operate and interact with the world around me. 
On any given Sunday, it is not unusual for people from several [...]

O’Charley’s and Breaking Through the Barrier of the Background

The family and I had a great dinner experience at the O’Charley’s on Atlantic Blvd in Jacksonville this evening. Special thanks to Ashley, our waitress, and Tracy, the kitchen manager, for making us feel so at home.  We really enjoyed ourselves and plan on returning soon. 
Just a couple of thoughts from my experience…
 

We have lived [...]

The Changing Face of Christian Ministry

I am sitting here this morning bouncing around online and something is abundantly clear.
WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST!
It is really amazing to see, hear, and read all that God is doing in all the various parts of His church. No one can deny that there has [...]

The Eye for Average

Average is not a word most of us would like used to describe us.  Certainly, we wouldn’t want to describe our church as “average”.
And yet, we will make plans or form thoughts based on an idea of the average person.
So many have limited themselves because they are unwilling to expect more than the average person.
The [...]