Leaders would help their teams by (1) having shorter meetings, and (2) ensuring their language is clear and concise. Check out the full conversation about “Jargon” on this episode of the Craig and Greg Show.
In a fascinating article about the ways the planet Jupiter protects Earth, the conclusion is spot-on: “Jupiter is more than merely a beautiful planet in the tapestry of the night sky. Its massive size and powerful gravity make it a mighty guardian of Earth. From protecting us from dangerous space debris to helping maintain stable orbits, Jupiter’s influence is essential for life on our planet. Proof of our solar system’s complex design is everywhere around us. It’s easy to see that our world seems purposely made rather than just being a result of random chance causes. From the stars to the tiniest particles, everything in our universe is balanced and works together in a coordinated system. As science progresses and uncovers more about our solar system, scientists keep finding out how perfectly suited our solar system is for life.”
T.M. Moore encourages us to pray for the Church. “The Church is the in-time agency through which the Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. The Kingdom is a spiritual realm; the Church is a physical entity. But is is also a spiritual one; thus it partakes of two worlds at once, and is able to channel the spiritual into the physical to make all things new. The Church is both the sign that the Kingdom has come and the outpost from which the Kingdom advances in the world. Our text is a watershed moment of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and it signals an important focus for every believer’s life and prayers.”
“Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” —Mia Hamm
When swelling and pride come, then emptiness and shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful and godly Wisdom and soundness. (Proverbs 11:2 AMPC)
The pruning, trials, and discipline the Lord allows us to experience are for an important purpose: To allow ourselves to be emptied of ourselves. This humility that empties us of ourselves makes room for us to be full of the presence of God.
On the other hand, remaining full of yourself—also called “pride”—will also bring an emptiness. But this emptiness comes with shame and is absent of God’s fulfilling presence.
You and I must choose one or the other: humility before God or pride in ourselves.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
If leaders say or do the right thing in the wrong way, it really becomes the wrong thing. This is why leaders—especially those who have been sheep-bitten and want to bring corrections—need to take a pause.
In that short moment of reflection, the Holy Spirit can help pastoral leaders respond in a way that will bring restoration, not more pain and possibly division.
I talked about this idea from chapter 2 of my book When Sheep Bite on the Leading From Alignment podcast with John Opalewski and Jim Wiegand.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
The dictionary defines a rhetorical question this way: A question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion of affirmation or denial. In other words, the question is asked with the assumption that the answer is obvious.
The apostle Paul does this five times in five consecutive verses at the end of Romans 8 (see verses 31-35). These questions are Paul’s way of getting us to reaffirm our rock-solid assurance of just how amazing it is that God holds us so securely.
Even though these are rhetorical questions, I want to add the extra assurance by giving you the answer to each question.
(1) Who can stand against me? No one!
Because Almighty God is for me.
(2) Who can cause God’s blessings to be withheld from me? No one!
Because God didn’t withhold His Son Jesus, He won’t withhold any other lesser blessing either.
Because Jesus intercedes for me and imputes His righteousness to me.
(5) Who can separate me from God’s love? No one!
Not a single thing, person, or circumstance can diminish any part of God’s love for me.
Don’t ever buy into the devil’s lies—not even for a second—that somehow you have put yourself in a place where God’s love for you is questionable. Whenever you hear these lies, return again and again to these five powerful rhetorical questions to reassure your heart, mind, and soul of just how securely you are held in God’s grip of grace.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Do you know this pair of cantankerous men from the Muppets? Statler and Waldorf sit in the balcony of the theatre and criticize everything that is happening on the stage. I mean everything! They have a good laugh at their barbs, but no one on the stage seems to find it humorous.
Have you ever met people like this? How do you typically respond to their criticism?
Unfortunately, those who are trying to do the right thing are often the targets of almost constant criticism. Abraham Lincoln said, “If I were to attempt to answer all the criticisms and complaints I receive, I would have no time for any other business.”
President Lincoln was a great leader but he wasn’t without fault, so to certain extent we could expect a little bit of criticism from people who didn’t like his policies. But what about Jesus? It was prophesied about Him that He would be the target of criticism (Isaiah 53:3).
Those out to get Jesus even criticized those who attended to Him. In Mark 14:1-5, they are criticizing a woman who poured perfume on Jesus out of her sincere desire to honor Him. Yet they spoke about her and her actions “indignantly” (v. 4), and they rebuked and criticized her (v. 5). The Greek word in this verse literally means he snorting of horses!
Jesus stepped in to protect this God-fearing woman, “Why are you bothering her? Why are you criticizing this beautiful thing she had done for Me?”
Notice that Jesus responded to the critics, but the woman did not respond. Does that mean that we never answer critics? Are we supposed to ignore them?
First, let’s go back in time to the origin of the words critic and criticism. These words originally meant someone capable of giving a meaningful—perhaps even constructive or helpful—judgment. Think of a trained and skilled chef critiquing your recipe, as opposed to someone who cannot tell the difference between nutmeg and ginger.
The natural response is to ignore all criticism. The supernatural response is prayerfully evaluate criticism. Solomon says there is such a thing as valid criticism (Proverbs 25:12).
So who is a valid critic?
(1) Someone who loves me (Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians 4:15). Paul loved Peter and respected his leadership role in the church, but he still criticized Peter when he messed up (Galatians 2:9, 11).
(2) Someone who has experience or godly wisdom that we don’t yet have (Ecclesiastes 7:5). Micaiah had a word from God, even though King Ahab thought Micaiah simply didn’t like him (1 Kings 22:1-18).
(3) Someone who wants to hurt me. Really!? Dick Brogden wrote, “The Lord uses critics to show us our own hearts, even if what they say is not fully true, informed, or even fair. There is almost always a germ of truth in what our critics (in their own pain and disappointment) shout at us. The wise [person] will humble himself and look for the truth embedded in every oppositional interaction.” As we saw previously from Psalm 26:2, when we hear words of criticism, we need to make it a matter of prayer.
Jesus told the woman’s critics to “leave her alone” but He never defended Himself against the childish barbs (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:13-14). I think we would do well to follow His example. So when criticized, take a deep breath, smile, hear them out, ask clarifying questions, and then say, “Thank you for sharing that with me. I’ll make this a matter of prayer.”
They might accuse you, but you should turn it over to God (Psalm 109:4).
The natural response is to respond all critics. The supernatural response is to respond like Jesus (see 1 Peter 2:21-23).
Remember that quote from Abraham Lincoln we saw earlier? Here’s the rest of his quote—
“From day to day I do the best I can and will continue to do so till the end. If in the end I come out all right, then the complaints and criticisms and what is said against me will make no difference. But, if the end brings me out wrong, then ten angels coming down from heaven to swear I was right would still make no difference.”
Ultimately, we are longing to hear Jesus say, “Well done.” If He cannot say that to us, does it really matter if everyone else praised us? But if Jesus says, “Well cone,” does it really matter the criticism others said about us?
Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us respond supernaturally to our critics—listen prayerfully to ever critic, but only respond to them as Jesus did.
If you have missed any of the other messages in this series When Sheep Bite Sheep, you can find them all here. And if you’re a pastor, be sure to check out my book When Sheep Bite.
“Friendship is a path that leads very close to the perfection which consists of the enjoyment and knowledge of God, such that a man who is a friend of man is made into a friend of God, according to what the Savior said in the gospel: ‘Now I will not call you servants, but My friends [John 15:15].’” —Aelred of Rievaulx
In studying the intense volcanic activity on Jupiter’s moon Io, the ICR concludes, “Since 2013, evidence of a youthful solar system has only gotten stronger. Scientists have been forced to acknowledge that Saturn’s rings are indeed young, and belief in deep time continues to pose real problems for conventional scientists.” The prestigious Nature concurs, saying, “Some such proposals make planetary researchers uncomfortable, because it is statistically unlikely that humans would catch any one object engaged in unusual activity—let alone several.”
Parents and teachers trying to keep up with the ever-changing lexicon of today’s youth will really appreciate this list of slang from Axis.
“Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation.” —Susan B. Anthony
The story of Esther in the Bible is one of my all-time favorites. “While Esther herself has not been identified, nor has the plot to destroy the Jewish people been confirmed, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” To that point, here are 10 pieces of archeological evidence related to this amazing story.
Charisse Compton asks, “When was the last time meditating on your body elicited worship?” She goes on to make this case from Psalm 139: “Your body, as much as your soul, is one of God’s glorious works. It bears the unmistakable signature of the divine Artist so that, like creation, your body ‘declare[s] the glory of God’ (Psalm 19:1).”
Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—so that they should live on forever and not see decay. (Psalm 49:5-9)
There is only One who can ransom me from my death sentence. Jesus tasted death for me that I may live. Jesus became my sin and imputed to me His righteousness. It is only to Him that I look for my rescue!
But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead); for He will receive me. Selah—pause, and calmly think of that! (Psalm 49:15 AMPC)
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
If the expected target metrics of today’s program are met, we expect significant workflow performance advancements from team lead positioned individuals.
Does that seem a little complicated? Jargon in the workplace can very quickly cause significant problems, leading to confusion and disengagement in your team. The solution is simple—clear, concise communication. So let’s try this again without the jargon: Greg and I hope that this episode inspires you to remove the jargon from your communication, and as a result you will see your leadership influence grows.
[0:41] Today we are returning to Leadership Builders and Killers with a topic inspired by a series of videos I saw online about business jargon.
[3:21] Greg asks, “Why all the jargon?”
[5:34] Jargon can take away from what you want to communicate, and can cause others to disengage from the conversation.
[8:26] Jargon is antithetical to a commitment to clarity.
[9:33] I share a story of a conversation with students that highlights wisdom we can take into the workplace.
[12:06] One of the lowest form of communication is assumption.
[14:03] It’s important to circle back with people after a meeting to maker sure they understood.
[15:13] Jargon frequently shows up when there’s bad news to share, and when leaders are trying to cast vision.
[16:50] Sometimes we use jargon to hide.
[19:30] I share a story from the life of John Wesley about how he became a better communicator.
[21:14] It’s important to communicate with everyone on an even playing field, and not use jargon to avoid being pinned down.
[22:39] Using jargon can negatively impact your influence as a leader. Conversely, clear communication will lift your influence.
[24:58] Jargon can creep into your communication without you being aware of it. A coach from outside your industry can help you notice these blind spots.
Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
There is one word that people seem to speak that is blocking the blessings that God wants to send to them.
Check out this latest episode of The Podcast.
Get into God’s Word, and let His Word build your faith to cling to Him in faith until His promise ultimately appears. Don’t let the negative people around you, or your current circumstance, or anything else cause you to walk away from the blessing God wants to give you!
Leaders would help their teams by (1) having shorter meetings, and (2) ensuring their language is clear and concise. Check out the full conversation about “Jargon” on this episode of the Craig and Greg Show. 
Craig T. Owens 