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There seems to be a belief among some leaders that the louder they yell, the better they’re understood. No need to call anyone out, but we’re sure someone just came to mind. When you received that kind of coaching, did you receive it well? Of course not! Coaching should be focused on correcting and improving for the next time, not berating for things in the past. So tune in, and learn more about how you can coach up.
[0:18] Leadership ideas can come from all over the place.
[1:34] We need to focus on the “up” in our coaching, not just yelling at our teammates.
[3:15] We should coach up with questions instead of statements.
[4:55] The instructions we give before “the game” pay huge dividends in the heat of the moment.
[6:42] Treat mistakes as coaching opportunities.
[7:50] When leaders are coaching up their teammates, they need to focus on tone and timing.
[10:38] We share some additional thoughts about seeing the potential for coaching in our teammates’ mistakes.
[12:27] Every person learns differently so every teammate needs to be coached differently too.
[13:21] I share a memorable story from my time working with the Guys With Ties group.
[16:03] Greg shares an encouraging quote.
[18:03] Coaching takes place outside of the spotlight, so we need to learn the right timing for our coaching.
[22:08] Leaders can’t be the armchair quarterback, but they must trust their teammates who were closer to the action.
[23:59] Coaching up will eliminate most of our HR problems.
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.
When people ask me about end times events, it is usually from a posture of hand-wringing worry. But when Jesus told His followers about what is to come, He repeatedly told them not to be afraid.
If your mental health is struggling remember GIGO: garbage in, garbage out. We need to look at all our inputs: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Check out this full message by clicking here. And be sure to check out all of my videos on my YouTube channel.
In a post entitled The Quest For Immortality, John Stonestreet reminds us that we are more than just the physical bodies we have. He wrote, “Attempts to achieve immortality have continued (and continued to fail) right up to our own time. Medieval European alchemists believed they could produce ‘the philosopher’s stone,’ which would perfect the imperfect, turning lead into gold and making mortal life immortal. Enlightenment thinkers of the late 18th century rejected the mysticism of alchemy but continued to speculate about the means to attain physical immortality. Mary Shelley’s Frankensteinwas written as a cautionary tale about scientific hubris, in response to the more modern attempts of medicine and biology to preserve, extend, and improve life.” Check out this full post.
“You have to train your mind as much as your body.” —Venus Williams
“Peace is the normal condition and set of the soul of those who know the Kingdom’s presence in their lives. And only Jesus can give us the peace that overcomes the fears and troubles of the world, so that His Kingdom citizens may ‘be of good cheer’ [John 16:33] in all they do, come what may.”
“Hatred and anger are the greatest poison to the happiness of a good mind.” —Adam Smith
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” —Anonymous
I really love the He Gets Us presentation of Jesus. Check them out! I used the example Jesus showed us of proper self-care in my book Shepherd Leadership.
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In my book Shepherd Leadership, I have a chapter entitled ‘The Wrong Ladder.’ Let me share two short paragraphs with you to set the stage—
Maybe, like many people, you’ve been working on a plan to climb your own ladder of success. You’ve been careful to get the best education, meet the right people, and put in the right amount of time on each level, all while keeping your eyes and ears open for the next “rung” of the ladder.
Perhaps this is successful in the corporate world, but I wonder how this idea has crept into the ministry world. Make no mistake: this mindset is prominent in our churches and nonprofit organizations. We may dress it up in churchy language, but the attitude is still there.
On the pages of Luke’s Gospel, we read a very unimpressive but praiseworthy resume of a vital ministry leader: John the Baptizer.
His first ministry job begins when “the word of the Lord came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Luke 3:2).
A word from God had already been spoken about John’s life that was pretty impressive (Luke 1:13-17, 76-77). From birth, John knew that he was to be the forerunner of the long-awaited Messiah. John could have walked around with quite an ego, but instead, we read, “And [John] grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel” (1:80).
No special education, no ladder-climbing positions, no getting to know all the right people who could open doors for him. He was simply alone with God in the wilderness for nearly 30 years!
Then just as quickly as he burst on the scene, God took John off the scene (Luke 3:20; Matthew 14:3-11). John knew this would happen—that he was merely a herald, and that his ministry would decrease as Christ’s increased. John shows us that it’s not about how many people are in your church, how big of a budget you’ve raised, or how long you’ve been in a particular position. It’s about faithful obedience.
It’s about being comfortable with anonymity, if that’s what God chooses. It’s about allowing God to place and remove him when and how He chooses.
Assuming that John began his ministry shortly before he baptized Jesus, it lasted about a year and a half. Thirty years in seclusion, one and a half years of public preaching, a year and four months in prison—and then the final curtain.
This is the resume of the man who ushered in the Savior of the world, and of whom Jesus said there had not been born anyone greater (Matthew 11:11).
In ‘The Wrong Ladder’ chapter, I concluded with this—
God frequently picks people we would consider the least qualified. He sometimes has one in an unglamorous position for years, and sometimes He catapults somebody immediately to the top. Sometimes God will keep His hand-selected individual in a prominent leadership position until death, and sometimes He will remove that person to a place of obscurity after only a short time.
God’s ladder of success is nothing like ours!
May all of us in leadership positions make this our prayer: Father, this is for Your glory, not my advancement. I’m not here to build my following, my resume, my fame. I only want to live and lead and minister for Your glory and for Your fame. Holy Spirit, help me keep this example of John at the forefront of my mind anytime I think about building my own resume. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Father’s Day can bring up a lot of different emotions for folks. Growing up, you might not have had a very good experience with your father or perhaps you didn’t have a father involved with you at all. Maybe you look back on your own history as a Dad and have some regrets. Perhaps you’re an empty-nester now or maybe you’ve never had kids of your own.
Regardless of your experience with your father or with your own circumstances, I think there are some things that we all naturally expect from our Dads. These are things that we should honor and things we as Dads should strive to demonstrate in our lives.
Luke introduces us to a man in the Book of Acts named Joseph. We don’t know if he is a biological father or not, but he is presented to us as a spiritual father that we would do well to emulate. In fact, we only know his name is Joseph from our first introduction to him. This man was such an inspiration to so many people that he was given the nickname Barnabas—the name that is used everywhere else in the New Testament.
When we think of our list of attributes of an ideal father, I think we all look to our fathers for these five things.
(1) Be there when we are getting started. Barnabas was there when Saul (later named Paul) first became a Christian and when the first Gentiles became Christians (Acts 9:26-28; 11:19-23).
(2) Provide for us financially. Barnabas is the first person mentioned by name that gave a significant and much-needed financial donation to the Church (Acts 4:34-37).
(3) Help us learn to leave our nest and fly on our own. Barnabas gave Paul his first leadership role in the Church (Acts 11:25-26).
(4) Step back as we learn to soar on our own. Barnabas took the lead in the first commissioned missionary journey, but then we see him stepping aside for Paul to take the lead (Acts 13:1-2, 13).
(5) Continue to “be there” for us even after we’ve left the nest. Barnabas also picked John Mark to accompany him and Paul on that first missionary endeavor, but when Barnabas stepped aside for Paul, Mark headed home instead of continuing on their trip. Later on, Barnabas wanted to give Mark another shot, but Paul was strongly against that. As a result, Paul and Barnabas parted company, with Barnabas taking Mark with him. From this point on, Luke doesn’t tell us anything else about Barnabas, but we know that Mark became the first one to write his Gospel account of the life of Jesus and that he became reconciled to both Paul and Peter, becoming an invaluable help to both of them. Although we don’t read what happened, I think it’s a good bet that all of this came about through the encouragement of Barnabas (Acts 13:13, 15:36-40; 2 Timothy 4:11; 1 Peter 5:13).
The name Joseph means “exalted.” Joseph was born into the tribe of Levi, placing him at the heart of the Jewish faith, yet he risked it all to not only acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah but to be so invested in the Christian Church that they called him Barnabas. Luke tells that his name means Son of Encouragement.
The word “encourage” literally comes from in + courage—to put courage into someone, to inspire others with the courage or confidence they need to do something great.
The word “encouragement” in Acts 4:26 in Greek is paraklesis: the same word used for the Holy Spirit.
Fathers can only put in others what is already in themselves.
Acts 11:24 tells us that Barnabas was “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Because He was full of the Spirit of God, he could put that courage and security in others around him.
Guys, it’s the same for us today. We have to be filled with the security, the joy, and the courage that springs eternally from the Holy Spirit. Only when we are filled with the Spirit can we put something truly impactful into the lives of our kids—both our biological and spiritual children.
We don’t know how old Barnabas was. We don’t know if he had children of his own or not. All we know is that he was a good man that was full of the Holy Spirit, and that gave him the courage to put into others.
What a great example for all of us to follow!
If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series We Are: Pentecostal, where we’ve been learning about the blessings that come to those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you can find all of those messages here.
Quite frequently God’s measurement of success is nothing like our measurements. “More” doesn’t always mean success. Check out this example which I unpack in my book Shepherd Leadership.And be sure to check out all of my videos on my YouTube channel.
Living in the Great Lakes state my whole life, I have always been fascinated by the huge bodies of water which surround us—they are almost like mini-oceans. As a result, there have been nearly 600 shipwrecks on our lakes. Check out the history of these wrecks here.
In spite of what some skeptics claim, Christianity is not anti-science. In fact, J. Warner Wallace lays out the evidence that shows that Christ-followers have fueled the major scientific advancements of history.
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” —Judy Garland
Isaac Newton said, “Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance. … This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” Check out the amazing symmetries in our solar system that Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton all identified.
“The truth is the kindest thing we can give folks in the end.” —Harriet Beecher Stowe
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Too often we fall into the trap of seeing meetings as perfunctory, tedious, and downright boring to attend. In this episode, Greg and I are here to tell you, we like meetings! If managed correctly, meetings can be an impactful leadership tool that helps grow and bond your team. So set aside any of your preconceived notions, and let us tell you why they think you should embrace opportunities for meetings.
[0:57] We’re robbing ourselves when we just try to “get through” a meeting.
[2:33] Leaders help everyone learn during the meetings.
[4:00] Don’t spring brand new information on your team at the meeting, but help them prepare to contribute ahead of time.
[5:40] There is a value in getting our teams together.
[7:50] Sometimes the best leadership move is to cancel a meeting.
[9:28] How can leaders make meetings more efficient?
[10:42] A leader’s attendance signals the value of the meeting.
[11:23] Greg has a sarcastic quote that makes a great point about meetings.
[12:57] Not every meeting needs to involve every team member.
[14:36] Leaders need to set expectations before the meeting starts.
[16:37] How insecure leaders sabotage meetings.
[19:01] Be conscious of the workloads of those who are invited to your meetings.
[21:47] How do leaders keep people on-topic during meetings?
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.
I’ve talked before about the benefits of calling the Old and New Testaments the First and Second Testaments. This helps me not to subconsciously slip into the thought that “old” means outdated or that “new” means a replacement of what came before it. When I say First and Second I remember that there cannot be a Second without a First, that the First anticipates the Second and the Second fulfills the First.
The people of the First Testament experienced the Spirit of God in an often-repeated phrase: “the Spirit of the Lord came on” someone. It usually came on them for a specific task or season. For instance…
70 leaders to help Moses (Numbers 11:25)
the judges that delivered Israel from their enemies (Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 14:6, 15:14)
the anointing for Israel’s king (1 Samuel 16:13)
empowerment for prophets to prophesy (Ezekiel 11:5)
When the Holy Spirit came on these men, there was a noticeable supernatural anointing and empowerment, but more times than not these men also had visible and sometimes crippling stumbles.
What happens on the outside often stays on the outside. Sort of like the little boy whose mom brought him to church one Sunday. The little boy was constantly standing up on his chair and disturbing everyone around him. Finally, the exasperated mother whispered, “If you don’t sit down I’m going to take you to the restroom and spank you.” The little boy immediately sat down with his arms tightly crossed. He looked at his mom and said, “Outside I may be sitting down but inside I’m standing up!”
God looks at the heart. He told the Israelites that their inward defiance didn’t outweigh their outward religious practices. And Jesus said that people who prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles, but still had an unrepentant heart, would hear Him say, “I never knew you” (Isaiah 1:12-13; Matthew 7:21-23).
In the First Testament, we see a desire for the Holy Spirit to be more than on—a desire for Him to come in.David prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). And God promised His people, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them … And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:27).
Paul identified this fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” and he concluded with the phrase, “against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). The law always sets limits, but when the Holy Spirit abides in us, the production of fruit is limitless!
Being baptized in the Holy Spirit means that we allow Him to come in us and then to work on us. It’s only when the Holy Spirit has worked in us that can He flow through us to others. Jesus said that we would receive the Spirit’s empowerment to be witnesses—that’s an inward change that produces an outward fruit.
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As I was being interviewed on theLeading From Alignment podcast, Jim Wiegand and John Opalewski were asking me about back-to-back chapters in my book Shepherd Leadership where I discuss how a leader’s confidence and humility should be in a healthy tension with each other.
There is an alter-ego superhero I created to help me learn this lesson—his name is Plungerman!
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T.M. Moore is an esteemed theologian and a good friend. I was excited to discover someone who shared my passion for viewing pastoring as “pasturing”—seeing ourselves as under-shepherds following The Chief Shepherd Jesus.
There seems to be a belief among some leaders that the louder they yell, the better they’re understood. No need to call anyone out, but we’re sure someone just came to mind. When you received that kind of coaching, did you receive it well? Of course not! Coaching should be focused on correcting and improving for the next time, not berating for things in the past. So tune in, and learn more about how you can coach up.
Craig T. Owens 