Laughing!

One of the most contagious laughs ever....

Bad Leadership Habits

This list is from Businessweek Magazine. It is the top 20 things that will hinder leadership in business. It's amazing to me how Biblical principles hold true in all circumstances. See what you think:


Winning Too Much
The need to win at all costs and in all situations—when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point.
Adding Too Much Value
The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.
Passing Judgment
The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
Making Destructive Comments
The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.
Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However”
The overuse of these qualifiers, which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right. You’re wrong.”
Telling the World How Smart We Are
The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.
Speaking When Angry
Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
Negativity
The need to share our negative thoughts, even when we weren’t asked.
Withholding Information
The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.
Failing to Give Proper Recognition
The inability to praise and reward.
Claiming Credit We Don’t Deserve
The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.
Making Excuses
The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.
Clinging to the Past
The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else.
Playing Favorites
Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
Refusing to Express Regret
The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.
Not Listening
The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
Failing to Express Gratitude
The most basic form of bad manners.
Punishing the Messenger
The misguided need to attack the innocent, who are usually only trying to protect us.
Passing the Buck
The need to blame everyone but ourselves.
An Excessive Need to Be “Me”
Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they exemplify who we are

Are you a "the"?

I read this post on Seth Godin's Blog:

The article in the Times didn't set out to say something vitally important about marketing, but it did. In starting off a profile it says,
"For the past couple of years Jun Kaneko, the ceramic artist..."

It didn't say "a ceramic artist." No. It said, "the ceramic artist".

The entire tone of the piece changes. It's so much better to be a 'the' not an 'a'.

Which are you?

I don't think it's a trivial distinction. In fact, I'd argue that it's worth an enormous amount of your time and your budget to focus on becoming the.

After reading this, it made me think about something I heard John Maxwell say. He said, "People stand in line for above average." He was talking about developing your strengths. Spend 80% of your time working on your strengths.

Let's say you are weak in something or not gifted at something - rank that as a 4. (below average)

Then rank something that you feel you are good at or gifted at - rank that as a 7. (above average)

Now - your odds are pretty good that you can get that 7 to a 10 if you work on it. However, no matter how hard you work on your "ungiftedness", you will never be able to get it above a 7.

People stand in line for 10s. Find out your strengths - spend time working on them, and become a "the"!

New Bama Staff Complete

Ok, it looks like the TIDE is finished upgrading the coaching staff. Here is what we are looking at:

1) Nick Saban - Head Coach
2) Joe Pendry - Off. Cord.
3) Major_Applewhite - QB Coach
4) Burton Burns - RB Coach
5) Ron Middleton- Receivers/TE Coach
6) Steve Marshall - O-Line Coach
7) Kevin Steele - Def. Cord./LB Coach
8) Bo Davis - D-Line Coach
9) Kirby Smart - D-Backs Coach
10) Lance Thompson - D-Line Coach

Click on each name to get an idea of their previous coaching experience. I have to say we have really upgraded and probably have one of the best coaching staffs we have had in a long, long time.

If you are a Bama Fan - this has to get you excited!! Roll Tide!!

He's my King!

I just love this.

Good word...

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

What a great verse! Isn't it great to know that God loves us? Delights over us?

Break-up Attempts

Today we talked through Luke 4:1-13

In this passage, Jesus suffers through 40 days of temptations. Following his example can help us as we face similar temptations.


Knowing the temptor's (or "the weasel's") strategy helps us. His ultimate goal is to try to break-up our relationship with God. Here are the ways he tempted Jesus:

Temptation 1 The temptation to meet a legitimate desire, illegitimately. Jesus was hungry, and he tempted Jesus to make bread from stones. Hunger is a legitimate desire. We all have real desires given to us from God. The desire for sex, happiness, acceptance, etc.. However, the weasel says - you need to meet those desires "my way". Jesus said, "Man needs more than bread for life." In other words - the only way those legit desires are going to be fulfilled is God's way.

Temptation 2 The temptation to take a shortcut to get a blessing. Jesus was offered authority over everything now - if he would worship the weasel. That meant no beatings, no suffering. Take the shortcut. We get the same temptation. "Take the shortcut - just cheat a little, just lie a little." You deserve that blessing, why wait for it - when you can have it now. All you have to do is compromise a little. Jesus said, You must worship God only - no shortcuts.

Temptation 3 The temptation to manipulate God to do what you want. Jesus was challenged to jump off a building because "surely God will save you." This is a sneaky temptation and looks like this: "God, I will do this, if you do that. It is deal making with God. Trying to force his hand. Jesus said, Do not test the Lord your God.

So, what can we do? We have to recognize and "rebuke". Recognize when we are being tempted. What situations do we usually get tempted in? Where are our weak spots? Recognizing when and where we usually get tempted is a good first step.

Then, if we just take a second in the heat of the temptation to say a quick prayer, or quote a principle, or even a verse - that is an enormous step in beating the temptation. We developed this prayer:

"Weasel, you will not break-up my relationship with God. God will meet my desires his way. God will give me his blessing in his time. God will deliver."

Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

10th Grade Group

These are the young adults that have to sit through our lessons every Sunday. Lord Help them!! : )