Field notes
for the leadership journey
Leadership
We're not looking for more information. Flip through Amazon or your podcast app on any topic and overwhelm sets in quickly. While we’re oversaturated with information we desperately need to grow in self-awareness. I spend most of my week with pastors and kingdom...
After two years of pushing full-time to help Stay Forth have its best chance of “making it” I sensed a change was coming. I had asked my amazing wife for a two year pass to push harder than normal, and my buzzer was approaching. In addition to fighting through...
I think I’m supposed to launch this! I hear this phrase hundreds of times each year from excited change makers over a hot black coffee, in coaching sessions or on a zoom call. Whenever someone utters this I feel two things simultaneously; excited and sad. Most of...
Coaching
Deep down we all want to believe this is true, especially on our worst days. But our culture wages war against this thought, grinding down our hearts through a war of attrition. Every. Single. Day. Character. Integrity. Abiding in Christ. We know these are crucial,...
Here’s a morbid question; how many ideas are buried in your local graveyard? Some of the best ideas, potentially life-changing ideas, die with people. Why? Fear kept them buried inside. Fear convinces us we should never start. It whispers to us, “Who are you to do...
I used to take pretty much any opportunity to influence people - speak to a group, consult with a church or coach a leader needing direction. It helped to develop me. People gave me a shot, and I wasn’t going to miss it. Although I needed to grow my craft and gain...
summaries
Brene Brown has had a meteoric rise since her TED talk on vulnerability. She is a rare mix between researcher and practitioner. She is quite human and incredibly accomplished. She is unzipping the hearts of people of all shapes, flavors, and styles. Her core message...
The Emotionally Healthy Church; A Stay Forth Summary I don’t know if there is a more paradigm-shifting book for church leaders. Period. There are cracks below our leadership that bubble to the surface. Unfortunately, we rarely see them, but others can see them in us....
More + more + more is always better. Right? We live in a culture of excess, and it's affecting every area of our lives. We pushed our budgets, calorie intake, and energy reserves to the max during the December sprint. Our current predicament is twofold; the constant...
Church
I spend a lot of time with church leaders. Sometimes we’re sharing a meal, sipping a coffee or sitting around a fire pit. Other times we’re digging deep into their life and leadership in a coaching session. While there are several studies out there about pastors I...
A friend asked me to bike across the state of Colorado with her and her team for the annual Ride the Rockies. What? Me?! Why?!? Despite my first reactions, I joined the team. You can imagine that I was intimidated. What you probably don’t know is that my word for...
You’re gazing across the chasm. There’s a risk you’re considering, but you’re staring failure in the face. You’re sizing it up and wondering if it’s worth it. You want to accomplish something of meaning, but you’re feeling the weight of the risk. You have a backup...