To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

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What kind of king did they expect? Celebrating Holy Week

It’s Palm Sunday and although many know the story, I think it is always good to go deeper and really try to wrap your mind around the meaning and how it impacts us today.

This is my “Simple Thoughts Sunday” version, but I do have to admit this is anything but “simple” for me. As a Christian who is full of faith, I believe fully — but on the other side, I totally understand why some would question the whole story. I mean, how can a community literally lay down their total respect, and welcome a “King” one day, and just a few days later persecute and ultimately murder him? How could that happen?

After a bit of research, I have come to understand that quite possibly the crowds who welcomed Jesus into town on that first Palm Sunday, waving their palm branches to demonstrate their honor, were not the same community members who rallied for his death. Those that stood in the former camp were those that likely expected “their King” to come and set up new political systems and otherwise fight to protect them from the Roman control. They quite possibly were also put off by the teachings that we should repent of our sins and instead change our hearts and shine our light for a brighter world through our actions of mercy and love.

This “King” was the complete opposite of the king they expected. They wanted bold and bravado. Jesus represented an approach that was difficult to embrace.

As you begin Holy Week, I think it’s useful to contemplate what kind of “King” (or person leading your life) would you truly want. I personally love the “King” that I believe came to literally save us from ourselves. Someone who is full of grace and forgiveness, yet who in their strength, gives me the confidence and faith that I fully know that “He’s got this,” no matter what situation I’m in.

Have a wonderful week my friends. It is such a blessing to be alive at this moment in time, and to as a community share our different faiths and showcase love at all times.

2017, The final review: Books I loved

Reading — and continuous learning in general, really — is among the top three things we can do to grow personally, if you ask me.

I realized I wrapped up 2017 without my final reading list, so I thought today would be a great day to get this on the record. In fact, as February kicks off, I hope you will find one that interests you enough to grab a copy on Amazon or your local bookstore.

With the temperatures still hovering around freezing, it’s the perfect time to shut off the television and jump into learning! (For many, it’s getting lost in a fictional story. I seem to prefer nonfiction. Whatever you fancy, the practice expands your mind, imagination and thinking so go for what you love.)

Here are some thoughts on a few books that I loved in particular, but my full reading list from May through December is at the end:

Higher is Waiting, Tyler Perry

  • Why I loved it: Frankly I just love Tyler Perry (AKA Madea), so it didn’t matter what it was — I knew I’d probably like it. The thing is, his book is pure gold. This is where I got the idea from a December blog to ask those you love to write you a letter versus giving a gift. I did this and my boys and my mom wrote me the most wonderful, personal letters. I will cherish them forever and make this an annual practice. Books like this provide us those “gems” that enrich our lives.

Side Hustle, Chris Guillebeau

  • Why I loved it: Our current economy is sometimes referred to as the “gig” economy. What this means is that many people have made it a practice to have many “side” streams of income coming in. Chris promises to go from an idea to income in 27 days. This is a simple and practical little book that highlights ideas and stories that just might be a game changer for you.

A Resilient Life, Gordon MacDonald

  • Why I loved it: First of all, let’s just say that I really loved it! I have gifted it multiple times now and paid my boys to read this one. If they soak up even a part of it, their lives will change in the best possible ways. The book is older and full of wisdom. It is a Christian perspective on business and life. Some of the ideas that got me thinking: Who stretches your mind? Who listens to and encourages your dreams? When forming your group of close friends, you might ask: Who will protect you? Those alone are worth the price of the book and that is just a glimpse. If you only pick up one of these, pick this.

Whisper, Mark Batterson

  • Why I loved it: Mark is my very favorite Christian author. His book the Circle Maker is another I gift often. Mark’s books are full of stories, science and studies that compel you to be better and stronger. This book is about hearing from God and how we do so. I loved his story about Pure Delight: “Seven times in the book of Genesis, God steps back from the canvas of his creation and admires. It is his reaction and is expressed as “good” which comes from the Hebrew work tob… joy unspeakable. That first emotion sets the tone, sets the bar. God delights in what he does and he wants nothing less for us.”

Of Mess and Moxie, Jen Hatmaker

  • Why I loved it: Jen is hilarious and inspiring. She captures motherhood — and she has her hands full to say the least, so she knows the job well. One of my favorite quotes in the book she attributed to Brennan Manning: “Many people between the ages of 30 and 60, whatever their stature in the community and whatever their personal achievements, undergo what can truly be called a second journey. The second journey begins when we know we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the morning program.” It’s good.

Unscripted, Ernie Johnson Jr.

  • Why I loved it: This one is especially for the men but good for everyone. I pick up books like this so I can better understand my boys. Ernie is a long-time NBA commentator and the books takes us through his journey, including a fierce battle with cancer. I loved this concept: “God has given us many moments that blessed us and blessed those who seek them. I call those blackberries (blackberry moments). If get get too tied up in what we’re doing in our jobs, in the game, in whatever it is, we miss them, and when we do, we’re missing out on so much.”

Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes

  • Why I loved it: I heard 100 times how great this was before I picked it up. It IS that good. Go get this one for sure. It’s fun, useful and is exactly what the title says about making a decision to get out and say yes to things, including and especially those that scared Shonda.

Braving the Wilderness, Brene Brown

  • Why I loved it: Another amazing work from Brene who has blessed us with game-changing TED Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” and three other terrific books. Brene is a research professor at the University of Houston and lives out a life of impact. She covers why joy and pain are collective journeys, including the need to “show up” to experience these with those you love and why it is so powerful. So many good concepts that you really should read the book.

She’s Still There, Chrystal Evans Hurst

  • Why I loved it: I think this is her first book. She comes from a family of writers and musicians. I have to say, this was an amazing read. She could have titled it different, but it is full of great insights and inspiration. One idea I noted and love, “Schedule celebration moments monthly.” Love that.

Quiet, Susan Cain

  • Why I loved it: There is a reason this book has earned so much notoriety. It’s one about introverts, and as someone who is just over the edge into being an extrovert, I adored this book and the science and thinking behind the work. This should be a must-read for anyone who works with people, including parents. One of the thoughts: “One genuine relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.” True, true and true!

Black Privilege, Charlamagne tha God

  • Why I loved it: I loved it because it is SO out of my normal category of books. The language and approach aren’t quite my cup of tea but, we MUST learn and grow by understanding others and this is a great way to do it. Charlamagne is a popular co-host on the nationally syndicated hip-hop iHeart Radio program the Breakfast Club, and a featured television personality. He tells his story in a way that makes you feel like you were a part of it. His quote: “If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this book, it’s that privilege is something that everyone can access.” It’s worth your time.

Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferris

  • Why I loved it:  Tim Ferris may be my favorite author at the moment. Last year he wrote Tools of Titans and his famous 4-hour work week, that he wrote a few years ago, are both best sellers. This book is essentially “short life advice” from who he considers some top contemporary influencers in our society today. It’s easy to read and full of wonderful ideas. He asks the same series of questions to these influencers and showcases their answers. My favorite question was: “What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about how to enter the “real world?” With 200 answers to this, I think I sent 50 to my boys… Brilliant format and a must-read.

Let me know if you end of reading any of these. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: GROWTH

I love things that inspire me; especially those that catch me off guard.

Chris Hodges is an author and pastor I follow from Birmingham (shout out to my BAMA friends Nan and Jan).

I have shared before that I do an annual spiritual fast, called the “Daniel Fast.” I do it the first 21 days of each year. Coupled with a better diet, I also give up the unhealthy surfing of social media channels and most TV. (I still use Twitter and Linked in for work, and admittedly still watch ‘This is Us,’ because I just can’t not watch.)

It’s amazing how much time is freed up. Also, how your focus returns to where it really should be all year long. Chris’s church, Highlands, is also doing the “Daniel Fast.” They add 21 days of prayer, and actually have a 6 a.m. weekday service that focused on great worship music and a 5-minute message before a prayer service. They posted about it online, and I was blown away by the message earlier this week on growth, and the reference to Luke 2:52.

I pray this scripture over my boys frequently and have since they were young men. I had not really given it much thought in terms of my own personal growth. Hello light bulb moment. We are all growing, whether we are 2-years-old or 92-years-old. Always learning, always looking to go deeper, share more, serve better…

Chris’s word for the year is GROWTH. (More on the word-of-the-year concept here, in case you missed it.) I think he may be a few years older than me, but I love that idea and thought you might as well.

I am praying this scripture over all of us today. May we achieve all that we were destined to in order to serve our FULL PURPOSE in this life. We will talk this week about growth in general, and some leadership insights I hope will help you continue to build momentum!

Today is a great day to SPREAD JOY

While I love January and the fresh start this month offers, it also happens to be a bit too cold and dreary. Like, the kind of cold and dreary where your shoulders are hunched over and your face is pummeled with cold wind, snow or freezing rain.

It’s also the month many of us get the latest virus that steals a few days – or a week – of our productivity. Yuck!

Now that we’re halfway through the month, I hope you are feeling the great energy and hum of life and business. I sure am. Whether you’re in the community, school or work place, there’s something about an extra dose of energy as everyone embarks on their goals with refreshed boldness. So special.

Right about now, we need to remember that to truly serve well (ourselves and others), we need to take designated time to honor others. I call this “spreading joy.” I have shared this before but it’s helpful to share again and again.

My practice was to do this at least once a week, putting it in my calendar to make sure I didn’t miss this opportunity. I would then send out a reminder to our company leaders and ask them to do the same. Imagine the power if everyone took time out of their week to go spread joy. We had a goal for each of us to do this for at least three people. It could be a hand-written note, a call or, best yet, a meet-and-greet. Heck, even a text with an authentic “thank you” goes a long way.

I hope that you will come up with your own personal strategy for SPREADING JOY. If you can, start now. Stop what you are doing and reach out to three people who you really appreciate! It will make your day – and theirs!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: The anchor that holds you

This is what I know for sure:

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
— Hebrews 6:19

As you step into this week, bold and ready to continue a strong start in the first month of the year, this truth should give you great confidence. I personally like the idea of knowing that God has me anchored. As long as I stay close to His word and listen for His guidance, I can know for sure that He has me. He has you, too!

I like this quote by Charles Stanley, “Life Principles #3: God’s word is an immovable anchor in times of storms.” I have found this to be true. I believe He has us anchored in the great times and, most importantly, during those “every day days.” (We can use this when it’s cold and dreary!) He holds us tight and I believe we can rely fully on his direction for our lives.

How about you? I hope today finds you feeling anchored. And if not, renew your commitment today to fully trust God’s promise that He has you completely covered.

Happy New Year to the BEST! I am so thankful for my readers!

I thought today for “Simple Thoughts Sunday” it would be good to share a practice that I feel is very helpful in processing your year. Tsh Oxenreider, author and founder of The Art of Simple crafted 20 questions that will help you think through the nitty gritty of the past year.

The process should help you set your focus and intentions on what you hope to achieve during this next trip around the sun. Here you go…

What was the single best thing that happened this year?

What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

What was an unexpected joy this past year?

What was an unexpected obstacle?

Pick three words to describe this past year.

Pick three words your partner, best friends or family, would use to describe your year- don’t ask them; guess based on how you think they see you.

Pick three words for them based on their year, again, without asking.

What were the best books books you read this year?

Who were your most valuable relationships with?

What was your biggest personal challenge from January-December?

In what ways did you grow emotionally?

In what ways did you grow spiritually?

In what ways did you grow physically?

In what ways did you grow in your relationships with others?

What was the most enjoyable part of your work, both professionally and at home?

What was the most challenging part of the same?

What was your single biggest time waster?

What was the best way you used your time?

What was the biggest thing you learned?

Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.

(By the way, this is really hard for me this year… It’s been a “gritty” year and sometimes it seems like I haven’t made a lot of progress. I’m praying God reveals more to me over the next few days because one thing I have learned, is that progress isn’t always apparent at first!)

I hope you have a wonderful celebration today. I am excited to see what 2018 brings and believe fully that God will show up BIG in every single detail.

Time to DOWN SHIFT!

It’s that time of year when work winds down and we shift — as in “DOWN SHIFT” — our FOCUS to our friends and family. (Thank you Mic Johnson, @mictastic, for the term.) 

I know many of you are still working through this week, and I hope you are able to take some time off during these next couple of weeks. We are in a society of constant connectedness, and our brains need to be able to shut down & reboot so that we can CREATE MAGIC IN 2018!

Whether your thing is taking in the new Star Wars movie, doing absolutely nothing and sitting by the fire, binging on your latest Netflix fav, getting a pedicure with your girls or reading some great books, do whatever fulfills you! Research shows that our brains need a break!

“Push yourself through too many hours or days of work and your brain starts to push back. Ideas that once flowed easily dry up, and tasks that you should be able to perform quickly become excruciatingly difficult,” according to Scientific American.

I personally don’t need too much convincing. My mind and body begs for me to take a break! I will be taking off Sunday and Tuesday from the blog, but please know I wish you the very best and am praying for each of you to be filled with the all the peace and joy the season can offer!

Time well spent: next-level thinking

I thought since the year is closing in, it would be good to spend one of the last work weeks focused on a deeper topic. One that just might help you as you’re closing in on your goals and establishing your big, bold and amazing 2018 plan! (We’ll get to that soon, too. I have some great content to share.)

In Tim Ferriss’s new book, Tribe of Mentors, he showcases a transcript of the same few questions he asked about 200 people that have inspired him in some way. His question was: “What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you have ever made?”

One of the stand-out answers for me was from Brené Brown who said, “PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION.”

That resonated because I like to move straight to the ACTION part of solving a problem. In fact, her comment was that “most of us are plagued with action bias and really struggle to stay in the problem identification part… ” The idea that getting clear and digging deep into what the root is would be pretty helpful, don’t you think? Here’s where my mind went:

When someone I love is struggling, it is easy to assume the problem is something obvious (their significant other, work, school, etc.). For the most part, it’s a combination.

When you can’t seem to work through a project at work easily, is it because you haven’t asked the “right” questions and haven’t been engaging your mind to next-level thinking?

When I’m even in “innovation” mode and ready to conquer the world with ideas for my clients, do I even know what their real problems are? What research can I do to dive deeper?

When I can’t seem to sleep, could it be because of something not immediately clear?

Answering what’s not so obvious seems like the perfect place to go when problem solving. Being more thoughtful, spending more time in research, asking better questions… yes please.

I’d love to know if this resonates with you!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: God says GO

(quote from @SamuelRodriguez via Instagram)

How many times have you had something difficult to overcome and you kept going to God in prayer? Frustrated that it seemed like nothing was happening, and doubting your own faith.

In my life I have definitely seen that there are plenty of times that I was supposed to CLIMB over it, through it, and sometimes with blood, sweat and tears involved. (Lots of tears and not a lot of blood, thank God.) Lots of conversations and heartache, and yet we must CLIMB.

It is in those experiences that I believe we grow and learn the most about ourselves and how to endure so that we can truly become who we are supposed to be to serve the VERY BEST. As you are planning your week, give some thought to anything that you have been hoping that God would take away. Perhaps your direction is to move through it.

Have the very best week! Less than a handful left in this crazy year!

A great lesson from football!

I have always loved football and understand the basics of the game really well. I can thank my parents for that, who, before I was born, used to drive to another city and get a hotel just to watch the Chiefs play. That’s dedication, and was probably great fun for their generation.

We happen to have a great friend from our summer camp days that plays in the NFL as a defensive tackle. Understanding what that means is a whole other topic (reminder: I’m into basics). I didn’t really know, so my son gave me a great illustration to help me get it…

A defensive tackle, he said, is the guy who doesn’t really usually get the credit, but is setting his team up to succeed. He blocks, hopefully leaving an open path for pressure on the quarterback. How cool is that? My immediate thought was that this is the position we should all strive for: helping others to succeed, to win, to get the credit.

I was curious, so I consulted with the internet for some more fun, insightful and technical details…

  • The DT is typically the largest and strongest of the defensive players. (Well of course he is… it takes a big person to allow others to take the spotlight while you are a key building block for their success.)
  • They may be called to fill several different roles. (Always important. Flexibility to move and accommodate is critical to serving well….)

Have an awesome week! Let’s all go set someone up to succeed this week!