Tag: leadership

Discipleship 101: Be Teachable

On By pastorjonathanIn discipleship, leadership, ManhoodLeave a comment

So through the years God has blessed me to be able to be in a mentor/ coach/ lead/ disciple/ pastor or whatever the next buzz-word will be, several men.  For the first several years I didn’t recognize much of what was happening other than the guys who were hanging around me began asking great questions and I was able to teach from where I had been and what I knew to be true from God’s word.  These days I’m a little more intentional and I move forward with a larger game plan to develop and strengthen the gifts and talents that these men posses in the Lord.

Regi Campbell shares in his book Mentor Like Jesus that he generally picks the guys that he is going to mentor.  I tend to agree Regi’s line of thinking on this.  The disciple maker should choose the disciples.  For the longest time I didn’t know why I held this as a default position other than the fact that through the years I’ve rejected some folks who wanted my input and sought out others to influence.  Then it dawned on me… The guys I picked tended to have one quality in common… They were teachable.

Be Teachable

I learned a long time ago that not everyone who came to me for discipleship really wanted to grow.  Sometimes people sought me out for opportunity or endorsement; they didn’t always want to learn what I might have to teach.  As a pastor I know that my greatest work for the moment with these type people will not be actual discipleship, but in bringing them to a place of being teachable (which usually involves allowing them to fail repeatedly until they come to a place of frustration and through their frustration they overcome their pride enough to ask for help).

When Jesus called the first few disciples he said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”  The key to becoming fishers of men was to follow Jesus in such a way that he could transform them.  In essence they had to be teachable.  If you were to ask me to teach you how to fold a paper airplane and I were to repeatedly demonstrate very basic folding patterns while talking about how airflow over a certain shape were to create lift, I would expect you to follow at least the very basic folding patterns even if all the talk about airflow went in one ear and out the other.  However, if you were unwilling even to follow my basic folding patterns and try to attempt your own very flawed designs with no regard to how airflow creates lift I would call you unteachable.  My best hope at that point would be to move on and teach those who are teachable and hope that after 1000’s of failed attempts to make your plane fly that you would come back for some help with at least the basic folds.

But what if you were teachable?  What if you came to me and I taught you paper folds while talking airflow and while at first you didn’t understand airflow you did understand the folds?  Then you tried some modifications to my design and some worked and some didn’t.  What if then as we talked through why some of your modifications failed and succeeded you all of the sudden grasp what I was saying about airflow and this information fuels modifications and changes that work?  Then I would say that you are teachable and soon you will be able to teach others.

So it is with discipleship.  The first thing you must do is be teachable.  If you are not teachable, all bets are off.  I can’t make you into anything.  I can’t help you succeed.  Your own pride will hang you before we ever get started.  You must be willing to listen.  You must be willing to learn.  You must be willing to attempt under supervision.  You must be willing to discuss failure as well as success.  You must be teachable.  To not be teachable is to not be transformed.

The truth is that to really be a disciple, you must be teachable.  Are you teachable?

Even as a leader I strive in my own life to fight pride and to be teachable.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Book Every Young Pastor in a Small Church Needs to Read

On By pastorjonathanIn books, MinistryLeave a comment

Transforming Church in Rural America by Shannon O’Dell is a must read for any young pastor leading a congregation in rural America!  I was deeply blessed by almost every page in this book and even a little humbled.  Having grown up in rural churches and having many friends who are pastoring rural churches I can testify that Shannon has hit the mark.  What you will find with this book is a no-nonsense, practical, count-the-cost design for much needed change in many of our rural churches.  Shannon knows from first hand experience the cost of bringing change and leading a dying church back to vibrant health and he has a story to tell.

Throughout Transforming Church in Rural America, Shannon tells the story of how he was called by God from being on staff at a large church to pastoring a small South Side Baptist Church in an 88 resident town in Arkansas.  Over the last six years God has blessed Shannon to be at the forefront of change in rural America to reach people with the gospel.  Today Shannon’s church, now renamed, Brand New Church reaches out to thousands of people each week through multiple campuses. Shannon’s passion to reach rural America at any cost is contagious.  Note this quote from the book…

As far as too many soldiers have shown us, it takes great personal sacrifice to willingly enter a conflict.  But if we are to fulfill our vision, we have no other choice.  It’s change, conflict, growth; change, conflict, growth; and you have to walk through that process.  It happens on a personal level every time we see someone freed from a massive addiction. The person makes a change, then there is a major conflict, but then there is unbelievable growth. It’s the same with church; we must go through change and then conflict in order to see growth. Nobody told me that before I went to rural America.  but it’s part of the game – one of the rules you will have to abide by play after play. When conflict comes most rural pastors give up on change. It’s just too hard. What can we do? We must be resolved to conflict in its many forms; we must pick our battles carefully, and we must choose which hills we are willing to die on- just as Jesus chose Golgotha. (page 81-82).

I highly recommend Transforming Church in Rural America.  In fact if you are considering a call to pastor a small church or a church in rural America, its a must read.  You won’t find this kind of transparency and passion for rural churches anywhere else. The retail price is $12.99 (hardcover), and is available around the web in places like Amazon.com for $10.39. I gave it four stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of the BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“Mentor Like Jesus” by Regi Campbell (Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, discipleship, leadershipLeave a comment

I ordered my copy of Mentor Like Jesus last week, got it by Thursday and read it by Sunday afternoon.  It was thought provoking and kept me engaged all the way through.  I was blessed by the book and some of the key principles and plan on reading it again slower in order to harvest all that it has to offer.

The author, Regi Campbell writes with a simplistic and straight forward fashion.  In essence the book is his story on how he fell into group mentoring, the lessons he learned along the way, and how similar it really was to how Jesus mentored the disciples.  The book also has a co-author named Richard Chancy who had been through one of Regi’s mentoring groups.  At the end of each chapter Richard shares the perspective of the guys who were being mentored.

Overall I really liked this book.  Some of the principles were common, but others stood out as brilliant insights into the world of mentoring.  Probably the biggest key I took away was that mentoring in group dynamic can be beneficial to those being mentored as well as to the one mentoring.

If you are looking for a good book on mentorship, this book is for you.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking to begin a mentor group.  The retail price is $16.99 (Hardcover), I got my copy for just under $12 at  Amazon.com.  I gave it five stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“Lead Like Ike,” By Geoff Loftus (Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, leadershipLeave a comment

To be honest, when I first saw this book I thought it would be corny.  I really enjoy history and like reading about World War II.  I also enjoy reading about leadership and business.  I was just a little uncertain on how well it would all blend in one book.  I was glad that I got passed my initial reaction and and picked up Lead Like Ike: Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day, it turned out to be one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read!

In Lead Like Ike Geoff Loftus does a masterful job at walking the reader through the leadership and  decision making process of then General Eisenhower.  He does so in such a way that reveal ten characteristics of leadership that transcend application to military service.  I really liked the break out points that Loftus makes in the book helping to illustrate how these strategies apply to leadership in the business world.  He is even careful to provide short gut check moments along the way that call the reader to reflection.

I really appreciate the skill and demeanor with which this book was written.  Loftus does a great job in painting a picture of Eisenhower and the times that he lived.  He examines Eisenhower’s shortcomings as well as successes in such a way that help you appreciate the man and the environment in which he made gut wrenching decisions.  Through it all he is able to draw ten practical leadership strategies that were forged in Eisenhower’s life that have practical value to leaders in general.

If you are looking for a great book on leadership, this book is for you.  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in biography, military history, leadership, business.  The retail price is $24.99 (Hardcover), and is available at a discount at  Amazon.com for $17.99. I gave it five stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of the BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard (Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, leadership, student ministryLeave a comment

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (Affiliate link) is an awesome book and a great resource for those who are in the position of motivating others to change.  We  all have things in our life we want to change.  We may want or feel the need to change our physical health, or personal organizational habits.  Maybe the need is greater or the goal is bigger and we are trying to effect change in the health of our community or how we organize our corporation.  Switch takes on those challenges and provides an excellent study on the patterns of change and who to institute them in effective ways.

While this book isn’t a motivator or change agent in and of itself, it does provide a great resource for anyone who is interested in making change happen.  Near the End of the book the authors state,

We can say this much with confidence: When change works, it tends to follow a pattern.  The people who change have a clear direction, ample motivation, and a supportive environment (Switch, 255).

By evaluating these three strategic pieces to change and motivators in each area the authors are able to offer great council on setting things up for change.  This is one of the better books I have read this year and one of the best I have read on the subject of motivating people.  My personal copy is dog eared with a couple of dozen notes written in the margin.  It has proven to be of great value to me, I hope it is a good value for you as well.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (affiliate link) the retail price is $26.00 (hardcover), and is worth every penny. I purchased my copy at Amazon.com for $14.95 (affiliate links). I gave it five stars.

“Everyone Communicates, Few Connect” By John C. Maxwell

On By pastorjonathanIn books3 Comments

I was excited when I first got this book in the mail.  I have been reading up on making connections with people and have How to Win Friends and Influence People back in my reading rotation.  I was hoping that Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently would be similar in nature.  I wasn’t let down, but I wasn’t overly impressed either.  The concepts you will find in Everyone Communicates, Few Connect are basic and can be found in just about any good communication book including How to Win Friends and Influence People.

It helps that this book was written by John Maxwell and he has tried to include input from his blog readers. However, in the opinion of this reader the book does contain excessive use of the pronoun, “I,” even when belaboring the point that to connect you must focus on others.  I appreciate John Maxwell and certainly would agree that he knows a whole lot about what he is talking about, I just don’t think he communicated it in the same way he challenges his readers to communicate.  Over all I really liked the book.  Again the concepts are practiced and true.  The credibility of Maxwell’s personal experiences definitely add value to the book.

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect is a reasonably good book on the basics of communication.  The retail price is $25.99 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $17.15.  I gave it four stars.

Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a complimentary review copy from the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program  (http://booksneez.com/ ).  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are (Book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, student ministryLeave a comment

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are is a great book geared especially for teenagers.  Alex and Brett Harris Have done it again!  There first book Do Hard Things was an amazing book that challenged teenagers to get out of their comfort-zones and begin rebelling against low expectations that people have of teenagers and really begin to do hard things.  I read it in one sitting and was thrilled when I heard that they had another book coming out.

This book like the first challenges teenagers to step out and rebel against low expectations.  Start Here however is smaller, more concise and shares a lot of practical insight and perspective from the lives of teenagers who are “Doing Hard Things”.  It is choc full of knowledge on how to go about doing the difficult but good things.  Alex and Brett share from their own experiences as well as from many of the teenagers who have logged on to their blog and shared their insights.

Start here is a great follow up book for anyone who has read Do Hard Things.  It is also a great stand alone book for teenagers who are tired of the status quo and wanting to get out of their comfort-zones and attempt great things.  I found it highly motivational and inspirational.  My job now it to put it into as many teenager’s hands as will read it.  Thanks Alex and Brett for rebelling against low expectations and challenging our teens!

I really liked this book and highly recommend it to teenagers or anyone with teenagers in their life, including parents, teachers, and student pastors.   Start Here is an excellent resource. The retail price is $12.99 (Paperback), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $8.76. I gave it five stars.

Disclaimer:  This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  There was no requirement to give the book a good review.  Just to review it and tell you what I really think.

Tell Me About Your Blog

On By pastorjonathanIn blogging2 Comments

One of the reasons I started blogging was to interact with a wider audience.  I enjoy getting to know people.  At the same time I have some ideas that I hope are an encouragement and blessing to others.  That is the nature of blogging.

Today I have decided to expand my blog a little and include some links to other blogs.  Many of you who read and check by here have blogs of your own.  I would love to know about them, check them out, and possibly add them to a blog list on my site.

So Leave a Comment about your Blog

All I need from you is your URL and a little information about your blog.  Is it a blog about books? Nascar? a Family blog? etc.  Later in the week and as I have time to check out blogs I will create a page with the list of blogs. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing your blogs.

What a Father says to His Daughter on Valentines Day

On By pastorjonathanIn About Jonathan, dating, Family, Manhood, parenting, Womanhood1 Comment

I have a pretty amazing little girl.  She turns five soon.  I am anxious, yet hopeful as she grows older and approaches womanhood.  I have a huge responsibility in demonstrating the way real men are to treat women.

valentines day

I take her out for pancakes once a week.  She looks forward to it every week.  Sometimes she goes to sporting events with me, just the two of us.  We call these daddy-daughter dates. Every day she asks if its her day to have breakfast with daddy.  She loves me in a crazy four-year-old way and I love her like any father should.

So here is what I’m saying to my little girl this valentines day and will probably say almost every day of her life.

1. I love you.

Love is not an emotion, it is an act of the will.  I chose to love you and I will never stop.  I love you enough to tell you the truth, to act against your will sometimes, and to do what is best for you even when you disagree.  I love you when you cry over broken toys, scraped knees, and hurt feelings.  I love you when the world is pressing in and you need a place of refuge and strength.  I love you when you have disobeyed the rules I gave you that were to protect you from harm.  I love you when you dance and sing like they do on TV.  I love you when you dress up like a princes and we dance.   I even love you when you are mad because you didn’t get your way, when you are angry with the kid who stole your toy, and when you don’t want to share. I hope you know by now that I love you and that will not change.

2. You are Beautiful

You are beautiful.  You are beautiful not only in princess gowns, play make-up, and jewelry… your  beauty is beyond skin deep.  I am inspired by your beauty when you are kind to your brother.  Your beauty shines when you help your mom.  Your beauty is evident when you bring your bibles in for me to read.  You are beautiful when you challenge me to dance.  You are beautiful.

3. I am Proud of You

I am Proud of you for so many things.  I am proud of you for letting people know when they have hugged you for too long.  I am proud of you when you take the initiative to help others in need.  I am proud of you when you think of me or someone else and you draw them a thank you card.  I am proud of you for picking up your toys with a good attitude.  I am proud of you for wanting to teach your brother what few lessons you have already learned in life.  I am proud of you when you trust me simply because I’m your dad.  I am proud of you when you ask questions (and you ask great questions).  I am proud of you.

To Dads:

We are often good about telling our daughters about when they misbehave or things they could do better.  Somehow it is easier to notice what we don’t like or don’t value than it is to affirm the good that our children do.  It is important that we cheer them on and provide a positive aim as well. Valentines day (or any day for that matter) is a great opportunity to let your daughter know that you love her and affirm the good things you see in her character.  These 3 words of affirmation are something that all daughters need to hear from their daddy no matter what their age.

Review: “Smart Faith” by J.P. Moreland & Mark Matlock

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

Smart Faith: Loving God With All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland and Mark Matlock is a great book geared towards students.  I really wish the book had been around when I was a teenager.  The aim of the book is to challenge young men and women to think about the Christian Faith and not just live off their parents faith or emotion.  The book is full of keen insights and practical challenges to help teens grow deeper in their capacity to think about the things of God.

The book is a great blend of Philosophy, Theology, and application.  The later chapters in the book are especially relevent as the authors move the reader from the realm of deliberate thought to the realm of living a fully integrated life.  This book is a great read for any teenager with a desire to grow or for adults with teenagers in their life.  I just wish it had been around when I was fifteen.

This is a very well written book that challenges the reader to dig deeper every step of the way. The retail price is $12.99 (Paperback). It is also available at places like Amazon.com for $10.39. I give it 5 stars.

Disclaimer: This book was provided for review by NavPress. There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.