As a boy, I remember waking on Saturday mornings (and sometimes late at night) to the smell of Cream of Wheat being cooked in the kitchen by my dad. That may explain why I’m sitting here at 11:50pm eating a bowl while fast forwarding through Sunday’s NASCAR race (maybe the more embarassing confession is that I am watching NASCAR?). I thought about waking Elijah to give it a try, but figured I better not. Breakfast will be here soon enough.
I really like Cream of Wheat.

Final 10 Tips for Young Pastors (31-40)

31. Talk about Jesus every time you preach.
32. Be careful what you say. You’re being watched (and recorded).
33. Don’t return emails when you’re angry.
34. Check to make sure your microphone is turned off before you use the bathroom. Double-check.
35. Check to make sure your zipper is zipped every time before you preach. Double-check.
36. Love your wife more than you love the church. The church is Jesus’ bride, not yours.
37. Always be caught speaking well of others.
38. Compliment, encourage, and build up your staff and volunteers.
39. Hand write thank you notes.
40. Smile and look people in the eyes when you talk to them.

That's it. Hope one of them speaks to you.

Outreach magazine, "Web Exclusives," January/February 2008
By Craig Groeschel

40 Leadership Tips for Young Pastors (21-30)

21. When you have a tough decision to make, but you know it’s right, make it immediately. (Like pulling off a Band-Aid: do it fast, and all at once.)
22. Hire slowly. Fire quickly.
23. You can’t change people. Only God can.
24. Don’t criticize others’ ministries. Yours isn’t nearly as perfect as you think it is.
25. Take care of yourself. Eat right. Rest. Exercise. Take time off. No one else can do that for you.
26. If you don’t take much time off, it’s because you’re proud, and you think you’re more necessary than you really are.
27. Don’t just delegate responsibility. Delegate authority.
28. Laugh frequently.
29. People will leave your church. People you love and trust will leave your church. Don’t take it personally.
30. When you suffer and hurt because of ministry, worship Jesus all the more.

40 Leadership Tips for Young Pastors (11-20)

11. Become close friends with other pastors in your town (as many as you can).
12. Your kids will be grown before you know it. Don’t sacrifice them on the altar of ministry.
13. Your ministry isn’t your god. God is your God.
14. You know how to give and how to minister to others. If you don’t learn how to receive, you’ll burn out and/or die.
15. Studying for sermons doesn’t replace your personal time with God and in His Word.
16. Err on the side of generosity.
17. Believe in people that others overlook.
18. If you’re going to reach people that others aren’t, you’ll have to do things that others won’t.
19. Your integrity matters more than you can imagine.
20. Hire staff members that you like.

21-30 still to come...

40 Leadership Tips for Young Pastors (1-10)

1. Life is short. Make every day count for God’s glory.
2. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
3. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint.
4. Jesus cares more about the church than you do.
5. You can’t please everyone…so why try?
6. People will criticize you. Quit whining. Get used to it.
7. Three months from now, you won’t even remember most of the things that are bothering you today.
8. You can’t do it all. Stop trying.
9. God called you because He is good, not because you are.
10. If you blame yourself for the bad results in ministry, you’ll likely also take credit for the good results.

...stop by later this week for 11-20


By Craig Groeschel
Outreach Magazine, Web Exclusives

Taking a Risk Underground

This story is from NPR.org. If you haven't heard it yet, it's inspirational, risky, and dangerous. I love it. (If you prefer the audio, you can hear it here)

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner. But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'" Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome. "You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.

Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth. "The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'" "No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'" Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?" "Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said. Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says. The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to. When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you." The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know." Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."

Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

Is this what Jesus meant when He said, "Give him your coat also..."

Where Have I Been?

I came across the Amazon Kindle for the first time yesterday. I had never heard of it before. Anyone else?
It has some pretty amazing features and capabilities. You can read a well done review and explanation here:

Flyers Win First Round

The Flyers beat the Capitals in game 7, in overtime, in Washington. What a great game, and what a great series it was.

So good to see a Philly team winning. Round 2, Montreal. Bring 'em on...

For What It's Worth: Thoughtfulness vs. Indecision

I have found that people sometimes mistake thoughtfulness for indecision. I’ve always been a thinker. Now, that doesn’t mean I’ve always made the right decision, or even thought the right thoughts for that matter, and it sure doesn’t mean I am smart. But, I do think a lot. On occasion I have experienced that my thinking has been misinterpreted for indecision. Here’s how dictionary.com defines indecision: Reluctance or an inability to make up one's mind; irresolution. It’s not indecisive to want to make a well informed and thoroughly thought through decision. It’s the opposite. When a person is thoughtful they have made the decision to think. Dictionary.com defines thoughtfulness like this: Occupied with or given to thought; contemplative. I don’t ever expect to have all of the facts, or to have complete knowledge, but I like to have as many details and as many questions answered as possible before I make a decision. When given the time, I will investigate, gather facts, compare, think, and then decide. The time I give to thought is proportionate to the time frame in which the decision must be made. (Unless I am ordering off of a menu. In most cases when it comes to choosing my grub, I am indecisive.) When I make a decision I want it to be one made from a platform of knowledge.

So there.

Now, if I can just decide what to blog about next...