On August 11, 2014 news outlets broke the story that stunned us all with the seemingly inexplicable loss of the brilliant actor and comedian, Robin Williams. Reflecting upon this monumental career, one can scarcely fathom how he might make the choice to end it all, by his own hand. And yet, it happened. Mr. Williams’ … More Chaos to Comfort: Suicide… left behind
The heart and mind of a guy is sometimes a little harder to access than a woman’s more global-thinking brain. This isn’t some sort of flaw that God accidentally let slip through his “quality control”. Instead, guys are built to provide, protect and lead their families, and the ones they love. That sometimes requires man-minded … More |~|Poser|~|
I had coffee the other day with a person who shared the pain of deep loss and separation in their life. Their story went something like this, “I am new to the area and all my friends are miles away from here. I have tried to connect at work and found that I had much … More The Cure for Alone
A few years ago, a younger and less experienced me stepped onto an elevator of the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville with Sparrow artist, Susan Ashton. I was there for a music conference with a few thousand other musicians and I think Susan was doing a showcase to play songs from her new record. I had … More The Ups and Downs of an Elevator Speech
In leadership, one thing that remains constant is change. If you have a penchant for a static, tranquil, placid life that rarely ripples then I am afraid I have bad news for you… you aren’t a leader. Well, I guess that may actually be a relief for some of you. But if you are hard-wired … More 8 Centimeters and Surprised by Transition: Birthing a Small Group Leader
Okay fellow leaders… every now and then I run across a book that may be a real game changer for church leadership. I have found one and offer this review and encourage you to get your copy and digest its content. Then I challenge you to act on it. That’s the hardest part of being … More Leaders Are Readers: Why Men Hate Going To Church/ Book Review
When you look at small groups in an analytical way you see that there are actually several components to them. My friend from Saddleback Church, Steve Gladen says in his new book Small Groups With Purpose that there are five necessary components to a successful small group. These basic components are to be done intentionally … More Time For Fall Inventory
You are a nice person, generally respectable with a fairly nice living room and a friendly dog who doesn’t jump up on people when they come to visit. You make a mean guacamole dip and have the biggest LCD screen in the county. Who wants to watch the small group DVD on a tiny screen? … More No One Came – The Small Group Leader’s Lament
When we think about hosting a small group, there are bound to be doubts. We doubt our own abilities in leading, teaching, guiding, and drawing the people who God has called us to be in community with. But our energy is best utilized by handing all theses doubts off to God. This is His plan, … More Small Group Leader Newbie
Steven Blanton ~ Leaderocity 