As a manager, administrator, and parent I like things to be organized. I like point A to lead to point B. Knowing and working with people who have ADHD helps me grow out of my linear mindset. Sometimes the path zigzags and loops around a couple times… and that is a blessing.
20 Things to Remember If You Love Someone With ADD
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-things-remember-you-love-person-with-add.html
I love this short devotional from John Piper. Whether you are involved in for-profit, nonprofit, or faith-based leadership, you likely have someone you work with who challenges you. Piper reminds us that our “opponents” may be part of a much bigger process.
God-Given Foes and Faith http://dsr.gd/12t0zVk
This article discusses two things I have found very true in my walk as a leader. The first is its reference to John Gardner. Gardner’s book, On Leadership, does the best job explaining the tasks that encompass leading an organization. The second is that my experience of feeling like I am perpetually learning how to lead is not a bad thing.
The Best Leaders Are Insatiable Learners – http://pulse.me/s/2B9bYm
Three experiences and realizations this week:
1) I have been amazed at how my Heavenly Father provides. He does things conventional wisdom says wouldn’t happen. He does what he wants, when he wants, and no one can stop him. Rest and wait.
2) Sometimes buying a dozen doughnuts to share with coworkers is called for.
3) I hoard coffee because I am afraid to run out.
This morning at breakfast my teenage daughter had an anxious look on her face. She has several big things on her plate this weekend. I could tell she was worrying. I reminded her of two things. The first came from her youth pastor, Greg Summers, last night. He reminded a group of kids who were dealing with a tragedy that “Whenever you start to get overwhelmed keep your thoughts focused on the Great I Am. Look at our great and mighty God, not the circumstances.” Second I reminded her of my favorite quote from Dan Allan, our senior pastor, “If you have a small god you’ve got BIG PROBLEMS; but, if you’ve got a BIG GOD, you’ve got small problems.”
We all need to be reminded of these things from time to time.
One lesson from the story of Jonah in the Bible:: God is relentless in his pursuit of us.
One of the realities of leading is that there are always many voices trying to make a point and sway the decision about how to solve a problem. I find that I need to have good tools to help me sort out the truth. Lately I have really been forcing myself to peel back the layers so I can see the problem at its source or “headwaters” and develop the solution beginning from there rather than adopting a fix that is targeted merely at the symptoms.
Remarkable and inspiring advice on how to change the world. From the difference always making your bed can have on your day to singing when you’re up to your neck in mud, Admiral McRaven gives examples of how a person’s approach to life’s daily challenges can change the world.
Photo by Mark Strozier
This article is very counter intuitive to most of the news reports about how poverty is increasing in the U.S. It is really making me think about the forces that drive individual financial circumstances . The story of our national economy is complicated.
Most Americans make into the top 20% of income earners.
This short video from the Pew Research Center does a great job reporting the facts. As a community mental health center director and family counselor, I see the the unfortunate fallout the facts have on our children.