Tag Archives: Leadership Journal

Six-Pack (69)

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Welcome to the Six-Pack!

The weekend slipped by me, but I refuse to miss another Six-Pack post. Let’s get at it!

If a half-dozen links feels daunting, start with the *Picks of the Week*, and branch from there.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) The Quiet Strength of a Peaceful Leader (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Gordon MacDonald offers this beautiful — and unusual — perspective on leadership.

2)  When Elmer Refuses to Change
Sam Rainer considers the often prickly issue of change in churches.

3)  Culture Change: Recognize the Value of Small Groups
Lots of churches use Small Groups — some well, some less well. What’s the point anyway? Quite a bit, it turns out.

4)  Playing with Fire
On the blog for Arrow Leadership, Mark Buchanan recently posted this beauty about those things that God obsesses over. If Mark writes it, it should be read — one man’s humble opinion.

5)  Canadian Appreciation (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Sports Illustrated is doing a great series on Canada in recent days. Over the weekend, Peter King, one of America’s highly esteemed football guys took in two CFL games, including right here in Regina. His piece is a treat to read!

6) You Couldn’t Tell Me a Super Bowl Would Feel Nicer
Indulge me in one additional football piece — this one by Doug Flutie, recounting his days playing north of the border. Another great piece on a great league!

May your week ahead be filled with life, as you seek the One from whom it flows!

leaveacommentYOUR TURN: Your input makes this post better!

  • Which link above was today’s best-of-the-best?
  • Why that one?

Direct others to the best of the bunch with a quick comment.

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]

Six-Pack (54)

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Welcome to the latest Six-Pack! I am so grateful for every reader who stops by to check out the latest assortment of “best links”.

As regular readers already know, these pieces are generally centered on faith or ministry, though we leave sufficient license to include who-knows-what as we discover it!

If six ever feels overwhelming, start with my two *Picks of the Week*, and move out from there.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) Barak and Women Leaders (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
 David Lamb shares this brief piece about what we can learn from the Judges-story of Deborah and Barak.

2) When do We Cross the Line into Plagiarism?
Out of Ur features a number of scholars and preachers on this sticky issue from the realm of preaching.

3) Atheist Mega-Churches Looking for Non-Believers
What do you do if you want a weekly gathering or a community of non-faith? According to USA Today, you join an Atheist Church apparently. Or if you don’t, at least a lot of others do!

4) Seven Thoughts on Pastors Writing Books (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
As a pastor who hopes to write books, this article (from Kevin DeYoung) contained a number of great bits. To the rest of you, it may come off as the weakest “Pick of the Week” so far!

5) Ayn Rand Didn’t Understand Capitalism. Or Altruism. Or Christianity. Or Reality.
I can’t claim to be well-versed in Ayn Rand, though her name comes up occasionally in books I read. This thoughtful critique of her views should provide both a primer to beginners and a fueling to those already familiar with this provocative woman.

6) Marketing Jesus in Ukraine
John Frye shares why he loves representing Christ in Ukraine and how the experience delivers him from a Stars-and-Stripes-wrapped Jesus.

May your week ahead be filled with life, as you seek the One from whom it flows!

leaveacommentYOUR TURN: Your input makes this post better!

  • Which link above was today’s best-of-the-best?
  • Why that one?

Direct others to the best of the bunch with a quick comment.

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]

Saturday Six-Pack (44)

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Welcome to the weekend and to the Six-Pack. Below is the latest installment of best-of pieces I’ve recently read online.

As per usual, most pieces are faith-focused or ministry-minded; for the rest of them, you get a smattering of who-knows-what!

If you need direction, begin with my two *Picks of the Week*, and move out from there.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter ( @JasonBandura ) to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) Christopher Hitchens’ Lies Do Atheism No Favours
Salon featured this intriguing piece, by professing atheist Curtis White. It is his call for greater intellectual integrity among those believing in no-God.

2) I Am a Preacher (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Thank you Jonathan Martin for giving language to some of the bizarre aspects of being a preacher. If you are a preacher or know a preacher, this may be enlightening.

3) Here’s Something about the Bible of the First Christians I Bet You Didn’t Know
If you love the Bible, then Peter Enns wants to give you a crash course on this word: Septuagint. Count this as your “something new” for today’s learning.

4) Why Christians Make Miserable Addicts (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
For the Huffington Post, Heather Kopp says that addiction wields power in some uniquely destructive ways for people of faith. Here’s why.

5) World Crokinole Championships: The Great Paternal Experiment
Ominocity recently featured this piece by my friend Nic Olson, on a most unique road trip.

6) A Brief History of the Demise of Battle Bots
Remember those UFC-for-Robots shows? I possess no skills to create such contraptions, but just enough geekiness to appreciate those who do. Here, from PopSci, is how that odd trend of programming wound toward extinction.

Another Six-Pack served.  Have at it!

May your weekend be full of awareness and enjoyment of the One who loves you deeply. Grace and peace, my friends.

YOUR TURN: Which link above was most intriguing–why that one? Direct others readers to the best of the bunch. Your input makes this post better!

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]

Sunday Six-Pack (36)

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Saturday escaped me one more time, but here is the latest Six-Pack.

The best ministry-minded or faith-focused articles I could find this week? Here they are, with some grace space for a bit of who-knows-what.

If six options stuns you, start with my two *Picks of the Week*, and pick up steam from there.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter ( @JasonBandura ) to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) Autopsy of a Deceased Church (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Thom Rainer’s most popular post last week was this piece of post-mortem analysis on a church that he had sadly predicted would die.

2) 42 Leadership Lessons from a Disney Executive
Brian Dodd put together this best-of, point-form review as he listened to Disney’s Brian White (also a church elder) present at the Orange Conference.

3) Fired
In this recent Leadership Journal piece, Nathan Kilgore shares a few lessons he’s learned through an abrupt move from pulpit to pew.

4) Why Traditional Churches Should Stick with Traditional Worship…if They’re Content with Dying a Slow Death
Every church, regardless of heritage or style, will need to figure out how it expresses its corporate worship, and why it chooses that particular expression. Adam Walker Cleaveland interacts with a few recent posts to highlight why he thinks this is so important.

5) The Outside View of a Former Church Insider (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Shaun King was wrapped in roles of ministry, serving as pastor and church planter, back into his teenaged years. An unforeseen exit at age 29 put him in the unfamiliar role of church outsider. From there, he’s made at least ten insightful observations.

6) Jerry Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret
Anyone who has ever desired to “get in a groove” will be intrigued by this simple move that kept Seinfeld on track when he was still a struggling-to-make-it comic.

Blessings on you, my friends.  May the week ahead be filled with God in ways that you can sense. Tune yourself in, and walk on!

YOUR TURN: Add a line below to direct other readers to the best stuff above or to highlight the piece that gave you something worth keeping.

Your input makes this post better!

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]

Saturday Six-Pack (31)

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Another weekend, another Six-Pack!

That sentence may be spoken with a couple different meanings as another work week ends. For the part of Wondering & Wandering, that phrase describes the latest serving of my web readings that I’ve deemed worth sharing.

As per usual, most articles are ministry-minded or faith-focused, with enough flexibility protected to cover some who-knows-what as well.

If six swamps you, start with my two *Picks of the Week*.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter ( @JasonBandura ) to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) Why Are Churches of Christ Shrinking? (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
I am part of a currently shrinking fellowship; the statistics bear this out. Many theories exist, I am sure. This piece verbalized a number of my own fuzzy thoughts better than I have done myself. I also think there is much packed into the subtitle alone: “A Left-Brained Fellowship in a Right-Brained World”. The link above goes to part one of the article. The sequel post is HERE.  Thanks to James Nored at the Missional Outreach Network for sharing.

2) The New Tent-Makers
I am not currently a tent-maker pastor, but I have wondered often if far more ministry workers won’t be bi-vocational in the future, myself included. Leadership Journal follows two current church planters as examples of what it COULD look like.

3) Why Nice People Kill Churches
This week marked my first visit to the blog of Paul Alexander.  The piece that grabbed me is about staff movement which isn’t as much of a reality in my little church as in some larger congregations. More than anything, the title resonated with something I’ve long considered, and a few of the more specific points contain valuable insights if generalized just a bit.

4) How Minimum Targets Can Mean Maximum Impact
Trust Dumb Little Man to come up with something smart! If you’ve ever experienced frustration with your inability to meet goals or to chart progress, these four tips just might make the difference between another serving of failure and a fresh dose of success.

5) Uncommon Callings (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Skye Jethani is a writer that I find myself really blessed by recently. His book “With” is one of my best reads in the past couple years.  This Jethani offering breaks down the struggle many pastors have with really grasping the “work worlds” of their church members. Some great insights here for all who work in churches.

6) 12 Amazing Life Lessons You Can Learn Through Science
Here’s Dumb Little Man with his second offering of the week! Taking the discovery of penicillin as an illustration, here are a dozen encouraging tidbits that might provide you direction or inspiration on how to take a step upward and forward in whatever venture you’re currently part of.

Blessings on you, my friends.  May your weekend be refreshing in rest, play, and worship.

YOUR TURN: Direct other readers to the best stuff above by making a comment below, or weigh in on what you read.  Your input makes this post better!

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]