• Perry Noble encourages all those in full time ministry (and really anyone who has EVER made mistakes in their past) with this post called “Don’t Allow Past Mistakes To Rob You Of An Amazing Future.”  This reminded me of a post I need to write… soon!
• Donald Miller post on “How To Guide A Team Through Conflict.”  Really an amazing post on going through conflict.  Must. Read.This.
• Many church leaders I know spend a lot of time criticizing other church leaders because of a different direction and style of ministry (A colossal waste of time by the way!).   They are uncomfortable with change (Or do not have the guts to make the changes) and it is easier to criticize than create, so that is what they do.  Seth Godin‘s post, “Do You Need A Permit, ” addresses criticizing visionaries and those that are different than we are.  We should celebrate, not criticize those that can do what we can and will not do to reach people.  Awesome post!
• We all need more margin in life.  You know, the space where there is nothing.  We fill that space with stuff, but in reality, that margin is what helps us to do ministry.  Tim Stevens has some great words on this in his post, “A Space For Margin.”

I hope you all have a great weekend!

• Perry Noble likens his conversion to Apple products and becoming an Apple fanatic to the way many Christ-followers treat people outside of the church.  Read both part one and part two.  Good stuff!
• Loved Kem Meyer’s post, Revamping Communication Arts Volunteerism.  Very, very practical stuff!
• Environments Vs. Words.  This is a great read from Pete Wilson.
• Seth Godin gives some great insight concerning The problem with putting it all on the line…
• Jonathan Acuff wrote about the dangers of an “At Least Faith” and why we need to avoid it.

• “Throw The Fishing Pole Away” is a guest post written by Tim Moore on Tony Morgan’s blog. His words about vision casting and imparting are really great.
• Jonathan Acuff gets serious on Wednesdays. And it is good.  I really appreciated his post titled “The Question We All Ask.”
• Seth Godin has so many great posts!  These two were really great this week: Professionals, Amateurs And The Great Unwashed, and Senior Management (great application for the church in both posts).
• Don Miller posted a thought provoking read titled “Why The Bible Is A Tough Book For Americans.”  That one could potentially keep you up at night thinking about it.

Enough to read.  No go enjoy your 3 day weekend!

• Jonathan Acuff posted one of the most important posts I have read in quite some time titled “Forgetting 1 Geography Lesson.”  Read this post, if it is the only one you read this week.
• “Get More People To Do It” is an excellent post by Tony Morgan on getting people involved in taking their next steps.  Awesome, awesome stuff!
• Perry Noble writes about “Why Some Churches Struggle With Money.” Great insight in this post.
• Having the right people in the right spot is important. Training them right is also important. Mark Waltz speaks to this end in his post “Get The Right People.  Train Them Right.”
• 4% is a moving post by Mark Beeson.  It is so important to be asking the right questions!

That is it!  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

• Good ideas take time to develop, and sometimes that means saying “no” now so you can do it right.  Carlos Whittaker talks about this in his post “Good Ideas Deserve You Saying NO To Your Pastor.”  That is hard to do, especially if you are a people-pleaser by nature (as I am).  Sometimes, being able to “pull it off” is not the best road to take.  Most folks know when something needed more time.  And God deserves that from us!
• Mark Beeson talks about the choices, actions and outcomes and what the Bible says about how all three are related in his post titled, “Watching My Son Fish Got Me Thinking.”
• Loved the post by Pete Wilson, who actually quoted another post from Keven DeYoung.  The last line is SO true, yet so opposite of what many people want to hear as they strive for success in ministry.  Here it is: “Daily discipleship is not a new revolution each morning or an agent of global transformation every evening; it’s a long obedience in the same direction.” Take time to read the post titled “Plodding Visionaries” at Pete’s site.
• Seth Godin has so many good posts!  Just take time to read “Exploration and the Risk of Failure” and “Avoiding Momentum.”  Both are great reads, and both tackle an issue many church leaders struggle with: making changes.
• Tony Morgan didn’t know he was writing a blog post for me on my birthday on July 30th, but he wrote one just for me on something I struggle with all the time.  Read his post “Are You Addicted to People Pleasing.”  And I hope you are pleased with it.

Ok, that is enough.  Really, I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

• Tony Morgan talks about the “5 Benefits Of Going on a Test Drive.”  Loved it!
• Seth Godin had some great insight in two posts this week: Do You Have The Right To Be Heard, and Validation Is Overrated.  I feel a blog post of my own coming from each of those… maybe this week.
• And the last one for the week is an awesome post by Jon Acuff called Wanting Wisdom Without The Walk.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

• I loved what Donald Miller wrote in The Absolute Power of An Apology.  He also had some other great thoughts in Were We Designed To Be Mastered, and another post about infinite comlexity
• Perry Noble says Don’t Let Your Past To Be Your Prison.  He also had some great words in It’s Not The Product… It’s The Service, Part One and Part Two.
• Scott Hodge writes on Apologizing Well.  Good stuff!  I have had a lot of “apologies” that were… not really!

That is just a few for the week… gotta run!  Have a great weekend everyone!

• Perry Noble gives us “11 Signs You May Be Experiencing Ministry Burnout.” If you are in ministry, you need to read this.  You also need to take care of yourself to guard against becoming burnt out!
• Mark Beeson tells us that “Good Times Don’t Always Require Alot Of Money.”  For someone on a budget, or who just lost there job, Mark has some great words on how to make the most with what we do have to make memories this summer with your family.  I plan on taking some of his advice.  I think I will start with the one about choosing a good attitude!
• Donald Miller brings up a statement that hit me over the head a year ago in his post “Healthy Friends Are Responsible To, Not For Each Other.”  I wrote about it not too long ago after attending a workshop at Granger Community Church.
• Pete Wilson asks “What’s The Point” in reference to what the goal of the message that is preached.  Some good food for thought in that post and in the comments.

May you all have a blessed weekend!

• Some great insight from Scott Williams in his post “Diversity Drives Innovation.”
• Tony Morgan, in his post “Are You A Christian Atheist,” had the chance to interview Craig Groeschel about his newest book, The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn’t Exist. It takes about ten minutes to listen to, but it is good stuff!
• “You Can See The Determination In His Eyes” was a great post by Seth Godin.  I have met Christ followers that have this sense of direction and a “you can’t stop me” attitude about reaching people for Jesus that is just contagious.  I want to be one of those people that has that determination and drive!
• Being a leader in the church means you will be faced with tough decisions.  Making those decisions can be hard, but it is necessary for the longevity growth of the church.  Perry Noble talks about that is his post “Leaders Make Tough Decisions.”  Great read!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!  Be safe!

• Jonathan Acuff had a great post on Being Lazy For The Lord.  Love that post!
• There are a lot of churches that do a lot of good things, but very few churches do great things. I think that is partly due to not paying attention to the last ten percent.  What do i mean by that?  Well, read this article by Seth Godin titled,  Hardly Worth The Effort, and you will be able to make the application pretty easily I think.  Churches have to stop sacrificing great on the altar of good.  Good enough is not what you want to hear anyone say when they are doing something for Jesus!
• Loved this one called “Empire of Entitlement” by Pete Wilson.  Good stuff!
• Love the posts Craig Groeschel is writing about Honor.  Read them here, here, here, and here!
• Finally “Having Right Theology Does Not Mean You Know God” by Donald Miller will get you thinking and asking questions!

I hope you all have a great day in God’s house this weekend!