by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 6, 2024 | Communication, Current Affairs, Decisions, Empowerment
In the early 2000s, the board of directors forced Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder, out of the company. Jobs had been a critical figure in the company's success, having overseen the development of iconic products such as the Macintosh, the iPod, and the iPhone. However, he clashed with the board over his management style and the company's direction, leading to his ousting.
Following his departure from Apple, Jobs embarked on personal reflection and soul-searching. He realized that his mistake could have been relying more heavily on someone else's platform, which had resulted in his being removed from Apple. As a result, he decided to create his own platform, Pixar, a company that would allow him to showcase his unique vision for the future of entertainment.
Pixar initially started as a computer hardware company, but they quickly shifted their focus to developing animation software. Steve Jobs, the founder, recognized the potential of animation to transform the movie industry and went all-in to ensure Pixar's success.
In 1995, the company released its first feature film, Toy Story, a massive commercial and critical hit. Pixar continued producing blockbuster films, such as A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo. I will revisit this story later in the article.
The Great Facebook Outage Lesson
This week's brief outage of Facebook and Instagram served as a jarring wake-up call: the rented digital platforms we've come to rely on for our businesses and online presence are ultimately not under our control. While undeniably convenient, they can go dark at any moment, leaving us high and dry, scrambling to reconnect with our audiences and customers.
The lesson is as clear as a desert mirage: we must dig our own wells before the thirst sets in. By building a robust, self-sufficient platform that we truly own and govern, we insulate ourselves from the whims and failures of third-party rentiers.
This self-made oasis should comprise several key elements:
- A Website You Fully Own: No more renting digital real estate. Your website is your sovereign territory on the internet, where you make the rules and set the terms of engagement. It's your impenetrable home base, unshakeable by external forces.
- An Email List Under Your Control: With your email list, you own the direct line of communication with your tribe. There are no algorithms, no intermediaries—just an unbroken pipeline to the inboxes of those who matter most. This connection can never be blocked or disrupted.
- An Instantaneous Text Alerting System: In today's age of fracturing attention, reach your people immediately through the communication channel they're guaranteed to see. With your owned SMS systems, you're never accountable to someone else's pipes.
- Internal Team Collaboration Channels: Keep your crew connected, aligned, and productive through digital spaces you control and manage. Efficient teamwork and flawless execution are vital competitive advantages.
- Streamlined Opt-In and Follow-Up Processes: Effortlessly guide new leads into your world on your own terms. With automated systems under your watchful eye, every prospect can stay caught up when the rented streams run dry.
By piecing together the different pillars of your self-governed platform, you can avoid being a "digital sharecropper" and subject to your landlords' whims. If the domains you rent fail, you can easily switch to your fully owned domain and continue serving your audience without problems. Let's return to Steve Jobs' story to see how he applied this lesson years later when he returned to Apple.
He transformed Apple into a self-governed empire by creating iTunes, the Online Store, and an ironclad ecosystem, resulting in a self-sustaining oasis that was unshakable by external forces.
The moral of Jobs' story is that true visionaries should build their empire on self-reliance and control their destiny by digging their own wells. Don't rent land to build your empire, as it can vanish overnight. Cultivate self-reliance by owning your platform.
Never be caught up with resources when you need them the most. Instead, take the initiative to cultivate a strong foundation that will provide you with the necessary tools to secure your future success. By doing so, you can ensure that your business or audience will continue to grow and thrive.
Remember that self-reliance is crucial in achieving this goal, as it will help you become more resilient in the face of any challenges.
If you are ready to take the initiative towards securing your future success, start cultivating a strong foundation today. Don't wait until you are caught up with resources when you need them the most.
Remember, self-reliance is key to becoming more resilient and achieving your goals. So, take action now and invest in yourself to ensure that your business or audience continues to grow and thrive!
by Clarence E. Stowers | Sep 3, 2021 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Current Affairs, Encouragement, Leadership, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Success
Once, there were two pastors: one led a very successful church, while the other was never taken seriously. Neither pastor attended seminary, yet both had risen in ministry to lead their churches for years.
The first pastor led his church through covid-19, and his church is thriving; it has grown exponentially since covid-19, taking in new members. The church is thriving during covid-19 because of this pastor and his leadership team.
The second pastor's church has struggled since covid-19. After Covid, the church dwindled to a small group who sat in an empty sanctuary every Sunday. The church became so small that their attendees decided to meet in a house. Even though this pastor is still leading his church, he is not leading them very well.
Even if we don't want it to, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis is a turning point for the church. The church's aim has not changed. However, execution of that goal varies during COVID-19 and will undoubtedly differ after the epidemic is over.
You can't usually do what you were doing previously in a crisis. The situation requires us to perform the task differently. That's all there is to it. It comes down to a simple choice: will you want to be a pre-COVID-19 church that refuses to recognize the pandemic's potential for innovative ministry or a post-COVID-19 church that views the crisis as an opportunity to revitalize its ministry?
An opportunity not only emphasizes the church's goal — to make disciples — but also calls attention to God's call on our lives. Is God inviting us into something new?
We need to be careful not to transfer nonessential practices from pre-COVID-19 into post-COVID-19, anything that jeopardizes our mission or vision. The church's disruption will be more long-lasting than COVID-19 if we continue engaging in nonessential activities and busyness.
Even if we don't want it to, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis is a turning point for the church.
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What We Do is not as Important as WHY We Do What We Do
As we try to figure out how to function post-Covid, the "why" might disappear amid the endless logistics of moving from old ways of doing church to new. We have to stay focused on the church's original purpose, its mission.
In addition to reminding ourselves about why we do what we do, it would be wise of us to make a list of post-COVID-19 intentions and purposes that are essential for our churches' health. We need to prioritize the list. And then we have to ask ourselves: are these priorities or activities essential?
The importance of the "why" cannot be overstated. Now more than ever, the "why" is crucial. The church is fragile, but its "why" has a long reach. The church's why has staying power.
If the church and pastors are not careful, we will revert back to our old ways of doing church post-pandemic. We do not want that to happen because Covid-19 provides us with a golden opportunity to clarify our mission and explore innovative ways of doing ministry.
If the church and pastors are not careful, we will revert back to our old ways of doing church post-pandemic.
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Remember The Past, Don't Re-live It
Pastors and church leaders who wish to return to the way things were before the pandemic, there is no indication that they have learned any lessons.
Uncertainty is the only sure thing. It's wise to expect the unexpected because we rarely get what we desire. We can be fortunate and figure out why something has occurred. However, the greatest lesson we can take away is that a person may discover a lesson and learn from it, which is preferable to being lucky any day.
Maybe we've been asking the wrong questions all along. We used to rely on in-person worship and small groups before COVID-19.
"When are we going back to in-person services?" "When can we have Sunday school or small groups again?" These are the wrong questions to ask. Instead, we should be asking questions such as:
- How can I serve my community during covid-19?
- What are some innovative forms of ministry that will engage the church?
We need to embrace change and try new things. We have to do what is necessary to adapt to covid-19 circumstances. And then we have to be creative.
Pastors and church leaders who wish to return to the way things were before the pandemic, there is no indication that they have learned any lessons.
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Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing
COVID-19 has given some people an opportunity to rediscover gratitude. Others have learned the significance of generosity and perseverance. But what is the purpose?
Gratitude, generosity, and patience are all lessons taught by the church in response to the crisis. Most churches focus on protecting the community and maintaining the status quo, often at the expense of excluding others. But how can excluding individuals help those who are doing it?
Before the pandemic, making disciples was hard. Why? People use social media and other things to talk about things that are not good for their faith. Keeping the main thing (our mission) is good because it will keep the leaders from being distracted by things that cause division.
COVID-19 has generated new questions about the church, but it is not a crisis in itself. The church was born to keep people focused on Christ during every crisis and challenge. COVID-19 provides an opportunity for the church to reflect on its mission again.
The church's disruption will be more long-lasting than COVID-19 if we continue engaging in nonessential activities and busyness. This pandemic has given some people an opportunity to rediscover gratitude. Others have learned the significance of generosity and perseverance.
God gave us this opportunity to rediscover and uncover what we've taken for granted, such as giving and gratitude. At the heart of it all, you will find mission-focused, Christ-like leaders who possess a deep conviction toward the mission of God.
A new breed of church leader will emerge post-covid-19, able to lead in the power and love of Jesus Christ over all obstacles. They will be mindful about what matters most while enduring hardship so that others also might make it through.
Are there additional moves you see that the church must make in order to thrive post-Covid?
The church was born to keep people focused on Christ during every crisis and challenge.
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by Clarence Stowers | Jan 16, 2018 | Personal, Current Affairs, Decisions, Empowerment, Goals, Self-Leadership, Success
All of us want the security of having a safe environment not just for us, but for our families as well.
In today’s post, we’re going to be breaking down five ways that are going to ensure you provide a safer life for you and those around you.
1. Befriend Those You Want to Be Like
As Jim Rohn famously said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.” This is particularly true when you want to live a certain lifestyle. If you associate with the wrong types of people, they’ll rub off on you. Those people don’t have to be alcoholics and drug abusers. Let’s say you have a friend who arrives perpetually late to things. The more time you spend with that person, the higher the odds that you will start arriving late to things. If you want to be safe, surround yourself with like-minded people.
2. Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol can be dangerous for the user and their family. In fact, alcohol can often end up separating the family more often than bringing them together. As far as safety is concerned, alcohol can impair judgment and responsibility, increasing your chances of making a stupid decision that you’ll regret in the future. In the end, it’s best for you and your family if you just leave alcohol alone.
3. Invest in a Home Security System
This is definitely a significant step! A home security system ensures around-the-clock safety for you and your family. It allows you to know if any burglar is breaking into and entering your home, posing a threat to you and your loved ones. By installing this, an alarm monitoring company will be monitoring your house even when you’re not home. According to ADT, you can even monitor your security from a smartphone or tablet. Overall, your family and your home will have maximum protection from intruders.
4. Schedule Regular Check-Ups with Your Doctor
Regular check-ups to the doctor ensure that you are personally safe from any diseases or illnesses. Also, bring your family too if possible. This guarantees everyone is healthy, which results in a safer and happier household.
5. Invest in Yourself
Further education is always a good idea, especially when it comes to living a safe life. Find out further ways to provide safety and security for your family whether it be finances, relationships, health, happiness, etc.
By focusing on the above five steps, you can guarantee that you and your family live a pretty safe life.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jul 14, 2016 | Encouragement, Christian, Christianity, Current Affairs, Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Motivation, Self-Leadership, Success, Vision
What happens when you combine trust, faith, and hope? They produce grit.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, grit in the context of behavior is defined as “firmness of character; indomitable spirit.”
In light of the recent deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five Dallas Police Officers, I decided to tweak this definition to be the ability to keep going despite setbacks, even when your efforts are not rewarded. Grit is what you need when facing dark days and sleepless nights.
[shareable]Grit is the ability to keep going despite setbacks even when your efforts aren’t rewarded.[/shareable]
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 17, 2015 | Current Affairs, Decisions, Empowerment, Encouragement, Goals, Motivation, Self-Leadership, Success, Vision
Living in Chicago is, as Charles Dickens says in the Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
It is the best of times (at least for Christians) because there’s a dark political, moral, and corrupt cloud hovering begging for light (Matthew 5:13-14). It is the worst of times because we’re witnessing some activists, politicians, glory-seekers, and even preachers/pastors clamoring for the spotlight to build their platform. It’s sickening.
Watching this tragic drama unfold reminds me of Tony Gaskins’ quote:
If you don’t build your dream someone will hire you to help build theirs.
According to this quote, if don’t wake up and begin pursuing your dreams, someone will recognize your abilities and recruit you to help build theirs. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong, improper, or illegal about helping others fulfill their dreams, remember God has something He wants you to accomplish that only you can accomplish.
However, it’s possible to work on both at the same time. Everyone has the same thing in common: 24 hours in a day. Since time is passing, why wouldn’t you be working, at least, part-time, on your dreams.
[shareable cite=”Tony Gaskins”]If you don’t build your dream someone will hire you to help build theirs. [/shareable] (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 18, 2015 | Black History Month, Current Affairs, Encouragement, History, Motivation, New Category, President Obama, Race, Vision
Black History Month means different things to different people.
As a Nation we have a month of recognition and silence for the mighty men and women of color who paved the way for all of us. We recognize them for their hard work, tears, and for those who died fighting for equality for people of color. I am proud to be a man of color born in America.
As we take time to celebrate this notable occasion, I would like to share what Black History Month means to me. For me, Black History Month is a time of reflection, rejoicing, and recommitting to reach the next generation.
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