by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 13, 2010 | Apple/Mac, Decisions, Goals, Self-Leadership
We were not created to have miserable and joyless lives. We were created to have abundant and joyful lives. But most of us, such a life is elusive at best and seemingly impossible at worst. Why? We have too much going on and are constantly inundated with requests to buy more and do more. The result is life that drifts towards complexity and paralyzes us from being productive. It’s no secret I enjoy using Apple products and admire Steve Jobs.
I’m not an Apple fanboy, but, I own an iPhone, MacBook, iMac, and Apple TV. The genius behind Apple IS NOT what they make, market, and sell. It’s what they’ve decided NOT TO DO. A few months ago, while reading the Cult of Mac, John Sculley, former CEO of Apple explained what makes Steve Jobs (Apple’s CEO) unique.
He said:
“What makes Steve’s methodology different from everyone else’s is that he always believed the most important decisions you make are not the things you do – but the things that you decide not to do. He’s a minimalist.”
John Sculley, former CEO of Apple, as quoted on the Cult of Mac (October 14, 2010)
Question: Have you created your NOT TO DO list for 2011?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 10, 2010 | Decisions, Empowerment, Goals, Mind Dump, Self-Leadership, Top 5
We live in a changing world. Someone recently said, “the only constant in the world is change.” Let’s face it, we’re changing every year, month, and each week. Truthfully, how many of us look the same as we did five years ago? Not many! Things are changing right before our very eyes and what was on the cutting edge moments ago is now almost obsolete.
A friend recently shared how he went to purchase a case for his original Motorola Droid cell phone. When he asked to see a few cases, the salesperson laughed and informed him that his phone was old and suggested he should check eBay. Amazing! Why? The phone’s only 11 months old.
As pastor who tends to be ahead of the curve on what’s happening, understanding change and knowing how to lead change is an indispensable art in leading today’s church. Over the last 12 years I’ve led our church through some significant changes and here’s a few things I’ve learned about change:
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 8, 2010 | Accountability, Decisions, Family, Fun Stuff, Goals, Humor, Other Stuff, Self-Leadership
On December 2, I celebrated my 44th birthday with family and close friends. During the week of Thanksgiving, we loaded up a rental minivan and hit the highway headed to Jackson, MS. We had a great time bonding with family, shopping, and of course – EATING! I’m happy my wife had a chance to see all of her relatives including her mother and grandmother.
(All the grandchildren posing for a pic…including my Shauntai – my wife)
Last week, my family and I shared a birthday meal together and I hopped on a plane to a much warmer place with a few close friends. You can call it an official “fellas” trip. We had a chance to catch up on old times and enjoy each others company in a “warm” & “stress-free” environment. In short, we had a great time. While away, I thought about my next steps in life…what they would look like…how I would approach the next phase of my life. It’s been said “when a man enters his 40’s he carries with him the experiences from the past and the anticipations of tomorrow.” Thus, I decided to create an organic…ongoing list called “Now that I’m 44.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 1, 2010 | Communication, Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Success, Vision
We hear a lot about how leaders must have a burning red-hot vision from God. If we accept Bill Hybel’s definition of vision (I do), then what exactly does it mean to have a vision? How can you tell if you’re moving in the right direction? Great! I’m glad you’re pondering that question.
As a subscriber to Harvard Business Review OnPoint Journal, I behaved like a child at Toys R Us upon receiving the Winter 2010 edition. “Turning Your Vision into Reality” is this month’s theme and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Vision is popular buzzword among leaders, especially church leaders. Unfortunately, many pastors attend conferences and come away with visions hijacked from others, falsely believing that God will do the same for their church. I call this ministry pornography (I’ll blog about that later).
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 10, 2010 | Accountability, Decisions, Empowerment, Personal, Relationships, Self-Leadership, Teamwork
To say I’m excited about mentoring a fine group of men is an understatement. In fact – I’m ECSTATIC! How often are we allowed the chance to impart and pour our lives into others? I told our men that this will be one of the most difficult assignments they’ll ever encounter. I will teach them…stretch them…develop them…train them…correct them…as they transition into fine Christian leaders in their homes, communities, and church.
(Praying for our Men of Promise. Sunday, November 7, 2010)
I crossed the burning sands of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., on March 4, 1987 @ 10:54:35pm while attending Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. While pledging* (The Men of Alpha Phi Alpha DO NOT participate in or condone any form of hazing :-D), my line (The Naughty 9) read poems that instilled hope and inspiration. The inspiration from these poems gave us the strength to reach towards the finishing line. I shared with the Men of Promise how nothing great comes without sacrifice, dedication, and hard work. Therefore, I believe this poem, “The Test of a Man” will prove beneficial to their development.
THE TEST OF A MAN
(Author Unknown)
The test of a man is the fight that he makes,
The grit that he daily shows;
The way he stands upon his feet,
And takes life’s numerous bumps and blows.
A coward can smile when there’s naught to fear.
And nothing his progress bars,
But it takes a man to stand and cheer,
While the other fellow stars.
It isn’t the victory after all
But the fight that a Brother makes.
A man when driven against the wall, still stands
erect and takes the blows of fate with his head held high,
bleeding and bruised and pale,
Is the man who will win and fate defied,
For he isn’t afraid to fail.
Question: What Scriptures, poems, or quotes get you through the day?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 5, 2010 | Decisions, Other Stuff, Technology, Web/Tech, Weblogs
Welcome to my redesigned blog – The Urban Pastor!
First, I want to thank my web/blog designers Chris and Erin for designing an incredible site. My web designers, Chris and Erin of Arcane Palette Creative Design, spent the last few months redesigning my Facebook Fan Page (I really don’t like using that term) and my blog, The Urban Pastor. Thank you Arcane Palette Creative Design for all you have done!
YOU’LL NOTICE SEVERAL CHANGES
- The design is much different. Not everyone will like it, but I’m pleased. I think it feels modern, urban-chic professional, but also personal. That was my goal.
- The photos of Shauntai & I rotate. Every time you refresh the page or move to a new page, you get a new photo of Shauntai and I. “Big deal,” I know. But I couldn’t just settle on one photo. My life is too multi-faceted. Plus I thought you might enjoy peering into the visual aspects of my life.
- The search engine is easy to find. People often email me, asking for links to articles they remember seeing but can’t find. The WordPress search engine is very robust, and I think it’s placement and functionality will make it easier for you to find the stuff you are interested in.
- The design is clean. I’ve cleaned up the site to make it visually appealing and easy to navigate.
- I added a YouTube Channel. In the very near future I will add video clips of my messages, workshops and seminars, teaching moments, special family moments, and any other special interests I may have. Please consider subscribing to my channel. I’m extremely excited about my channel – The Urban Pastor Live! Check it out HERE.
- I will add additional pages. I get asked to speak a lot and in the very near future I will accept advertising. However, I will only run ads for products or services that I personally use and can recommend.
QUESTION
What do you like about the new blog? What don’t you like? Tell it to me straight. I can take it. (I think.)
