by Clarence E. Stowers | May 31, 2016 | Decisions, Empowerment, Goals, Leadership, Motivation, Relationships, Self-Leadership, Servant Leadership
“The best leaders understand the difference between a tension you manage versus a tension you resolve,” according to Andy Stanley.
Leadership isn’t easy. Every decision you make earns the favor of some and the disfavor of others. Some are happy and others are not. Most leaders end up avoiding tense situations and allow them to grow into full blown conflicts.
Your ability to discern the difference between tensions you manage verses tensions you resolve “may determine the level of success a leader can sustain,” according to Ron Edmondson. Do yourself a favor and check out Ron Edmondson’s post, “7 everyday tensions of every leader must manage.”
- Displaying confidence without being arrogant.
- Making bold decisions while building collaboration.
- Showing strength while displaying compassion.
- Controlling energy towards a vision but allowing individuals to chart their path.
- Celebrating victory while not resting on current success.
- Learning from other leaders but being who you were uniquely wired to be.
- Spending time with people versus completing tasks.
As a leader, what tension do you face, and how do you manage or resolve it?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 12, 2016 | Decisions, Empowerment, Encouragement, Self-Leadership, Success
This is a Periscope replay of the #MotivationalMoment.
Sometimes life’s consuming, taking up all of your time, thoughts and energy. Do you want more success in life? Do you think you’ll have to work harder to get it?
In this special edition, you’ll discover why sometimes moving ahead requires you to step back…sometimes way back. If you are interested, I broadcast three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) on Periscope. I mainly share tips on living and empowered life. And I always take some off-topic questions. You’ll need to download the free Periscope app if you want to watch live. Thanks!
[youtube id=”P6PpCPheBPU”]
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 14, 2016 | Communication, Decisions, Empowerment, Encouragement, Goals
Imagine a life without hobbies. I can’t.
Hobbies are often thought of as activities for people who lead quiet, relaxed lives. However, people with full, busy, even stressful lives may need hobbies more than the average person, and benefit greatly from having hobbies in their lives. Hobbies bring many benefits that usually make them more than worth the time they require, according to Stress Management Expert Elizabeth Scott.
I have a few hobbies but none of them have changed my life or brought me as much satisfaction as blogging. In almost too many ways to count, it has changed me and the way I live my life.
In fact, I love blogging so much that I regularly recommend it to others. I started blogging because writing in a journal wasn’t very appealing. But somewhere along the line, my journaling became less about me writing the story and more about the story changing me.
I started blogging “unofficially” on MySpace as a hobby (remember them). Now it’s a vital part of my professional portfolio. I write on personal development, leadership, finance, relationships, inspiration, and motivation. (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 4, 2016 | Christian, Christianity, Decisions, Empowerment, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Questions, Self-Leadership, Spiritual Growth
At Mars Hill, “we become all things to all people that we may win some to Christ.”
Therefore, we decided a long time ago to use technology as another tool to help people find their way back to God. Before you write me off as a heretic, Christianity was, in a very real sense, the first technologically driven religion. You can read more about it HERE.
Welcome to Live Streaming
With Facebook’s newest feature Facebook Live, you can start a Live broadcast that’s posted to the News Feed, watch comments overlaid in real-time on their stream, and then make the recording permanently available for viewing. I’m using Facebook Live to review the previous Sunday message and live stream a video devotional. I’m calling it Rewind.
Rewind
REWIND is a live stream (Facebook Live and Periscope) designed for us to look back to Sunday’s message and allow God’s Spirit to prompt us in areas that need to change in our lives (before we shelve the thoughts in the archives of our mind).
There are three sections to it:
- Recall: a quick blurb about the big idea of the previous Sunday message along with links to the audio/video/transcription of the message (in case you missed it or want to go back to it),
- Reflect: some key questions to digest as a group, family, or individual, and
- Respond: action steps that might be helpful to pursue a healthy change in our daily lives.
I’m inviting you to find a quite place and subscribe to my Facebook Profile or follow me on Periscope.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 1, 2016 | Christian, Christianity, Decisions, Empowerment, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Prayer, Preaching, Self-Leadership, Spiritual Growth, Success, Sunday Worship Experience
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “I’m All In or All or Nothing?”
Originally and still a poker metatphor, ‘all in’ has also come to mean a situation whose subject is unreservedly involved, without qualification. Fully committed. In this sense the term “all in” is almost the same as its denotative opposite, “all out,” as in all-out warfare.
When many people think of church membership, they may think that it just means their name is on a roll at a church. And in some churches it means you were baptized or dedicated at that church. But it’s actually much more than that.
It’s about an attitude, not an action.
In my new message series for 2016, I’m laying out the basic principles for what it means to be “ALL IN.”
- All In
- It’s Not About me…It’s All About Him
- In Order to Go Up, I Must be Prayed Up.
- As For Me and My House, It’s Settled.
- Sit or Serve…It’s a Choice
Why waste your life when you can make something of your life? If you wait, life will probably pass you by. But if you go out and do the things you want to, take the risks you fear, you may just find that everything falls into place. Join us each Sunday in January at the Mars Hill Baptist Church of Chicago at 8 AM or 10:30 AM. It’s a safe place to hear a dangerous message.
[shareable]It’s about an attitude, not an action.[/shareable]
Question: What would it take for you to be “All In” in 2016 Share your answer on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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…)
