by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 19, 2010 | Leadership, Mind Dump, Success, Top 5
I am a voracious reader. In fact, I love to read and I never pass up an opportunity to visit bookstores. I will literally sit for hours, scan book & magazines, and fill my Moleskine notebook with pertinent information. This week I invite you to join me and take a peek in my notebook and see my thoughts.
As promised, every Friday I’ve decided to share my “Top 5.” I’ve thought a lot about success and what it takes to be successful. Since success is hard to conceptualize and is subjective, I’ve discovered there are similar costs most are willing to pay in order to be successful.
Here’s what’s swirling around in my mind this week:
- You can’t be CHEAP and successful at the same time. College costs money. Books cost money. Conferences & Seminars cost money. Putting yourself in a position to be stretched and grow cost money. One of the qualities that I’ve always noticed in successful people is that they were personally willing to pay a financial price.
- You can’t be LAZY and successful at the same time. You must be willing to put “some skin in the game. This means you get your butt out of bed and make it happen! Also, remember that rest is essential because success is a LONG journey.
- You must be mentally strong. Your success journey will be one of the most emotionally draining things you will EVER do. You will discover that you can go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows with one email or phone call. Your heart and motives will be called into question. Critics will attack. Haters will hate (that’s what they do).
- You must devise a plan to combat spiritual warfare. The enemy IS NOT happy about what you’re trying to accomplish. His strategy is to kill, steal, and destroy. He attempts to kill the dream in the beginning…before the seed takes root. The more successful you become the greater the intensity of spiritual attack on your life.
- You will bear scars. Jesus asked His followers to count up the cost before they decided to follow Him. Why? Those who God uses greatly, He scars them deeply. Behind every successful person are scars they’ve accumulated along the journey. Success will cost you something!
Questions:
Are you ready for the journey?
Have you considered the costs?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 12, 2010 | Leadership, Mind Dump, Top 5
I’m trying something new. My Moleskine notebook’s filled with random thoughts, devotionals, leadership lessons and principles, and inspirational thoughts from the Holy Spirit. Every Friday, I’ve decided to share my “Top 5” lessons learned, ideas, and leadership principles with my blog family.
Here what’s swirling around in my mind:
- No matter how many sermons or Bible studies I lead, people won’t grow unless they have a desire to grow. The saying is true: “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.”
- John Maxwell says: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!” That’s true: Most African-Americans want to be able to touch their pastor & know that he loves them.
- Build bridges before you ask for anything. People won’t readily commit until they can trust you. The only way to build trust is through time and consistency.
- Great visions from God force you to ask the types of questions that lead to greater dependence on God.
- My days are filled with meaningful work for which I have a sustainable passion.
Question: What did you learn this week?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 9, 2010 | Accountability, Goals, Leadership, Mentoring, Relationships, Self-Leadership, Teamwork, Vision
Five years ago I received a clear calling. This calling was as clear as my call to preach and pastor. God directed me to personally develop and mentor 100 men to become devoted Christians and strong spiritual leaders.
THE NAME – MEN OF PROMISE
The process and material to develop these leaders is called Men of Promise. Inspiration for our name comes from the Moses’ encounter with his father-in-law Jethro who asks Moses, “What are you really accomplishing here?” Moses would sit and hear ALL the people’s disputes against each other from morning till evening (Exodus 18:13-14). Jethro told Moses, “This is not good. You’re going to wear yourself out and the people too.” (Exodus 18:15-16). He goes on to instruct Moses to “select from all the people CAPABLE, honest men who fear God and hate bribes and show them how to lead.” (Exodus 17-21). Men of Promise are today’s emerging leaders in our church. Some are ready and some are raw…but they are our best.
(more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Sep 9, 2010 | Christian, Computers, Conference/Workshops, Empowerment, Events, Leadership, Technology
The NINES is an online conference worth attending!
The NINES is a totally online conference and gathering for church leaders that will happen today, September 9, 2010 @ 10:30AM (CST). I attended the conference last year and it was brilliant – no seriously, it was brilliant!! The format is that each leader speaking at the conference is given six minutes to give their thoughts on the conference theme – this year the theme is “Game Changers.”
Here are some answers to some commonly asked questions (from the Q&A page of the NINES website)!
I know it’s short notice, but, trust me: YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! Registration is free, but you can also register and get lots of good stuff.
See you online @ The NINES!
by Clarence E. Stowers | Aug 19, 2010 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Current Affairs, Leadership, Technology, Vision, Web/Tech
My generation experienced the election of the first African-American President, the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, Desert Storm, Iraq War, historic government bailouts, the passing of healthcare reform, and the greatest economic downturn since The Great Depression. However, in my opinion, the greatest shifts we will experience in our lifetime are happening now!
According to next generation thought leader Blake Mallen, “most new online technologies have one root intention: to make it simpler for people to communicate and collaborate.” Of all the tools and websites created to connect people, Facebook seems to be the most popular starting place for many. With more than 500 million users (that’s right – 500 MILLION AND GROWING), we all have at our fingertips the tools to find, friend, and engage with people. Imagine how churches can use this platform to expand the Kingdom of God!
Consider this:
To reach 50 million users, it took:
- Radio – 38 years
- TV – 13 years
- Internet – 4 years
- iPod – 3 years
FACEBOOK ADDED 100 MILLION USERS IN LESS THAN 9 MONTHS
Source: United Nations Cyber School Bus Document/Mashable
Additionally, according to a Grunwald Associates National Study, “at the end of 2010 Generation Y will outnumber baby boomers…96% of them have joined a social network.”
QUESTIONS:
Considering this social trend, how will the church respond and leverage social media to help expand the Kingdom of God?
How will business owners leverage social media to market their goods and services?
How are you leveraging social media?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 15, 2010 | Communication, Empowerment, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Success
We all have blind spots. You can’t see them! We can’t avoid them and probably will never get rid of them! Seems obvious, but YOU aren’t in the best position to see your blind spots or to know how they are affecting the people you lead and the relationships you’re in.
Here’s what I’m learning as I lead:
Your greatest strengths can also do damage to your team dynamics. You tend to think that everyone values the same things you value and that everyone is good at the same thing that we are good at.
NOT TRUE!
Over the next few weeks I invite you to join me as I read Strength Finder 2.0. Strengths Finder 2.0 is the follow up to Marcus Buckingham & Donald Clifton’s Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book includes a revamped version of the StrengthsFinder test that shows you not just what your top five strengths are, but also how you rank in the rest of the 34 strengths from Buckingham & Clifton’s model.
I recommend that you get the Strength Finder’s book. It’s a great tool to have on your shelf. After reading the book and completing the Strength Finder survey, I will post my results and encourage you to do the same. I hope this discussion will encourage you to become more aware of your own blind spots. Please join me on this amazing journey.
Are you up for the challenge?
As promised, every Friday I’ve decided to share my “Top 5.” I’ve thought a lot about success and what it takes to be successful. Since success is hard to conceptualize and is subjective, I’ve discovered there are similar costs most are willing to pay in order to be successful.
