by Clarence E. Stowers | May 13, 2015 | Communication, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Motivation, Servant Leadership, Teamwork
I’ll admit, as a leader it’s quite easy to get caught up with a vision.
It’s natural because as leader’s we’re encouraged to look out for opportunities and then take the lead in making things happen. But sometimes we find ourselves alone out front and wonder what happened to the people we’re leading? Why aren’t they with us?
Do You Like To Fish?
Take a scenario of a group of people going fishing on a lake. Typical leaders get the vision, jump in the boat and are off to fish straight away. But the rest of the group may take a different approach. As the leaders look back, they find that half the people are still on the river bank.
Some are still prepping their fishing gear. Some are just starting to launch their boats. Others are on the water but are heading in the opposite direction. Some are going in circles, and still others haven’t yet even decided if they feel like fishing after all. That’s when you realize that only leading from the front doesn’t always help facilitate the transition.
We have a choice to change or remain the same.
John Maxwell in his book Winning with People admits that patience is not one his strengths. He says:
When I was younger I constantly cast vision for the people in my organization and then left them behind – not a good thing for a leader.
In the past sixteen years, Mars Hill experienced many changes. But as exciting as that vision of building was, we know now that during the process we left some people behind. There were parts of the process whereas leaders we simply dropped the ball. Here are three humbling lessons learned: (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 16, 2015 | Apple/Mac, History, Leadership, Teamwork, Technology, Vision
Honestly, I do not understand why most pastors and church leaders do not leverage technology for the Glory of God. Pastors, church leaders, and faithful church attendees who see social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and LinkedIn as evil are missing a great opportunity to reach people far from God.
Are you sitting?
Here’s something that’ll blow your mind…
Christianity was, in a very real sense, the first technologically driven religion.
Intrigued? Angry? Frustrated? Read on…
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 3, 2014 | Encouragement, Motivation, Teamwork
Heard this somewhere:
Don’t press timid people to be bold – Give them hope and they will be bold.
Boldness follows hope. Hope is facing the future believing you’ll win. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” Timid people don’t believe they can win. People who believe they can win keep working to win.
10 Ways to Build Hope:
- Believe in them more than they believe in themselves.
- Do things that matter. Never complete bland tasks; always achieve meaningful vision.
- Remember past successes. “Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent,” Mignon McLaughlin.
- Smile.
- Pat people on the back.
- Celebrate small wins, every day. Small wins create big wins.
- Celebrate effort; it keeps people moving forward.
- Praise often; correct occasionally.
- Focus on strengths more than weaknesses.
- Help people rest and renew.
People who give others hope inspire people to be bold.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 31, 2014 | Encouragement, Goals, Leadership, Networking, Teamwork
I need your help!
I’m noticing a disturbing trend on my Facebook timeline. It’s filled with negativity, sexually suggested dancing, fistfights, & bizarre/demonic criminal behavior. It appears people are in despair & perhaps have lost hope. Facebook and other social media outlets are the places people gather to mingle and converse. They are today’s wells….the gathering place for people to catch up on what’s happening. If Jesus were here today, he’d log on to Facebook.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Jun 27, 2013 | Dating, Decisions, Family, Fun Stuff, Relationships, Teamwork
I would like to think it was easy to be married to me for 21 years but my wife’s commitment to be with me drew her into a life of many challenges. Don’t misunderstand, we’ve been blessed in many ways and we’ve had many good years together. Yet the life of a Pastor (or being married to him) is not easy. Shortly into married life, as I was still training for ministry, I became a co-pastor and we enjoyed a brief time in ministry. Then the opportunity came to transition to senior pastor in May 1999. We are still here and Mars Hill has grown exponentially.
June 27, 1992
Jackson, Mississippi (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | May 20, 2013 | Decisions, Encouragement, Motivation, Teamwork
What do you do when you’ve run out of options? We all have times when we feel we have no options. However, we can learn how to face these crises by remembering the children of Israel.
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.” – Exodus 14:21 NIV
Moses knew that the way of victory was through trusting the Lord (Hebrews 11:29). Note his three commands (Exodus 13:13-31): “Fear not” for God is on your side; “stand still,” for you cannot win this battle in your own strength; “see the salvation of the Lord,” for He will fight for you. It is important that we stand still before we “go forward” (Exodus 14:15), for unless we are standing by faith, we can never walk by faith. Moses lifted his rod, and God began to work.
The children of Israel faced a stormy sea to the front and Egyptian soldiers to the rear. Talk about having no options…they truly had no way out! But, if you’ll remember, God led them from desperation to complete victory. The believer cannot go ahead in the strength of Christ until he has learned to stand still in his own helplessness. God can then place Himself between us and our circumstances and wonderfully deliver.
So what’s the point:
When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: You haven’t.
There is no lasting defeat for children of God; He always gives us the option of allowing Him to lead us, teach us, and build our faith. If He parted the Red Sea for the people of faith, then through faith, no situation is hopeless.
Again I ask, What do you do when you’re out of options?
