by Clarence E. Stowers | Apr 22, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Easter Weekend, Leadership, Men, Mentoring, Self-Leadership, Top 5, Vision
Mars Hill is the kind of church men would love to attend.
Every Sunday, church pews fill up with despondent women who are forced to worship without the men in their lives. A recent survey by Ellison Research found that 31% of men never attend church even on holidays believing that church is for women, weirdos and wimps.
This sad statistic prompts parishioners and ministers alike to ask: “Where are the men?” While it’s true that several men spend their Sundays satisfying their vices for sports, beer, and sleep, men who don’t attend church usually have more substantial reasons for not attending.
However, I’d like to share five reasons why I believe Mars Hill is a church men would love to attend. (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 14, 2011 | Decisions, Fun Stuff, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Top 5
For better or worse, leaders put themselves out there, on display, for the entire world to see. Whether you’re a pastor, ministry leader, business owner, entrepreneur, supervisor, or hold no titles, at some point in your professional career, you’re going to be criticized. Recently, God’s overwhelming presence cut into my sermon time and I didn’t preach a full message. Boy, did the critics come out. They criticized me for using the Holy Spirit’s visitation for not wanting to preach. OUCH!
Criticism, even to the most seasoned professionals, is still a difficult pill to swallow and one that doesn’t go down easily or sit well with many of us. When someone publicly (or privately) criticizes you, take a deep breath and follow these guidelines:
(more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 17, 2010 | College Life, Family, Fun Stuff, Humor, Mind Dump, Top 5
Have you ever noticed how circular life really is? We start not knowing anything, and enjoy it immensely (childhood). Eventually we think we know everything, but everyone else still thinks we don’t know anything; this causes a lot of frustration (adolescence, end of childhood). At last we realize…no, we don’t know everything, in fact we still hardly know anything; again, we seem to enjoy this stage, in many cases a bit too much (college and professional life, the in-between to adulthood).
The legal age for adulthood is eighteen for women and twenty-one for men (never understood that). However, we all know many enter adult well before AND after the legal age. So, when did it occur for you? When did you discover you were “good and grown?”
I discovered I was good and grown (an adult) when:
(more…)
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:
(more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 26, 2010 | Accountability, Fun Stuff, Money and Finance, Self-Leadership, Top 5
What is Black Friday you might ask, It’s the day after thanksgiving, the kick off of the holiday shopping season, a day you will find great deals, and lots of people. If you have never done a black Friday before you will need to have a plan in place. You can’t control your job, investments or home value, however, you can control how you spend.
Therefore, before you hit the stores (you may already be out there by the time you read this), ask yourself the following questions:
(more…)
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?
