Summer Permission Slip

Schools out. We’re on the brink of summer. It’s a season of change. Seasons are an important part of life’s rhythm. They change our pace. They disrupt us. I used to think I didn’t like seasons. Spending most of my life in Wisconsin and Tennessee I found the extremes of the seasons tiring. Whether it […]

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Teams That Thrive

I love great teams.  I love building great teams.  I love building teams of great leaders. I echo John Maxwell… “everything rises or fall on leadership.”  The power of leadership through teams is exponential. Ryan T. Hartwig and Warren Bird have recently written this great book: Teams That Thrive: Five Disciplines of Collaborative Church Leadership […]

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Fight Back With Joy

I’ve never described myself as joyful and I doubt that others would assign that attribute to me either.  I suppose I thought joy was reserved for the more light-hearted and fun.  Joy felt like a privilege I wasn’t intended to possess. These were all self-conscious assumptions.  In fact, if probed I would agree that joy […]

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Ever Have Leadership Questions?

When CLOUT released I had the privilege of connecting with Bob Tiede. Bob has been on the staff of CRU (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) for 43-years. He serves as the Director of Global Operations Leadership Development, and is passionate about seeing leaders grow and multiply their effectiveness.  Bob just released a free […]

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The Dark Side of Change

The thing about major life transitions is that they expose all the junk in your life that you’ve found a way to cover up.  Sometimes you don’t even know what you’ve covered up… it could be insecurities, fears, weaknesses, habitual sins.  We find a way to cope with our inadequacies and in seasons where we’re […]

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Let’s Catch Up!

Hey everyone, It’s time to get back to some regular conversation here on the blog.  The last five months have been stretching.  Moving cross-country is not for the faint of heart.  I have so much respect for people who have done this frequently! We’re finding our footing though.  Merlyn is FINALLY with me in Menlo […]

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Let's Catch Up!

Hey everyone, It’s time to get back to some regular conversation here on the blog.  The last five months have been stretching.  Moving cross-country is not for the faint of heart.  I have so much respect for people who have done this frequently! We’re finding our footing though.  Merlyn is FINALLY with me in Menlo […]

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Summer Reading Plan: Atlas Girl

SORRY… THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. ————————————————————– Okay everyone, I couldn’t be more excited about this week’s summer reading giveaway… Atlas Girl is a beautiful memoir from a precious new friend, Emily Wierenga.  Emily is guest posting today so I’ll be brief and encourage you to read what she shares… and then comment to win one […]

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