It’s a small world after all. And I’m not talking about the never-ending, annoying Disney ride that can drive you insane. In the global economy we now live in, you’ll eventually have to work with people from different countries and cultures. This year alone I have been in Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Vienna working on projects and have seen first hand what a global economy looks like. Clear communication across the entire world has never been more important. As a communication professional, I often find well-meaning people commit grave errors because they don’t understand the cultural implications within a discussion. Most of the time, words alone fail to give you the true meaning of an international exchange. There are some lessons every business professional, pastor or even mission-bound volunteer should learn before they blow a deal, an exchange or, worst, start a war. Bad translations will derail any…

Yesterday my church, Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN gave birth to its fourth campus in the Bellevue area just west of Nashville. I have been on the board since our early days and I must say this is the most successful launch we’ve ever had. Yesterday morning we had over 1,200 people attending two services. It’s a phenomenal statistics by any standard. There are many factors why we saw such success: from the newly remodeled Circuit City building we purchased, to a beautiful sunny day, and to several families from the area already attending our downtown campus. But I believe the main reason for this amazing first day rested on Bellevue’s campus pastor, Justin Davis becoming a shepherd to the community before we even had a first service. Months before our opening day, Justin and his wife Trisha and their three boys have been living among the people God…