I was planning on running 9 miles yesterday morning. I ended up running 12. What happened? I was encouraged  (or shamed) into going further than I anticipated. But at the end of the run, I was better off for it. I had a strong sense of accomplishment and both my heart and waist benefited from the extra mileage. However, if it weren’t for the power of community, I would probably done less than the 9 I had originally intended to do. Some people like to run, exercise, eat and often do life alone. I’m not one of them. I’m convinced that even these lone wolves could benefit from being part of an encouraging community. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten out of bed at 4:30 am on a cold winter morning because I knew my running partners would be waiting for me at the park entrance. I…

Sometimes intelligent people surprise me with their lack of business acumen, marketing savvy and just even common sense. A Pastor friend of mine had been in dialogue with a service provider who came highly recommended to him. According to his sources, this business owner went to an Ivy League school and was running a service business helping Pastors with their message research. Negotiations were going well until my friend received the following text message: First I thought it was a joke, but he assured me this was for real. He didn’t know what to say in reply but he knew he was not going to do business with the man for sure– Ivy League pedigree or not. Incensed, I helped craft the following reply: Am I overly sensitive or is this one of the worst attempts at closing a deal you’ve ever seen?

My most successful clients are a part of what I call “learning organizations.” These are growing, dynamic churches, businesses or ministries that are seldom satisfied with the status quo. They are always learning and searching for ways to make a good experience a great one, to reach even more people, and to improve on what most people would label as a “wow” product. This past weekend I had the privilege of joining another learning organization. The Women of Faith tour reaches out to hundreds of thousands of women every year in 30 cities around the country. They have world-class speakers, singers, entertainers and production that’s second to none. I believe every woman would benefit from being in a WFO event no matter where they are in their faith walk. This weekend, for example, over 12 thousand women came to Atlanta’s Philips Arena for this two-day event. On record, there were…

I’ve been Twittering for over 90 days now, and I must say it has been a great tool to build community instantly. While I’ve loved the positive aspect of Twitter, I must, in all fairness to those of you who are new to this social network or are contemplating signing on, share my experience with Twitter’s dark side. In case you’re wondering about my list, not all of it happened to me. Ok, most of the list is “loosely based” on my personal experience. Well, maybe all of it is. Ok, enough already. Here’s my top 10 ways you can get in trouble with Twitter:10. Post fun tweets about your Vegas vacation and watch some crazy, anonymous fundamentalist jerk turn you into this money-spending, luxury-loving, pleasure-driven Satanist on his loser hate blog. (Do I sound bitter?). I guess what happens in Vegas should really stay there. 9. Post about a…

We are only three weeks into the New Year and I have seen people toss their new year’s resolutions aside. The signs are all over the place: the couple with the matching warm up suits is gone from the Y, the “salad eaters” have gone back to the Chinese Buffet and,most unfortunately, Bedside Baptist has claimed a large number of would-be worshipers. But not all of us who made resolutions have given up on them. I, for one, am sticking to my guns. I have been physically active for several years and last summer I began training for triathlons, but I had never considered running a full marathon until a friend talked me into joining a running group, Innerstrength, late last fall. This has been a great experience in perseverance. In the past few weeks I have run under unimaginable conditions. I remember in the past driving to the gym…