Wayne Hedlund

Category: What to Read

  • Top 10 Posts of December

    Here are the top 10 Posts on Transforming Leader in December, 2011.

    1. Demystifying Your Plans
      A short devotional about planning based on James, chapter 4.

    2. Reading in December, 2011
      What I’ve been reading this past month (and still reading).

    3. Sunday Morning Announcements
      Includes some great ideas to make morning announcements more effective as well as som great video announcement examples from EGC.

    4. Ten Church Systems: The Stewardship System
      Part of ‘The Ten Church Systems‘ series.

    5. Thursday Quote: Good to Great Volunteers (Jim Collins)
      Contemplation about where and how volunteers really fit into ministry roles.

    6. Would You Rather?
      A critical, ‘Critical Thinking Skill’.

    7. Ten Church Systems: The Leadership System
      Part of ‘The Ten Church Systems‘ series.

    8. Leaders are Readers
      Tips on getting a lot of reading done, even if you aren’t an avid reader.

    9. Andy Stanley’s Podcast (for the non-tech Christian leader)
      How to get access to some of the best leadership teaching available for free.

    10. Ten Church Systems: The Discipleship System
      Part of ‘The Ten Church Systems‘ series.

    The most read post this month, “Demystifying Your Plans” was actually written about 2 years ago under the title “Presuming on the Future”. I re-posted it in August and this simple devotional thought has received a lot of attention lately. It’s also a great reminder as we start out the New Year!

    Happy New Years!

    Image from seruvenci on istockphoto.com

  • Thursday Quote: Axiom – Language Matters

    Bill Hybels is one of the most respected Christian leaders in this generation. I know I am deeply indebted to his wisdom and insight. I’ve never met him in person, but have received so much from his teachings and books that I can honestly say that he is a mentor in my life.

    He’s written some outstanding books. One of the most meaningful to me was his book, “Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs: “. I don’t know if it was his intent or not, but Axiom is basically a download of Bill’s values. It’s a DNA transfer from him and the organizations he leads to the rest of us. I highly recommend you purchase a copy of this book. Every chapter is only 2-3 pages long, which makes it an easy read, especially if you’re a ‘bathroom reader‘!

    The following quote is from chapter 1 – Language Matters. Awesome.

    If someone had tried to tell me thirty-five years ago that my effectiveness as a leader would often hinge on something as ‘inconsequential’ as word choice, I’d have rolled my eyes and written them off. ‘As long as I can convey an idea in general terms that everyone can understand,’ I would have said, ‘I’ll do just fine.’ And I would have been dead wrong. The truth is, leaders rise and fall by the language they use. Sometimes whole visions live or die on the basis of the words the leader chooses for articulating that vision.

    When you put the right words to a vision or a principle, it becomes axiomatic. It begins to live! It becomes memorable and powerful. It becomes weight bearing, and eventually everyone around you champions it. They defend it with vigor. They give to it and pray for it…. 

    The very best leaders I know wrestle with words until they are able to communicate their big ideas in a way that captures the imagination, catalyzes action, and lifts spirits. They coin creeds and fashion slogans and create rallying cries, all because they understand that language matters….

    Add Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs to your library today!

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Reading in December, 2011

     

    If you’ve been following my blog for long, you know that I believe that Leaders are Readers. Harry Truman once said:

    “Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader.”

    Reading can be challenging to do at times. It can get tedious and boring. It can be hard to find time to do it. If that describes you, then I recommend you check out my post, “Leaders are Readers” where I outline some ‘tips’ to be an effective reader (leader).

       
     
       

    How about you? What book or books are on your reading list for December?

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Top 10 Posts of November 2011

    Here are the Top 10 Posts for November 2011 on Transforming Leader.

    1. Sunday Morning Announcements
    2. Demystifying Our Plans
    3. Critical Thinking in a Nutshell
    4. Leaders are Readers
    5. Tactical Tip: Internet Passwords
    6. Are You Praying?
    7. Time Management 101 – The Weekly Schedule
    8. Tactical Tip: Moving to Eye Level
    9. Tactical Tip: Saying Thank You Systematically
    10. The Big Road Block

    I read the post that ranked #6 this month, “Are You Praying?” again today. The passage I quoted there, Colossians 4:2-4, is a great reminder to us to continue to submit our plans to the Lord every day. I pray this Christmas season God does, in fact, open a door for the message and mystery of Christ to reach the people in your community!

    “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”  Colossians 4:2-4

    Image from seruvenci on istockphoto.com



  • Get with YouVersion Today!

    YouVersion

    Hopefully, you’ve heard of this great website by now. I’ve blogged about it before but feel it’s worth bringing up again. www.youversion.com is a free website that offers a myriad of tools to help you and your congregation integrate the Word of God into daily life.

    It’s not just a Bible Website! It’s much, much more. It’s a place for people to gather to talk about Scripture – and what it means to them. It’s a place for accountability and encouragement. It’s a place to journal & remember what you are learning.  YouVersion is fast becoming the primary means by which this generation interfaces with God’s Word.

    FOR YOUR CHURCH
    First, let me give you some examples of how this website can serve your church. With a little focused attention on your part and regular attention each week, you may discover that your congregation reads the Bible more than ever! Let me show you how:

    • Read a Bible plan together.YouVersion has over 150 different reading plans. Some are devotional plans from well known leaders like Rick Warren. Most are Bible reading plans that range from 7 day plans to year long plans. Some of the plans are even topical in nature and would go perfectly with a sermon series. Individual’s can subscribe to plans via many different methods. We encouraged our congregation to join the “New Thru 30” plan last year when we did a series on the New Testament. Check out the Bible Reading plans here.
    • Create a Group & Live Events
      You can create a group just for your church and encourage your congregation to join. Once your group has been created, it can be used for encouragement and unified activities. As an example, click on THIS LINK to see a Live Event I created for a group I created for my blog readers. Note: This Live Event is simply one example of what you might consider doing with your congregation. 
    • Encourage Accountability
      YouVersion recently released a new feature that allows individual users to pick another YouVersion user as an accountability partner with a Bible Reading Plan. YouVersion will send email updates to the accountability partner on the individual’s progress in the plan, including whether or not they are getting behind in their reading. You might consider challenging your congregation, Sunday School classes or small groups to partner together.
    • Advertise YouVersion RegularlyThis website is free to everyone, compliments of the people at lifechurch.tv. Your congregation can only benefit from it’s use. Find ways to regularly advertise the website to your church. Put links on your website, make announcements, place ads in your bulletin, maybe even add a link to the site on your email signature.


    FOR INDIVIDUALS
    There are many other great features in YouVersion that will help you and your congregation stay rooted in the Word. Here are a few of them.
    • My Notes & Community Notes
      You can attach as many personal or private notes to individual Scriptures as you want. This takes ‘writing in the margin of your Bible’ to a whole new level. Notes can be kept private so that only the user sees them, or they can be made public for everyone to view when they browse to that particular passage. 
    • Bookmarks & Labels
      You can bookmark as many verses as you want to allow for easy access later on. Additionally, YouVersion has announced a new feature that should be rolled out very soon. The new feature will allow you to create labels for each individual bookmark. So for instance, you will be able to bookmark James 1:19 and then create labels like ‘anger’, ‘listening’, ‘patience’. Over time, those labels will come in real handy when your trying to look up passages you’ve bookmarked as relating to ‘anger’!
    • Pick Your Version & Parallel Bibles
      YouVersion boasts more than 100 different versions of the Bible in multiple languages. Pretty much, it’s highly likely your favorite version exists. Additionally, the ‘Parallel’ button will let you view a particular passage in two different versions at the same time.
    • Audio Bible
      Have a few moments to spare while driving to work, taking a shower, or mowing the lawn? Listen to the Bible, again in several versions. You can even listen to your daily Bible reading plan! Personally, this feature alone has increased my diet of the Word of God.
    • Go Mobile
      YouVersion is available for just about every mobile option out there. I have YouVersion installed on my phone and enjoy almost all of the functionality of the website at the touch of my finger. You can create widgets for the verse of the day or even your Bible reading plan.
    • Twitter & FaceBook
      YouVersion makes it real easy to post a Scripture to Twitter or FaceBook. Did you read something profound? Let all your friends read it too!
    There’s more. Signup for YouVersion today and fall in love with God’s Word all over again!

  • Top Ten Posts of October 2011

    Here are the most viewed posts in October on Transforming Leader.

    1. Sunday Morning Announcements
    2. The Ten Systems of the Local Church
    3. Ten Church Systems: The Weekend Service System
    4. Ten Church Systems: Getting Started p.1
    5. Ten Church Systems: The Assimilation System
    6. Ten Church Systems: The Care System
    7. Ten Church Systems – Getting Started p.2
    8. Ten Church Systems – Getting Started p.3
    9. The Rhythm of Failure (with Craig Groeschel)
    10. Tactical Tip: Say ‘Thanks’ in Your Email
    I have been fascinated to see the interest generated by the Ten Church Systems series. Usually, the top posts of a month might include maybe 3 or 4 recent articles and a lot of older entries that are still getting a lot of traffic. This month was a 7 out of 10! But July’s ‘Sunday Morning Announcements‘ is still getting more than twice the traffic than any other post! Maybe it’s because everyone loves Charlie Brown or something!

  • Top 10 Posts of September, 2011

    Here are the most viewed posts on Transforming Leader in September.

    1. Sunday Morning Announcements
    2. Andy Stanley’s Podcast (for the non-tech Christian leader)
    3. Time Management 101: The Weekly Schedule
    4. Time Management 101: Margin – A Matter of Priorities
    5. Thursday Quote: Good to Great Volunteers (Jim Collins)
    6. Thursday Quote: Steven Furtick & Perry Noble
    7. Healthy Church, Healthy Systems
    8. Teamwork and Trust
    9. Time Management 101: The Priority Matrix
    10. Eight Systems of the Local Church
    I’m always amazed to see these monthly stats. For those of you who care, “Sunday Morning Announcements” had double the # of hits as “Andy Stanley’s Podcast“. I suspect the awesome video clips played a role in that too. It looks like the “Time Management 101” series has been picking up interest as well!


    The #1 all time post since I started blogging is “Critical Thinking in a Nutshell“.

  • Your Church Needs ‘Less Clutter, Less Noise’

    I would like to recommend the book to you, Less Clutter, Less Noise by Kem Meyer. Less Clutter, Less Noise challenges us in a clear and fresh way to communicate to our congregation with cultural relevance. It’s extremely practical too, with a ton of great ideas. Kem Meyer is the Communication’s Director at one of the most innovative churches in America, Granger Community Church. You might also consider checking out her blog www.kemmeyer.com and in particular THIS POST which summarizes the key points of her book.

    Among other things, Kem explores various ‘myths’ related to church work and communication. Here’s an example:

    From Myth #4: It Worked Before, So It Will Work Again
    “You can ignore the current reality and use old techniques you’re comfortable with, imitate new techniques that discredit you as a fraud, OR take the time to learn what’s effectively gaining credibility with people in today’s culture.”

    Add Less Clutter, Less Noise to your reading list today!

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Strategic Quitting

     
    {Note: This entry is a compiled re-post of two older posts on Transforming Leader.}

    Seth Godin wrote a very short and easy to read book named, “The Dip” a few years ago that has changed my language forever. In fact, I find myself using the simple illustrations found in this book quite regularly. What I find particularly helpful is the super simple concept surrounding WHEN you should consider ‘quitting’ and when you should persevere and keep going.

    Ironically, we often get these things mixed up. We keep doing some things when we should really STOP doing them and we give up on new ideas and ventures too quickly rather than push through ‘the dip’ to the other side.

    Seth talks about the three different ‘curves’ that will help you decide when to quit and when not to. A while back I recorded this short teaching about these three curves. Take a moment today and listen in below.

    Applying ‘The Dip’ to your ministry & life.

    If you can’t see/hear this audio player, try clicking here.
    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Thursday Quote: Good to Great Volunteers (Jim Collins)

    Have you ever felt like someone in leadership was just in the wrong place? Perhaps they seemed like they should be accomplishing much more than they are; or maybe you feel like they have more responsibility than they can practically handle. Welcome to the club. One of the greatest challenges we face as leaders is in getting the right people on the right seats on the bus.
     

    Today’s Thursday Quote comes from Jim Collins’ bestselling book, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t“. Check out this chart found on page 20 in the book (which my book falls naturally open to from repeated references.)

     

    Ironically, I would like to make a couple of practical inferences from this chart that are not really found in the book. Jim’s primary focus in this section of the book was related to the character and qualities of the leader(s) in the organization – specifically, the Level 5 Leader at the top (Two men I highly regard as emulating the Level 5 Qualities include Bill Hybels and Robert Morris. Click their names here to read more.)

    That said, let me unpack this for you two insights I’ve gained from this very meaningful chart.

    • First, nearly every committed member/participant in your church should fall in one of these various levels of contribution. I think it will be very helpful if you can discern which level your leaders and volunteers fall on this scale. For many of my leaders I can determine that they are on a level 2 or 3, and help motivate and resource them to grow into the next level of leadership.

     

    • However, what I have also discovered is that many people have a natural “lid” in the level of contribution that they can attain – and I need to be sensitive to that lid. My natural inclination is to try to move someone who is accomplishing great things for our church to the next level of leadership. However, it’s possible that, by doing so, I am setting that person up for failure, because my expectations don’t match their gifting and strengths. For instance, I had a secretary at our church who was a Highly Capable Individual – she was a serious work horse and accomplished a ton of stuff in small amounts of time. It’s possible that she could have moved to the next level, but that may not have been the best thing for her or for the church. So I needed to discern where she best fit, help her get there, and then find ways to encourage, resource, and strengthen her in that role.

     

    To learn more about this book or order it through my Amazon Affiliate’s bookstore, click this link.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”