Blog

Get Started on Your 100 Life Dreams List (#LifeDesignWithMe Launch Post)

Today I launch a 90-day journey to equip and encourage you to develop a 100 Life Dreams List. My inspiration is a special life design experiment that I am conducting by living in Aspen Colorado for 3 months this winter. STEP TWO Every person has some things already accomplished in their life and some things rumbling around their mind and heart that they want to do. So I want you to get started on your 100 Life Dreams List by creating [...]

Jan 19, 2019

Find Your One Thing: Clarity Spiral FREE eBook

Based on the first master tool of the Younique Personal Vision Journey, the Clarity Spiral eBook provides an overview of the 4 break-thru practices to find your one thing in life.

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Jan 4, 2019

Prescriptions for Peak Performance at Life’s 3 Crossroads

Critical advice for every age and life stage.

Achieving peak performance in life requires asking and answering three crucial questions at three of life's major crossroads: the quarterlife, midlife and three-quarterlife "crises." Use these prescriptions for each one.

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Jan 3, 2019

Find Your One Thing in Life (and Do It This Year)

The Second Greatest Gift Ever Given is Your Personal Calling

Every person has been given a special assignment from God. The greatest gift you can give yourself and others is knowing and living out that "one thing" each day.

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Jan 1, 2019

Life Goals 101: How to Imagine a Better Future and Create a Simple Life Plan

10 Life Hacks for Using the Five Kinds of Goals in Life

The bad news is that time is flying. The good news is that you're the pilot. So what are you planning to do next? How will you use your time as the sand falls through the hour glass? Perhaps a The most important aspect of designing this time is to make it life-giving. What place energizes you? What activities motivate you? Do you like curling up with a warm cup of hot chocolate on the sofa, or would you rather Once you have a good handle on the kinds of goals you have to work with, it's now time to put the life planning puzzle together. The secret to creating a simple yet powerful life plan is to have the 10 Life Hacks For Creating a Life Plan (Once You Know About the 5 Types of Goals) Create a "future context" by working on goals furthest away first.Develop one to three sentences that describe your ultimate contribution or what we It's now up to you to create a simple life plan and start dreaming about your future. Remember you need to block a good chunk of time. Why not get your calendar out right now and make it happen! If [...]

Dec 29, 2018

God's Plan for Your Life Plan

Introducing the 7 Essential Skills of Gospel-Centered Life Design

God wants you to design your life. That’s a bold statement. But is it too bold? Heretical even? Let’s try out the opposite claim: God wants you to make major life decisions without thinking them through. We know that can’t be right. The So I’m going to reassert the claim I began with: God wants you to design your life. But I want to add a tag: God wants you to design your life after his dream for you. God's plan for your But gospel-centered life design doesn’t come naturally. It is learned behavior, thoughtfully practiced over time. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to introduce you to the 7 Essential Skills of Gospel-Centered Life Design (The Life Design 7). These I can’t wait till the next post to get started, so I’m going to show you all seven life design skills right now: Skill #1 – Engage Your Vocational Vision. Embrace four lifelong practices to maximize your work potential and find [...]

Dec 21, 2018

What is the [functional] Great Commission of your Church?

A Manifesto for REAL Church Growth

If we’re honest, it’s pretty easy to see the functional Great Commission in North America: Go into all the world and make more worship attenders, baptizing them in the name of small groups, and teaching them to volunteer a few Photo by Vero Photoart on Unsplash And, “Organized Disciple-Making” does not equate to the programs you’re running—or, for that matter, to the programs the “bigger and better” church down the street or the one across the country is running. See, if you’re [...]

Nov 17, 2018

Life Mission Statement 101: Why You Need One

And Why Most Examples are Worthless

For decades we have heard of the importance of the life mission statement sometimes referred to as a personal mantra or life purpose idea.  But do you really need one? Can a simple little phrase make that much of a difference in your Several years ago, I launched Life Younique, a training company that certifies church leaders to offer gospel-centered life design through their church. I have been passionate about helping people get life mission right–what exactly is the best way to know and name Why is the knowing and naming your LifeCall so important?  In a nutshell your LifeCall enables you to do more of what you do best. It enhances every aspect of what it means to be human; to be alive as Empowers focused living by fortifying your resolve to say “no”Diagnoses frustrating misalignments in the variety of life’s roles at home and workProvides long-term orientation in the midst of suffering or difficult circumstancesProduces increased passion that leads toward greater mastery and [...]

Jan 1, 2018

How to Motivate 5 Types of Church Parking Lot Volunteers

He is the face of your weekly welcome. He is the first human interaction every Guest will experience. He is fighting on the faded front lines of an automotive battlefield. He keeps chaos at bay by the power vested in a reflective nylon [...]

Aug 5, 2017

The 8 Costs of the Pastoral Succession Crisis

What happens to the church when only 1 of 7 pastors are under age forty?

The challenge of pastoral succession is a topic of increasing interest for good reason. In the next decade we will see an unprecedented number of pastors hitting retirement age. In a recent study by Barna Research, we learn that the Collapse of Trust, Relationally Usually, people around the leader see clearly the “emotional block” and unwillingness to think through the succession planning question. Over time some of the best and most trusted relationships for the leader, start loosing the bond of Lack of Equipping, Strategically The irony for the senior pastor who is not preparing to transition is that they rob themselves of the beauty of ministry in the final chapter– one that can and should be defined by equipping others. Robert Forfeit of Legacy, Permanently The most heartbreaking cost, short of moral failure, is the loss of a leader’s legacy when pastoring the flock long beyond their season of effectiveness. Again, it’s so easy for a senior pastor to be blind to [...]

Jul 8, 2017

Introducing Auxano Boot Camps

Innovating Training in Three Critical Topics for Real Church Growth

What if two days with your team could change the trajectory of your church?  You are invited to an exclusive gathering limited to 25 church teams at three different cities around an important break-thru topic. Each topic is a critical factor in reaching With the Guest Experience training, keep in mind that we have done more ‘Secret Worshipper” visits and evaluation that any team in North America.   >>> REGISTER HERE for GUEST EXPERIENCE BOOT CAMP <<< With Pastoral Succession, Auxano is the only team that has translated biblical principles and best practices into a toolbox that any leader can use to design a comprehensive succession roadmap. Will Heath is our lead architect of the toolbox.   >>> REGISTER HERE for PASTORAL With Leadership Pipeline, designed by Mac Lake and myself, Auxano has walked alongside more church leaders than any group in actually building out a functioning leadership development process at every level in a church.  >>> REGISTER HERE for LEADERSHIP PIPELINE BOOT CAMP [...]

Jul 5, 2017

4 Performance Traps that Subvert Healthy Leadership

A recently published article for CO+OP magazine

Performance is a positive word  Respectable employees, good leaders and those of us called into ministry all aspire to performance. Performance is defined as “the execution of action” or “something accomplished.”  Look through the pages of Scripture and you will find action-oriented [...]

Jun 27, 2017