It’s easy to get lost on the Internet shopping for this and that. As I “window shopped” online, I discovered some business card holders that are sure to become favorites of any Orange Leader.

You can find this one online here for only $4.95!

You can find this one online here for only $12.

And lastly, for those who prefer a cute handmade holder, look here for only $5.

So which is your Friday Fav Business Holder?
Any pet peeves or preferences with Business Card behavior?

Sarah Bragg, with reThink, forwarded some articles in Business Week about top companies and how they develop their leaders. I wondered if any of these thoughts would apply in your church or ministry setting? I know when times are economically tough often professional development and volunteer training budgets are cut from the budget completely. But this research suggests that companies that grow leaders best do similar things consistently, in bad times as well as good.

1. They cast vision and create a sense of urgency about changes that need to be made to be ready for new challenges in the future.
2. They are actively training other people to replace themselves in their current role so they are ready for new opportunities.

In this article, Mary Fontaine summarizes that: “Leaders engage and enable people. It’s that simple, but it requires a shift of focus from solely outcomes… to motivating people so they’re passionate about helping the company achieve its goals.” She also talked about how good leaders help remove the obstacles that hinder their teams from doing their best. I love the analogy that Fontaine quotes from a senior client at IBM, who says, “My job is to take the rocks out of the campers’ knapsacks so that they can run faster and further.”

In your world, do you find it hard to prioritize professional development when Sunday is always coming?  How do you creatively continue to motivate your volunteers and remove obstacles slowing down your team when money is tight?

I used to work on a student ministry team consisting of six people. The funny thing is that we used iChat and even video chat to talk with each other when we were only an office apart. I also find myself texting my husband frequently during the day rather than making a phone call. It seems that there is a shift in communication happening. Do you notice any changes in the way you talk with the people in your world?

I recently read this article in my local newspaper about the popularity of texting. There was a quote from a research specialist saying, “If teens are a leader for America, then we are moving to a text-based communication system. For them, there is less interest in talking.” Do you think students are less interested in talking? If so, does this change the way we reach out to students?

When I worked in full-time student ministry, I spent a lot of time in creative meetings planning for the weekend program. After the meeting, with my brain full of ideas and deadlines, I needed a place to organize my thoughts. I settled for a makeshift Excel sheet.

I recently discovered a website called Planning Center Online. They exist to simplify and organize your ministry.

From their website: “Planning Center Online will supply one central place to organize all aspects of your ministry service and keep your staff and volunteers connected. Creating service plans, scheduling volunteers through simple e-mails, chord chart and mp3 transposing, CCLI reporting are just a few of the program’s features. Volunteers receive scheduling e-mails and they have the ability to “accept,” “decline,” or “view the service” all with a click of the mouse. Volunteers will now be able to view all PDFs and other various attachments associated with your plan in one central place.”

What a great way to save you time and energy so you can focus on other things.

I recently read a blog post of a youth pastor and client of XP3. Michael Bayne is the student pastor at Grace Community Church in Clarksville, TN. I really enjoyed his post about why they do small groups, and I wanted to share it with you.

We launched our small groups at REMIX (our weekly gathering for teens) and it was an amazing night. I believe with all of my heart that the small group element of our weekly gathering is where life change takes place. I feel the community aspect of group moves our weekly event from seeking attenders to engaging participants. Small groups allow us to say to every teen, every week, “Your voice matters. You being here matters. You belong here.“

Small groups …

• provide students a significant mentoring relationship in their lives through our group leaders
• allow time for teens to talk back, to express what they think about the message, their questions, their hope, and their doubt
• enable us to empower many student leaders instead of just one or two
• make it possible to do small events that make a huge relational impact in a teen’s life no matter how much our ministry grows
• ensure we can stay connected with kids on a weekly basis
• discover students who want to be discipled on a deeper level
• provide another adult leader who parents can know is spiritually investing in their child

Small groups matter for us. I am so thankful we get to do more than just provide a gathering for students. We have the chance to help them discover that they were made for community. Following Christ is meant to be lived out in the midst of significant relationships with others. Thanks to our small group leaders who are going to pour their life into teens at REMIX. Small group leaders: What you do matters!

As I browsed through a magazine recently, I came across a note about a website called operationnice.com. This instantly intrigued me as a writer for reThink’s student strategy, XP3, because I am always looking for experience ideas – XPs. The XP is our way to move students beyond information to an experience with the truth they’ve encountered.

The operationnice.com blog published an assignment for its readers: List ten people you’d like to send a thank you card to, and then do it. It got me thinking about the people I’d like to thank that had an impact on my spiritual and ministerial journey. Part of our spiritual growth happens through providential relationships.

Here’s my list:
1. My mother
2. My father
3. My high school small group leader, Rachel
4. My best friend, Lisa
5. Precept Ministries
6. My former mentor, Kellee Hall
7. Lanny Donoho
8. Doug Fields
9. Reggie Joiner
10. Seminary Professor, Dr. Charlie Baylis

So what about you? Who has played a role in your spiritual and ministerial development? Who would you like to thank? List them in the comments, then write the notes!

As I browsed through a magazine recently, I came across a note about a website called operationnice.com. This instantly intrigued me as a writer for reThink’s student strategy, XP3, because I am always looking for experience ideas – XPs. The XP is our way to move students beyond information to an experience with the truth they’ve encountered.

The operationnice.com blog published an assignment for its readers: List ten people you’d like to send a thank you card to, and then do it. It got me thinking about the people I’d like to thank that had an impact on my spiritual and ministerial journey. Part of our spiritual growth happens through providential relationships.

Here’s my list:
1. My mother
2. My father
3. My high school small group leader, Rachel
4. My best friend, Lisa
5. Precept Ministries
6. My former mentor, Kellee Hall
7. Lanny Donoho
8. Doug Fields
9. Reggie Joiner
10. Seminary Professor, Dr. Charlie Baylis

So what about you? Who has played a role in your spiritual and ministerial development? Who would you like to thank? List them in the comments, then write the notes!

I lead a group of senior girls. I first started leading this group when they were sophomores, and there was one girl in particular who was trouble. She’s the kind of student you pray doesn’t come to church. You know she needs to be there, but at the same time you don’t want her there. She openly said she didn’t want a relationship with God; she only came because her mom made her. Most of the time, she attempted to skip small group time so she could make out with her boyfriend.

Last year, she announced she would be moving to North Carolina. Secretly, I jumped for joy, and the past year without her has been much easier to say the least. My girls opened up more because they were no longer afraid of being ridiculed, and the group really began to gel.

Last Sunday, she showed up at church. My heart dropped when I saw her (I sound so terrible!). She informed me that she would probably be moving back to town.

After greeting her, I thought about how not excited I was about her being there. The communicator spoke about eternity, and I was reminded that our days are numbered and we will spend eternity somewhere. In that moment, I thought about the great opportunity to talk to her about eternity. I was reminded to not give up on the ones you want to give up on. God has a plan. And maybe, just maybe, you have the opportunity to be part of a pivotal moment in a student’s life.

I lead a group of senior girls. I first started leading this group when they were sophomores, and there was one girl in particular who was trouble. She’s the kind of student you pray doesn’t come to church. You know she needs to be there, but at the same time you don’t want her there. She openly said she didn’t want a relationship with God; she only came because her mom made her. Most of the time, she attempted to skip small group time so she could make out with her boyfriend.

Last year, she announced she would be moving to North Carolina. Secretly, I jumped for joy, and the past year without her has been much easier to say the least. My girls opened up more because they were no longer afraid of being ridiculed, and the group really began to gel.

Last Sunday, she showed up at church. My heart dropped when I saw her (I sound so terrible!). She informed me that she would probably be moving back to town.

After greeting her, I thought about how not excited I was about her being there. The communicator spoke about eternity, and I was reminded that our days are numbered and we will spend eternity somewhere. In that moment, I thought about the great opportunity to talk to her about eternity. I was reminded to not give up on the ones you want to give up on. God has a plan. And maybe, just maybe, you have the opportunity to be part of a pivotal moment in a student’s life.

Recently, Don Miller wrote an interesting post titled “Lance Armstrong Saves a Cat.” I loved what he had to say, and I think this post provides some great perspective for anyone who serves under a leader you don’t agree with, or when you feel like you can do a better job than your boss.