Archive for Videos
I just wanted to talk about baloney…
Posted by: | CommentsIf you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or pay attention to Upcoming Events listed here on this blog, you might have noticed that I preached this past weekend. I’m a teaching pastor at Christ Fellowship Church in West Palm Beach, Florida, which means that I get to preach a few times a year.
Although after this Saturday night’s experience, I might think twice before the next time. 
I’ve heard from enough other pastors about this that I’m pretty sure we all face it at one time or another: You prepare a sermon on a specific topic, only to receive a lesson on that very topic before or during the sermon. An example would be the pastor preaching on humility who has to deal with a humbling situation a few days before Sunday.
As for me, let’s just say that this weekend I was preaching about having a good attitude. And I ended up facing a challenge to MY attitude AS I PREACHED that… well…
You need to see for yourself:
Clearly, God knew that I needed an object lesson for my sermon. I just wish I could’ve finished my baloney sandwich story…
For my friend, John Wooden
Posted by: | Comments“Make each day your masterpiece.”
-John Wooden
On June 4, 2010, the world lost a legend and I lost a friend. Basketball coach John Wooden passed away at 99 years of age.
John Wooden’s stories and quotes show up in a number of my books, for good reason. He was an amazing man. He coached basketball for over forty years. And in all those years, he had only one losing season (his first). He led his U.C.L.A. teams to four undefeated seasons and a record 10 NCAA championships, including seven in a row. Wooden was an amazing leader and coach, with a natural gift for words of encouragement and direction.
As a kid, I shared his love of basketball. As a young adult, I respected his amazing coaching success at UCLA. And more recently, I enjoyed the great privilege of being mentored by him. I already knew he was a great coach and leader, but by getting to know him personally, I learned that he was a great man.
So I’m sad to lose John Wooden. But at the same time I’m glad that he left such an amazing legacy – in people like me, in his former players, and in his books and teachings.
Just a few days after hearing the news, I was able to dedicate a sermon to him. Here is a link to the video:
Inside-Out Living, Christ Fellowship, 6/5/2010
The topic of my sermon was living from the inside out. No one that I know lived that way better than John Wooden did.
When Coach Wooden was ninety-two years old, I interviewed him in a conference, and one of the questions I asked was how he wanted to be remembered. His response brought a gasp from the audience. “I certainly don’t want to be remembered for trophies and national championships,” he said without hesitation. After thinking a moment he said, “I hope people will remember me as one who was kind and considerate of others.”
I’m honored to have known John Wooden. His life was a masterpiece. I hope his legacy impacts you as it has me.
For more of John Wooden’s wisdom, check out his most recent book, A Game Plan for Life. I was honored to write the foreword.
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
— John Wooden
Be the One… from the Chick-fil-A Leadercast
Posted by: | CommentsA week ago today I had the honor of speaking at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast, and let me tell you: it was phenomenal. The participation of Chick-fil-A Restaurants added so much value to what was already a great conference.
If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen what I posted on that day. But mine was only one voice. Thousands of others weighed in on Twitter, which is turning out to be an exceptional resource for conferences and events.
How? To connect participants worldwide, the organizers created a Twitter “hashtag” (kind of a label) for all Tweets about the conference: #cfaleadercast. If your Tweet included that hashtag, it was automatically included. The conversation could be searched and indexed and even watched live on that day on various Twitter applications. To read for yourself what people found most inspiring while the conference was going on – and afterward - click here (a simple Twitter search for #cfaleadercast).
For more resources, check out the official Leadercast site:
Here you can find downloads, speaker bios, videos from the event, and more.
Finally, I’d like to share with you a video of the opening, which I found incredibly inspiring. The young lady doing spoken-word poetry is Amena Brown, a poet and speaker. I was delighted to get to meet her that day, and I hope her words speak to you.
Something fun for your weekend
Posted by: | CommentsOnly one week from today is a fantastic conference/simulcast: The Chick-fil-A Leadercast. I’m so pleased to be a part of a fantastic lineup of speakers, including Jim Collins (Good to Great), Tony Dungy (retired NFL Super Bowl-winning coach), Mark Sanborn (The Fred Factor), and Chip Heath (Made to Stick).
And while the conference will be live in Atlanta, Georgia, it will also be simulcast in many different cities worldwide.
(To see the whole speaker lineup
and find a location near you, visit Leadercast.com.)
Now, if you were at last year’s event, you might remember an “interview” between me and Tripp Crosby, one of the emcees.
Tripp’s parody video caught me totally by surprise, which is always fun. And it also made me look like an idiot, which I LOVED. I enjoyed it so much that I posted it right here on my blog. (If you haven’t viewed that first fascinating interview, take a look.) A year later, I still get asked if I REALLY swim in a Snuggie. (No, I don’t.)
Well, my publishers, Thomas Nelson, loved Tripp’s comedy. So they couldn’t resist asking him to create a second “interview,” this time as a book trailer for Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. And the best part? I got to be in on the joke.
Here is the result:
Isn’t that great? Tripp really captured my “essence,” didn’t he? (And I really hope the next printing of the book DOES have a scratch-n-sniff section.)
In addition to this promotional piece, the folks at Nelson also created a great webpage for the book. If you have a friend who would like to know more about Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, please feel free to point them in that direction.
And if you enjoyed Tripp’s hilarious sendup of me, you can find more of his writing and videos at his website, TrippCrosby.com.
Have a great weekend! I’m preaching in metro Atlanta, Georgia, Sunday. If you’re in the area, I’d love for you to join me at 12Stone Church.
First the gun, and now this: My song and dance debut.
Posted by: | CommentsAs you might know, I’ve been traveling these last two weeks. Most of the time, I had the privilege of touring Israel with a group from my church, Christ Fellowship.
From teaching about the Sermon on the Mount while actually ON the Mount to visiting the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, everything in our experience was wonderful and deeply meaningful.
Well, maybe not everything…
We also made sure to have fun. For example, as “captain” of my bus, on the first day I suggested that we come up with a better name than “The Blue Bus.” Creative, right?
Well, because my bus was full of smart-alecks, the name chosen was …
“Baalbusters.”
Yep.
Once we had a name, then of course we had to have a song. And then a handshake. And then matching ballcaps, and a banner…
Let’s just say that things might have gotten out of hand when we choreographed and performed the song.
And of course with the number of cameras and smartphones on the trip, we knew that everything would end up on YouTube or somewhere like it.
Little did we know that it would actually be posted on Vimeo, BY the Christ Fellowship team. In High-Definition.
I hope you enjoy:
PS I posted regular Twitter and Facebook updates while on the trip. If you want to keep up with my day-to-day experiences – and receive some of my favorite quotes and thoughts – be sure to follow me.
