Posts Tagged: "Paul Scanlon"

ADDICTED TO BAD NEWS

Maybe We’re Addicted To Bad News

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

I once heard Paul Scanlon say something like this:

A bad report makes it around the track 10 times before a good report gets around once.

Headlines aren’t made with sweet stories of love and peace and harmony, now are they? Maybe we’re addicted to bad news – so addicted that we can’t recognize what’s good, even when it’s sitting right in front of us.

The other day I stumbled across this headline: Today’s Teens Are Better Than You, And We Can Prove It. The article is online – and it’s interactive. You can select the year you were born, and it will compare your generation to this generation on things like drug use, sex, suicide, and weapons.

The bottom line? Today’s teens are better than you.

It’s shocking, I know.

We’ve been given a script and we bought in… Read More

the dark side of leadership strengths ALT

Doing Great Things Without Becoming Darth Vader

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

Leadership—specifically Christian leadership—is a messy business. It’s messy because it’s never pure. The motive behind what we do is a mixture of Ego, Ambition, & Holy Calling. And there is this shadowy dark side that goes along with our leadership strengths – what I call the Underbelly of (Christian) Leadership.

Is it possible to do great things without abusing power, inflicting damage on others, becoming a control freak, or leading with a sense of entitlement (breaking rules to satisfy personal desires)?

Is it possible to do great things without becoming Darth Vader?

In my opinion, it’s not.

Let me clarify: If the goal is ME DOING GREAT THINGS, I will inevitably abuse power, inflict damage on others, become a control freak, and lead with a sense of entitlement. If it’s about me doing great things, I will become Darth Vader.

Not too many years ago, my goal was to someday have a church of 10,000 people. And my motive was a mixture of… Read More

challenge and prayer from paul scanlon post

A Challenge & A Prayer For Us From Paul Scanlon

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

In the final service of the day (on Sunday, May 18th) Paul Scanlon concluded his message with a challenge and a prayer for us…

Challenge:

That little 1% that makes you different from everyone else is what society and education is not good at helping you find – because there is comfort in safety and sameness.

But you’re not on the planet for your sameness, you’re on the planet for your difference.

It’s your difference, it’s this church’s difference, that is why… Read More

paul scanlon post

Agricultural vs Manufacturing Approach to People

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

Last night concluded our Together Nights at NWLife. Paul Scanlon spoke a message entitled “The Crisis of Human Flourishing.”

After reading the parable, Let The Rabbits Run, from Soar With Your Strengths, he talked about the importance of growing people…

Growing the church and growing people are two different things. Should we use people to grow an organization? No. We should grow people. Grow big people – people who are confident, who have a hunger to learn, who will take risks. If you grow big people, you’ll probably end up with a big church.

Good leaders do not have a one-size-fits-all approach… Read More

flight simulator church

The Flight Simulator Church

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

I remember hearing Paul Scanlon use the analogy of a flight simulator to describe what church is often like…

“The church I grew up in was great. I loved the people. We all knew each other and loved each other—and we loved God. But we were turned inward. We liked things as they were and we weren’t looking to be changed.

paul scalnon speaking

God began to speak to my heart. I couldn’t explain it but I felt this overwhelming sadness and I knew I needed to change. So I left that church, and it was painful. The people I knew all my life were upset with me for leaving. It was like I’d left an Amish community and I was being shunned or something… Read More