Hey guess what? Breaking news occurred this week. Perhaps you heard it. In fact, how could you miss it?

The breaking news involves Tiger Woods. You may have heard all the rumors, watched ESPN and all the other newscasts try to get “to the bottom” of the story, or even read that Tiger personally admits he disappointed his family by not being true to the values he believes.

That is really not, however, the real story here. Do you want the truth? I have it!

TIGER WOODS IS NOT PERFECT. HE IS JUST A MAN.

One of my favorite Bible verses is James 5:17 which says, “Elijah was just like us.”

This week we received a great reminder not to put our ultimate trust in any man or woman, but to continue to place our hope in the One who sets the stars in place; the only true God.

Who are you trusting today?

I was in a grocery store the other day as a clerk explained to another customer why certain things are placed where they are. People typically don’t look up to the top shelf or down to the bottom shelf. That’s why tomato soup goes on the bottom shelf. People who love it will find it. Items the store is trying to push the most go on the shelves at eye level, where people can easily find them without much effort.

I believe the church can learn much from private industries that invest thousands of dollars on marketing…far more than most churches could afford.

How do we translate the concepts of grocery store marketing to our churches?

One thing it means to me is that whatever we value most, needs to be at “eye level”, or promoted in a way that it receives the most attention. In my experience, sometimes churches, even in my own church, do better at promoting things that have lesser importance, and sometimes don’t promote enough the things that deserve the most attention. One example is that we often promote our programs more than we promote the person of Jesus.

At our recent staff retreat, it was decided that in 2010 we would analyze the way we do things to ensure we remain true to our strategy and ultimate vision of producing growing followers of Jesus Christ. We are going to make sure plenty of emphasis is placed on salvation, for example. We have tons of fun every Sunday, but we need to make sure no one leaves without the opportunity to know the person of Christ. We will continue to plan incredible services each week, but we want to make sure our main purpose is always at eye level.

Another example is baptism, which is important to us, but is often “difficult to find” in our structure. We need to find ways to talk about it more. Small groups and service are ministries we value greatly. We need to make sure we promote them adequately and how people get involved is easily understood.

With this line of thinking, because we have limited time each Sunday, we will bypass talking about some issues, so we can make sure we are talking about our main objectives. There are other things, such as membership, that while we have it, we’ve purposefully placed “on the bottom shelf”, because people that really want that step will usually find it.

Could grocery store marketing help your church? If something is valuable to your church and its vision, make sure it gets the most promotion.

For more thoughts on ministry, click HERE.

Is your strategy built around your organization’s people strengths?

Earlier I posted on the need of an organization to capitalize on its human capital.  Read that post HERE.  This post is a continuation of this thought. I consistently see churches and businesses that are built completely upon the strengths and desires of the leader. I even see places where everyone begins to look like the leader! (Same hair style, same glasses, etc.) That model works fine if the leader is Jesus (no joke intended here), but I am not sure it works as well if you and/or I am the leader.

The vision of an organization is constant.  It doesn’t change.  The strategy to accomplish the vision, however, should be fluid enough to meet changing environments, such as culture and economy. Part of determining that strategy should be built around the key people within the organization.

An important variable in determining strategy that is often overlooked is the strengths of the team members within the organization at the time.  I posted before about the way organizations typically replace senior leaders.  (Read that post HERE.)  Organizations usually replace the top position with someone opposite from the one that leaves.  They do this to build on a strength they feel the former leader didn’t have. While that may or may not be a valid method of replacing leadership, the real principle I believe the organization is trying to accomplish in that practice is finding new strengths for the organization. In like manner, the leader should try to capitalize on the strengths of the people within the organization or the team.

With that thought in mind, if you are the senior leader, ask yourself these questions:

Who is on my team?

What are the individual strengths represented on the team?

Is your organization structured in a way to allow these strengths to “strengthen” your organization?

If you do not like your answers, work to change the culture towards one that embraces the combined strength of the organization’s team members. A quick word of warning, however: If you truly want to create an organization built upon the strength of the team and that isn’t currently your situation, the biggest change may have to be in the leader…even if that leader is you.

For more thoughts on Organizational Leadership, click HERE.

Acts 13:22 says, “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.‘” Previously I posted on this truth of David being a man after God’s own heart. (You can read that post HERE.) I have since been overwhelmed by the number of people searching for that post through Google or Bing.

I decided to revisit the issue and share a few more thoughts on why I believe God referred to David as a man after His own heart. The following words describe the heart of David as seen in his own writings: (All verses New International Version)

Humble – Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Psalm 62:9

Reverent – I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:3

Respectful – Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. Psalm 31:9

Trusting - The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Loving – I love you, O Lord, my strength. Psalm 18:1

Devoted – You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. Psalm 4:7

Recognition – I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. Psalm 9:1

Faithful – Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

Obedient - Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Psalm 119:34

Repentant - For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Psalm 25:11

David’s example is a great road map for how we are to live our life. Which of these areas need your greatest attention for improvement?

Read more devotionals thoughts HERE.

Have you ever tried to lead someone who didn’t want to be led? The same children that were labeled “strong-willed” by their parents often grow up to be strong-willed adults. Perhaps you know one…perhaps you are one. (I know one personally…me!)

I believe leadership should be individualized for the needs of the follower. Read a similar post HERE. With that in mind, here are 5 tips for leading strong-willed people.

Give clear expectations – People respond best when they know what is expected of them, especially those with strong opinions of their own.

Be consistent – Strong willed people need boundaries. They will test them, but they want to know what the limits of their freedom.

Give freedom within the boundaries – Once the guidelines and expectations are established, allow followers to express themselves freely within them.

Pick your battles. – Don’t cross a strong-willed person for issues of little importance to the overall vision of the organization. If you back them in a corner…they may bite.

Respect their opinions and individualities – Strong-willed people ultimately want to be heard (as all people do), but they resist most when their voice is silenced. Learn what matters to them and give credence to their opinions.

What tips do you have for leading strong-willed people? Are you one? How do you like to be led?

For another thought on this type of leadership, click HERE.