Tweet In the crazy, busy, over-committed, and hyper media world we live in, I think we have lost the value in presence.  The dictionary defines it as “the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing.”  We might call it just being there.  I think for many of us we get too wrapped up in life and we forget sometimes the thing people need the most is just us.  They just need us to sit and listen or invite us into the craziness.  I have this dear friend who used to just let me come over and hang out.  She never cleaned her house…

Tweet We have been singing a song at church I absolutely love. The lyrics have become my theme song over the last several weeks. This is the bridge… You make me brave You make me brave You call me out beyond the shore into the waves You make me brave You make me brave No fear can hinder now the love that made a way I will be the first to admit, at times I can be a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but typically only if it involves things like jumping out of planes or running far. As much as I love the high you experience after a rush…

Tweet What an amazing two days!!!  I am ready to tackle some big dreams and move forward on a big vision. The Global Leadership Summit never fails to bring advice, wisdom, and practical tools to move forward and grow in your leadership. Next year-don’t miss it! My three big takeaways from today are: Hard conversations do not have to equal broken relationships, they can lead to intimacy Remember-the message is sacred, the method is not. Stand in the Gap! Christ is enough to fulfill all He has called me to do Joseph Grenny-Mastering the Art of Crucial Conversations The power of the group is a function of the purity of…

Tweet Excuse me while I rant for a minute. On social medial, about social media (ironic I suppose).  I have a love-hate relationship with the entirety of social media. I use my Facebook to communicate, keep track of the friends I have literally all over the world, and support some causes very near to my heart. However, most days I hate how people use social media to proclaim their thoughts or beliefs on something. As if social media wasn’t impersonal enough, we now feel the need to share a blog post condemning the entire race of humanity (maybe a slight exaggeration). Bloggers, we are partly at fault for this over-sharing.…

Tweet While I was working on my master’s degree, I had to interview and write a paper on a local individual I considered a leader.  After much debate, I interviewed a leader I had actually never met, but someone who I respected from a distance.  As I sat and listened to him, I realized why I was so impressed with his leadership-at his core, he was just a regular guy with big dreams and a big heart. At this point, I don’t remember much of the conversation, although I have it recorded somewhere I think, but I do remember one thing he told me when he is looking for leadership…