Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
140 Characters or less
A picture is worth a 1000 words but I don’t find myself moved by pictures nearly as much as I am by words.
Words carry so much meaning and words have the potential to motivate and inspire or to deflate and destroy lives.
Words can say how we feel, describe something we want and words have the ability to ironically paint pictures.
Everyday I am constantly challenged by 140 characters.
Today I wanted to share some of those 140 characters that have shaped me, challenged me, intimidated me, made me cry, made me angry, made me laugh and inspired me to be better.
- “The common problem facing employees at all levels is not their own motivation. It’s work environments that demotivate.” @tonymorganlive
- “We need less religious professionals & more people who will put themselves in a position to do whatever God is asking.” @perrynoble
- “We will either be defined by the voice of the critic or the voice of Jesus…who we listen to the most will determine our direction!” @perrynoble
- “The level of influence increases the level of criticism.” @theswizzle
- “Leaders are not concerned about who is catching them but who is watching them.” @brandonaldson
- “God can’t give you the blessings He has for you until you first put down the other things you are clutching in your hands.” @jennicatron
- “God is much more worried about who we’re becoming rather than where we’re going.” @jennicatron
- “Instead of focusing on building your platform, build your character.” @flowerdust
- “A great leader doesn’t care about being the leader, but instead cares about the mission, the vision & the people they lead.” @jeremyerndt
- “If the size of your vision isn’t intimidating to you, there’s a good chance it’s insulting to God.” @stevenfurtick
- “In this season of your life, what is the main role, the primary job God has given you to advance His kingdom?” @wilmington
- “If we’re not secure in our own skin, we’ll spend our whole lives either: 1. copying everyone else; 2. condemning everyone else.” @shawnlovejoy
- “Either the size of your vision will determine the size of your budget or the size of your budget will determine the size of your vision.” @markbatterson
- “The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers.” @johncmaxwell
- “The end of an era does not mean the COMPLETION of your destiny. When something comes to an end, commit to the future.” @brianchouston
- “There is more to Christian growth than knowing what the Bible says; nobody is every nourished by memorizing menus.” @scottiesellers
- “Leadership goal: Surrounded by leaders who are WISE enough to say NO, but COURAGEOUS enough when they need to say YES.” @brianchouston
- “People who purposely choose an unfrosted pop tart when frosted is available should not be trusted with big decisions.” @jonacuff
- “You’ve lost focus of your purpose when you are more focused on what your against instead of what you are for.” @garylamb
- “Loyalty is a two way street…the leader who always demands it but never offers it doesn’t understand it!” @perrynoble
- “Presumption, assumption and miss-communication KILL organizational unity” @pastorjgerdes
- “How do you know your church has become a social club? You don’t associate with people who need Jesus but talk about how much you love them.” @jeffwhickman
- “The higher up in an organization you go the harder it is to get honest feedback” @pwilson
- “More people will visit your church website than will visit your church building.” @edstetzer
- “Geniuses aim at targets that others can’t see and hit them.” @mark_sanborn
- “A fundamental of leadership is to develop & attract people who will flourish in your unique culture.” @maclake
- “The 3 “C’s” of team-building have been Character, Competency, and Chemistry… it’s time to add a new “C”: Culture.” @taddgrandstaff
- “There are times you sit back and watch certain things change and it confirms why you were called to do something months earlier.” @garylamb
- “Your wisdom, not your age, is what matters in leadership. Age only matters if you’re cheese.” @johncremeans
- “Never follow a leader who cares more about WHAT you do than WHO you are!” @perrynoble
- “Most great people attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” @czaucha
- “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” @jarrettstevens
- “I believe that no matter what you are going through if you are willing to place yourself in God’s hands he will carry you to the other side.” @scottchapmanorg
- “It’s always harder than it looks. Never desire to succeed like others until you know what they gave up to get there.” @rickwarren
- “I find it interesting that not all leaders actually lead. Some just seem to want a title!” @joelabell
- “No one likes religious people except other religious people.” @trippcrosby
- “Before the success of your goals can be realized, the success of the people you lead must be prioritized.” @stevenfurtick
- “Ever noticed that hospitals don’t do much marketing. If your church welcomes the sick and broken u wont have 2 either.” @cmsucks
- “Don’t be so quick to judge people or write them off. People who are willing to learn can always change.” @stovallweems
- “When people tell u it can’t be done u just found out who’s not willing to do it with u.” @timjchambers
- “Often times a single act of courage, is the tipping point for something extraordinary.” @andystanley
- “Never be ashamed of your scars-they are proof that healing has taken place!” @buddycremeans
- “The only way to make it look easy when everybody’s watching, is to bust your butt when nobody’s watching” @matt_ortiz
- “A CHURCH is only a church if it’s about REACHING the UNCHURCHED!!!” @edyoung
- “So thankful for those people that you just know are put into your life for a reason.. If for no other reason, just to be there.” @jonathonpearson
- “To have authority one day you have to learn to work under authority today.” @shaneduffy
- “When senior leadership hold themselves to different standards than those they oversee there are no real standards.” @rickowerton
- “How you treat those who can do nothing for you is a true judge of your character.” @thelock
- “Conflict leads 2 making up. Making up leads to making out. Making out is good, therefore conflict is good!” @jeffkapusta
- “success is connecting with people in your communities who have pain and staying with them” @bradlomenick
- “People often associate their value with their place on an org chart. Your best value is doing what you’re wired to do.” @anthonycoppedge
- “A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it.” @pastormark
- “God loves the version of me now, not the version 10 years from now.” @mattchandler74
- “Continuously improve your processes. Always ask “why,” but more importantly ask “why not?” @disneyinstitute
- “RELATIONSHIPS: Some need to be initiated, Some need to be developed, Some need to be restored & Some need to be severed.” @scottwilliams
This Generation
I was reading a blog by Josh Griffin who is the high school pastor at Saddleback Church and I saw this video.
This is one of the first videos that I feel really depicts youth, their culture and what they are feeling. So many times we assume we know what they are going through when in reality their culture is changing at an alarming rate and we wonder how they could possibly be so confused or not have it figured out. Because when we were their age…we really can’t use that statement anymore. Anybody who works with teens or parents teens needs to see this video, it is well worth the watch. All I can say is we need to pray for this generation and take every opportunity to speak truth into their lives by our actions and not just our words.
140 Character Tombstone
If you could write out what would be on your tombstone today what would it say? Better yet what would someone else write about you? What if you could only use a 140 characters like you would in a Twitter feed? Twitter has changed the way that people and companies communicate. It has changed the way people even blog requiring shorter, quicker posts that don’t lose the attention of our readers.
I think it is an interesting idea though, how do you sum up your life in 140 characters or less? So I throw this challenge out to you today, 140 characters or less how would my life be summed up? That’s right I am asking you to write my faux Twitter tombstone today. What better way to improve in the weak areas than to see what people would say about you today? Why wait till its over to make the changes? Make the change necessary today to impact today.
Difference Maker: Shaun King
Ok let’s be honest, we hear all the time that one person can make a difference, but is that just something we say to encourage and motivate people, or do we really believe that? I completely believe it and I can prove it. I want to introduce you to Shaun King. He’s a 30 Year Old Husband, Father, Grad Student & Lead Pastor of The Courageous Church (www.Courageous.tv) in Downtown Atlanta, and he is making a difference.
I started to follow Shaun over a year ago as I heard he had planted a church in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Atlanta and I had a chance to meet and talk with him at Catalyst [although I am pretty sure he would have no remembrance of me]. The things that stood out about this man was his humility and his willingness to talk to someone who is pretty insignificant in the global perspective of the church world. One minute with him and you can tell his passion and excitement. I highly recommend following him on his many social networks. Below is a list of the tweets that he made last night about what is going on in Haiti. Shaun is using Twitter to mobilize, impact and create an awareness in Haiti and it is incredibly impressive.
- Setting out my Soapbox. About to step on it for a few tweets. 1st my opinions then quotes from leaders on the ground in Haiti
- ALL OF THE EXPERTS ARE DEAD WRONG…..
- When the earthquake 1st hit, thousands of you immediately wanted to go and help BE the solution, be the hands & feet of God…
- But you were told by the experts NOT TO COME. You were told to wait until some magical time when things were much better…
- The experts were wrong. Some probably meant well because they didn’t want you to get hurt or be in the way, but let me tell you what…
- Is missing in Haiti -passionate, hard-working, unskilled, loving, non-experts. They are in SHORT SUPPLY. I mean RARE…
- Consequently, the MAJORITY of supplies are sitting unused & the teams of unskilled non-experts I am advising are regularly…
- 9 days later, regularly the first people to have ever visited orphanages and disaster sites. They ALL tell me that we should have…
- IGNORED the experts. Let me tell you a story that will kill you. The caretaker of the Notre Dame orphanage told @SpenceNix…
- She heard dozens of dying babies trapped in the rubble scream & cry for 5 whole days before they all died. 55 babies died. Nobody ever came…
- One more tweet from me then I want to type you a quote from our team on the ground…
- It is NOT TOO LATE. If you feel CALLED to go to Haiti GO. GO! GOOOO! It is tough work, but GO! I will help you…
- Next tweets are direct from our teams on the ground…
- “The growing feeling here in Haiti is that the BIG ORGS & government don’t really care. It’s like they are here b/c the world is…
- focused here. If they care, little passion is ever displayed. Seems like a job or obligation. Even my sponsoring organization…
- (name of large Christian org) pretty much just set up a tent, gave us a vest and stickers and said go. No support. No passion. No questions…
- Large amounts of supplies are just sitting in boxes everywhere. I have seen them there for days while hurting people & doctors…
- Need them. This has opened my eyes wider to the wastefulness of large charities and benefit of small, nimble, passionate groups…
- I have been in Haiti for 6 days and I still have not seen one large Red Cross presence. I honestly think social media has…
- Saved more lives since the earthquake than all but 3-4 great organizations here now. Passion. Relationships. Technology has changed…
- the game. We saved so many lives today and it was just us doing it bro.” <<<<<End of quote
- Thanks for listening.
Thought it was incredible to hear hands on what is going on in Haiti and see one person making a difference. How can you make a difference in your circle of influence and in the world?
Whole Milk and Asparagus
There are some things in life that I don’t understand and maybe it’s not my place to. Maybe they are pet peeves maybe they are just my preference. For example: Why won’t college football go to a playoff system instead of using the stupid BCS system and allowing mid-major teams to ruin the bowl games. Why do women need to put mascara on while driving? They can’t get up 4 minutes earlier? I’m sure you have several things that you don’t understand as well.
Something else, why is it so healthy and promoted to drink whole milk as a kid to strengthen bones and teeth but then frowned upon as an adult because it will make you fat? Don’t you still need strong bones and teeth as an adult? Or why when you eat asparagus does it make your pee stink so bad? Once again things that I don’t understand.
I also don’t understand why you would not become a fan of Fellowship Student Ministries. So here is your chance to become a fan and stay up to date with what God is doing in our student program.
Texting While Driving PSA
I don’t know if you have had a chance to see this yet but it is pretty powerful and makes you think. What is really the most important thing at that moment? It’s made me think twice this week.
Sexting Video
Parents here is a link that Greg Davis sent to me that you may be interested in. Greg Davis knows all things technical and is a great resource that you can ask almost anything to about the technology that is out there. He is also a great resource in how to protect you and your family when it comes to technology. Greg has his finger on the pulse of what is happening even within the youth culture when it comes to technology. Click HERE to check out the Sexting Video Blog.
Free Conference_Online
Perry Noble and New Spring Church are running their conference UNLEASH online live today. Click on the logo to check out the site.
Lala
Do you like music? So do I and Greg Davis introduced me to this tool that allows my music to be online and available at all times. It also allows me to download songs cheaper than Itunes and in mp3 format or if I just want to listen to it online I can do so for .10 cents. Seriously? How cool is that?
It also allows me to post what our playlist will be for UNITED. One week prior and three weeks after our UNITED you will be able to listen to the worship sets as well as the opening song we do for each UNITED. You can follow others on lala and hear what type of music they enjoy and the best part is it is free. Check it out at lala. I’ve been using this one day but I am really impressed.
