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2010 Catalyst Conference: Tension is Good

June 23, 2010 By JJ 3 Comments

If you haven’t been to Catalyst, you need to. It truly is an experience and not just an event. This year’s theme is “Tension is Good” and I love the idea of tension. I’ve always found the greatest depth of faith when there is tension.

You may be thinking that this event is “too much production” and “not enough spirituality” but let me push back and say that perhaps you aren’t very teachable. This is an experience where it will make you think whether you agree with what is said or not. It will challenge your theology. The experience will stretch you.

Catalyst Conference East, October 6-8, Atlanta, GA. Register here.

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership

Nugget – March 26, 2009

March 26, 2010 By JJ Leave a Comment

“Great leadership is the ability to taste a person’s soul — like a fine bottle of wine.” ~Mike Rawlings, CEO of Pizza Hut

Filed Under: Leadership, Nuggets

What’s the Difference?

August 31, 2009 By JJ 2 Comments

Here’s a quote from an article by South African, Bilal Randeree:

Each year, millions of children are orphaned due to war, famine, and diseases. In poor communities, when parents die or a surviving adult is chronically or terminally ill, children face having to care for themselves and their siblings. Losing one or both parents is traumatic for any child in any situation.

South Africa has almost 4 million orphans, children who have lost either a mother or a father or both. There are an estimated 1.8 million orphans in South Africa infected or affected by HIV and/or AIDS. These orphans are living in poverty, and some have lost both their parents and live alone. Most of these orphans in South Africa are between 7 to 17 years old. Even with the expansion of antiretroviral treatment access, it is estimated that by 2015, the number of orphaned children will still be tremendously high.

Many orphans suffer from malnutrition and are forced to drop out of school. They have no money for food, shelter, healthcare, education and clothing. These children face a future of neglect, abject poverty, despair, and often suffer physical abuse. They sometimes seek refuge on the streets, begging or are coerced into crime for survival.

This guy really telling it as it is. Perhaps what he is talking about is moving you. Perhaps the cause for orphan care really breaks your heart.

Here’s the deal though, what’s the difference between orphan care between Christians and countless so many others doing the same thing? You see, the excerpt above comes from a Muslim who is dedicated to orphan care. There are countless number of people who are doing the same thing as Christians (and it’s not just in orphan care but in all kinds of social justice causes)!

So what sets Christians apart? What’s the difference?

Filed Under: Adoption, Faith, Leadership, Orphan Care, Personal

Cambodia – Center of Peace

August 7, 2009 By JJ 5 Comments

DSC_7674In the last couple weeks I’ve been able to work with many village children and children in a particular orphanage. I’ve also visted a couple other orphanages in Phnom Penh. What’s interesting is the different between all the children.

It’s common for people to talk about how the support of orphanages only perpetuates the need for them. More effort is being made to provide resources to the extended families of orphans so that the orphans can live with them.

There is still hope in orphanage though. At the Center of Peace, the children seem far better off than those children with families in the villages. The children at the orphanage are happier, better educated, well mannered, and socially healthy. Much of the children’s progress has to do with the director of the orphanage. Her name is Bophal Yos. As an orphan herself, she made it through college in a country where the average education level is 5th grade. She has so much love. All 70 something kids call her “mother”. She’s legally adopted two of them because they were abandoned by their families. It’s truly an amazing place to experience. These kids know Jesus. They know Jesus as the one and only God.

Orphan care ultimately isn’t about providing them a good place to live, but an opportunity to embrace the hope of the Gospel. It’s about living out the Gospel with these orphans.

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership, Orphan Care

Tribes: A Group Blogging Project – #Tribes

May 9, 2009 By JJ 12 Comments

tribes_godin_coverPart of the Tribes: A Group Blogging Project by Church Crunch based on the book Tribes by Seth Godin.

The Posture of a Leader

This is the bottom line of a leader of a tribe. If the leader doesn’t get the message across, then it’s the leader’s fault, not the fault of the listener. If the leader’s call to action doesn’t occur, then it’s the leader’s fault. In more of a ministry application: if your sermon is putting people to sleep, it’s your fault. If people feel unwelcomed in your church, then it’s your fault. If the community around you isn’t impacted by your church and feels as though your church is just taking up space, then it’s your fault. Let’s quit blaming our people for not making the best decision and train them instead. Let’s quit wondering why people are unmotivated and lead them by example. Let’s quit trying to figure out why you don’t have much influence and instead listen to your people.

Switching Trbes

Where are the people going to come from to join your tribe? It’s our normal inclination to attract people like us. It’s easy to do and it’s comfortable. But it’s the people on the fringe that will add to your tribe. It’s the marginalized people. It’s people on the outside. We need to interact with people not like us, not the popular ones, not the ones who already have an agenda. Often we have misunderstood who our neighbor is when God commands to love him and love our neighbor. Our neighbor is one who is on the fringe. You reach the marginalized and you will reach the masses. That’s what Jesus did.

Innovation CurveNot Now, Not Yet

Do you have an idea that would take your organization to the next level? Do you have a vision that would completely change the way you do things for the better? Then your biggest enemy to making it happen isn’t the opposition or the road blocks you may face, but you telling yourself “not yet.” As John Maxwell says, “there are those leaders who have a great idea and they get ready, they aim, aim, aim aim…” At some point you have to pull the trigger before the target it long gone.

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership, Personal

You Are Here

May 1, 2009 By JJ Leave a Comment

Go watch.

http://www.vimeo.com/4316077

www.catalystconference.com

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership

My Character Stains

March 21, 2009 By JJ 1 Comment

stain2stain [steyn] -noun: a cause of reproach; stigma; blemish: a stain on one’s reputation.

Those in leadership will know that the role of being a leader can bring out the best in you and sometimes bring out those character traits that aren’t so good. Here are some of my character stains:

  1. Over Analytical – yea, so I went to Georgia Tech and pretty much everyone is over analytical there (but they make great engineers, but not so good leaders). You give me a riddle and I tell you how that riddle isn’t possible because you said the word “this” instead of “that”. This is my first reaction to things. It leaves people bitter about talking to you. It pushes people away. You become unapproachable.
  2. Know-It-All Questions – too often I find myself asking a question I already know the answer to. Why do I do that? Insecurities as a leader always trying to stay in control. Trying to ask questions to get people to think the way I think. This one leaves people demoralized. It pushes people down.
  3. Mr. Handyman – when people come to me with problems my first reaction is to think of a fix. Come to me with relationship problems? I’ll give you 5 ways to improve your relationship…right. I blame this one on testosterone and the lack of empathy. Thanks to my wife (who is awesomely compassionate and empathetic) I’ve been able to improve in this area, but it’s still a thorn in my side. People don’t share their problems with you so that you can come up with a solution. They want you to feel their pain. Carry their burdens and you will life people up. Giving people a fix will leave them feeling stranded.
  4. Insensitive Multitasking – I am such a do’er and a poor listener that I’ll sit there often times trying to get stuff done while someone is talking to me. Why can’t I just stop what I’m doing the moment people talk to me? Is what I’m doing really more important than the person talking to me? This is one of the fastest ways to shut someone out.
  5. Interrupting Arrogance – it is what it is. When you interrupt someone, what you’re basically saying is that what I have to say is more important what you have to say. That is arrogant and prideful. Boy, I’ve become pretty good at this over the years. At least now it makes me mad when I catch myself doing it. This is one of the best ways to make someone angry or in turn not listen to you.

Why am I putting all these things in the open? First, I’m sorry about these thing I do that is not a reflection of God’s character. Second, because I desperately need the help of the people around me to keep me accountable. It’s not like I’m saying anything new to the people who already know me (especially those I have the privilege of leading).

Let me tell you about the grace of God…His blood washes your stains and makes you white as snow…

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership, Personal Tagged With: , , , , ,

GiANT Impact Webcast – Mark Sanborn

February 27, 2009 By JJ 2 Comments
  • 4:35 PM Jason Jeong - getting started…8 million people watching?
  • 4:35 PM Jason Jeong - Mark Sanborn’s newest book, Encore Effect
  • 4:35 PM Jason Jeong - first book, Fred Factor
  • 4:39 PM Jason Jeong - Encore Effect is about getting remarkable performance especially from replicable tasks
  • 4:40 PM Jason Jeong - Q: what are some tips for leaders in tough economic times?
  • 4:41 PM Jason Jeong - leadership is fundamentally the same, but focus changes
  • 4:41 PM Jason Jeong - keep people to playing to win, not keep from losing
  • 4:41 PM Jason Jeong - encourage based on realism
  • 4:42 PM Jason Jeong - Q: how can you be remarkable in a down cycle?
  • 4:43 PM Jason Jeong - Sanborn: don’t become completely self consumed; yea, be concerned about keeping your lights on, but call clients and customers and maintain existing relationships
  • 4:45 PM Jason Jeong - Q: in working with high profile leaders, what are the biggest challenges they face and what counsel would you give them?
  • 4:46 PM Jason Jeong - a paradox, the higher you rise, the harder it is to confide in what you are concerned about…not many people to talk to…hard to keep accountability
  • 4:47 PM Jason Jeong - it’s tough to talk about what is necessary v. what is strategic…like whether or not letting people go; we are in a phase where we [leaders] don’t know what will work…keep agile
  • 4:48 PM Jason Jeong - Q: what are you reading and researching right now?
  • 4:49 PM Jason Jeong - he doesn’t read business books anymore; finished, Embracing the Wide Open Sky by Daniel Tammet;
  • 4:51 PM Jason Jeong - Sanborn is working on: whole new way of looking at leadership, one ingredient that is irresistible when added to a product or service, and a team building book
  • 4:52 PM Jason Jeong - he was at a point where he had over 2000 books and have given away all but about 200…when he gets a new book, he gives away a book now; giving away books have given him focus
  • 4:53 PM Jason Jeong - Q: how are you taking advantage of the downturn to get ready for the upturn?
  • 4:53 PM Jason Jeong - he thinks that capital preservation is primary; next, getting past the thoughts of exploiting this surge and staying conservative; err on the side of caution
  • 4:57 PM Jason Jeong - right now, faith, family, and friends is important to him…everything else is icing on the cake
  • 4:57 PM Jason Jeong - Q: how do you keep your confidence up if you lost your job?
  • 4:59 PM Jason Jeong - men in general equate their work and their worth, break this paradigm for yourself
  • 4:59 PM Jason Jeong - evaluate your long term career plan, what do I have to do in the short term to hedge against the long term
  • 5:00 PM Jason Jeong - become a veracious reader and get outside the box in thinking and apply that to finding new opportunities
  • 5:02 PM Jason Jeong - people are not hiring intentions, they are hiring results
  • 5:02 PM Jason Jeong - Q: who is the most influential leader in the United States?
  • 5:04 PM Jason Jeong - Lincoln is the highest among Presidential leaders; impressive that he was clinically depressed, lost kids, Civil War; Sanborn’s opinion is that the challenges Lincoln faced has made him into the great leader that we think of him now
  • 5:05 PM Jason Jeong - Final thoughts: leadership doesn’t make a difference, it makes the difference

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Filed Under: Faith, Leadership

Idols of Our Country

February 4, 2009 By JJ 1 Comment

an expert from The Divided States of America? by Richard Land

“The conservatives too often assume that God is on America’s side, making patriotism idolatrous and the country and idol…Liberals too often don’t believe it matter whether God has a side in public policy debates, or they believe such questions are disqualified from consideration by a supposed constitutional mandate of church-state serparation. That viewpoint makes a particular judicial interpretation or the Constitution an idol.”

Here inlies the deterioration of faith in our country…it does boils down to idolatry. Perhaps even ourselves becoming the object of idolatry in the midst of it all.

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership Tagged With: , , ,

What Are You Reading?

December 19, 2008 By JJ 6 Comments

filter

“The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you’ll go.”
~ Dr. Seuss ~

I just got my Catalyst Filter box the other day and I’m excited to start reading them. I must say, the love of reading broadens your mind, keeps yourself in perspective (in humility), and encourages your heart to keep growing. Someone once told me, “becareful of the man who does not like to read.”

I’m first reading Run with the Bulls Without Getting Trampled by Tim Irwin and Life Giving Mentors by Tim Elmore.

What are you reading?

Filed Under: Leadership, Personal Tagged With: , ,
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