I have been a big fan of Daniel Goleman's work on emotional intelligence for fifteen years. His books Working with Emotional Intellignece and Primal Leadership are great introductions into this field.

Goleman's research correlates only one third of the success of leaders of large organizations to intelligence and education. Those are requirements for any of these top leadership positions. Two thirds of their success comes from mastering emotional intelligence. See a post introducing four pillars of emotional intelligence here.

Ever find yourself swinging from a deep trust in God to wandering in the spiritual desert feeling unwanted and unloved? What is the catalyst for those oscillations? In this post I'm wrestling with what causes those swings in my life, and the map looks something like this:See the rest of the post here.

Ephesus contains the most impressive of any ancient ruins we visited on our Greek Isles tour from Athens to Istanbul. See the city where the Apostle Paul preached, and the city where the Apostle John and the Virgin Mary lived out their lives. Incredible sights. See the pictures here.

Next stop on our Athens to Istanbul tour of the Greek Isles was Mykonos. We rented a car and drove around the island. We found a beautiful beach and enjoyed the sun and surf. Got to watch a fire burning the brush beside the cove. See the rest of the pics here.

Great piece on gender roles in family and church. See the post here.

The next stop on our Oceania Accent on Antiuqities trip was the beautiful island of Santorini. Here the villages spill over the cliffside overlooking the sea. The island is a remnant of a volcano, whose crater is now in the sea. See the pics here.

Wonderful article by Jedidiah Jenkins. Small World. My wife and I met the author's father on his walk across America. We had spent three months camping across the American West in the Spring of 1973. In the Fall we took off again, heading up the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail from Atlanta to Maine. We spent the winter in Vermont.

A couple of weeks in, we were camping on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. A bear came into our camp at night, got into our cooler and tore our tent up. Thought we were going to die. We left our disheveled campsite and drove to a small town for breakfast. At that little cafe in small town Virginia, we met his father on the early stage of his walk. He had left NY a few weeks before and had made it to Virginia. We enjoyed a few stories together, and then watched him and his big dog walk off down the road. They refused a ride. We enjoyed reading about his continued journey.

We saw two Nat Geo articles about him. One was the trip from NY to New Orleans. The next was from NO to the West Coast. We never forgot him. It's no wonder you have the wanderlust.

In this article, the author quotes John Muir. Muir was a major inspiration to us to go west into the mountains. Muir was nearly blinded in an industrial accident, and that was the impetus for him to go west into the mountains. He realized how precious his sight was, and wanted to see the world. We followed suit, and have been on the road less traveled for the last 40 years. I look forward to following this journey. Here's a picture of Genie and me in 1973.

The next stop on our Oceania Accent on Antiquities tour was Marmaris, on the Turkish Riviera. Check out this beautiful coastline and city. See the rest of the pics here.

Here is my Photo of the Week, from Oia, Santorini, Greece. See the rest of the pics here.

The second stop on our Athens to Istanbul Greek Isles tour was Nauplion. There we toured the Corinth Canal, completed in 1895. Then we visited the ruins of ancient Corinth and walked in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Incredible to stand where Paul preached to the Corinthians. See the pics. 

 The first stop on our Athens to Istanbul tour of the Greek Isles was Athens. Check out the pictures of the Acropolis, the Archeological Museum and the New Acropolis Museum. This tour was called 'Accent on Antiquities' and this was a great start. See the photos here.

 See the photos here.

Mike Breen writes a thought-provoking piece here. Many are trying to do Mission without first building an operating system of discipleship. As this illustration from the article indicates, a car without an engine is not going far. See the article here.

For years I have aspired to be a wise leader. As I led a leadership retreat for 16 men from City Church Eastside, I realized how foolish an aspiration that was. As I sat and looked out over the beauty of God's creation, this scripture verse came to mind: Luke 18:18-20: A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.” Read the rest of the post here.

 Photo of the Week 2013-Week 18. I went to Orlando last week and stayed at my friend Richard Kessler's hotel, the Grand Bohemian. This was part of his art collection in the place. What a grand hotel. Check out the rest of the weekly picks here.

Priesthood of all believers: the unfinished business of the Reformation

Bill Easum describes the environment created in a healthy church as a process where people are changed, gifted, called, equipped and sent.

People who enter the community are changed by an experience of the living God. With millennials, you get one chance--if they don’t experience God in worship, they won’t return (and recent studies report most people have not experienced God in worship in their church in the last year). 

Then, as people seek a deeper spiritual journey, the church helps them discern how they are gifted. 

The purpose and life to which we are called is nested in our gifts. Prayer and meditation about our gifts will help us define our calling.

Once we begin to get clear about our call, we are ready to be equipped. That fact that I might feel called to be a Christian counselor does not mean I will excel without some equipping and practice. 

Once people are equipped, they are sent out into the world to serve others as the body of Christ.

How do you as a church leader answer these questions:

How clear are you about your gifts and calling? 

Do you feel equipped to live out your calling? If not, what equipping do you need?

How effectively are we the leaders equipping our people for service?

How do the gifts, experiences, skills, values and passions of the people in your missional community help define your missional calling as a group?

 

 Here are the photos of the week for Week 16 and 17. Check out all the photos here.

Fascinating research emerging about why it is good for you to be a part of a Christian Community. Here are some of the benefits noted: Lower blood pressure, boost to the immune system, social support, larger social networks, with more contact with, more affection for, and more kinds of social support from those peole than their unchurched counterparts. On average, church attenders, drink less, smoke less, and are less sexually promiscuous. Quoting from the aritcle,  "Because God is immaterial, those of faith have to use their imaginations to represent God., to listen to him in your mind, and those who were able to experience God vividly were healthier on the standard psychiatric scale."  Check it out.

 Photo of the Week for week 15. Beautiful thoughts. See the rest of the year here.

Jesus asked his disciples to imitate His life. That was His process. It was how He passed on the DNA. Many of us have never been discipled ourselves, so the idea of discipling others is intimidating. This post from Mike Breen gets to the heart of the matter. Check the post here.