Tag Archives: life-coaching

Pastor Wrinkles: Socks With Sandals

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

I admit I am a bit of a rebel…at least when it comes to foot wear. I find myself bucking the conventions of podiatric propriety all the time. I wear socks with sandals on a regular basis 100_2902

 and I almost always wear white socks with my black suit and dress shoes.

Pastors by definition live in a fish bowl. Our lives are open for all to see and criticize down to the finest detail (even our footwear believe it or not). Right or wrong, it’s a part of the vocation we all learn to live with and pattern our lives around.  I suppose how I choose to dress my feet is my little way of sticking it to the man. 🙂

All kidding aside though, we all “wear socks with sandals” in certain areas of our lives.  There are  things each of us have decided we are just going to be stubborn about. Sometimes our stubborn streaks are given to nothing more serious than wearing socks with sandals or whether or not we will eat broccoli. Yet there are also times when we pitch the battle flag on more serious hills and determine that no matter what people say, come hell or high water, we aren’t giving ground.

When our nonnegotiables are based around biblical holiness we should keep them no matter what people say; But there are times when our nonnegotiables  flaunt Scripture and God’s purposes. We know it. We recognize it. Our best friends and even our pastors are warning us off and yet we still insist on “socks with sandals” even after God has told us to get with His fashion trend.

My question to you today is:

What area of your life is a “socks with sandals” area?

Is your stubbornness healthy or self-destructive?

If it is self-destructive what are you going to do about it?

Coach Me If You Can

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

I have been away these last three days at a training with life coach Sam Farina. This is the second training I have been to with him and bit by little bit I am pressing towards my certification as a life coach with the Assemblies of God. This is just one of the areas God is expanding in me.  Let me tell you I am feeling a little stretched. This training was intense and I came back with a boat load of take aways:

The team I worked with from NNED

The team I worked with from NNED

Our team (called 4 good) made this code of conduct.

Our team (called 4 good) made this code of conduct. Number 7 was our most important rule.

Pastor Risto and Pastor Brad joined other teams at the event but we shared meals together at the end of the day

Pastor Risto and Pastor Brad joined other teams at the event but we shared meals together at the end of the day.

Team building excercise

Team building excercise. Team Epic (Pastor Brad’s team)

Take aways:

* A renewed understanding of how important it is for our local church to be a team. Teams succeed where groups fail.

* Groups can never achieve what teams can because they never achieve cohesive vision or direction.

* In a team:

Everyone involved is involved

There is synergy

Each member knows and depends on the other team members strengths

There is collaboration

There is acceptance and respect for each member’s role

are goal focused

active listening is practiced by all members

members take ownership not just responsibility

members embrace change for the sake of the team

everyone celebrates wins and everyone shoulders the blame for losses (there is no finger-pointing)

there is a leader

teams gather around weakened members and willingly cover for them as they bring the weakened member back to strength.

* “Great leaders don’t overcome fear they practice courage.” Sam Farina

* I think my biggest take away came with this quote though. ” Don’t try to cure weakness. Just stop planning around it. Plan around your team’s strengths.”

Which characteristic of teams speaks loudest to you? Are there any I missed?