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Sermon Notes Sketch notes

Be the Change: Sermon Notes

Sermon sketch notes on "Be the Change," by Richard Triplett
Copyright ©2017. Sermon Copyright Richard Triplett

On Sunday, September 2, 2017, at Salem Church of God, Pastor Richard Triplett preached on how to Be the Change. My sketch notes from the sermon are above.

The sermon was based on the Book of Nehemiah.

The big takeaway I received from the sermon was that in spite of the massive amount of transformation our world has faced in a few short decades, most of us still fear when things begin changing. It takes a certain amount of brokenness to make change possible. The saddest situation may be when we insist on things staying the same even when we admit it is broken. 

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Book Review

Book Review: “Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth”

Leadership Pain: The Classroom for GrowthLeadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth by Samuel Chand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was just what the doctor ordered. My wife and I have gone through two years of leadership pain. We thought following the plan God laid before us meant sunshine and unicorns. When things didn’t go the way we thought they should, a friend recommended this book. It has been very instrumental in reminding me that pain is actually part of growth and leadership. It all comes down to this equation:

Growth = Change
Change = Loss
Loss = Pain
thus, Growth = Pain.

It is not something American Christians want to hear, but it has proven true for me. The book uses testimonials from pastors and non-profit leaders from many backgrounds. The author’s story is also a powerful anecdote on what happens when leaders persevere through the pain. I fully recommend this book.

View all my reviews

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motivation productivity Running

Lessons From a Seventeen Mile Florida Run

August sunrise at Juno Beach, Florida
I took this photo when I was into the third mile of my run.

Seventeen miles wasn’t my goal. I was determined to get nineteen miles in. But after seventeen miles, there was a drawbridge between me and my goal. It looked like a mountain. I had been training in Ohio. But now I was in Florida. It was 10:00 AM and 91° Fahrenheit. My water bottles were nearly empty. I decided to call it off and get a ride.

Next month (September 2017), I plan to run The Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio. It will be my first marathon and I have been training for the race. I was determined to keep to my schedule despite the change of locale. 

Three days later, I am thinking about what the run taught me.

Continue reading “Lessons From a Seventeen Mile Florida Run”
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CHOG News church cartoons Newsletters

This may take a while, Pastor!

Cartoon of a man kneeling at an altar. He says to a pastor, "I've had quite a week. So you might as well get comfortable."

Confession is good for the soul. But it occasionally backfires. I’ve been in a situation where I apologized to someone for an offense I was sure I committed so long ago. Then to my surprise, the person didn’t remember it. At least they didn’t until I brought it up again. Either they learned to forgive and forget, or my conscience betrayed me into confessing something no one remembers I did.

However, an altar call and some confession really is good for the soul. Too many people carry a heavy burden of guilt and shame. It is good to get it out there with a compassionate pastor. But if you keep having “one of those weeks,” perhaps it’s time to talk with your pastor about some ways to be led not into temptation!

I drew this for the July 2017, Church of God E-newsletter.

 

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Marketing

4 Massive Marketing Trends You Should Be Following in 2017

Source: 4 Massive Marketing Trends You Should Be Following in 2017

This article by Shopify caught my eye. Hyperbolic title aside, it had some useful points.

Live video has become a powerful force. Before, churches couldn’t live stream their service without expensive equipment. Today, any church with a mobile-connected device can live stream a church service. Any size business can be their own broadcaster.

Ephemeral content is also a big deal. What better way to make content appear special and valuable? If you know a message will self-destruct, it suddenly becomes more valuable. You take note.

I encourage you to read the rest article. Don’t worry. It isn’t going to self-destruct any time soon.