Urban Pastor LIVE!

My 1st Blog Post (2.19.2008)

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:26:05 -0600

I started blogging “unofficially” on MySpace (y’all remember them) as a hobby. ...

Style Tips: What She Actually Wants You to Wear

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:11:20 -0600

Do Clothes Really Matter? How important is what we wear? Can people look through all the...

What's Wrong With Nicki Minaj?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:07:00 -0600

Can someone please explain to me what’s wrong with Nicki Minaj?First, she arrived on the red carpet...

Humbling Leadership Lessons On Change & Transition - Pt. 2

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:46:00 -0600

In Part 1, I shared my experiences regarding change and transition. If you missed it, you can read...

Humbling Leadership Lessons On Change & Transition

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:08:00 -0600

I’ll admit, as a leader it’s quite easy to get caught up with a vision. It’s natural because...

New Series: RESET

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:02:00 -0600

NEW SERIES: RESET Sunday, February 5, 2012 (8am or 10:30am) Mars Hill Baptist Church 2012. It’s a...

Don Cornelius, The Bible, & Suicide

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:57:00 -0600

Los Angeles police say ‘Soul Train’ host Don Cornelius dies of self-inflicted gunshot...

Where Do You Get Your Vision?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:06:48 -0600

One of the questions that is often asked of me by pastors, church leaders, and business leaders is,...

Friday's Top 5: Why Mars Hill is a Man's Place

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:02:00 -0600

Mars Hill is the kind of church men would love to attend. Every Sunday, church pews fill up with...

If you’ve learned a lot about leadership and making a...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:02:05 -0600

If you’ve learned a lot about leadership and making a movement, then let’s watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under 3 minutes, and dissect some lessons:

A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he’s doing is so simple, it’s almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow!

Now comes the first follower with a crucial role: he publicly shows everyone how to follow. Notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it’s not about the leader anymore - it’s about them, plural. Notice he’s calling to his friends to join in. It takes guts to be a first follower! You stand out and brave ridicule, yourself. Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire.

The 2nd follower is a turning point: it’s proof the first has done well. Now it’s not a lone nut, and it’s not two nuts. Three is a crowd and a crowd is news.

A movement must be public. Make sure outsiders see more than just the leader. Everyone needs to see the followers, because new followers emulate followers - not the leader.

Now here come 2 more, then 3 more. Now we’ve got momentum. This is the tipping point! Now we’ve got a movement!

As more people jump in, it’s no longer risky. If they were on the fence before, there’s no reason not to join now. They won’t be ridiculed, they won’t stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd, if they hurry. Over the next minute you’ll see the rest who prefer to be part of the crowd, because eventually they’d be ridiculed for not joining.

And ladies and gentlemen that is how a movement is made! Let’s recap what we learned:

If you are a version of the shirtless dancing guy, all alone, remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals, making everything clearly about the movement, not you.

Be public. Be easy to follow!

But the biggest lesson here - did you catch it?

Leadership is over-glorified.

Yes it started with the shirtless guy, and he’ll get all the credit, but you saw what really happened:

It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.

There is no movement without the first follower.

We’re told we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective. The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow.

When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join in.

3 Questions That Will Change Your Life TODAY!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:37:05 -0600

My late father, Dr. Clarence E. Stowers Sr., would always tell me, “Son, find a story and tell it...

Mistakes Were Made: Greatest Mistake of Them All

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:40:05 -0600

1. KEEPING PEOPLE PAST THEIR EXPIRATION DATE. I’m what you call an eternal optimist. My...

Mistakes Were Made: My 2nd Mistake

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:56:00 -0600

2. PUTTING PROJECTS BEFORE PEOPLE. Ecclesiastes 7:18 says, “The man who fears God will...

Mistakes Were Made: My 3rd Mistake

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:03:00 -0600

3. TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM RATHER THAN THE PROCESS. A problem is an obstacle which makes it...

Mistakes Were Made: My 4th Mistake

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:12:00 -0600

4. DELEGATING TASKS INSTEAD OF RESPONSIBILITY. In my humble opinion, the most overused and...

Mistakes Were Made: My 5th Mistake

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:47:06 -0600

5. ASSUMING THINGS ARE EITHER BLACK OR WHITE. According to Wikipedia, ”a grey area is a term...

When was the last time you heard a speech that moved you, that...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:06 -0600

When was the last time you heard a speech that moved you, that made you sit up and brush the potato cookie crumbs off your lap and watch?

The last time you heard a speech that made your eyes well up? When was the last time anyone really got to you, really said something with substance that you will always keep with you?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about sound bites, and how we live in a sound bite society. Unfortunately, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been reduced to the “I Have a Dream” soundbite. But, if you think about it, Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream…” message was a simple, yet powerful message. And very necessary.

Do you really know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Why doesn’t anyone ever quote these words by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Mistakes Were Made: My 6th Mistake

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:27:00 -0600

6. NOT FOLLOWING THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to...

Mistakes Were Made: My 7th Mistake

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:52:06 -0600

7. DWELLING ON THE “WORST CASE” SCENARIO. As one who recognizes the validity and...

Mistakes Were Made: My 8th Mistake

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:40:06 -0600

8. WAITING UNTIL THERE IS A PROBLEM TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK. As a pastor, I understand the importance...