Today, we had a great experience with a new provider. The service was not working because of an issue in our house. We told them that we were unwilling to pay $80 to fix the problem and that we would just cancel with them and keep our current provider. The response: NO WAY! The on-site representative came inside, fixed the issue for free and said, “I’m not going to let you leave us.” WOW!

Customer service really is a challenge – as you grow, it’s hard to offer the same things at new levels. I think it will always be a challenge.

Honestly, I was waiting for Aaron to cry because I know he is a lot like me. As much as I hate to admit it, Fun Fact #1001: I am a wimp when it comes to pain. You know how they ask you what your pain level is on a scale from 1-10 when you go to the hospital? Stubbing my toe would be an 11 on that scale.

So there. I have shared with you what many already know about me. I have a low tolerance for pain.

What’s a fun fact that you would share about yourself?

• someone who helps us want to be our best selves.
• someone who would never allow us to participate in a behavior that would be detrimental to us without warning us.
• someone who loves us and wants the best for us.
• someone who would never coerce or try to influence us to do anything that would go against our core values and principles.

Although the rest of the article was great, I wondered how many people feel like they do not have a true friend – someone who is a life “go-to” person.

Besides your spouse, who has been a true friend to you in your life? I would love to hear what makes them a great friend. Shout out to them in the comments below.

My wife, Kim, has a dream of illustrating and writing a children’s book. Yesterday, when I got home from work, she said, “Why don’t you twitter something about my artwork and see if anything comes of it?” Instead of just twittering about it, I wanted to write a quick post. You see, I really want to be her Dream Manager (you can read that post here).

Not only is Kim a great artist, she is an amazing, godly person. She taught Kindergarten for 11 years (which definitely means she has a heart of gold) and has a passion for reaching kids with the message of Christ.

If you know anyone that you could connect her with in the book industry, leave a comment on this post. If she gets an opportunity through your connections, we’ll give 10% of the contract to the non-profit of your choice (and another 10% to the ministry of Faith Promise Church). She’s not looking to get rich – she’s looking to fulfill a lifelong dream.

You can find her artwork here.

• Take on a more spiritual perspective
• Look at doing a particular topic for each day of the week, M-F
• Or, just keep it as is.

What do you think?

PS – I think Casey Graham owes me some commission for keeping Funded and Free up for so long!

Today, I begin a crazy journey around the world. I’ll be in Tokyo, Thailand and Australia before returning back to the States. Please pray for safe travel over the next 12 days. Can’t wait to see what God does.

What has amazed me about the oil spill has been church leaders’ criticism of BP’s leadership through a crisis – particularly on Twitter. Honestly, the churches response to the culture seems a lot like BP’s response to the oil spill. Think about this:

• BP has been seen as slow to react. The church has been much slower to react, holding on to out of date methods while forsaking it’s incredible Message of Christ.
  
• BP knew there were problems and failed to respond. The church has known they have problems for years and has done nothing about it.
• BP’s president said he was “out of the loop on decisions.” Church leaders have continued to “be out of the loop” and blamed it on the unwillingness of people to change or the control of denominations.
  

The major difference between the church and BP – BP’s president apologized, saying, “I am so devastated with this accident…deeply sorry…so distraught” while the church continues to prove their lack of care for the culture by modeling a lack of unity and no desire to reach people in new ways.

Did BP make mistakes? Probably more than we will ever know. Has their response been slow? Maybe so.

But what about the church? Why are we as church leaders so quick to point fingers instead of focusing on our own problems?

I’ve noticed lately that I talk to myself a lot. It all happens internally, but it involves decisions that I am making, motivation to accomplish something or how I want the future to look for our family. Sometimes it happens in response to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and other times it happens as I consider the natural course of life. Today, I noticed some things about my self-talk.

• It’s normally very positive about life’s situations.
• The talk says that I can accomplish anything.
• It has tons of faith in it – particularly in spiritual areas about our family.

But I realized something – sometimes my natural conversations don’t always relay the same messages of my self-talk. My normal speech isn’t always as optimistic or filled with faith.

I want that to change.

What is the difference between what you say to yourself and what you say to others? Maybe what you are saying to yourself needs to change. Or, maybe what you are saying to others.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Best Father’s Day present I’ve ever received!

Now, let’s state the obvious: everyone is busy. Everyone has a little more on their plate than they should.

So, what do we do about the problem? I’d like to propose some answers.

• Everyone wants to talk to the most successful people. Obviously, their are some people who may be too busy to field a phone call. Instead of asking others to read your blog or just not responding, how about providing a list of others who have seen great success in their roles and may be more helpful because they are more like the ministry or person seeking advice? It takes time, but it is helpful in the Kingdom. Churches really are in desperate need for help. Instead of, “Just read my blog,” lets say, “Can I introduce you to….”

• Make your minimum response a list of resources. Everyone has resources that they have used, books that they have read or conferences they have attended that have helped them. Why not take a few minutes, compile that information, and have it available to send out. Instead of, “Just read my blog,” lets say, “Let me send you a list of resources that were helpful to me.”

• Do your best to respond to all messages. At this point, I will give anyone a 30-minute phone call. I prefer that over answering questions via email. After the initial call, I normally send a follow-up email with resources or point the person in a different direction that will be more helpful. Even one of the busiest guys, Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, has replied to every email I have sent to him. Thanks Michael. Instead of replying, “Just read my blog,” lets say, “I can give you __-minutes on the phone.”

Church leaders need more help today than ever before. If God has blessed you with the ability to help, lend a personal hand. Touch the people who reach out to you. It will make a difference in their lives and in His Kingdom.