If you’re like me, you spent time during the holidays thinking (and hopefully praying) about goals for 2012. Many of my goals relate to my ongoing challenges in balancing ministry and motherhood, as well as the future of FYI.
This December Harvard Business Review blog on How to Accomplish More by Doing Less immediately grabbed my attention. It has helped me think not just about how to divide my time, but how to maximize my time by making sure I get enough rest. Here’s the part of the blog that most struck me:
Create a workplace that truly values a balanced relationship between intense work and real renewal, and you’ll not only get greater productivity from employees, but also higher engagement and job satisfaction.
There’s plenty of evidence that increased rest and renewal serve performance.
Consider a study conducted by NASA, in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, of pilots on long haul flights. One group of pilots was given an opportunity to take 40 minute naps mid-flight, and ended up getting an average of 26 minutes of actual sleep. Their median reaction time improved by 16 percent following their naps.
Non-napping pilots, tested at a similar halfway point in the flight, experienced a 34 percent deterioration in reaction time. They also experienced 22 micro sleeps of 2-10 seconds during the last 30 minutes of the flight. The pilots who took naps experienced none.
If you’re like me, you won’t be piloting a plane anytime soon. But I know that I am my best wife, mom, friend, and leader when I feel rested. If you want to get more done, you probably need to rest more. At least I know I do.
I don’t think I’ve ever been invited to attend, let alone speak, at a youth ministry training event in which “Collaborative” was the primary noun. And yet on Saturday, February 11, I will be in Grand Rapids speaking about Sticky Faith at the Mars Hill Student Collaborative.
Having talked with Josh Bishop from Mars Hill yesterday, I know he’s serious about the goal of making the day as collaborative as possible, even though hundreds of youth leaders will be there from a host of different churches. I think it’s going to be a fantastic day of learning and growth for all of us, and I hope you can join us.
One of the things I know about 2012 is that for FYI to have the impact we dream of, we have to collaborate.
Would you say the same thing about your dreams, especially those that relate to teenagers?
If you’re a youth leader, will you really be able to change your city’s teenagers if you don’t collaborate with other leaders/ministries?
If you’re a parent, will you really be able to be the parent you want to be if you’re not encouraged, supported, and held accountable by other parents?
For me, the resounding answer to both of those questions is “No way”.
Where does collaboration fit in your plans for 2012? Are you satisfied with your answer? Do you need to review your goals (even though it’s only 5 days into the year) and weave through some more threads of collaboration?
I have always loved reading about leadership. I probably own more books about leadership than any single topic.
I think that’s part of why I so enjoy articles and blogs in the Harvard Business Review. I love learning about some of the most recent (or re-claimed) thinking and research about how to better influence individuals and groups.
In the midst of all the 2011 recap lists I’ve seen during the past 10 days, one of the most valuable to me was HBR’s Most Popular Blog Posts in 2011. I think my favorite blogs on this list are #1, #4, and #10.
This reminder was helpful from the #1 post when it comes to being specific about goals:
When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. “Lose 5 pounds” is a better goal than “lose some weight,” because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you’ll “eat less” or “sleep more” is too vague — be clear and precise. “I’ll be in bed by 10pm on weeknights” leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you’ve actually done it.
Whether you lead a church, a company, or want to implement these sorts of principles in your household, I hope they help set your 2011 off to a great start.
In today’s new FYI E-Journal, we’re excited to share about the release of two new Sticky Faith curriculum products to accompany the books released last fall:
Sticky Faith Teen Curriculum: 10 Lessons to Nurture Faith Beyond High School
Watch this video to learn more about this now-available curriculum geared toward high school juniors and seniors.
How Do I See Myself After Graduation?
In this free sample session from the Sticky Faith Teen Curriculum, you can engage students around questions of identity formation.
NEW CURRICULUM FOR PARENTS:
This 5-session DVD-based curriculum presents powerful strategies and practical ideas to help parents encourage their children’s spiritual growth, enabling them to develop a faith that sticks. Watch this video to learn more!
Tis the season of “best-of” lists. While we at FYI go dark for a bit around the holidays, we thought we’d leave you with our top five most popular posts from the FYI blog in 2011:
During the season of Advent this year some folks from my church who make films decided to create a short video for our community to reflect on. Picking up the theme “waiting”, they grabbed some folks from the congregation and developed this piece. It has been a powerful tool for reflection across these four weeks.
As we debriefed it together last Sunday morning, I was struck by the different ways folks interpreted the waiting that was (or wasn’t) happening in this video. We’re all waiting for something. Perhaps the question is how will we wait?
In these last few moments of Advent, I hope this might probe a bit about the waiting in your own soul.
PS, this was developed free, and is free to be used if it’s helpful in your own context. Be sure to give credit appropriately. I bet Sam and Benji would love to hear how you use it, too.
I love technology. Well, maybe that’s an overstatement. I really like technology. But as much as it’s a blessing, it can also become a burden.
I was struck by a Harvard Business Reviewblog over the weekend that declared, “Facebook is Making Us Miserable.” While the blog is perhaps a bit one-sided, the author does make some great points, like:
-Facebook can stir a spirit of comparison as we see updates and ask, “Why aren’t I having that much fun?”
-It causes us to multi-task, which generally leads to decreased effectiveness.
-It can lead to a decline of close relationships.
Now I do think the author misses some of the assets of Facebook, like how it can help us be connected to each other, know how to support and pray for each other, and bring relational depth. For those of us who care about teenagers, it can also help us understand their worlds, tensions, and friendships better.
Is Facebook making you miserable? How do you keep it on a leash? How are you using it in your life, family, or ministry?
I keep hearing stories these days of folks putting Sticky Faith in action, and even ideas on how to use the holidays as a way to help teenagers connect with their parents and other adults.
Last week I received this e.mail from a youth pastor in Indiana, who heard me speak at the National Youth Workers Convention. In my seminar, I shared about one church in our Sticky Faith Cohort who asked twenty of their students if they knew how their parents became Christians.
Care to guess how many of the 20 knew?
I’ll give you a hint: it starts with a “Z”.
Yes, zero.
This youth leader has decided to leverage his chance to preach to invite parents to share more about their spirituality with their teenagers, which is an important part of our Sticky Faith themes. Here’s an excerpt from his e-mail:
I have surveyed many of my teens and thus far only one (Senior Pastor’s 6th Grade Daughter) has said they could give an account of their parents conversion and she only knew her dad’s and not her mom’s story– so maybe still a technical zero…I am speaking this Sunday at our Church while the Senior Pastor is in Haiti. Part of my challenge will be to have our parents’ families share their conversion story with their young people over the holidays… As I reflected on the question, I thought about my father who passed away in January and I didn’t know his conversion story or his mom’s story who was a pillar of Christianity in our family. Thanks for your time and the insight and challenge you gave me.
I love how this sharp youth pastor is nudging families toward better conversations in which they share about their faith more organically. I am going to try to model that with my family this season, and I’m going to try to do the same.
