There is a story in the book of Acts that has always interested me. I will tell you that every time I read this story it evokes something in me on the topic of excellence. In Acts 5 we see a brief retelling of the story of Ananias and Sapphira. You can read the whole … More Where are you holding back?
My family recently went on a road trip up north. It was a great time to connect with extended family and make some fun memories. While visiting my wife’s family we ran into a number of people she had not seen in a while. My wife comes from a small town where everyone seems to know each … More Default towards a Growth Mentality
How do you prepare to serve? Each of us have patterns or habits which we run through on our way towards serving. Often we spend a majority of our time tending to the outer work of preparation, with little to no attention to the inner work of alignment. Here is a brief 2 minute video that … More A Prayer of Alignment
Does your team have a limit? When you think about your team is there a “max” number that can serve? I would suggest that you hurt the health of your team when you have a max capacity in mind. The mark of a thriving ministry is growth. This is similar to, but still different than Ricky … More How Much is Too Much?
Recently I heard a great perspective on the idea of Fear – most specifically on the connection between fear and the things God invites us into. Instead of me trying to reteach the thoughts, here is a brief (2:30) video from one of our Group Life Pastors at 12Stone on the concept of fear. Here … More Fear
The best opportunities for growth happen when things are difficult. If you want to grow physical muscle you have to work them out and push those muscles to the limit. The best way to grow your leadership skills is to deal with complexities that come with the role of leader. There is a style of … More How Triangles Grow Your Leadership
Do you remember the experience of learning to drive? It is great to be entrusted with the responsibility – to sit behind the wheel and take the car somewhere. In fact when you first start driving you do not even care about the destination, you are just excited to be able to go somewhere in … More Trust the Leader or Sabotage the Team
The greatest threat to forward momentum might not come against you from outside, but alongside you. Most of us stay keenly aware of the distraction and disruption that come at us head on. On the road it becomes obvious in a split second if someone from the other side of the road starts veering and … More Beware of Sideways Energy
I was recently reacquainted with a statement that was critical in my early moments of connecting at 12Stone Church. I actually haven’t seen the statement in nearly 14 year but I have talked about it a good bit. When I first walked into the doors of the church I saw a little sign that contained … More What are you looking for in a church?
Have you ever lived in a house where you could not control the temperature? I am not talking about a day or two with power outages – I mean like an extended stay sort of scenario. I, along with a friend of mine, had this unfortunate experience 10 years ago. We lived in a 3-story … More Are you a Thermometer or a Thermostat?
Cory Lebovitz 