Field notes
for the leadership journey
Leadership
This is a guest post from Aaron Shamp. He is a pastor, writer, professor, dad and Stay Forth Coaching coaching client based in Lafayette, Louisiana. I had my spot in the coffee shop. With just a few sips of the hot Costa Rica pour over, I was eager to sit and crank...
They were the worst of times. Someday I hope I say they were also the best of times. As March spilled into April, and April into May I felt a sinking loss. It was different from the losses that had toppled through the shockwave of a global pandemic jumping our...
“It is not the job of our black brothers and sisters to educate us on the issue of race”. I’ve heard this a lot in the last few days, and I agree. There are many incredible resources out there to educate yourself. Here is a list our team has compiled that we highly...
Coaching
Why do some people live deeply fulfilling lives continually creating beautiful things and others flail while never reaching their potential? This question has haunted me for over a decade. There is a difference between these two groups, but it’s hard to put a finger...
There's so much content out there today. It’s a dime a dozen. You almost start to think good content is magically going to drift into your brain. There are a lot of gaps for most leaders in the creative process. There’s good news; there are some creativity...
I have never, ever, enjoyed filling out daily planners. Having my day regimented into tiny blocks of time just didn’t work for me. I still get anxious thinking about having to do it. If I’m being honest, those generic tools don’t really accomplish much, and if it were...
summaries
Dangerous Calling is one of the few books I read year after year, and every time I read it, it challenges me. Paul David Tripp masterfully weaves real-life stories and often forgotten spiritual truths into this book. As the pages turn, the wounds, temptations, and...
It’s rare to find a book where every chapter invites you into a new way to think and a better way to live. David Brooks, a popular columnist, and author, walked through a valley and emerged on his second mountain with a refined and weathered view of life. He recorded...
Talk about timely! This book is nailing leaders between the eyes right now. In his typical concoction of honest, sarcastic, and well-researched John Mark Comer lays out the problem; hurry is slowly killing us and our relationships. But he also builds a hopeful and...
Church
This past Saturday, my daughter and I went to Denver to participate in a peaceful protest against the murder of George Floyd and the mistreatment of POC all over America. As we marched around the capital, I saw that man… you know the one… he stands on the corner with...
I spend a lot of time with church leaders. Sometimes we’re sharing a meal, sipping a coffee or sitting around a fire pit. Other times we’re digging deep into their life and leadership in a coaching session. While there are several studies out there about pastors I...
A friend asked me to bike across the state of Colorado with her and her team for the annual Ride the Rockies. What? Me?! Why?!? Despite my first reactions, I joined the team. You can imagine that I was intimidated. What you probably don’t know is that my word for...