Monthly Archives: January 2016

The Second Question

The Second Question

In his eBook Great Leaders Ask Questions, Bob Tiede writes this in the introduction: Are you familiar with T.A.? You are probably familiar with A.A.—Alcoholics Anonymous. Well, T.A. stands for “Tellers Anonymous!” I have an addiction—I am addicted to telling! At T.A. meetings I stand up and introduce myself: “My name is Bob and I am a teller.” Today, I am a recovering teller. However, the temptation to “lead by telling” has never left me. You could say that this eBook—sharing my favorite questions with you—is part of my recovery program, as is my blog: LeadingWithQuestions.com. Leading with questions takes...Read more …
On the Radio – Walk the Way

On the Radio – Walk the Way

  • Posted on January 29, 2016
  • /Under Listening
This is Walk the Way. Brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. At one time, my friend, Mike, had a unique role working for the US army in Afghanistan. His job? Build relationships with the Afghan people. Mike says that for the most part, the army establishes outposts; and from the safety of these outposts, the soldiers will get in their tanks and head to nearby villages to access the level of suspicious activity. It is not their job to get out of their tanks. But because they never do, they can only report so much. “Getting out”...Read more …
The Real Sweet Stuff.

The Real Sweet Stuff.

  • Posted on January 27, 2016
  • /Under Listening
I was introduced to Dale shortly before his 80th birthday. Dale was a retired preacher and poet who had been widowed from his wife many years. I first started visiting him because I was a closet writer, and I learned he was a writer and had published books of poetry. So, I visited as often as I could, spending hours listening to stories of his life in the ministry, of his wife, who he lovingly referred to as “Dearie,” and his tales of surviving the depression, like finding discarded rotten potatoes to take home to his mom for soup. He...Read more …
Empathy—Who’s the Focus?

Empathy—Who’s the Focus?

  • Posted on January 25, 2016
  • /Under Listening
One of the times in life that is supposed to be among the best and joyous turned out to be one of the most difficult for my daughter Jackie. Jackie gave birth to a darling, healthy baby girl in late November, but by Christmas she was aware that something wasn’t right. Jackie was unable to sleep. Even though her body was exhausted, her mind just wouldn’t shut down. She learned that she was experiencing postpartum depression. Jackie battled to stay positive and establish a routine, praying for God to give her peace and sleep. One evening, Jackie asked her sister...Read more …
An International Q Place

An International Q Place

  • Posted on January 23, 2016
  • /Under On Q
For two years Judy and a Christian friend of hers had used a workbook to lead a Bible study with some international women. Last fall, Judy and her husband learned how to start a Q Place, and then Judy shared what she learned with her Bible study co-leader. Together they decided to invite more participants to join them in a fresh re-start of their group, using Q Place’s Bible discussion guide Mark: Discover Jesus. This is Judy’s reflection on the first night: Oh my! What fun we had! There were nine of us representing China, Korea, Japan, Togo, and the U.S., of...Read more …
On the Radio – Walk the Way

On the Radio – Walk the Way

  • Posted on January 22, 2016
  • /Under Praying
This is Walk the Way. Brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. I have this habit. Every day, I crave a Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino— the kind that comes in bottles sold in convenience stores, supermarkets and gas stations across America. I confess, that, for years, I’ve given into that craving, and now, my body cries out for one each day. And if one place is out of them, I’ll drive to the next to get my chocolaty delight. I know, it’s sick. But it makes me think. Why is it so hard for me to consistently crave God...Read more …
Avoiding Velociraptors

Avoiding Velociraptors

  • Posted on January 20, 2016
  • /Under Praying
Recently, I was teaching on The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), and with each verse, God opened my heart more and more to what Jesus meant when he said, “This then is how you should pray.” The Lord’s Prayer doesn’t look much like most of the prayers I hear from people in today’s church. For instance, there is basically nothing in there about praying for your Aunt Helen’s hip surgery—not that you shouldn’t do that, mind you, but it wasn’t in this teaching that Jesus offered. We tend to fly right through The Lord’s Prayer because it’s become something of an...Read more …
Awesomites

Awesomites

  • Posted on January 18, 2016
  • /Under Prayer
On a moonlit night in a tiny, remote village in Guatemala with a handful of people looking on, author and speaker Dutch Sheets heard the unmistakable voice of God speaking into his heart with very specific instructions to pray, right then, in the name of Jesus, for the healing of a little, insane, village girl who spent her days tied to a tree. He promptly asked God, “What is Plan B?” In his book Intercessory Prayer, Sheets describes how his faith began to rise as he went along with God’s “Plan A” to pray for the little girl, realizing that “The emphasis...Read more …
On the Radio – Walk the Way

On the Radio – Walk the Way

  • Posted on January 15, 2016
  • /Under Noticing
This is Walk the Way. Brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. Right before Christmas, Pam and I took the kids into the Madhouse on Madison for an early Christmas present. A Chicago Blackhawks game. It was a great start to Christmas vacation! On our way out of the stadium after the game, I was laser focused on getting us through the throngs of people, out to the parking lot. It was cold, and I was intent on weaving in and through the crowds, walking really fast, to get to our car. Our oldest son, Ben, kept pace...Read more …
“I just saw, Mom!”

“I just saw, Mom!”

  • Posted on January 13, 2016
  • /Under Noticing
During dinner one night right after Christmas break, our fifteen year-old son, Joseph, announced that he and his gym-class teammate had lost their physical education round-robin-tournament championship badminton match earlier that day. He jokingly added, “I led us to the finals, and then we got creamed.” His dad (all about sports competition, of any sort) asked, “Who was your partner?” “This other kid named Joe.” “Did you get paired up with him?” Code for: surely that was the reason for the loss. The strong got put with the weak. “Nope. I chose him.” “Why didn’t you choose someone better?” “‘Cuz...Read more …
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