Over the years, my wife and I developed a habit of getting away the day after Thanksgiving to map out our goals for the upcoming year. For us, it’s a perfect time to think strategically about the future having just given thanks for the past.

But a few years ago, just before Thanksgiving, I discovered something lacking—my enthusiasm. I knew I hadn’t done well on the 22 goals that I set for the year and, like a child that just failed an exam, I had little interest in knowing why. I felt defeated.

With so many goals, I knew my approach was fundamentally flawed. But I had no idea how flawed until I heard a message from my good friend, Pastor Roger Thompson. To this day, I don’t remember what he spoke about (sorry Roger), but I do remember him making an aside observation that men deal with three issues in their lives: failure, fear, and fatigue. His insight unlocked a door for me. I knew those feelings—22 times over.

What transpired from that breakthrough was a new approach to goal setting. One that, I think, is more biblically-based than many of the corporate goal setting workshops you and I have attended.

If you’re in need of a fresh and courageous approach to goal setting,  I invite you to discover what I learned at the next Year of Living Courageously workshop (website) at Cross of Glory Church in Hopkins, MN on February 25th.  Plan to come now because a year is a terrible thing to waste.

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If you live in the Twin Cities, especially the South Metro area, I invite you to be part of the Fall season kickoff of IronWorks. IronWorks is a weekly gathering of men on Friday mornings, or Wednesday evenings, for encouragement from God’s Word and fellowship with one another.

Our Fall series, The Micah Project, will focus on the theme of justice, one of three character traits God requires of us according to Micah 6:8. Pastor Roger Thompson, of Berean Baptist Church, and I alternate teachings on Friday mornings (IronWorks AM), and the sessions are recorded for playback for the Wednesday evening guys (IronWorks PM).

If you’re looking for a little practical encouragement with the guys, I invite you to check out the IronWorks website and schedule. We’d love to see you be part of the kickoff on September 30th and October 5th. Both IronWorks formats meet at Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, MN.

If you don’t live in the Twin Cities area, or you happen to miss a session, you can catch all the teaching online. Visit the MettleMedia archives to view videos and to download audio and teaching notes.

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For years I’ve been meeting with people just like you. They know there’s a lot more potential in their tank than they’re currently releasing; and it bothers them. They know something is holding them back. Fear? Lack of a plan? Little encouragement from others? Maybe all of these.

I designed the Dream Intensive to tackle these issues head-on. It’s a highly creative and interactive exploratory of the dream God’s planted in your heart. It will help you create greater clarity of your dream and how to pursue it—even if you’re not aware that you have one. This is the workshop that I want to go to for my own dream. Because it’s highly participative, the enrollment is limited to 20 people, Christian adult men and women, who want to experience breakthrough in their life.

If that sounds appealing to you, I invite you to visit the Dream Intensive website at www.dreamintensive.com to learn more.

I hope to see you on October 14th at the Dream Intensive.

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I love engaging audiences of men, especially those who’ve intentionally taken time away to evaluate their life purpose. Something powerful happens when men meet together to engage, interact and pray about their future.

Purposeful living is something I’ve studied, labored to put into practice, and spoken on for nearly a decade. The older I get, the more aware I become of the precious gift of time we have to live fully to the potential God created in us. And I want to do everything I can to help others unleash their potential. So, I’ve developed a number of the workshops and weekend retreat programs on that topic. I’ll be delivering one of them, Live on Purpose, to the men of Zimmerman Evangelical Free Church at their men’s retreat on March 18-20 at the Timber Bay Retreat Center in Onamia, MN.

If you could use a break from the routine and would like to get away, the guys from Zimmerman would welcome you to join them and me. The cost for the weekend is $100. You can download a flyer and register online by clicking here. Space is limited, so be sure to register right away.

It would be fun to see you there.

Boldly forward,

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Competitive sports reveal athletic prowess. Nothing silences the critics, the doubters, or the trash-talker quite like the demonstration of unequaled skill. Those who do it best practice the fundamentals over and over again so that when they step on the court their play speaks for itself.

So, too, in the game of life. Our words and actions reflect how well we’ve practiced the fundamentals of our faith. Our Sunday morning game-face may quickly fade in the heat of Monday morning’s onslaught. But the world is full of critics, doubters and trash-talkers who are watching how we play the game. Do you have the street-level credibility to stand up to their scrutiny?

Street Cred: Just Show Me is the Winter 2011 IronWorks series kicking off this Friday morning, January 7th and next Wednesday evening, January 12th. Roger Thompson, Sr. Pastor of Berean Baptist Church, and I co-teach at IronWorks, a non-denomination gathering of Twin Cities men for fellowship and the practical application of God’s Word to everyday issues.

If you live in the Twin Cities, especially the south suburbs, we’d love to have you join us for our series kick off on Friday, January 7th at 6:30 a.m. (IronWorks Sunrise) or on Wednesday, January 12th at 5:30 p.m. (IronWorks Sunset). All sessions are held at Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville.

If you can’t make it to an IronWorks live, you can still be a part of the experience because all of the sessions are available on audio and video at the IronWorks website. They’re a great resource for men’s study groups in your church too.

For more information, visit the IronWorks website. When you do, be sure to sign up for email reminders on the home page. Or follow the IronWorks news on Facebook and Twitter.

I look forward to seeing you there.

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Pastor Roger Thompson of Berean Baptist Church and I have been writing a book we’re calling Steering through the Potholes: Navigating Life’s Adversities. It’s a book about the challenges we face and how to navigate through them. Like potholes we hit in the road, adversity is unavoidable and often leaves lasting damage. If you’ve ever asked of God, “Why is this happening to me?” then you’ve hit a pothole and this book is being written for you.

I say “is being written” because we are literally in the middle of writing it and we would like your help. We want to do something a bit unusual and invite you into the writing process. Beginning Sunday, September 26th, for eight consecutive evenings, Roger and I will be teaching from the material in the book and leaving behind, each week, a draft chapter for you to chew on. We will ask you to react to the material as you experience it live and also as you read the chapter the following the session. Your feedback will be invaluable to us as we continue to develop this project.

That’s it. That’s the journey we’re on and, if this topic is of interest to you, we invite you to be a part of it Sunday evenings at Berean Baptist Church, Room 114 from 5:30-6:45 p.m. Click for directions.

I hope to see you there!

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A couple of years ago, I launched The Year of Living Courageously workshop, after discovering and applying some biblical principles that rocked my approach to personal goal setting. (You can read about that journey here.) Having a YLC plan and two other guys to meet with regularly about it has helped me keep my focus and energy on some pretty courageous goals. But it also takes more than a plan to live intentionally, so I’ve also added four habits of thought to my daily routine. These habits — choices really — form what I call the Four Pillars of Intentional Living, and I’m eager to share them with you.

On September 17-18th, I’ll be presenting a new workshop, the Intentional Man Workshop, that combines the Four Pillars with an extended, more hands-on, edition of the Year of Living Courageously workshop. It’s an intensely practical application of biblical principles applied to your personal development and goal setting. I invite you to visit the workshop website at IntentionalMan.com and join me and the men of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Virginia, Minnesota for the inaugural offering.

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If you’re a pastor in the Twin Cities area, you won’t want to miss out on a very unique opportunity for some serious goal setting. On Thursday, May 13th, I will be conducting, for the first time, a pastors-only version of the highly-regarded Year of Living Courageously workshop.

The Year of Living Courageously workshop is a thoroughly biblical approach to goal setting. I’ve taught it numerous times over the last several years to Christian men in the marketplace. Now, for the first time, I’ll be leading professional clergy through a more intense and extended version.

Why a version just for clergy? Think about it. Most men in the marketplace have a community of other like-minded men with whom they can confide in, explore, and seek support for their God-given aspirations—the men in their church. Unfortunately, that same opportunity doesn’t exist for most pastors. From my discussions with numerous pastors, they often feel uncomfortable sharing openly about their fears, failures and fatigues—the very threats all of us face in the pursuit of courageous goals. As a result, many church leaders find themselves isolated from the very support structure that others in their congregation enjoy.

The Year of Living Courageously: Pastor’s Edition is designed to address that need. Pastors will be provided a unique “sandbox” in which they can explore some of their dreams in the context of a non-threatening community—other like-minded peers. If you’re a pastor longing for a structure and support system for pursuing your goals, the Year of Living Courageous: Pastor’s Edition is just for you. If you’re a lay-person, but want to show your support, let your pastor know about this unique workshop.

The Year of Living Courageously: Pastor’s Edition workshop will be held at Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, MN on May 13th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost to attend is $65 and includes a lunch and program materials. For more information, testimonies, videos, and to register, visit www.livecourageously.com

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You can feel the pain. You’re working harder than ever before just to keep up. You may even be out of work. Either way, you’re likely battered and bruised. The Spring 2010 season of IronWorks will explore the eight character qualities every man needs to keep their head and heart in the game.

IronWorks is a non-denomination gathering of Twin Cities men on Friday mornings and Wednesday evenings for fellowship and the practical application of God’s Word to everyday issues.

If you live in the Twin Cities, especially the south suburbs, make plans now to drop by for our series kick off on Friday, April 2nd at 6:30 a.m. (IronWorks Sunrise) or on Wednesday, April 7th at 5:30 p.m. (IronWorks Sunset). All sessions are held at Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville.

If you can’t make it to an IronWorks live, you can still be a part of the experience because all of the sessions are available on audio and video at the IronWorks website. They’re make a great resource for men’s study groups in your church too.

For more information, visit the IronWorks website. When you do, be sure to sign up for email reminders on the home page. Or follow the IronWorks news on Facebook and Twitter.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

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Over the years, my wife and I developed a habit of getting away the day after Thanksgiving to map out our goals for the upcoming year. For us, it’s a perfect time to think strategically about the future having just given thanks for the past.

But a few years ago, just before Thanksgiving, I discovered something lacking—my enthusiasm. I knew I hadn’t done well on the 22 goals that I set for the year and, like a child that just failed an exam, I had little interest in knowing why. I felt defeated.

With so many goals, I knew my approach was fundamentally flawed. But I had no idea how flawed until I heard a message from my good friend, Pastor Roger Thompson. To this day, I don’t remember what he spoke about (sorry Roger), but I do remember him making an aside observation that men deal with three issues in their lives: failure, fear, and fatigue. His insight unlocked a door for me. I knew those feelings—22 times over.

What transpired from that breakthrough was a new approach to goal setting. One that, I think, is more biblically-based than many of the corporate goal setting workshops you and I have attended.

If you’re in need of a fresh and courageous approach to goal setting,  I invite you to discover what I learned at the next Year of Living Courageously workshop (website) at Colonial Church in Edina, MN on November 14.  Plan to come now because a year is a terrible thing to waste.

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