Something totally surprised me when reading an article concerning the recent passing of veteran newsman, Mike Wallace. Certainly, I didn’t track with him in what I think were his political leanings, and I didn’t know him as a person. And his aggressive interview style was the subject of many conversations and news articles. But, no matter what you thought of Mike Wallace, we can usually agree on the fact that he was tough and aggressive in what he did. That’s what so many people liked about him. Tough. Aggressive. Sometimes abruptly controversial.

That’s all the more reason it seem surprising to me to read the article “Mike Wallace’s Public Battle With Depression.”  I hope you will take a look at it. If it was very public I guess I didn’t pay attention very closely. I’ve actually never been a big “60 Minutes” fan, anyway, so maybe I just missed that part of his life.

In general, I’ve written about the topic a bit and dealt with a fairly extensive family history of depressive illnesses. In some of the pre-Christmas posts here at OTC, we dealt a bit with that topic. The Wallace story is just another example of how someone who you would think might be so successful, so financially secure, and so on top of his game that he wouldn’t experience anything like that. However, those types of illnesses, and some are truly illnesses, can show up in the best and brightest in any field and in any stage of life.

It may be your neighbor, your mom, your dad, your best friend, or a casual acquaintance, but always be aware that there are those who, more than others, have a mental and or physical tendency to walk in and through those dark places. Physical, mental, and spiritual aspects all come into play in those times.

Let’s be aware of those who journey in and out of our surroundings, put others first, and remember that even the most successful looking among us may be the ones who are in the valley.

Talk to you soon.

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Freedom is here. For real!

I can’t remember ever telling our children that there was an Easter bunny. Okay…..even at ages 22, 19, and 17 I won’t let my children out of the Santa Claus deal. But we never did the Easter bunny thing. I’m not being critical if you do it. I’m not hatin’ on the Bunny. He seems like an enjoyable character. But, as a worship pastor, I’m really busy on Easter weekend and I don’t like the idea of him hopping through my home and leaving colorful basketfuls of stuff for my children. I mean, do we even know if the guy is house broken??

Yeah, I know, that’s a double standard with Santa, but EB will just have to get over it.

It’s just that Easter marks the pivotal point in all of history. I know that most of you who read this blog are Christians and when you think about the resurrection, you believe it to be true. But, that’s when we think about it. The problem is we need to think about it more. Our very lives and futures hinge on it. This year I once again read “The Case For The Resurrection” by Lee Stroebel. Lee was a former investigative reporter who set out to disprove Christianity, but was overwhelmed with the historical accuracies of the scriptures and embraced Christianity as his own.

Very few of the so called smart people will argue that there was a historical figure called Jesus of Nazareth and he was crucified and died on a Roman cross. But the event that followed the crucifixion is the subject of several somewhat wacky theories. But something did happen to his body. It was missing from the grave on the third day. Plus, very historically accurate documents state that his close followers plus another 500 or so people saw him up and alive personally in the several weeks that followed.

It was a pivotal point in history and a pivotal point of personal belief for every person on this planet. If Jesus indeed rose from the grave, then He validated his entire ministry and his claim that He was the Son of God come to earth to die for the sins of men. Every person must decide. Did He rise from the grave or not? All that I have studied, read, and believed in my heart of hearts says that yes He did. He was God come to earth in the flesh for you and me.

So, hide Easter eggs for the kids. Have a great family day on Easter. Bring me a chocolate bunny. I love those things. But reflect. Remember. Meditate on the fact. Or, make your decision if you haven’t. Either he rose from the grave or the whole thing is a sham. But it’s not. It’s real. He’s real. He died. He was buried…..but he got up. He was free and he brought us freedom.

I like to write about education, leadership, and political events. But, they are all small, small topics compared to this one. If you are a strong believer, not exactly sure, or if you’re just checking out the claims of Christ, this is the time of year to do it.

Please go to a church that you choose to check out the most pivotal point in history. If you have a church, go support it. If you don’t, come check out the one where I serve. We do our Easter gathering in the form of a high energy praise and worship concert celebration, plus our Senior Pastor will introduce our our new series called “Freedom Is Here.”

Have a great Easter.

Talk to you soon.

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“Proud of you and all you are doing.”  That’s how the letter began from Mrs. S., my fourth grade teacher. Those are words that can get me out bed and push me forward another day, how about you? I received the letter in the mail earlier this year, but ran across it again a few days ago. It will remain in my possession because it’s a real life, three page, handwritten letter ….in cursive. As I opened the letter it seemed to be in some type of ancient code until I vaguely recalled having been taught this form of writing in my early years. But this letter was incredible to me. She had written it earlier this year when she heard about my brother’s accident. I really appreciated that. But, she had to start the letter by telling me how proud she was of me. And to know that she was proud of me carried more weight than if it were the Governor or the President. And so it should be. We should remember our teachers with respect, fondness, and thankfulness.

Mrs. S. immediately stands out when I think about elementary school (and that was when for me?…..maybe fifteen years ago?…. I lose track of time). She was a teacher that made learning fun. I still remember some of the games we played as a part of learning. She understood that just dispensing facts, having the students memorize them, and rotely recite them back to her wasn’t always the preferred method of teaching. She taught me long before …. Read more »

Happy New Year! And stay tuned in a few weeks for the new face of overthecubicle.com! But in the meantime, here are a few thoughts for the new year. This is a huge one, a year in which need to be alert, and be wise in our life and leadership choices.

Here are five things we should monitor as we launch into this year.

• Monitor our spiritual health. Even though it doesn’t seem like it sometimes, overwhelmingly, people in the United States have a belief in God. Let’s make sure that it is a personal thing for us rather than an abstract concept. Spiritual development in our live serves as the foundation for all other elements of our lives. If you’re not active in a local community of faith, find one. Here’s mine. You’re welcome to link to yours in the comment section if you would like. Let’s make our faith a priority and join with others who share our convictions.

• Monitor our physical health. We should take care of ourselves, and drag ourselves to…. Read more »

So, what are you going to do in 2012 that is new, different, or interesting to you? Sometimes you just need do something different and fun just to shake things up a bit.

I happen to be one of those weird people in the world who is glad that there is always a 24 hour marathon of the “Christmas Story” on TV every year starting on Christmas eve. You know, the one about little Ralphie who so desperately wants the Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, and is warned that, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”

So, I particularly thought about little Ralphie when I opened a gift from my family on Christmas morning. It happened to be a Winchester SXP shotgun. Yeah, it’s wise to keep your head down from now on…. It came with a combination of both a home defense barrel, as well as one for sport shooting. I really was desperate for a mean looking, solid black firearm to go with my all my guitars. Now, I’ve never been much of a hunter, and I’m not one for shooting Bambi. I don’t care if you do, it’s just not my thing….If I actually shot one, (which would be highly unlikely), I would probably feel guilty and try to resuscitate the thing. But, anyway you can shoot it and bring me some of the meat.

Okay, so I had been talking for a while about getting a…. Read more »

Someone has disappeared from our educational system and I want to know where they went! I couldn’t find the guy anywhere. Last Friday, January 20, I toured seven Hall County Schools and I couldn’t find him. Some of you may remember him. He was the one guy out of the entire class who the teacher knew could thread the filmstrip projector. Or, even better, if we actually got a real film – this guy got to go to the LIBARY (spelling intentional), and roll this massive cart loaded with the latest 600 pound, 10 year old Bell and Howell projector. After he positioned this beast in the middle of the room and ran the heavy black extension cord over about three rows of desks to get to the only electrical outlet that worked, then he would begin the tedious process of threading that big boy. Sometimes he would nail it the first time, but other times the sound would be all garbled, or the sound and video would not be in sync. Or, after a half hour of this guy and the teacher working on this threading project, they go and get the principal, who must have graduated

Remember me?

from Bell and Howell University of overused projectors because he seemed knowledgeable on this cutting edge technology. Then, wonder of wonders, the film would begin and we would take a journey deep into a rich film that for most of us just took us out of some of the boredom of the day. And, remember if somebody was watching a film, you could hear the clicking sound of that projector in the next county. But I appreciate that guy who helped facilitate that. I was envious of him. If you find him, let me know.

For those of you that are even close to my age, you remember at least part of what I described. I’m not making fun of it, it’s just the way it was. And we were thankful to get that loud clicking, hard to thread, beast of a machine in our classroom because it meant that we were doing something less boring than what we had done the day before. You see, I don’t remember school as being bad or torturous, just not extremely compelling. I had some great teachers who impacted my life, some of whom Ive mentioned on this site before. But I’m a bit jealous of the incredible tools of learning available to our students today.

For the past 13 years I have been…. Read more »

Don’t you just wake up in the morning, spring out of bed, hoping and praying that you will have an incredibly difficult or awkward conversation with some someone that day. I know I do. I live for hard conversations Yeah! It motivates me…..Yeah!……NO! Absolutely not. I hate those things. You know, the conversations that we know are needed, they’ve been coming, and we may have put them off as long as possible.

For me, I hate to disappoint people. I hate to say no. I hate to risk hurting someone’s feelings. It’s a hard balance to achieve – telling the hard truth with compassion. However, there is no way around it, leaders must do it. Since I work with many more volunteer workers than I do paid staff, it can feel really goofy even though the topic doesn’t involve their day job or their wages. You could hear the thoughts, “You mean I’m volunteering my time and you still don’t want me to do this…..?” My wife, Annette, on the other hand, as a medical administrator, must have these hard conversations on a level where monetary compensation is involved. I’m glad I don’t have to be a part of many of those. But either way, the hard conversations are imperative for success.

For those of you that might have joined us from worshipleader.com this week, you full well understand.  As a worship leader I’ve had to say “no” to more people than I’ve been able to say “yes” to in the past dozen years or so. Explaining to some kind lady or gentleman why he/she hasn’t quite…. Read more »

(NOTE: This is a reprint of an article of Brian’s that was published on worshipleader.com a few weeks ago. Although the specific examples are about music rehearsals, it’s actually a general leadership strategy for many projects. We hope you find it helpful.)

Don’t you love it when the project is too big and the rehearsal time available is too short? Yeah, that’s always fun, huh? But bring it on! That’s just what we have to do sometimes. Those are the times in which we need to tactfully employ the proper rehearsal management techniques. I am an expert in …… well….nothing really comes to mind. But I do employ a simple strategy that is helpful in my instrumental and vocal rehearsals.

I know that the word “triage” can be thought of as reactive rather than proactive in some leadership roles. It’s a point well taken. However, when a rehearsal is pressing and time is short, I still use this method as a way to make sure I don’t miss the basics.

In the medical profession triage is basically the sorting of patients according to the urgency of their needs. However, I keep this premise in mind as I carry out my rehearsals. Like many of you, I am a local church staff minister responsible for developing a plan, organizing, and leading music rehearsals in preparation for worship gatherings each weekend. With the number of musicians involved, coupled with the rapid pace in which we have to learn songs, the rehearsal time can be quite a challenge.

I know this just common sense, no cutting edge new concept, or my stunning brilliance on display. However, this concept still serves me well as…. Read more »

One of the things we like to talk about on this site is just practical customer service skills. I grew in an era when the old phrase “the customer is always right” was the motto in many businesses. I know, the customer is not right sometimes. We can be jerks sometimes. I realize that and wise leaders should learn how to handle those situations as wisely as possible. However, wouldn’t it be nice to get the benefit of the doubt as a customer?  In our culture with so many mega-companies, you sometimes feel like you get slapped around by big business and there’s nothing you can do.

Last year I had many problems with a local cable company. I waited weeks, no actually months for them to repair the problem. They could not, or would not so I ask for a credit on my account. They gave a pittance of a credit and I responded that the amount was unacceptable because I had paid for service they had not supplied. I appealed by phone, internet, then I appealed in writing to the main corporate address where they process the written appeals. So, I was determined that I was not going to pay any more until I heard from this appeal. I was sticking to my guns, oh yeah! Well, it so happened my home phone line was bundled with that account and THEY TURNED MY PHONE OFF! I finally was forced to pay the amount that I shouldn’t have been charged because I couldn’t fight the large company any more.

I’m telling you, members of my family have absign on our back that says “try to stick it to those guys, their idiots!” On a good note, I can’t tell you how many times we have saved money on medical charges because of Annette’s knowledge of medical coding and billing. She watches the charges closely and if it has been billed incorrectly she calls them on it. She’s good to have around. Might keep her…

Next episode (I apologizes if this post is longer than most (but you can browse on to YouTube if you’re bored)….So we switched our family cell plan from Verizon …. Read more »

I keep telling my daughters that I like that show where the contestants sing, then the judges spin their chairs around if they like the singer. I call it the “Chairs Turning Around Show” just to aggravate my children, since that is part of my role as a father. I’ve only seen the show once or twice and I really don’t know if it’s any good or not. I just like those chairs. It looks like a ride at Disney World. I’m entertained easily. I really do know the name of the program. It’s “The Voice.” So, let’s talk about that, or…. let’s talk about “American Idol.” You know, stuff that really matters in our lives. Whaddaya’ think?

Well, actually I would like to. But, not this morning. Maybe not for quite a number of mornings this year. I like to write and try to be funny when I’m actually not, and I like to try to be cute when I’m definitely not, but, I’ll keep trying to write content that is at least marginally helpful or appealing. However, for conscience sake, I will probably hurt our readership by writing more political posts this year than I want.  Yippee, yay! Wake the neighbors! Call your friends!…..NOT. I don’t get all warm and fuzzy on the inside thinking of that prospect. But I’m concerned. Most people (not all, unfortunately) know that this is an election year, and not just an average election year. It is a Presidential election year.

I looked at some of the major polling organization results this morning (yeah, that’s just how lame I am). In every poll in which there were general questions about the direction of the country, overwhelmingly, by wide margins, our citizens said we’re headed the wrong way. However, just a few days ago I saw another poll indicating that a majority of our citizens seem to be paying little or no attention to the presidential campaigns that are in full swing. I do realize that it is the Republican Primary season that is in full swing, so to my Democrat friends and relatives (and I really do have some) I may give you a pass for another couple of months (because I know you’ve been thinking “I hope Brian give me a pass….”)

Anyway, here we are – at this point we have…. Read more »

It’s hard to even comprehend the amount of debt our country has. The national debt is $15,396,334,011,956. The debt has continued to increase by an average of $3.99 billion per day since 2007 and until we get rid of the big spenders and send some fiscal conservatives to D.C., we’re headed for deeper and deeper debt. But here is the good news! Wait for it……If every man, woman, and child in the United States would simply pony up $49,309.55 each, we can knock this thing out by the weekend. So, if ya’ll just want to drop it by my house tomorrow, I will personally take responsibility for getting your portion to the IRS. No need to thank me.

Here’s a small, but interesting example of how much our U.S. finances are goofed up. Would you believe that our government spends 2.4 cents for each new penny that is coined? Yep, the cost for materials and to manufacture each new shiny penny is 1.4 cents more than the thing is actually worth. There’s some cutting edge fiscal management.

Talk to you soon.

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I found this to be an interesting article from USA Today. I’m not one who puts a lot of stock in polls, but Gallup is reporting that Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton will be judged the best presidents of the past four decades. I am quite sure of half of that equation….:)

They both, however, were in office during some pretty good economic times and we know that many Americans grade our leaders largely on economic conditions. But many of these two presidents’ policies could not be farther apart. I agreed with Reagan much of the time and with Clinton a little, but you have to admit that both were good communicators. They both had the reputation for bringing a “presence” or charisma into a room and knowing how to use it to their advantage.

Maybe you will find this article interesting. I did, but, yeah, I’m still a political geek. What do you think? I mean, not about me being a geek…but about the article?

Here’s the link:

Gallup: Reagan and Clinton are favorite presidents

If you haven’t already, stay in touch with us at OverTheCubicle and subscribe by email HERE.  It really helps Brian’s self esteem…

Maybe this interview that I saw today aggravates me because I’m such an admirer of his dad, the Rev. Billy Graham, or maybe it’s because Franklin Graham has proven to be a powerful influence in his own right in worldwide ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. That organization is an incredible one providing spiritual and physical aid to victims of war, poverty, natural disaster, and disease.

So, here we go….let’s put a decent man like Franklin Graham up against a round table full of political pundits ready with their “gotcha” questions and it just makes me furious to see how a respected minister is treated. It’s a well known fact that Franklin Graham is a Protestant Evangelical Christian. He has not wavered on his faith. Like him or not, he is what he is. These guys knew how he would have to answer these questions.

They knew that he had doubts about President Obama’s actual belief system. They knew that, although he has said that Mitt Romney could make a good president, every person in our country that has a decent knowledge about religion knows that Rev. Graham was not going to identify with Gov. Romney’s Mormonism. So, why bring it up? It’s simply because that if you’re a man of faith, the mainstream media will try to make you look like a fool no matter what your organized religion is. If Romney gets the Republican nomination,…. Read more »

I know I’m preaching to the choir on much of this particular post, because if you were not engaged in some sort of online technology, you wouldn’t be reading this unless somebody printed it out and handed it to you. That actually would be a wonderful thing for some of us to do because there are a lot more people that need to be convinced. Convinced of what? Convinced that to push back and fail to be engaged online at some level (only you can decide your own level) is probably unwise.

There are two different kinds of people about whom I get concerned. One, is the person that refuses to engage in the online world, period. The other is the person who has their nose in their computer 18 hours day, surfing the web, …… Read more »

One of the most embarrassing things that I ever remember occurred in one of the Sunday morning church gatherings at my church. I still blame my boss and Senior Pastor, Jeff B, because I was doing a portion of his sermon since he had just had oral surgery a few days before. It really makes no sense to blame him. It just feels better. My portion of the sermon was only about 5-10 minutes. However, surely it was one of the most compelling, gripping, inspirational 5-10 minute talks that could be uttered by a mere man. I don’t remember what points I used or what I said, but I remember the last four words of my eloquently delivered remarks…… “And that’s really cool.” However, what ensued was perhaps one of the most…. Read more »

For several reasons I’ve been absent from this blog for a bit, but I need to play some catchup over the next few weeks. This is a big year.

I was grabbing a take out order at a local restaurant this weekend when a political debate broke out right in from of me among those who were waiting to get their takeout food. Apparently, one person was wearing a political t-shirt of which the others waiting did not approve. They were not unkind to each other, but they were taking their stand for their respective opinions.

And, to your surprise and mine, I did not wade in with them. I stood back and listened. I was actually a little uncomfortable at the impromptu restaurant debate. We could question whether or not that was a good time and …. Read more »

I just wanted to take a moment and follow up on the last post, “Dangerous Time to Bored With The Political Process.”  If you didn’t read it, I hope you will.

Here’s another tier of my concern about the improper view of and the disinterest with our political system. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but the detachment of good people from the political system has played a big role in leading our nation to the point where we are closer than we think to becoming a socialist country. I want my children and grandchildren to grow up in a Republic that is true to the U.S. Constitution. I never thought that I would actually be concerned that it would ever be in question. But, it is not a given anymore.

Back to the point at hand. To me it’s so very frustrating that the abuse of power and corruption of many government officials has so maligned the word “politics.” It is to the point that the word is relegated to a place of such disdain that it drives our citizens to apathy toward the topic. This hurts us. And hurts us badly.

It’s amazing how perfectly innocent words can take on such sinister connotations because of abuse. The first definition of the word “politics” listed in Webster’s is “the art or science of government” followed by “the art or science concerned with influencing governmental policy.”  The definition of a politician as defined by Webster is “a person experienced in the art or science of government; especially : one actively engaged in conducting the business of a government.” Nothing inherently corrupt there. Don’t we desperately need skilled people to do that, and do it wisely? Yep.

I have been moderately engaged in observing or helping in the political process for around 20 years now. And I’m self proclaimed as not the sharpest blade of grass in the back yard, but I do know this. Now, right now, not later, we need many skillful, wise, good, and honest individuals to run for office, and millions of others to, at least, be informed citizens. And let’s take the word “politics” off of our black list and help make it into something honorable as it should be. Have you noticed that everyone who runs for office tries so hard to disassociate themselves from the word “politician?” I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a candidate say, “I’m running for office, but I’m not a politician.” My answer to that is, “Well, you better learn to be one because that’s what the job is.”  We need to define the word properly and expect our public officials to operate accordingly, but with integrity.

No, the person shouldn’t compromise on issues of integrity or morality, but a public official should quickly try to gain an understanding of the skills necessary to help guide and shape proper public policy. Unfortunately, there are men and women who are skilled in the art of politics and use those skills unwisely or foolishly. But we need GOOD politicians. We need them to be above reproach, practicing the craft with integrity, and demonstrating the highest standards as they represent those who put them into office. The Bible says be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Sounds good.

So, let’s define our terms correctly, hold people accountable for their actions, and do what should be done. Let’s engage in the process by informing ourselves about what our leaders are doing. No, the hope of the world is not found in the political realm, but being informed and taking ownership in the direction of government is our duty. “Politics” doesn’t have to be a dirty word. 2012 is big. And it’s here.

Talk to you soon.

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I am amazed and humbled at the sight of so many volunteer workers in our churches, schools, and civic groups in this great country of ours, and also for those of our friends in other countries as well. That is one of the great attributes of a great nation. Do we need more? Sure, we do and always will need more volunteers to perform various service projects that are uniquely filled by those who sacrificially give of their time and talents for no monetary compensation.

I’m especially reminded of this during the time of the year when I am in Easter music prep mode. The three or four weeks preceding our Easter gatherings are, by far, my most time consuming weeks of the year. However, I never forget for a moment that I get paid a good salary from my church. And I am so thankful for those who have given me that opportunity, and wonder sometimes why I am so blessed to get to do what I do. But, I can tell you that I think often and with thanks about the sacrifices of the volunteers with whom I serve. They are all great, hardworking, successful people – but who frequently give their time after a really hard day’s work in their chosen career. Certainly the same can be said about so many other ministries within our churches and other volunteer organizations.

So, in a time in which I am so indebted to those who volunteer their services, I think I can speak for all of us who, in one way or another, help lead great teams of volunteers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We could NOT do what we do without you! An extremely large portion of what is accomplished in our organizations falls squarely on your commitment, your dedication, and hard work.

Blessings to you all.

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