Posts by Mark Howell
Happy Independence Day…from me and Ray Charles
Hey everybody! I’m taking the day off here in Las Vegas, but in the meantime I’d like to share with you my favorite Ray Charles version of America the Beautiful (Recorded during the 2001 World Series, a few weeks after September 11th). Happy Independence Day to all my friends here in America (and Americans everywhere)!…
Read MoreQuotebook: The Importance of Making Mistakes
“If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.” – Frank Wilczek, 2004 Nobel Prize winner Image by Hrag Vartanian
Read MoreTop 10 Posts on Training and Discipling Leaders
I’ve written a little bit on the topic. Okay…I have written a LOT on this topic. With over 2500 hundred articles dating back to 2008, determining the top 10 articles was a little challenging. According to Google analytics, this is how it came out. Top 10 Essential Small Group Leader Skills 8 Habits of a…
Read MoreAre You “Brutally Honest” about Your Small Group Ministry?
How honest are you about your own small group ministry? You know. About how things are going. Really. Are you brutally honest? In his best-selling book Good to Great, Jim Collins introduced the “discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” “You absolutely cannot make a series of…
Read MoreHow to Manage the 5 Tensions of Connection
Connection between people is a little bit of mystery smack dab in the middle of a lot of predictability. It is mostly about managing the 5 tensions of connection. The 5 tensions are driven by things that seem true and good to everyone except unconnected people. Here’s what I mean: Connection is easiest when…
Read MoreJim Stockdale on Confronting the Brutal Facts
You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. —Jim Stockdale Share on X To see the rest of my quotebook, click here. Image by David Jones
Read MoreHow To Build an Annual GroupLife Calendar – 2016
How does calendar planning happen in your world? Maybe the question should be, “does calendar planning happen in your world? Let me tell you, whether you are naturally a planner or you will only plan when it’s done for you or you’re forced, calendar planning is a key to small group ministry effectiveness. Whether you…
Read MoreWant to Dramatically Increase the Impact of Your Fall Ministry Season?
Want to Dramatically Increase the Impact of Your Fall Ministry Season When was the best fall ministry season you’ve ever had? Last year? 2 or 3 years ago? Too long ago to remember the exact date? What did you do? Do you remember what worked so well? Could you do it again? Would it be enough? What…
Read MoreSecond Chance: Help Me Test Small Group Ministry Basic Training
Note: I had some technical difficulties yesterday. If you were able to sign up, try again today! New to small group ministry? Trying to figure out where to begin? Or maybe you’re trying to figure out how to reboot the small group ministry you have? Whether you’re just starting out or you’re already some ways…
Read MoreWant to Help Me Test This: New to Small Group Ministry?
A few weeks ago I launched Small Group Ministry Basic Training. It’s FREE. It’s designed to help people who are new to small group ministry (or perhaps need to look at it from a fresh point-of-view). I’d love your feedback. Want to help me test a new program? Here’s the sign-up form: Subscribe to our…
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