WHY ARE YOU PREACHING?

I don’t remember the name of the camp, but I’ll never forget the night we spent there—both for the misery we shared as well as the lesson about preaching I learned.

First, the misery. Think about a drafty camp dorm with creaky wooden bunks, well-worn mattresses, and no sheets. No blankets, either. Or pillows. But there were curtains hanging at the windows, which we used to dry off after we showered, because there were no towels.

The camp manager had somehow forgotten to tell Mike Baker to bring those necessities with us. So we went to bed wrapped in skimpy curtains in a vain attempt to stay warm overnight.

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ARE YOU SMARTER THAN AN EIGHTH-GRADER?

A friend asked me to speak to his middle school class about leadership and character. And I realized how I wish I’d learned these lessons when I was their age.

Maybe you’ll agree that we’re never too smart or experienced to consider what I told those eighth-graders that day.

 “Leadership and character can be boiled down to two words,” I began. “Be you. (If you want to text this, go with B U!)” Here’s what I mean:

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Five Leadership Lessons from a Flight Attendant at 35,000 Feet

We were flying from Cincinnati to Phoenix on a Boeing 747, and two flight attendants were talking in the aisle just ahead of my bulkhead seat.

It was the first day on the big plane for the younger of the two whose work before that had been on a puddle jumper Dash 8. As the senior attendant shared advice with her junior, I took notes on what I was overhearing. This was wisdom I could apply to my own world—and probably yours too.

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