6 Thinking Hats: Intro

I am currently reading a book titled "Six Thinking Hats" by Edward De Bono and applying it to church, specifically to church meetings. In Six Thinking Hats, De Bono explains that while we are meeting, we try to do too much all at once: experience emotion, ingest information, create hope, inspire creativity and make decisions. Wouldn't it be great to separate all that out so that we have clarity and clearer communication?

De Bono asserts the following positives for this process:

* everyone in the group (regardless of intelligence, experience and knowledge) can provide input

* saves time (one company set aside 4 hours for a discussion on an important decision. Using this method cut their meeting down to 45 minutes with more buy-in from everyone)

* removes ego (Six Hats helps you to analyze and dissect ideas instead of people)

* provides clarity

What are the hats?

WHITE = facts and figures. Information here is neutral and objective.

RED = emotion. How one feels about a decision, idea or fact.

BLACK = weaknesses of an idea. This hat sees caution and carefulness in every idea. De Bono asserts that this hat comes naturally to many people.

YELLOW = hope and optimism. Seeing the positive aspects of an idea or thought.

GREEN = creativity and new ideas. Looking for growth and new direction.

BLUE = organizing the thinking process. Goals and step-by-step action items.

In future posts, I'll summarize each "hat" and how to use them.

It's The Simple Things

Went strawberry picking today here. The strawberry shortcake was awesome tonight!

(Forget those store-bought strawberries)

They just melt in your mouth...red, plump and sooo refreshing!

What are the simple things that refresh your spirit?

Town Hall for Hope

Here is the facebook page to watch Dave Ramsey's recent Town Hall for Hope. Enjoy!

The Spirit and the System of Worship

I am big into creating a system that helps to organize worship Sunday in and Sunday out.

But, I shouldn't forget about creating the spirit of worship.

I too easily overlook the envornment I'm creating for worship.

The system that is used to organize worship should create an environment, or spirit, for worship.

One question that a great friend of mine asked that helps me tackle the spirit of worship:

"What lie do we give up at worship?"

Last week in worship, we gave up the lie: we have to earn salvation. This week, the lie we'll give up is: tapping into God as a last resort.

What would the elements of worship look like if we organized them around the "spirit" or environment of worship?

and

What lie did you give up at worship recently?

Storyboarding Worship and Sermons

I came across this very useful tool. It has helped me plan out worship services as well as sermons. This tool helps me to visualize the movement from one point into another point and to think through making smooth transitions.

It's a free resource called PocketMod. It's a free recyclable resource to help plan, think, and organize your thoughts.

I use the widget called "Writing Guides: Storyboard" to help me organize my sermon thoughts. Be sure to click on 'Help' to find out how to mix and match the widgets together.

Lastly, the video below helps you to fold the regular sheet of paper into an easily transportable storyboard.

http://pocketmod.com/v2/

Swine Flu

There are many personal hygiene habits that would help us avoid contracting the swine flu.

I haven't heard anyone suggest to not do the above yet ...