wes@heywesward.com

note to self: try a little tenderness

wes@heywesward.comNovember 15, 2018

Note to self: try a little more tenderness, Wes.

Dude, pull up a seat and listen again to this piece of goodness from classic screen legend Jimmy Durante. Through his seasoned distinctive gravel-and-staccato speak/sing style, take in some enduring life-coaching that you need to heed:

In the hustle of today
We’re all inclined to miss
Little things that mean so much
A word, a smile, a kiss
When a woman loves a man
He’s a hero in her eyes
And a hero he can always be
If he’ll just realize

She may be weary
Women do get weay
Wearing the same shabby dress
And when she’s weary
Try a little tenderness

You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating
Things she may never possess
But while she’s without ’em
Try a little tenderness

It’s not just sentimental
She has her grief and care
And a word that’s soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear

You won’t regret it
Women don’t forget it
Love is their whole happiness
It’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Wes, note to self: grow in loving your wife. Try a little tenderness. You won’t regret it. She won’t forget it.

note to self: bring energy in the right way

wes@heywesward.comNovember 14, 2018November 14, 2018

Note to self: you will lean into a lot today — as you do, bring energy in the right way.

Being honest, yesterday you brought the wrong kind of energy at times. If you were to “roll tape” from yesterday, you’d cringe some. You didn’t steward the energy of your thoughts, words, and actions best at every turn. (Thank God there’s forgiveness for that and grace for today. No really, stop and burn some energy thanking Jesus for his real forgiveness for yesterday’s mess and today’s new measures of grace!)

So, here you are. Another day. The good works that you’re to walk into today will require legit muscle and proactive thoughtfulness. As a husband, dad, friend, leader — and disciple of Jesus — you need to bring the right kind of Christ-like energy to people. It’s okay to be a fixer . . . but more than “fixing,” expend effort — real energy — and bring tenderness, bring affirmation, bring joy, and bring hope with your solutions. (Your solutions, Wes, really aren’t all that outstanding likely anyway.)

And one more note to self — and some more good news: you don’t go it alone . . . the Holy Spirit enables you to bring His energy into each of these good works. Go for it. Lean into him. Enjoy the ride.

It all starts with a good idea, and it doesn’t

wes@heywesward.comMay 26, 2018May 26, 2018

Often we get hung up waiting for the perfect idea to gel before we do anything. The problem that this creates is a lack of motion. We get pent up and inertia sets in. Yep, we do need great, right, refined, world-changing ideas — and we need “idea factories” producing them consistently. BUT we also need MOTION. Motion in the right direction (maybe not yet the perfect direction) can stir up right ideas and catalyze them into something worth working on.

Grab onto an idea that is in the right ballpark and get moving with it.

A rough idea + earnest movement = traction

We need more lives (yours! mine!) in motion towards making right stuff happen.

—
my home page

Jesus taught us to pray, not preach

wes@heywesward.comMay 23, 2018May 26, 20182,721 Comments

I bumped into this from Andrew Murray this morning…

Jesus never taught
His disciples how to preach,
only how to pray.

Come to think of it, there’s a number of other things Jesus didn’t teach us how to do. (Insert your own mental list here.) Why the emphasis on answering — and then having Scripture capture for us — his teaching on how to pray?

Must be a pretty important topic.

I know a fair number of Christian communicators. Great speakers and conveyors of the Truth. Many struggle for their “prayer lives” to play up to their preaching and leading gifts. I’m not frustrated with them . . . I identify with missing learning and growing in prayer at the expense of other really good things.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Romans 8:34

Oh yes, Lord — do teach us to pray. It seems like it was pretty important to you. It still is because praying is what you’re giving yourself to right now. Jesus, in your name teach us to pray. Today. Right now. Teach us. We are listening.

What’s my approach?

wes@heywesward.comMay 1, 2018March 1, 20192,272 Comments

Mindset

(In this post, I talk about my approach for consulting with ministries.)

I’ve found that Forrester Research’s Groundswell has given a bit of a framework to my mindset. Playing off of their acronym — P.O.S.T — I aim to focus gospel-centered outreaches to greater achievable effectiveness:

People
Who are you trying to reach? Who’s the audience? Where are they? Do you understand them?

Objectives
What are you you trying to accomplish in their lives? What’s your intent for them? How do you know if you’re being effective? Understand your goals and aims.

Strategies
What do you need to do to reach them? How do you need to change to reach them? What’s in the way? What can you leverage?

Tactics / Technologies
Based on who you’re aiming to reach, your objectives and aims for them, and your strategies . . . now choose the right channels (tactics) of outreach and communications.

Style

My style is to be a connector — an “integrationist” if you will. I blend easily with senior leadership and their media and marketing teams. I’m high on input. My aim is to listen and absorb much and then build on the strength of the team’s ideas and assets. I look to determine what’s possible — while seeking to see what’s beyond the obvious. Mission-centered. People-affirming. Asset-leveraging. Opportunity-creating.

Mission-centered.
It’s always about your mission. It’s always about “the why.” Let’s fan it into flame and make people crazy not to be deeply engaged.

People-affirming.
God is using your team and your audiences — let’s grow them and make them dangerous.

Asset-leveraging.
Rare is the ministry that is flush with funds. Let’s build on what God has given us and not be dreamy.

Opportunity-creating.
Let’s consider what could be — pray about it — and connect things together into something new and special.

Services

What practical problems can I solve for you? How will I tangibly bring value? Here’s how I will roll up my sleeves for you.

Executive Leadership
I serve leaders by sharpening their personal EQ, cultures, and ministry plans.
• Leadership Coaching – making leaders more dangerous
• Team Culture Development & Accountability – making cultures more dangerous
• Strategic Planning, Leadership “Sprints,” 1-3 Year Ministry Action Plans, 90 Day Action Plans – not just talk: action plans that get us working as if it’s always “day 1.”

Media Strategy
I’ll join with you in reaching the right audiences in the right places with the right media choices.
• Media Audit – determining what’s working and what’s not
• Audience Growth Strategies – developing with you a people-reaching plan
• Media Leadership/Team Development – making your media team more dangerous and bringing in new growth players

Content Strategy
I’ll join with your team in developing a messaging plan that works and lasts.
• Content and Messaging Strategy – getting your plan mapped, honed, and ready
• Marketing Campaigns – rallying around needs to reach and engage the audience
• Develop Your “Content Factory” – creating a content process that lasts

Media Production
I’ll bring in media creators that’ll make your message come alive.
• Producers (Executive Producers, Producers, Project Managers)
• Audio (Radio, Podcast, On Demand, Product)
• Video (Film, Television, On Demand, Virtual Reality, Social)
• Design (Brand Identity, Social, Marketing)
• Digital (Sites, Apps, Marketing, Social)
• Writing (Books, Marketing, Digital, Broadcast, Social)