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EXPENSIVE WOOD CHIP
How much would you pay for this wood chip? It’s maybe a couple of inches long.
Well, it recently sold for $275,000 in an auction.
But it’s not just any old wood chip. It’s a piece of the propeller of the Wright Brothers plane that flew in the very first flight on December 7, 1903.
Neil Armstrong took it from the Air Force Museum, and he had it with him in the lunar module on Apollo 11.
It was the first wood chip to go to the moon.
So what can you do with this story?
- Use it as a sermon illustration about how the seemingly ordinary can be valuable.
- Use it as a Volunteer Huddle Talk to remind your volunteers that where people have been gives them valuable experience in serving others. Get more Huddle Talks here.
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JAMES CAMERON, TRUCK DRIVER
James Cameron was a truck driver before becoming a film director and creating blockbuster films like Titanic and Avatar (and Avatar 2 which was way too long, like your friend who went to Montana and took hundreds of pictures of the scenery and insisted in showing them all to you over a 3-hour lunch).
But it’s true. In his mid-20s, he was a truck driver. While on the road, he would think through screenplays and scripts.
Then during his free time, he would go to the University of Southern California and photocopy technical filmmaking documents. He says he got a film education for the price $120 of Xerox copies. Source.
If you’re determined to grow, we’re ready to help you. A Church Fuel membership would give you (and you can add others from your church at no extra cost) access to 15 premium courses, more than 200+ resources, and plenty of live learning opportunities throughout the year. Join here.
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GROWTH MINDSET
Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, describes a fixed mindset, where people believe their skills, traits, and opportunities are capped at life. Then she describes the alternative…
“There’s another mindset in which [skills and traits] are not simply a hand you’re dealt and have to live with, always trying to convince yourself and others that you have a royal flush when you’re secretly worried it’s a pair of tens. In this mindset, the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.“
What does embracing the growth mindset look like for pastors and church leaders?
- Leadership – you probably have enough leaders but start developing and training the leaders you have. LeaderPulse has the cadence and content you need to make this happen.
- Stewardship – you likely need more resources but embracing financial constraints can open the door to creativity and entrepreneurial thinking in ministry.
- Volunteers – instead of taking on more responsibility and adding more to your plate, create a volunteer pipeline and release ministry.
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TIRED TEAM
Church teams are working harder than ever, and you’ve likely come through a fairly busy season. All this hard work makes people tired, and if you’re not careful and intentional, burnout comes next. This toolkit will give you and your team the coaching you need and the resources to make things better.
You can get The Tired Team here or it’s included for all Church Fuel members.
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THE BOTTOM
[+] New Article and Resource: The Generosity Framework
[+] Are you helping your team develop their skills? Here are 12 specific skills to develop in people.
[+] Now is the time to put together an annual report to let your members, donors, and even your community get a glimpse into what God is doing in your church. This article will show you what to include. You’ll also find links to real-world and real-church examples.