Today’s Post Take a Break is a Guest Post by my friend Nic, this is his second guest post on SecondIron, where he talks about our need to take a break and getting much-needed rest. Nic is a geek dad, a professional nerd, and a pop culture junkie. He is drawn to any conversation about music, movies, theater, architecture, comics, and theology. You can follow his thoughts about parenthood, corporate life, and the intersection between faith and pop culture at his blog, The Faithful Geek. You can also find him on Twitter and Instagram. Enjoy his guest post Take a Break. Growing up in church with weekly Sunday school lessons, you grow accustomed to Bible stories. They become familiar enough that even people with little to no religious affiliation know how the stories play out. Noah’s ark, Moses and the exodus, David versus Goliath, the birth of Jesus, the crucifixion and resurrection. If your background is similar to mine, you can probably tell these stories without reading directly from scripture. Unfortunately, my favorite Bible story was not one I learned in Sunday school. It is not typically told by children’s workers or youth pastors. In fact, it is a story buried toward the end of Acts that most pastors skip over when teaching about the early church. I cannot remember hearing a single sermon referencing this passage. In case you missed it, I would like to share it with you. Acts 20 summarizes Paul’s travels through Macedonia and Greece after a riot in Ephesus. He caught up with his entourage […]

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Timing is everything when it comes to our walk in faith. Ever sit in the pew on Sunday and feel like the priest picked out his homily or the readings just for you? Or maybe when you open your Bible no matter the day or circumstance the pages fall just open right where you need them? This is of course all coincidence or just human nature right? Or is it? Have you sat in a doctor’s office and anticipated the worst news ever? Did you pray and trust or did you allow the anxiety and angst build up in the moment? What about when your boss says he needs to meet with you and you don’t have a scheduled meeting? Or maybe its your own self-doubt that has a hold of you. Are you tied to the things of this world so tightly that you cannot see letting go? We try to control every aspect of our lives, not only our present, future but even our own pasts. This past weekend at church the readings brought  some truth and honesty from our priest. In his homily he shared challenges that he had faced before entering the priesthood. Challenges that any young man who was in a relationship that had ended would encounter. Self-doubt was overwhelming him at the moment when he should have been closest to God. He shared a portion of a homily that the priest back then had shared with him, a story that we could all relate to. This story of putting your […]

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Everywhere we turn we hear about traits of what real leadership is. Whether on our Internet feed, in magazines, or even on TV and the movies the misconceptions and differences between leaders and followers vary greatly. Sure you likely have a boss and assume being a leader comes with the title. Many of us confuse leadership with following the herd or maintaining the status quo. Real leaders have factors that differ them from the said herd and make people want to follow them. Let me break it down for you, here are a few ways: 1. A leader leads by example a follower depends on others. If there is not a set path a true leader will blaze new trails to reach their goals. A follower will remain idle until given explicit directives. 2. A leader depends on his courage, a follower struggles to find a spine. To lead others you must be decisive and willing to make the hard decisions. People want to follow those that command authority. Wishy washy leaders are usually followers in wolves clothing. 3. Leaders have enthusiasm and are ready to get the job done.  People are drawn to excitement and enthusiasm, a leader motivates and inspires their followers. Followers are more ho-hum with a slight Eyeore syndrome.  Someone who is a bore or slow to act will likely lose followers and rather follow instead. 4. Passion drives leaders farther than even their own expectations. Followers are rarely passionate about anything that would set them apart. When someone gives it their all and […]

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