SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

11 Fishing Lessons of Leadership

Imagine a day on the water, a crisp cool breeze in the air. The smell of salt-laden air penetrates your soul. You have been looking forward to this taste of fishing paradise all week. As men we look forward to being one with the sea. A few hours on a boat can remedy almost anything that ails, at least temporarily. Bonding with the rod and reel we become one with the fish at sea. While many enjoy the time on the water for what it is, a sanctuary of freedom. I could not help but garner some lessons as my skin baked in the sun. Lessons that were plain as the tide was a rising. 1.) It’s not about the fish – as leaders we are guided to lead others to success. This can mean we forego our own big catch of success to help others. 2.) Change with the tide – both fish and business ebbs and flows with the current. We as leaders must adjust our strategies to accommodate changes. 3.) Different Bait – every fish and every person is unique. Just because you caught Reds the last time on live shrimp does not mean you will today. It is not a cookie cutter world, we must adapt as we lead. 4.) Small fish big fight – as with fish, people can be deceiving. You may be leading a group towards success and as soon as they get near the goal they run. Even a small fish can put up a good fight. […]

How to take a stand …Even with No Backbone

Our future generation depends upon us to correct their paths and stand up for them. Ever walk into the grocery store and have to dodge the kids skateboarding on the sidewalks at lunchtime when they should be in school.  Does the addiction to cell phones and other technology make you feel there is an insurmountable chasm between you and either your own kids or those of your church or community. How about when you drive down the street and every guy walking on the street are grabbing themselves, and have their hands in their pants like Al Bundy.  I am pretty sure I am not the only one that want to tell them to pull their pants up and use a belt. The other option would be to pants them and maybe teach them a lesson, either way making it clear that it is not right or polite to publicly show their drawers. Stay strong. Stand up. Have a voice. – Shawn Johnson Click To Tweet When is the last time you witnessed a male under the age of say 25 or even 30 that still opens the door for women other than their mother or wife, or better yet even them.  Since when is it okay to sleep all day, live at their parent’s house until they are in their forties.  It has become a rare occurrence to hear “yes ma’am” or “no sir” to the point that we take notice of good manners when bad manners used to stand out and draw attention.

6 Ways to Pray for Our Families

Pray like you mean it, pray as you believe it, pray as they need it. As men we have an outstanding opportunity to lead our families by our prayer life. There are some simple steps we can take to not only pray for but bless our family during our daily walk. 1.) Pray first thing in the morning – Take the moments while the house is silent and no one else is awake.  Take a walk or get on your knees and thank God for the blessings in your life and to protect your family throughout the day as you are apart. 2.) Commute your way prayerfully – Whether you drive, carpool, ride the bus or walk to work you can talk to God along the way.  Talk to him like he is there with you (because he is) have a conversation.  Confess your weaknesses and pray for his blessing over your family. What better time to pray than when we are challenged the most in the rush hour traffic of our day. “Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow.” – Benjamin Franklin Click To Tweet 3.) Take moments to breathe and pray – We tend to get busy with our work that everything else starts to slip.  We owe it to ourselves to keep our eyes on Christ throughout the day and focus prayerfully.  When we have a moment between a meeting or during your walk to the water cooler, pause and pray.  Be […]