As part of my CoachShef Turns 6 Celebration I figured I would post the top 6 posts of all time.  Hope  you enjoy.

Let me know if there are any topics you would like me to hit in the future..I’ll do my very best to get to them!

6.  I Need an Assistant! – Part 1

5.  Whose Calling?

4.  Post Conferences…

3.  GOING LIVE!

2.  Working “For” Andy Stanley – Part 3

1.  Hooks and Anchors

Thanks For Hanging Out…looking forward to the next 6.

I have made a career in the South out of being a Northerner.

In some ways I’m not kidding. People would always come to me to help them have the hard conversations or they would just send me into battle to do it for them.  It worked really well for me for a while and then I started to get a reputation as the mean guy.  That hasn’t been great for me to be honest.

The truth is, I think the most loving thing to do is to have a hard conversation early.

Pretending there’s not an issue for a while and then having a huge conversation is so much more damaging.

I loved this post from Michael Hyatt about having hard conversations with powerful people.

I think he’s right.  I especially agree that is needs to be done out of love.  If your intention is anything else but to help the person or to further the vision…don’t have it.  Your intentions are always showing.

Anybody have any other tips?

I’m leaving soon for South Africa to work with the amazing people at South Point Church in Cape Town.  I plan on updating this post with the latest and what we’ve learned and experienced.   So, if your interested, check back here regularly.  I hope to keep my normal posts up as well during the trip.

Here’s what I’m praying for…I’d love you to join me.

1.  That I’m useful to the people of Cape Town as they take on the challenge of creating an environment in which people can grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

2.  For my family.  No one will be working harder to make this trip happen than my wife.

3.  That I will grow closer to God in some unexpected way through the experiences and relationships of this trip.

Thanks for your prayers…Check back for updates.

Day 1: 15 hour….8500 mile flight to S. Africa…No kidding!  I feel like I was in a trance.

Sat next to a guy that knew my dad on the flight…Crazy!

We’re here….settling down to go to sleep at 11 S. Africa time….5 our time.  Guessing I’ll fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night.

John met us at the airport….stoked to drive on the other side of the road tomorrow.

Day 2: I Drove of the “other” side of the road!  Only almost-killed-us once!

Blown away by the volunteers at Southpoint Church.  They are incredible.

Saw a 16 year old girl who could sing in any of NP’s environment’s right now!

Amazing Country, Amazing People, Amazing Church!

Day 3: Got to go to church at South Point.  The “morning” was from 10pm til 3am for my brain so it was a bit of a blur….awesome though to see it.  Blown away by how relevant some of NP’s principles are in another culture.  Relationship is core to ALL of us.

Amazing food and cheap!  We can get a prime steak for less than R140 with is less than $20!

South Africa’s wild life…is actually wild.  We have deer, possum, and bass.  They have Great White, Baboons, penguins, and seals.  Today, I saw three of these four and a beach where a guy was eaten whole a couple of weeks ago.  All while just driving around.  That’s wild!

Dipped my toe in the Indian Ocean…check that of the bucket list.

Day 4 and 5:

Check out this pic!  We’re at the end of the world.

That was what we did with Matt and Rachel Hastings a couple of days ago.  That good looking guy is Donny Joiner…one of the most creative and hysterical guys I know.  It’s good to be here with him.

Kendra Fleming got here last night..I’m excited to see what she has to offer to the vols at South Point Church tomorrow.

Spent some time with the staff of South Point talking about the health of their culture.  Awesome folks who have done something NPCC hasn’t had to do.  They have taken an existing church and turned it around….awesome!  I’m so blessed to get to speak to them.

Spent the day getting ready for South Point’s volunteer program tomorrow…can’t wait.  Praying to be a help to them.

Can’t wait to see my wife and kids……..

Day 6: Spent the day with LDP’s…These are college kids that come on staff for a year with the church.  A great way to develop the next generation of leaders…and get some cheap staff.  It’s a great program based on some things being done at Athen’s Church. Way to go Sean and Bryson!

This evening we helped with a program called “Together.”  Donny and I hosted (Guess who was the credible host and who was the comedic host…).  It went really well.  The highlight though was Kendra Flemings talk.  She brought the hammer!  Totally awesome.

I can’t tell you how much I love these people and what they are doing.  Can’t wait to get home and tell you all about it.  Can’t wait to come back!

Day 7 – 8…and 9: Prayed with the Elders at 6:30 this morning.  Awesome bunch of guys.  I was most encouraged about the future of South Point Church by these men.  I loved what was going on on Sunday but you never know what is going on behind the scenes.  These are passionate, Christ loving, vision centered men who have a heart to reach the unchurched of Cape Town.  Loved that meeting.

Went to the top of Table Mountain….Pictures will never explain.  You simply have to go.

Had dinner with the Hasting’s family before we headed to the airport.  Love that family.

Flight to Amsterdam at 12:50 am….ouch….Ecomony class….ouch ouch….Some sort of mechanical box under the seat in front of me…bad screen…fulll flight…12.5 hours…ouch ouch ouch.

3 hour layover in Amsterdam.  Almost a 2 hour check-in…Security was high!  Barely got to see the place.

9.5 hours home to a snowy ATL.  30 minutes waiting for the gate with my family just inside about killed me.  But I’m home.

AMAZING TRIP – Thanks South Point!

Shef