How do you describe gossip?

This is a quote from my video series HOW TO LEAD A CULTURE OF CONFESSION.

I tried looking up famous quotes about gossip to see what kind of wisdom the internet could offer.

“The only time people dislike gossip is when you gossip about them.”   -Will Rogers

That’s a good one. That hits home. I talk in Culture of Confession about how gossip is a big problem for me. I’m so nosey and I want to know EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYONE! But when people start talking about me, I hate it and I’m so embarrassed. What a hypocrite.

“Gossip is called gossip because it’s not always the truth.”    -Justin Timberlake

Hey Justin? This isn’t a very good quote.

It sounds like someone woke you up from a nap and yelled “QUICK! SAY SOMETHING REALLY PROFOUND ABOUT GOSSIP!” and you were like “uhhh…gossip is…called….gossip….because it’s…not…always the truth?”

“No one’s personal life is in the public interest. It’s gossip, bottom line. End of story.”   -Kevin Spacey

Boy oh boy, this quote did not age well, considering everything we know about Spacey now.

“Gossip is the Devil’s radio."   -George Harrison

The Devil’s Radio is a great name for a band.

“Once I will warn you, and then I will fire you! I have a zero-tolerance-plus-one policy for gossip. I will teach you once, and then I will fire your butt.”   -Dave Ramsey

How embarrassing to show up to work and not be able to sit down because Dave Ramsey let you keep your job after your butt got fired?

If you want to hear everything I have to say about gossip, watch How to Lead a Culture of Confession.

Leading a Culture of Confession

We don’t get to choose who opens up to us.

It’s a real bummer, isn’t it? I know I’ve had friends who I can tell are going through a really hard time but they’re not talking to anybody about it. I just want to shake them until they start talking. “TELL ME YOUR SECRETS SO I CAN BE THERE FOR YOU, YOU FREAKING JERK!”

Not the best approach.

We can’t force people to confide in us but I do think there are some simple steps we can take, as leaders, to let the people in our community know that they can trust us.

I created a 4 part video training that walks through how we can lead a culture of confession.

I posted the first video on Facebook the other day. The rest is available for free on my website. At first you had to sign up with your e-mail address in order to view them but I decided to get rid of that.

3 Reasons to Evaluate Church Events

Earlier I asked if your church evaluates big events. Here are 3 reasons why an evaluation meeting can be so important.

WE GAIN PERSPECTIVE 

It might not be until you’re in a meeting with your team, hearing everyone’s experience at the event, that you realize not a single person noticed the little mistakes you’ve been kicking yourself over all week. You’ve been so zoomed in you didn’t notice how successful the big picture was!

WE CAN CELEBRATE EACH OTHER 

So often in ministry, the moment an event is over we’re focused on what’s next. It’s important to take a moment, pause, share our wins, our stories, and encouragement with each other.

WE CAN MAKE OUR NEXT EVENT EVEN BETTER 

What did we learn? What did we try this time that we want to change for next time? If we don’t look at it now, we’re dooming ourselves to repeating it next time.

How do you evaluate big events?

If you’re looking for something easy to use I have a simple EVENT EVALUATION GUIDE that can help give some direction as you take notes and unpack your latest event.

Buzz Lightyear's Confession

I wanted to share one of the 10 Free Sermon Illustrations About Confession that I'm giving away. This is one of my favorites. If you want you the other 9, sign up here.

“For to confess is not simply to change but to first face and fully deny the false person you were trying to be.”

This is a quote from Josh Larsen’s book Movies are Prayers. In his chapter on how movies can be prayers of confession he looks at Buzz Lightyear’s journey in TOY STORY. For the majority of the film Buzz believes he is actually a real life space ranger and not just a toy. This all comes crumbling down when he happens to see a commercial advertising other Buzz Lightyear toys.

Feeling at his lowest, Woody tries to cheer up Buzz by saying “being a toy is a lot better than being a space ranger.”

On this scene Josh Larsen writes “Glancing from the corporate stamp on his wrist (“Made in Taiwan”) the hand-lettered inscription on the bottom of his foot (“ANDY”), Buzz comes to understand that his true identity lies not in the facade of a factious hero but in being claimed by someone else, someone who loves him despite his faults.”

Get 10 FREE SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS ABOUT CONFESSION

New Free Video Series | How to Lead a Culture of Confession

My biggest passion in my comedy and preaching is confession. We need to be open and honest about what’s going on in our lives.

Paul says in Galatians that we need to bear each other’s burdens but how can we bear someone’s burden if we don’t know what it is?

I’ve created a free video series to train church leaders on how to be the type of leader that people will feel comfortable opening up to.

Watch the series

This is for pastors, small group leaders, volunteers, or church members who just want to be a good friend to the people in their lives.

HOW TO LEAD A CULTURE OF CONFESSION is a free 4 day video series.

Sign up with your email address and for the next 4 days you’ll receive a new video in your inbox every morning. They’re short, simple, but challenging.

Start today and walk through the steps that will let your church know that you’re a leader they can be honest with.

SIGN UP NOW TO WATCH “HOW TO LEAD A CULTURE OF CONFESSION”

It’s easy. It’s free. It can make a huge impact.

Watch it on your own while sitting on the toilet (they’re short videos) or go through the series with your ministry team. You’ll end up having some incredible discussions.