For a millennial couple buying their first home, on an island in the Puget Sound, the cost of humanely resolving the bat problem was more than they expected.

The post They thought they found their dream home — so did thousands of bats appeared first on Boston.com.

Police said Kimberly Savino, 43, allegedly kept more than 20 animals in "cruel" conditions.

The post Middleborough woman charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty appeared first on Boston.com.

The incomplete ‘incidental music’ for Alceste, conducted with liveliness and sensitivity.

The New England-based author of "Nat Enough" has been able to mine enough humor out of pre-teen trauma for five graphic novels — with a sixth on the way.

The post Maria Scrivan is reliving middle school so you don’t have to appeared first on Boston.com.

Test your knowledge of Trump trolling, atypical temps, and a radio reversal in this week’s news quiz.

The post Did you follow the local news this week? Take our Greater Boston news quiz. appeared first on Boston.com.

An investigation into the incident said the body was that of 86-year-old Susan Lauber.

The post DA offers explanation for burned car on Cape Cod, identifies person found dead appeared first on Boston.com.

Being a primary caregiver while working full time is a challenge in itself and even more so during the pandemic. Elaine Varelas guides on how to best keep your family members safe while maintaining your work responsibilities.

The post As both a full-time employee and a primary caregiver to one of my family members, I am worried about potentially exposing my family to COVID. Is there anything I can do? Elaine Varelas guides appeared first on Boston.com.

A cooling job market is impacting millions of workers nationwide.

The post Were you laid off this year? Tell us your story. appeared first on Boston.com.

Under the federal law, nearly all hourly workers in the U.S. are entitled to overtime pay after 40 hours a week. But many salaried workers are exempt from that requirement — unless they earn below a certain level.

The post Biden administration finalizes rule to grant overtime for millions more salaried workers appeared first on Boston.com.

The Texas-raised neo-soul singer gave Boston a performance that was both intimate and jubilant.

The post Review & setlist: Leon Bridges took fans on a personal journey down South at Roadrunner show appeared first on Boston.com.

Sex therapists — including the one in today’s episode of the Love Letters podcast — say that a lot of people don’t really understand the range of the work.

The post I didn’t know enough about sex therapy, either appeared first on Boston.com.

For some people, running a marathon changes everything — including how you are as a partner.

The post How did a marathon change your romantic relationship? appeared first on Boston.com.

“Society needs standards. No bar equals low bar," one respondent said.

The post Boston.com readers are divided over Question 2 results appeared first on Boston.com.

"To me, the bigger thing is just where the Bears are."

The post Bill Belichick focuses more on Bears’ dysfunction than Patriots’ strides after win in Chicago appeared first on Boston.com.

"I just felt like I didn’t fit into the situation."

The post Former Pro Bowler explains why he ‘didn’t like’ playing for the Patriots  appeared first on Boston.com.

"I had to go down with the ship, buddy."

The post Julian Edelman explains why he didn’t join Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski on Buccaneers  appeared first on Boston.com.

"Here's a little fun fact: That guy right there grabbing Mookie Betts' glove was my friend in college."

The post Rob Gronkowski said he knows Yankees fan who was ejected from World Series game for interference appeared first on Boston.com.

Two expat voters – a Republican in London and a Democrat in Stockholm – share their thoughts about watching the US election from abroad. Then: experts who study America's extremist white supremacist groups say there's clear evidence that many of them are supporting Donald Trump's candidacy for president.

Plus, why Cuban Americans are in such stark disagreement over President Obama’s historic trip to Cuba. And: there are more than 20 towns in the US called Moscow – why is that?

Image: An Alabama resident urges townspeople to vote. (Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In 1878, scientists all over the US witnessed a total eclipse of the sun. After that, American science was never quite the same.

Also: Sona Hosseini learns that being an astronomist….can be depressing; photographer Joel Sartore goes on a quest to take pictures of endangered animals before they disappear; why the American TV drama Twin Peaks took off in Russia; and we remember director George Romero who changed how we think about zombies.

(Image: A total solar eclipse is seen in Indonesia on March 9, 2016. Credit: Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

As traditional business models continue to break down, entrepreneurs have their sights on one more area to disrupt: traditional orthodontics.

Also: biodegradable six-pack holders finally go on the market; a former ambassador tells us what's in a diplomatic pouch; the French consider adopting 'le doggy bag' for restaurant leftovers; we ride along with 23 greyhounds across the US/Mexico border; and composer Idan Raichel performs a song for us using an assortment of improvised musical instruments.

(Image: Candid Co. sends customers a kit to take impressions of their teeth from home. An orthodontist then remotely comes up with a treatment plan. Credit: Candid Co.)

President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric ran high in the run up to the US midterm elections. He called the migrant caravan making its way north through Mexico an invasion. He even sent troops to the southern border between the US and Mexico to keep out the migrants. But now that the Democrats are in control of the House of Representatives, President Trump may not have as much power as he used to in executing his immigration policies.

Also: Maria Mendoza and Eusebio Sanchez were deported from the US to Mexico, leaving their four children behind. Now their eldest daughter, Vianney, is looking after her siblings; Jose Antonio Vargas talks about his life in the US as an undocumented immigrant; Terrell Jermaine Starr on the difficulties of being a black reporter in Ukraine; Plus, why some passports are more valuable than others.

(Members of a family reunited through the border wall between Mexico and United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico. Credit: Herika Martinez/Getty Images)

Martina Navratilova made some controversial statements about transgender athletes. She said that it’s cheating when transgender women compete in women’s sports. But many activists disagree with her and are pushing back.

Also, find out why NBA basketball Enes Kanter fears going back home to Turkey; we have the harrowing story of Eritrean runner Teklit Michael’s near death experience; next the directors of the Oscar winning film ‘Free Solo’ describe how they captured Alex Honnald’s solo climb up El Capitan summit; and the French Fencing Federation has officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport.

(Martina Navratilova participates in the 28th Annual Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic at Delray Beach Tennis Center. Credit: Johnny Louis/Getty Images)

Carbon dioxide isn't the only greenhouse gas that's a threat to the planet. Nitrous oxide, emitted when farmers fertilise their fields, is a growing climate change threat as well. We find out about an environmentally-friendly potential solution.

Also, in Africa the agriculture sector wants more fertiliser so that farmers can boost crop yields; a controversial new novel about a Mexican woman forced to flee from drug cartels shines light on the world of American publishing; on the border between Venezuela and Colombia, a Colombian volunteer opens up her home to desperate migrants; and on opposite sides of the world, two guys try to make a planet Earth sandwich.

(David Melevsky, owner of Go Green Organic Land Care, treats grass areas that have been reseeded to repair winter damage with fertilizer at Ocean Park Meadow condos. Credit: Derek Davis/Getty Images)

There are many considerations to take into account when naming a new disease. We hear about some of the pitfalls the World Health Organization avoided when it came up with Covid-19. Also, an American couple tries to make the best of their cruise ship quarantine; some Chinese people travelling in the US are getting tired of being asked if they’re sick; the long and unfounded history of migrants bringing disease to the US; plus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has deployed disease detectives to combat the coronavirus.

(Photo: Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia at Los Angeles International Airport, California, on January 29, 2020. Credit: Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Residents say rallying around local issues helps them find common ground.

The post This is what it’s like in the Mass. towns with the closest presidential election results appeared first on Boston.com.

The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin.

The post Trump says Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy will form outside group to advise White House on government efficiency appeared first on Boston.com.

This is the first of a three-part series on team building. The ideas are simple, but the why behind the what is the secret sauce to growing a solid team. Like most people reading this, I’ve made mistakes. And those disasters have forged the conviction that we can’t be in ministry without being radically committed to loving Jesus and his church more, and on a daily basis.

Keep Jesus close, make sure that your family always takes the right priority (more on that in the future) and be willing to make your church better.  Notice I said better, not different. 

Better, Not Different

One of the biggest complaints I hear from worship pastors/leaders is that somehow, they have found themselves in a church that they really don’t like. 

They don’t feel appreciated by their lead pastors. 

They don’t like the weekend worship experience. 

They don’t like the people. 

At the end of the day, there is so much complaining that I am left scratching my head wondering if they even love Jesus.  If this is you, take some time to pray if you can make your lead pastors vision for your church come alive. If you aren’t in agreement, you may be in the wrong place.  Do yourself, your family and your people a favor and get connected with someone or something that is complimenting to your convictions and your philosophy.  God created you to be you, but we are servants before leading anything. Some of us carry the responsibility to make things different.  Most of us don’t.  Know your place.  Is it your burden to change things? …or is it your job to make things better.  Talk to your teams about this.  This is a fantastic “clarity” question that will free up your bandwidth.

Is it your burden to change things? …or is it your job to make things better.

OK, that is my soap box! ☺  As I give you these three helpful tips, it’s important for you to know that these are just tools.  You can’t fake or replace strong spiritual foundations of ministry leadership.  Love Jesus and use tools and resources to LOVE His PEOPLE better.  We try to change people or churches.  But what I’ve found is that when you develop people, things change. 

But what I’ve found is that when you develop people, things change. 

So, if it’s our job to make things better, what are some ideas that we can do to commit to improving? 

1. Develop a leadership pipeline

Developing a leadership pipeline is a helpful tool to bring clarity to “who’s responsible for who and who’s responsible for what”.  It’s really difficult for a worship pastor to carry the burden of a ministry on their shoulders alone…and they shouldn’t. I don’t have to tell you that the apostle Paul makes it clear that we are called to empower people to do the work of the Kingdom, not do it all on our own! (Ephesians 4:11-13) We also get a peek into Moses' anxiety in Numbers chapter 11, where he's at his wit’s end and well over his capacity. The Lord tells him to gather 70 of his most trusted and responsible people. Moses brings them to the "tent of meetings" and the Spirit of the Lord pours over them.

God helped Moses build his team. He will help you build yours.

A leadership pipeline helps you identify your 70 (or even 7 figuratively speaking). This is the pipeline our church utilizes.  

How this works:

In this chart, we document how responsibility falls within a team.

• An assistant is the first place in which we invite someone to be developed as a leader.
• A leader is the first level in which a person is responsible for a team.
• A coach is the first level in which a leader is overseeing other leaders.
• A director is responsible for directing a particular team.
• A pastor is responsible for care, culture and vision.

My favorite area to develop is our coaches. In worship ministry, I am so lucky to have some of the best coaches.

Here's how this role works:

Jordan Hicks is my guitar coach. He is responsible for developing all guitar leaders, recruitment and assimilating guitarists for all of our campuses, adult, youth and kids’ teams. He's responsible for all communication and administration for this group as well. Because Jordan is the leader I've poured into, he completely understands my values, our church’s values and culture, and our end goal. He's a volunteer, but he brings a priceless value of leadership and excellence to our church. Our worship leaders never should worry about who they are leading with. We are spoiled because of warriors like Jordan. He's just one example of Ephesians 4 coming to life in our ministry.

I grew up as a jazz musician—tenor sax. I loved John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk. C’mon somebody!  I was in high school when I first played in combos with some older pro musicians in our city. We started playing a blues tune when one of the guys stopped me and said, “In the words of Miles Davis, man…you can’t play blues because you haven’t hurt enough yet.”  Apparently, I lacked any sense of emotive playing ability as a teenager. And I hadn’t hurt enough yet. 

If playing jazz and blues is an expression of pain and hurt that we’ve experienced, then singing worship music is an expression of the HOPE we know. We can’t and shouldn’t do this alone. Lean on your team. Empower them. 

I am excited to share with you the next two tips over the next few months. You’ll be able to find them right here at allaboutworship.com.  If you have questions about developing your leadership pipeline, you can email me at mike@worship.coach.

For free development resources, check out www.worship.coach.

Over the last few months we’ve tackled the topic of TEAM BUILDING.  As much as I would love to feel as if we have this one nailed, we don’t.  TEAM BUILDING is a muscle that every leader needs to continue to develop.  It’s easy to let this one slip away from us! Just when we start to feel like we are getting on top of this, something changes.  A vital team member leaves.  A leader needs to take on the responsibility of a different area.  Your best guitar player gets hired as the worship pastor at another church.  These are all real-life situations that happen in even the best teams.  They will happen to yours as well.

In our “Month One” blog on team building we presented the IDEA of developing a Leadership Pipeline within your worship ministry.  This IDEA helped support that idea that building an EMPOWERED TEAM is a powerful Kingdom tool.  “Who’s responsible for who?” and “Who’s responsible for what?” are two of the most important questions that needs to be answered in any team environment.  When you lead a team with clarity and spread out the responsibility for others to own your team, you ignite growth opportunities that might have went unnoticed. 

In “Month Two” we presented the idea of “Making Recruitment and Assimilation a Normal for Everyone”.  So many times, I bump into Worship Leaders and Pastors that feel the very unfair burden of building ALONE.  With this IDEA, we present the notion that every team can build better and faster when the team members who are on the teams are your best recruiters.  Make this a normal practice.  At my church, we practice asking new team members to “bring one” with you.  We have found that by making this a standard practice at ground level, we never have to ask for participation from the 10,000-foot level.  Whatever is visible is what replicates.  Empower your best leaders to build.

So here we are. Month Three.

Idea #3. Clearly Identify and Communicate Simple On-Ramps.

I love my city.  I live in Lincoln, Ne.  Home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  I love the youthful spirit and progressive nature of our city.  I have even grown to love and cherish the special college football atmosphere that engulfs our city on game day.  It’s addictive to say the least.  But one thing that I am not a big fan of is traffic on game day.  There is one primary road that leads into Lincoln and over 90,000 fans make the trek to our city on game day.  There are probable more if you include tailgaters.  THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM: The roads infrastructure needs to be able to support the traffic flow to the desired destination.  If there are too many confusing pieces of communication, it would put our city into emergency mode and have catastrophic effects.  I mean, the world might come to an end if people missed a Cornhusker Football Game! (No, but seriously) ;)

Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

Every month I host a worship leaders round table in Omaha Ne.  At this round table, Worship leaders from multiple different denominations gather for friendship and peer coaching.  These leaders have become family and they are amazing.  We discuss a wide range of worship ministry issues.  One topic that comes up regularly is “attracting the right volunteers”.  If a leader starts to pour their heart out to me about how they can’t get enough volunteers, I always ask one question to start the conversation.  “Can you tell me about your on-ramp?” This might sound overly simplistic, but what I have found is that sometimes we make it more complicated than it needs to be or we haven’t identified the answer to the most important question at all.  Every leader on your team, in unity, needs to be able to answer this question with clarity and simplicity.

 THIS IS THE QUESTION

“Where do I go and What do I do?”

 Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

 Here are a few suggestions when it comes to identifying your onramp into your ministry:

       1.     KEEP IT SIMPLE-

Keep it simple in language and communication.  Your “on-ramp” shouldn’t be riddled with complex forms, interviews and assessments.  Not yet anyways.  Create an “on-ramp’ that just answers the question, “where do I go and what do I do?”.  Worry about next steps later.  But for now, getting a “willing one” to show up is your biggest win. Make it simple for them.

For example, I person asks about playing guitar on the worship team.  Any leader in your department should be able to have the same simple answer. ”I am so glad you are interested!  We host all our new volunteers on Monday Nights at 6:30pm!  Would you be my guest?!”

       2.     USE WHATS ALREADY WORKING AS YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD-

­What is already working in your church?  Do you have a rehearsal process that is spot on?  USE IT!  Is God’s presence so thick in your weekend worship services that lives are being transformed?  USE IT! I’ve made the mistake of overthinking and over programming.  I’ve launched the “extra” visitor’s night or the quarterly worship night with the intentions of attracting new people.  Sometimes those things work.  But the problem is that even though they may be effective, it takes a long time for those events to represent the culture and team that we want people to be attracted to. 

Identify what’s already working and utilize those moments to “on-ramp” your team.

        3.     KEEP IT CONSISTENT-

Nothing can steal the wind out of the sails of progress like a good dose of inconsistency.  If you “welcome” new team members on Monday nights, keep that consistent for a season.  If you “welcome” new people to your choir rehearsal and you celebrate leaders that brought them, don’t change that unless you are communicating change.  Consistency, on this point, allows us the opportunity to get buy in from our team! Consistency builds reliability. Consistency gives our leaders tools to build with.  (Side note:  We will be talking about “embracing change” and reinvention in the upcoming months.)

Consistency tells our teams that we aren’t building a kingdom that only serves us, but we are leading an army that can fight battles when we share the burden.

Identifying your “on-ramps” could be a simple strategy that could help you engage people better.  Below is a sample of an “on-ramps” document that I created for our kid’s ministry at our church.  This idea isn’t just for worship/creative teams, but for everyone.

It is essential that you clearly communicate the “WHERE/HOW” to START whenever you are building teams.  Keep your communication clear and simple.  Try utilizing opportunities that your church is already doing well to interact with potential volunteers.  Lastly, be consistent.  Everyone should know the answer to this question: “Where do I go and What do I do?”.

 Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

Jesus, I pray today for the burden and stress that our worship leaders and pastors feel daily. We pray that you would continue to grow our capacity to shepherd well.  Thank you for entrusting us with big things.  We are honored to pastor your people.

Please feel free to use this resource or any that you find at worship.coach. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions about these three helpful tips.  I am always glad to help. 

Michael King @michaelkingjr
free resources available at www.worship.coach

James & Dustin had a chance to sit down with Jonathan Brown - President of Integrity Music - to discuss unity and division among the people of God, and among worshipers in the church.

JB (Jonathan Brown) and Dustin both had the chance to be part of a tour with WeAreWorship, where they visited multiple church leaders in multiple cities.  There were so many great things experienced and along with that, there were so many things learned.  At the end of the day, we want unity in the the people of God and especially among the leaders of God's Church, and we need to have inspired conversation on this topic. 

Enjoy!

-----

The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
The Worship Podcast on Facebook
The Worship Podcast on Instagram
The Worship Podcast on Twitter

Dustin and James answer YOUR most pressing questions. On this episode we cover everything from distractions to multiple services, being the authority to playing at the back of the church. You won’t want to miss these tips on living a better church life!

-----------------

The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship in partnership with WeAreWorship providing weekly worship resources.

Subscribe to the podcast:
theworshippodcast.com
linktr.ee/theworshippodcast 

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
The Worship Podcast on Facebook
The Worship Podcast on Instagram
The Worship Podcast on Twitter

It's hard to imagine Japanese ace Roki Sasaki wanting to come to the Red Sox based on their recent track record, writes John Tomase.

The Chicago Cubs are just a couple of pieces away from finally returning to the playoffs. In 2024, the Cubs were profoundly mediocre on both sides of the ball. Improving the rotation is a worthy objective for the Cubs, because Imanaga could be due for regression as the league adjusts to his unique high-spin fastball. Chicago may try for the Corbin Burneses and Max Frieds of the world, but perhaps a lower-budget option could turn out to be the perfect Cubs addition.

This week Zorba and Karl discuss how doctors should balance traditional and alternative medicine, and they examine new research that explains why some people don’t experience COVID symptoms. Plus, they […]

This week Zorba and Karl look at a study about how kids benefit more when parents step back and let them take the lead, and they talk discuss how laughter […]

This week Zorba and Karl discuss how children’s food pickiness may be pre-disposed, and they talk about why black women are more likely to undergo unnecessary C-sections. Plus, they share […]

This week Zorba and Karl discuss a new study that shows an alarming rise in cancer rates among people under 50, and they examine new research showing turmeric may be […]

President Trump has come to Washington and is already shaking things up. The Brody File explores his relationship with the media. Jennifer Wishon joins us from The White House and Abigail Robertson reports on what Congress might be able to ...

The Brody File goes inside The White House for our exclusive interview with President Donald Trump. Is there anything left to be said? Probably not, except these words: "We ain't playin."

The Brody File goes inside The White House for our exclusive interview with President Donald Trump. Is there anything left to be said? Probably not, except these words: "We ain't playin."

Nothing in the genre beats David Simon's police shows (The Wire, Homicide: Life on the Street, We Own This City). That said - Bosch is as close as it gets - not only in realism and quality but vibe as well! Bosch - a high quality crime solving drama on Prime Video Also don't miss the spin-off Bosch: Legacy which is basically a continuation of the same show.

Israelis and many others throughout the Middle East celebrate Donald Trump's election victory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls Trump to congratulate him, and they discuss the threat from Iran; Chris Mitchell talks about the ... ...

On this week's edition of The Watchman, we interview Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, about the new authorized biography on his life and work, "The Bridge Builder." We also recap ...

On this week's edition of The Watchman, we interview Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, about the new authorized biography on his life and work, "The Bridge Builder." We also recap ...

Hoy, Alejandro Amaya, estuvo a punto de perder a su familia, por las drogas, nos cuenta cómo logró superar sus adicciones. También, el famoso cantante mexicano Abelardo Ramírez narra el trágico asesinato de sus hijos, a manos de uno de ... ...

En el episodio de hoy conoceremos los tropiezos que tuvo en su vida de la famosa actriz mexicana Claudia Vega. Además. Pedro Gómez cuenta cómo se inició en el narcotráfico cuando era apenas un adolescente.

La Dominicana Silvia Pérez nos cuenta cómo se recuperó de un aparatoso accidente de tránsito en el que casi pierde la vida. También, Jaime Concha narra cómo volvió a caminar, luego de terminar preso y postrado en una silla de ruedas. ...

Mario Quiñones nos cuenta cómo sucumbió a las adicciones aún cuando se oponía a ellas por el daño que su padre le causó. También Kimberly Jaén nos cuenta como el abuso que sufrió de niña la llevó a buscar amor en relaciones ...

Hoy, en Vida Dura, conoceremos la historia de Maricruz Uzuriaga, quien logró superar el trauma causado por los horribles maltratos de su padre. Además, Luis Hernández, nos cuenta cómo logró superar sus ataques de ira desmedida.

Hoy en Vida Dura, conoceremos la historia de la empresaria y mujer de medios Marta Socarrás, quien terminó en la cárcel por un problema con el IRS. También, el actor Mexicano Germán Gutiérrez nos cuenta las consecuencias de no manejar ... ...