Welcome to ChrisMarsden.com
A Slow Upgrade/Update
I began updating the site a while back, in anticipation of some new content, and an updated approach to the "projects" focused aspect of almost everything I do outside of my GCMI hat. The goal... a fresh coat of paint and new content rolling out afterwards. The...
Helping Others Helps Everyone
Over the last year I've jumped into a few *small* projects to help a friend or potential client get to the Next Level. Some of them were easy - some not so much. But at each opportunity to jump in and help, I found myself stretching and growing and being lifted up to...
Day 1
Happy New Year! I know... I know. That was earlier this week. But this week has been mostly cleaning things up from last year and get things ready for next year (this year). And so really... Today feels a bit like the last day of 2018 and maybe Monday is the beginning...
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like 2019
I don't know about your year... but 2018 has flown by in the Marsden house. I transitioned out of a role, and off a staff team, that I had been serving on, for almost 9 years. I jumped into a new and exciting role with a Missions Agency. We drove over 5000 miles to...
End of Summer
Every year I feel this mad rush to hurry up and kids (and my wife) back to school. They're home all summer and the hit to my rhythm and routine makes me long for back to school. But then, a few weeks later, comes the actual end of summer. With Labor Day comes the...
Last Day
This past Sunday was, officially, my last day at Kensington Church. This season definitely represents a significant chunk of my professional life. Just shy of 8 years according to my official HR start date. Almost 9 years since I met Kevin and jumped into the unknown....
Only 3 Days Left
Maybe that's what your kids said to you walking out the door this morning. "Only 3 School Days Left!" And here in Orange County, FL, that's actually true. Only 3 school days left until Summer. But I'm sitting here in my office for the last time. Tomorrow I've got some...
2018
I really can't believe it's already 2018. Five years ago I sat down with some friends and mapped out the coming decade. Some of it was dreaming and speculation. Some of it was just the concrete facts of what was happening in the coming years. 2018 was a big one. In...
Slow Down
Sometimes, momentum is a great thing. You dream of momentum. You pray for momentum. You look at that guy down the road and wish you had the momentum he does. Other times, momentum is going to take you through the guard rail and over the cliff. Really, you just need to...
Where Am I Going?
I think the biggest question I've been getting with the news of my upcoming transition is "where are you going?" The short answer is... nowhere. My job is changing, but my family and I will still be right here in Orlando, connected to a lot of the same things as we...
When A Week Just Evaporates
So maybe you heard about this "little" storm named Irma. Originally, Irma was heading to the East side of our state. And then... it was headed right for us. The eye was literally going to be just a few miles from our house. As a class 3+ hurricane. So we packed our...
If Only I Had ALL the Answers
I got caught up reading a Pastor's coaching site tonight on team leadership. He had some really good thoughts and good ideas. But it also seemed like he had ALL the answers. At one point he said, "I tell all the pastor's I coach..." If the sentence had ended with they...
The Right Tool
“To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” ― Mark Twain I don't know about you, but there have been way too many moments in life where I've used a hammer to bang on something that needed a much gentler touch. Or worse... used some random tool (or rock) to...
Every Summer
I don't know about you, but I look forward to summer, every year. Even in Florida where I know it is going to be HOT and crowded, I can't wait until summer. I get pictures of hammocks and lemonade and long lazy days. Even within our organization, people are talking...
Today
I have to admit. I'm a little obsessed with the future. I read a lot of sci-fi. I read books and articles and scientific developments that are on the verge of become the new normal. My life is (often) driven by new technology and the killer "new" phone I have can't...
Full Speed Ahead
This Spring has been full of a lot of small movements - course corrections, really. A little to the left. A little to the right. What's that over there? Nope. Back on course. If you've ever taken a boat out to sea you know there are lots of small movements and slow...
No Coincidences
One of my big themes of 2017 is "No Coincidences." When a seemingly random event happens, instead of shrugging and saying, "Wow! What a random coincidence!", I'm pausing and asking myself, "Is it?" And to be honest, there are still random coincidences in the world....
Read moreHistory doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. – Mark Twain
History
History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. - Mark Twain I heard this quote* for the first time the other day. I am a huge fan of history, especially where it is useful to predicting the future. The idea of the future just being a repeat of the past has always...