I did not have a choice. No one asked me my opinion.  A list of options, neatly itemized on a piece of paper, were not slid across the table for me to make a selection.  I was ascribed one, and one is all I have.  I am sure that my parents enjoyed long, meandering conversations filled with laughter and quick witted replies.  In the end, a final decision was made and the rest is history. My name: Christopher Loren Trethewey There is something powerful with a name.  You might h

If you are reading this on November 3, 2016, 306 days have flown by this year. (If not, click here to see how many days that have gone by this year.) 306 days!! That is 7,344 hours that have been consumed by a myriad of activities. Some were of high importance and some that were dismissed with reckless abandon. I am sure that there is a percentage of those hours that you can recount in vivid details, articulating exactly what you did and the exact outcome. Probably, if I can

I slid into the driver’s side seat, opened up google maps and calculated the route. I had 4 hours and 17 minutes of driving time ahead of me, which was all dependent on the schizophrenic traffic conditions through Long Island, across the GW and out of New York City. The first hour quickly ticked by.  It was the combination of the insane driving skills you must possess to drive in NYC (Do you remember the game Frogger? Driving in NYC is just like that.) and the thoughts, ideas

Darkness was quickly consuming the light as we stood, eyes fixated on the situation we had somewhat intentionally gotten ourselves into. The Jeep Rubicon that we rented begged us, no pleaded for us to take it off-roading.  So we obliged her with an afternoon of impulse infused off-road adventure. And then it happened. Stuck.  Not in the over dramatic, inconvenient and frustrating type of way. We were stuck like Winnie the Pooh’s head in a jar of Honey type of stuck. Did we br

The life altering words, “Dad, can I do it all by myself?”, sent shock waves down my spine.  I found myself frozen in a state of mental denial. No was the only word that invaded my conscience and rested on my tongue.  Don’t get me wrong, I was confident that she had the ability. But the word yes was placed on a rocket headed to the Moon Jupiter.  I tried to find every reason and excuse to say no. No! Not today. Maybe tomorrow. No! I need to test it out first. No! Your mom w

Fear is not a topic that is not discussed openly in leadership circles, conferences, or roundtable discussions. Why? It is a topic that doesn’t bode well with the Type A, driven, charismatic, “I can conquer anything”, personalities that seem to typify the label –> Leader. The worst thing you can do is to ignore fear and pretend that it can’t significantly impact your thinking and the trajectory of your life. Personally, my mind, at moments, is  consumed with fear. Fear usuall

106 DAYS. 106 days of this year are in the record book. 106 days that can never be relived. 106 days of wavering productivity, commitment, and urgency.  New Year’s resolutions have long dissolved into a pile of good intentions as the tyranny of the urgent has imposed her unrelenting will upon your daily decision-making. (Unless you are part of the extreme minority, 92% of you did not keep your resolutions.) The easy decision is to allow another 106 days to fade away, and then

Do you want to accomplish something of great significance? Do you want to launch a non-profit that will actually make an impact in this world? Do you want to develop a creative idea that will rise above the fray of mediocrity and make a lasting impact? Do you want to script words inspiring people to discuss them for months years decades to come? If this is your pursuit, (And I hope it is because you were created to do something great.) then prepare for what is going to come y

Every leader comes to the moment where the complexities surrounding a significant decision are staggering and overwhelming.  The drive to make the right decision – the perfect decision – leads to analysis paralysis. You feel the entire team watching you thinking, “What are you going to do? What decision are you going to make? What if it is wrong? What if it fails?”  Scenario after scenario is discussed, ripped apart and reassembled. Charts, graphs, and research pours in with

Years ago I stumbled upon a captivating website titled TWENTYTWOWORDS.  Every blog post had a limit of 22 words. Yes, you read that correctly – only 22 words. The title of the blog pulled me in, but the tagline captured my attention: Experiments in getting to the point.  Just 22 words to capture attention. Just 22 words to succinctly articulate a point. Just 22 words to clearly share a life altering idea. Post after post was focused, concise, and the author was committed to a

Cicero, the great Roman Philosopher, once wrote: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” He captures the reality that gratitude orients your heart in a very specific way. The orientation of your heart will determine how you see and interact with people and events around you. It’s easy to connect gratitude with events in your life. But the depth of gratitude you have is not determined by the position of life you find yourself in. Gratitud

The question was razor sharp, and it pierced a nerve that had remained hidden. It was a question that I wanted to avoid, but I knew that it was time to face it. I was 22 years old and had just taken a step into a significant leadership role. I knew that I was in over my head, but I had something to prove. I grasped the reality that I had many areas that I needed to grow in, however, sometimes the maturing process is not the easiest journey to navigate. The question was simply

Recently I walked into the gym to “my” treadmill and started running. I had seven miles to run, so I was going to be there a while. Complete transparency – I hate treadmills! I would rather be outside running in hurricane force winds, with the temperature blazing at 115 degrees and 98% humidity, instead of running on a treadmill. But that is besides the point. Over the past week I had noticed the treadmill right next to me was out of commission. Let me be clear: There wasn’t

The slight chill in the air, calm breeze, and a cloudless morning all set the stage for the perfect race day. The energy was surging from the starting line as I made my way to coral #9. I had trained.  I was mentally focused. My race goal of a 4:02:31 (9:15 pace) marathon was set. The horn blared marking the start of the race.  I cautiously started to run, not wanting to start out too fast.  My first mile was sub 9:00. And my second. And my third. I felt amazing. Maybe it was

It was 1989, my sophomore year of high school was ending, and the movie Dead Poets Society was released. This movie quickly entered into my top 5 list and has never left. Dead Poets Society is a story of loss and hope. It is a story of relational conflict, unbearable expectations, and the chaotic nature of approaching adulthood. It is a story that stirs introspection and causes you to not only reflect on your life, but shoves your eyes into the future. One of the moments that

There are moments when in the middle of the chaos, you can sense God’s presence in such a real way. What we are experiencing at Renaissance right now is one of those incredible moments. The obstacles we face are significant, but the opportunities in front of us are even greater! God is truly moving within Renaissance in a significant way. It is because of your personal commitment to the everyONE that we are experiencing a movement that God is greatly blessing. Your absolute r

Captain Obvious struck in a mighty way several weeks ago leaving Kim and I laughing in disbelief.  We were in San Diego for a wedding. I had the privilege of officiating the wedding for one of my former students. It was a much needed get away and opportunity to share in an incredible life moment. After the rehearsal, Kim and I had several hours to relax before we were supposed to meet the wedding party for the rehearsal dinner. We were given very loose directions to the meeti

In Who’s talking about your church (part #1), I asked the first of two questions. Q #1: Why is Apple the most covered company? Here’s the second question . . . Q #2: How does your church rank on the most “covered” list in your community? First, let me clearly explain. I am not talking about a PR machine that is behind marketing your church. I am not talking about how charismatic your lead pastor is. I am not talking about the popularity of your church or the gimmicks that som

November 7th is the date. It has been staring at me straight in the eyes for over 9 months.  It has been slowly creeping forward. Now I am within a month of having to face it. I am within a month of having the opportunity to conquer it. I am within a month of facing an epic challenge. The past 9 months have been filled with moments of great accomplishment and exhilaration. The past 9 months have been filled with countless times where my mind and body were screaming “NO”, but

One of the books I am reading is Andy Stanley’s book, The Principle of the Path.  (I am not sure if you are like me, but I have 5 different books that I am reading through right now. I should just pick one and finish it.) Here is the essence of the entire book: DIRECTION – not INTENTION – determines our DESTINATION. He goes on to say . . . The direction you are currently traveling – relationally, financially, spiritually, and the list goes on and on – will determine where you