#286. THE MACK TRUCK RULE OF THUMB. "The one rule of thumb that I always teach my staff is to work with the Mack truck rule-even if you are hit by a Mack truck, someone should be able to pick up your work the next day.  We use an archives binder." That's the introduction to crisis management (chapter 17) in a new handbook, "The Christian Conference Planner." It's an excellent resource, crammed with details, plus helpful administrative tools and ideas needed for effective event planning.  The 238-page book, by Angela Yee, has hundreds of helpful forms, job descriptions, and planning timelines for anyone who does events, conferences, retreats, seminars and workshops.  To order: www.summitstarpress.com

#287.  IF YOU MISSED THE CONFERENCE, DON'T MISS CYMBALA OR HAGGARD. How do you mentor and bless your key people-at low cost, with high impact? Buy 10 to 20 audiocassette tapes from CMA Colorado Springs 2003.  (See ordering information in this issue.)  Pastor Jim Cymbala's keynote message, with in-the-trenches examples from the Brooklyn Tabernacle ministry in New York City, was a talked-about-all-week don't miss session.  (The talk is excerpted in the upcoming issue of Christian Management Report.)  Plus, Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colo., presented one of the most articulate keynote messages on ministry and management ever presented at CMA.  If you missed that, buy the tape and share it with your team. (Watch for more audiocassette reviews in future issues.)

#288.  SERIOUS BIBLE STUDENTS gave a collective "Wow!" at the online demonstration at CMA Colorado Springs 2003 when Logos Research Systems presented a four-minute look at their Bible software during the Thursday morning keynote session.  If you're looking for a great gift for your pastor or a Bible study group leader (or yourself), visit www.logos.com

#289.  HACKING A PATH THROUGH THE JUNGLE.  "Working for a firm that has no distinctively Christian character and that expects total loyalty, compliance and effort from its employees in pursuing its objectives according to its own company code, can present huge problems to one whose prime allegiance is to Jesus Christ* Finding a scripturally satisfactory way of serving God in one's business will often feel like hacking a path through the jungle." This intriguing thought from J.I. Packer is one of hundreds of pithy quotes and idea-starters in "The Meaning of Work: Module 5," a remarkable six-part study on "Scriptural Roots of Commerce," by Donald McGilchrist, and published by Inside Work.  For ministry and church leaders who need small group study materials for board members and business leaders, check it out at www.insidework.net.  (Note the offer for a free 21-page sample study on rest and recreation.)

#290.  27 THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH A WELL-TOLD STORY.  Mark Cutshall Creative Services offers this imaginative list of what your ministry could do with a well told story: start a conversation, articulate a dream, light a fire, launch a campaign, build momentum, strike a cord, sell an idea, reach an investor, honor a donor, break the ice, raise the bar, stir a debate, be a hero, persuade an adversary, move an audience, touch the heart, get to "Yes," turn the corner, spread your passion, renew a commitment, inspire belief, offer hope, deepen loyalty, develop trust, beckon, influence, lead.  Cutshall (who has served on CMA's conference faculty and writes the "Why CMA?" feature in the CMA magazine) helps leaders and organizations tell their stories. For a packet on his three-step process for telling a compelling story, contact Mark at 206-782-4130 or mcutsh@aol.com.