Killing Cockroaches

Tomorrow I begin the Killing Cockroaches Summer Tour with a stop at West Ridge Church in Atlanta. In all, there will be six stops in six cities. Over the next three weeks during the tour, I’m going to share some of the blog posts that inspired the book. Maybe at the end we’ll have some sort of poll for you to pick your favorite.

There’s probably no better place to start than this post. This is how the book got its name…

Killing Cockroaches

I was sitting around the breakfast table with a bunch of guys this morning and was reminded of an incident that took place at a former job. This was before ministry. I was a city manager–kind of like the CEO of a business. I was responsible for leading an organization with a $20 million budget and 150 employees. I was the man. I wore a suit. Everyday.

One day I was working at my desk, and I heard a woman scream from the other side of the office building. Just a few seconds later, the screaming woman ran into my office. She explained that she needed help. She had found a cockroach in her office. And, for whatever reason, she thought this was a problem for the “CEO.” Remember, I was the guy who wore a suit. Everyday.

I’m not sure why I did it, but I slowly pushed my chair away from the desk. Stood up. Walked down the hall. Entered the screaming woman’s office, and proceeded to kill the cockroach. I was wearing my suit, which, of course, I wore…everyday.

It’s been about eight years since that incident. I don’t wear suits anymore, but there are still days when I come home a little mopey. I guess the frustration is all over my face. Emily will take one look at me and ask, “Did you have to kill cockroaches today?” [continue reading>>]

Cockroach Tour Buzz: When was the last time you caught yourself “killing cockroaches?”