Chew On This

"Jesus' teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of His day.

However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect.

The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted do not bother coming to our churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church.

That can only mean one thing.

If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did."

- Dr. Tim Keller

Monday Morning Reflections

One Prayer continued this weekend and we got to hear from one of the most gifted preachers I have ever had the privelege of hearing preach. Notice I didn't say communicator or speaker...Pastor Steven Furtick is a PREACHER!

I always look forward to our church getting to hear what he has to say...Elevation Church in Charlotte is the REAL DEAL and I'm so glad to be partnered through One Prayer with them!

Here are some of the highlights of what Pastor Steven had to say...

• It's about time that the church be known for what we are for and not what we are against.
• The Church is the change that the world is waiting for.
• When we want what God wants for the reasons that God wants them we're unstoppable.
• We are supposed to affecting change wherever we go!
• The sermon starts in the parking lot.
• No matter who you are...it is possible for God to perfom a miracle in someone's life before the sermon ever starts.
• Are you making yourself available for God to use you?
• I am a connector to the current of the Power of Christ.
• Jesus didn't die so you could be a "just a"...he died so you could be a connector to the current of the Power of Christ.
• When you give God all that you have that is all that He needs.
• When God's everything connects to my little bit it really becomes something BIG.
• Will you give Jesus what you have so He can do what only He can do?

Friday's Are For Fun

If you spent as much time as a kid playing Super Mario Brother's as I did you'll really enjoy this...

Best 3 minutes of your Friday right here:


You're welcome!

Some Must See Links

• Clayton King on Holy Hangovers.

• Seth Godin on Amplifying Complaints.

• Seth Godin on Don't Snowglobe Me, Bro:
  "Interrupting everyone so you can properly alert one person in a thousand is just silly."

• Perry Noble on Stop Expecting Excitement to Happen... Create It!

Community & Cause

Sometimes “community” is the result of common cause.
Sometimes a common “cause” is birthed out of community.

I’m not sure one is always more desirable than the other, but I do know this. In the best organizations, there is a high probability you’ll find both – rich community (who we refer to as “good friends”) and high purpose (whick I would suggest means living “sold out”).

For me life is all that, and more.

Are you looking for a community and higher purpose with which to engage?

Proverbs 20:18a - Every purpose is established by counsel.

Monday Morning Reflections

We continuted our Unstoppable 2010 series yesterday...loved the opportunity to hear from Pastor Ray Johnston from Bayside Church in Rosevill, CA.

Pastor Ray shared an incredible message on unstoppable encouaragement. We need to unleash the power of hope and encouragement in our lives.
Here's some of the highlights I wrote down....

• If we're not encouraged we can't live life at our best.
• When my hope level goes up...everything else goes up with it.
• The problem with discouragement is that we have to bounce back from it.
• Discouragment is a universal disease...we all get it and it's contagious.
• Discouragement always precedes destruction.
• We can build hope by taking time to refresh our spirit.
• The condition of our soul is going to drive whether or not we are discouraged.
• Fear is the darkroom where negatives develop.
• When we get discouraged we have to continue to work and we have to refuse to give up.
• Get back UP...the game isn't OVER!

So thankful that because of Jesus we can have hope. Hope for a future that is better than we have ever dreamed.

I am begging God to increase my HOPE level...

11 Years Tomorrow...

11 years ago tomorrow I committed the rest of my life to Terica, and she committed the rest of her life to me.

We got married really young...but that was just to make sure she was ineligible for any other suitor.

She is the absolute love of my life.

On that day I thought I was experiencing one of the best days of my life.

Who knew that every day with Terica would be better than the days before?

Our son will one day stand taller than her and gush about her undying love for him.

She has given up alot so that we could live out our dreams. And she constantly reminds me of God's faithfulness.

She deserves far more than me. But she won't find anyone who can possibly love her more.

I'm a blessed man...Happy Anniversary Terica.

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. - Proverbs 18:22

I've Discovered...

I've discovered something about people. Want to know what it is? Good...I'll tell you.

•No matter what you do, people will criticize you for what you don't do.
•No matter how much you accomplish, most people don't know what you did, or care.
•No matter how hard you try, most won't consider your effort worthy of praise.
•Who you help won't matter much to those who wish you had helped someone else.

I could go on and on....but you probably get the idea. If you are laboring for the applause of many, rather than the applause of the ONE who holds eternity in His hands, you'll be disappointed.

So work hard, no matter who cheers, knowing God sees and God rewards.
Do your best, whether anyone appreciates you or not, remembering God loves you.

Do everything as unto the Lord, and the One to Whom we'll all give account, will judge fairly.

Don't forget...I'll give account to God for what I do with this week. So will you.

God I'm begging you to help me make the most of this week...for Your sake and no one eleses.

Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24

It's An Easy Thing For God To Do

"This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord." ~ 2 Kings 3:16-18

• I have never seen God move mightily without first requiring me to act in faith.
• Nor has he ever given me proof that he would deliver me.
• But I have dug the valley full of ditches.
• My back is sore. My tongue is parched. The end of my well-being is in view.
• But I praise God his deliverance. For the rain-fall of mercy and provision that is coming.
• For it is an easy thing for God to do.

Leaving Your Church

I've learned alot over the course of the last decade of my life. I've been actively involved in church leadership on a staff/leadership level now for 14 years. In that time I've seen alot of people come and alot of people go from the churches I've been involved with.

Truth of the matter is...People leave churches every day. Even when they've been attending that church for years or even decades. But for some reason–a time comes when they decide they need to go somewhere else. Some of those reasons are good. Some of those reasons are bad. The purpose of today's blog post is not to debate the reasons–but rather to talk about the way that you leave a church.

But before I share some ideas on how to leave a church, let me give you some very unscientific stats on how most people leave churches:

Group A: 25% leave kicking and screaming. They talk about everything they hate, how shallow the sermons are and that they want something deeper, why the kids program didn't help and how the music is too loud or too traditional or too something else. And, what's funny is they say, "You'd be shocked by how many people agree with me, but everyone else is just too scared to speak their mind." "There are alot of people who feel this way...just ask around."
Group B: 74% say nothing. They just disappear. They just stop showing up to their ministry roles and they stop attending. If you look for it you might see a comment on Twitter or their Facebook...but most of the time you hear nothing. Something happened and they became less enthused about the future. Or perhaps they moved into a new phase of life and the church just wasn't working for them anymore. Either way, at some point when you are walking through the hall at church and you think, "I don't think I've seen So & So recently." You soon realize they quietly slipped away.

You might think Group A is bigger than 25%. But it's just because they have VERY loud mouths. They get people worked up and talk to everyone, so it seems like the whole church is upset when it is really just a few.

You might also think that Group B chose the right way to leave a church. But truthfully, slipping away quietly can be just as painful for the pastor or leaders of the church (especially when you've told them you were with them. That you were behind them.) as those who leave loudly.

So if you are thinking of leaving your church...take it from someone who's seen both groups of people leave churches that I've been a part of for over a decade now...here's how I would do it.

• I would write a letter to the pastors and leaders. In this letter, I would talk about the way God had changed my life through the ministry of that church. I would talk about how some of my family members met Christ there, were baptized, served together in a ministry and more. I would talk about how my own thoughts and beliefs were formed through my years at the church. I would talk about how I am more like Christ because of my time there. I would tell stories of specific retreats or camps or services where my life (or those of my family) was changed because of the church and its leaders.
• In this letter, I would not gripe or complain. I would not talk about the stuff I don't like or decisions with which I disagree.
• In a short paragraph, I would say that "my wife and I have decided to attend and serve in a different church for this next season of our spiritual growth."
• I would end the letter by assuring the pastor that he/she will never hear us talk badly about this church. I would encourage the pastor to feel free to share this letter with anyone who questions why we left.
• THEN, and this is most important, I would not mail this letter. Rather, I would set an appointment with the pastor and I would hand-deliver the letter. I would read it aloud to him–or ask him to read it in my presence. I would re-state my love for him and profound thanks for the ministry he had in my life.
• Then I would walk away and keep my promise. I would never speak negatively to anyone about that church. In fact, when people asked, I would say, "God changed my life at that church!"

You might have noticed that my percentages for Group A and B above only added up to 99%. That's because I think only 1% leave a church in the way I've suggested. In all actuality it's less than that...probably more like .00001%. In my time as a lead pastor I've only had a few families that have left NewLife in this way. The way that they left marked me.

If I ever have to leave a church, I want to leave like they did.

One Prayer 2010 Is Here

Yesterday we began our first summer series…Unstoppable 2010. I am so excited to partnering with churches from literally all over the world for One Prayer again this year.
One Prayer began in 2008 to explore the question: We pray to Jesus asking Him to answer our prayers - what if we became the answer to His? In John 17:20-24, He prayed that we would be one, and One Prayer is an opportunity to see what can be accomplished when the Church works together.

God has worked in amazing ways over the past two years as millions of believers around the world have united to pray, learn, and love others. We're joining forces once again for One Prayer 2010 as we come together for four weeks to learn more about our Creator and go out into the world to share, serve and give.

When the Church unites, it's unstoppable, and I am looking forward to exploring that theme this upcoming weekend with my One Prayer message.

During One Prayer, hundreds of thousands of believers will come before God as one. Joined in focus and purpose, we'll pray together daily and set aside one day each week to fast together. Don’t forget to visit the One Prayer website where you'll find daily prayer topics with Scripture references, as well as a weekly fasting guide. Imagine what can happen when hearts and minds are unified around the globe!