Archive for June, 2008
Links & Such… June 23, 2008
I wanted you all to be aware of a few sites that I recently came across…
Lanny Donoho (the crazy guy at Catalyst) is blogging…you can check out his site here. Most people only see his witty side…but I’ve been at a table with that guy talking about leadership issues and such…and the guy is SHARP. Stop by and see what’s going on in his world.
Nelson Searcy is blogging as well. I believe that Nelson has one of the sharpest minds on the planet. Seriously, the way he thinks is off the charts. He shares some VALUABLE information on his site…and church leaders would benefit greatly from it.
That’s it for now!
Sunday Night Reflections June 22, 2008
Today was an awesome day! Steven and I played “hooky” from our churches this morning and went to Redemption World Outreach Center in Greenville, SC where Apostle Ron Carpenter is the senior pastor…and it was incredible.
Apostle Ron threw me a major curve ball! (Keep in mind that our Greenville location is opening about two miles away from his church.) He recognized me in the church service, told his church that we were starting a satellite campus down then road, said he was excited about it and asked them to celebrate with me. Then room went crazy!
I love that guy…talk about a Kingdom mindset! Seriously, I was blown away. He wasn’t about competition…He was about completion, He knows the church is called to COMPLETE the Great Commission, and celebrates with churches that are doing God’s work.
It really encouraged me that a fellow pastor would support me like that…and it challenged me to do the same for others.
The worship service was incredible…and Apostle Ron brought the freakin’ heat–here are some of his quotes. (I can’t do the message justice…it was seriously incredible!)
- The definition of diligence is doing a little thing a long time until something big happens.
- You will never win if you keep quitting!
- When you are preparing you are out of step with today but in step with what is happening tomorrow.
- The church waits on the world to create a problem & then responds to it–we need to do church in a way that puts the world on its heels!
- Having to be inspired to do what is right is the lowest form of maturity! (DANG!!!)
- There are people who don’t mind if you fail…but it really bothers them if you succeed.
- Gossip is a symptom of an unfulfilled, boring life. The only way you can focus on my life is because there is nothing happening in yours! (DANG!)
- I want you to be so focused on your future that you don’t have time to talk about other people’s past!
Those are just some of the quotes that rocked me.
After leaving there Steven and I went and toured the Greenville campus, which OPENS ON JULY 13th. Folks, I am NOT over-hyping things when I say…I was amazed. I seriously think that great things are in store for that campus.
Tonight I was able to enjoy Craig’s message on “Make Us One” at NewSpring. I seriously think it was the best message on church unity that I’ve ever heard–EVER!
I am so ready to get back in the swing of things tomorrow.
Good night!
Questions I’m Asking Myself–Part Four June 20, 2008
Here’s the last one for the week…
Isaiah 42:16 (NLT) – “I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them.”
#4 – Am I Sincerely Seeking God To Lead Me…Or Am I Trying To Lead Him?
There have been so many times I’ve taken my thoughts and dreams to God, asking Him to bless them and allow them to come to fruition instead of asking Him what His thoughts and dreams are.
Here’s a confession–on my best day…I am still nothing more than a blind man who desperately needs the leadership of Jesus in my life if I am going to accomplish anything significant. (John 15:5)
And the thing I am learning more and more is this–God WANTS to lead me in the right way. He wants me to get things right. He wants me to succeed in life. AND–HE WANTS TO SPEAK TO ME and show me how to get there–but this requires me giving up what I want and asking Him to open my eyes to what He wants.
This text says that He will lead me along an unfamiliar way. I believe the churches best days are yet to come. I believe God is going to do things we’ve never seen before…but in order for us to get there we have to be willing to walk in unfamiliar ways…and the only way to successfully do that is LISTEN to and FOLLOW the voice of God.
He’s always speaking…many times though I’ve not been listening.
He will smooth out the road ahead. He will brighten the darkness…at least that’s what His Word says. So…I’ve got to trust Him with my future.
This has RADICALLY changed my prayer life. Instead of taking a wish list to Him every day I am simply asking Him to allow me to see as He sees and feel as He feels…THAT IS MESSING ME UP! It’s a process…but I’m giving up my desires and asking Him to put HIS in me.
I may do a decent job leading NewSpring…but I do a HORRIBLE job when I try to lead God. I’m blind without Him…but with Him I can’t go wrong.
How about you–are you SERIOUSLY seeking what God wants…or are you trying to get Him to buy into your plans?
Questions I’m Asking Myself–Part Three June 19, 2008
This one is a tough one…especially being the founding pastor of NewSpring…
Isaiah 42:10 (NLT), “Sing a new song to the Lord…”
#3 – What “old song” must I stop singing to make room for something new that God wants to place in my heart?
Every church planter is going to face this issue one day.
You see, when we first began NewSpring Church we were all about not being “traditional.” We were going to “break the mold.” We used phrases like “taking EXTREME risks” and “not afraid to die” quite often around here.
But here we are eight and a half years later and I am finding myself in quite a pinch because…
The traditions that we are now having to attack are the ones that I helped to develop. The ideas that we are now calling “outdated” are the ones that were once a brand new thought in my mind.
Honestly, there are times when I have been in a meeting and have wanted to halt the conversation because, well, to be honest, I didn’t like what was being discussed. It was tearing away at what I had shed hours of blood, sweat and tears over…but…God has been slowly showing me that I must celebrate the songs that we’ve sang…but I must always be open to the fact that He wants to do new things.
Is there anything in your church that was once a good idea that isn’t anymore?
We’re hitting this hard…and it’s tough for me…but I know it’s going to be awesome in the end.
He REALLY brought this home for me when I read Isaiah 43:16-19…
“I am the LORD who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. But forget all that–it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it…”
I should CELEBRATE all that God has done…but ANTICIPATE that He is going to do more and be willing to change ANYTHING that He needs to change.
I’m asking Him to “put new songs” in my heart.
Questions I’m Asking Myself–Part Two June 18, 2008
Continuing with yesterday’s thoughts…
Isaiah 42:4, (NLT) – “He will not falter or lose heart...”
#2 – Am I allowing anything to cause me to lose heart?
We live in a very discouraging world; in fact, I believe that discouragement is one of the number one weapons the enemy will use to try and strike at people–especially leaders.
And so…if there are things that cause me to lose heart, that take away my joy…then I MUST continually remove them from my life.
That is why I don’t read certain blogs anymore–they were joy killers. (And for the pastor out there who says you do it and it doesn’t effect you–you are full of crap, it’s ripping your joy out–STOP IT!) I have literally had to decide to not hang out with certain people because, after meeting with them I wanted to set my head on fire and have it put out with a sledgehammer.
(I know that doesn’t sound very godly…but if everyone would be honest for just a second–we all have people like that in our lives…it’s just that many don’t have the courage to admit it!)
I can’t allow discouragement to take a hold in my life–Scripture says in Ephesians 4:27 that we should not allow the devil to have a foothold…and one of his STRONGEST footholds on pastors and church leaders is discouragement.
That is why I don’t see hateful and mean spirited emails and letters…all it does is take a shot at my soul. I am open to rebuke…in love, but that never makes it way to me in an unsigned letter or anonymous email.
What needs to be removed from your life to protect you from discouragement?
A Few Random Thoughts… June 17, 2008
Here goes…
- Our first coaching network will begin in August. (All the details are in this post…I won’t go into them here.) BUT…I will say that the deadline to submit an application is June 30th.
- If you would like an application–please email lindsay.owens@newspring.cc
- I was able to spend about four hours today with Marty Martin (awesome name) who is the pastor of Northstar Church in Panama City Beach, FL. He’s an incredible leader and I learned a ton from just hanging out with him.
- One of the things that we discussed is that pastors who seems to fail morally in ministry never seem to have any personal boundaries. Guys…seriously…set ridiculously high standards!!!
- Tonight we took Charisse to Krispy Kreme…they had the “Hot/Now” sign on…BUT…when we got in there they said the hot/now doughnuts would not be ready for another 12 minutes. I had “not nice” thoughts! Just being honest!
- It did cause me to think, “At NewSpring we say that we are going to give our best every single Sunday–we’ve always got to deliver on that because there are a lot more than doughnuts on the line!”
- I had a gift card from The Buckle (my FAVORITE store) left over from Christmas…and so I bought three pretty awesome T-shirts tonight. ‘Cretia and Charisse both approved.
- I am REALLY looking forward to this Sunday at NewSpring. Springers–you are going to hear one of THE BEST MESSAGES ever given on church unity…seriously…SERIOUSLY!
- Mark Batterson hit the ball out of the park with this post on blogging tips!
That’s it for now…
Questions I’m Asking Myself–Part One June 17, 2008
The other morning I spent some time reading through Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 43…and several questions popped into my mind that I thought might be beneficial if I shared. (When I link the verses they will appear in the NIV; however, I will type them out in the translation I am currently reading, which is the NLT.)
Isaiah 42:1, “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.”
Question #1 – Am I living a life that fully pleases God?
I once heard Brad Cooper say, “You can please God and disappoint people, or you can disappoint God and please people…but you can’t do both.” He was so right.
As I look back in life some of my biggest mistakes have been when I’ve…
A. Tried to please myself - Seriously, I am probably one of the most selfish people that I know. I can honestly say that 99.9% of the time I’ve gotten ill with Lucretia has been because of my selfish desires. The Bible says in James 4:1-3 that this attitude is just not a good thing to have–ever. ANYTIME I place what pleases me in front of what pleases God–I screw up.
B. Tried to please others – One of the largest temptations a pastor faces is the one to try and please everyone. It can’t be done. If you are a pastor (or a human being for that matter) SOMEONE is always going to be angry with you…no matter what you do. AND you will also discover that everyone has an opinion as to how you should live your life and lead the church.
(Remember–opinions are like rear ends…everyone has one and MOST of them are incredible large and stink!)
The verse spoke volumes to me. I literally stopped and prayed when I read it, asking God to show me how to live a life that is FULLY pleasing to Him. That’s what I want…more than anything in the world. And in doing so I know I will have to cast some things aside AND be willing to disappoint people.
How about you–would you be willing to ask God that question?