Archive for March, 2011
How Do You Stay So Passionate? March 31, 2011
One of the questions often asked of me is, “how in the world do you stay so passionate? It seems like you believe every Sunday is going to be the ‘best ever!’” Great question…recently I sat down and listed out a few things that I have worked into my life over the past 20 years that constantly increase my passion levels.
#1 – My Personal Time With God
Nothing…and I mean NOTHING fires me up more than my time with the Lord. I am a firm believer that if God is going to light a church on fire that He is will do it through a leader who is on fire…and we can’t be on fire if we’re not drawing close to Him on a daily basis.
It is a sad fact that some church leaders do not make their personal time with God as a priority…and if this happens it will become evident. AND…let me make sure to emphasize this…this is NOT my sermon prep time…this is a time where I ask the Lord to speak to me, to convict me, to challenge me and lead me in the ways I need to go.
#2 – People
The people you surround yourself with will either add to or take away from your passion. Personally…I can’t really handle people in meetings who are not fired up about being there. A person who lacks passion will always bring the temperature in the room DOWN; however, passionate people will always find a way to work though problems and find solutions that advance God’s Kingdom. Passionate people do whatever it takes…and those kind of people fire me up!
#3 – Rest
God did not design us to go 900 miles per hour with our hair on fire 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. (AND…church leader, rest never “just happens,” if you don’t schedule time to rest…you won’t rest!) It’s a joke around the office that whenever I come back from a break that I am sort of like a tornado…and it’s somewhat true because taking time to rest ALWAYS refuels me!
#4 – Working Out Physically
The healthier I have gotten physically the more my passion levels have increased. Physical health isn’t talked about that often among Christian circles…but it should be! Trust me church leader…your passion levels can and will be higher when your body isn’t ticked at you all of the time for the way you are treating it!
#5 – Change
John Maxwell once said, “if you always do what you’ve always done then you’ll always get what you’ve always got!” AND…we’ve all also heard that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get different results!” So…if I find myself in a rut…I make some changes. It may be a change in an environment, change in my routine or even a change in a way I schedule a meeting.
#6 – Not Becoming Obsessed With What People Who Don’t Know Me Think About Me
When pastors and church leaders begin to live for the approval of an online audience…it’s over! Pastors, I’ve said it before and I will say it again…you cannot allow those who know you the least define you the most.
#7 – Understanding
Understand that…He loves the church more than me! That He has the world in His hands. That He called me, is with me and will sustain me through whatever I go through. That He was at work long before I got here and will still be working long after I am gone. That He has greater plans for this ministry than I do! That HIS power is so much greater than my performance! It’s on HIM…not me!!!
Today We Are Rich March 30, 2011
In the fall of 2003 I had the privilege of seeing Tim Sanders speak at Catalyst and was blown away by his passion and challenged by what the Lord has put on his hear to challenge young leaders with. (I also bought and devoured this book as a result of his talk…I highly recommend it!)
Tim has recently written a brand new book entitled, “Today We Are Rich, Harnessing The Power Of Total Confidence.” (Here is the website with a FREE downloadable EBook…check it out!!!)
Recently I had the privilege of asking Tim some questions about his new book…and loved what he had to say about it…
#1 – What drove you to write, “Today We Are Rich?”
In the fall of 2008, I saw so many people lose their confidence as circumstances changed. As the economy sank, their Mojo drained away. I’ve been through this a few times in my life, and in each situation, the Confidence Plan I was taught early on gave turned recessions into growth opportunities for me.
One day in 2009, I also realized that I’ve failed to tell my entire story through my books. While she was still alive, I wanted to introduce my grandmother Billye King Coffman to the world. She’s a prayer warrior, philosopher, strong hearted person and an inspiration from the cubicle to the vestibule.
So far, my books have all offered career and business advice. Inside them, however, was my Christian point of view about people, love, faith and the power of giving. When I was inspired to write Today We Are Rich, I knew it was time to squarely address my beliefs and speak to a new generation that needed a secular cat like me to let them know that “what you learn on Sunday will make you a rock star on Monday.” That’s why I left Random House and signed with Tyndale House Publishers – one of the best faith ones in the world.
#2 – Why do you think it is important for us to focus on our purpose in life and not just our passions?
Passion is the pursuit of self: Fun, mastery, actualization and personal rewards. We should encourage our children to chase their passions like butterflies – it gives them dimension and helps them find their voice and skills.
But as they grow into adults and physically mature, we must challenge them to live a life of service and follow a worthwhile purpose. If they continue to follow their passions into adulthood or parenthood, everyone suffers and energy comes and goes along with windfalls and challenges. To tell your kids “just do what you love,” is like telling them “love yourself at the expense of everyone else.”
When you decide to make the leap from serving passions to serving a purpose, you are spiritually coming of age. You can know pursue significance.
From a performance point of view, it’s important to be purpose driven because a sense of meaning can give us unlimited energy and unbreakable resilience. Nazi war camp survivor Viktor Frankl once said that “when there’s purpose in a thing, there is no suffering.” Purpose is also important to find the sweet spot between self-confidence and humility. When you are on-purpose, you follow and repot to a higher power, God’s will. This helps you, as Pastor Steven Furtick likes to say, “deflect all the glory to God.”
In my case, my purpose comes from a Scripture in Hebrews that I paraphrase: “Provoke good works in people and outbursts of love, not forsaking as we gather in public.” Gives me a clear compass in my life for knowing which direction to go. And that’s important, because Billye taught me that “success is not a destination, but a direction – true North.”
#3 – What is your biggest hope that your readers will take away from the book?
If I had to choose a single piece of advice from the book, here it is: Stick with your rock, never forsake your foundation of positive thinking, faith, gratitude and the burning desire to participate in the end of suffering.
If you feel like you are moving Sideways in your life, as I have in mine, ask yourself the following question. “What are you not doing today that you were doing back when things were better?” Often, you’ll find out that you aren’t reading good stuff, like your Bible. You aren’t talking to your parents or respecting your elders – trusting your Facebook friends more than the Rocks in your life. If you are lost, to quote Pastor Heck from the small church I grew up in, “the only way back to Eden is to go back home and admit you aren’t keeping it between the ditches.”
#4 – How important do you think a persons personal relationship with Jesus is in regards to this whole idea?
Following Christ, and living his plan is essential to living in The Good Loop (as in the Good Book), where you create the life you seek through faith and toil.
When you have a close relationship with God, you buttress your sense of Total Confidence, the trinity of powerful beliefs: You, Your Team and Your God. Absent a strong spiritual life, as confidence rewards you with success, you can get drunk on your power and become arrogant and ungrateful. And when you do, you will always pay the price, usually on the installment plan.
I tell Christians that are ‘down on their luck’ to double down on their faith. I tell them, “don’t test your faith – let your faith test you.” Then I tell them to read about Job, take a good look in the mirror and if it’s possible, go hang our with your grandmother and just listen!
So…check it out…I am sure you will be both inspired and challenged by it!
10 Warning Signs That You Might Not Be Healthy March 30, 2011
Pastor/church leader…you have GOT to get healthy…emotionally, physically and spiritually. I will say that the overwhelming reason that many churches are not healthy is that the leaders in the church are not healthy. What are some signs that you are not healthy?
#1 – You cannot remember the last time you clearly heard the Word of God speak to you about an issue in your own life.
#2 – You no longer use the Bible to learn more about Jesus and hear His voice…you are simply using it to find your next sermon.
#3 – You actually begin to hate and despise the people in your church (who, by the way, are the very people you are called to love!)
#4 – You spend more time on the cell phone and computer when you are at home than you do with your own family.
#5 – You are so obsessed with pleasing people and putting out fires that listening to God and doing what He says is no longer the goal of your life and ministry.
#6 – You often dream of being in another church…thinking that if you were somewhere else you would have no problems.
#7 – You are spending time building up people of the opposite sex and having intimate conversations with them that SHOULD be taking place with your spouse.
#8 – You are often overwhelmed with feelings of intense sadness and you don’t know why.
#9 – You can’t sleep.
#10 – You keep telling yourself (and your family) that one day everything is going to slow down.
I could go on and on…but seriously…if any of these stuck out to you then PLEASE, do whatever it takes to get healthy. Call a friend, get a counselor…take a day to just get away from your normal routine and spend time with the Lord.
The church needs devoted, passionate and HEALTHY leaders!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church March 29, 2011
STILL PUMPED OUT OF MY MIND about the 116 baptisms that took place at our church on Sunday…THAT NEVER GETS OLD!
#1 – Brad’s message from Sunday is STILL ringing in my ears…especially his opening line, “Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.” I actually heard Rick Warren say in a message a few weeks ago that “so many people are making a living that they are not making a life!” I am praying that people continue to UPGRADE their lives by fully embracing what God’s Word says in Ephesians 2:8-9 so that they can discover and live out Ephesians 2:10!
#2 – NewSpring Church will ALWAYS invest heavily in the next generation…our ceiling is their floor…and I honestly believe the Lord will use them to take HIS Church to places we’ve never even imagined! I am so thankful for our ministry to teenagers and children…and also thankful to everyone who prays for these ministries, serves in these ministries and gives so that these ministries can flourish.
#3 – The Gauntlet is going to be here before we know it! Parents,, trust me…this will be the BEST week of your teenagers year! Jesus always does an amazing work in the heart and lives of so many people…and we’re believing and praying for this year to be our best year EVER! (You can get more info and sign up here.)
#4 – Oh yeah…I am SO thankful that so far over $55,000 has been given by our church towards the Japan offering! You can’t out give God!
#5 – I’m TOTALLY excited about Lucretia, my wife, beginning a ministry for girls in grades 6-12. She’s SO excited about it as well. Here is a link where you can get more information and sign up. It will be held at the Anderson campus…but girls from any campus are welcome!
#6 – We’ve got three more weeks in the UPGRADE series…and…we’re ending it with a BANG!!! Trust me, April 3-10-17 are going to be weeks we will NEVER forget.
#7 – Pray for me as I fly out for Chicago tomorrow to participate in this event with some really incredible men of God. I am so honored that I was asked to be a part of this and cannot wait to be stretched and learn. My prayer is that through this event people will be able to see that people can have disagreements on issues…but do so in a way that doesn’t constantly attack and tear down another person/ministry…and that, in the end, everyone really is on the same team.
Four Reasons Marriages Are Failing, Part Two March 24, 2011
Continuing from yesterday…
#3 – Refusal To Change
A person who is absolutely convinced that they have nothing at all to change in their marriage is a person who is obsessed with making their marriage fail.
I am not the same person I am when Lucretia and I first got married in 2000. He has had to do a work in me (and currently still IS!)
A quick word to singles, WHEN you marry someone you need to understand that you are marrying them “as is,” and that change is NOT guaranteed. (I’ve seen SO many marriages go bad because someone, usually the female, compromised core convictions because she was absolutely convinced she could “change him.”) Seriously, you need to be ready to spend the rest of your life with them they way they are…and if you are not then DON’T GET MARRIED.
However, in this point I am not talking about their refusal to change. You can’t do anything about that…I am taking about your refusal to change, to not deal with the issues the Lord is making so obvious to you either because of pride, fear or insecurity.
I am not the man I need to be when it comes to being Lucretia’s husband…but thank God I am not the man I was when I married her. He has (and is) changing me, it hasn’t been easy…but submitting to the work He wants to do in me has definitely made me a better husband.
#4 – Refusal To Learn
Marriage is something that you think you know a lot about…until you actually get married and many of the previous theories you held near and dear to your head go flying out the window.
Anytime one sinner marries another sinner…there will be “issues!” (And PLEASE don’t tell me how it could not work out because you are so “different!” OF COURSE you are different…one of you is male and the other is female…the last time I checked that is pretty much different!)
We can’t STOP learning when we get married; in fact, when we say “I do” we are saying I do to a learning process that will take place until the time we see Jesus. We’ve got to be learners if we want our marriages to succeed.
AND…I’m not talking about learning in regards to what pop psychology says about marriage. What does God’s Word say about it? After all, He is THE ONE who made mankind aware of HIS IDEA to begin with! (BTW…here is the link to our series we did back in the fall called Man versus Wife if you are looking for some practical, biblical teaching.)
AND, not only do we need to be students of the Word…we also need to be students of our spouse. One of the reasons marriages are in so much trouble is because men can rattle off sports statistics like nobody’s business and women can tell you about the latest Hollywood gossip but then neither one can tell you three things that their spouse would say significantly impacted them as a child, or what their spouse wanted to be when they grew up or even what their spouse fears the most.
When a couple is committed to learning about one another then it becomes very difficult to get bored with each other!!!
Marriage is God’s idea…it CAN and SHOULD work, we should THRIVE in marriage, not just merely survive it. And…we can when we ask for help, deal with our own “junk,” change what needs to be changed and become students of God’s institution of marriage.
BTW…THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I’VE EVER READ on the subject of marriage…EVER!
Four Reasons Marriages Are Failing, Part One March 23, 2011
As I survey the landscape of the world today it seems like so many marriages are falling apart…and what is so sad is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are four reasons I believe marriages fail…
#1 – People Refuse To Ask For Help!
For some reason is has become taboo (especially in the church) to ask for help in your marriage; after all, if you do THAT then people may think you are weak. So, instead of dealing with the problem you deny it because everyone knows that if you deny something long enough that it will eventually go away, right?
WRONG…refusing to ask for help is nothing more than pride–period!
SO many marriages could be saved if people would simply swallow their pride in the early stages of conflict and ask for help by either calling the church or finding another godly couple in the church who have been together for a long time.
#2 – Refusing To Address Their Part Of The Problem!
It really does take two people to mess up a marriage.
Even if one person is 95% at fault the other person still had to own their 5%.
All too often couples walk into a counseling situation convinced if the other person would just change into the person that they want them to be the marriage would be amazing. (Read that sentence again…because this attitude basically tells the other person, “If you will simply make me your god and worship me then all will be wonderful!”)
Lucretia and I have a great marriage; however, it has been far from perfect these past almost 11 years. BUT…what I have personally discovered is that it isn’t my job to point out her imperfections and shortcomings but to ask the Lord to reveal my own so that I can work on my issues…and then trust the Lord that if there is something that He wants to work out in her that He will do so in His time.
Please understand that I am NOT saying that there are not times when we haven’t had to sit down and have hard conversations with one another about some things…but this is always done with the thought in mind that we are fighting FOR our marriage and not IN our marriage…and that fight begins NOT with who we perceive the other person to be but rather who Christ is actually shaping us into.
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church March 22, 2011
Howdy NewSpring Church, eight things I want to share today…
#1 – The phrase, “read your Bible and do what it says” will take people to a new level in their walks with Jesus. (James 1:22) It absolutely fires me up to think about what our church is going to look like 21 days from now as so many people are going to be IN HIS PRESENCE by being IN HIS WORD for at least the next three weeks!
#2 – Remember…God isn’t after our behavior…He’s after our hearts!
#3 – Some other passages to read in reference to the Scriptures…
Psalm 29:3-9 (pay attention to the power associated with God’s voice! WOW!)
#4 – God’s Word IS God’s Will–period! If you want to know God’s will…read God’s Word!
#5 – Can you believe that Easter is four weeks from this coming Sunday? We’re making serious plans for our Easter services already and ask that everyone PLEASE begin to keep these services in your prayers and also begin to pray about who Jesus would like for you to bring with you.
#6 – This coming Sunday MAY be one of the most exciting Sunday’s we have ever had in the history of our church. SO many people wonder what in the world they are called to do with their lives while they are here on this big ball of dirt we call earth…and I believe that many of them are going to get that question answered this weekend. I absolutely cannot wait!
#7 – HERE is a link to our Bible study page on our NewSpring site…just in case you didn’t pick up the 21 day Bible plan.
#8 – I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!! Makes me laugh EVERY TIME! (Preparing this sermon reminded me of this!)