Search Results
7 Differences Between A Coach And A Critic – Part One January 19, 2010
One of THE most commonly asked questions I am asked whenever I have the privilege to spend time with pastors and church leaders is always, “How do you deal with critics?”
Like it or not…anyone who leads will always have his/her share of them.
I have some great godly friends who will probably disagree with me on this one, but, I don’t listen to them…I never have. Scripture is clear in Proverbs 27:6 that wounds from a FRIEND can be trusted – AND Jesus NEVER allowed His critics to direct the course of His ministry.
HOWEVER…
For a church leader to take the journey of leadership alone is FOOLISH and ARROGANT as well. God has placed other people in our lives for the purpose of encouraging AND correcting us.
SO…how does a person choose who to listen to? It’s simple…there is hardly EVER a time a person should listen to a critic…but he/she should ALWAYS listen to a coach. (I learned a lot of this while watching every Clemson home game from the sideline this year…and so just know that there will be a lot of football illustrations in this post.)
AND…I understand that by doing this series of blog posts I may seem to be sort of reactionary. (Which is funny because it seems that critics can sit back and take shot after shot…but when a pastor says something back they are always “overreacting.”) I can promise you that this series of posts is not in response to any particular person (which I will address @ the end) but rather something written for pastors by a pastor…because there are men and women out there who REALLY struggle with this stuff.
I believe there are seven main differences between a coach and a critic.
#1 – A Coach Has A Relationship With You – A Critic Barely Knows You.
Church leader, mark this down…when you allow the voices of those who know you the least to shape you the most then you are in SERIOUS trouble.
Watching Clemson play football this past year from up close has been awesome for me because I’ve been allowed to see the relationship between the coaches and the players. Over a period of time there is trust built in the context of this relationship and the player honors what the coach says because of the trust that has been developed.
I’ve never seen a player give the time of day to the dude in the stands who has a hot dog and a Coke and does nothing but yell his opinion the entire time. To that guy the player on the field is nothing more than a helmet and shoulder pads…but to the coach the player is a person, who has real feelings—period.
NOW…this analogy breaks down in certain areas. For example…I’ve been coached by mentors through books and such; however, the thing that the authors who have coached me from a distance have that critics do not is my respect.
To be Continued…
Sunday Night Reflections September 6, 2009
What an amazing day at NewSpring Church…
- Believe it or not…the crowd was ON FIRE today @ the Anderson Campus (even though it was a holiday weekend)…it always is during football season when Clemson wins the Saturday before! :-)
- I had the privilege of sitting in the worship service today and getting to hear Brad Cooper preach an incredibly challenging message…probably the best I’ve ever heard on the subject of the heart. Some of the quotes I wrote down were…
- “Too many times we come to church and nothing changes.”
- “Sin is not what you do but rather it is who you are – we are deeply sick.”
- “We’re failures, that’s why the cross is so important.”
- “Solomon ran out of fantasies!” (See Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)
- “You didn’t get bored following God’s heart, your got bored following your own.”
- I could seriously go on and on…you should listen to this message! WOW!
- The volunteers we have here at NewSpring Church are AMAZING…so thankful that so many people have embraced participation instead of being a spectator.
- BTW…Jesus didn’t change the world with spectators…but through people who knew enough about Him to be dangerous and were willing to do what they could with what they had for HIS name!!!
- AND…another BTW…that’s still His plan!!!
- We begin our series on the end times on Sunday, September 27…have never preached on this subject before at NewSpring…can’t wait to dive in!
- AND…we’re doing a series for singles in November entitled, “Once Upon A Time,” can’t wait for that one either!!!
- Next week we are doing something at NewSpring Church that we’ve never done…and we are begging God to do amazing things!!!
- AND…the next week (September 20th) we will be concluding “The 5 Lies…” series by talking about the lie, “It’s Just Sex!” WARNING…this is going to be THE most DIRECT message I’ve ever preached on this subject…because…
- I am freakin SICK AND TIRED of seeing marriages DESTROYED because people can’t follow through on “I DO!” AND…
- I believe one of the REASONS people are having such a hard time with marriages is the church won’t speak up and deal with what people are REALLY struggling with because they fear people will get offended…or pastors are too embarrassed to speak truth!
- So…once again…September 20th we WILL deal with this issue…and won’t be pulling ANY punches!!!
- BTW…pastors…when God says “say it,” you’ve got to “say it”–period! You are “HIS MAN,” not “THEIR MAN!” HE CALLED YOU, THEY DIDN’T…and to put “THEM” before God is to spit on the cross and turn your back on the ONE WHO PAID FOR YOU!!!
- We have an all staff meeting on Thursday here at the church…and I can honestly say I am more fired up about this meeting than any other staff meeting we’ve ever had in our 10 year history!!!
- Columbia campus launches on September 27th…three weeks from today…I can’t WAIT! (The campus pastor, Alden Ellis, has a blog…you can follow it for updates here.)
- REALLY excited that we are going to be adding another breakout session at Unleash…Lucretia (my wife) will be doing a session for pastor’s wives this year!!!
- Got some huge planning meetings coming up in the next month or so to talk about our Christmas services AND our 10 year anniversary service (that is going to be held at the BILO center!!!)
- I REALLY wish I had an iphone…but…they don’t work in our building!!! Verizon…PLEASE…get the iphone!!!
That’s about it…hope you have a GREAT DAY OFF tomorrow!
Sunday Night Reflections (UPDATED as of 9:02 PM) August 30, 2009
WOW! What an amazing day at NewSpring Church…here are a few thoughts…
- Our team from Kenya got back in today…and God did some amazing work through them. Seriously…take two minutes and go to Brad’s blog and watch this video...because our church has been willing to say “yes” a difference is being made!
- THANKS to everyone who was willing to go on the trip…and thanks to those who supported them financially so that this could take place!!!
- We’ve got one more trip to Kenya this year…and five next year. Trust me…God will use a trip like this to ROCK your WORLD! You need to go!
- THANK YOU to EVERYONE who made the switch to our 4:15 service at the Anderson campus…we had over 700 people show up for that service (and once again over 11,000 for the day…that BLOWS MY MIND! We’ve NEVER had that many people show up to church two weeks in a row!)
- Our Florence campus had over 550 people…which is ABSOLUTELY amazing…in awe of what Jesus is doing there!
- The sermon today was on money…so there was automatically some tension in the house!
- One of the keys to financial freedom is NOT in getting “more” from God…but rather in managing what He’s already blessed us with!
- To say that we aren’t blessed is to mock the graciousness of God!
- Why preach on money? Because marriages are torn apart by it…people lose hope because of it…and THE BIBLE HAS SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT IT!
- It amazes me that some churches are silent on the issue of finances when the Bible ISN’T silent on that issue!
- Money is the only thing that some churches seem to apologize for teaching on…that’s CRAZY! We don’t apologize for teaching on sexual purity…or prayer…or having faith…why apologize for teaching about finances?
- God will not trust us with MORE if we are not honoring Him with what we have NOW! (Luke 16:10-12)
- Jesus didn’t say, “pray this prayer to get out of hell,” He called His disciples to follow Him…which means He gets EVERYTHING, our BEST, not our leftovers!
- I REALLY hope you are going to take advantage of Joe Sangls financial learning experience at one of our campuses this week…FOR FREE!!! Seriously…all you need to do is go here and sign up ASAP!!!
- God is an incredible giver (John 3:16) who gives indescribable gifts (II Corinthians 9:15).
- The reason the Gospel isn’t advancing as fast as it should be is NOT because of God…but because of GREED among people who claim they are following Him.
- Some people claim they cannot afford to tithe…I have personally discovered that I can’t afford not to!!!
- I praise God that NewSpring Church is a generous church…and a time of recession the church hasn’t missed a beat and are still able to move forward and advance His Gospel.
- For those who give…thank you…because of what you do financially God’s Kingdom IS being enlarged.
- For those who got angry about the message…it’s because your idol was attacked today. Money happens to be a really sucky God…trust me, I tried my best to serve it for a long time…and it led me to extreme debt and hopelessness.
- Our volunteers at NewSpring Church are AMAZING…to those who are involved at whatever campus…THANK YOU!!!
- COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS THIS WEEK! YES!!!
- Yes, I am going to the Clemson game Saturday…look for me…I’ll be wearing orange!
- I had the amazing privilege of participating in a roundtable discussion with Brian Houston on Thursday and Friday…and got to see Hillsong United in concert on Friday night…which was AWESOME!
NewSpring Church…I love serving as your pastor…can’t wait to see what happens next…hold on to your fork, the best is yet to come!!
Sunday Night Reflections August 9, 2009
What a Sunday…here are my wrap up thoughts for the day…
- Saw around 30-40 people receive Christ today…that NEVER gets old!
- Stories of how Jesus changes lives are powerful!
- Florence had their largest non-Easter attendance today in our new location…got a feeling that AWESOME things are about to happen down there!
- “With Everything” by Hillsong is one of my favorite songs of all time–WOW!
- NEXT weeks service will be THE LOUDEST service we’ve ever had at NewSpring Church…can’t wait!
- A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT is taking place next Sunday as well…about to BUST to share the details…what I can say is WHEN I make this announcement I believe our church will go crazy!!!
- The week after that we begin a brand new series called, “Five Lies of the Devil.”
- AND…the series after that we will take five weeks and cover “The End Times.”
- I can’t believe we are closing in on ten years of ministry…we’ve seen Ephesians 3:20 come true right in front of our eyes…and as I’ve said before, I really do believe these first 10 years have merely been Jesus laying the foundation…and now He’s REALLY about to do something amazing!!!
- Was able to spend a few minutes with one of my heroes in the ministry, Rick Warren, on the telephone today…I think he may be the most encouraging guy on the planet! EVERYBODY needs an encourager!!!
- (BTW…no one ever got mad at someone because they were encouraged by them too much!)
- We are hosting “One,” a conversation for senior pastors, youth pastors and children’s pastors and volunteers this Thursday…got around 100 people coming from over 30 different churches…can’t wait!
- I blogged about it here…but there are just a FEW more spots if you think you might be able to come! (Details on the link.)
- AND…the week after that the coaching network begins…can’t wait to meet these guys!
- Began making some initial notes in regards to our Christmas services the other day…it will be here before you know it!!!
- Got home tonight and Charisse asked me and Lucretia to go outside and jump on the trampoline…I told her no but then she opened her eyes really wide and tilted her head a little and said, “Please daddy!” Uh…yep…I jumped for at least 30 minutes!!!
- Was great having the Clemson football team at our Anderson campus today! SOOOO ready for college football to get started!
- Thinking about backing off of running for awhile…my body is pretty beat up…getting older isn’t that much fun!
- Lucretia and I started taking dance lessons last week…and I amazed her with my awesome moves!!!
- Can’t wait until next week!!!
That’s it…good night!!!
Happy Thanksgiving November 27, 2008
Hello everyone!
I hope all of you guys are about to indulge on an incredible day of giving thanks and eating some food.
What are some things I am thankful for?
- My wife! (God blinded her…I am so glad!)
- Our daughter!
- My wife’s cooking…HAD to be a food reference in here!
- NewSpring Church!
- NewSpring Staff!
- NewSpring volunteers…
- OK…NEWSPRING!
- That I do not wear a scarf OR a Christmas sweaters!!! :-)
- Twitter!
- Starbucks
- Clemson football
- The Dallas Cowboys playing today!
- God’s ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY over the universe!
- The guys in my coaching network!
- My new MAC…JUST about to say it’s the best computer ever…I said ABOUT…not quite there!
- Fogo De Chao!!! (I need an excuse to go to Atlanta…SOON!)
- Naps!
- 80’s music
- ALL of the Star Wars movies…
AND…seriously, MOST of all…I am thankful that Jesus power washed my soul and gave me a BRAND NEW START!
I was reading Psalm 16:2 the other morning and about hit the floor…that verse is SO TRUE in regards to my life!
Lots to be thankful for!!!
Do I Want Jesus…OR What I Think He Can Give Me? November 17, 2008
On Saturday I was getting ready to head out the door to go and see Clemson dominate Duke in God’s favorite sporting event–college football!!!!
As I was getting ready to leave the house Charisse, my amazingly beautiful and awesome daughter, came running up to me, hugged my legs, looked up at me and smiled & said, “Daddy!”
So…what did I do? I did what ANY dad would have done at that point…I stopped in my tracks, picked her up and gave her a big hug! It felt so wonderful to receive attention from my child and I REALLY was enjoying that moment…
Until…
She looked at the visor on my head & said, “hat” & then reached for it.
Let me explain…
All morning long I had let her play with my visor while I was getting ready for the game. She walked around the house with it…and even tried to put it on her head.
But when it was time to leave I took it from her and told her I had to go…and that is when she ran after me and began to give me attention…
BUT…her attention and affection WASN’T because she wanted to be close to me…but because of what I had that she wanted.
As I sat there thinking about this for a second God spoke to my heart and said, “You’ve treated me the same way before!”
BAM…busted! I am so guilty of times in my past where I prayed like crazy, raised my hands in worship, made HUGE promises and so on…but NOT because I was in awe of who He is…but rather I wanted something from Him and falsly assumed that if I did the right things and gave Him enough attention that He would finally break and fulfill my selfish desires.
BUT…God knows my heart! He knows my mind! He knows my motives…and He will not be tricked or deceived by empty worship.
One of the things I’ve been continually praying over the past year or so is for Jesus to continually make my motives pure…and if there is ANYTHING in me that is not of Him…to help me see it and get it out of my life. It’s not the easiest process to go through…but it’s been incredibly liberating!
At the end of the day I am praying that I will not want what I think Jesus can give me…but simply just want Jesus! It’s a battle…and I think there will always be a struggle to try and manipulate Him…but it simply cannot be done.
So…how about you…are you pursuing Jesus…OR are you just after you believe He can give you? Just something to think about today! I wish I were an expert on this…but I am struggling just like most of you are. However, in His grace, mercy and patience He is blowing my mind as I work through this…I hope you will work through this as well!
Sunday Night Reflections September 14, 2008
A few thoughts from the weekend before I head to bed…
- The celebration of the Lord’s Supper has always been one of my favorite things we do at NewSpring Church…and today was no exception.
- Seeing people receive Christ NEVER GETS OLD…EVER!
- Our drop down center screen worked for our second service at our Greenville campus…Tony posted some thoughts on it here…heard that it was absolutely amazing!
- Hey Greenville peeps…we should have it working in both services next Sunday…it looks amazing!
- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who was able to make the jump to 4:15…we had 500 additional people at that service today…and we went over 10,000 total! That is a first “non-holiday” attendance record!
- By the way…I know that everyone can’t make 4:15 fit into their schedule. However, for the next two weeks at least…if possible…give it a shot! Because people have been willing to make the switch we’ve had room in both of our morning services at the Anderson campus.
- Great weekend for football…Clemson won, South Carolina lost…ALMOST perfect, the only thing that would have made it better would have been if Notre Dame had gotten whipped!
- On a personal note…there is a HUGE difference between preaching three services and preaching four services. No problem though…God created espresso for such a time as this!
- I started to apologize for my “satan created cats” comment…but I’m really not sorry for saying that…and so for me to say I’m sorry would be a lie!
- Honestly, I’m already excited about what I believe God is going to do NEXT SUNDAY!
- AND…I am extremely pumped about our creative planning meeting on Tuesday! In it we will be discussing ideas for our upcoming series for women, our Christmas series…and laying the foundation for what I believe God wants our church to deal with through next May!
- Got some amazing guys coming in on Thursday for session two of our coaching network. Can’t wait…I love these guys & can’t wait to hear more about what the Lord is doing in their churches!
That’s it–good night to all!