Archive for Networking
Travel Highlights From Day One… May 19, 2008
So here was my day today (Monday!)
- Got up at 3:45, had an incredible quiet time and then did a 30 minute workout.
- Tony was at my house at 5:45 so we could head to GSP to catch a plane.
- Plane was delayed flying out of GSP…but we still made our connecting flight in ATL
- This guy sat two rows in front of me.
- Took forever to get my luggage. (Tony took his on board with him…I can’t…if I pack one pair of shoes it requires an extra large suitcase. I wear a 14!)
- Met with a really cool agent and his sons (who are also agents) & discussed a potential book deal for four hours…I’m VERY excited.
- Tony and I got lost…IN THE PARKING GARAGE! We literally could not find our rental car and I had to keep hitting the panic button on the key chain so that it would make noise.
- Tomorrow I get to go to this church and participate in a conference that Rick is putting on. They’ve asked me to be on a panel & help participate in a discussion. Here is a list of the participants…I am WAY over my head.
- I am really looking forward to hearing Rick speak!
That’s it–good night!!!!
Where Are You From? July 11, 2007
OK blog world–I’ve got to know–where are you from?
The lady who handles all of the e-mail from this site AND for our church is awesome–her name is Jenn and she was actually one of the original 15 people who God used to start NewSpring.
I walked into her cube the other day and she had up a map of the United States AND of the world with pins in it. When I asked her what that was she said, “The pins are places where people have e-mailed from across the US and around the world that have connected to us through your blog and/or the church website.”
It was amazing to see where people have connected with us from. (On a side note–I think we are getting closer and closer to seeing the entire world reached for Christ!))
SO…I told her I would ask the question on this site…where are you reading from? NOW…seriously, if you are reading from anywhere in the upstate then there is no need to e-mail in…we’ve already got a “pin” on the upstate.
However, if you are connecting with us from somewhere in the US OR around the world…shoot us an e-mail with your name and where you are from…Jenn will put a pin in that place…and then I will try to put a picture on this site of her maps.
Send away… and say hey to Jenn! :-)
Here–take it, it’s free! June 26, 2007
I said last week that a big announcement would be coming on this site this week–well, I can’t say it any better than Tony said it! This pumps me up!
Learn All That You Can February 6, 2007
Have you ever gotten to the place where you feel completely over your head? (If not then take some risks!) I would say that “over my head” has been the best way to describe the way I feel in regards to NewSpring for the past seven years.
Keep something in mind…NewSpring is the ONLY church that I have ever served as the senior pastor. People come by and see what God is doing here and say, “I am amazed.” I ALWAYS say the same thing–no one is more amazed by this than me!!!
SO…how does a leader lead in situations like this? It’s very simple–we’ve GOT to be students for the rest of our lives and LEARN all that we can…whatever that takes!!!
As I look back over the past 17 years of my life as a Christ Follower/minister I have noticed a pattern in me…and I am just being honest here…I have always sought to get around other people and places that are successful and seek to learn as much as I can. I understand that when God was passing out wisdom He skipped right over me…and so I have to “get” as much as I can from other people!!!
I will admit that there are times when I have been tempted to back away from “learning” and just focus on leading…but the Holy Spirit will not allow me to do that. Back in November I was struggling with whether or not to attend a conference in December…I was just about to say “no” until God rocked my world with Proverbs 2:1-5 and Proverbs 4:7. Learning takes WORK…and God has been very clear to me that the day I stop growing is the day I HURT the church that I am leading.
Learning costs both money and time…but it is worth every minute and every dime. (Hey–that rhymed!) I have met people who say, “I would never pay that much money for a book or to attend a conference!” My response is always the same, “I can tell!!!”
You know who is an EXCELLENT example of someone who is a freak about learning? Bill Hybels!!! Seriously, that dude has forgotten more about leadership than I will ever know. YET at the A2 conference this year hosted by Willow he went on and on about this new leadership book he was reading, the people he was meeting with and getting mentored by…and on and on. I had this thought, “If ANYONE doesn’t ever need to read another leadership book it’s Bill.” And then I realized that one of THE reasons for Willow’s success is a leader who has a passion for learning.
I understand that I lack wisdom in SO MANY areas…and so in order to do that I have to place myself in environments where I can learn. Saying all of that–here are three things on my radar for the next couple of months that I know will help me out in this area.
#1 - The C3 Conference At Fellowship Church
I remember the first time I attended this conference back in 2002…it ROCKED my world. That conference gave me permission to THINK BIG. It was there that I really understood that God’s vision for the church was WAY bigger than my vision…and I left both changed and challenged.
I will be there this year, along with five other staff members. AND…if you are still considering whether or not you should go or not–GO!!! Believe me…this conference is worth skipping meals for. And the speakers that Ed has brought in this year–DANG!!! Trust me…you will walk away challenged…and your vision will be bigger than it has ever been!!!
#2 - The Churchplanters Conference At Mountain Lake Church
I first met Sean Lovejoy (I love his name…it sounds so happy!!!) several months ago and discovered that this guy is SERIOUS about reaching people for Christ. He told me about this conference that he was putting on…and then he asked me to speak! (Poor guy!)
Yes, I am speaking…but that isn’t the reason I am excited! I’m excited because I always learn in environments like that!!! There is nothing like being in a room with church planters and pastors who have a raw passion to see lives changed…and are determined to make it happen. I LOVE THAT–IT FIRES ME UP!!! And I always walk away learning MORE than I tried to teach!
#3 - The Unleash Conference At NewSpring Church
OK…I am biased…but I really do think this is going to be a great conference. Believe me when I say that we don’t know a lot of the RIGHT things to do…but we definitely know many of the WRONG things. One of the things we will be focusing on during this conference is NOT just telling you about our success, but telling you about the mess ups we have had along the way as well. We figure if we have already made the mistake…there is no need for you to do the same!!!
Leaders–we have GOT to read…got to ask questions…got to attend conferences…because if we STOP then, once again, we jeopardize our church!!! (I was really challenged when I read this the other day…I want to be a leader who asks questions!!!)
Oh yeah, NewSpringers…don’t forget First Wednesday tomorrow night…we will be talking about how to hear God’s voice. Can’t wait!!!
A Few Quick Things… January 19, 2007
#1 - I Ain’t As Good As I Once Was!!!
I spoke at Clemson’s FCA last night…and I had a blast. I love college students…I always have–and their FCA is one of my favorite environments to speak in…HOWEVER…
I didn’t get home until after 11:00. DANG!!! I am not used to that! Literally…I am usually in bed no later than 9:30…and from time to time I will live on the wild side and go to bed at 10:00. :-)
It made me think of the days when I would stay up until one or two…whew…THAT is a thing of the past!
#2 - Church Is Going To Rock On Sunday!
Lee and I had the privilege of working together on a video for this weekend that will be fun for all to see! AND…if it does sleet or snow…yes, we will have church!!! :-)
#3 - We Do Not Know Yet.
I posted earlier in the week that we might find out if we are having a girl or boy this week…but it looks like it will be another two weeks…I promise I will keep you posted. And yes, we are telling what the sex of the baby is…I had to keep the fact that ‘Cretia was pregnant a secret for months…but I have been given permission to tell everyone this news! :-)
#4 - God Is Rocking My World!
Uh…yeah…God has slapped my face this week…in an awesome way. It is so awesome that He is so real in the way He speaks and communicates through His Word, His Spirit…and other people…and how it all flows together. I will post more on this next week…let’s just say it has been so cool!!! And for those who pray for me…please pray that He will continue to do this!!!
#5 - Pastors and Church Leaders–MARCH 15th Is THE DAY!!!
Mark your schedules now…and plan on bringing tons of people with you to NewSpring that day as we do our one day mini-conference. I will talk more about this next week…but I can say this…I love the way we have structured this thing. It is less about “theory” and more about answering the questions that YOU may have about church!!!
That’s about it…got to go hit the gym…and then tonight is date night–WOO HOO!!!
Links & Such… January 13, 2007
Wanted to do a rare Saturday post with some misc. stuff..
My friend Craig Groeschel has stepped into the blogging world! (Welcome dude!) I first met Craig at Willow’s A2 conference this past year and I automatically loved the guy. Why? He’s real…and he is one of the most innovative thinkers on the planet. Here is the link to his blog.
Nelson Searcy & Kerrick Thomas are going to be doing a church planting seminar in New York later this month. I would HIGHLY recommend this because…well…these guys are NOT just full of theory…but rather than have learned what to do AND what not to do–because they have been in the trenches…and are going to share this information! Here is the link to that!
With Tony’s move being announced there were several people who weighed in with a blog post…
- Here is Tony’s annoucement
- (Hey NewSpringers–leave him a comment welcoming him to the South!)
- Here is Tim’s take (The Executive Pastor @ Granger)
- Here is Kem’s take (she works in Tony’s area at Granger)
- Gary had some awesome insights into Southern living–with the exception of #1…which is heresy!
- Jonathan put a picture on his blog
- Kevin Hendricks put up a post (this is one of my favorite sites…you either LOVE or HATE the name…and I love it!!!)
And one more thing…since I saw in internet world that the cat is already out of the bag–sort of! Pastors, church leaders…whoever…mark your date books for Thursday, March 15th. NewSpring Church will be hosting our first ever mini-conference!!! It will be a one day event with two leadership lessons AND two breakout sessions where people can ask questions and get answers!!! We will be addressing things such as…
- A senior pastors only breakout
- Children’s ministry
- Creative service planning
- Youth ministry
- Volunteers
- Home groups
- Communications
And a few other things as well.
This is me really letting the cat out of the bag–stay tuned next week as we launch the website for this event. I can’t wait!!!
Excited AND Nervous! December 12, 2006
First of all–please don’t e-mail in regarding this post and ask, “Were you serious?” The answer is YES!!! Now–on to my ramblings…
This conference has asked me to come be a keynote speaker. If you are a church planter or pastor or minister or just someone who loves the church–you should come to this thing. NOT because I am speaking (more on that in a second) but because I have seen the other guys that will be speaking and I can’t wait to go and hear what they have to say. I am a student & I need to soak up as much information as possible…and this conference will provide that opportunity.
If you are going back and forth on whether or not you have the time and money–my recommendation would be for you to check out Proverbs 2:1-5…that passage rocked my world recently when I was trying to decide whether or not to go to a conference. I was seriously weighing the decision and the Lord led me to that passage…and that was confirmation that if I desire wisdom then I must search for it.
I love meeting and networking with pastors…and I have heard from a few different sources that this conference was off the hook last year. SO…come on down to the great state of Georgia (my wife is from Georgia–that fact alone makes that a great place) and lets talk about the church–I CAN’T WAIT!!! Thanks Sean for the invite.
OK…he actually invited me to speak several months ago…but I am just now posting about it because…well…I am excited!!! AND NERVOUS!
Seriously! When I spoke at the Innovative Church Conference that Granger Community Church hosted…I had to pee about 14 times the hour before I spoke. On Sunday’s at NewSpring I pace, have to go to the restroom…check my mic about 15 times…and I always…and I mean ALWAYS make sure that my zipper is up–any speaker will admit that he checks this at LEAST 20 times…a speakers worse nightmare is to begin his talk and realize that his zipper is down!!! Yes, it HAS happened to me. NO, I will NOT talk about it except to say that I am now paranoid! (I am just being totally honest!)
SO…when it comes to sharing information with church planters and pastors I am excited…excited that the tomb is empty…excited that Jesus LOVES HIS CHURCH and has called us to GROW…excited about life change. Excited about hearing stories about what God is doing all over the world.
But…I am nervous as well. Nervous because I desperately don’t want to screw anything up!!! (I have a habit of doing that.)
Some pastor may be wondering whether or not he can afford to go. Here’s my take–you can’t afford NOT to go!!! The Bible says search for wisdom…pay any price to achieve it…and trust me, after comparing this conference to other conferences…this one is a DEAL!!!
NewSpringer’s–I would DEEPLY appreciate your prayers as I have been asked to speak at this conference…and I will also be speaking to a group of South Carolina Baptist pastors in October!!! Please pray as my hearts desire is to encourage and motivate people to invest their lives and efforts in the greatest organization in the world–HIS CHURCH!
Oh yeah–did I mention that this Sunday is going to be awesome?!?!?! :-)