Archive for June, 2008

In the Desert…

June 11, 2008 at 7:20 am · Filed under Life Lessons, Ministry Moments

For those of you who follow us regularly through this site, I want to say thank you and give you a heads up on what to expect during the upcoming weeks.

God has been doing an amazing work in my life and I believe He is preparing me for the greatest assignment I have ever received from Him. In order to prepare for this assignment, I have taken the last 6 months of my life to consume as much information as humanly possible about leadership, communication, vision, pastoring, and of course… Church Planting.

But there comes a time when information overload can actually get in the way of spending quality time before the Creator of the Universe allowing Him only to pour into my life!

Now I know the learning I have previously been experiencing has obviously been priceless for the development of this calling. And I know this education is a direct result of what God is already doing in the lives of other Godly leaders. So He has certainly used these sources to fill my mind and heart with incredible insights for how ministry is supposed to be done, for which and to whom I will certainly remain grateful for all these men have done for me!

Even still, I know God is calling me to FAST!!!

His Spirit is calling me into the Desert where I will be challenged to face the elements of the wilderness and probably some of the greatest temptation I have ever experienced. He is calling me to follow the footsteps of Christ so that I may learn from the GREATEST LEADER of all time. And if we are to follow Christ, then the beginning of any ministry always starts in the Desert.

Because it is in the Desert where we truly find our One True SOURCE!

So this post is simply to let you know where I will be for the next several weeks. I will be away from the Internet, the books, and the blogs. I will be on my face before our Creator, begging Him to show me:

1. Who He is…

2. What He wants…

3. And how I am to serve Him… in His Plan! 

Please pray for me and my family as we take this journey together. At some point, I will return. But until then my friends, know that His Spirit is calling me into the Desert…

And I will see you on the other side, ready to execute God’s plan for my life.     

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Networking

June 5, 2008 at 9:37 am · Filed under Accountability, Church Planting, Words of Wisdom

Nobody likes to go through life alone. I (especially) am one of those people!

I am a very relational person who cares deeply about the issues and circumstances in other people’s lives. And I’m always looking to connect with other people who may be dealing with the same season of life in which I’m currently living.

Which is why I’m so grateful for the relationships I share with other church planters (and their staff members) all around the country. Because the reality of the life is that no one really knows what you’re going through except for the people who have already been there! 

I love encouraging other pastors. And I love when other pastors take it upon themselves to reach out in encouraging me. There is nothing more motivating than getting a phone call, txt message, or email from someone who has already been right where you are and wants to see you succeed on the other side.

So I want to say publicly, one more time, “THANK YOU” to all of you who continually spur me on! I love all of you more than you will ever know and I will never forget what you are doing for me during this time of my life. Thank you for taking a consistent interest in me and for routinely sowing your seed into my life and His ministry.

May God continue to bless you beyond your wildest dreams for the way you are ever encouraging me to always chase after the one He has given me. It is my prayer that our relationships will only contine to grow stronger with each passing season of life!!! 

If you are trying to go through life alone, please wise up and stop being foolish. Reach out and connect. You will be amazed at what God will do through others He is putting around you…   

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Love… Hate…

June 4, 2008 at 7:43 am · Filed under Family Ties, Health & Fitness

I don’t think there is anyone on this planet who can honestly say they LOVE exercise. At least not like they love… icecream, vacation, children, or a spouse. Certainly not as much as they love Jesus!

But, I believe I can honestly say I “loved” (or at least “enjoyed”) my exercise this morning.

Tanner and I went for a walk, which is something we usually do in the afternoon after Teresa gets home. However, we both just had the energy and excitement for it this morning and I am so glad we did it. The walk was beautiful, the air was cool, the morning sun was energizing, and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards is now motivating.

So I’ll go so far to say that I now have a ”love, hate” relationship with my exercise program.

Yep, still hate having to do it. But yes, I am starting to love the benefits of it.

I feel like I have started the day off right… 

And we’ll see where it goes from here!

What are some areas of your life that cause you to have a ”love, hate” relationship with them? 

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Too Late…

June 3, 2008 at 2:53 pm · Filed under Health & Fitness, Leadership 101

To go to sleep!

The past several nights, we haven’t gotten in the bed before midnight and I am certainly starting to feel the effects of this behavior today. I have got to start going to sleep earlier.

I want the time I’m awake to be the most productive they can possibly be, but if I’m walking around like a zombie all day then I’m really not accomplishing much of anything.

So here is my recommitment to sleep!

In order that I might adjust one more area of my life so to become the best leader I can possibly become.

What’s an area in your life you need to take back?

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What I’ve Learned From Substitute Teaching

June 2, 2008 at 4:02 pm · Filed under Crazy Experiences, Life Lessons, Student Ministry

Today was my last full day of substitute teaching (at least until next school year rolls around) and so I thought I would take just a minute to share some of the lessons I learned from my substitute experiences this year…

1. Teachers are the most under paid professionals in the world. Think about it. Were it not for not for teachers, we would have no other profession. Yet, there is absolutely no money to be made in the field of education but you would be AMAZED at the CRAP teachers have to put up with each and every day. And I’m not even talking about the kids at this point…

2. Students just want to be loved. And they will do anything you ask them to do once they know you really love them and you truly have their best interest at heart. Think of the impact the church could make in their lives if we just took the initiative to show them how much we really love them. Yet, we are losing more and more students from the church every single year.

3. The local school system is the largest mission field in your church’s area. It is high time we started making an impact right where the culture is craving Jesus the most! Why are we not doing all we can to be in the schools as often as humanly possible? Maybe it is my Student Ministry heritage starting to come out, but I still see way too many ministers (Student Pastors especially) sitting at the office rather than engaging in the hallway. And you wonder why your student ministry has failed to take off…

4. Public Education is the lifeline and heartbeat of every single community. It is where life happens for nearly every family. From the youngest child to the oldest parent, and everyone in between, we are all connected in some way through this local organization we call the “school.” Why has the church not done more to tap into this resource to make a lasting impact in their community?

5. Teaching is FUN because of the eternal rewards. Let’s be honest. As a substitute teacher, you really aren’t teaching any new information. You are only there to help reinforce what has already been learned (most people call this “busy work” or “baby sitting”). But I have taken a different approach. I now see each time that I’m called to sub as another opportunity to invest in the life of a younger individual who may need to experience Jesus. And for me, teaching is where the best investments in life are made every day!

And nothing is more rewarding than investing in another person’s life only to see the radical life change take place! I want to always live my life as a person looking for daily opportunities to actually make a difference, even if it is only one day at a time. Its always fun to be one call away…

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