Wasting Time

Im sorry if this seems a little harsh but unfortunately I feel that it must be said. This is my warning and plea to all young leaders that are seeking to come up and have success in their ministry area.

First, if you plan on being successful at all, Proverbs 21:5 says "plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage." What does that mean? PLAN! Plan and pray and seek God for your vision, if you don't have those components down first you can forget everything else.

Second, if you must meet with other high level leaders, and actually get time with them, realize that their time is precious and valuable. Don't even think about walking into a meeting like that without questions, a plan or vision or goals. If you do then congratulations you have managed to waste the time of leader actually doing something!

Third, READ! Think about this for a moment, if you want wisdom chances are someone has compiled all the knowledge and experience and written a book about that very thing. Most likely the questions you would have asked someone in person you could have found in a book. Leaders are readers.

If you're ready to change the world, then you better be ready to change yourself!

Seeing God

Isn't interesting how, there are times when God has clearly shown himself to us? I mean, where there is no way that you could deny having encountered Him...

I find that a lot of times people who say they cant see God, or have trouble really making a connection with Him, is NOT because God doesn't want to show himself but more often then not its because their vision of Him is blurred.

Paul, in Romans 12:1 says that we are to "present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice."

But what does that mean?

Do you remember when you were in biology class and used a microscope to look at cells and other objects your naked eye couldn't see? Well, like using a microscope as an instrument to see those cells, so to your body is the instrument with which you use to see God!

If your body is not clean or clear of sin, then your vision of God will most certainly be blurred. Remember, God wants to show Himself to you but its impossible if our bodies and minds are in the wrong condition.

Like the suns light that cannot be reflected in a dirty mirror, so too God cannot be seen in a life that is not wholly devoted to Him!

"99 Problems" sneak peak

Im excited for our new series to launch 2010, its called "99 Problems but My God Ain't One"

I think it will be our biggest series yet as we tackle some of the big issues in our life that seem to control, us and cause us to live lives without hope feeling alone and crushed under the weight of it all.

But there is a hope that is bigger than any and all of those issues and He is a Big God, just waiting for you to fall into His arms of Love!

New series launch is January 4th, see you then!!!

River of Guilt

I can vividly remember the time that I was out hiking and came upon a river that was flowing pretty quick from the recent rain and appeared to be quite deep.

As I stood on the shore of the river I looked both ways anxiously trying to find a way across so that I could complete my hike and get to my destination, only to find that there was clearly no way across. I felt defeated and discouraged as I turned around and headed back to the car to end my excursion.

Isnt it funny how our life has these rivers in from time to time? Things are going good and life is great you have a destination and purpose then all of the sudden, BAM! You get hit with guilt, shame, hurt, past failure and it becomes a surging river that we cant seem to cross.

We search desperately to find a bridge in which to get across, looking for just the right rocks directly in line, or an old log that might get us over, only to find ourselves drowning in our past.

When God sent His son to die on that cross, He became that bridge for us. In that moment when true love died, grace was bestowed upon us in an incomprehensible way. Grace, is not only is what is given that is not deserved, but it is the power to do what you could never do alone!

Whatever river you standing at, stop looking around frantically to find a way around and know that the way across is right before you!

Third Party Morality

By now, most of you know that Tiger Woods has done a fair job ruining his image with poor choices and reckless behavior, but what you might not have thought about are those people who sponsor him, work for him or affiliated with him and what has happened to them.

I read an article recently about a whole industry that has been created because this type of moral-less behavior is so prevalent in our society amongst those in the spotlight. Its being called "Third Party Moral Auditors" and it may sound like a joke, but I assure you it is not!

Companies are spending big bucks to make sure that, the people they pick to be figureheads or brand champions of their organizations mind their moral "P's" and "Q's." In a nutshell they would hire people to investigate the activities of those people beforehand to determine whether or not they are at high risk for some embarrassing moral failure potentially costing them millions later.

This all is a little comical to me, considering that we live in a society where the idea of a moral law governing and guiding our lives is considered intrusive and restrictive on our human rights.

What they are all missing is that, someone cannot be guided by a contract or even a third party investigator, Jesus knew that it was truly about the heart of a person that would ultimately guide them to righteousness. The Scribes and the Pharisees tried this very thing, by placing rules and regulations around them so as to appear righteous but deep down inside they were empty and lost.

In Matthew 5:20, Jesus speaking to the people said, "...unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." What Jesus was saying is that, your heart must be right in order to be truly righteous. Our heart then becomes a moral compass that guides us towards right and wrong and if we focus on making the heart right, then there is no need for contracts, investigators or background checks to keep people heading in the right direction!

Part 2: Being the Best

Earlier this week I posed the question "how far you are willing to go to be the best?" and that in order to be the best it takes hard, laborious even tedious work to get there.

Unfortunately, many people want and even dream about success but are either unwilling or too lazy to put in what it takes, and this article I just read proves it.

Love him or hate him you have to respect Kobe Bryant for his sheer determination to be the best, and for those that watched the last second victory over the Bucks, few could doubt his prowess.

Here is an excerpt from an article written by ESPN about Kobe:

That's what he does, right? That game-winner over Charlie Bell is precisely the reason that Kobe Bryant wins all kinds of surveys as most feared player in the NBA.

He knows who's going to be defending him. He knows where he wants to get on the court. He knows what he wants to do when he gets there. He knows how to account for his injured finger. He has practiced everything.

Other players are bigger and stronger. But nobody knows more, prepares better or better embodies sheer professionalism. Any success he has is well deserved.

Think back through his career. How many times have you seen him hit game-winners? 30? 40? A thousand? We can all remember plenty of them. And that's why he has the best selling jersey in the world.

Last night's shot gave Kobe Bryant fans precisely the evidence they need to prove, yet again, that this guy is the absolute best.

Who would question them?

God and the devil wage war

Great video from Tuesday night at Generate High this week. I love the talent we have at our church, I think that this is the best I have ever seen.

Turn or Burn

We've all seen them...The guy standing on the corner yelling, "Turn or burn!" holding signs that say "Repent or go to hell." They do more yelling than anything else and hope that somehow people will look at them and suddenly realize they are wrong...

It saddens me that these people actually think that they are doing good, when people either ignore them or argue with them. How does that ever show the love of Jesus to people that feel like they have no need for Him in the first place?

I would like to know where in scripture they find this type of behavior, because I just don't see it anywhere.

It makes me sick to my stomach to think that the one encounter some one may ever have with Jesus is through someone yelling at them! Im sorry to all of you who have ever heard the "gospel" screamed at you in this way...

How Far Will You Go?

I've been wanting to write this blog for a while now but have recently been inspired by some people to really ask this question; "How far are you willing to go to be the best?"

Whatever your field is, ask yourself this question, are you daily, doing everything you can to be the best at what you do? Whether you are a pastor, manager, chef or mechanic do you strive constantly to take yourself, your ministry or other people to the next level?

Think about this, in medieval times warriors that did battle daily would spend hours sharpening not only their skills, but also their weapons to be effective in battle. If your doing battle daily in any arena, do take time to sharpen yourself?

If you are a speaker, do you watch videos of yourself, critiquing your content, your stage presence, mannerisms and even speech? If your a manager, do evaluate your meetings and how people respond to you?

My point is, that in order to be successful, you will often have to put in extra time and effort to bring the best out of yourself and others. I have no doubt in my mind that Jesus was the best carpenter around, not just because He was God, but because Im sure He was willing to go the extra mile. Are you??

Tonight!

Im excited to talk about Hope tonight and how we can find perspective through the cross that turns our natural selfishness to selflessness!

We will be selling T-shirts that are sponsoring kids in Kenya for $35, that will keep them in school and take care of their personal needs for 2 years! This is a great opportunity to change a life for eternity 6000 miles away.

See you all tonight!

Hope gives vision

I know its been a while since my last post...been slackin...no excuses!

But here is what Im learning about hope, when we bring the truth of Jesus Christ to people they are given a transforming love that goes deeper than this world could ever comprehend. Its a love that isnt based in emotion or feelings, its stripped of all selfishness and seeks only the best for us.

That love gives people HOPE, and hope gives you vision to see past your current situation and see that you were destined for so much more in this life and the life to come. With that hope, problems become small in the light of a HUGE God that transcends time and space, yet He is so personal that he considered you worthy to die for and wants eternity with you!

Lets give this world love!

Lets give this world vision!

Lets give this world HOPE!

Friends from Catalyst

We love the guys over at Catalyst. They are doing huge things around the country uniting leaders from all around the country to brainstorm and help change the world for the name of Christ.

Brad Lomenick is the president of the Catalyst and has a great blog with incredible insight and wisdom as well as information.

Check out his recent post about "Whats Your Tone."

Great read and something all of us need to be reminded about.