October 2011
1 post
4 tags
Campaign 4s
We have it pretty good in life. Many of us are going to drop $199 to upgrade to the new iPhone 4s. Meanwhile, more than a billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water. I don’t mean that their pipes don’t work; I mean that they have to walk hours each day to collect dirty water from stagnant ponds and muddy rivers. I don’t want to sit by and just do nothing,...
August 2011
1 post
2 tags
“Do you do what you do because you love it, or because it’s just what you...”
– @BrianCHouston
July 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Book Review: Billy
Before Billy Graham became “America’s Pastor”, he was simply known as Billy. His best friend, Charles Templeton, was an evangelist and the two young men began strategizing on how to win the world for Christ. That plan takes a turn when Templeton leaves the faith and becomes an atheist. Charles would later become the great intellectual for agnosticism and atheism. Billy would...
5 tags
Do Something Important Today
It’s easy to get bogged down with the urgent things in life, the things that are screaming for our attention. Although many of those urgent things in life are important many of them are not, they’re just immediate. If I’m not careful I will sometimes neglect the important for the urgent because I don’t take the time to distinguish between the two. Don’t get me wrong...
June 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Check Your Motives
1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God is more concerned about WHY we do something than WHAT we are doing. God examines our heart and we should take the time to do the same. Here’s some questions...
3 tags
WatchFather’s Day Weekend at Church of the Redeemer. Be there.
April 2011
9 posts
5 tags
What It Means To Follow Christ
It’s not about rules and it’s not about rituals. It’s about loving God and loving people. That’s it.
This truth is so simplistic, yet so profound. We tend to muddy it with so many other things and loose sight of it’s importance.
Love God. Love People.
4 tags
4 tags
1 tag
“If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big.”
– Donald Trump
3 tags
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these...”
– 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)
3 tags
WatchA moving story of life change.
4 tags
“If you want to be understood, don’t speak to impress people, speak in a language...”
– Phil Cooke
March 2011
7 posts
2 tags
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere...”
– Yogi Berra
3 tags
How to Avoid God's Blacklist
Tonight my wife and I are opening up our home to about 25 volunteer leaders from our church. We are looking forward to hanging out with them and getting to know them as we spend time together. This morning I read a passage of scripture that talks about having dinner with God. Could you imagine? In Psalm chapter fifteen David talks about what it takes to get on the guest list and how to avoid the...
3 tags
“God didn’t send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the...”
– Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:17 MSG)
2 tags
Your Inner Circle
The following is from “Developing the Leaders Around You” by John C. Maxwell:
“The greatest leadership principle that I have learned in more than thirty years of leadership is that those closest to the leader will determine the success level of that leader. The determination of a positive or negative outcome in my leadership depends upon my ability to recognize the value that...
3 tags
WatchInterview with Seth Godin
4 tags
“Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day...”
– Arthur Gordon
February 2011
13 posts
2 tags
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The...”
4 tags
How to Make a BIG Impact
Dream BIG.
Think BIG.
Plan BIG.
Work BIG.
Remember… God is BIG and you are not. Follow after God and he will use you to make a BIG impact in this small world.
2 tags
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these...”
– The Apostle Paul
3 tags
Love God. Love People.
Love. That one word summarizes all that has been given to us and all that is required of us. God loves us and asks that in return we love him and love people. That’s it, that’s all that God requires of us. You don’t have to live a “great” life, you don’t have to acquire vast knowledge, you don’t have to do anything except love. Love God and love people.
...
2 tags
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will...”
– John Wooden
3 tags
WatchA Rare Look Inside Pixar Studios
3 tags
“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be...”
– Albert Einstein
6 tags
6 Signs of A Top Level Volunteer
In the world of church and non profit organizations volunteers are the people who make things happen. Although, it’s important that we recruit people based on ability and not just availability. If there is one thing I’ve come to realize (sometimes the hard way) it’s that a high caliber volunteer can add significant value to your ministry, but the wrong volunteer can have a...
4 tags
5 Quotable Quotes
Here’s a list of five quotes that have crossed my path over the last week that I thought I would pass along.
“If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend.” - Abraham Lincoln
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, hatred leads to suffering.” - Yoda
“Hang out with the wise, living or dead, for that is how we...
3 tags
Confessions of a "Professional" Minister
Those in ministry can sometimes be the most susceptible to losing their passion and zeal for God and people. It is very easy to become a “professional minister” or to work in full-time ministry yet have a part-time devotion to God. I have personally experienced this in my own life, completely blind to the condition of my heart. To be completely honest I am still recovering from this...
1 tag
Book Review: Fathered by God
I recently finished Fathered By God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You by John Eldredge.
Personally I found this a very good book. As a matter of fact I think I will go as far as saying that it ranks in my top 10 personal favorites. Some of it may have to do with the stage of life that I am currently in and also the fact that I didn’t have much of a father figure in my life...
3 tags
What's Your Motive for Leading Others?
It is important that we constantly examine our motives for leading others. Leadership is a stewardship and a responsibility that you and I will be held accountable for. I believe that our motivation for leading should be to serve and help others. To be honest, it takes a secure person to use the influence that God has granted them and use it for the good of others. I know for me that I have to...
4 tags
Leftover Gift Cards
Christmas has come and gone and if you’re like me you probably have a few gift cards in your wallet with only a few dollars or even a few cents left on it. Did you know that you can take those leftover gift cards and give them to people in need? There is a website called, giftcardgiver.com that tells you how to do just that.
Here’s all you do: Write how much is left on your card...
January 2011
7 posts
1 tag
Me and My Big Mouth
This morning I felt challenged to stop talking and just listen. I once heard someone say that God gave us two ears and one mouth because He wants us to listen twice as much as we speak. So, over the next 21 days I am going to put all blogging, tweeting and other forms of social networking on hold and just sit back and observe. Enough said.
2 tags
The Next 21 Days
My wife and I are joining with our church in a 21 day fast from January 10th - 31st. During this time I am chooseing to do the Daniel Fast and periodically fast entire meals for extended times of prayer and Bible reading.
“In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were...
5 tags
WatchGoing the 2nd Mile: This is an excellent video teaching from Pastor Jonathan Wilson of Newport Church that was shared during our staff retreat.
NOTE: Don’t worry it starts out in Spanish, but it’s translated about 1 minute into the video.
1 tag
“I hear, I forget. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.”
– African proverb
3 tags
7 Practices You Should Practice
The one book that has had the greatest impact on shaping my approach to ministry is, Seven Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley, Lane Jones and Reggie Joiner. I highly recommend that you put this on your reading list. Much of the content of this book is included in a series of free recorded audio discussions. Below I have included links to download each discussion. I hope that you...
3 tags
My Top 10 Favorite Blogs of 2010
I subscribe to several blogs and all of them are really great (that’s why I subscribe to them), but I thought I would share my top 10 from 2010. These are the blogs that I have gotten the most out of on a consistent basis over the past year.
1. Brad Lomenick - Brad is the director of Catalyst. He writes about leadership, creativity, innovation, social media, teamwork, and personal growth....
3 tags
December 2010
9 posts
1 tag
“Think big. Act small.”
– Unknown
6 tags
4 tags
5 tags
Communities vs. Committees
In my new role of overseeing the Life Group Ministry at Church of the Redeemer I am rereading a book that I read several years ago, “Creating Community” by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits. There is a lot to share from this book, but one thing I found valuable for any organization was the clarification between a community and a committee. I’ve paraphrased this principle below.
You...