Reaching Potential

So I have now had 3 weeks to recover and contemplate the firing of Tommy Bowden as the head football coach of my beloved Clemson Tigers. As I have been reading the web and articles and then thinking about it, what I have seen as a continual theme is that his teams don’t play to their potential and players don’t realize their potential. So what is that?? I mean is there some measure of potential that a doctor or trainer can determine. I don’t think so, but what I realized is that we had great recruiting classes that come with high expectations. Expectations that those highly rated classes will achieve great things…I think that is what potential is. How do we perform against the expectations that are based on our talents and abilities.

Well that really got me thinking…as leaders in the church are we reaching our potential?? And a bigger question are we developing the people who we serve or serve on our teams so that they reach their potential?? I think as leaders we have the responsibility to help people to maximize what they can get from the skills that God has given them. Not everyone has the ability to sing lead on the worship team or be the lead in the drama, but a person who can’t act or sing may be able to sell tickets or hand out bulletins. Maybe they are great at greeting people and making them feel welcome. And maybe, just maybe, that person doesn’t even realize they have that skill.

As leaders, we need to look for ways to help people find that hidden skill and help our people grow and utilize that skill. We have to talk with them, mentor them, and pray for and with them. We can’t do it alone, but with God we can unlock the potential that God has given to everyone. Remember, not everyones potential is the same, but everyone has the ability to be equally great at using the gifts that God has given them. We as leaders just have to enable them to be great…

Live from the Pumpkin Patch

Ok, so I am from the South and I honestly don’t ever remember going to the pumpkin patch and since I have been in the Midwest, I haven’t ever really been motivated to go to a pumpkin patch since I haven’t had a pumpkin in years, but on Saturday Christine dragged gave me the privilege of going with her, Colton, and her parents to a pumpkin patch.

When we got there I was shocked, that place was packed, we had to park on the street and walk up there. So I am guessing this is some big deal in the midwest that I have been missing for the last 15 years. I was surprised how many people showed up to look at a bunch of pumpkins, but there were tons of them. And when we got up there, I realized why I hadn’t been before…it was because I didn’t have a Colton to take with me. So I am not sure how much a 5 month old can enjoy the pumpkin patch, but he did see a goat, pet a donkey and looked pretty doggone cute in these pictures..

If you got kids and haven’t done it, I think they will love it…Colton will probably be back next year…

Celebrating Victory

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a sports junkie. I love sports..playing and watching..now I will admit as I have gotten older, I do more watching than playing, but that is a whole other blog post…

And then this weekend as I was watching Clemson win, the US Ryder Cup team win, and the Cowboys win (good weekend huh??) and I was celebrating those victories, the words from “Marvelous Light” (that we sang at Innovate) hit me:

Sin has lost its’ power

Death has lost its’ sting

From the grave you’ve risen

Victoriously

And I thought to myself, why is it that we as Christians celebrate a sports victory more than we celebrate Christ defeating death and giving us eternal life spent with our amazing Father. Why is it that we will spend more time watching a game, than helping others become part of God’s celebration.

I mean, seriously, isn’t overcoming death a whole lot bigger victory than a football game?? I am not saying don’t celebrate a victory, because I always will, but as Christians, shouldn’t our biggest celebrations should be for eternal victories, not the ones on earth?? I think we need to check our priorities and look at them from an eternal perspective and then see how much greater those celebrations will be…

Innovate Session 5 Part 2

Innovate Impact — Steven Furtick

Preach on preacher man!!

Here are my notes-this was awesome again:

Where there is no vision, the people perish — Proverbs 29:16

There is a great burning promise from God in your life, but it seems like others keep rushing to the front line and you are left behind

Between the promise and the pay off there is process

What is better filling out 401K forms, buying a boat and retiring in a hammock or making eternal impact on people’s lives??

There is a price and a process to see the manifestation of God

No matter how big your church is or how bad the choir robes are or how off key the music is you are still anointed by God!!

Many people don’t get to the promise because they faint during the process

David got the chance to kill Goliath because he delivered cheese and bread to his brothers on the front line

The process is the point

It always starts small. Don’t despise small beginnings

There is no shortage of God’s supply in our ministry…there is just a shortage of our capacity

This was truly inspiring again, it was so powerful that it brought tears to my eyes…God was truly speaking through Steven today..have the audacity to believe that God can do anything!!

Innovate Session 5 Part 1

Innovate Impact — LifeChurch.TV Directional Team

So this session started with a bang..it was amazing worship. For those who are here, God was in that room, singing with us. I could feel the Holy Spirit moving through the room and it was awesome and somewhat overwhelming..what a great way to start the afternoon…

Now here are the key points I took away from this session:

LifeChurch.tv Directional Leadership team

1. An organization is the reflection of its leadership

It is critical for leadership to be self-aware

Self-awareness is the platform that God begins to work with us from

It is only through that self-awareness that God can begin to work with us.

A team environment that allows for that self-awareness is critical

Craig Groeschel has invited the ability to speak into his life. He really wants critique to help him gain perspective.

Take the time to celebrate the win

If there is a character trait in the leader then it may show up in his organization

Do anything short of sin to reach others for Christ

Have some tools that you can use to take character to something more personal
You have to understand your personality and that of those around you

Come to a place of understanding so that the skills that attract, don’t begin to attack

Your development process begins with the hiring process

It is much harder for smaller, newer churches to stay on course because more people feel they have the ability to speak into what is going on

Trust God to keep you on track to your vision

2. Willingness to “get naked”

True self awareness only comes from looking at things from outside the picture

You have to be willing to be vulnerable

Education can become alienation

-if everyone does not have the same information, it can cause dissention

-when pieces are missing, things just won’t be complete

3. The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the pain you’re willing to endure.

Making the changes to go from where you are to where God wants you to be can be very difficult and very painful. You may lose people or have to prune some people in order to do that.

What is the painful decision God is calling us to make that we are putting off because of the pain??

Our capacity as leaders will be found at our ability to endure pain

Innovate Breakout session #2

How can you keep the vision in view when you can’t see it?? — Steven Furtick

I don’t have a lot of notes from this session, but wow, this guy can preach..I think I could sit for hours and listen to him deliver the word of God..check our his blog and his church’s website

Here are a few bits of wisdom he passed on to us:

Vision is spoken to you from the heart of God

When planting a church find someone who will so radically buy in to the vision that God has given you that they will uproot their family an move with you to do the will of God…

Sometimes you can hear the vision, but you can’t see the physical manifestation of it yet

How do you keep that vision in view when you can’t see it??

Life can talk you out of your audacity

You can life long enough to stop believing that all things are possible with God

Many times great things are born out of frustration and mistakes

You have to have the audacity to keep pointing at the cloud when there isn’t one there

Be moved by what we hear and know and not what we see

Put your head between your legs and trust that God is going to do what he says.

We need to honor the leaders that God has called us to serve under

This session and Rob Wegner’s made the trip worthwhile to me. God spoke to my heart today through what Steven had to say. I read Steven’s blog regularly and sometimes he comes across as brash and maybe even arrogant, but what I saw today was a man who has heard from God and don’t let “man” get in the way of that. It was quite inspiring and clearly demonstrates what God can do if you have the audacity to listen to him and to believe that He can do anything…

Innovate Session 4

Missional Moves — Rob Wegner

Rob is such an awesome speaker…it was great to hear him talk today. This was a fantastic talk that we MUST listen to…

Here are some of the notes from this session:

What is the hardest thing for oppressed people of the world to believe about Christianity??

- Is God really good??

Kids are starving, people are dying, people are hurting…

-Where is the Love??

What is God’s plan to make it believable that God is good??

-The local church is the plan

The people of the world need to see the answer to “Where is the Love?” in us!!

The question is no longer how do we get the community in the church, but how do we get the church in the community??

Missional Moves:

1. What is the Gospel that Jesus preached?

• Many Christians will tell you it is how to get out of trouble with God

• Many churches will teach you the minimum requirements to get to Heaven

• But what did Jesus preach??

• Mark 1:14-15

• The Gospel was an announcement from Jesus that the Kingdom of God is near

• Matthew 4:23, Matthew 9:35, Luke 8:1, Mark 9:1-2, Luke 10:1, 5-9

• Over 100 times Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God

• The Kingdom of God is the entire framework of Jesus teaching

• Acts 1:3

• What is the kingdom?

o The average Christian will say that the Kingdom of God is Heaven or their Heart

• Neither of those are incorrect, but they are incomplete

o Per Jesus, the Kingdom of God is the place where God’s will is done on earth as it is in Heaven

o Eternal life doesn’t start after we die, it starts right now
o Bringing up there, down here

• What would that look like??

o Every sphere of human concern, feeding the hungry, arts, taking care of the poor…every human need being met…

• We need to shift from a Gospel that is not just about saved souls, but is a Gospel of saved WHOLES

• It is not just about the verbal proclamation of the Gospel…that is only half of it. The other half is the demonstration proclamation of the Gospel.

o The two combined create an undeniable presentation of the Gospel

2. From flashlight to laser focus

• Acts 1:8

• 4 Spheres of influence:

o Local access

o Domestic access

o Cross cultural access

o International access

• The church needs to choose how to focus in each of these areas

• 30ft deep in 3 places than 2 inches deep in 30 areas

• The church has to have a presence, you can’t move in for a few days and then move out.

• Narrowing the focus increased the impact

• Increased shared ownership

3. From professionals to full participation

• The norm has been missions for hire

o We hire people to do our mission work

• In the Bible mission was done by the local church, not by people hired to do it

• We need to unleash our people in the community

• Obstacles

o Fear

o Busyness

• We need to lower these barriers

Missional moves make us dangerous – Darkness trembles!!

I want to make Darkness tremble!!!

If we do this God will reign on earth!!

By doing this we declare that “Our God reigns!!”

Innovate Session #3

Pop Goes the Culture – Tim Stevens

When people are at a time of crisis or transition who are more tuned in spiritally than normal

People are looking for spiritual truth, they aren’t including church

1. Churches aren’t making impact

- Churches get in the way of the Gospel

- There is a negative impression of the church in society

- People perceive church as irrelevant

churched

-They love church
-their needs are being met

Unchurched – never been to church
Dechurched – been to church and now don’t go

We aren’t doing very well with the Unchurched and the Dechurched

2. Spiritual interest is going up

- People feel they have a relationship with God without having to be involved in church

- People are talking more about spirituality, but aren’t going to the church for answers

- Church isn’t perceived as safe or relevant

The local church needs to enter into the conversation that people are having in their everyday lives

Jesus was immersed in the culture of the time
He would hang out with real people
He would be harshest to people who are immersed in church
He would leverage the things in our culture to bring people to the truth

Paul used the culture to reach the Greeks

- Acts 17

- He used a song from a pagan songwriter/philosopher to talk about Jesus

The philosophers of our time are songwriters and movie makers

How to leverage Pop Culture:

1. Use pop culture to package a topic to attract a crowd

2. Provide a new interpretation of a Pop Culture element

3. Use things that look like Pop Culture to make a point.

Why do all of this??

- So that…

• People who have issues have a savior and a community to fall back on and live for when things don’t go well

• People can see God

• People can see and feel the love of Jesus

• So people will change

• So the world will never be the same

Innovate Breakout #1

How to Leverage New Technology –
Bobby Groenwald – Life Church.TV

Why should the church use technology??
- it allows us to connect with the very large population of the planet
- Responsibility to share Christ with the world

In the absence of church being engaged in the online community, how can we expect to make an impact on that community

Technology is neutral

-It can be used for good or evil

Lifechurch is a product of the people that God has assembled

- They figured out who they were and went there

Using technology to connect with people outside of their standard Sunday service

Engage people where they are at

We need to investigate the things that are already there (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Blogs) and try to figure out ways to connect people using those technologies

Don’t worry about which one, just try one

Mobile is the future

-Design for mobile first

-What are the things people want/need to see

Innovate Session 2

Brand Schizophrenia — Shawn Wood

We as churches let the stuff become the object of our affection, when the only reason the stuff is important is Jesus!!

In our zest for innovation we become more about the stuff than we are about Jesus.

Our brand should be Jesus, not stuff

The only object of our affection should be knowing that Jesus can change peoples lives.

We don’t know whose vision we are: small groups, arts, children or are we God’s vision

Things become about excellence and not effectiveness

We become about better videos, better technology and better stuff and not about effective videos, technology, and stuff

If it is just about the stuff, then you can do that somewhere outside of the church

We can only find our brand through Jesus…because then we have our mission and then we can do stuff

We are trying to be things at a church that God never intended us to be so that we can do things he never intended us to do

We are trying to convince people that what we are doing is what they need

What after taste does your church leave with people?

Fine tune who we are and figure out who God has made us and what he called us to do and then do those things

If we walk away from those things that God has called us to do, to do “good” things then that is a sin

We had to determine who we are – what is our DNA?
This is not something you can copy from someone else