Well, I’ve just returned to blogging after two weeks of vacationing and catching up on some much needed rest. While away, I had a chance to reflect on life, marriage, my relationship with God, ministry, and family. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will blog about my reflections and vacation experience. I’m refreshed and ready to get back to work.
BEFORE WE BEGIN…
Once again (just can’t seem to make up my mind) I switched back to the iPhone and put my BlackBerry Bold away.
Check out this video & you’ll understand why:
Mantis Bible Study 4.0 is the most advanced Bible Study Tool available for any mobile platform. Designed exclusively for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, Mantis Bible Study was created to be powerful enough for full-time Bible students and pastors, yet easy enough for the casual reader to use. Here are a few features:
Fantastic support for Bibles with integrated Strong’s Numbers – tap a number to open a definition, tap it again to close it
Additional support for Strong’s Numbers: drill-down to root word(s), tap to find where a number is used throughout Scripture, then tap and preview verses
Easily create bookmarks, notes, and highlights for any verse in the Bible, or even for commentaries, dictionaries, devotionals, or other books
References to Scripture inside personal notes are automatically turned into one-tap cross-references
Create, edit, and move bookmarks and bookmark folders
Unique “Analyze Verse” feature shows a single verse in multiple translations on one page, along with any installed commentaries for the selected verse
Fast and flexible, yet simple search system
Save search results as a named folder full of bookmarks
Personal notes and translation notes appear inline with the text and can be toggled on and off, making it easier to view the notes within the context of its related scripture
Highlighting Bar allows highlighting of individual words and phrases in 4 colors
Inline verse-display toggle links for all cross-reference links (in commentaries, dictionaries and other books containing scripture references)
That’s right, it took ONE application to make me switch and after one week of continuous use, I’M HOOKED (for now…)!
By the way, what do you currently use, I’d love to hear your comments!
Golf is an EXPENSIVE sport! Honestly, I’m not the greatest fan of golf. I only like a few aspects of the game and lugging a heavy bag of clubs around a lawn looking for a tiny ball and hole to put it in all day isn’t one of them. Honestly, the best parts of the game are driving the ball, putting and driving around in the golf cart.
All three of these skills can better be implemented in any reputable driving range/putt-putt/go-cart facility without having to walk around aimlessly all afternoon (Here’s a million-dollar idea – anyone want to partner with me on this). If you want to master golf, there’s a steep price you must pay mentally, physically, and financially. The same could be said for those who aspire to be great leaders.
Can you drink of the cup that I drink of… (Mark 10:38)
No one should aspire to lead God’s work if they are not prepared to pay a price greater than his contemporaries and colleagues are willing to pay. True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the leader and the more effective their leadership is, the higher the price to be paid. The cost of every great achievement is not paid in a lump. It is bought on a payment plan, with installments paid daily.
1st Installment: Loneliness
From its very nature, the lot of the leader must be a lonely one. They must always be ahead of their followers. Human nature craves company, and it is only natural to wish to share with others the heavy burdens of responsibility and care. It’s often heartbreaking to have to make important decisions, which affect the lives of others alone. This is one of the heaviest prices to pay, but it must be paid.
Moses paid this price for his leadership – alone on the mountain…alone in the plain…alone when criticized. The socially conscious Apostle Paul (He would’ve loved Facebook & Twitter) was a lonely man who experienced the bitterness of being misunderstood by his contemporaries, misrepresentation by his enemies, and desertion by his friends.
“Most of the world’s great souls have been lonely,” wrote A.W. Tozer. Leaders must be people who, while welcoming the friendship and support of all who can offer it, has sufficient inner resources to stand alone, even in the face of fierce opposition.
The BlackBerry Bold (my preferred device), Apple iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, and a host of other smartphones all promise to help us accomplish more. Unfortunately, we live in an age where we’re encouraged to purchase gadgets that allow us to do many things at the same time. It’s called multitasking and, in my opinion, it’s overrated and may be the greatest leadership lie ever told! That’s right, I said it!
Multitasking is the ability of a person to perform more than one task at the same time. When you’re going back and forth between complicated projects, it is impossible to focus properly on each one. “Researches call this task switching, an action, that, itself, requires time and energy. Depending on how many tasks you’re juggling, you could be losing 20 to 40 percent of your time, because you have to reengage your focus and thoughts.” (“Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching,” Joshua S. Rubinstein, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Atlantic City, NJ; Journal of Experimental Psychology – Human Perception and Performance, Vol. 27, No. 4).
I’ve discovered both life and ministry require a certain amount of juggling. Few days play out in an orderly, linear sequence. Speaking on the phone to a member, client, or colleague while you’re reading a report or typing an e-mail might not cost you that much. But, doing so while you’re preparing a report or message might. At the very least, it will slow you down and result in sub par work. To increase your focus and performance when concentration is critical, cut down on multitasking.
A few suggestions:
Turn off your e-mail alarm (who needs to be alerted to spam or useless facebook updates). Check it regularly when it’s convenient for you – not when it interrupts you.
Block out time for projects that require intense focus such as sermon preparation, budget forecasting, vision/planning, writing, drafting a presentation, or conducting analysis.
Forward your calls to voice mail and close your door if necessary. Let people know that you’re working on a project. If you don’t have a door, put up a sign.
When possible, schedule important phone conversations when you know you’ll have no distractions.
Never work on something else while you’re on the phone. The person on the other end knows when you’re writing an email while you talk, and it’s probably irritating him or her.
Organize your work so that you can do ONE THING at a time and do it well. The payoff will be substantial!
I often hear pastors and church leaders say: “Leading a church would be great if it weren’t for church people.” That may or may not be true, but, there is no such thing as leadership void of people. The challenge most church leaders face is that we’re pulled in so many directions by so many people and since we’re human, we’re bound to disappoint someone.
Here’s a truth that will keep you sane as a spiritual leader:
We have responsibility to people,
not for people.
Mark Waltz, in his book Lasting Impressions, does a nice job describing the difference:
When I’m responsible to people, I understand they have a choice. When I’m responsible for people, I think I should decide for them.
When I’m responsible to people, I know they must figure out their next step. When I’m responsible for people, I try to tell them what their next step is.
When I’m responsible to people, I allow them to bear the brunt of the consequences for their own chosen actions. When I’m responsible for people, I assume the guilt, or worse the shame, for them.
When I’m responsible to people, I engage in their journey, offering encouragement and teaching. When I’m responsible for people I try to direct their journey, never allowing them to wrestle, mess up or make a wrong turn.
When I’m responsible to people, I talk to God on their behalf. When I’m responsible for people, I talk to people a lot on God’s behalf.
One of the most basic boundaries we can maintain is our skin. I am responsible for everything inside my skin. You are responsible for everything inside your skin. It is a fundamental demarcation between “me” and “you.” Sometimes pastors feel like they have to have all the answers, solve all the problems and make everything right…for everyone. If you fall into this category, my heart goes out to you today. It is a very frustrating thing to feel responsible for the thoughts and actions of other people. It is quite liberating to know that I only have a responsibility to other people – to love them, to be honest with them, to be a friend and support. What’s going on inside them is “all theirs.”
Yesterday’s worship experience was truly special! Life Development (Mars Hill’s nursery, children, & youth ministries) took time to honor our fathers by sharing their gifts, talents, and abilities with the entire congregation. One read a special tribute (Daquan); Another performed Unforgettable (Jasmine); while another played the violin (Vincent). All were truly amazing and I’m so proud of Daquan, Vincent, and Jasmine. You’re all heroes in my book!
The Mars Hill Gladiator Drill Team (Senior and Junior Team) competed in Houston, TX at the National Missionary Baptist of America’s Annual Congress. BOTH ROCKED THE HOUSE and brought home 2 FIRST PLACE TROPHIES!
Before the message, members of our Drill team marched their trophies down the center aisle for all to see and received a standing ovation! GO GLADIATORS!!!
Again, the worship experience was awe-inspiring. Our Praise & Worship Teams led worship at 8AM & 10:30AM and ministered with power under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
We saw 10 people (4 gave their lives to Christ) connect with our church family…this NEVER GETS OLD since our mission is to turn the unchurched into fully devoted followers of Christ.
God is absolutely BLOWING my mind with thoughts and ideas about this fall – MARS HILL fasten your seat belts and prepare yourselves for an incredible ride.
The series, Can You See Him just may go down in history as one of the most thought-provoking series of all time! Yesterday’s message, Can You See Him In Your Struggles, caused people to look inwardly and see if the cause of their most recent struggle was a SELF-INFLICTED STRUGGLE.
Andy Stanley says, “there’s often a tension between where we want to end up in life and the path we choose to get there.” We fail to see that having good intentions won’t necessarily get us to the place where God wants us to be. Personally, I believe God gave us principles to follow and when we violate them we suffer the consequences.
Scriptures teaches, A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it (Proverbs 22:3). Let me say it differently: Wise people (prudent) see danger (struggles) and take precautions. On the other hand, fools (the simple) goes on blindly and suffer the consequences of their unwise choices.
In short, the simple get to the point when all their options are bad.
Evaluate the path you’re on since it’ll ultimately determine your destination. Remember, you can have every good intention on becoming healthy, ending bad relationships, or getting your finances in order. However, good intentions are not enough!
The North American Church is in decline and there are plenty of conferences offering their latest & greatest pitch to stop the church’s decline.
Each year we’re invited to hear “celebrity” pastors share God’s plan for the church and how we ought to adopt it and be large and successful like them. Frankly, I’m surprised that there hasn’t been a venue to really address how and why churches grow. Many pastors & church leaders make their annual pilgrimage to Saddleback, Willowcreek, North Point, Fellowship, New Birth, Greater St. Steven FGBC, The Potter’s House, etc. and come away excited and delusional with unrealistic expectations. Ed Stetzer of Lifeway calls it ministry pornography. According to Ed Stetzer:
“Ministry pornography is an unrealistic expectation of an experience you’re never going to have which distracts you from the real thing.”
God used these churches and their pastors for a specific time and in a specific place. Unfortunately, that experience is rarely duplicated. If you were to take the aforementioned churches and transplant them in other areas, the results would be drastically different. Can you imagine Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, or Andy Stanley leading an inner-city urban church? Or, can you see Bishop T.D. Jakes screaming “Get Ready…Get Ready…Get, Get, Ready” at Saddleback or North Point Church? Simply put, God rarely does the same thing twice.
May I Offer You A Few Suggestions to break your addiction to ministry porn:
Confess your addiction to ministry pornography & repent!
Do not attend any conferences for one year
Get alone with your Bible, pen, & paper and discover God’s purpose for the church (read Matt. 22-37-40; 28:19-20, The Book of Acts)
Get a demographic breakdown of your community (US Census Bureau or your local Chamber of Commerce).
After discovering the purpose of the church, write down how your church plans to reach that community (this is the hard part). Make sure it’s less than a paragraph because people don’t like to read long statements.
Preach/teach a series on God’s vision for the church and how you plan to fulfill it.
Reorganize your church’s leaders, staff, volunteers, and structure (in that order)
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