ElevationBishop

All Good Things Come to An End...

2009-06-15T12:39:00.004-04:00

This blog is done...

Well, I will still leave it up and if the mood hits me I will write something and link it on my facebook page or twitter about it so you will know to come visit.

But as far as feeling the pressure to update it on a semi-regular basis - done!

It was fun! Thanks for coming along for the ride.

If you happen to stumble on this blog and you want to get a feel for it, here are a few of my favorite posts:

Lead Like a Follower

Behind the Scenes With Pastor Furtick

It is My Fault

The Selfishness Test

Piece vs. Part

This is Broken

2009-05-12T09:50:00.004-04:00

As a staff, we recently did an exercise that we called "this is broken". We took the concept from Seth Godin who did a twenty minute talk on the idea at the Gel conference in 2006. If you get a chance to check it out sometime, it's pretty funny...here's the link.

We found this exercise to be very helpful and it has changed the way we look at things.

So the other day I was pumping gas and saw this picture:

At first glance this seems promising, right? I mean, the economy is tough! I'd like an extra 15 bucks, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, this add scheme is broken. Take a look at the fine print:

WHAT THE CRAP IS THAT ABOUT?!?!?

Give me a break! I would be better off going through the hassle of getting a part-time job at McDonalds and quitting after 4 hours if all I wanted was $15. The thing that is so amazing about this add is that someone was sitting in a conference room somewhere discussing the fact that they needed people to sign up for their credit card and THIS was the plan that they came up with. In the words of Seth Godin - "Broken!"

Of course, before I get too frustrated about this add I need to say that I'm guilty too! There are things at Elevation Church that I want people to experience like participating in our 4 Gs: giving, using your gifts as a volunteer, getting into a group, and growing the church by inviting your lost friends. Am I making it easy to commit to these Gs? Or, does the person who is trying to get involved feel like I felt when I read this credit card add?

I have broken systems that I oversee right now. But if you have fallen victim to some of them at Elevation Church, please know that we are committed to fixing that!

To Pastor Furtick...

2009-05-08T10:57:00.003-04:00

Wednesday night I was able to go with Pastor Furtick and other members of the leadership team to a conference.

This particular conference was was a little different...there was a point in the evening when Elmo was hyping the crowd to very loud gospel music. The sermon was intense...and over an hour long. In the sermon there was a 10 minute instrumental breakdown that provided us with an opportunity to praise God and dance before Him - it was awesome! If you haven't had the opportunity, or if your mind is too closed to enjoy a good, old-fashioned, charismatic ho-down then you're missing out...

The very next day, we were at a different church. There were greeters at the door, free coffee and lots of conversations going on in the lobby. Pastor had an opportunity to preach a phenomenal message (that was very different then the one we had heard the night before). The music was unbelievable! This experience was much different then the previous night, but equally as awesome!

These two churches could not be more different in look and feel. They are cut from different molds and employ different methods. They have different philosophies and approach their communities from very different positions.

On the other hand, they are both doing everything they know to do to make an impact for the kingdom of God. They are reaching lost people and Jesus is being exalted.

The most profound part of this story, however, is that we seemed to fit in at both churches.

There are some stupid lines that we (denominational believers) have drawn and I am glad that I serve a leader who has been gifted to walk freely back and forth over those lines. We serve a leader who is confident enough in what God has called and gifted him to do that he can engage with just about anyone and come away with something that will help us achieve the vision God has given him.

Pastor,

Thanks for creating a culture that allows us to seek God fully without conventional, man-made, self-limiting restraints. In the same breath, thanks for being so convinced of who you are, and of what God has uniquely gifted you to accomplish that you can see everyone as a potential partner in ministry. It's an honor to be part of the vision God has given you to reach our city. Through your gift thousands of people will come to faith in Christ, and thousands more will go on to be used by God in the advancement of His kingdom!

16 Days of Silence...

2009-04-29T11:09:00.002-04:00

It has been 16 days since my last blog post...

That's because in that time I:

- Took a mini vacation in the form of a 900 mile motorcycle trip through South Carolina and Georgia.
- Was caught up in all of the details that surrounded bringing Ted and Gail Haggard's to our church.
- And, participated in the planning and execution of our "non-conference" THR3E.

It's been a busy 16 days...I am now planning to get back to my regular posting (once or twice a week).

I Don't Deserve Any Of This...

2009-04-13T15:35:00.002-04:00

Our Lead Staff went through an exercise the other day where we listed out the top ten statements that we felt described what it's like to be part of the culture of Elevation Church.

My #1 statement was, "We don't deserve any of this...so we will remain grateful."

After an Easter Weekend like the one we just experienced (check out Pastor Furtick's blog for details) I find myself sitting in my chair wondering how I got here...

Five years ago you would have found me building decks in Shelby, NC trying to make some cash to help supplement my wife's income while she was paying my way through school. I had my plans for my life, but I had no idea what it meant to follow God's plans for my life.

Now, on the Monday after 740 people received Christ at Elevation Church I am having a hard time figuring out how the steps I was taking then were leading me to this office chair! It's like putting 2 + 2 into a calculator and having 4,000 come out!

I really don't deserve any of this and for that reason I will remain grateful.

Student Small Groups Director

2009-04-07T08:24:00.003-04:00

Elevation Church has a lot of students. In fact, we have students who drive 45 minutes every week to spend most of the day serving.

Any time we pull together our leaders for a special vision-casting event you can count on a few rows of rowdy students to be there. They’re the loudest and proudest group of “bought-in” owners of the vision of our church.

So here’s the irony:
We don’t do very much that is specifically for our students!

We have tried a lot of different things from hype events to revivals for students. For the most part they have been pretty successful.

We’ve got small groups for students, but students get involved just like adults do…by seeking them out.

We have a lot of students who volunteer but that’s because when we ask the whole church to volunteer they walk to the table on their own and sign up.

We did a study recently of the top 10 fastest-growing churches and the top 25 most innovative churches and discovered statistics like the following:
• 23 of 25 have a Student Pastor on staff
• 20 of 25 have a separate worship experience for students
• 7 of 10 have a website designated for students

In every statistic we looked at we were the odd one out...

This always troubles me until spring break when our attendance drops and our volunteer teams are thin. Our students are involved! They are serving. Many of them are taking advantage of the opportunity to be in groups. And, probably most importantly, they are here!!!

So, because we want to steward the momentum that God has sent us through our students and, because we want to harness that momentum to make a bigger impact in our city, I’ve got an announcement to make:

We are hiring a Student Small Groups Director! (NOT a Youth Pastor!!)

Check out this link for the job description and if you think you have what it takes, ask five trusted friends and an enemy or two…if they agree you have what it will take, you should consider applying!

That Mountain!

2009-03-27T09:02:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I wrote a post about some of the things I'm learning from Matthew 28. I'm going to pick it up where I left off so read this to catch up if you want...

So here's my thing with the Great Commission...the scope of what Jesus intends for us to accomplish is unbelievable!

"All nations...All commands..."

Both of those directives seem pretty overwhelming!

To add to it, the "all commands" part took on new meaning when I stumbled across this little detail in verse 16 that I hadn't ever noticed before.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

I thought, "I know Galilee, that's Jesus' hometown...but what's this mountain?"

And then it hits me! Jesus preached a famous sermon at the outset of His ministry that we have nicknamed the Sermon on the Mount...

Sure enough, Matthew 4:23 puts Jesus in Galilee and Matthew 5:1 puts him on the mountain to preach his famous sermon.

In other words, Jesus tells His disciples to go back to the exact spot where it all started and then Commissions them to go and make disciples of ALL nations...teaching them ALL commands, on top of the same mountain that He was standing on when He preached the Sermon on the Mount!!!

The disciples were so blown away the first time they heard Jesus preach this message that Matthew wrote this about their reaction, "28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."

Imagine what they must have been thinking after seeing all they had seen over the three years of Jesus' ministry.

"I mean, Jesus was dead 24 hours ago, and now we're back where it started except it's our turn!!!"

That's probably enough for now...to be continued!

Discipleship

2009-03-26T13:25:00.002-04:00

What do you think of when you hear the word discipleship?

Bible Study? Prayer? Tithing? Service? Evangelism? All of them wrapped up into a book sold by LifeWay complete with a semester schedule, benchmarks and gold stars???

Me too...kind of!

I've been reading the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28 and it has been changing my understanding of this word.

Here's the part we all know:

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you..."

It's a very powerful statement. Unfortunately, it's incomplete! I cut the front and back out of Jesus' actual phrase. Here's the whole thing:

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

It's interesting to me that we cut Christ out of the great commission! We trust Him for salvation but after that it's almost like we say, "Thanks, I'll take it from here..."

I think this approach is really stupid!

Here's a couple takeaways that hit me pretty hard:

1) This statement is really about Jesus' activity through me not my activity for Him! (All authority to Christ...therefore go...)

2) His request (ALL nations, ALL that I have commanded you) is actually pretty ludicrous.

3) Jesus seems to know that it's ludicrous since He reassures us that He will be with us to the end of the age...you know, like it's going to take that long!!!

To be continued...

Blitter...I should write a blog but only have time to twitter...

2009-03-25T13:18:00.004-04:00

Sometimes everything is due on the same day...

This is the stack of paper I brought into a 45 minute 1 - on - 1 meeting with Chunks Corbett (my boss, our Executive Pastor)...

Sorry trees...

Our 45 minute meeting turned into 2 hours!

Butler Campus...I'm all in!

2009-03-23T13:57:00.004-04:00

Hey Butler Campus,

Just wanted to thank you for a great Sunday. The Worship Experience was VERY powerful, the message was great and you (the volunteers) went above and beyond.

Now, you probably know that I'm not a big sports fan, so it may surprise you to know that I completed a bracket (for those of you who don't know what that is...I feel you! It's a little sheet that people who love basketball fill out to give their prediction for who will win the NCAA tournament...)

Here's a picture of my completed bracket:

Wait a minute, you can't see who I've picked to take it all. Here's a closer shot shot:

That's right! Butler takes it all...They took Carolina (a.k.a. the Devil..not the Blue one) in the second round...

I'm all in! I love you guys!!!

Carol Mac...

2009-03-17T10:59:00.005-04:00

Carol Mac is the custodian at Butler High School who unlocks the doors for us every Sunday morning and goes above and beyond helping us when we need her. She has been with us since I became the Campus Pastor in April, 2008. I have developed a great personal relationship with Carol Mac and I wanted to tell you a little bit of her story.

About three weeks ago, Carol moved into her new house. Carol was selected by Habitat as a candidate for a new home. For the last year she has been working tirelessly every weekend investing countless hours building her new home and consequently her new life.

I had the privilege of being there the week she moved in, to pray for her and thank God with her for the blessing of her new start. I was able to bless her with a house warming gift and give her a card on behalf of Elevation Church. She was very touched by our generosity.

So, Butler Campus, thanks! Because you have been faithful to give to Elevation we are in a position to be generous. This is only a small example of how we have been placed in a position to be generous and to serve our community. For Carol Mac, however, who has been impacted by our church from behind the scenes, this unlooked for blessing was anything but small.

If you get a chance this Sunday, tell Carol Mac congratulations!

A Great Day

2009-03-16T10:18:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a great day! Attendance was great. The worship experience was great. All the volunteers who waded through the puddles to greet, park, load, unload, etc... you are awesome. Pastor's Message was incredible! That video of the guy running on the street, it was great. The BBQ was great. The 6:00pm worship experience packed full like Christ was coming back when we were done - great! Bob "the reader" Aycock, you were great! In short, yesterday was a great day.

By far, however, the best moment of the day for me was the man who came up to me after the 11:30 worship experience with his family and said he was ready to give his life to Christ. I had the privilege of leading him to Christ on the spot. He was not the only person who gave their life to Christ yesterday either. about 35 people raised their hand to accept Christ when Pastor gave them an opportunity at the 6:00pm worship experience. Yesterday was a GREAT day!

To all of my Butler people, thank you! Each of you played a part in creating a great day yesterday and I am so thankful for you.

Ministry Time...

2009-03-09T11:57:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we had a "ministry time" in the worship experience. Pastor preached the second and final week of The Dip and challenged people to turn back to God's perfect plan for their life. He used a story about his son Elijah who was afraid of a fly to illustrate a powerful point. Just like Pastor (Elijah's father) is much bigger than the fly, God (our Father) is much bigger than our "dips" - no matter how big we fell like they are. By putting our problems back into perspective we are in a better position to receive God's work in and through that situation.

The message was simple to understand but very challenging and humbling to apply (in my opinion, the best type of messages) and our people were faithful to the call of God to respond. We had dozens of people at the "altar" praying, crying, calling out to God, worshipping...it was a wonderful time.

After days like yesterday I feel a strange mixture of excitement and responsibility. God blessed us with His presence and people responded to His powerful message of grace yesterday, so I am excited. Yet, there are thousands of people in Charlotte who have never experienced God's presence or grace and so I feel a tremendous responsibility to reach them. This tension is often an uncomfortable place to be, but when I read Jesus' words in the great commission in Matthew 18:18-20 I am reminded that it is the right place to be..."go...and make disciples".

Like Father Like Son...

2009-03-05T16:28:00.004-05:00

The picture below is, in fact, a picture of my son passionately embracing the pole that marks the entrance to the line where you would wait to purchase a delicious donut from Dunkin Donuts...

It's amazing to me how much this kid is like me!

Our Sacrifice is Their Victory

2009-03-02T10:37:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was an amazing day at Elevation. The weather was awful but spirits were high. Rather than try to explain it second hand I thought I would let you read an email I just got from our newest parking team leader at Butler, Eric Welch.

__________

Team Welch!

Considering it was your first day....AND most of the radios quit working (what, it's not like they were soaked with water or anything)....AND Hurricane Laffey was pouring through the area ("little bit of stinging rain, big 'ol fat rain, and sometimes rain that seemed to come from straight up")...AND most of us had standing water in our shoes... I'd say you guys did a FANTASTIC job out there! If anything, that was probably the best day for you to be out there on your fist time; you've tasted the "worst" of what we do...it can only go up from here! Sink or swim, boys, we're diving in!

All kidding aside, though, you guys (and gal) handled yourselves very well given the circumstances; and thanks to Hopkins, Bill, Frank and Jason for helping out!! It's even more important that we're outside on days like yesterday. If people coming into church see our happy, smiling, soaked faces they may think to themselves "huh, I wonder what it is about this place that makes their volunteers dedicated and crazy enough to be out in weather like this, there must be something special happening here." It all helps to open the door for what Pastor does inside. It's not about us, and how cold we are or how wet we are. It's about them. Our sacrifice is their victory.

Next week, we're scheduled for the evening service, but there is no evening service as it turns out; so we're not parking. I'll let you know when we're on again once we decide whether or not that will affect scheduling of teams.

Remember when you were a kid, and you'd go outside and play in the snow, and your jeans would get all wet? Then you'd get that itchy feeling all over once you were soaked? Anybody else besides me experience that yesterday?

Great job guys!!

__________

Here's the best picture I have of the conditions at 5:55pm last night - right before the 6:00pm worship experience started.

Thanks Eric (and all of the volunteers who are tired from a long cold day of volunteering) you continue to amaze me!

Some Moments Just Stick...

2009-02-23T11:55:00.005-05:00

We got to be part of a monumental moment for Elevation Church last week. Pastor Furtick was invited to preach at the C3 conference at Fellowship Church in Dallas, TX. He preached on honor (a foundational ingredient of our culture) and did a fantastic job at it. Check out this blog written by Wade Joye for a more complete overview of Pastor's sermon. It was an amazing experience.

Before Pastor Furtick took the stage, the staff had decided that we were going to leap to our feet in celebration at the end of his message no matter what everyone else did...but we didn't have to. 24 minutes into a 30 minute message about 100 people all over the auditorium jumped up and cheered starting the standing ovation.

I can't really put into words how I felt sitting there watching my Pastor receive a standing ovation at C3 so for now I will let the simple phrase, "some moments just stick..." be all I say about it... It was incredible!

All That From a Dove?

2009-02-17T08:41:00.002-05:00

I have been studying the first few chapters of Matthew along with a group of good friends recently and this morning I was pretty blown away by some parallels I discovered.

- Noah endured a 40 day waiting period after the flood that God sent to "cleanse" the earth from wickedness. (40 days)
- At the end of the flood Noah sent out the dove to find dry land but she "found no place to set her foot..." (Genesis 8:9) (water, dove)
- After this event, God made a covenant never to destroy the earth with water again, but our ways did not change, our salvation had not come, the law was powerless to make us righteous...

- In Matthew chapter 3 Jesus is baptized - This was a baptism of repentance..."cleansing from wickedness and sin" and Jesus didn't need to do it! (water)
- during his baptism - a dove came out of the sky and "came to rest on him". (dove)
- Immediately following Jesus' baptism he went to the desert and endured 40 days of temptation from Satan himself but did not sin! (40 days)
- Following Christ, salvation has come, He has made a way for us, all who call on His name will be saved!

40 days...water...the dove...I think Matthew might be trying to send us a message?!? Don't forget that Matthew's audience was the 1st century Jew who would not have been able to hear 40 days, water, and dove without thinking about Noah. It would be like someone walking up to you today and saying September 11th...they wouldn't need to explain it, we just know!

In essence, Matthew was saying to his audience, "God tried once to fix us through the flood and had to end his attempt with a contract that He would withhold His wrath...in other words, it did not work fully...the dove found no place to set her feet..." The rest of history leading up to Christ was literally one story after another of how God extended grace to His people and we failed Him and broke His covenant over and over and over and over again.

For Christ, however, the water of baptism was not necessary, the 40 day temptation was ineffective and the dove found a solid perch. God's new plan WILL prevail! He has coordinated all of history to pivot on the days of Christ and the fulfillment of all of His promises are made true and real in Christ.

It's a new day and if you don't know Christ to be the fulfillment of God's plan for all history you ought to meet Him. He is the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Him!

Follow Up on Volunteer Sunday

2009-02-16T15:20:00.002-05:00

We did a great job Butler Campus!

192 new volunteers committed to serve this week!!!!

As I walked around on Sunday seeing dozens of people in groups being toured around our campus I was blown away. I was so pleased to be serving at a church where almost 200 people come to tour the volunteer opportunities on a single Sunday.

I also wanted to let you guys in on what I got to hear as I floated around all day listening in to the tour guides.

Here's some highlights:

1) "It is amazing what you get to be part of when you're a volunteer...They even made a 3 song CD for us at Christmas with Chris, Mack and Wade singing Christmas songs..." - Billy Dean - ekidz tour, 11:30

2) "Without set up and tear down volunteers nothing happens here...it's a great time to come in and work behind the scenes...my whole family helps out" - Randy Fuller - ekidz tour, 6:00

3) "Steve, show them your gun-shot wound..." - John Bishop to Steve Tubel, Production tour, 10:00

4) "We get to hear all of the good stories..." - Jennifer Clouser - FTG tour, 11:30

5) "We weren't going to tell them about the requirement of a parking tattoo..." - Joel Langley - Parking team stop on Guest services tour, 10:00

6) "Thank you..." - countless people all day who felt tremendously welcomed by you as they stepped into an uncertain volunteering opportunity...

A big fat thank you to all of you who got there early, stayed late and gave everything you had to make the new volunteers feel welcome.

I love you guys! I'm so thankful I get to see God's plan unfold on our campus with you at my back!

As Pastor always says, "the best is yet to come..."

Plugging in New Volunteers This Weekend...

2009-02-12T14:53:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday we had 1486 people sign up to volunteer!!!

This Sunday we are hoping to take just under 800 of them through their first experience.

The problem is our current systems were never intended to handle the volume of people that will need to get plugged in this weekend.

What do you do when the container is too small to hold all the oil?

We see this principle illustrated in 2 Kings 4 when the widow needed something to sell in order to pay her debts and all she had was a single jar of Oil. Elisha told her to go get more jars. Once she had increased her capacity for the blessing of God the oil began to flow and didn't stop until she ran out of jars.

The principle: INCREASE YOUR CAPACITY!

That's what we've done for this weekend. The old way wasn't working so we found a new way.

If you're content maintaining the level that you had the last time, you probably don't need to know this principle, but if you're interested in seeing ALL that God can do in and through you, you should always be ready to get more jars!

The Importance of Testing

2009-02-11T16:15:00.002-05:00

Our Leadership Team read an article out of Harvard Business Review recently called How to Design Smart Business Experiments. (This link takes you to the right page but you'll have to wait a few weeks for the February issue to come out...)

The crux of the article can be summarized in the question, "Do lobster tanks increase lobster sales at Food Lion supermarkets?"

The article challenged the grocery store manager who might ask this question to quit wondering. There are tests that can be done in controlled environments to answer that question once and for all.

We have our own version of these questions:
- Does series length affect attendance?
- Do video announcements decrease the number of first time guest information cards we get back?
- Does the placement of our "Information Kiosk" in the lobby affect the number of people who get connected?

I'm sure you've got your own questions:
- Is "time out" more effective than spanking for my rambunctious 20 month old?
- Would I spend less if I stopped using a credit card?
- Does my spouse (kids, friends etc...) want more time or better time?

In agreement with the guys who wrote the article, go ahead and design an experiment and find out. Put the credit card in a drawer for a month and check this month's spending with last month's. You may feel like you don't have the time or energy to figure it out, but I would say you don't have the time NOT to.

Jesus or Immanuel

2009-02-05T14:39:00.003-05:00

I was reading in Matthew this morning. In Chapter 1 verses 21 and 23 we see that Jesus was intended to have two different names.

Joseph was told to call Him Jesus (Save His people from their sin) - Matthew 1:21.

Isaiah said He would be called Immanuel (God with us) - Matthew 1:23 & Isaiah 7:14.

For the first time in my reading of this passage I wondered, "why the two different names? And, why have I never wondered why there are two different names before? And, why has no one ever gone out of there way to explain why there are two different names given? Should I be concerned that no one seems to be concerned about the fact that there are two different names here???"

For those of you who are now wondering along side me here's what I discovered.

Jesus is both! When Isaiah prophesied about Him in Isaiah 7:14 He was Immanuel. In a season of great turmoil in the history of Israel it was important the Jesus was Immanuel (God with us).

In Matthew, He had already come down to earth...He was actually "with us". That freed Him up to reveal Himself in another way as the God who saves!

Brilliant! God seems to have things under control. My job as chief inspector of God infinite wisdom has, yet again, been put in check...

If you didn't follow my thoughts check it out yourself in Matthew.

The Scripture is VERY rich and there is a lot to learn, even from passages you have read dozens and dozens of times before.

Superbowl 43

2009-02-02T11:46:00.004-05:00

So I have to confess, I watched about 20 minutes of the Superbowl last night. To all 30 of you who fought the temptation and stayed true to your convictions I apologize but I just couldn't resist the urge to fit in with the other 100 million people who were watching it.

Why only 20 minutes? When Bruce went into a full back bend and held it for like 5 minutes I thought he might have broken his back...the stress was too much. Fear for the boss's health was too much to handle for a Superbowl rookie so I got up and read the instruction manual for how to play bridge.

With that confession out of the way let me get back to more important stuff...

I was so blown away by the crowd that attended "THE 6" last night. I would never have guessed that over 400 people would crowd into our night service at the Butler Campus on Superbowl Sunday. At some point, I will stop being surprised by the momentum that has been created around "THE 6" but for now I am still dumbfounded!

All around, yesterday was an amazing day. If you missed it, be sure to check out the link to Pastor's sermon. Can't wait for this coming weekend. It's our 3 year anniversary and we are planning a party!

The Dip Take Two...

2009-01-27T11:47:00.002-05:00

As a staff this morning, we listened to the audio from a message that Pastor preached in October of last year. In hearing it a second time I was profoundly impacted in a different way then I was the first time I had heard it. In fact, I was looking at the notes that I had taken the first time (which were pretty thorough) but was still able to take an additional page of notes during the second hearing.

I learned a lot from the message itself but one thing that stuck out to me even above what I learned directly from the message was that I still took away fresh insight.

I could have checked out and thought to myself, "this message isn't for me, I've already heard it...this message is for everyone else..." but then I would have missed out on a powerful truth that God showed me.

Don't check out!

You might already know the verse, "Love the Lord your God...and Love your neighbor..." but you've got a different neighbor today then you did when you read it last time.

You might have already heard the Gospel message preached, but this time you've got your lost friend sitting beside you.

You might already know that God is a loving Father who disciplines His children but now you have kids of your own and that truth all of a sudden means a lot more to you.

Here's a practical suggestion. Get a new Bible. Your old one is marked up with the insights you discovered the last time you read it. Start fresh and God will apply His timeless truth in a new way to your new circumstances.

"You're Crippled in Both Feet"

2009-01-21T15:16:00.003-05:00

Every single week I believe that Pastor Furtick brings a powerful message that impacts people in profound ways. This week was no exception. if you have not heard the Message from this past Sunday check it out here.

During the 10:00 service at our Providence Campus, Pastor Furtick picks up a boy from the crowd to play the part of Mephibosheth from 2 Samuel 9. The point of his picking up the boy was to illustrate that even when we are crippled in both feet God comes to us and carries us.

Read the excerpt from an email written to us from the boy's mother that was used in the illustration in this message. The go back and watch the message again from the time stamps 24:30 - 32:40 with this excerpt in mind:

My son is physically disabled. He acquired polio from the vaccination when he was an infant in a Russian orphanage. We adopted him when he was 7 months old from Kirov, Russia. He has very limited muscle in his left lower extremity and left buttocks. He also has weak abdominal muscles. Although he has received the best medical care(I am a physician), there is little that can be done. He will walk with a limp the rest of his life. He cannot jump or run or do many of the things the other boys do. However, he is known to so many people because he still tries everything--with a smile on his face.

When Pastor Furtick was describing characteristics of people at the end of the sermon--he was literally describing my son. He looks fine from the waist up--you would never know(and Pastor did not).He will walk with a limp the rest of his life but God will love him no matter what. I can't even describe my feelings about today except to say thanks...

Behind every statistic there is a story! God is moving in powerful ways.

"THE 6"

2009-01-19T13:47:00.003-05:00

Last week I was WAY off on my predictions for attendance at THE 6.

This week I saw lines of cars turning in at 5:40 and here's what I thought to myself, "Are You serious?"

Now, the capitol "Y" in "You" was intentional, because my thought was actually a silent prayer of disbelief. For the second week in a row the Butler 6:00pm worship experience was the largest service of the day at Butler. The campus itself was over 1800 people. It's just not supposed to happen this way!

At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if we have a huge crowd on the 1st in spite of the game. After all, we've been saying it for 3 years, "Every Sunday is Superbowl Sunday at Elevation" and perhaps a "smaller" crowd will mean 500 people!

God is doing some amazing things with THE 6. For those of you who have committed to attend THE 6 in order to make room for others in the morning, I guess I don't even need to say thank you...you're getting your reward in full!

If you haven't come to THE 6 yet, you may want to check it out this week. It will be your last chance before you'll need to make arrangements to DVR the game. Just a friendly suggestion from a HUGE football fan...Here's some proof for the doubters of my fanship!

Is This the Right Quick Win?

2009-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I posted on an article I read in Harvard Business Review. Check my post out here to catch up.

The tool I described at the end of that post is on the right.

I challenged the team that leads the Butler Campus along side me with achieving a pretty lofty goal related to the number of volunteers on our campus. (Since we just launched a new service time we need to recruit more volunteers)

In order to ensure that our goal (90% new volunteers on Sun. pm teams by 2/9/09) was worthy of the time and effort we ran it through the grid on the right. At the end of the exercise, everyone agreed that it was at least a 9 and therefore worth our attention.

As there boss, I could have just said, "here's the goal, get it done" and they would have gotten it done. But I am not just interested in achieving today's goal but in laying the foundation for achieving tomorrow's. Since I believe I am only as good as the team I lead I am glad to have stumbled on a tool that can help me create that team while achieving necessary goals.

The Quick Wins Paradox

2009-01-14T10:36:00.003-05:00

I read an article the other day in Harvard Business Review. It was about new leaders trying to prove themselves to everyone they lead and it was very challenging. You can check out the abstract here. Or get your own copy of the magazine for like 20 bucks!!!!

Basically, the article highlighted all of the mistakes I have made as a developing leader and listed them in order like they have been following me around for 3 years. The only thing missing from the article is pictures of me actually making the errors, otherwise it reads like an interview. My guess is, if you have lead anyone at any time you'll feel the same way after you read it...

The article outlines five traps that new leaders fall into:

1) Focusing too heavily on details - "Here's an inventory report I developed for your department...use it!"

2) Reacting negatively to criticism - "Then I'm just going to take my ball and go home..."

3) Intimidating others - "Do you like your job?"

4) Jumping to conclusions - "after 2 1/2 minutes of conversation I think we should throw away your system and start over..."

5) Micromanaging - "Do you think that color works? I mean, if I were developing that report I would use green not blue..."

The basic point of the article is that in order to establish yourself as a new leader you'll need to strive for that "quick win". Everyone is looking to the new leader to make a difference. If I hire you to work for me I want to know that I invested wisely and the right "quick win" can give me that confidence. The problem arises when you go about trying to achieve the "quick win" in the wrong way inevitably falling into one or more of traps above.

Instead, the article describes that the leaders who are successful focus on the following:

1) Communicating a clear vision

2) Developing constructive relationships

3) Demonstrating empathy

4) Play a hands-on role in developing team capabilities

5) Pull everyone together

Picking the right "quick win" becomes very important and the article provides a diagnostic tool that was exceedingly helpful. I'll post my thoughts about that tool tomorrow. In the meantime, if you're leading in any capacity, I would highly recommend the article.

And We Kicked it Off Right...

2009-01-13T08:30:00.005-05:00

WOW!

The first Butler 6pm worship experience this past Sunday was amazing but my faith was way too small:

I expected 565 people to come...there were 779!

I expected about 50 people to respond to the message...and they did, but so did 75 additional people making a total of 125 people who came home on Sunday night!

My dream was to break 1500 people at the Butler Campus for the whole day...(I have a hard time writing this number) - 1998 came!

Over all on our campus this week we saw 334 people "Come Home" and in our church 925 people total!

We have a lot to celebrate. We have a lot to be thankful for. God has placed all of us in the middle of something amazing. If you were at the 6pm worship experience Sunday, you, like me, felt that "something amazing" in a way that you have never felt it before.

Here are some pictures:

Forecast: Sunny Skies

2009-01-09T11:28:00.006-05:00

Last night I looked at the weather for today and realized that the forecast was for sunny skies. When I saw that it would be 50 degrees and sunny when I would be leaving work to come home I decided to ride to work this morning. The problem was at 6:15am when I left my house I felt more like this guy:

Here's what I know: when the forecast is for sunny skies sometimes you have to endure this:

in order to enjoy this:

This Sunday night we are launching our first evening worship experience at the Butler Campus of Elevation Church. For those of you who have been part of the process of getting this service off the ground you can empathize with me when I say it is not always easy! Recruiting your friend to volunteer with you, stepping into a leadership role that you're uncertain about, giving up your seat at a convenient time to make room for someone else, or agreeing to volunteer all day to get us through the launch of this service are all examples of how you have decided to trust the forecast rather than the circumstances.

Well, now that the morning ride is over and the day has shaped up to look like this:

I'm glad I rode to work today.

This Sunday is going to be a benchmark day for the Butler Campus. For those of you who have trusted the forecast get ready for a great ride!

See you Sunday!

"Take That Devil"

2009-01-08T09:26:00.003-05:00

We have a little saying around here that most of us use sparingly. I probably use it more than I should...but then again, there are a lot of good opportunities to use it!

When something happens that clearly advances the Kingdom of God and therefore subdues the attacks of the enemy against God's Church you might hear someone on staff at Elevation say, "Take that Devil...".

The heart behind it for me comes from the charge that Jesus gives to Peter when he tells him, "You will be called Peter (rather than Simon) on this rock I will build my Church and the Gates of Hell will not prevail against it." - Matthew 13:18. To which I would say - Take that Devil.

So, I hear that a homeless man was given a ticket right outside the doors of our Christmas Eve service. He comes in and gets saved. I say, "Take that Devil".

I'm quietly flipping through the Scriptures and I read something like this...Take that Devil!

We have planned an incredible worship experience for this Sunday's Come Home series. You're bringing your friends who are far from God and when they are exposed to the Power of Christ and see that they need him in their lives they're going to "Come Home" to Him...so you will quietly say under your breath, "Take that Devil"...and maybe you'll add a little fist pump - that's appropriate.

At Butler we are launching a 6pm worship experience. we've been climbing an uphill battle to get the facility secured, identify volunteers, and get ready for the new service. This week it's going to happen and hundreds of people are going to come and dozens will have their lives changed. What else can I say?

Sometimes you need a phrase that carries a measure of celebratory violence...if you don't already have one of your own your welcome to use ours.

See you this Sunday!

Leadership Analogy

2008-12-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

The other day I was trying to explain to one of my direct reports why I act the way I do in certain situations and I said, "I lead like a chess match rather than a marksman..."

I proceeded to explain that I occasionally struggle with "analysis paralysis" meaning that I'm so concerned about eliminating future moves by making a bad decision that I sometimes struggle to decide at all.

To run with the chess analogy, you can't set up the uber-powerful and strategic "castling" move (see the picture on the right) if you have made a mistake early on in the game and exposed your king to a "check" by the opponent. I have been blessed (and cursed) with an analytical mind. This means I generally have multiple scenarios running through my head for every decision I'm trying to make, big or small.

The strength: when I've got time to think and prepare I generally have contingencies covered and I make a complete decision.

The weakness: "Would you please just make a decision already...no one cares what the parking lot should look like in 35 years the traffic is backed up on 51!"

Some of you lead like a sawed off shot gun. You can pull the trigger quick and plaster the target with holes. You have your weaknesses too...I'm just saying!

I'm learning that the best leaders know their strengths and weaknesses and I'm thankful to have mentors and friends in my life who care enough about my development to point out my weaknesses so I can grow.

Get to know your style, and make provision for your weaknesses, it's the first step toward becoming more effective!

The Christmas Gnome

2008-12-19T09:06:00.002-05:00

Welcome to another addition to Friday's Fun Family Facts.

If you have not been following my blog over the past year let me catch you up. I have an interesting family! So on occasion, and always on Fridays, I post a story about things that have happened in my family. Usually these things are from my childhood but today I have a special treat...a glimpse into the present!

About 5 years ago we (my family) all got fed up buying cheap presents for everyone (which ironically cost more) and decided to take all the money we were spending on everyone and concentrate it on one person. The result, we spend less and get nicer things. Enter the Christmas Gnome...

Having an interesting family, it isn't possible to just do a normal name exchange. Without a certain element of mystery, competition and bitter sarcasm it just doesn't fly with us. The Christmas Gnome provided all those essential elements to our name exchange and for the last 5 years we have relied on him to help us navigate through the logistical nightmare that is buying presents for a big family.

I wanted to give you a glimpse into the mind of the Christmas Gnome (and consequently into the personality of my family) so I've copied an email that he wrote to my family below. Please know that everyone in my family is trying very hard to figure out which one of us is masquerading as this vicious little imp...it really has been a mystery. If any of you have an idea who it might be I would love to know!

Well,

I know you have been eagerly awaiting this email for days now, so let me get right to it...

This year we, the governing body of the Bishop/Cushing-and-Extension-Christmas-Gift-Purchase-and-Delivery-Extravaganza led by the illustrious Christmas Gnome, are going to experiment with something a little bit different.

Rather than just send a boring email with your gift recipient's name in it, we are going to make the actual name acquiring portion of the present exchange process part of the fun! You will be receiving an email in the next 24 hours with three clues as to who your secret gift recipient is for this year.

You will only have three days to figure out who your person is on your own and then I will send a cheat sheet so that you don't buy presents for the wrong person. The first person to email thechristmasgnome@gmail.com with a correct guess for who you think you have this year will win a highly coveted and desirable prize (to be awarded on Christmas day...).

As always you can begin "replying to all" with your Christmas lists so that your mystery Santa can know what to buy for you. Your Christmas list will be due no later than December 15th...a very nice day for things to be due indeed...

The amount to be spent this year is $50.00.

The Christmas Gnome

Here's what the Christmas Gnome thought would be good clues to describe me...I was not very happy!

JOHN
1) TALENT: The Scrabler...or is it Scrabbler?: Could win at Scrabble every time, if only spelling weren't an issue
2) LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8ISuRkO3Fs
3) ANIMAL: Shrew

Sometimes having an interesting family is fun. Other times, it's just down right painful!

Ruth Stumbled into her Calling

2008-12-18T08:42:00.003-05:00

The other day, I had the privilege of watching a DVD of T. D. Jakes over lunch with Pastor Furtick.

Now, I enjoy any time I get to spend with Pastor Furtick, but when it includes wings and a GREAT sermon by T.D. Jakes I'm not sure there is anything better!

Jakes was preaching from the book of Ruth and in classic Bishop Jakes fashion he hammered out a principle that was right on.

"Ruth stumbled into her calling!"

Read back through the book of Ruth sometime and think about all of the things that could have gone wrong leading up to her becoming the wife of Boaz and consequently the Grandmother of King David.

She could have let depression take her out when her husband died.

She could have gone with Orpah back to Moab.

She could have given up when Naomi freaked out and started calling herself bitter.

She could have decided not to go to the wine press.

and these are just the things she could have messed up. You have to consider the ways that Naomi may have chosen differently or maybe Ruth's real redeemer might have said yes at the gate, or maybe Boaz would have been late getting to the field that day and missed Ruth altogether.

Ruth stumbled into her calling! And if we're honest, most of us have stumbled into ours as well. If you feel like you're a self made man/woman I would take a poll of all the times things might have worked out differently for you.

My guess is you have stumbled into your calling too. Give praise to God for his leading, and blessing in your life He has more to do with it then you're currently giving Him credit for.

What Googler's and Elevators Have in Common

2008-12-17T15:36:00.002-05:00

The lead staff read this article together the other day and it was VERY good!

It's about the culture of Google written by employees at Google. It was really exciting reading the article because in a very non-spiritual way there were some striking similarities between the way they think and the way we (all of us that would call ourselves Elevators) think.

A quote from the article: "The attitude is to pursue ideas that another company dismisses as outside the realm of possibility." - Niniane Wang (Engineering Manager).

Maybe you don't see it, but when I read that quote I feel like Niniane has been spying on us!

Here are some examples:

Grinders and 50 gallon barrels at Easter.

Worship CD and cool T-shirt for First Time Guests.

Spontaneous Baptisms.

launching a new service in 26 days so that our Butler Campus will still be able to reach people beginning January 11, 2009.

We never start with the question, "What's possible?" instead we ask, "What's the best case scenario?" and then we do everything we can to try to achieve that scenario.

If you want to be part of this type of culture then click here and get signed up.

If you don't...well that's fine too. I just can't kick the phrase, "I despaired at the thought that my life might pass me by without God moving mightily on my behalf." - Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Sunday Night Worship Experience

2008-12-16T09:29:00.003-05:00

If you attend the Butler High School campus of Elevation Church you heard the announcement yesterday - Elevation Church is adding an evening worship experience at the Butler Campus.

The Worship Experience will begin at 6:00pm with a full Children's Ministry. For the first time since I have been the Campus Pastor we have additional capacity. We have been averaging over 1250 people attending the Butler Campus each week and this past Sunday we had over 1400 people for the first time in our history.

This is a VERY exciting time for our Campus we have an additional 615 seats to fill and because of our growth we NEED them.

We have 26 days left to build a new contingency of volunteers who will make the 6:00pm Worship Experience their opportunity to make an impact in the lives of the people who come to our church. If you want to be part of making the Elevation Experience a reality at the Butler 6:00pm Worship Experience please email Gene Lakey glakey@elevationchurch.org and get signed up now. You can also check out our online application for volunteering.

There are still thousands of people who need to know Christ living in our neighborhoods and in some cases in our own homes. The time is now! and the opportunity has never been better. Get on board as a volunteer for the 6:00pm Worship Experience at Butler and be part of the vision of reaching people far from God...

PRAY

2008-12-09T07:26:00.002-05:00

Sometimes there is nothing left to do but pray.

There has been a tragic situation unfolding over the past week involving one of Butler's volunteers (Danny). At this point, I don't feel comfortable sharing the details of the situation, however, know that a week ago Danny was seemingly healthy and today he is on life support in the hospital.

Will you pray! Pray in such a way that God will hear your cries for a miracle and grant them.

God ultimately knows the conclusion of this tragedy, but until we know the conclusion, let's continue to pray in faith and believe God for a miracle.

Psalm 20

1 May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.

3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.

4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.

5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.

9 O LORD, save the king!
Answer [a] us when we call!

Thought of the day

2008-12-08T09:47:00.003-05:00

To be a person who is able to get things done you have to create the broad picture and "shape that picture into a set of executable actions..." - Execution - Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Casting the vision takes more than just communicating the plan it also requires a good strategy for executing the plan.

Maybe you should consider the implications of what you're about to tell you employee, teenager, spouse etc... Are you ready to help them get from here to there or are you about to ask them to drive to your destination while you hold tightly to the map?

Like I said, just a thought!

We Still Have BOLD Prayers to Pray

2008-12-03T06:52:00.002-05:00

I was reading a book called Axiom written by Bill Hybels (The Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church) this morning.

He wrote, "Slowly but surely, that "God can do anything" feeling fades, bold prayers quit getting prayed, and the beginning of the end is near."

Here's what I want to say to us: we still have BOLD prayers to pray!!!

Here are the facts:
1) When the Porter Ridge Campus was launched it was done as a product of bold prayers and audacious faith on the part of our staff and the volunteers that went to be part of the movement.

2) When the Porter Ridge Campus was transferred to the Butler Campus it was done as a product of bold prayers and audacious faith on the part of the staff and the volunteers who grabbed onto the vision of seeing people far from God filled with life in Christ and were selfless enough to embrace and welcome the change.

Butler - We still have BOLD prayers to pray because you still have friends and family members who are far from God and need Christ to invade their life like He has invaded yours.

So here's what I need from you today...I have a meeting at 10:30 today that will determine whether we can make our next BOLD move toward achieving our vision. Will you pray BOLD prayers with me today that God would open doors and clear away obstacles.

I can't give you more than that right now, but assuming you will be praying with me today I hope to make an incredible announcement this Sunday!!!

I need you Butler Campus! We've got a big vision and not enough seats. Will you get in the trenches with me today?

From Porter Ridge to Butler to...

2008-12-02T06:58:00.004-05:00

On March 6th, 2007 the staff of Elevation Church (which at the time was less than 10 people) sat down to have a conversation about what to do. Within a 10 week span we had grown from barely 1000 people to over 1700 in our two services at our only campus. Out of this conversation we determined to launch a 2nd campus...we were ignorant about the implications of that decisions and VERY passionate to see God continue to reach people far from God, so in our minds there really wasn't any other option.

32 days later we launched our second campus at Porter Ridge High School with you at the helm; a rag-tag group of renegade volunteers who were ready to take over Union County. On Easter of 2007 there were 501 people worshipping with you.

For those of you who were there during the next few months fighting for the Porter Ridge campus you remember the excitement of seeing your friends who would never have given church a chance walk through the doors of Porter Ridge High School. It was in those times that you developed the reputation for being absolutely insane. We could hardly have you in a worship night or live recording because of the fear that you would literally explode with excitement.

Fast forward to September 23, 2007 the Porter Ridge Campus was transitioned to Butler High School in order to strategically place it in the middle of a densely populated area on the edge of Union County. At Butler High School we launched with 2 services and saw 1186 people walk through the doors only 6 short months after that first conversation in March.

On Easter Sunday 2008 Butler Campus had 1388 people in attendance - packing that place wall to wall. All the while you, the same insane rag-tag group of volunteers have stuck with it; have fought for the vision of seeing your friends and family members who were far from God be reached with the life changing power of the Gospel of Christ.

Today, Butler Campus, our average attendance is 1250 and 6 of the last 15 weeks we have seen over 1300 people attending our campus - we're SLAMMED!

Now, there is a building being built and the opportunity to grow is coming but that's 10 months away. 10 months! Last year we more than doubled the size of our campus in less than 6 months. 10 months is a long time to wait when every single day that passes is potentially the last opportunity you'll have to get your friend to come. So let me pose a question to you Butler - what are we going to do in 32 days?

Elevation Church has been defined by it's audacity and you're considered crazy even by our standards. You're the ones who stepped up to start Porter Ridge; who stepped out in faith because you believed God would do the miraculous and because of your faith and sacrifice, He has! It's time again! People are looking to you to find out whether you still believe that God can do the impossible. There are still thousands of people to reach and I believe you have the vision and passion to reach them.

What are you going to do? Are you with me?

Decision Making Process - Courtesy of Nehemiah

2008-11-25T10:35:00.003-05:00

I've been reading the book of Nehemiah for the past several weeks and something I hadn't noticed on the first few passes jumped out to me this morning. (if you don't get enough out of your time reading the Scriptures, it's probably because you're not camping out long enough...).

Nehemiah 2:6 reads: "so it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time."

Let me give you some context. Nehemiah is upset by the reports he hears about his hometown which is in ruins. He wants to go back to restore it but needs the approval of his current boss. When he pitches his plan to the boss he has already thought through the timeline. So when pressed, he has an answer. As a result he is sent with his boss's blessing and provision.

In Nehemiah 6:15 we read that the wall was finished in 52 days. This timeline is so amazing that when their enemies hear about it they KNOW that it was done with the help of their God.

Here's what jumped out to me. God often blesses us because we're blessable. Those of us that do the hard work of seeking God on the front end (Nehemiah 1:4-11) have the benefit of His divine insight into our problem (Nehemiah 2:6). The fallout of that process is that even our enemies are impressed (Nehemiah 6:15).

Here's the first draft of the process that I pulled out of the text. There's plenty more to be gleaned from this story but this was enough to create some momentum in the decisions I was making yesterday morning:

1) Seek God (Nehemiah 1:4-11)
2) Make your plans according to His insight (Nehemiah 2:6)
3) Gain the approval of those with the power to make a difference (Nehemiah 2:8)
4) Prepare for opposition (Nehemiah 2:7-10)
5) Survey the Problem (Nehemiah 2:11-15)
6) Describe the problem to those that will do the work (Nehemiah 2:16)
7) Cast the vision (Nehemiah 2:17-20)
8) Celebrate (Nehemiah 8)

The Wringer

2008-11-21T08:25:00.004-05:00

Welcome to another addition of Friday's Fun Family Facts.

If you've been a follower of my blog (that eliminates most of you...) you have probably gotten the sense that my family is pretty "unique".

We (my family) love unique people and we hang around with them too. My family's heroes come from lists of starving artists and philanthropists; people like My Step-Father's dad Val Cushing or, for that matter, my Step-Father himself...(yes, that is a bagpipe maker's company website).

Now, as a child growing up in a family with this philosophical bent, there are certain experiences that I was privileged to have that you, frankly, missed out on; living in a Tee-Pee, Gutting my own turkey for thanksgiving, sharing dinners in my home with political idealists wanted by the FBI for anti-war protests, and while other kid's brought fruit role-ups to school for snack we brought boiled eggs from our own chickens and fresh figs!

The price that one pays for this kind of upbringing, however, is that occasionally there are hazards in the home brought on by a commitment to natural, homeopathic/organic living. Your mom, for instance, washed your clothes in a washing machine - mine used a Wringer Washer:

Romantic...right? Actually, I can tell you from first hand experience that they work quite well as long as no one gets their fingers caught in the shirt they are feeding into the rollers because, as a 5 year old boy, they are trying to help their mother by feeding said shirt through the rollers while she has gone off to answer the phone. Let's just say that when you put something in the rollers as thick as a 5 year old boy's arm, the lever that releases the rollers gets jammed. Therefore, the only way to get that object (as thick as a boy's arm) out is to reverse the rollers and let it role it's way out - just the way it went in...

But these hazards aside, I can definitely say that my upbringing has added a richness and flavor to my life that a lot of you missed out on by having normal lives. And, as a minister, it gives me a quiet confidence knowing that there is little you can say that will surprise me.

Enjoy your weekend. I'll see you Sunday!

My Junk Drawer Interprets Nehemiah

2008-11-20T10:05:00.005-05:00

We have one...and you do too!

That stupid drawer that haunts you at night when you're trying to sleep. Stuffed to every square inch with receipts, expired coupons, phone books from the past 2 years, pens, rulers, a cloth measuring tape, ripped envelopes with doodles on it from a phone conversation last June...It's a junk drawer!

Here's the beauty of the junk drawer, when you need to clean up quickly, you can pull it open shove your junk in it and slam it shut. Your guest gets to sit just 3 feet away enjoying how clean your house is. You, on the other hand, are sweating to the thump of that tell tale heart beating away from within the junk drawer.

I was reading in Nehemiah this morning and something struck me. Even though the most memorable part of the story told by Nehemiah is how they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, after you get through the first 6 chapters you don't hear much else about it.

With the wall fixed after 52 days the Israelites had nothing but their internal matters to turn to. And as they read the law of God and remembered their history they came to the chilling realization that they may have fortified themselves against outside attacks by fixing the wall, but it was their internal struggles that took down the wall to begin with. If they didn't figure out how to obey God's commands and live according to his principles they would eventually be right back where they started.

I guess you see where I'm going with this...we stuff our junk in the junk drawer and celebrate the fact that things look clean. The problem, however, is not the junk, but the fact that the junk was strewn around to begin with. At some point the junk drawer is going to get full so unless you begin to fix the behavior that's making the place a mess you'll eventually run out of hiding places and sooner or later you'll have to fix the real problems...

Yes, That's John Bishop With Jake and Mike

2008-11-19T14:29:00.005-05:00

For those of you who know me...you will think this picture, which was taken at a Community Outreach luncheon I attended yesterday, is very ironic.

For those of you who don't know me...let's just say I had to write the names down so I wouldn't look like a fool later when I was telling people about this picture.

To give you a little more perspective, one of Chunk's (our Executive Pastor) favorite games to play with me on road trips is the football trivia game. Here's how it works:

Chunks: "John, I'll say a mascot you tell me the city.

John: "Okay"

Chunks: "Bears"

John: "Uhh...I'm just taking a guess here...uhh...Miami"

Chunks: shouts of disbelief and endless ridicule...

If Chunks had asked me to match the name Jake Delhomme or Mike Rucker with a team before yesterday I don't think it would have gone well.

You Want To Get Connected to Elevation Church...

2008-11-18T08:32:00.002-05:00

To those of you who are currently attending Elevation Church and not involved this is for you.

I have come to a VERY profound conclusion over the past few weeks...

You really want to get plugged into Elevation Church!

I am overcoming a delusional faulty assumption that I didn't realize I was living under: I assumed that you didn't want to get plugged into Elevation Church and it was my job to motivate you, cast vision, convince you, persuade you, and otherwise manipulate you to "give it a try".

I have seen hundreds of people have their lives radically changed because they began to give sacrificially, use their gifts on Sundays on a volunteer team, get plugged into a Community Group and begin to apply the truths of Pastor's message to their life, and feel the joy of moving from an invitee to a host by committing to the growth of our church through evangelism, and yet, I still had this faulty assumption that you didn't want to get connected...

I've changed all that. Now, I have realized that you DO want to get connected, there are just barriers that you (or I) have put in the way that make it difficult to do so. So I have listed two common barriers and their solutions below. I hope this will clear the way for you to get involved...

1) You really want to get plugged into Elevation Church, but you don't think we need you.
In one sense you're right, we set the place up this past Sunday and we will set it up this coming Sunday with or without you. We were around before got here and things seemed to work...

But in another sense, we DO need you terribly. Our vision is to see people far from God filled with life in Christ, which necessitates GROWTH. That means we may have enough volunteers today, but we'll need more tomorrow. We may have enough group leaders today, but when you finally get your lost friends to come they'll need a place to get connected too.

So go ahead and jump in there's plenty of opportunity for you to make an impact!

2) You really want to get plugged into Elevation Church, but you don't know how.
Maybe you already fell for my trap and clicked on one of my links above and found yourself at an easy online connection point...but just in case you didn't, we have an easy online connection point for you to get involved in any one of the 4 G's (Gifts, Giving, Groups or Growth). Go ahead and click a link and let the mouse take you. It's kind of like facebook, hit one and you won't be able to stop...

Gifts - Giving - Groups - Growth

Also, we have a table set up in the lobby of every campus that we call the "information table". There are very nice people called connector's that can get you connected on the spot.

If you are at the Butler Campus, you can also take advantage of the "orangepeople". And hey, you may get a bag of Cheetos out of it! Not bad!

I'm sure there are more barriers, but hopefully I've eliminated two for you.

Lead Like a Follower

2008-11-17T09:58:00.002-05:00

Lately, I have been coveting motorcycles I see on the road. the other day I saw one in my rear view mirror just as I was getting ready to pull off the highway that I thought looked particularly nice.

To my surprise, this motorcyclist turned off the highway with me. Over the next few miles I did my best to keep this bike in my sights and was glad at each turn that it stayed right behind me. As I approached my community and prepared myself to watch as the bike disappeared down the road I was shocked when it followed me into my community.

I immediately concocted a plan to follow the bike back to its house so that during the next community yard sale, I could buy a coffee mug in exchange for a conversation that might lead to this guy selling me his bike real cheap.

Here was the problem, he was not leading...I was! He had followed me for 3 miles and was still behind me and I had limited options for how to find his house. I could have pulled over and let him pass, and then pulled in behind him and followed him home - a little creepy but effective. Or, I could have let it go - actually, that would not have been an option now that I think about it, it was a really nice bike.

So, what I actually did was let him lead me from behind.

For the next quarter mile I drove just a little slower so that he would stay close. By correctly reading his intentions I would anticipate his next turn and was able to follow him from the front all the way to his house. Don't worry, I played it cool! I don't even think the guy knew I was following him...

Here's a paradox of leadership that's illustrated in my stalking this guy: Having a position of leadership can often be the biggest enemy to actually leading. When you allow your position, title or authority to dull your senses you stop paying attention to the subtle intentions of the guy behind you and you run the risk of removing yourself as the leader by making directional decisions without gathering the right data.

with the motorcycle in my community, I was successful at other times, however, I'm still learning how to keep my eyes on the road and the rear view mirror recognizing that sometimes I need to lead like a follower.

A Response to our Struggles

2008-11-13T10:32:00.002-05:00

This was my response to a good friend's email earlier. He is going through a hard time and I wanted to encourage him. I have seen him at his highs and lows over the past year and a half and his integrity has endured. As a result, I can say with confidence that God is moving in His life even though the circumstances seem to point to His absence.

I wanted to share this email here because I believe many of you are going through the same challenges. The economy is bottoming out, your family is walking a tight rope, your spiritual strength is waning and you need to hear God's voice this morning. I hope getting to see a behind the scenes peak at my personal communication with a friend encourages you:

________________

I was reading in Nehemiah this morning writing furiously because God was speaking to me in a way that is atypical in my time with Him. Here is some of the fruit of what He taught me this morning...I think it might be for you too!

11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal [a] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. (Nehemiah 2:11-16)

You are not at the peak of despair, but the beginning of the inspection process! The promise of God's Word is clear in this passage as it lands not on the frustration of the torn down walls, but on the promise of the work that will be done. It sounds like you've got some ruined walls in your life right now, but the walls are not the point, the walls only provide a good workshop for God to continue building his greatest work yet.

Know this: You are not trying to face life with the courage of a mighty warrior, you ARE a warrior and as such you HAVE courage! God has brought you this far and He is taking you on.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. (Psalm 23)

You may be heading into the valley today, but God's plan always has been, and always will be, to take you THROUGH it! Don't faint in the process, embrace God's timing, continue to rely on Him and look forward to the day that you have come THROUGH the valley. By definition, there is always a mountain top on the other side of the valley.

________________

"Remember, the teacher is always silent during the test." - Pastor Steven

A Lopsided Approach to Lack...

2008-11-11T09:20:00.004-05:00

Every time Heather and I get into a situation where money starts to get tight we end up having the same conversation, "We need to cut back!"

"Cut back" usually means stop eating out, buy less groceries, don't drive around so much, make coffee at home instead of going to Starbuck's (Heather's standard suggestion...).

If it's really tight we'll start thinking through other things we could cut: Cable? Internet? clothes? Heat?

In thinking through this the other day I realized that our approach is very lopsided. We are good at figuring out ways to cut back, but what about figuring out ways to increase our income?

If I'm at a yard sale with $50 bucks in my pocket and I see a nice Honda Collection, Project H leather jacket that a guy is selling for $100 I've got two options: talk him down (cut back) or go get more money (increase my income).

Here's the principal: if there's a shortage there are two streams to consider the one flowing in and the one flowing out.

In personal finances increasing your income is often not an option, especially in the short-term, but that just might be the answer in other areas of our life.

As a father I have it good right now, I've got one kid that gets my undivided attention. When I get a second, third and fourth kid, however, I can't approach my love for them with a "cut back" mentality. Dividing my love 4 ways won't benefit anyone in the end. No! I need to figure out how to increase my income. How to love 4 kids with the same intensity as I loved 1 which means I need to increase my income.

The same is true for you in many areas of your life. You're too busy at work to volunteer at church. But having a "cut back" mentality when the options are cheat my boss, or cheat God only guarantees that someone loses. Instead, do the hard work of figuring out how to maximize both options. Get creative and go for the win/win.

What Fire?

2008-11-07T08:30:00.002-05:00

Welcome to another installment of Friday's Fun Family Facts... (This was a tradition that I had at the beginning of this blog's life that I thought I would pick back up, at least for today. To read some of the other entries you would need to scour the archives looking for titles with words like tee-pee, diarrhea, Starving Artist etc...)

So, I was a curious kid!

We had found a family of rabbits hiding under a gigantic blackberry bush behind our barn. In an attempt to catch one of them (I think we had just read Brier Rabbit) we dug a hole and buried a metal 5 gallon bucket in the ground. I think we were hoping that one of the rabbits would accidentally fall into the bucket and we would be able to keep it, and pat it, and love it and call it George...

Years later I rediscovered said metal bucket buried in the side of the hill behind our barn. I had to cut away the grass that had grown over the top of the bucket and when I did I discovered 5 gallons of water and slime...

Now, before you judge me let me give a few disclaimers about what you're about to read:

1) I was way too young to know better; probably about 14...
2) I was bored.
3) I was home alone.
4) I knew that Gas was flammable, I just didn't know that it floated...yet.
5) I was NOT anticipating that the floating gas would flow over the lip of the bucket and stream down the hill in a snaking, spreading, conflagration of fear and tumultuous panic scaring the virgin landscape of the once beautiful yard.

So having seen the water in the bucket I made the VERY logical mental leap that I should pour some gas into the bucket and light it on fire to test the questionable theory that gas was, in fact, flammable.

It burned...

Thankfully, however, I was able to beat the flames into submission using a 6 foot piece of flashing that was beside the barn.

Upon extinguishing the fire, I did what any normal 14 year old would do...I took a quick glance around to make sure that no one had seen any of this, wiped the sweat and charred grass from my forehead, turned, walked casually back to the house, and pretended that nothing had happened.

Amazingly, no one ever found out. the most I ever got was, "John, why do all the hairs on your forearms look like that?" to which I just grunted and said, "I don't know."

Mom...Dad...I promise this was the only time I almost burned myself alive using gas.

...behind the barn.

...without a thorough plan for what to do if things were to go terribly wrong.

Best Practices or Bold Prayers?

2008-11-06T09:29:00.003-05:00

I was at a conference recently when a speaker asked the question, "Are you working from best practices or bold prayers?"

Seemed like a good question on the surface...it got some "amens".

After thinking about this idea for a few weeks however, I started to get a little frustrated by it. In my thought process I kept pitting the best practice against the bold prayer and every time I would come up short. I don't think it needs to be that way.

In other words, I came to the conclusion that the question would be better phrased this way, "are you working from bold prayers and then best practices?" I believe that we need to ask God for the boldest thing we can reasonably ask for, and then work VERY hard to achieve those ends using the BEST practices we can.

So you ask God to bring back your kid (sister, friend, parent, spouse, etc...) who has wandered away from the faith (bold prayer) and then you get to work living a life worthy of the calling you have received humbly bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:1-2).

The greatness that God has called us to as the body of Christ requires both bold prayers AND best practices.

If you aim at the "best case scenario" and miss you've still hit something in proximity to the "best case scenario"...still not bad!

Leadership Lesson From the Birds

2008-11-05T17:22:00.004-05:00

Have you ever seen those huge flocks of birds flying is gigantic swarms. They sway back and forth and heave and swell...it's kind of freaky, like you're watching gigantic insects or something. (check out this link if you have no idea what I'm talking about...)

I saw one of these flocks the other day while I was waiting at a stoplight and as I watched thousands of birds swarming back and forth. I started to notice that the movements were actually started by small pockets of birds. the whole group would be flying one direction and then, seemingly, one lone bird would turn around and head back another. Inevitably, other birds would follow and new movement would swell in the new direction.

It occurred to me while watching these freaky birds that this is how I feel in a lot of situations as a leader. I'm not typically the archetype "goose at the front of a perfectly formed V..." where I set a direction and everyone falls in line... More often, I feel like that one stray bird in the midst of thousands clamoring to make the vision I deem most important a big enough deal to sway others and create movement.

In some ways, I like it like that...it's comforting to know that you're being followed by people who chose to follow me. This is what I've discovered in my experience: learning to create a following when people have a choice to follow you is the ONLY way to create a REAL following when people don't have a choice.

Butler Campus Volunteers

2008-11-03T10:51:00.014-05:00

Volunteers, I wanted to post a VERY serious post as a way to say thank you for all that you do. Yesterday, we had one of the largest attendance days we have ever had at Butler with 1366 people. Thanks for staying committed to the vision of seeing people far from God filled with life in Christ.

Reason #1: You get to experience really cool things to and from Butler Campus. Consider the following:

Reason #2: You could be driving this (which seems worse to me):

Reason #3: You will have great role models who will teach you about hard work and discipline like our wonderful graphics designer Ryan Hollingsworth:

Reason #4: We have great health care:

Reason #5: We get to turn these:

Into These:

To the volunteers who make it happen: thank you for your dedication! You are making a significant difference in the lives of people who are coming to Elevation Church.

We Have All Lost Our Minds

2008-10-30T17:02:00.003-04:00

We are psycho at Elevation Church...

At Butler High School where I am the Campus Pastor, our parking team is crazy!

The greeters, they are neurotic!

Ushers, yep, they're "off their rocker"!

First Time Guest volunteers, First Impressions Team, Volunteer Headquarters people, Ekidz workers, Production Volunteers, Lobby Team members, Connectors, Volunteer Coordinators, group leaders and yes, even the staff have all lost their minds...

We are freaks! We actually believe that by waving, smiling, pointing people to their seats and/or parking spots we are making a difference in people's lives. Our volunteers work, sacrifice, show up early, stay late, and give everything they have every Sunday, because at the end of the day we're all clinical...we believe that it actually matters!

And you know what, it does! Today I had the amazing priviledge of leading someone to Christ in my office. The best part of the story is that she was only in my office because the volunteers at the Butler Campus were faithfully tending to the details this Sunday. As you were waving and pointing people to their spots, or greeting someone with a smile or directing that person to their seat, there was a woman coming to church for the first time. That same woman was so welcomed by you and so touched by the worship experience that you make possible that she found her way to my office today and accepted Christ.

Butler Volunteers - we've said it hundreds of times before - but the sermon starts in the parking lot. And when you show up to do what you do, people far from God pull into the parking lot, feel welcome, hear the powerful Gospel and respond...Don't miss it! You are part of this story!

Thanks for your sacrifice and dedication...for yet one more person you really are making a difference.

Halloween Traditions...

2008-10-30T10:23:00.008-04:00

I come from a VERY competitive family!

Every year we would carve pumpkins, but we couldn't just carve them, we had to out do the other siblings in the room with a artistic masterpiece in gourd-ish medium. This conditioning has resulted in a very strange obsession in my life that flares up once a year around the end of October.

This year's pumpkin carving is titled: "ode to my neglected puppy..." (My dog, Oliver, has been very sad since Jeremiah was born 17 months ago so I have memorialized him in pumpkin flesh.) Enjoy!

And, just in case you can't tell what this image is...check out a real picture of Oliver to the right.

I can't post a blog without some kind of lesson, so here you go: Even a warty, lumpy pumpkin can be turned into something creative. If you feel like the world has handed you a gourd (work with me here...) you can always turn it into a jack-o-lantern!

Be blessed, and happy pumpkin carving...

Behind the Scenes with Pastor Furtick...

2008-10-28T11:24:00.002-04:00

The other day I was part of a meeting that Pastor Furtick was leading. He took the principle from Seth Godin's book, The Dip, and described how the principle actually found it's origins in the Word of God.

You'll have to read Godin's book to understand what he meant by it because I will focus the rest of this blog on Pastor's interpretation of his principle.

Pastor suggested that there are two main reasons why we will go through spiritual dips in our life:

1) Disobedience - Sometimes we make stupid decisions and create our own problems for ourselves. We borrow more money then we can pay back and find ourselves in financial crisis. We neglect our kids by working too much and then suffer the consequences. He pointed to David and Bathsheba, Jonah, and Peter as Biblical examples of this idea.

2) Divine Dips - There are other times that God puts the pressure on us. We are doing all that we know how and we still find ourselves in times of struggle. At that point we have three steps to follow: 1 - Receive God's activity; 2 - Remember how he has walked with us in the past; 3 - Respond to God's direction.

Now, I know you probably had to be there to experience the weight of this teaching, but trust me, it was a VERY profound moment.

Here are a few quotes to consider:

"The teacher is always silent during the test..."

"God's past performance always predicates His future ability..."

"Is my integrity worth suffering for?"

To close out the talk Pastor highlighted Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil... In classic style Pastor highlighted that we are walking through the valley. We might be in the valley today, but God's intention is to take us through it.

If you're in a Dip today follow Pastor's advice. if it's because of sin or disobedience then repent. If not, then Receive, Remember and Respond and know that no matter how deep your dip is the same God that lead you into it has every intention of leading you through it and on the back side of any valley is always another mountain top!

Thank You Irekka

2008-10-23T17:49:00.003-04:00

Last night my small group had the privilege of being introduced to a wonderful mom named Irekka. (Check out Tonia Bendickson's Blog on the story here.)

We found out about her because of our relationship with Communities in Schools - Safe Journey a program that helps teenage mothers graduate from high school and pursue their dreams in college.

Irekka's story is tragic - 19 with 2 kids, living in an apartment with a box spring to sleep on, a pot with a broken handle to warm up her kid's bottle, no money, no support, and seemingly no reason for having hope - yet, the characteristic that stood out most about her was her Joy.

Some of the ladies in our group treated Irekka to her first dinner at Olive Garden, we stayed behind and loaded furniture, dishes, clothes, and food into the apartment. When Irekka returned she walked into a fully furnished apartment. Her little girl Meiara was so excited she was literally bouncing off the walls. Irekka said, "I've been praying for 2 months that God would help and He did...I'm so happy!"

Irekka's joy and contentment was remarkable.

Thank you Irekka for reminding me just how blessed I am and for resetting my vision. Your best is yet to come. We're praying for you and more importantly, we're with you!

It IS my fault...

2008-10-22T09:38:00.003-04:00

Pastor Furtick posted a blog recently titled "How IS it my fault". Check it out here.

As I'm sitting here looking at the index card he referenced I'm thinking about the frame of mind I was in when I made the comment.

In reading through Habit 1 of Steven Covey's book I was struck by this line: "Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions." (Covey, 71) - you should probably read that line again...

I wrote in an exercise that we did while studying this habit together that I need to spend less time in asking why something happened (i.e. assigning blame) and a lot more time using the "why" to answer the question, "how do we make it right next time."

One thing that has begun to sink in for me is that no matter who's fault it is and no matter what the solution is the problem is ultimately my responsibility. If it was a staff member that dropped the ball, for instance, I'm not off the hook. I need to ask, "How can I coach them better?", "What resources do they need to be effective?", "Was the way I communicated my expectations ineffective?", "Does this staff person have what it takes?", "Do I need to release them from the pressure of these decisions?" etc... It's a subtle shift but it is absolutely necessary. At the end of the day if my leadership does not have direction modifying influence on the people I lead I cease to be necessary as a leader!

So how IS it my fault? Well, if I'm really the leader it's all my fault. Now that we've got that out of the way, how can we fix it moving forward...

I'm So Far Behind!

2008-10-20T15:07:00.002-04:00

I'm signing up for Facebook!

I am also considering twitter!

Someone asked everyone in the audience at the GroupLife conference at Willow Creek last week (side note: average age 48-52) whether they had a Facebook account...I was one of 7 people who did not raise their hand in a room of 1500 people. The other six...an Amish family!

I'm signing up for an account. If I deny you as a friend don't take it personally, I probably just don't know how to work the thing!

GroupLife Conference Takeaways

2008-10-18T09:08:00.002-04:00

I don't have time to write about all of the things that I'm taking away from the GroupLife Conference at Willow so instead I'm going to give you the first three that come to my mind:

1) Being in connection with other great leaders is my #1 resource for advancing the work that God has placed in front of me.

2) Everything is an experiment (thanks Mark and Heather). Therefore, start trying stuff!!!

3) The model of ministry that is going to work best for us is the one that we are most excited about. So...we need to pick one and start!

and for a bonus:
4) What we have going on in Charlotte, NC is borderline miraculous! We are part of a very special move of God...I can't wait to get back.

Drummer's are Supposed to Keep The Beat

2008-10-17T10:01:00.002-04:00

Let's imagine that I was at a conference at some point where there was a drummer on stage. In this hypothetical situation you could imagine that this drummer was actually a very talented young person who had a bright future as a drummer and you would not think that this blog was in any way a slam on said drummer...

But here is one thing I understand about drummers: the fundamental purpose of drummer is to keep the beat...agreed? Sure, they add a lot more then just the tempo, but there isn't anyone else in the band that will pick up the slack on the beat if the drummer decides to play without a click track.

So if you were at this hypothetical conference with me trying to sing a great song like Hosanna (for instance) you might be a little distracted if the drummer started at about 60 beats per minute and ended at about 100 beats per minute.

He might have had great fills, an incredible amount of passion, he might have been worshipping and carrying the weight of the musical experience, but when all was finished he would have neglected his central purpose as the drummer...he would have failed to keep the beat!

One thing I have learned as a leader in my short experience is that it is easy to get caught up in the passion of circumstances, pressures, or exciting moments in ministry and lose sight of my main purpose - to cast vision and lead people. I might develop great systems, or put together phenominal reports. I might extinguish fires, or pull off great announcements, but at the end of the day none of that matters if I fail to keep the beat.

Taking a lesson from the drummer, keep the primary purpose in focus and if you can't do it all make sure to at least keep the beat...the guitarist can alsways jump in with a cool solo, but no one else is watching the metronome!

Changing Stuff...

2008-09-10T09:17:00.002-04:00

I think there are people who really love to change stuff all the time. They annoy people with the desire to make things different. They are always looking for a new way, a better way, a short-cut. Sometimes they change stuff merely because it hasn't been changed in a while.

People who like things to stay the same all the time get very frustrated. They feel like they are trying to grab smoke. They are constantly searching for their Penelope (Lost Season 4) to keep from having their brain meltdown in the midst of things that are always shifting.

Hello, my name is John Bishop and I like to change stuff...all the time!

This past weekend, my wife and I shifted the furniture in our living room, again.

Today I am re-doing all of the reports for the ministries department.

My hair style will be different in 6 months then it is today.

The style of clothes I wear is radically different than it was 6 months ago.

The next time I get glasses they will be very different then the ones I'm currently wearing (probably, John Lennon transitions...)

It's just the way I like it!

Early Morning Thoughts

2008-09-09T06:23:00.003-04:00

It's 6:26am.

I've been up since 12:30am.

Some people (much more spiritual than me) pray when God gets them up early.

I have been reading Influencer (Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, and Ron McMillan) and furiously scribbling charts, structural problems, system breakdowns, organizational ideas, and new initiatives as fast as possible trying not to loose what God is showing me about the ministries of Elevation Church.

For some reason this morning was set aside for me to loose some sleep. But I would gladly trade sleep for the opportunity to do what I do...

This past Sunday we had 4485 people attending our one of seven worship experiences across three campuses 29 months into our church's existence; we had 152 people accept Christ bringing the total number of people who accepted Christ during the three weeks of the Gospel series to 903. These numbers are following on the heels of 1044 people being baptized during our Awakening series...and I can't sleep!

Pastor Furtick said it this way, "We need to let the victories God gives us be our fuel not our ceiling."

God has pumped my spirit full of $4.85, 93 octane gasoline...I can sleep later!

It's Been a While...

2008-08-21T12:13:00.002-04:00

Oh blog how I have forsaken you...

Right now I am eating a piece of celery with organic peanut butter crunch, crunch crunch...let me explain!

We are in the middle of a Daniel Fast where we have committed to eat only whole foods. We are in the middle of one of the most intense spiritual seasons we have ever been through. Over the past few weeks we have baptized 1044 and then encouraged our people to invite their lost friends to church beginning this week. Our hope is that 1,000 people will come to faith in Christ over the course of the next 3 weeks.

crunch, crunch crunch

Tomorrow we are going to have the first night of a two night student event where Pastor Steven will personally challenge the students of Elevation Church to get ready for this school year. They are about to be released back into one of the richest mission fields on the planet (the public school system) and we would be foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity we have fire up our students right as they get back into it.

crunch, crunch crunch

So why are we fasting? Because we recognize very clearly that unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain. God has chosen to move through us in this season and we are doing everything we can to keep the spotlight shining on Him.

Deliverables

2008-07-10T08:19:00.003-04:00

"It all comes down to the deliverables..."

This is the line that stuck to my brain the other day while I was eating dinner with a very brilliant business man in our church.

It's one of those statements that's brilliant because of it's simplicity. It doesn't take a doctorate to understand how to apply it; it a basic concept with profound implications.

Here it is:

Everything I do and everything that the people who report to me do on a daily basis have to "link" in some way to the big picture initiatives of our church.

If we are going to hit 10k people in 2010 as a church, then there are a considerable amount of things that need to occur in order to get us there.

Therefore, as I am on vacation next week, I will be reverse engineering everything that I do into a list of deliverables that feed back into the bigger vision of our church.

"Frankly, if I'm doing something that doesn't help me hit one of my targets, it's a waste of time..."

I agree! Now, let the schedule hacking begin.

Staff Advance

2008-06-20T17:26:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting in my office preparing for our "staff advance" coming up next week.

I always get a little bit nervous when it gets near staff advance season; the kind of nerves you get when you're applying for a new job, or getting married.

There's no fear, just an unsettled feeling that I'm about to commit myself to something far bigger than my abilities, skills or vision.

Last year at staff advance we finalized the details of our Dominate Campaign, presented comprehensive analyses of our departments, presented reports based around the content of the Leadership Pipeline and set goals for the remainder of 2007.

It was intense!
It was challenging!
There were at least a half dozen times when I could feel my heart beating in my ears!
and we came away exhausted; spiritually, physically, emotionally...

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

This year proves to be no different.

I just finished my part of a project we're working on that I've titled, "Discovering our 'brand'", that will no doubt spark some great discussion. I also just had a meeting with Larry Brey, our Connections Pastor, about three major projects we are tackling this fall. He is presenting those projects to the lead staff at Staff Advance and we want to make sure everything is ready to go.

We read two books, Honor's Reward by John Bevere and What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith. I don't know exactly what to expect from this year's advance except that it will be VERY overwhelming and we will be setting the course and speed for the next major season of our church.

The last 10%: My Pastor will be coming to Staff Advance straight off of almost two weeks of study, reflection, vacation, prayer and family time. I expect that he will have a double dose of intensity saved up for us and I can't wait!!!

How to Be a Good Husband

2008-06-19T10:35:00.003-04:00

For 3 months Heather (my wonderful, gracious and forgiving wife) has been begging me to install the little clips that hold the cabinet doors shut so that our precious little boy won't sneak into them and drink caustic chemicals.

Reasonable request, right?

So, being a good husband, the other night, I bribed Erika's (my sister-in-law) boyfriend, Ben, into "helping" me install them. Here's how it went:

While I was sitting at the kitchen table balancing our check book, Ben struggled to install the clips all on his own. To my credit, I went and got him a drill, knocked all the screws off the counter, and regularly checked Ben's frustration level - I had every intention of "helping" if it got above a 7, I promise!

Ben did a fabulous job installing the clips and Jeremiah (who you can see over on the right of this blog...) was adequately frustrated the next day trying to get out the Clorox Clean-up.

The ironic thing about this story is that Ben installed the clips in about 20 minutes.

Hmmm...
Option 1: Spend 20 minutes intalling the clips and keep my son away from deadly chemicals and please my wife.

Option 2: Drag my feet for 3 months, risk my sons life, force Heather to stand guard at the kitchen sink 8 hours a day trying to keep my boy out of the "death closet", and then forfeit my 'husband credit' to someone else...

Sometimes I wonder why Heather doesn't schedule regular P.E.T. scans for me...

For all husbands out there, take a lesson from Ben. Just install the 'clips'! I mean seriously, what's wrong with me?

The Last Post on Galatians

2008-06-18T08:52:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 6:1-18]

Paul says, “God cannot be mocked, a man reaps what he sows.” (v. 7)

I’m tempted to write a post that begins with the question, what do you want to sow in the lives of the people around you? But, most of you are just as selfish as I am (if you don’t believe me, take this test) so it will be much better to ask this question:

“What do you want to reap?”

Here’s what I want to reap in my life:
o Generosity
o Kindness
o Wisdom
o Love
o Forgiveness
o Grace
o A healthy family
o Joy
o Peace

What occurred to me after I scribbled out this list is that most of what I want to elicit from others is exactly what Paul told us to exemplify in our lives as the “fruit of the Spirit”. (Score: Paul – 1; John – 0)

Secondly, I started asking myself this question, “If I want to reap a healthy family what do I have to sow?” Well, I should probably sleep more, eat less, and exercise!

“If I want to reap generosity what do I have to sow?” Money! Time! Basically, I have to let go of “my” stuff. As I start focusing on others’ needs I will begin to reap my needs…

Sometimes when I read the Bible I’m left with the impression that someone planned the whole thing out…(for those of you that didn’t catch it, that was a sarcastic statement intending to point out that God knew what He was doing when He put this book together).

Well, I’m entering into blogivion - the cross between my blog and oblivion – where I will have to struggle with what to write and will probably end up writing nonsense posts for a few weeks... Just thought I’d issue a warning.

If you liked going through a book of the Bible leave me a comment and let me know so I won’t feel like I wasted the last 2 months of my life. Maybe I’ll do it again with another book sometime if you liked it…

Life by the Spirit

2008-06-17T08:49:00.003-04:00

After the Elevationbishop blog blackout of 2008 that extended through the duration of my wife and my vacation to Florida where we celebrated our anniversary and attended a marriage conference that Pastor Furtick was generous enough to send us to, I'm back with the next section of Galatians. I hope you enjoy it...

[Read: Galatians 5:16-26]

Just to encourage you when you fail, Paul says in Romans 7:14-20 that he can’t do it either. The things we want to do we don’t do them, and the things we don’t want to do, we fall into the same traps over and over…

This struggle is the tension we live in and if it describes you then you’re in good company. (It’s when you want to do things that you know are wrong that you should begin to worry…)

One more thing about this section:

When the Spirit fills us at salvation, He places His attributes in us. Paul calls those attributes the “fruit of the Spirit”.

You’ve Got ‘em! If the Spirit of God is dwelling in you, then you’ve got ‘em. So the next time you’re not displaying them in your life and relationships ask God to make a withdrawal on His deposit…

He Created the Universe!

2008-06-11T08:21:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 5:1-15 (again)]

This section of Galatians is about freedom. Paul starts by saying, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free.” (v. 1)

Immediately following this declaration, Paul launches into a discussion about circumcision. Now, if you’re not familiar with the Old Testament law that required all Jewish boys to be circumcised, this discussion seems a little out of left field. But notice that Paul says a man who ‘lets’ himself be circumcised. Circumcision would normally take place on the 8th day of a Jewish baby’s life (Check out the details here: Genesis 17:10-14). In other words, the only man that would ‘let’ himself be circumcised is being ushered into the Jewish faith as an adult.

Here’s Paul’s question in a nutshell: If the Jewish people were given the promise, symbolized by circumcision, that they were the people of God and that some day God would be sending them a savior to free them from the bondage of sin, why would someone who has the opportunity to accept Christ’s freedom directly want to try to get to Christ through circumcision?

The reason Paul is so angry at the people who are recommending circumcision to these new converts and luring them away from the truth and from freedom in Christ is he understands what’s at stake. James tells us that, “whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10). There is no grading curve in the law. You either keep the law, perfectly, or you are condemned by it, entirely! There’s just no middle ground.

If you are someone that is trying to do better, trying to be good, trying to quit drinking, trying to stop looking at pornography, trying to quit gossiping etc… You know that no matter how hard you try you have never been able to get free. But in Christ we are a new creation the old has gone and the new has come… (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). It’s probably time to quit trying and allow God to work through you.

He is, after all, the guy that created the universe and keeps it in balance. He formed the earth and everything in it. He breathed life into every living creature and formed mankind in His own image. I think He can probably handle your problems!

Treadmill Woes

2008-06-09T09:23:00.005-04:00

[Read: Galatians 5:1-15]

I was running on the treadmill at the "Y" the other day when a very tragic and embarrassing thing happened.

A women got onto the treadmill next to me and began jogging. About 3 minutes into her workout the spray bottle fell off the machine and made a very loud noise which caused everyone in the gym to turn and look just in time to catch the next 10 seconds of this poor woman's workout routine.

While the woman was trying to catch the bottle, she hit the towel that was hanging over the bar and it slipped and fell onto the belt. The woman then proceeded to hop around the belt trying to avoid the towel only to accidentally put her right foot down off the belt. Since her left foot was still moving with the belt her body took a sudden spin to the left and this little chain of events ended with an embarrassing yelp from the woman as she stumbled and almost fell off the treadmill.

Paul says in Galatians 5:7 that our faith is like a race. He suggests that we are "running a good race" when we are trusting in Christ but when we begin to put our faith in religious rules he asks, "Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"

Let's just be clear, even if the spray bottle and towel falls off, keep your feet centered on the belt. Trust me, it's safer that way...

Slight Diversion

2008-06-05T08:49:00.003-04:00

I'm going to need more time than I have to pour over the next section of Galatians. So this morning I thought I would take a slight diversion to let you in on a little secret...

This morning I saw Jin driving a Volkswagon Jetta right down the center of the main road. I know for a fact that Hurley lives two houses up from me, and I think the guy across the street is "Henry Gail" - of course, I don't ever see him.

I have also noticed that there is a little sink hole developing in my front yard. Occaisionally, it seems like there is a little puff of black smoke creeping out of it...

And this morning while I was getting ready I heard a loud noise outside that was obvisouly the pilot eating monster. It turned out to be a guy mowing his lawn, but you know, the island does crazy things...

So do I think that my neighborhood is actually an island with hatches all over it? Not yet, but if you hear reports that I've disappeared down the storm drain by the sink hole in my front yard, now you'll know why.

Heather and I just finished season 2 of Lost, and I'm infected. If I don't get my hands on season three soon, I might just go crazy.

If you've never watched the show you might want to commit the next 6 weeks of your life to catching up. It's a great show!

Two Women, Two Sons, One Promise

2008-06-04T08:15:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 4:21-31]

Now, before you get all bent out of shape from reading this passage let me make a disclaimer. The people Paul was writing this letter to would not have made as big a deal about Abraham having kids from two different women, or the reference to the word slave. These concepts are touchy for us, so it is hard to overlook them, but if we intend to extract the meaning that I believe Paul was trying to get at, we’ll need to look past them.

Here’s how I understand this passage, Hagar and Sarah and their respective sons are being treated metaphorically. Hagar represents Abraham’s disobedience, while Sarah represents God’s sovereignty to fulfill His promises.

The background for Paul’s arguments can be found in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21, but let me give you the abbreviated version here.

o God told Abraham that He was going to make a great nation through Abraham’s children.
o Abraham waited most of his life struggling to have kids with his barren wife, Sarah.
o Abraham got frustrated waiting on God’s plan and he “took matters into his own hands”.
o Abraham and Sarah agreed to have kids through Hagar, Sarah’s servant.
o Later Sarah conceived a child (Isaac) and the promise that God gave to Abraham was fulfilled through him. (Isaac’s son’s name was Jacob. Jacob was later renamed Israel and Jacob’s 12 sons became the namesakes for the 12 tribes of Israel)

Back to Galatians: when Paul says that we are children of the free women, he is saying a lot. By accepting God’s promise of salvation, by placing our faith in Christ, we are participating in the promise of God. On the other hand, by trying to make it on our own, we are “taking matters into our own hands”.

Some of us just don’t like the idea that God is in charge. But guess what, it doesn’t matter what we like, He’s in charge anyway. If He gives us a promise, He will fulfill it, and any short cut we try will ultimately create nothing but heartache and disappointment.

There is only one way, God has already determined the way it will play out and His name is Jesus Christ!

Regaining our Passion

2008-06-03T08:02:00.000-04:00

[Read: Galatians 4:8-20]

Paul talks about the Galatians, how they were so welcoming and loving while they were caring for him in his illness. He even suggests that they might have torn out their eyes for him. But now he is wondering where their joy went; isn’t that just like religious people! We forsake grace and joy for narrow-minded rules and constraints.

I drove by a church this morning that had signs on the posts at either side of their driveway. The signs read, “For church business only, security cameras activated…”.

You may not find that offensive, but I thought to myself, “how the *&$# (when I am tempted to cuss, I actually picture an asterisk the and sign, a dollar sign and a pound sign in my mind…just in case you were nervous…) are they going to switch their mindset on Sunday morning to welcome people that come to hear the gospel if all through the week they are guarding their property like it’s a military compound?” The unfortunate conclusion I came to is that they probably aren’t interested in welcoming new people on Sunday.

When Jesus first saves us we are willing to cut out our eyes to help people around us, but slowly, as religion creeps in, we tend to forget about the tremendous gift we have been given in Christ and we tend to lose our joy.

DON’T!

Fight against the temptation to give in to the selfish, shortsighted, narrow-minded, inwardly focused, hard-hearted, unforgiving, religious midset that rots so many believers from the inside out.

We have been called to live a life that honors Christ, and Christ in honored when we give a glass of water to someone who is thirsty. When we walk an extra mile with our captor, when we give more to the one who has stolen from us, when we risk that our parking lot will be used during the week by teenagers who want to skateboard in order to avoid scaring away people that may be impacted by the gospel.

Sons and Heirs

2008-05-29T08:48:00.004-04:00

[Read: Galatians 3:26-4:7]

Don’t miss this, God tells us through Paul in Galatians 3:26 that we are all sons (or daughters as the case may be) of God through our faith in Christ.

This is a REALLY BIG DEAL!

Let me paint the picture I see when I read something like this in the Scripture.

Here’s you: living in a nice neighborhood in the suburbs of Charlotte. Great working class neighbors, police officers, bankers, teachers etc…and all their kids seem nice, that is, except for 'that kid' across the street and his friends. You’ve never seen him do anything, but you’re convinced that he’s rotten to the core. One day, you and your wife are going on a date and you're late. You pull into the drive way, jump from your car to hers and speed out of the driveway having forgotten to lock your car. You notice as your pulling away that ‘that kid’ is across the street playing football with his friends.

When you get back from your date you’re shocked to find your car destroyed. The stereo, your iPod and headphones are gone. Your briefcase that had your computer and company check book in it are gone. The car is trashed. The seats are slashed, headlights are busted out, the tires are flat and there’s a key scratch running the entire length of the driver side.

Of course, you call the police and get them involved, but after a couple weeks it becomes clear that even though you are absolutely convinced that it had to be ‘that kid’, there is no evidence to prove it. He’s gotten away with it. To make matters worse, every time you see ‘that kid’ now, he looks at you with that frustrating little smirk...

Here’s the point, ‘that kid’, is you and I! And here’s how God responds. He doesn’t call the cops, get frustrated and write you off, he adopts you. He treats you just like one of the family. When you turn 16 he gives you a car. When you go to college he foots the bill. He feeds you, clothes you, and looks after you. He calls you son!

Since we’re ‘that kid’, I guess I’m just really thankful that God has decided not to treat me the way I would have treated ‘that kid’.

We’re sons and heirs, but when I read this passage, I’m reminded to avoid the temptation to start believing that I deserve it.

Diarrhea Hill (a Friday's Fun Family Fact)

2008-05-23T09:15:00.004-04:00

Welcome to this week's installment of Friday's Fun Family Facts...This post will have nothing at all to do with anything. You should definitely not read another section of Galatians to go along with this post!

It has been quite some time since I have posted a "Friday's Fun Family Facts" so for those of you who are not 'lifers' on this blog, let me give you a brief update.

I have a very interesting family... and there are, therefore, lots of good stories to tell. That's it!

My bedroom looked out across the road on the Eastern side of our house toward a little hill. We nicknamed the hill the diarrhea hill because it didn't have any grass on it. Every time it rained, thick, smelly, goopy mud with chemically residue would slide down the hill and create very inviting wallows at the base of the hill. To a 7 year old mind it was a very simple fact that the hill must be made of thousands of yards of poop; hence, diarrhea hill.

One day, about 12 hours after a pretty hard rain, my siblings and and I were overcome with temptation; we just could not resist the urge to investigate the hill. We marched across the street into the festering mud wallow. Of course, within a matter of seconds Anna and I were caught in the quick-mud, making embarrassing noises with our shoes sludging and spelching our legs deeper and deeper into the diarrhea death trap in our struggle for freedom.

just as we were about to disappear from sight into the bottomless pit of excrement my father bounced into the driveway - he always got home early on Fridays, but somehow we never seemed to remember that he got home early on Fridays. My older brother who had managed to avoid the limb trapping detritus soup hole ran across the street to recruit my father's aid.

What I saw was the silhouette of my father, a large looming man, with what looked like an axe or shotgun clutched in his right hand, walking with an angry gait toward Anna and I as we began to make peace with our inevitable tomb. I was convinced that he was going to off us and let us sink into oblivion to be discovered by paleontologists in 10,000 years. Of course, he did not, and the shotgun turned out to be a life stick that he intended to use to pull us to freedom.

My dad ruined his shirt, Anna lost her shoe and we all lost our dignity as we were hosed off outside in less that appropriate public attire by my mom who almost lost her consciousness from laughter. Although I was freed from the hill's grasp that day, I never felt completely free from the power of the diarrhea hill. Nightmares, claustrophobic panic attacks and paranoid sidelong glances marked my experience for several years following that VERY traumatic day.

We’re all Slaves. Who’s Your Master?

2008-05-22T09:31:00.001-04:00

[Read Galatians 3:15-25]

One of the hardest things to get over for people who are wrestling with Christianity is the truth that we are all slaves (for the back story on this comment check out Romans 5:20-6:23).

If we are not believers we are slaves to sin and selfishness; we are chained to the law which was set up to reveal how far off the mark we really are. On the other hand, if we are believers we are slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:19-20). Either way, we are slaves. There is never a time that we are completely autonomous; we are always subordinate to something.

Here’s the difference between our states before and after belief in Christ. Before we believed we were slaves to the law and the law itself was our task master. Therefore, when we broke any law, caused any injustice, wounded any friend, violated any principle it was ALWAYS counted against us. We were in a state of perpetual debit on an account that had started in the deficit.

Now, however, we are slaves to righteousness. We are still accountable to the same standard and as Paul says in Galatians 3:21, the law is not (and never was) opposed to the promise of God given to Abraham. The difference is that now when we break the law, cause an injustice, wound a friend or violate a principle it is placed on the back of the Crucified Savior, Jesus Christ. It is no longer counted against us, but against Him. And in His infinite wisdom, grace, mercy, love…we are counted righteous before God.

Before faith we were slaves to sin. After faith we are slaves to gratitude. We cannot repay Christ and we would take a wrong step if we tried, but we can serve Him. We can place our lives at His disposal and expect Him to use them. We can give Him our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. We are, in other words, free to be enslaved by Christ.

The Plot Continues

2008-05-21T09:11:00.001-04:00

[Read: Galatians 3:1-14]

Keep in mind as you read this post that this section of Scripture was written to Jewish Christians. Paul, himself, was a Jewish Christian…

Abraham is being held up as an example of faith NOT for his obedience to the law. It is suggested in this passage that Abraham was the first “believer”. In Paul’s mind, it seems clear, in this passage, that he sees himself as a true Jew, a true Christian, AND an heir of Abraham. In other words, Paul is suggesting in this letter that the chosen people of God (that is the people who lived by faith) in the Old Testament, were really believers.

I could launch off into a discussion about who comprises the “real” Israel, but I don’t think that would be very profitable. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this discussion and, frankly, it doesn’t benefit any of us to dive into irresolvable controversy. So, instead, I’m going to point out the beauty of God’s plan in this story.

God identified a people through the blood line of Abraham. Part of the promise he gave to Abraham was that MANY nations would be saved through his faith. Paul, being both in the blood line of Abraham (as a Jew) and a believer because of his belief in the resurrected Christ (Acts 9) serves as a liaison to the “other nations” referred to in the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12:3.

In other words, you and I (non-Jewish believers) were part of God’s plan from the beginning. As you are reading the letter to the Galatians you need to keep in mind that apart from the faith of the Jewish nation we would not know Christ. Their history is our history all the way up to the time of Christ. From the resurrection on, we – who are believers through the sacrifice of Christ – are also heirs to the same promise that was given to Abraham 4,000 year ago.

This stuff never gets old to me! As believers, we are part of the greatest story ever told, and through you and I the plot continues as we see people far from God filled with life in Christ.

The best Job in the World

2008-05-19T09:51:00.004-04:00

I have the best job in the world.

I get to make my living seeing people far from God be transformed by the life giving power of Christ.

I get to lead some of the best volunteers and staff on the planet.

I wake up every morning with a profound sense of satisfaction and I feel completely fulfilled in what I'm doing.

I could not be more thankful!

All Scriptures are God Breathed

2008-05-16T09:08:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 3:1-14]

Here’s an interesting fact to remember: whenever you read the word ‘Scripture’ in the Scriptures – like we see in Galatians 3:8 – keep in mind that this word is not referring to the New Testament. I don’t think that idea needs much explanation since the New Testament was being created in the writing of the word you’re reading, however, it makes a great point: All Scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16).

You’ll notice that in order to defend the gospel Paul references seven different Old Testament passages (Genesis 15:6, 22:8 – vs. 6, 12:3 – vs. 8, Deuteronomy 27:26 – vs. 10, Habakkuk 2:4 – vs. 11, Leviticus 18:5 – vs. 12, Deuteronomy 21:21 – vs. 13). His entire argument is based around Abraham the patriarch of Judaism and one of the foundational characters in all of the history of Christianity.

Here’s one final nugget: in 2 Peter 3:16 Peter lumps Paul’s letters into the word ‘Scriptures’. I think this is a pretty big deal. Think about it, Peter, the Apostle who Paul had ‘opposed to his face’, is defending Paul’s writings as being straight from God.

All I’m saying is that we have a pretty awesome book at our disposal. Don’t miss any of it – Old or New – it’s all God breathed!

Make sure you come out to Elevation Church this weekend. Pastor Furtick's message will take the simple point I've made here and drive it down deep. Old Time Religion - Week 2 coming your way.

Paul vs. Peter

2008-05-15T09:23:00.004-04:00

[Read: Galatians 2:11-21]

I think this passage is VERY interesting. I really wonder what it might have looked like. I mean, these guys weren’t exactly meek men...

“In this corner, all the way down from Jerusalem, we have “the ear hacker”, “the Rock”, the man who makes the gates of Hell shake, Simon Peter – apostle to the Jews. And his challenger, the wrestler formerly known as Saul, Paul – the apostle to the Gentiles. He’s been beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, blinded, imprisoned, starved, and bitten by a viper…” (eh hem…Sorry!)

The point of this passage really has very little to do with the confrontation between Peter and Paul but I think that there is a lot to be gained by realizing that everyone is going to disagree with someone about something.

In fact, it wasn’t just Peter and Paul, Paul and Barnabas had a little falling out and parted ways. Paul got frustrated with John when John didn’t feel like continuing on the journey.

When you look, there is a lot of conflict in the Scripture; Great men disagreeing about seemingly small things. Here’s one thing to hold onto however, Paul and Peter disagreed sharply in this passage but then in Acts 15 they are able to work with each other again.

Paul and John had their disagreement on Cyprus (Acts 13) but then in Colossians 3:10 (written 10 years later) Paul is admonishing the colossians to welcome John and John appears to be one of Paul’s main guys again.

The point is conflict is unavoidable. We make stupid decisions and so do the people we know, but if we are truly seeking Christ, there will come a day, as far as it depends on us, that we will live at peace with one another.

Do what you can today!

Next post: "ALL Scriptures are God Breathed"

If so, Then Christ Died for Nothing

2008-05-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 2:11-21]

Last week, on Monday and Tuesday, I was on jury duty. And, of course, out of the approximately fifty people who were serving with me, I was called to actually sit on the jury – that is, until they found out that I was a very conservative Southern Baptist Pastor with extreme views on things…

In the jury selection process, it became apparent that some of us did not really believe that the defendant was actually “innocent until proven guilty”. In fact, I had to admit that I had preconceived opinions about someone who finds their way to court, particularly as a defendant.

Now, I am very thankful for our legal system because if I ever found myself in the courtroom I would definitely ask that a juror like me be excused; I would want people on my jury that assumed I was innocent. However, my theological perspective doesn’t allow for presumed innocence - at least in the broad sense of the term.

In Galatians 2:15-19 we read that the law cannot declare us innocent or guilty. We are all guilty and Christ declares us innocent through His sacrifice. In other words, while I was sitting on the jury panel listening to the judges explanation of presumed innocence I could not get away from the fact that the defendant was guilty. He may not have been guilty of breaking the laws that he was on trial for, but he was guilty. Just like I’m guilty, and you’re guilty.

I think this passage of Scripture ought to make us jump up and down and celebrate because the facts are clear, “if I rebuild what I destroyed all that I prove is that I am a lawbreaker.” My effort will never prove my innocence, only my guilt; if it could prove my innocence, Christ died for nothing.

But praise God, that He has made a way for us through Christ Jesus our advocate. Interestingly enough, Jesus doesn’t presume our innocence either, He just absorbs the sentence…

Next post: “Paul vs. Peter”

I’m an Apostle NOT One-of-the-Boys (part 2)

2008-05-01T08:21:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 1:1 – 2:10]

Paul is not only defending his credibility (check out: “I’m Not a Fake”) as a witness to Christ, he is defending his authority as God’s chosen man. Paul made some waves (as we’ll see when we get to 2:11) and in order to be taken seriously he needed people to know that he had authority.

I referenced a Pastor who wanted to be “one-of-the-boys” here. The problem with this idea is that God’s calling isn’t an outfit. We can’t take the tie off on Sunday afternoon and quit being a Christian for 6 days. You’re either a believer or you’re not. Just like, you’re either a business man or you’re not. You’re either a parent or you’re not. And, as a parent, you are always “Mom” or “Dad”. No matter how old your kids are, you’re still “Mom” or “Dad”.

That’s what Paul is fighting for in this passage. He is not just Paul, the guy who used to persecute the church (1:23) he’s Paul, the apostle! He’s an eye witness to the Gospel of Christ (Acts 9), instated by Christ Himself (Galatians 1:1), and acknowledge by all the other apostles (Galatians 2:9). He is fighting for his title not because he has any interest in being personally exalted, but because he is a slave to the exaltation of Christ through his life (Romans 6:22, Philippians 1:13). In the same way, we have been given a ‘spiritual title’. That is, God has gifted us and placed us where we are to do what only we can do.

Here’s my modern application: at our church, we call our Pastor, Pastor Steven Furtick; by his title and his position rather than his name. You will never hear me refer to him as ‘Steven’ because it’s important to me that he isn’t just ‘one-of-the-boys’; there are thousands of people who can be ‘one-of-the-boys’. I don’t need another ‘Steven’ in my life, I need a Pastor. I need a man-of-God who I have placed in a position of authority and given the permission to call me out. I need him to carry the weight of the calling that God has placed on his life with authority and boldness. I need him to continue to proclaim all that God desires for him to say from the platform he has given him. And I have committed to honoring that calling with the practice of affirming it.

For those of you who are squirming a little while you’re reading this, don’t take my word for it. Re-read the section of Scripture we started with and imagine Paul is writing it to you; as if you are personally doubting Paul’s authority. Now, place your Pastor (boss, teacher, parent etc…) in Paul’s spot! It’s not about our recognition, it’s about His! We honor each other, we submit to each other, we respect each other because in that we revere Christ who established us in our places to begin with (Ephesians 5:21).

Shameless plug:
If you’re in Charlotte, you have got to get everyone you know to Elevation Church on Mother’s day. We’re starting a new series called Old Time Religion, and if this post got your wheels turning, Pastor Steven Furtick is going to wear out the tread during this next series!

Next Post: “If so, then Christ Died For Nothing”

I’m an Apostle Not One-of-the-Boys

2008-04-30T07:07:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 1:1-2:10]

Paul goes to some pretty extreme lengths in this letter to form and support the fact that he is a genuine apostle. His whole argument culminates in 2:8 where he says, “For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an Apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the gentiles.” Chapter 2 verse 8 is the climax, but check out these verses leading up to it: 1:1; 1:12; 1:15; 1:17.

Paul is building a case for his authority and his leadership; and he’s doing it boldly and unashamedly!

I used to play basketball in a church league and I had a local Pastor on my team. After one of the games (as a side note: we were completely slaughtered) we were outside debriefing and this Pastor said, “Hey guys, thanks for letting me be one-of-the-boys”. Here’s the thing, he was not “one-of-the-boys”. He was a pastor! God had chosen him, set him apart, and set him up with a platform of leadership and a voice so that he could proclaim His truth and lead His church!

Now, I know what he meant and the statement itself wasn’t really a problem in the context but let me attack the philosophy for a second. We can’t escape from God’s call on our lives unless we chose to live in disobedience. Let that sink in for a second, or for more proof, check out these verses (Proverbs 3:5; 8:22-24; 16:3, 9 and 33; Jeremiah 1:5 and Galatians 1:15). If God has called you to a task or a position He didn’t do it for you, He did it for the people that He is planning to reach through you. If God has set you apart in your job, family, or community and trusted you with a position of influence then fight for it and leverage it for His purposes.

To be continued…

I’m Not a Fake

2008-04-29T10:36:00.002-04:00

[Read: Galatians 1:11-24]

If you really read this passage you’re probably wondering the same thing I am right now, "why does Paul spend so much air time defending himself in this letter?"…

Some people have accused Paul of being arrogant which is completely asinine. God wouldn’t use someone that thought more of themselves then they thought of Him. In other words, if God was pleased to use Paul as his spokesman for a third of the New Testament then who am I to second guess God… But it is, however, a little weird that Paul spends so much time defending his apostleship in these verses.

Here’s my perspective: Paul understood just how significant his apostleship was. He knew who he was representing and therefore understood just how important it was for him to be credible.

In our modern courts if you want to win a case one of the best ways to do so (at least in the movies…) is to discredit the witness. An “expert” in the medical field who is proven to have received his medical degree in six weeks from a degree-by-mail night program doesn’t carry much weight. Therefore, the person that this “expert” was a witness for is up a creek!

In the same way, if the people who are fighting against Paul are successful at discrediting him then they have not only hurt Paul, but they’ve damaged the case. Since Paul is testifying to Christ it is essential that Paul is a credible witness so he is fighting for it.

Here’s my question for us, are we a credible witness. If we had enemies that wanted to dismiss our testimony could we write a letter to everyone that knows us and defend ourselves as a witness to Christ? Check yourself! There are a lot of people watching us and making their assessment about our Lord by the way we live.

Next Post: “I’m an Apostle not One-of-the-Boys”

Be Eternally Condemned you Freakin’ Liars

2008-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

[Read: Galatians 1:1-10]

I guess my title may have been a little too harsh. But then again, that’s pretty much what Paul said, so I guess I’ll let myself off the hook.

In Galatians 1:8 and 9 Paul eternally condemns anyone that preaches a Gospel other than the one that he is preaching. He doesn’t just say it and move on, he says it twice, back to back. Paul isn’t trying to win an argument with people who see things differently then him. He isn’t trying to persuade a few people that he’s right and they’re wrong. Paul is SO convinced that what he is teaching is right that he condemns anyone who disagrees with him to an eternity in hell.

One of the funniest verses in the Bible is Galatians 1:10 where Paul asks, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men?” Yeah Paul…uh…actually, no! You just condemned a bunch of people to hell, it’s pretty clear that you’re not in it for popularity.

Here’s what I believe, this passion is missing from most of our lives. Jesus isn’t some pretty little caricature who makes nice Sunday afternoon conversation over lunch. He’s not Mr. Rogers or a political statement. He’s the Lord over all things and as Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

In other words, Paul is right. People who preach another Gospel are condemned. I ask myself the same question that Paul asked in verse 10, am I trying to please men, or God? Where do you fall? There is only one Gospel and we, as Christians, carry it to those that don’t know about it. You should take a stand; it is LITERALLY a matter of life and death!!!

Next post: “I am not a Fake”

Overview of Galatians

2008-04-24T14:35:00.001-04:00

The book of Galatians is an interesting book. Well, actually, it’s not a book, it’s a letter that Paul wrote to some people he had helped out that were turning their backs on him. If you read it carefully, you can tell that Paul is actually pretty angry throughout the whole letter.

This letter was one of the first letters that Paul wrote and it therefore, has a lot of stuff crammed into it. As I have become more familiar with the Scriptures as a whole I have come back to Galatians on a occasion and noticed that most of what Paul writes in Galatians is covered in other letters that Paul wrote (Romans, Ephesians, Corinthians etc…). For that reason, Galatians is a good letter to read; it provides a nice overview of the basic arguments that Paul addresses at length in other places, but it is short so you can get through it in one sitting.

Before you come back to read the next entry, the assignment is to read the entire book of Galatians. It’s only 6 chapters! The reason you should read it in one sitting is it’s a letter. If your spouse or “special friend” wrote you a love letter and you only read the first paragraph you would probably not have a complete understanding of what they were trying to say to you, right? Letters are written to be read in one sitting – Galatians is no different. So read Galatians and then check back for the next post.

Next post: “Be Eternally Condemned you Freakin’ Liars”

Galatians

2008-04-23T08:30:00.001-04:00

Warning: I am going to hijack my blog indefinitely to go through the book of Galatians. I'll let you know when I'm done...

Why Go Through Galatians on my Blog?????

1) I would like to focus my blog writing energy on the Scripture, the only words that have any power to change lives – including my own.

2) I’m bored talking about me and/or the things I’m doing!

3) There is a lot of really good stuff in Galatians that I think needs to be highlighted.

4) And, I’m the Ministries Pastor of a thriving and dynamic church and I’m passionate about the stuff God says in His book; particularly through Paul in Galatians.

So, if you’re interested in going through the book of Galatians with me, then go subscribe to bloglines and put this blog at the top of your list.

If you’re not interested in going through the book of Galatians with me, then you should check your heart and figure out if you really love God. Just kidding! If you don’t want to go through the book of Galatians with me that’s fine, just make sure you’re going through something without me…

Next post: Overview

Humility Redefined (Part 3)

2008-04-09T08:43:00.001-04:00

This whole rant started when I went to Starbucks the other day. I tend to enjoy a cup of coffee, and I have a particular weakness for Starbucks' coffee.

Over the past 4 months I have frequented the same Starbucks near my house and I always go in rather than use the drive through line for this reason: God has gifted me with an ability to build relationships - I'm good with people. I see it as my calling to reach out to people and make connections, so I intentionally put myself in situations where I can leverage (and hone) that gift.

So, over the past 4 months I have built a relationship with the Barista at this particular Starbucks named Kim. When she found out the other day that I was a Pastor at Elevation church this is what she said, "Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. You have such a nice way about you, and I'm glad that you are a pastor."

Here's is what I heard her say:

"John, you have faithfully represented Jesus Christ to me. I have served dozens of 'Christians' who have been selfishly curt and disrespectful and after 4 months of enjoying seeing you come in it makes me excited to know that you represent Him. Because, you see, I haven't been in church in a really long time, but I'm searching. In fact, I really want to believe that Jesus is who He says He is and the way that you have carried yourself has really helped. Thank you!"

Now, I know she didn't actually use these words, but as I found out, she has visited Elevation and loved it. But in talking with her, it became clear that she is overwhelmed with the idea of getting back to church. The fact that I was a nice guy REALLY helped her. I expect she will be coming to Elevation soon where Christ will have ample opportunity to touch her life.

Use your gift! God has plans that extend beyond what we can see. We need to give people every conceivable excuse to try out Christianity and get to know our Lord and there just isn't time for us to down-play our gifts. Use them to their fullest and start representing Christ well!

If you promise to read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 with this newly established filter, then I think I'm done now...

Humility Redefined (Part 2)

2008-04-08T08:03:00.001-04:00

Let me continue the rant that I started here...

Imagine you were trapped in a foreign country. You can't speak their language. You can't read their signs. You don't know anyone. You can't figure out their financial systems and you're broke, your Visa has expired and you're lost, lonely and confused. In a last ditch effort to try to get help and get back home you manage to find the American Embassy. When you walk in and flash your North Carolina ID and ask for help. The person looks back at you and says, "Well, I actually really like this country. In fact, I think the language is great. Why would you want to go back to America anyway? I think you should just stay here."

Isn't this exactly what we do with the gifts and talents that God has given to us? He causes us to be good with people, but in situation that really matters we disregard and disrespect God's gift in our life. People are visiting our churches and they don't get it, they don't know the language, and they're lost, lonely and confused and we give them the cold shoulder.

WOULD SOMEBODY STAND UP AND SAY,

"I'm good with people, let me stand at that door."

Or, "I am freakin' awesome with spreadsheets! I can't stand at that door, but dang it, I can create a spreadsheet that will walk to your house and make sure you're there."

Or, "I'm good with people, but I'm a much better leader. Let me lead the people who can stand at the door."

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are Christ's ambassadors but check out what he says before that in verse 12:

"We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart..."

In other words, If we don't show them who Christ is, no one else is doing it. Therefore, we need to polish our proverbial shoes, put on our best clothes, and get our speech right. God is looking to us to use the gifts He has bestowed on us for His glory and His kingdom. Quit poo-pooin' around and get on it!

Humility Redefined (Part 1)

2008-04-07T07:22:00.001-04:00

I have always known that the Scripture taught humility. My problem has been that I have misunderstood what humility is and I would bet you're the same way.

We think that to be humble we have to under-sell what we can do and play-up what we can't. I had a guy tell me once, "John, you're a really good worship leader, but don't ever think you are."

First of all, I'm not a good worship leader, I can play the guitar pretty well, and I can sing, but I am not gifted at leading people, through music, to experience Christ in worship. When I was leading, I was too fixated on the clock and the chords.

The other part of the statement that's just not right is, well, the rest of it - "don't ever think you are."

Here's the problem with this line of thinking, If you are really good at something, it doesn't do anyone any good for you to pretend like you're not. If you can sing, then sing! Refine your gift, practice, listen to other singers, memorize songs, expose yourself to the greatest training you can and leverage your gift for all it's worth. Then, when people walk up to you and say, "Man, you're a really awesome singer", and you rightfully give credit to God, He won't be misrepresented by your underdeveloped, and insecure performance in the name of humility.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are Christ's ambassadors. What good is an ambassador who doesn't represent well?

I've left this unfinished, because I'm not done with it yet. Check back again for the next installment.

Make it Sticky

2008-04-04T09:11:00.003-04:00

I posted this on Access Elevation but because I haven't posted at all this week and it is my original content I wanted to put it here as well. Besides, I think it's a good post! Check it out.

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I read a book about 5 months ago that has really been helping me out recently. The book’s title is “Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The basic premise of the book is that it is our responsibility to make the ideas we want to communicate sticky.

Here’s an example of a sticky idea that Chip and Dan point out:
The candy-tampering Halloween criminals, that every parent fears, who slide razor blades into apples and poison candy bars…Yeah, they don’t really exist. Well, maybe they exist now, but the whole thing started because of an inaccurate and unfounded rumor surrounding a kid that overdosed on his uncle’s heroine stash around Halloween in the 60’s.

The reason the rumor didn’t get squashed and eliminated is because, frankly, it’s sticky. There are elements of the story that we all want to believe and it sticks to us.

I’m being challenged right now, because somehow I’ve got to figure out how to make the things I need to communicate stick like the candy-tamperers. In other words, it is our responsibility to make sure that the message we are trying to communicate sticks.

So if I’m trying to encourage my small group leaders with a milestone we have just crossed in our small group numbers I have two options:

1) I can give it to them straight:

"We have 1,000 people in groups."

2) Or, I can make it sticky:

"We have 1,000 people in groups. Last year at this time we only had 1,000 people in our whole church."

"At 1,000 people in groups, we now have 10 times the number of people in groups as we had last year at this time."

"If each person enrolled in an Elevation small group were to walk a mile the collective distance covered would span from Raleigh, NC to Tulsa, Oklahoma…1,000 people goes a long way to accomplishing our vision of initiating and sustaining life change through community."

You get the idea – that is, if I made it sticky enough…

The Power of Perspective

2008-03-27T07:52:00.001-04:00

I wrote this blog the other day about the storms of life that can cause confusion and turmoil in our lives.

I have been thinking about the storms in my life lately and realized that I don't respond to those storms like I used to. In the past, I would allow things in my life to throw me completely off course and for several days I would view life through blurry, rain streaked windows.

I don't respond this way anymore. It's not because my storms have gotten less severe. In fact, because of my stage in life, I'm facing things that carry far more weight and consequence then ever before. When storms pop up now, there is far more at stake.

The difference between the way I used to respond and how I respond now is the power of perspective in me life.

I am becoming more convinced every day that correcting my perspective is one of the most valuable investments of my time and energy that I can make. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus makes it pretty clear that our circumstances are going to be challenging no matter what. The storm is coming...the question is, am I going to be thankful for the rain?

Layers Upon Layers

2008-03-18T19:43:00.001-04:00

Acts 21:27-22:29 is a veritable labyrinth of lies and confusion; follow this for a second:

Acts 21:29 - We find out that Paul is arrested for allegedly bringing a Greek person into the temple courts.

Acts 21:30 - "The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions."

Acts 21:34 - The Roman soldiers got there to break it up but no one in the crowd knew why they were beating Paul to death. (Actually, everyone thought they knew what was going on, but when asked to explain their behavior they all had a different story.)

Acts 21:38 - The Roman gaurd is shocked that Paul is NOT the Egyptian that led four thousand terrorists into the desert. (WHAT?!? Where did he hear that from? I thought this was about a gentile in the Temple?!?)

Acts 22:2 - The crowd is silenced when Paul speaks in Aramaic. (Why?!? Paul was a Jew is Jerusalem. That would be like me being shocked to find someone speaking English in Charlotte.)

Acts 22:23 - The crowd finally unifies against Paul when they hear him say that he has been sent as an Apostle to the Gentiles. And they say, "Rid the earth of him, he is not fit to live!"

Possible Takeaways:

1) That when dealing with people who are "looking" for a reason to be upset, there is nothing you can do but let them burn through their issues.

2) Sometimes, it's not you!

3) The Scripture is a very rich, exciting and complicated book about people and their strengths and weaknesses. It's pretty clear from this passage that not much has changed about the way people treat each other.

4) fill in your own blank - this is a facinating passage!

The Curse of Freedom

2008-03-17T10:07:00.002-04:00

We all think freedom is always good all the time.

When we feel like our freedom is being limited we get a little feisty - such as when the boss cracks down on the time you spend at lunch, or your bank changes its policies on fees.

On the other hand, When we feel like we might gain more freedom we fight for it. We get our driver's license 30 seconds after we turn 16. Or, we work really hard to gain the ability to control our own schedules at work.

Sure, when I wasn't married and didn't have kids I was more flexible - I had more freedom. Now that I'm married and I have a kid (check out the pictures on the right) - there are more "constraints" on my time.

But here's my point: freedom, when we mean "lack of responsibility", never happens; it's a lie that we chase. True freedom comes when we accept our limitations and work within the boundaries of our reality.

In other words, freedom isn't escaping from my family responsibilities it's learning how to accept the new challenges and love my family fully within the new limits. Freedom isn't rebelling in my job, but accepting the constraints and excelling within the boundaries that have been set.

The type of freedom that rejects responsibility isn't freedom at all, it's a curse! Philippians 4:11-13 makes this pretty clear!

A Great and Powerful God!

2008-03-14T12:17:00.005-04:00

You will face circumstances in your life that are so challenging they will either shape you or destroy you.

Jesus tells us that the storm is coming and our "house" will be tested by the storm.

As a man who has fought through some storms I have often wondered, in the midst of the storm, whether my "house" was going to make it.

During the storm, when it's raining hard and the wind is blowing fiercely, it's sometimes difficult to know whether it's the house that is falling apart or just the noise of the storm.

Thankfully, through my faith in Christ and through encouragement from others, I am learning how to figure out which kind of noise I'm hearing.

A few days ago someone that I have been leading paid me the greatest compliment I could have ever asked for. She confirmed what I have been slowly discovering on my own; that I have made it through the storm and my foundation is still holding steady on the rock.

For someone that has needed, and taken, so much of other people's time and investment, it is so fulfilling to know I am finally in a position to give back. (You can read about it here.)

If you're caught in the storm hang in there. The day is coming when you'll look back and realize that your storm served a greater purpose. The same God who has the power to sustain us in the storm has the power to calm it too. And if you're resigned to His leading, there will come a day when you'll be able to give it all back.

We serve a great and powerful God! His plans are perfect and His ways are untrackable but for those that love Him and are called to His purposes, the end result is always good!

Dead Battery

2008-03-13T08:19:00.000-04:00

I stepped on the bathroom scale the other day expecting to see 185.5. Instead, it read "batt". I was confused!

What I was seeing was not jiving with what I was
expecting.

I'm not sure how you handle these types of situations, but for me I begin to think drastic thoughts. If the scale is not going to perform correctly, if it's not producing the results that it was designed to produce then toss it in the trash.

There are two problems with tossing it in the trash however:

1) The history. Me and that scale had been places. It had seen me at 162 and it had carried my burdens at 186.5. That scale sits next to the toilet in the bathroom...it has endured! And by throwing it away I would be neglecting the history.

2) The investment. About 2 years ago I had to pay money for that scale. not much, but some. I had to pick a spot in the house and then calibrate the scale to that spot. I have spent my time cleaning it and repositioning it, and recalibrating it; I have invested in this scale.

To simply toss it in the trash would be a waste. So I've decided to keep it. Now eventually, I will change the battery, but for right now, I'm not sure it's a bad thing to see "batt" when I step on the scale. At least the scale will be consistent for a while.

Now for the cheesy blogplication (that's blog + application). Thank God that He doesn't treat us the way I was tempted to treat my poor bathroom scale. When we're weak - He's our strength. When we're broken - He's our support. When we were dead - he raised us to life in Him.

I Am What I Am

2008-03-11T07:58:00.002-04:00

Paul makes this statement in 1 Corinthians 15:10, "I am what I am..." in reference to his being an apostle. He is struggling with the fact that he is leading a movement that he used to be adamently against. In other words, he is having a hard time being confident in his ability to lead because his history speaks out against him.

Maybe you're parenting some teenagers right now and they are dabbling in some things that you don't want them to touch but you're afraid to say something because you did it when you were their age...

You might be having to hold someone accountable at work for the mistakes they're making when everyone knows that when you were in that position you made some of the same mistakes...

It could be that you're a highschool student and you're struggling with the fact that last year you were accepted and cool. But now that you've given your life to Christ and you're trying to live for Him people aren't sure what to make of you...

It would help us to take a little dose of whatever Paul was taking. We are what we are!

Parent, you're not a kid making those mistakes anymore, you're a parent. Sure, you're not perfect, but you're the only parent your kids will ever have. If you don't stand up for what's right no one else is swooping in for the second shift.

If you're the boss, then lead like it. If you got saved, then walk in it. We are what we are and it doesn't do anyone any good for us to tuck our heads and pretend that we aren't. If God has placed you in a position of influence then use it to His fullest glory. God's got your history under control, just like your future!

And the Game Goes Sour...

2008-03-05T08:30:00.003-05:00

Last night I was playing with Jeremiah on the floor - you can see his picture on the right...

The game goes like this: I have something that he wants so he crawls toward me to get it. Just as he gets close enough to take it I slide it all the way across the floor. He laughs. Then he turns to crawl after it. when he gets about half way I crawl really fast, pass him, and get to the object first. He laughs harder.

This has been a fun game for us and we've really enjoyed it for the past week or so, until last night...

I had just slid the object across the floor and Jeremiah was in hot pursuit until he suddenly took a detour. Within a half a second, Jeremiah had abandoned our game and was over by the electrical outlet playing with a battery charger. I, of course, leaped over to him and kept him from electrocuting himself, but not after almost having a heart attack.

So what are we supposed to take away from this story? Well, if you have a 9 month old with the dexterity of a chimpanzee - buy outlet plugs!

For the rest of you, maybe I'll tie this story back to something profound on my next blog, but for now, I think I'll just leave it alone.

Piece vs. Part

2008-02-27T08:50:00.003-05:00

I was having a conversation with Heather about how things I oversee that seem unconnected actually fit together when I look at them from a high enough altitude. For instance, single women's small groups and new believer phone teams are not immediately connected, but both of them fall under my leadership. In the midst of this conversation I made the following statement:

I'm not looking for another piece, I need a part...

For me, there is a significant difference between a piece and a part:
A piece may be attached to an object, but a part in incorporated into it.
A piece may not be integral to the whole, but the whole without a part is broken.
A piece stands alone, but a part is nothing without considering the whole.
You can have a piece of anything, but you can only have a part from within a whole.

At Elevation we want people to become a part of the movement of God in our midst. To leverage their gifts, talents and resources to advance a common vision and purpose to see people far from God filled with life in Christ. The people who are just a piece, or, who just want a piece are going to miss out on the fulfillment that comes from being a part.

So here's the good news, if you have been a piece up to this point you can change that today. Even a piece of pie can become part of the meal.

The Best Part of C3...

2008-02-25T09:06:00.005-05:00

C3 was a pretty phenomenal conference. Fellowship church has definitely pushed the envelope in the area of church creativity. If all we did was fly our staff to Dallas, walk into the facilities and see the stage set-up complete with hundreds of LED's it would have been worth it.

On top of that, however, we got to hear great messages from world-class speakers like Ed Young jr., Brian Houston, T. D. Jakes, and our very own Perry Noble.

All of our exposure to creative facilities, lights, music, and speakers was a huge success, but the best part of the trip was definitely the time we got to spend as a staff. I mean, how can you top being with the guys while they are making sound affects at take off. Or, almost causing a 50 car pile up on 121N while trying to merge across 35 lanes of traffic to keep up with Chunks who was leading our caravan. Or, when I accidentally called the female security guard at Avis Chunks (it's a long story).

The best time we spent as a staff was definitely the time we spent critically thinking through our strengths and limitations as a church and as a staff. Pastor challenged us to think through the things that we're doing well and the things that we need to fix and as a result we're walking away from C3 with a higher bar. And that, is irreplaceable.

All in all, C3 was a huge success.

6 Rows Back

2008-02-22T09:26:00.002-05:00

I am sitting in a 4300 seat auditorium at C3 (Creative Church Conference) in Dallas Texas. Fellowship Church puts on a conference every year with the express purpose of challenging the boundaries of how we do church. Yesterday, we had a great day. It culminated with our staff challenging everything we're doing with the express purpose of making it better. Some people might look in from the outside and think we're too driven. I say, check out the disciples...

As excited as I am today about what God is going to teach me through the conference, the two things I am most excited about are:

1) The people on either side of me. Wade Joye is on my left and Jeremy Scott is on my right. They are some of my favorite people on the planet. In fact, the entire staff that I get to work with are some of the most gracious, fun, driven, passionate, creative people on the planet and I feel honored to be working with them.

2) WE ARE 6 ROWS BACK!!! Some of those same staff members ripped off the C3 logo and created "reserved seat" signs and then took down nice old ladies and children to beat the crowd to the sixth row. The coolest part about our seat is that later today we will be close enough to T. D. Jakes to read the label on his V-neck sweater.