Home Sweet Home

We made it home safely. Man, did I miss my kids! Now I can say it, "We aren't in Kansas anymore."

It will be a very busy weekend. I have several things to wrap up in the office before tomorrow. We have a party for some friends this evening and then a full day tomorrow. I am pumped about kicking off the two week series, Confessions of a Pastor. Being transparent won't be a new thing, but I will hit several topics that I haven't unpacked before.

BTW, I am absolutely loving my iPhone. WOW! What a device...

CMA Conference

It was a very rich week here in Kansas City. In the a.m. we'll pack our gear into the rental van and make the 9+ hour trip back to Ohio. I am sure we'll spend most of the drive time debriefing about the impact of our experience this week.

During the past few days, I have been amazed at the powerful way God has moved. It seemed like each session provided a holy moment. Every speaker opened the door to the possibility for some huge takeaways. I have a long list of my own. The most challenging part of an experience like this is to go back home and lived it out. I am determined to apply what has been learned.

Before I head off to bed, I have to share a great story about the drive out here on Monday. On the way, we received news that someone wanted to buy Luke and me iPhones. This news was so startling that we just had to make a pit stop in St. Louis to make the purchase. It has been fun this week learning the device and dreaming of ways it will make ministry easier and more productive. I have owned several Apple products. There is no question that this one tops the list!

The best part is, I do not have to shave my head or help Luke paint his body. If you are a Next Level Podcast listener you understand what I am talking about. I am sure you too are breathing a sigh of relief.

Olathe, Kansas

I am road on the this week at the CMA Conference. This is an annual trip for me and it is always a huge encouragement. I find it very refreshing to spend a few days with several other church planters who are in the trenches.

This year I was given the opportunity to share as a keynote speaker. My slot was this morning. I felt great about the moment.

I'll try to update more as the week progresses...

A Self Discovery

I realized something about myself during the past couple weeks. As much as I love a routine, I am better when I am creating something new. Let me explain...

I really do enjoy having a weekly, monthly, and yearly routine. I work best that way. There is a part of my personality that responds well to routine. However, I know that with routine comes the potential danger of leading one to a rut. What I am realizing with a new intensity is that I don't respond well in a rut. I know there is a fine line between two, but a rut means stale for me.

Recently, I have found myself enjoying a couple new ministry areas (read more about one here) that require a fresh level of creativity. I have found it invigorating!

The self discovery is simple: I am better when I am creating something new.

OMG!

Yesterday, I put my hands on one of these for the first time. I decided I had waited long enough. I simply lack words to describe the experience. It was and is more than I ever dreamed it would be. Everything I have seen and heard is absolutely true!

I think I'll make it a weekly day off routine to swing by my local AT & T store to simply "play" for a few moments until I can figure out a way to possess and use one of my own.

I have run the numbers and I am confident it would increase my ministry productivity by 37.56 percent. {smile}

Press Release

The Next Level Podcast is live! Read more here.

No Members, Only Missionaries

That simple yet profound statement is the title of an article I read this morning. When I arrived at the last paragraph, I wanted to stand up and shout. I could have. I am working from my home office this morning and the house is quiet and no one would have ever known. But, I did not. I have decided, however, to shout digitally from my blog. You can read the article here.

These words are not only worth reading, but also living. I'm all in for that!

The words of Erwin McManus are dangerously close to those that will be used to kick off our new teaching series this Sunday. You will not want to miss it. I am praying it is a defining moment for Journey Church.

Comic Relief

My favorite golfer won again Sunday, but that wasn't the most entertaining part of the 89th PGA Championship. This interview was.

Leadership Summit (Curtis)

Richard Curtis is a prolific screenwriter, producer, and director for film and television, Richard Curtis has earned international renown for his award-winning comedic storytelling. His most personal project — eradicating poverty worldwide — is a story still in production.

A New Zealander by birth, Richard Curtis is best known as the Oscar-nominated screenwriter for the popular British romantic comedies Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, as well as the Mr. Bean television series. His most recently broadcast film, HBO’s Emmy-winning The Girl in the Café, asked hard questions about Third-World debt and poverty in Africa. In addition to co-founding the Make Poverty History campaign and the Live 8 concerts, Curtis founded Comic Relief UK in 1985 to raise money for victims of famine in Ethiopia.

Bill Hybels did a forty-five minute interview with Richard to end day two. Here are a few notes from the conversation.

You cannot hire on reputation or past experience. One must be absolutely certain they are hiring the right person for the right role at the right time.

When things go wrong, you cannot panic too much. Leaders cannot get too emotional over failure/challenges/barriers. Along the way, leaders will always have to lead through mid-course corrections.

I am running out of battery life and I do not have access to a power outlet. I am calling it a note taking day.

{I will not be able to attend the final day of the Summit. I hate that. I really want to Bill's closing talk. I'll have to buy the DVD.}

Leadership Summit (Ortberg)

What is a leader’s greatest fear?
Could it be...
Fear of failure
Fear of mutiny
Fear of criticism

Leadership defined: Leadership is disappointing people that they can stand. Key question for a leader: Do I want engagement or compliance?

A leader’s greatest fear isn’t something that can happen to us, but something that can happen in us. A leader’s greatest fear is giving in and settling for one’s shadow mission. See story of Esther. Esther refused to allow her shadow mission define her life. She took the challenge of being in her position “for such a time as this.” She courageously followed her mission and confronted the king.

1) What is your shadow mission? Where is it, apart from the help of God, your sinful nature will take you off-line from God’s mission for you?
2) What is the shadow mission of your church or organization?
3) Who is Mordecai in your life?

(Also see the temptation of Jesus; crucifixion--”not my will but yours”)

Will you have the courage to challenge the people you lead to not settle for their shadow mission? Will you challenge your organization to not settle for their shadow mission?

Leadership Summit (Powell)

Leadership is action-oriented.
Leadership is about setting an example.
Leadership is about solving problem.

Powell’s Leadership Axioms:
Promote a clash of ideas. The best leaders are those who allow various thoughts/opinions/perspectives. At some point, a decision will need to be made. This is where people must embrace the decision as if it were their own.
Encourage a noisy system.
Only people get things done.
1/3 and 2/3 Rule(1/3 of the time planning and 2/3 of the time helping people execute the plan).
Maintain an open-door policy.
Reward your best performers and get rid of non-performers.
Be prepared to disappoint people. If you cannot do this you cannot be a leader.
Check your ego at the door.
Have fun in your command. Find a hobby and enjoy it. Hobbies help settle the mind.
Fit no stereotypes.
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. Optimism is infectious!
Things always look better in the morning. Get a good nights rest. Tomorrow will be better.
The essence of leadership and interpersonal relationships is trust. People must trust you before they will follow you.
Avoid war if at all possible.

“No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” C. Powell

Trust the element of instinct.
Prepare to be lonely.

Leadership Summit (Porter)

Two Takeaway Quotes: “Most of the outreach activity appeared to be more about the congregation than it did the recipients. This makes us feel better about ourselves. Your activity needs to be thought of in the terms of the desired results you want to achieve. What value are you going to add to your community? What real difference are you going to make."

“In today’s world, government cannot solve the world’s problems. We will have to solve those problems for our communities. You leaders must see this as core to your organization. Your job as a leader is to mobilize your people to do good outside of the church. However, you must do this well. To do it well, you must approach it will strategic thinking.”

You can download the slides from this presentation here.

Leadership Summit (Buckingham)

Key idea: Build on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses.

Which do you think will help you be most successful?
-Building on strengths?
-Fixing weaknesses?

The US survey (2000) revealed overwhelmingly that it was fixing one’s weaknesses. US was the only country with those results (The 2006 survey revealed percentages that were worse.). The other countries felt it was focusing on one’s strengths.

What % of people spend most the day playing to their strengths?
US 2005 (17%)
US 2006 (14%)
US 2007 (12%)

Key questions: Are you playing to your strengths? If not, how do you get to be?

3 Myths We Need To Blow Up:
Myth #1: As you grow, your personality changes.
Truth: As you grow, you become more of who you already are.

Myth #2: You grow the most in your area of greatest weakness.
Truth: You grow the most in your areas of greatest strength.

Myth#3: A great team member puts his strengths aside and does what it takes to help the team.
Truth: A great team member volunteers his strengths to the team most of the time.

How do we move our focus to our strengths:
1) Identify what your strengths are.
2) Change something. Put together a strong week plan where we focus on our strengths.
3) Talk about strengths without bragging and your weaknesses without whining.

4 Signs of a Strength:
Success
Instincts
Growth (time will speed up)
Needs (tired, but not drained; you are energized!)

“You are the authority on your strengths. You are the authority on the things that make you feel strong.” M. Buckingham

Leadership Summit (Flake)

I have a confession. I think I ate too much for lunch. This was a tough session to follow. I did my best. Here are my notes.

Rev. Flake shared 5 models of leadership. He unpacked each.

1. Transitional Leadership
Key: Focused on an identified need(s).
Pitfall To Avoid:
-Perspective can be compromised
-Failure to focus on core purpose
-Goals and objectives that are not clear
-Tradition

2. Transactional Leadership
Reasons to Use This Model:
-Group buy in and agreement
-Delegation of responsibilities

Keys to Using This Model:
-Build support
-Identify leaders
-Process plans
-Stay focus on deadlines

Avoiding Pitfalls:
-Passive leadership
-Slow down the process
-Compromise
-Time consuming
-Selfish motives

3. Transparency in Leadership
Information flow is key--from the leader to the people; from the people to the leader
Quarterly and annual statements to the congregation are important.
Choose qualified and competent partners/staff. Make sure they represent what you are trying to produce. Make sure they buy into the vision!
Leaders must understand that you stand/lead with integrity.
Real leaders stand up. They aren’t afraid to go through it.

4. Transcendent Leadership
(Had to skip this point due to time restraints.)

Transformational Leadership
The Musts of This Model:
Aggressive!
Clear about a purpose--reason for being.
Understands the problem(s).
Can see a solution(s).
Implements a/the plan.

You want people asking: What are we going to do next? When this attitude is present, people will give (i.e. time, money etc.) You will need majority support for the vision. You cannot be the only one who is trying to sell the vision. You will have to deal with negative reactions.

Leadership Summit (Fiorina)

As the session began, Hybels made a statement that really hit me, “Every leader has to take responsibility for their own leadership development.” Those are powerful words. Leadership is also a stewardship issue. It never gets old being challenged in that area of my life.

There is great power in asking the right question(s). People will have to focus on the right problem(s).

Teamwork makes things fun. Nothing worthwhile happens with one single person acting alone.

Every time we stare down fear and overcome it we get stronger! Don’t let other people’s smaller ideas (prejudice) about you define you. Don’t give them you tears.

Motivating a team is everything--moving in one direction. Management is about producing results and doesn’t require a lot of motivation. Leadership is about sending people in a new direction and that takes a great deal of motivation.
Changing the order of things forces people to face fear. Give people a vision that is more compelling than what they are afraid of. People must believe where they are going is worth their time and talent.

Leadership is about seeing potential in others. Leadership is about unlocking potential in others. Leadership is about seeing something in others they are yet to see in themselves.

If a leader believes in leadership development they must continue to develop themselves. Every life moment presents an opportunity to learn. Leaders must create leadership learning environments for those they lead. This will require an investment. One of the keys to leadership development is making that expectation very clear. Every leader should say this to those who follow, “I expect you to grow as a leader!”

Leadership requires both passion and dispassion. (It is very interesting to see these two words together). Passion is required or we will not be able to fulfill the mission. Dispassion is required because it allows us to see things and people as they really are. Passion can blind as well as motivate.

Over time, people have a tendency to forget the real values. People are people where ever you find them. Sometimes people will act in ways they shouldn’t.

There is a gift in everything if we will only see it.

We're off to lunch!

Leadership Summit (Hybels)

Session one just came to a close. Hybels was dynamic. He talked about vision ownership. Here are some notes from the session:

How do leaders build a sense of vision ownership? It has to do with a word that most leaders hate--PROCESS. Lack of process makes others feel devalued.

Simple vision ownership process:
1) Vision Formation
Two Options:
a. Sinai approach (Moses)
b. Team approach
- Take key leaders off-site and ask: What does God want our church to look like 5 years from now?

People don’t always have to have their way, but they do have to have their way considered. A first draft is developed from the off-site or various dream/brainstorm sessions.

2) Vision Refinement
Once you get a first draft DO NOT simply dismiss the team and declare the vision. Subsequent drafts should be developed after getting feedback from smaller groups.

Ask them:
What would you add?
What has been left out?
What excites you?
What scares you?
What is clear?
What is unclear?

This process helps the leader(s) better understand how to cast the vision.

3) Vision Declaration
Solo activity?
Team activity?

Test drive the vision talk to several groups (elders/staff/key leaders). Then ask some key questions:

- Is the introduction compelling?
- Are the key concepts clear?
- Were you inspired?

This process helps the confidence level of the leader. It also helps people own the vision! Vision Leaks! I think that might be my new favorite phrase. People in our churches have real lives. Fill the vision bucket back up!

Other keys:
Celebrate progress along the way.
Tell a stories.
Mark the milestones.

Hybels closed with what I thought was the best part of his talk. He asked some very engaging questions: Would you be willing to die for the vision that God has given you? Are you committed no matter what the price that may need to be paid?

Leadership Summit

The next couple days will be an investment in my leadership and development. I will be attending the 2007 Leadership Summit.

I am catching the satellite feed at the Cincy Vineyard that is only a few minutes from my house. This will be my first Summit experience. I have been told one too many times to not miss this event. This year I made a commitment to not let another Summit slip by without me in attendance.

I am really looking forward to a few days of learning! I am most excited about hearing Hybels, Buckingham, and Fiorina. If the Cincy Vineyard has WiFi at the event I'll post my notes.

Vacation!

My commitment to blog more often was real. My absence since was due to a week's vacation at Torch Lake, Michigan. I was actually hoping to post some about our adventure at Torch, but I lacked Internet access. That was a good thing.

Words simply fail to describe our experience at Torch. It was an absolutely perfect week--the weather, the lake, the sunsets (and sunrises), the water toys, the golf, and the company. It was awesome!

With the help of the new iLife '08, I have posted the photos of our adventure in a new album for your viewing pleasure. It took me less than ten minutes to organize and create the new page on the web. Simply one more reason to own a Mac!

Know this, you can expect to hear more from me on this blog in the days and weeks ahead.

Resurrection?

The topic of my weekly CMA conference call today was blogging. It gave me the blogging itch.

Expect more here soon!

I'm Still Here

When one takes such a long unannounced blogging break, re-entry is difficult. I feel I need to explain myself or provide a list of "excuses." I'll resist the temptation to do either.

Know this, I haven't given up on my blogging effort.

L'Ville Update

I made it safely to Louisville early this afternoon. I checked into my room and quickly headed to dinner with a pastor friend of mine who is planting a church here in Louisville. We enjoyed a great burrito and conversation together.

The conference kicked off this evening in a big way. The worship was solid. Both keynote speakers hit home runs!

I am so pumped about sharing in this moment tomorrow. In the past year and a half, God has authored an amazing story at Journey Church and I cannot wait to share it! I am praying it will be a source of encouragement to all the planters that are here.

Road Trip

I am headed out of town again late this week. I will be headed south early Friday afternoon. It will be a quick over night trip to Louisville, Kentucky. I have been asked to speak in two sessions at a church planters conference that is being held down there this weekend. I plan to be back in Cincinnati by 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. That should be just in time to get to the ball park. The Journey men's softball team is playing in an evening tournament.

I spent the biggest part of the day yesterday finishing the notes for my main session. I was given the topic the following topic--"Nuts and Bolts: Real Stories From The Church Planting Journey." I am really excited about the content I have pulled together. During the second session, I will be part of a panel discussion.

I am pumped about sharing in this event! I love church planting. I love church planters. I am sure it will be big fun!

Birthday Wishes!

My baby turns seven today. Happy Birthday Hannah!

Thinking Systems

My apologies for my lack of action this week on the blog. I have no excuses to offer. I have found myself drawn inward the past few days as the summer months approach. The slower pace of schedule this summer will provide some space to pray and dream more--to work on it not just in it.

I will be challenging the team in a staff meeting this afternoon to think about the next 6 months in blocks of 100 days (June-August and September-November). This won't be a new approach for us, but I do think we need to more closely set and manage some measurable goals for each of our ministry areas and our church as a whole. If we aim at nothing we hit nothing. We certainly haven't been aiming at nothing, but we must continue to keep the target in view and fine tune our focus.

We are going to be specifically seeking to answer one question at our staff off-site on June 2nd: Systematically (structurally), what needs to change at Journey Church for us to push toward the 400 mark by the end of 2007? Organizations, churches and ministries must change or growth slows. In the past sixteen months, we have made shifts in our systems/structure on several fronts. I think each shift has provided the needed change to allow for more growth. As the fall approaches, our systems/structure must continue to grow as well.

I love thinking through these issues. I love praying and seeking God's heart for the road ahead. I love that I am part of a community open to change so more people can be reached and connected. I love my job. I love Journey Church.

You will definitely want to be around on Sunday. We'll be dedicating 17 18 children from 12 13 families. We will also be kicking off our new Disciples series. I will be praying that it is a life changing moment for everyone who is there. I trust you will do the same.

Teaching In Series

For the past sixteen months at Journey Church, I have taught in series format. I have taken one topic and tried to unpack it over three to six weeks. I love teaching in a series format for several reasons:

1. It allows me to hammer home one BIG idea over several weeks. Less really is more.
2. I love the way each talk is either connected or builds on the other. This allows me to say more in a shorter amount of time.
3. It provides an easy way to review, review, review. What gets repeated has a better chance of being remembered and learned.
4. It creates short journeys for our community to take together. Everyone wants to go somewhere. Each series is designed to lead our community to a certain "place."

These thoughts were on my mind today as I was prepping for Sunday's talk. This one will be the last talk in our Exposed series. It has been a powerful journey. This series has generated more feedback than any we have done. It's been fun!

Sunday's talk is Addiction [Exposed]. This will be a difficult topic to address due to the time limitations. I have clarity on what God wants shared. I can't wait for Sunday!

I am kind of sad the journey has to end. Good news is, a new series begins next weekend and the process starts all over again. I can't believe I get to do this for a living. What a ride!

The Eagle Has Landed

We are home!

Have I mentioned how much I hate flying? Man, was I glad to hear the tires of our plane finally hit concrete in Dayton. I love what an airplane is able to accomplish in a short amount of time, but I spend most of the moments in the air a nervous wreck.

I'll wake early in the a.m. to two full days as I head into a busy weekend. I feel energized.

I am jazzed about bringing our Exposed series to a close. You will definitely want to be around!

Headed Home

I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting to catch our connecting flight to Dayton. I am glad to be headed home. I missed the kids and my normal routine.

The training finished strong today. We took the afternoon sessions and put some of new tools into action. It was fun immediately applying what we learned in some real coaching situations.

On the way home, I crafted a couple emails to the guys I'll be coaching over the next six months. These first couple of coaching relationships will be part of my training. I am really excited about getting this new edge to my ministry rolling. I see each coaching relationship as an extension of Journey Church's influence. It is thrilling to watch God expand the reach of our community!

I always dreamed I would be a coach. I have seen that dream become a reality on many levels. I have enjoyed coaching Ty's teams. I have also enjoyed "coaching" others as I have pastored the past sixteen years. Coaching and pastoring aren't too far apart. I am thrilled about coming along side other pastors to help them realize their God-given dreams. I look forward to watching God author some really cool stories.

Coach Training (Morning, Day 2)

We finished the coaching process training this morning. Solid stuff!

We also spent some time this morning working through the DISC profile and how that applies to the coaching relationship. It was an eye opening experience on multiple levels--personally (at home/at Journey) and what it will mean for me as I coach others.

It has been a very productive three days.

Coach Training (Afternoon, Day 1)

The afternoon sessions were great. The process we are walking through and the one I'll be using as I coach others is very intentional. The whole process is built on questions. The goal is to help people discover and effectively live their God-given calling/vision/dream. I am not expected to have all the answers. I am, however, expected to help those I coach ask the right questions. I have never felt more free or empowered to come alongside others.

As the material is being shared, I am developing a list applications points that reaches into every area of my life. I was actually mentally re-writing a couple sermons I have preached in the last couple weeks (marriage/parenting) during a session this afternoon. This material is challenging (for the better!) the way I lead at Journey and at home.

Andrea has also deeply benefited from her time in Daytona. She has spent two full days on the beach. She slept in this morning and had breakfast in bed. I am thrilled we were able to experience this trip together. It has been great for both of us.

I have a full day of training tomorrow. We'll be headed to the airport at 4 p.m. We arrive in Dayton at 11:00 p.m. We'll be glad to be home.

Coach Training (Morning, Day 1)

The morning sessions have been solid. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a coach (basketball/baseball). I ended up being a pastor/church planter. Over the years, I have realized more and more the two (coaching/pastoring) aren't that far apart. This week is taking that to a new level. I not only feel honored to be in this select group of Church of God pastors, but I am also jazzed about the future coaching opportunities it will open up.

Luke has a great post on a book he just finished. The gems are worth reading and will be relevant to those who have been following the Exposed series. Read here.

Daytona Beach, Florida

We arrived at the beach just after Noon. My training sessions do not begin until tomorrow morning (7 a.m. sharp!). This meant Andrea and I had one day to spend together. We laid on the beach, enjoyed a quiet dinner, and walked the beach as the sun was setting. It was awesome!

The door of our room is open and I can see/hear the crashing waves. I am confident I will sleep well tonight.

More updates tomorrow on the coaches training. I have very high expectations.

Atlanta Airport

Several months ago, I mentioned that I had been invited to coach other pastors in my tribe. Part of that invitation was the opportunity to get several days of training over the next year. I never dreamed the first part of the training would be in such a great location--Daytona Beach!

When I found out I was headed to the beach, I couldn't resist the temptation to bring Andrea along. We figured it would give her a couple days to just kick back and relax. She'll be working on her tan and I'll be just "working." I am glad we are traveling together this week. We'll miss the kids deeply, but it will be nice to be away. We'll be back late Wednesday evening.

I'll try to post some updates if I can get a solid WiFi signal at the hotel.

Preaching Clinic Takeaways

In many ways, the preaching clinic was a refresher on some things I already knew. Sometimes we simply need to be reminded of some core ideas. Here are three of those core ideas presenters shared that really hit home with me as it relates to preaching.

"If you are full-time and do not have the time then you do not deserve the time." This statement was made in the context of making time for study and preparation. Even though I am a full-time pastor, it is so easy to packed the calendar so full that preparation time gets pushed too far down the priority list. It never gets old being challenged to be fully prepared for the preaching task.

A similar statement was made that was a powerful idea to connect to the statement above. Another presenter said, "Expecting your personality to cover a lack of preparation is a sin." There is no need to expound on that. Needless to say, I walked away challenged to protect my study and sermon preparation time. Again, it never gets old being challenged to protect and grow in that way as a communicator.

As a preacher, I am big on communicating. I do not simply want to talk to people. I want to connect with people. Another presenter made this statement that also provided a great reminder that needs to be kept in view, "We must understand the thought patterns of our time in order to preach to the people of our time."

There were certainly more takeaways, but these three continue to ring in my mind and heart. Again, I am glad I made the trip.

Luke's Learnings

Luke is in Orlando this week. He's blogging from what looks like a tremendous learning opportunity. You can follow his play by play here.

I wish I could be there!

Glad To Be Home

I did make it back from California. I arrived early Friday evening just in time to play in the Journey men's softball game and a flurry of weekend activity. BTW, the Journey men did finally put one in the "W" column!

The conference was a solid experience. I'll try to post a couple of my big takeaways later this evening. We were also able to grab a few hours to see the sites on Thursday afternoon--AT & T Park for a Giants game, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Lombard Street. It was awesome. I was, however, glad to finally arrive back in West Chester. I missed Andrea and the kids big time! There truly is no place like home.

I think the most interesting conversations that took place were two that challenged me to write a book. They said the Journey Church story is begging to be told. They both went on to say that there are many pastors/church planters out there that would really benefit from reading our story and hearing about some lessons we have learned along the way. The same thread of conversation surfaced today over lunch with another pastor/church planter friend of mine.

I wondered aloud if my blog might be the kind of place to push some of that content public. I am wondering also if any pastors/church planters reading this blog might be interested in a few post along those lines. Blogging some of that content would serve a two-fold purpose. First, it would force me to a disciplined approach to writing (blogging). Second, I could test the content to see if anyone finds it helpful. If you are a faithful reader of this blog and would like to see some of that content come to life here leave me a comment.

Conference Update (Part 1)

I arrived at the conference today not really knowing what to expect. I had nothing to match the experience up against so I rolled in with mixed emotions and low expectations. It became apparent rather quickly that this was going to be a very good experience.

I was a bit surprised to find out I will have to preach a 10 minute sermon that will be video taped and evaluated by a panel of distinguished communicators. Yikes!

I am really glad I decided to make the trip. I am now fully engaged in allowing God to use the next few days to shape me and help me develop as a preacher.

I need some sleep. More tomorrow.

Preaching Conference

In a few hours, I'll be boarding an airplane headed for the San Francisco area. I am going out there for a couple days to attend a conference on preaching. I have attended many conferences over the years, but never one on preaching specifically. One of Journey's sponsoring organizations strongly encouraged all lead pastors to attend and are paying for most of the trip. It was a no brainer. It should be a great learning opportunity.

The conference ends Thursday afternoon and my flight doesn't leave until early Friday morning so that will provide some time to cruise the town. I have a list of places I want to see since it will be my first trip to the bay area.

I am also looking forward to connecting and hanging with some of my church planting buddies. I am expecting a great week! I hope to find some time to blog about my adventure.

Fitness Update

It's been a while since I provided an update on my recent fitness journey. It all began when I opened my mouth in a small group that was discussing one of my talks from late November. I said something like, "Well, I need to be more committed to how I am taking care of myself physically." Since those words left my mouth, I have made an intentional effort to get back into shape. I am finally approaching that place I would describe as "back in shape." It feels good.

I am really enjoying my lifting sessions again. After almost 250 miles logged since early December, running is longer painful. It is actually a place where I can think, dream, learn, and pray.

There are times when I open my mouth and wish I hadn't. This time I am glad those words left my lips. They created the accountability I needed.

Both Journey softball teams took it on the chin last night. We had fun anyway!

I am pumped about Journey's gathering tomorrow. I love talking about relationships and marriage. I fully expect it will be a life changing moment for all involved. If you miss a Sunday you miss a lot.

I hope to see you in the morning...

Opening Day

The co-ed (6:10 p.m.) and men's (8:10 p.m.) softball teams from Journey Church kick off the season tonight. If you are in the Cincinnati area and want to see some mad softball skillz displayed then come join the party. Here's a link to the fields.

I Love Baseball!

It's been a while since I confessed that publicly. It's feels good to get that out into the open.

Speaking of baseball, I smiled as I read this report from the farm. My beloved Cincinnati Reds are getting ready to go on a run. I see the whole organization gaining traction. I hope they are playing games that matter when September comes.

By the way, is there a better story in sports right now compared to Josh Hamilton's? I think not!

GO REDS!

Journey Church Easter 2007

This past weekend was the second Easter celebration in the brief history of Journey Church. It was truly an amazing day as 391 rolled into LEHS for our morning gathering. Each of our ministry areas were clicking on all cylinders and it was truly fun to watch. In the adult environment, we may have experienced one of our best services in 15 months. Most importantly, we had 4 people make decisions for Christ!

I want to thank everyone who served on Easter Sunday. Each of you play such a valuable role and continue to do a tremendous job where you serve! God could not do what He is doing at Journey Church without you and all your hard work. You guys rock!

This Easter season will be forever marked by a conversation that took place yesterday afternoon. A good friend of mine called as he often does. He said that he wanted to meet with me and it was really important. We have had dozens of spiritual conversations in the past year and I knew he was getting close to crossing the line of faith.

Long story short, my friend gave his heart to Christ yesterday! How cool is that? It was one of the greatest moments I have experienced in fifteen years of ministry.

God is so good...

Weekend Update

Easter Sunday at Journey Church was awesome!

I'll update more later. I am in a meeting in Columbus today. I'll be back home later this evening, but I didn't want my blog to go untouched until tomorrow.

There Is No "I" In Team

During our staff meeting this morning, I sat back in awe of the wonderful people God has put in place to bring leadership to Journey Church. I consider it a great honor to be working along side each of them. You guys are awesome!

As we celebrated some recent ministry wins, we talked about the incredible volunteer based God has gathered. You all rock!

With the empowerment of God's Spirit, it is scary what the next few years can and will hold. What a ride...

Journey Church E-Invite

If you have a few more invitations to extend for Easter Sunday and/or the Exposed teaching series you can now do that via email from the Journey Church site.

Click here and fill out the form. You simply need to provide your name and email address and the name and email of the person you want to invite and click 'send.' Feel free to add a personal message in the field provided. When you click Send an email message is sent to that person that briefly describes Journey Church, including directions and times to our weekend gathering.

I am really looking forward to Sunday. I was at band practice last night and the set is going to be awesome! Let's continue to pray for all our invitations that have and will be extended. Pray people will be drawn to Christ and Journey Church.

Come expecting....

Madness Recap

March Madness was a real win for Journey Church. We touched 2,500+ people last week. Due to the weather on Saturday, we had to postpone the soccer ball giveaway. When that event is complete, we'll surpass the 3,000 mark! I am thrilled that over 200+ Journey people participated in the madness. I love what this kind of an effort does to those who serve. It is fun to watch people turn outward! (You can view the Channel 9 live Chipotle feed here).

I am pumped about the weekend. I fully anticipate dozens of new faces. I am really looking forward to kicking off the Exposed series. I firmly believe we are going to hit some major nerves with this series. You will not want to miss it!

I hope you and a dozen of your friends will be at Journey Church on Sunday!

Monday--Day Off

Today was "invested" in a much needed day off.

I'll blog more tomorrow on Journey's March Madness effort, the weekend, and Easter.

Burrito Madness

Thursday's burrito giveaway was unbelievable! In two hours, we gave away 627 FREE burritos. The line was either out the door or wrapped through the entire Tylersville Chipotle store. This brought our total served for the week up to 1,827 people. It is kind of fun to think about how this number gets multiplied as people share their experience with others.

I was once again surprised how often people asked, "Why are you doing this?" I was even more surprised by how many solid conversations were sparked in response to that question.

We did finally ended up back on Channel 9. They did a live report of the event during the 6 p.m. news. I'll link the story later today.

The Chipotle staff was awesome. The Journey team served BIG all evening.

The madness continues tonight at the Rave Movie Theaters. We'll have over 300 $5 gift certificates to give away.

Burrito BUZZ

A few minutes ago, we spoke with the manager at Chipotle. They are pumped about tonight. She also said people have been calling there all day to confirm the event and wondering if we are buying burritos yet. The place will be crazy busy tonight!

It's going to be BIG fun!

Bumped

Unfortunately, we were bumped from the follow up interview with channel 9. There is still potential for something as the week progresses. They even mentioned the potential of coming to our Sunday a.m. gathering. Pray!

More Media BUZZ

Channel 9 just called. They want to do a follow up story on March Madness. I am meeting them at Chipotle at 1 p.m.

Unreal...God is up to something!

Media Link

You can watch the Channel 9 news clip from the WCPO site. You will have to watch the commercial and then the clip will play.

If you are a member of Journey Church and would like to help us create buzz then show up at Chipotle (Tylersville Rd.) tonight at 6 p.m. Wear some Journey gear and plan to hang out as we share God's love with West Chester by giving out 450 FREE burritos.

Media Footage

This morning we were able to grab the footage from the Channel 9 site. We hope to have it up for viewing later today.

I'll post a link here when it is up on our site.

Journey Church In The Media

Both stations (9/5) did a great job with the story. I have a feeling we will not have a problem giving away 400+ burritos tomorrow evening or 300 gift certificates on Friday.

Gas Buy Down

The madness found another gear tonight...

The gas buy down was a huge hit! After we increased the buy down from 15 to 40 cents the placed filled up in less than fifteen minutes. All twenty pumps were two to three cars deep. It was incredible to see our team serving--pumping gas, washing windshields, and filling up washer fluid tanks.

By the end of the night, Channels 5 and 9 showed up for on the spot video shoots and interviews. If you read this before 11 p.m. (Wednesday) you might want to tune in. A reporter from the Pulse Journal also dropped by. All three news outlets appeared without any calls from the Journey team!

I love it when people ask, "Why are you doing this?" Answering that question never gets old.

What an evening! This is too much fun!!

Burrito ALERT!

The MADNESS continues...

God has provided BIG time. It isn't quite five loaves and two fish, but close! Okay, I am being a little dramatic on purpose.

We were able to work a sweet deal with the GM of the Tylersville Rd. Chipotle. We scored 450 burritos for $560.00. If you are counting at home that is $1.24 per burrito. They are normally $5.95.

If you are a Journey member then have your disconnected (from Christ and/or the Church) friends come to the Tylersville Rd. Chipotle Thursday (March 29th) between 6-8 p.m. The burritos are on Journey Church!

P.S. We were also asked if we wanted to do another FREE burrito Sunday at Chipolte (Tylersville location). Uh, YES! A Journey Church weekend program will be able to be traded for a FREE burrito. We'll likely do this on a Sunday in May.

Why We Don't Have More Margin

A couple months ago, I did a talk on money. It was a part of our "Stressed?" series. When I was prepping for the talk, I was really challenged personally. Andrea and I made some big changes at home with one goal in mind--create more margin. We are currently in our best stretch financially in over fifteen years of marriage.

Since then, I have worked hard to continue to challenge and educate myself more on managing money. I have a few blogs that I have been following. Today one of them posted some solid bullets on why we aren't rich. I would title it differently--"Why We Don't Have More Margin." Read more here.

Read each bullet slowly and apply them quickly!

Big Day

Sunday was a big day for Journey Church!

For the first time, we had over 300 (307) people at a morning gathering without it being a special day (ie. holiday, mailer, or personal invitation push). We are up in every category compared to the same 12 week period last year--numerically, financially, people serving, and people involved in small groups. We have also seen several more make commitments to Christ.

The student ministry is gaining traction. The transition to Sunday mornings has taken place and the students seem to really be digging it.

The new Kidmo (now known as The Upper Deck) venue is sweet!

I am very excited about where this momentum will take us...

March Madness (Continued)

The lanyard drop at LEHS was a huge hit! The students were digging them. Later that evening, I saw a random LEHS student walking into Frisch's wearing one of the Go East! Journey Church lanyards. Very cool!

We did the air freshener drop tonight at the Kroger Marketplace, Meijer, and Lowe's. I heard good reports.

Tomorrow evening we'll be buying down gas at the new Thorton's on Tylersville Rd. This is going to be a blast!

Thursday evening we'll be giving away FREE Chipotle burritos. Friday we will be passing out $5 gift cards at the Rave. We'll conclude the madness on Saturday morning by passing out blow up soccer balls at opening day of the WCSC.

So far we have touched at least 1300 people. By week's end, we'll have shared God's love with over 2,500 people!

Road Trip

I booked a last minute trip today. I was expecting to attend a preaching conference in Oklahoma City in May. The trip was planned because of the strong encouragement (err requirement) from one of our sponsoring organizations. The conference in Oklahoma City was canceled a few days after I purchased my airplane ticket. I was bummed.

A similar conference is being held in Mountain View, CA in April. I was informed Monday that said sponsoring organization would kick some extra cash to help me make the trip. I pulled the trigger.

Can you say upgrade? YES! Are the Giants in town? How cool would that be!

I have been to California, but not the northern part of the state. I am really looking forward to the conference and the trip!

March Madness

The madness kicked off yesterday! We gave everyone envelopes with a $5 bill and a card that explains what we are doing--sharing God's love in a practical way. The money was to be given away or used to bless someone. I look forward to hearing the stories of how people used their envelopes to touched someone on Sunday afternoon.

Today we'll be giving away 300 lanyards at the high school. We had "Go East!", the Journey logo, and website printed on them. I am looking forward to sharing God's love with 300 high school students in a couple hours.

BTW, we exceeded our $6,600 March Madness goal! The current total raised for the effort is $7,770. I continued to be encouraged by the generosity of the Journey peeps.

I continue to pray that our madness effort will deeply touch our community. I pray that it will lead to conversations and connections.

Tuesday's MM Event: Air Freshener giveaway.

Thinking...Dreaming

I am up late tonight. I can't sleep. My mind is racing. I have had fingers to keys for several minutes now and ideas are flowing. Some of them have been captured in emails. Others have been captured in my journal.

I am thinking future thoughts. I am dreaming about the kind of church community that God longs for Journey to be and become. I couldn't resist a copy/paste of some of that content. I suspect this will become a Journey teaching series, class, or document to be passed along.

I long for Journey to be defined by a few statements. I imagine a church where...

- It is normative for people to study the Bible and pray like their lives depend on it.
- It is normative that people learn to feed themselves.
- It is normative that people bring their disconnected friends to Journey.
- It is normative that people have friends and are friends.
- It is normative for people to serve others in big ways.
- It is normative for people to steward their resources well and turn them outward to bless others.
- It is normative for people to more faithfully follow each day.

These certainly are not new ideas. They are, however, extremely important ideas. They are defining. They are statements that shape a dream. They are more than a dream. They are a calling. They are Journey's reason for being.

They are also hills I will die on. I will give my life to see these things continue to find life in the people of Journey Church and those we will reach in the days and years ahead.

I'm all in!

How about you?

Weekend Wedding

One of my favorite parts of occupational ministry is doing weddings. I especially dig it when I have a connection with the couple. Friday evening I will have the privilege of marrying a couple of my friends.

The setting is going to be awesome. The moment will be magical! I am pumped about the next two evenings.

Larry and Melissa, I look forward to getting old together.

The journey is just beginning...

Mid-Week Update

If you are not in the email database then you missed the below update I sent out on Wednesday. If you would like to be added to the Journey Church database shoot me an email at tom[@]cincyjourney[.]com.

Dear Journey Church

I hope this email finds you in the middle of a good week. I wanted to offer a quick update from Sunday.

Our March Madness offering went very well! We have collected $4,690 to date which means we are only $1,910 from reaching our goal of $6,600. I am confident we'll get there! If you have a contribution you would like to make you can give that any time during the next couple weekends. Simply write March Madness on the envelope or in the memo section of your check. Also, there are plenty of spots to fill for next week as we serve West Chester each day of March Madness. Swing by the information table on Sunday and sign up to serve!

The launch of Big Student Ministry's Sunday a.m. gathering was a huge hit! They had 36 students present with several new faces. Sunday was a big win for Journey Church! I am pumped about the potential of touching students in the Sunday morning time slot. I cannot wait to see the story God authors in and through this ministry.

Finish strong this week. I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we continue our "Epic" teaching series!

~Tom~

Pete Comes "Clean"

I knew this all along.

This is certainly not news and it comes as a surprise to no one. As a lifelong Reds fan, it still hurts to read these words on the screen of my computer.

Pete, you let me down. You committed the cardinal sin of baseball.

As much as I would love to see you in the Hall of Fame and still coaching my beloved Reds, you do not belong there. You forfeited that right when you placed your first bet on baseball.


At least you bet they would always win...Geesh!

Burrito Buzz

Can the Church and Christ followers learn something from this?

I think the answer is a resounding yes!

I long for Journey Church to be the kind of place where it is normative that people invite their disconnected friends to experience what God is doing in and through our community.

When that kind of buzz begins to take full root there is no question what might happen at Journey Church.

Trust me on this, our best days are ahead!

Busy

The week started and has continued with a frantic pace. It is certainly moving faster than the speed of blog. My apologies.

We dropped a letter this afternoon about the launch of BSM's Sunday morning gathering and one more plug for March Madness. I am completely jazzed about the weekend. I hope you and a dozen of your friends plan to be around!

Through a very cool connection, Journey Church will be in the paper two more times in the next couple of weeks. I am certainly not going to turn down free advertising.

It will be interesting to see what the reporter does with the stories. One will be on how the Internet is shaping student ministry and the other will be a write up on March Madness.

Spring Forward

Don't forget to turn your clocks forward one hour this Saturday night!

Out Of My (Our) Hands

As the spring ministry season begins, the pace is picking up big time. Along with the pace, my stress level reached a climax this week.

I was processing that this afternoon with Andrea and my CMA coach when I realized the reason my stress level was climaxing. We have arrived at another juncture where we need God to show up more than ever. It feels real close to what those few weeks before launch felt like just over a year ago.

There is no question we are about to take another huge step out of the boat and the only hope we have of "walking on water" is God's presence and power. I am not nervous. I am not scared. I am curious to see what kind of story God will author.

I think stress arrives as I try to mentally (and emotionally) "control" the process and outcome. If there is one thing I have learned in fifteen years of ministry it is how completely out of my hands that is. All I (or the team) can do is build the rails. How fast and far the train moves is completely up to God.

We have been faithful, the best we know how, in laying down the tracks. What happens in the next twelve weeks is completely up to God. I plan to spend less time stressing and more time praying. I will invest less time worrying and more time trusting God is going to work.

I just heard the umpire say, "Play ball." If you are a part of the Journey team and reading this blog find your place on the field. We have a "game" to play!

Making My Money Behave

A few weeks ago I preached a message on money. The big idea of the talk was simple: margin in our finances we'll produce less financial stress and free us up to be more generous. As I prepared for the message, I worked through a ton of material on the subject. With each turn of the page or minutes spent listening to a podcast, I was both encouraged and challenged.

When I was finished preaching the message, I was very clear on the application points that needed to be set in place for my family. I immediately went to work. I am pumped to share those application points have been applied and faithfully followed for the past six weeks.

I can honestly attest to the fact that more margin brings less stress and frees one up to be more generous. I am glad my family listened, applied, and followed with discipline.

I look forward to the day when,
- We are servant to know one (Proverbs 22:7).
- We have more and more margin.
- We can give more and more of our money away!

We will get there...

Easter Personal Invitations

For our Christmas and Easter gatherings, we always provide personal invitations so the Journey peeps can extend an invite to their relational network.

The final proof of the Easter personal invitations are finished. You can pull down the full pdf here.

Cats Land Recruit

Our battle back to the top continues! Read more.

Fitness Update (Part 2)

In case you are wondering, I am still on the horse. I am hitting the gym several days a week and refueling with the right food. I am really beginning to see the fruit of the process. I am feeling better than I have in over two years.

Here are the highlights of my progress:

- I am approaching the 200 mile mark (I logged my first run on December 13th, 2006).
- The scale revealed a new low this morning.
- I am confident my body fat percentage is at a two year low.
- I can finally hit the weights and complete a full lifting session without fatiguing way too early.
- My mile time is way down from where I started (averaged 8:31 this morning for a 3.5 mile run).

I am excited about the warming temperatures in Ohio. I look forward to hitting the open road for my runs. The treadmill is getting old!

The part of this process I always forget is how it helps in other areas of my life. When I am doing the right things physically, it is so much easier to be right in the other areas of my life. I am glad I publicly hung myself out there. It was the push I needed.

Reading

I have accumulated an aggressive stack of books to read in the next few weeks. This stack has developed because of some commitments I made in several circles. I am walking away from each reading session with a great deal to think about. More importantly, I am working hard at making immediate application of what I am taking in as I read.

Here is what's in the stack:

The Bible (one year reading plan)
In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day (Mark Batterson)
Coaching 101 (Robert Logan and Sherilyn Carlton)
Mentoring (Bob Biehl)
It's Your Ship (Captain D. Michael Abrashoff)

This morning I was finishing chapter two of Batterson's book. I was struck by this statement, "God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go" (you may have to read that twice).

I have recently given great attention to the daily direction of my life and how that impacts the big picture. I want to go where God wants me to go. I want that more today than I did yesterday. For me, this is becoming more and more of a whole life proposition. This morning the Holy Spirit reminded me how passionate God is about me living more faithfully as a follower.

Batterson immediately sets this idea in a context I could totally understand. He talked about his relationship with his kids. You know, how he longs for them to win at life. As I read I thought, I totally get that. I paused for just a moment to say thanks to my heavenly father for the reminder that He wants me to win and is preparing a road ahead of me for that to be the case.

God, give me the wisdom and strength to order my steps each day that will take me where you want me to go.

Easter Mailer

The final proof of the Easter mailer is at the printer. You can pull down the full pdf here. I am praying this mailer will further empower us to create buzz during our spring ministry season.

I hope to have the final proof of the personal invitations some time today. I'll post that when it arrives in my inbox.

One More Sports Take

My boys in Clifton ended a dreadful season today. Frankly, I am glad it is over. It hurt to watch the program struggle. This was the first season in years that I did not attend a game. I stayed away because I simply couldn't stand to watch the slide.

Trust me on this friends, they (we) will be back!

Reds 14, Twins 1

I know it is only March 3rd, but I cannot remember a spring when the Reds looked this solid. How fun would it be to have a Reds team playing for something in September?

I'm hoping...

New Easter Series and Mailer

We had a couple ideas brewing for our Easter series and they simply lost energy as the prayerful creative process continued. In a late night brainstorm early last week, we locked onto a powerful new direction! I am glad we remained open to that option.

The mailer is in the final editing stage. It looks fantastic! I think this series is really going to strike a nerve in the WC. I'll share the front design here when we get a final draft. I am hoping that will be during the day tomorrow.

The personal invitations for our Easter gathering are sweet too. The Journey peeps are going to love them [wink].

Off to small group...

New Weekend Series

Most of my morning has been spent with fingers to keys. I have been writing my talk for Sunday. I am beginning a new teaching series this weekend. We'll break away from the topic and return to it during the summer months. When it is all said and done, it will be a fifteen week journey. Those who work at it will be able to tell the story of the whole Bible. More importantly, I hope our community will grow in a deeper sense of how the story is intended to form and shape our lives.

I am jazzed about it!

If you want to prep for Sunday then take a few moments to read Genesis 1 & 2.

Growing "Pains"

One of the first church planting resources I can remember encountering was a toolkit that walked perspective church planters through the process of launching a new church from scratch. I still remember bullet points that were shared in those audio tapes. The one I recall most often is this, "Church planters and their teams must remain flexible."

There have been multiple times in fourteen years of church planting when I have reminded myself of that important reality. We are in one of those seasons right now. Actually, the past two years have required that we live in a constant state of flexibility.

The new year has brought some very steady growth (numerical, financial, spiritual) at Journey Church. It has been awesome to see! It has forced us, however, to make some critical decisions quickly. There have been multiple occasions when we have had to "turn on a dime." We are turning again. It feels right. It feels good. Man, this is fun!

In the next three weeks, several ministry moves will take place:

- We are purchasing a boat load of new ministry equipment!
- We'll be moving our student ministry environment to Sunday mornings.
- We have added another part-time staff person. He'll be building and leading the student ministry house band.
- We are adding another children's ministry class. Space in the 2-3 year old has quickly become a real issue.
- We are moving Kidmo to a new location and changing the name.
(In fourteen months, we have doubled the space needed and used at LEHS where Journey meets every Sunday.)

Each of these moves sets us up for the Spring ministry season that is beginning. We are trusting that God will use each of these moves to continue to allow our influence to grow in West Chester and the surrounding areas. I fully believe we are creating space for the people God will bring in the next few months.

There is no question the best is yet to come at Journey Church!

The Right People

I have been on a personal mission this year to put the right people in my life. One of the missing pieces was a mentor. Over the years, I have had some great people in my life to look to for wisdom and guidance, but no one who I would specifically call a mentor.

I invited a long time wisdom person in my life to lunch yesterday. The intention of the lunch was to extend an ask for him to consider mentoring me. He agreed and asked me to read this book.

I am pumped to begin this journey. It is well overdue.

I'm Back!

We had a wonderful time last week in Gatlinburg. It was restful and refreshing. We enjoyed some great meals. We shopped. We shopped some more. We did, however, stay under budget! I did manage to find the time to run 13+ miles in three days. This helped balance out the additional caloric intake during the trip.

We arrived home late Saturday evening to 4 more inches of snow. Journey had another tremendous Sunday despite the bad weather. I have been pleasantly surprised by how people have forged ahead in the midst of the late winter storms. We are currently on one of best two month runs to date despite the early morning storm that hit a few Sundays ago. Have I mentioned how fun this is? I sure I have.

The new week started with a bang! I was looking at a full inbox (I did manage to dodge the it for a few days) and calendar. As the weather changes, the pace of life will increase as well. Our team is working hard to prepare for three of our biggest days of the year--Easter (April 8), Mother's Day (May 13), and Celebration Sunday (May 20). I am pumped about our Spring ministry season. With the way our winter has been, I have high hopes for Spring!

Arrived Safely!

We arrived safely at our place of temporary residence in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The place is awesome! We are anticipating an awesome few days.

Time For Some Rest

My apologies for my lack of posts this week. It's been a really busy few days as we prepared to leave town this afternoon.

Andrea and I are headed to Gatlinburg for some much needed time away. We are leaving the kids with my parents. We'll miss them, but are really looking forward to being away without the kids.

We do not have any specific plans. We'll eat, shop, and catch up on some sleep. It will provide the perfect opportunity to also catch up on some recently missed date nights.

We'll be back early Saturday evening. My talk is written and I am pumped about the weekend at Journey. You will not want to miss it!

The Machine Is Us/ing Us

I can remember the first time I logged onto the Internet. Loading pages in a web browser took forever. Sharing files was a big challenge most of the time. A lot has changed since then.

A friend of mine shared a video that is worth watching. It chronicles some of that change.

That's Normal Here

A great deal of ink has been spilt unpacking the power of word of mouth marketing. It is interesting to me how people read this kind of material like it is a new idea. The idea and power of WOMM has been in place for a very long time.

It is clearly one of the ways Jesus intended to advance His redemptive cause in the world. Mark 16:15 is one place where Jesus clearly communicated that, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." It is really a simple idea: have a good experience and share it with others. It has the potential to spread like a virus working its way through a first grade classroom.

I have never been able to get past the question of why the Church doesn't advance with more force. In most churches I encountered, it isn't normative behavior for people not to invite their disconnected friends. I have often wondered why that was the case. I have a list of answers, but I'll save that for another post.

One of my biggest passions for Journey Church is that it will be a place where it is normal that people invite their friends. I have been thrilled to watch so many at Journey make a connection (to Journey and/or Christ) only to quickly and passionately invite their friends. I pray this trend continues. I pray it happens with greater force in the days ahead. We'll invest a great deal of energy to ensure that is the case.

9 Things A Leader Must Do

I swung by the bookstore yesterday to pick up a needed resource. I was immediately captured by the title of another book written by the same author that led me to the bookstore in the first place. As you might guess, I purchased both.

The premise of the book is simple: Successful leaders possess a shared set of behaviors and common actions.

Chapter one shares the first of nine things a leader must do: Excavate the soul. Dr. Cloud contents that buried in the soul of every person is a treasure. He goes on to say that successful leaders are those that "dig up the treasure of the invisible soul in order to bring dreams, desires, and talents into the visible world."

Dr. Cloud also adds some thoughts on why this treasure often remains hidden. I was quickly reminded of what has taken place in my life in the past thirty+ months. I couldn't help but see myself in each of those paragraphs. I spent far too many years allowing the treasure to be hidden. I did nearly everything in my power to dig, but often found myself cowering in the corner. I was afraid and paralyzed by a plethora of feelings, doubts, and questions.

I can look back over my shoulder now to find defining moments that provided the necessary courage to dig again and the relationships that gave me the much needed push to do so. With every day that passes, I am gaining more and more strength to keep digging. I continue to discover new ways to make the invisible visible.

You might be reading this post and feeling that some excavating needs to take place in your soul. If so then let this post be one of those defining moments in your life. Grab a shovel and dig with all you have. Buried deep within you is an invisible treasure. You have been uniquely created and called by God to make that treasure visible to the world.

Do not miss it or waste it. Dig. Dream. Live big!

Fitness Update

Ten weeks ago, I forced myself back into the gym with hopes of eventually getting back into shape. I am finally beginning to see the fruits of my labor.

Here's a brief update:

- The number on the scale continues to decrease.
- I have shed almost 17 lbs.
- I have run 106 miles since I purchased my Nike+ gear (I logged my first run on December 13th, 2006).
- I posted my fastest 5K time today: 27'31"
- I am using the fourth belt loop instead of the first one.
- All of my clothes are fitting much better.
- In a few weeks, there are some pieces of my wardrobe I will no longer be able to wear at all.

I am pumped I have allowed my yes to be yes and my no to be no! I am 6-8 weeks from my initial goals.

Would any of my reading audience be interested in running a 5k or 10k in late Spring/Summer? Leave me a comment.

CoachNet

I have been asked to serve as a national coach for my tribe. I was deeply honored by the invitation. They sweetened the deal by asking me to endure a few days in Orlando in May. How could I say no to that?

The training process officially kicked off today. I signed up for the online training through CoachNet. I am initially very impressed with the site, topics, and process. There is no question this will be quite the learning experience. I am confident it will also help me on a local leadership level at Journey.

Once I have completed the training, I'll be assigned a couple pastors in my region to coach. I plan to journal some of my learning's here. Stay tuned.

NFL Backpedaling

More details here.

Debt Snowball

One of the principles I shared yesterday in my "Money:Margin" talk was about what Dave Ramsey calls the debt snowball. I was informed after the gathering that I had not shared it accurately. After thinking back through what I did share, it was confirmed I wrong. Sorry about that.

Here's a link to clear up my misinformation. If you have consumer debt and are feeling the bondage that comes along with it then I hope you will begin to attack it! Margin and freedom await. I'm all in, are you?

Also, if you enjoy podcasts then you might consider adding Dave's to your list.