Proud Mac Owner

Almost four years ago, I took a bite. I have never regretted making the change!

There are dozens of reasons why I am glad I made the switch. It isn't because I like to be different. It isn't because I prefer the sleek design of Apple products. It isn't because of the cool things my Apple products can do with photos, music, and movies.

My Apple products have simply work. Here's a link to a few more reasons why I am proud to be a Mac owner. I have personally used all of them. Enjoy!

Please resist the temptation of coveting my toys (errr "gear").

You are welcome to come to the fold of prideful Mac users. There is always room for one more. You'll be better for it. Trust me...

Complement Not Cultivate

Several times a year, we hold what we call the Welcome To Journey Class. It is a key link in our assimilation process for new people connecting to our community. The class is designed to unpack the Journey Church dream, strategy, and structure.

I finally have language to more fully describe the goal of the class. Clearly and succinctly stated: The goal is to help new people understand how they can complement the vision of Journey Church not cultivate their own personal agenda. New churches have a tendency to attract a high volume of people who are simply looking to pursue their personal...uh..."stuff."

The role of the staff and key leaders in a new church is to make sure that no one gets the opportunity to hi-jack the vision. Our Welcome To Journey Class is one more environment in our community where we can paint the picture of God's preferred future and help people see how Journey Church can help them make a difference. It really is about helping people figure out how they can complement the vision.

I love when clarity comes. I love when I finally grab the language to describe it.

Email Help

I am working hard right now to improve the way I work and mange the tasks that come my way each day. Like many, email is a big part of the way I work. I am seeking to learn how to be more efficient there too.

Confession: I am probably the world's worst at effectively using the subject line in an email.

Tim Sanders has some great tips in a post he added to his blog today. It's worth a few moments of your time if email is a big part of the way you work too.

Test The Waters

Several of the Journey Church small groups are hosting Super Bowl parties Sunday evening. If you are not connected to a Journey small group this will be a great way to test the waters. If you do not have a place to watch the game and would like one you are officially invited! I would love to help you make that connection. Email me (tom[@]cincyjourney[.]org).

I am a die hard Bengals fan. I want to publicly admit that I am hitching my rooting interest to the Colts bandwagon. I would love to see Tony, Peyton, and Marvin get the big win.

With that said, GO COLTS!

I Love Coaching

When I was a high school junior I began to sense a call to occupational ministry. I did my best to run from and fight off that calling as I raced toward graduation. I finally gave up and answered the call as a freshman at Anderson University.

My personal plan was to be a teacher/coach. I wanted to share my love for sports with high school student athletes. Although my life has taken a very different path, I never lost the passion to coach. I have enjoyed coaching my kids as they have gravitated to some of the sports I love. There is nothing like handing off a passion.

I am also enjoying a new ministry role that is developing--coaching other pastors and church planters. Most of it is unofficial, but more and more I am finding myself on the other end of an email or phone line talking to someone who is in the trenches trying to figure it out. I love digging in with them to try to advance the kingdom. It is thrilling.

In the past few months, I have worked with pastors/planters in Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, and Alabama. Everyday I wake up stunned at what I get to do with my life. It is beyond fun!

I love ministry. I love pastoring. I love coaching.

New Listening Material

I am a big fan of Audible. I pull down a book a month, drag/drop in my iTunes, and then sync my iPod. With the books on my iPod it frees me up to multi-task-- learn while I work out at the gym or listen while I am in the car.

I received an email today that this month's credit had been posted to my Audible account. I quickly went out and pulled down "Made To Stick." I have read a lot of good things about the book. I am excited to get going in the morning.

Busy Day

It was another busy one today. A good portion of the morning was invested in an online demo with Fellowship One. It was pretty impressive to watch our representative take over our computer in West Chester all the way from Texas.

Journey is quickly approaching a place (we are actually already there!) where we can no longer manage information the way we currently do. Spreadsheets and basic programs on a few great computers simply isn't good enough anymore. We are looking into some options and a totally new way to manage information. We plan to move quickly.

GWL Update

Great Wolf Lodge was awesome! Randy is right the best part is being just a few moments from home! I will add this, twenty-four hours is plenty of time to enjoy all the amenities.

I am excited about tomorrow. Brian and I will be team teaching. I really enjoyed All Question Sundays at Journey. They provide a nice break from our normal series teaching format.

I am also looking forward to the Welcome To Journey Class we'll be hosting in the evening. I love hearing the stories that get shared in this moment. It is always exciting to see people catch the dream of Journey Church.

Night "Away"

We are taking the kids here for the night. I hear the place is awesome. Should be a blast!

Good Coaching

As Journey Church was preparing to launch during the fall of 2005, one of the best things that happened to (for) us was our connection to CMA. CMA is a grassroots church planting organization affiliated with my tribe. The relationship has been huge! The biggest personal takeaway has been the coaching I have received the past 17+ months. I can quickly recall several pivotal conversations that took place that God used to shape me and what He has done at Journey.

I had my weekly call with my CMA coach this afternoon. Fred leads a new church in Indianapolis that is a few paces ahead of us. The conversation was engaging. Fred shared a post-it note that he keeps by his computer. It reads, "3 things I promised God I wouldn’t do when struggling with emotions (frustrations). 1) No self-pity 2) No excuses 3) Focus on the task at hand!" I asked him to send that to me in an email. He added this line, "God’s not on the other side of the wall, he’s with you! He led you there, let him take you over it!"

Often times in life and ministry, we find ourselves faced with walls. These walls present new challenges and barriers to the road ahead. Every time we approach them frustration and a plethora of emotions accompany us on the journey. In the past, I have had the tendency to give into self-pity, making excuses, and lose focus of the task at hand.

Most of my posts the past few days have been driven by my passion to go deeper--as a leader and a follower. I know this will require a new set of tools (responses). God continues to add tools to my toolbox that are important and necessary. I have added a digital post-it to my computer. I am publicly committing to keep these promises. With God's help, I will climb over the walls that arrive on my doorstep.

Bring on the walls!

Elegant Solutions (Part 3)

I must share one more quote from the same document, "Whatever your work, make it your art. All sorts of good things happen when you do." (This statement will find its way into my February 11th talk.)

Whoever you are and whatever you do, this is must reading.

Elegant Solutions (Part 2)

As I was bringing another day to a close, I was wrestling with a few frustrations that come with the church planting animal. I captured them in my journal, sent a few emails, and was about to close the lid. I decided to check a few updated blogs. I found the Elegant Solutions doc I mentioned below. I decided to read a few pages and that led to a few more. I am glad I kept reading. I needed to read this paragraph as I headed to bed,

"Slaying dragons and storming castles isn’t for the faint of heart. The root meaning of ingenuity means free thinker. In a world run by powerful bosses and inflexible systems, rarely if ever is creative license granted freely. It’s taken. And that takes basic courage. Or at least a soldier’s bravado. It’s the obstacles that make the achievement so impressive. If it was easy, we wouldn’t be talking about it. No challenge, no creativity."

I'll sleep better now.

Elegant Solutions

I just pulled down a pdf from one of my favorite blogs. It is a document based on this book.

I started reading and was quickly captured by this statement, "Here’s the thing: it’s not about the cars. It’s about ideas. And the people with those ideas. But not just any ideas. Mostly tiny ones, but effective ones nonetheless—elegant solutions to real world problems. Not grand slam home runs, but ground ball singles implemented all across the company by associates that view their role not to be simply doing the work, but taking it to the next level...every day, in some little way. Good enough never is. When an entire organization thinks like that, it becomes unstoppable."

I want Journey Church to be that kind of place. I want to serve in and lead that kind of organization. I am anxious to read the rest of the document.

Work On It

I have spent a great deal of time the past year "working in it" (to borrow an Andy Stanley prhase). The pace of my normal ministry week is hectic and often very chaotic. I usually find myself more reactive rather than proactive. I mean to say that I have allowed the urgent to drive my work week. I have spent way more time "working in it" than I have "working on it." It worked to get us to and one year post-launch, but I am beginning to realize that this approach will not work for the long haul. I must carve out time to not just "work in it", but to also "work on it."

I went to work this morning to carve out some important appointments with myself. In the coming months, I will spend a few hours and days like this:

1 hour a week working on it
1 day a month working on it
3 full days this year working on it
(Our staff and leaders will also be adopting a similar approach!)

It feels good to have those appointments scheduled. The big challenge now will be keeping them. I can already see and taste the fruit this will produce!

Welcome To Journey Class

This Sunday evening Andrea and I will be hosting another Welcome To Journey Class at our house. This ninety minute conversation has one purpose--to unpack the Journey Church dream. If you have not attended one of these sessions I hope you will Sunday night! We'll get started at 6:30 p.m. and be finish by 8 p.m . Childcare will be provided. Email me for directions (tom[@]cincyjourney[.]org).

Monday = Day Off

I rested today. After a very busy weekend, it was just what the doctored ordered.

Sunday morning brought "white death" to West Chester. It arrived just in time to hinder our morning gathering. It is amazing how less than 3 inches of snow can bring a city to screeching halt. Our team forged ahead. We had a great gathering, but the snow did keep many away. I am hoping this weekend we can quickly regain the momentum we were enjoying.

Last week Luke and I had the opportunity to sit down with a reporter from one of the local newspapers. They are doing a story on churches that meet in non-traditional locations. It was fun to tell our story. A photographer will be around Sunday to take some pictures. The story will be in February 10th edition of a newspaper that is just outside our local community. I am very curious to see what kind of interest that might stir up.

Weekend Consultation

I was recently asked to serve on a team of pastors/leaders around the state that would consult with plateaued and declining churches in Ohio from my tribe. I was honored by the invitation and have really enjoyed the training process during the past several months. One of the final pieces of the training process begins in the morning. We'll be observing one more weekend consultation at a church in Springfield.

The small group I attended tonight was simply amazing. I was reminded again what God has and is doing at Journey Church. It is incredible to hear people tell their stories.

I am so glad we never gave up on the dream...

Good Food...Good Conversation

I had lunch with a pastor friend of mine today. We hadn't been in conversation for almost ten years. I am pumped we have been reconnected. It was fun to pick his brain about church, ministry, and leadership. Honestly, I couldn't write fast enough as he answered the questions I was peppering him with.

In a word, it was engaging.

Here's the one thing that will hang with me the longest. He said, "What you need to be working on this week is what you will be most thankful for in two years." As I drove back to my home office, I thought about how tied I tend to be to what is seven days or seven weeks ahead of me. Two years? Really? I think he's on to something.

Recently I have been investing a great deal of mental energy thinking through how I do and should invest my work week. I was beginning to feel I needed a more strategically planned focus. I am one step closer.

Changes are being made as I type...

Up Late...

I am finally getting ready to shut the lid and call it a day. Before I do so, I need to capture a thought. I have spent much of the day wrestling with some intense feelings. They are driving me deeper. I am forcing myself to face the disequilibrium that is being created in my mind and heart. I am gaining clarity on what I need to do. I know the hard work that will be required and the discipline that will be demanded. I will become the leader I have been called to be. The stacks are high. I do not have a choice.

I am all in...

These words from Sunday's talk continue to echo for me, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20 & 21)

Great Find!

If you are a leader you need to seriously considering subscribing to this. I pulled down my first batch of goods a few moments ago. I cannot wait to hit the gym tomorrow while I multi-task with the help of my iPod.

I set the personal goal this year to work through at least 52 books. I will far exceed that with the help of summary.com. For the record, I do plan to read 52 the old fashion way. This will simply allow me to read/learn/grow at a more rapid pace. I love technology!

I will be different at the end of 2007...

Must Read Blog For Church Leaders

This has quickly become one of my favorite blogs. It is well worth adding to your bookmarks or RSS feeder.

I was in a conference with Craig (one the two authors of the blog) in September. He helped me learn a leadership lesson I wished I had learned twelve years ago. He posted some thoughts in that direction yesterday. The leadership axiom is simple, but powerful: People will not go where they are not led. I think my staff is already sick of me repeating those words.

Plug that blog into your browser and read daily. You will not regret it.

Long Overdue

I am long overdue for my monthly two-day run of posts. A great deal of stuff has taken place since my last post. Here's a quick overview:

I celebrated 15 years of marriage. Where did a decade and a half go? I can honestly say that I love Andrea more today than I did 17 years ago when I swept her off her feet [wink].

Journey Church had a tremendous end to the 2006 ministry year. We had our biggest day as a church on Christmas Eve. We had over 200 first-time guest in our two gatherings. We also had at least 7 people make decisions for Christ. It was an incredible day!

I have kept my commitment to get back in shape. I have run right at 70 miles in the past 30 days. I have dropped 12 pounds and feel like a new person. It is amazing how when that area is in check other areas follow suit for me.

We purchased a new piece of ministry "equipment." I am loving the speed and additional screen space of my Macbook Pro 15". It is a huge upgrade for the Power PC Powerbook I have been using the past couple years.

This past Sunday Journey Church celebrated its one year anniversary. It was a truly special moment as we looked back over our shoulder and out into the future. I simply cannot wait to experience all that year two will bring. You might want to take a moment to listen to some of the stories that have been told the past couple weekends. You can listen here. (Listen to "A Beautiful Year" and "Auld Lang Syne").

See you next month...maybe sooner!