I know I haven’t posted in a while…tw…

I know I haven’t posted in a while…twitter is the killer of the blog apparently. Alas I come back to the blogosphere to make a grand announcement…actually not that grand…(although I will be making a pretty big announcement in 2 weeks).
I mess up…a lot. In life, in ministry, in relationships…I mess up.
However, a leadership principle that I have adopted and I pass onto all of you leaders is that when you mess up…correct it…quickly.
I welcome critics and I get them often via email, phone, messenger or snide comments made just in earshot. When I hear criticism I place it in one of three camps.
1) legit concerns that need my attention.
2) concerns that are suspect but I understand the reasons for them.
3) garbage from people who don’t deserve my time or energy.

If it is in the first camp, I immediately go into P&P mode. That is Prayer and Planning. I pray for wisdom and then I assume God will grant me that wisdom and I begin to tweek, adjust or bulldoze whatever is needed.

If it is in the second camp, I make a note and seek council from others to see if it is something that is due my attention and energy.

If it is the third I try to take that criticism captive and throw it away. I say try because I won’t pretend that I haven’t let stupid people with poor motives wreck a good day, week or even month. However, we have to learn to compartmentalize these criticisms and deal with them accordingly.

There is nothing wrong with messing up. However, it is leadership negligence to ignore or fail to learn from it. .

Spiritual Glutton

A glutton is someone who eats excessively or voraciously.  The image of a glutton is one who eats and eats and eats and makes no effort to work off the calories they have taken in.  The glutton simply likes FOOD.  It is not for nourishment or energy that they eat but simply to appease the appetite of indulgence.  I have known gluttons in my life.  I grew up with a grandfather who though being a great man was a glutton.  Upon his death he weighed somewhere around 450-500 lbs.  As a young boy I saw him eat huge meals only to follow that up an hour later with a huge snack and finished off with a huge dessert.  He had gallons of tea at a time.  He never exercised and never ate out of hunger as much as his love for food.  However, this blog is not about health or being thin.  This blog is about your Christian journey.

You see Christianity as we know it and observe it today is set up for gluttony.  It is a very SELFISH religion (as we practice it today that is).  As a pastor the messages that I teach on how to have a good friendship, relationship, deal with problems, have a quiet time, learn to pray, read your Bible, forgive others…it is all about How I can get closer to Jesus, how I can feel better, how I can sleep at night…I…I…I  It is all about ME!

Our churches develop spiritual addicts…teach me to have a quiet time, let me go to another Bible Study after another Small Group after another prayer group…now I am all for bible study, small group and prayer…but all of these are calories that we take in…so I have a question.

WHEN ARE WE GONNA DO SOMETHING WITH IT?

We get filled with God and filled with God and filled with God until we become fat, lazy gluttonous Christians.

We need to change our lifestyles in order to lose a few spiritual fatness.

How you may ask…

  • When you hear a message that blesses you…SHARE IT!
  • Get off your duff and give your time, money, energy and talents to something of Kingdom value.
  • Go share the Bible with someone.
  • Go tell someone that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their life.
  • Simply…GO!

Work off those calories and you will notice that your life is trimmer, leaner and more effective.

Be doers of the Word and not Hearers only. – James the apostle

Letter to the enemy

Ok Satan take notice…

I’d like to have a word with you.  It is time that you the prince of darkness listens for once.  I am tired.  I am tired of you attacking my children.  I am tired of you thinking that you own music, culture and the arts.  I am sick of your lies that tell our kids that they are not pretty enough, strong enough or cool enough to go on.  I am tired of your poisons that are going into the bloodstream of our young people.  I am tired to beautiful girls crying looking in the mirror because your minion vanity crushes her spirit.  I am tired of the purity of young men being stolen by pornography thanks to your puppet lust.  I am sick and tired of students thinking that the only way to have fun is through rebellion.  I have had enough.

I have had enough of you tearing families apart…I am done with fathers standing by emotionless while their children cry out for someone to hold.  I am done with parents feeling like they cannot control their child anymore…I am claiming the families back!

I will not allow you to lie to me and tell me that we are not making a difference.  I will not allow you to discourage me with the thoughts that the fight is just too big.  I will not let you whisper distractions into my spirit any more.

We choose love.  We choose to love these teenagers that are thrown away.  We choose to invest in their lives believing that they too will be attacking you soon.  We choose to love families and not judge them, equip them and not abandon them!

Be on alert Satan, your time is at hand we are about to PRAY!

Some random thoughts

I haven’t blogged in quite a while and I am sorry for that…not really I have either not had anything to say or I have been enjoying time off with my family.  However, in an effort to reseed this blogging thing here are some thoughts in no particular order that I have been pondering.

  • I had a great talk with my wife about leadership on the way to our cruise last month.  I explained something that happened at our Breakaway that I only told a few key leaders about.  She was perplexed that I told them and not the newer volunteers.  I explained to her in leadership, “Everyone doesn’t need to know everything.  Democracy may work as a form of government but it makes lousy leaders.  I surround myself with competent people, when a decision is made I tell a few.  Then they distribute the information that NEEDS to get out.  (BTW, that helps cut out all of the “yeah but what if…” stuff).
  • I saw Transformers 2, great movie, weird plot, was the soft porn outfits really necessary, on the way out of the theater I saw people in line for the Harry Potter movie…DRESSED UP…ADULTS (please don’t be that guy), I rented Watchman (bad title because I only “watched” 15 minutes of it.
  • I read The Shack – I am not sure what to think of it.  A few theological issues to deal with but I long for that kind of open relationship with God.
  • I read The Hole in our Gospel – that has me messed up right now…Are we doing church right?  How are my/our priorities?  I am interested to see what Pastor Cal is going to do with this in the fall.
  • Jeremiah is what I am studying lately and I am loving it.
  • I am super stoked about the next 2 series we are doing at Alive.  August is a series called “Jump Start”.  It will deal with getting students excited to go back to school and make a difference.  In September we are doing a series called, “Alive – The Series”, it is a series unpacking the Holy Spirit and the power that is available to each of us.

Anyway there you go.  A glimpse into what I am doing/dealing with.  What is up with you?

Prayer List

CRAZYSWIRLS copy

I covet your prayers over the next week as God prepares us for Summer Breakaway.  Currently we are taking 160 to Breakaway this year that is 59 more than last year and 100 more than 2 years ago.  A lot goes into this week so we need as much prayer as we can get.

Some Specific requests are:

  • The countless details still to be done
  • Those bringing the Word…Pastor Cal, Sean, Bobby, Keeley
  • That students will be saved and transformed by the Holy Spirit
  • The band “Meet the Sky” that they would lead us to the Throne of God
  • The volunteers, that they may be spiritually ready to pour into these teens
  • That the lifestyle decisions would last beyond the retreat
  • For rest to be multiplied
  • For physical safety and spiritual risk

Alive in Review 061709

mindgames_title

Teaching Series: Mind Games

Theme: Looking at absurd things Jesus said and did and the ramifications

Bible: John 9:1-41

Attendance: 215

Vols: 24

Length of Service: 50 x 2

Breakdown:  Attendance wise it was the lowest night we have had in months.  I attribute most of that to Summer and living in a lake town.  Brooke Overholt led worship and did an acoustic set and it was really great.   The message focused on the blind man being healed using a spit mudpie.  The bottom line was that Jesus is in the life-changing business.  We need to let him change us any way he can/will/pleases.  Several students prayed to receive Christ and several signed up to be baptized at the end of the month.  Overall it was a decent night.

Praying for the team

I am lifting up my volunteers right now.  Tonight is a big night.  Not because there is any special event planned but because there will be hundreds of teenagers here needing to hear the Gospel and before they get to the program to hear about Jesus, they will hear about Jesus from the actions of our volunteers.  Over a game of pool, basketball or just hanging around.  They will hear about Jesus from how we treat them, by our smiles, by our actions and reactions.

Also, I am praying for the volunteers for our Breakaway trip in 12 days.  We will have over 120 students attention for 5 days.  I am praying for holy conversations to occur over ice cream in the snack shack, in the dorms late at night or even walk around the campus.  God is on the move.  Let’s pray that we will see where he is going.  Join me will you.

NBA and youth ministry

Sitting here watching game 5 of the NBA Finals and am noticing some distinct things about basketball that parallel in ministry leadership.

1) There is always a leader on the team

Kobe, Labron, Howard…these guys ARE the stars.  If they are not in the game the win is going to be difficult.  However, no matter how skilled the star the team will not win unless the support cast works together.  This is true of all sports but with basketball probably more than any other.  If the rest of the team lays down the other team simply has to triple up on the star.  Similarly, in ministry there is a always a leader.  He/She is usually dynamic and usually holds the vision and direction of the ministry.  However, also like Basketball the ministry CANNOT win without the rest of the team.  NO LEADER no matter how dynamic or innovative can function effectively without good support.

2) You can’t spend a lot of time on a good shot

Unlike most sports Basketball players play offense and defense.  Which means you can hit a 360 slam dunk and wow the crowd but you don’t have any time to wave your arms and celebrate.  You have to get back down the court to defend!  In ministry our game is never over (well not until Jesus comes back) however, we do get some good shots in.  When we do we don’t have time to pump our chests or celebrate our glory because we need to get on defense.  The enemy (the other team) is quick to score back on us.

3) Fouls come at stupid times

The thing I hate about basketball is all the fouls.  The stupid fouls to stop the clock.  The stupid fouls that come from nowhere.  Well such is life in ministry.  Fouls come at stupid times and for seemingly no apparent reason.  It comes from a hard conversation with your pastor, a volunteer losing their faith in your vision, a student running away from Jesus…the same student that showed so much promise.  Those fouls hurt.

Anyway, nothing book worthy just some YM thoughts as I watch Kobe.  Gotta go they are on a run.

Hurry up and fast

orange_juice

With Breakaway coming in just 2 weeks I plan to do a juice fast.  There are some things that can only take place through prayer and fasting.  I am hoping/believing/expecting great things at Breakaway.  To prepare my body and my spirit I will be on a juice fast for the weekend.

I blog on this not to brag or to bring glory to myself but to seek your prayers and to invite you to join me.  You don’t have to fast food.  A few weeks ago, I fasted media (TV and Radio).  Fasting is not usually that difficult for me but lately I have felt a bit weary and when you are weary the first things to go is your discipline.

While fasting I will be praying for…

  • Renewed passion and revival in my spirit
  • The hearts of the students going to Breakaway to be transformed
  • The health and growth of PNCC and Alive Youth Ministries
  • Pastor Gary Lamb of Revolution Church and for the protection of the integrity for pastors everywhere
  • my wife and girls

I hope you join me.