Special Video Night

Every now in then I come across a video that I believe is worthy of sharing. This is one of those videos. I wish that we Americans who complain and whine about what our government does had half the drive to stand up for what is right like this gentleman. Enjoy!

Praying

Well, this last week of vacation has been great. We had a wonderful time camping, and it wasn't even crowded (advantage of homeschooling, we can go after kids are back in school).

I took a number of naps. That is always a good thing. I got to do a lot of "firsts" with my boys on this vacation. First baseball game (Sac Rivercats), first hike, etc.

One of the things I got to spend a lot of time doing was praying. Most of you who know me know that I am not a "prayer warrior". This has always been the area of my walk I struggle with the most. I certainly believe in the power and value of prayer, it is just something I have always struggled with giving it the priority it deserves.

However, with all the changes going on in our lives, and the steps of faith we had to take, I find myself in a new and unique position. I have no idea what I am doing. I cannot lean on my own understanding. The result? I need God.

This has been a great, yet scary, experience. As I prayed through so much over the last week, it was amazing to see what God was able to speak to me about. I started reading Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire over the weekend. Which is a book about...well, Prayer. It has been a very refreshing and apropos read at this stage in my life.

I have no great spiritual point to make, or guidance to provide. I simply wanted to share what God is doing in me right now; because, well, I think it is really exciting. If you haven't been there and experienced it, let me encourage you to do so...right now!

Funny Friday Fun

Every Friday I post a video that is funny or fun or just plain enjoyable to watch. This week, I found a great illustration that I think we all fall victim to sometimes. Watch and be changed!

Disclaimer: This is meant to be something enjoyable, if you don't find it funny or enjoyable, then please turn it off.I didn't make them, I simply shared them. Chill out a bit will ya!

Twitter according to Tim

I read a blog post from Tim Stevens a couple of weeks ago that he wrote on things he had learned about Twitter. You can read his post here.

One of the things that I enjoyed the most was his point that we should turn twitter off occasionally. Of course, I read into that further and thought that we should be turning off all social media occasionally. Twitter, Facebook, email, texting, and any other currently cool connection tools available.

As I reflected on that I began questioning whether I had control of my "twitter" issues. Could I turn it off? Would I turn it off? Can I stop anytime I want? Does it interfer with my family? The reality is, I am not sure...but it is most likely undercontrol, right?. Tim makes a great point, "Like anything, you can become addicted."

I am on vacation all this week, and unless I have cell coverage at the lake, I most likely will not be checking my mail, facebook, or twitter. The real question that comes in to play: If I have cell service, can I put my phone down?

By the time you read this post, you will know the answer to this question, if you follow me in any form. So, let me challenge you. If there is doubt whether or not you are out of control....it is probably too late. Take a break. Turn it off. If you are like me, you probably have already overloaded your brain with leadership stuff that you won't be able to process any more anyways!

See ya next week!

Nothing speedier than the DMV

Did that title catch your attention?

How many of us can remember back when registering your car meant spending a couple of hours at the DMV in line to spend 5-10 minutes at a window with someone who wants to be there less than you do? Does that ring any bells?

Last week I had to re-register my Jeep. The DMV has become a refreshing example of efficiency. The entire process took less than 3 minutes. That's right...3 minutes from the time I opened the website to the time I printed my receipt. I did this all from my desk at a time that was convenient to me.

In addition, if you have to actually visit the DMV, you can make an appointment online, walk in to a seperate window to check-in, and usually within minutes been standing at a window, with someone who is actually not stressed-out anymore, and actually wants to help you.

As I was thinking about how the DMV has embraced technology to reach people, I wondered why so many churches don't. There are some great examples of churches that use technology to reach people. Whether videos, internet, lights/sound, and the list goes on, it doesn't matter. There are some amazing examples. Yet, those are the minority. Perry Noble has said many times that "NewSpring will do anything, short of sin, to reach people for Christ".

I realize that for many that may be offensive. I really don't care. The fact is, we do need to do whatever we can to find people. If that means capitalizing on technology, than I think we should.

Ok, my ranting is over. I guess I just have a lot of extra energy that I didn't waste at the DMV!

See ya next week!

5 Things!

I am on vacation. I am camping with the family and having a wonderful time. This last Friday was the last day in the office and I was amazed and what transpired and how much I got done. It always seems, that on the last day before a vacation, I manage to get all those little pesky tasks done, that I had been putting off forever!

I am one of those people who likes to return from vacation with nothing left from before. It makes sure that I don't think about it while on vacation and that way I have no idea what to expect when I return to work, thus my vacation "high" lasts a little bit longer.

So with those thoughts in mind...

Here is my top 5 things NOT to do on the

last day of work before a vacation:

5. Do not schedule any meetings for the first day back to the office.
4. Do not leave your cell phone number on your voicemail for people to call "if this is an emergency".
3. Do not expect a going away party before you leave. (They will do that while your gone.)
2. Do not leave a half cup of coffee on your desk.
1. Do not let your boss see how hard your working to wrap up loose ends. That will become the new standard!

See ya next week!

Vacation Time

Howdy everyone!

I am on vacation! That is right. We are on our annual camping trip! This year we went to Pinecrest Lake. 5 days of camping, hiking and hanging with the family.

This trip could not have come at a better time. There is a lot going on in our lives right now, so this will give us a chance to catch our breaths as we prepare for the next stage of our lives. In case you missed everything that is going on, you can read about it here and here.

So, sit back and enjoy some posts this week while I relax and take some naps.

See ya soon!

Funny Friday Fun

Every Friday I post a video that is funny or fun or just plain enjoyable to watch. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is meant to be something enjoyable, if you don't find it funny or enjoyable, then please turn it off.I didn't make them, I simply shared them. Chill out a bit will ya!

Changes Part Deux!

Since we are already on the discussion of change yesterday. I thought I would continue with more today. If you didn't read yesterday's post, I would check it out here!

We decided since that change was significant enough in our lives (insert sarcastic laughter here), we decided to add to it.

We are now the proud parents of a 17 year old teenage daughter. Most of you know Stormi and how much she has been a part of our lives. We have been grateful for the time God has given us with her over the years. As of recent, she has continued her "inappropriate" ways. This resulted in her father asking for us to give him a hand in coming up with something new to try and help her to succeed in life.

After much discussion with her dad, we all agreed that the best thing for Stormi would be to get her into a new environment, particularly one that Stormi feels loved in, and one that her dad feels safe with.

So, we have spent the last week, rearranging rooms, moving the boys back into one room and preparing her space, meeting with her school. It has been crazy.

So, in addition to all the prayer needs I posted here yesterday. Please be praying for us as we instantly became parents of a teenage daughter!

Aaaaaarrrrghhhhhhhh! OK, I feel better now.

Changes

Well, the time has come to share with you the changes that are going on in our life. I really can’t comprehend everything that has gone on over the last year. Therefore, I am not going to start trying to explain it to you now.

I am simply going to share with you what has happened. Give me a few months to truly comprehend it all, and I am sure I will be back to share the long prayerful process that took place.

After a long process of seeking God, and I mean a long process, we have felt God call us to join a church plant here in Turlock, and as a result we are transitioning from New Life.

My reason for sharing this now is to make a few clarifications for those of you wondering. First and foremost, the reason for leaving is a result of God’s calling on our lives to join the church plant. The reality is, the process took longer than it probably should, because we truly love New Life, and had a really hard time letting go. Second, this was a very long process that required a great deal of prayer, seeking advice, and more prayer. This is not a decision anyone should ever make quickly. It was definitely not a decision we made quickly.

Please be praying for us as we step out in to this new path God has us on. We love our New Life family and will miss you very much! (Of course, we are still at the same house, so stop in and say ‘Hi’). Finally, keep checking back with my blog, as I will begin sharing about our new adventure. Sometime this fall, once Autumn and I have had a chance to truly see what God has done through this, I am sure I will come back and share the process with you.

Lastly, and most important: Thank you very much to Pastor Dave for all he did in our lives. You Rock Pastor Dave!

Funny Friday Fun

Every Friday I post a video that is funny or fun or just plain enjoyable to watch. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is meant to be something enjoyable, if you don't find it funny or enjoyable, then please turn it off.I didn't make them, I simply shared them. Chill out a bit will ya!

What is normal?

This year my busy season has lasted exceptionally long. My normal busy season is April to July. However, this year it started getting busy by the end of January and just this week has started to slow down.

There are many reasons for this, but that is not important.

The fact is, I saw this day coming. I have looked forward to it for a very long time. The point where I would be able to sigh and then relax. It is just at that time when you start to relax that kids do their best job at destroying that dream.

This past week, our "daughter" got herself into some trouble. Nonetheless, what I thought was going to be a very quiet week, has become a very crazy week. Yet, for some reason, when dealing with our kids, no matter how much stress they cause, it is way easier to deal with then even the slightest work stress.

Why do you think that is? Is it because we choose to have kids, and so we are stuck with it, where as our job is a choice? Or is it as simple as parental love abounds all?

Thoughts?

All I know, is I am still happy to be out of this busy season and am not the least bit bothered by the kiddo issues!

Willow Creek Leadership Summit (Day 2) Thoughts

Here are some thoughts, highlights from today's sessions:

• 9:07 AM: hickssound Dave Gibbons, Thinking Forward:


• 9:07 AM: hickssound Who is my neighbor? Someone like me?


• 9:08 AM: hickssound Who is a third culture leader?


• 9:09 AM: hickssound Adaptation....painful adaptation.


• 9:10 AM: hickssound The third culture leader is focused on the fringe...the misfits.


• 9:11 AM: hickssound The masses typically don't lead us...the fringe does, the misfits.


• 9:13 AM: hickssound What hold us back from loving on the fringes?


• 9:14 AM: hickssound It is our metrics. The third culture leader has a different set of metrics.


• 9:15 AM: hickssound Failure is success to God!


• 9:16 AM: hickssound Our Failure is our platform to the world. It is how we can connect to this generation.


• 9:16 AM: hickssound Our failures and weaknesses, are a gift from God so that we can reach this world.


• 9:17 AM: hickssound The most important thing when assessing someone's gifts/skills is their story.


• 9:18 AM: hickssound Weakness guides us more than strengths.


• 9:19 AM: hickssound Relationships trump Vision!


• 9:21 AM: hickssound Is it really what happens inside the building that's important...or is it what happens outside the building that matters most.


• 9:23 AM: hickssound 70% leadership development/ 30% weekend programming/sermon prep/etc.


• 9:23 AM: hickssound Best results are life on life, not through a 5 class program.


• 9:24 AM: hickssound Design/Space Shifts


• 9:25 AM: hickssound The third culture leader believes obedience is more important that passion.


• 9:25 AM: hickssound 4 Acts of Obedience:


• 9:26 AM: hickssound 1. Deeper Collaboration


• 9:26 AM: hickssound 2. Communal Living


• 9:26 AM: hickssound 3. Prayer


• 9:27 AM: hickssound 4. Radical sacrificial love for the outsiders.


• 9:33 AM: hickssound Andrew Rugasira, Thinking Forward: Aid vs. Trade:


• 9:35 AM: hickssound When you hear "Africa" what comes to mind: poverty, AIDS, disease, genocide?


• 9:36 AM: hickssound Andrew's perspective: opportunity, entrepreneurs,


• 9:42 AM: hickssound Candid talk...important when you don't have much money to go with your vision.


• 9:42 AM: hickssound Candid talk provides the integrity that people need.


• 9:48 AM: hickssound 1970 - 2000, Africa has received 400 billion dollars in aid money, but the economy growth has not grown with the aid money.


• 9:49 AM: hickssound Aid money undermines accountability.


• 9:50 AM: hickssound There is way to much time spent reporting on the aid money then actually taking action in the region. (Tanzania wrote 2400 donor reports, and had 1000 meetings with donors in 2008)


• 9:50 AM: hickssound What is the impact of our compassion?


• 9:51 AM: hickssound Stop thinking of Africa as a place needing help, but rather see Africa as a country of consumers, innovators, etc.


• 9:52 AM: hickssound The local people have lost hope in themselves, because they only see support coming from outside the country, and don't believe they can be self sufficient.


• 9:57 AM: hickssound Much like Dave said early, we need to be rethinking our metrics when determining the role of Africa in the world market.


• 9:59 AM: hickssound Wess Stafford, Leveraging Your Past:


• 10:05 AM: hickssound Leadership is a gift...given by the people willing to follow you each and every day.


• 10:07 AM: hickssound People are not going to care what you know, until they know why you care.


• 10:24 AM: hickssound As I sit and listen to Wess share his story, I realize that God has designed all of our failures/stories/experiences of our life to develop our "Story". This is the story that we use to reach others. That allows us to connect with people on a personal level. If we choose to use it. Will you choose to use it?


• 10:25 AM: hickssound What is your cause? What makes you lead? Does it bring you to tears? Tears of sorrow or tears of joy?


• 10:27 AM: hickssound We have worth because of who gives us worth, and not what we do!


• 10:30 AM: hickssound Foregiveness does not mean that you forget. However, you can never forget what you can't forgive.


• 10:33 AM: hickssound Wess clearly has great compassion for what he is doing. I think that if more of us were fueled by that kind of passion, the success the "church" could have would be God-amazing.


• 11:42 AM: hickssound Leadership is a journey. We each have to take our own path and get there in our own way.


• 11:42 AM: hickssound There are people who can help us on our journey; friends, mentors, teachers, etc.


• 11:43 AM: hickssound Teachers of leadership can teach you to be a leader. They can make you aware of leadership concepts.


• 11:44 AM: hickssound Some are born leaders, others are given the foundation. Either way you have to get better and you can get better.


• 11:45 AM: hickssound The best way to learn leadership is to be out doing leadership along side of continual learning.


• 11:46 AM: hickssound "Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader" - President Harry Truman.


• 11:47 AM: hickssound It is easy, as a leader, to confuse motion with progress.


• 11:47 AM: hickssound The best leaders are constantly looking at feedback to determine progress.


• 11:48 AM: hickssound One of the easiest things to do is to fool yourself.


• 11:49 AM: hickssound It is very essential to take time to reflect on the activities at hand.


• 11:50 AM: hickssound Go fishing.....!


• 11:53 AM: hickssound Someone who can look further back, can see further forward - Churchill


• 11:54 AM: hickssound Is it possible to be such a "decent" person, that you can't be a leader. No. It is hard to find "decent" people, and they can make great leaders.


• 11:58 AM: hickssound People who can laugh together, can do a lot of other things together, pray, etc.


• 11:59 AM: hickssound Mentors are very important in life.


• 12:02 PM: hickssound You can entrust to the point of detachment from your role as a leader. That is not a good thing.


• 12:03 PM: hickssound The American people are a very forgiving people, if you are straight with them!


• 12:06 PM: hickssound We are all flawed, the growth and maturity comes when we learn how to deal with our flaws.


• 12:10 PM: hickssound We should be more forgiving and less evasive in our leaders private lives, and recognize they are flawed humans like us.


• 12:16 PM: hickssound Speakers/Communication: Who the speaker is, is as important as what the speaker says.


• 12:26 PM: hickssound Personal habits of leaders: Strong self discipline, physically fit (leadership is physically demanding), building time in the day to reflect, build time in the day to spend time with those you cherish and those that cherish you, and realize you cannot do everything in 1 day.


• 12:31 PM: hickssound "When I enter a church I hope that it is a place where I can find inner-peace, where I can learn something, provide good anchors for my life."


• 12:32 PM: hickssound A good spiritual foundation in your leadership will help you to find your moral compass.


• 12:32 PM: hickssound Great anchors in life: faith, family and friends.


• 2:12 PM: hickssound Chip and Dan Heath, Switch:


• 2:18 PM: hickssound If you are trying to minimize change in your life, then don't get married or have kids.....now that is a funny but true statement.


• 2:18 PM: hickssound Change is filled with conflict.


• 2:19 PM: hickssound There is a constant battle in change.


• 2:21 PM: hickssound The elephant and the rider metaphor is pretty amazing. The rider is the do'er/energizer (changer) and they are trying to direct the path of the elephant, which is the status quo....It is a big task for the rider to change/direct the path of the elephant....


• 2:23 PM: hickssound When working through change, stop looking at what is not working, and start studying what is working, and figure out how to duplicate that in the areas that are not working.


• 2:25 PM: hickssound For now, ignore the failing and mediocre and seek out the bright spots. Study those bright spots and learn how to use that in the rest of your areas.


• 2:29 PM: hickssound "Big problems are rarely solved with big solutions. Typically it is solved with many small solutions. The bigger the problem the smaller the solutions."


• 2:30 PM: hickssound Which basically means, shrink the change into small controlled and measurable change.


• 2:32 PM: hickssound Chip used the example of Minor County in South Dakota, and how the high school students developed small steps to raise tax revenue to poor back into the community.


• 2:32 PM: hickssound It is completely turned over the community, and was done with just small change.


• 2:34 PM: hickssound Application: With this down turn of the economy and the fear of how we can make these big changes to keep up with the economy. The reality is to think small. Start making small changes today, and the change will slowly evolve to where you need to be.


• 2:35 PM: hickssound If you are feeling overwhelmed and demoralized when thinking about the change, you have missed the moving of the elephant. However, if you start thinking of small things to get started, and you start to get excited about the change, then you are on the right track and should move forward.


• 2:39 PM: hickssound When we fail, when our ministries are failing, are we looking that as a time of insight or as a time of failure (hell!)? In order to get from the initial hope to the final confidence, you must pass through the valley of insight where you have a chance to grow and learn.


• 2:40 PM: hickssound Growth mindset - With work, I can become better at....


• 2:40 PM: hickssound ....and built into that thought is a "tolerance for failure".


• 2:41 PM: hickssound Failure is a necessity for change.


• 2:41 PM: hickssound Failure is not something to be avoided, but possibly "an early warning sign for success."


• 2:43 PM: hickssound We need to empower people that it is ok to fail, if they are trying.


• 2:44 PM: hickssound We have a habit of looking at the people and not at the situation.


• 2:47 PM: hickssound A gift of good leaders is to evaluate the situation and create situations that allow people to succed, and not focus on the people or a people problem.


• 3:02 PM: hickssound Bono, The Church...Three Years Later:


• 3:12 PM: hickssound 50% reduction in malaria deaths in 3 years. That is God-sized crazy!


• 3:12 PM: hickssound 41 million bed nets distributed.


• 3:12 PM: hickssound "The church has woke up and is making a difference...and we are winning" - Bono


• 3:17 PM: hickssound "A mark of spiritual maturity is when someone begins to release their resources for the kingdom of God" - Pastor Merritt


• 3:21 PM: hickssound "A mark of spiritual maturity is when someone begins to release their resources for the kingdom of God" - Pastor Merritt


• 3:26 PM: hickssound If the story from the church in whittier, ca didn't make you cry, then you definitely have no emotions.


• 3:27 PM: hickssound "We have stopped becoming a place to serve ourselves....but why did it take a rock star to do it?" - Wittier Church


• 3:31 PM: hickssound "What is really hard to take is a 'lifeless ceremony' which is the case in a lot of churches." - Bono


• 3:34 PM: hickssound If you can do it, or if your church can do it, get a copy of this summit. Use it and watch it with your whole leadership team. It will make a difference in your organization!


• 3:38 PM: hickssound "The church tends to find the decisive things that separates the church from others and trumpets those. That is not grace. Grace is when you find the things in common." - Bono


• 3:48 PM: hickssound Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, An Interview with Tony Blair:


• 4:25 PM: hickssound "I felt like a very normal person in a very abnormal position"


• 4:26 PM: hickssound "Conventional wisdom can sometimes just be the comfortable thing to do...and sometimes the comfortable thing to do is the wrong thing to do"


• 4:29 PM: hickssound "If you really think this is the right way to go for your organization, then it is your job to stand for it and communicate that to the group"


• 4:37 PM: hickssound Strategic objectives should be based on principles.


• 4:39 PM: hickssound In a crisis, you have to take the facts, evaluate them very critical and then speak to them and the emotions that the "people" are feeling.


• 4:40 PM: hickssound "As a leader when you are accumulating pain and disappointment, you must look at the blessings that you have received"


• 4:42 PM: hickssound "Leadership is a blessing, a gift you have been given to help others, and no matter how difficult or painful, you are important. Without the leader nothing gets done. The joy and blessings of what gets done makes all the pain worthwhile."


• 4:43 PM: hickssound "There are things that you have to take a stand on, not yield on. You must be prepared to walk away if you are being pressured to compromise on these things."

Funny Friday Fun

Every Friday I post a video that is funny or fun or just plain enjoyable to watch. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is meant to be something enjoyable, if you don't find it funny or enjoyable, then please turn it off.I didn't make them, I simply shared them. Chill out a bit will ya!

Willow Creek Leadership Summit Thoughts

Here are some thoughts, highlights from today's sessions:

• 10:05 AM: hickssound All the posts from this morning were lost...twitter crashed. So I will add the Bill Hybel highlights now:


• 10:07 AM: hickssound Account for the powerless and hold the powerful accountable.


• 10:07 AM: hickssound "All killer... and no filler..." that's just funny.


• 10:08 AM: hickssound "In a crisis, cash is king"


• 10:08 AM: hickssound Cash reserves give leaders time in a crisis. Time to plan, restructure and prepare.


• 10:08 AM: hickssound A replenishment plan...Do you have one?


• 10:09 AM: hickssound A great session!


• 10:10 AM: hickssound Hiring, Firing and Board Meltdown Session:


• 10:12 AM: hickssound You see what you want to see, if you allow yourself to idealize the candidate.


• 10:13 AM: hickssound Get away from just an interview. Spend time with them. Anyone can practice for the game of an interview.


• 10:15 AM: hickssound Listen more than you talk when interviewing.


• 10:16 AM: hickssound A strong company/church culture makes it easier to find the right candidates. They will naturally flock to your organization.


• 10:27 AM: hickssound You don't have a family discussion with non-family members present.


• 10:29 AM: hickssound If the board team can not be functional, then the organization won't be functional.


• 10:33 AM: hickssound A team will do a better job of leading an organization, than 1 women or 1 man.


• 10:41 AM: hickssound Managers rarely give enough feedback for an employee to figure out for themselves if they should stay or leave an organization.


• 10:44 AM: hickssound The kindest form of management is the Truth.


• 10:48 AM: hickssound If the first time you sit down with an employee is when you fire/lay them off...you are not leading your people.


• 10:51 AM: hickssound Gary Hamel, Manage Differently NOW:


• 10:54 AM: hickssound Are you changing as fast as the world around you?


• 10:59 AM: hickssound The church is losing audience due to apathy and not ignorance.


• 11:02 AM: hickssound Our problem is inertia...


• 11:03 AM: hickssound You are going forward or you are going backwards. There is no standing still.


• 11:04 AM: hickssound If you don't pay close attention, you will miss Gary's humor.


• 11:05 AM: hickssound Do you really want to grow like a rocket? Rockets end up crashing in pieces.


• 11:07 AM: hickssound How do you outrun change?


• 11:08 AM: hickssound 1. You have to avoid denial.


• 11:10 AM: hickssound How to identify/circumvent denial: First you dismiss it, then you rationalize it, you mitigate it, finally honest confrontation.


• 11:14 AM: hickssound 2. You have to develop more strategic options.


• 11:14 AM: hickssound The job of every leader is to make change more exciting then the idea of standing pat.


• 11:17 AM: hickssound How can you include others in developing the strategies of your organization.


• 11:17 AM: hickssound It should be less like making a baby and more like a family picnic...involve everyone and do it out in the open, transparently.


• 11:20 AM: hickssound Are we all doing the same thing, because that is what God is calling us to do, or is it because we are all reading the same books, listening to the same leader, etc.?


• 11:21 AM: hickssound The longer you are in the trenches, the easier it is to mistake the edge of your rut for the horizon!


• 11:23 AM: hickssound Ok, I guess I missed point #3.


• 11:23 AM: hickssound 4. You can not have a top down organization.


• 11:24 AM: hickssound The renegades will leave to start something new, then to try and make change in a top down organization.


• 11:25 AM: hickssound Is the challenge to find great leaders, or to develop an organization that doesn't require a super human at the top?


• 11:27 AM: hickssound How do you know if you are a leader? If you call a meeting and people show up is a good clue.


• 11:29 AM: hickssound Management models were not designed to adaptable.


• 11:30 AM: hickssound The web is a post-bureaucratic entity.


• 11:30 AM: hickssound That is why the web is so adaptable to society.


• 11:31 AM: hickssound The leaders of the "web" are natural leaders in a natural heirarchy developed from the bottom up.


• 11:32 AM: hickssound The problem with organized religion is not the religion part...it is in the "organized" part.


• 11:33 AM: hickssound We are not going to get fundamentally better at changing lives, until we get fundamentally better at changing our churches.


• 11:34 AM: hickssound God doesn't have a plan "B"! That was funny...


• 11:35 AM: hickssound That was a great session! See ya after lunch!


• 1:18 PM: hickssound Welcome back everyone! Watching some great missions videos... Amazing what some churches are doing.


• 1:26 PM: hickssound Tim Keller, Leading People to the Prodigal God:


• 1:40 PM: hickssound Religion vs the gospel, I choose the Gospel.


• 1:41 PM: hickssound Religion is about obeying so we are accepted whereas the gospel we are accepted, because of Jesus Christ, therefore we choose to obey!


• 1:50 PM: hickssound Wow... Confess for the reasons of your right doings. I must admit I never thought of that.


• 1:55 PM: hickssound Ok here we go, 5 things that Tim wants to share... Let's see if Ican catch all 5!


• 1:57 PM: hickssound 1. You the leader have to work this into your heart (avoid spiritual deadness).


• 1:59 PM: hickssound Why are you doing what you are doing as a leader? Is it self serving or God serving?


• 2:02 PM: hickssound 2. Make sure your teaching is gospel centered not religion centered.


• 2:03 PM: hickssound 3. Share this with your leaders and bring them in.


• 2:03 PM: hickssound 4. Take it to you congregation through preaching/teaching/small groups etc


• 2:04 PM: hickssound 5. Pray!


• 2:32 PM: hickssound Jessica Jackley, A Leadership Case Study, The Kiva Story:


• 2:58 PM: hickssound Very interesting. I have never seen or heard of Kiva. Where have I been? This is really amazing.


• 3:01 PM: hickssound I love hearing Jessica's passion and knowledge of what Kiva is doing.


• 3:03 PM: hickssound 85 million dollars loaned in less than 4 years...with 98.5% repayment rate. Wow! That is amazing.


• 3:07 PM: hickssound You know you are passionate when you keep talking even after they tell you to stop!


• 3:07 PM: hickssound When you believe in co-creation you MUST give up some control.


• 3:09 PM: hickssound Church leaders, could you turn down 10 million dollars if it is counter to your mission?


• 3:11 PM: hickssound The church should be the safest place to bring the biggest dreams ever.


• 3:14 PM: hickssound Don't be afraid to start small.


• 3:14 PM: hickssound Just start! Just do it!


• 3:16 PM: hickssound What will change the world, will be a change in mindset.


• 3:17 PM: hickssound If we change the way we look at people in the world, the rest of the details will fall into place.

Write it down

I mentioned here on Sunday how God is really doing a work in me. One of the wonderful side effects is that He is really sharing some amazing things with me.

These are things that get me excited, and give me some great ideas for blog posts. These are thoughts that I really think you would love to hear about. Each time, I make a "mental" note to write a blog post about it.

The problem? Yeah, like my memory is as good as it once was. I cannot seem to remember these great thoughts. I remember 1 in 5. I need to start righting them down. Keeping a list of these thoughts as God gives them to me.

How does that translate?

Everyday God is speaking to you. Giving you guidance in your life. Are these things that come in and pass on? What are you doing to lock this stuff down? Try writing it down. A journal, a log, a list...what ever you want to call it. Get that stuff down. The Bible was written down!

It will be worth it....I promise!

Hopefully I, too, will start writing these ideas down....then I can share them with you!

Who's your family?

Last Sunday, we had Josh McDowell come and speak at our church on Sunday morning. I had a chance to hear him speak all 3 services because I was running sound. It was great.

One of the things that kept ringing in my ear all day was something he said, only in the 2ND service. He made the statement, "My family does not come before my ministry. They are my ministry...my first ministry!"

That really hit me hard. I have talked more than once about setting priorities. In fact last fall, I talked about my top 5 priorities here. The thing is, I have always thought it was important to put my family before my ministry. There has never been a doubt about it. I may have even heard it said before that my family is my ministry. For some reason, though, it really hit me when I heard it from Josh. It simply resonated in my heart.

Making your family your ministry gives life a whole new perspective. Instead of making time for your family, making sure that they receive your best...they become your reason for living. As that has resonated over the last week, I have re-prioritized things. I am now not just making time for my family, but rather I am making sure that I am ministering to my family.

Yes there is a difference...a big difference!

I am not sure where this new mindset will take me, and for some of you this may be old news. I am excited. I am excited to see where it is going to go for me as the Spiritual leader. I am excited to see where it is going to take my relationship with my wife and with my boys. I am just plain excited!

How about you? Men, is your family your ministry or are you simply making time for them?

Whirlwind

I am sitting here this afternoon after attending all 3 services at New Life this morning. I was doing sound, so I got to worship 3 times, listen to the message 3 times, and drink lots of coffee!

Like Pastor Dave talked abou today, I went in with an expectation today of serving for 3 services. What happened was life changing. God blew me away this morning!

I can't really share it with you, but it was exciting, emotional and fearful all at the same time. I am not usually the type to outwardly show emotions in public. Yet, today I cried through most of 2nd service.

Now before the jokes start, let me explain. These were tears of joy and surrender. I have been a Christian for many years. Right now, God is taking me on a crazy journey and for the first time in this journey, I have stopped dragging my feet, and have surrendered to Him and decided to follow Him...no matter what!

I don't know where we are going. It is scary. Underneath, though, there is an excitement that can't wait to get to the end of the journey.

For now, that is all I can share. Stay tuned! I will share more as I can!