Brandon Ives

New Website

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:43:00 +0000

If you're reading this, you haven't figured out that I've moved my website to www.brandonives.com Check out my latest content there.

Brandon

Praying for Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:51:00 +0000

So I'm not sure what my official stance would be, but I sure did laugh while I watched it.

For All The Dad's Out There

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:15:00 +0000

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:02:00 +0000

Where Do You Work Best?

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:42:00 +0000

I picked this video up from Micheal Hyatt's Blog and thought it was interesting.

Check out his thoughts here

Darrin Patrick has some words for young men...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Obsessed

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 04:07:00 +0000

Frances Chan in his book Crazy Love says,

“People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God’s Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.”

The definition for obsession is to have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic. Are you obsessed with God? Maybe we should be…

Man Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:34:00 +0000

There is an interesting article in Newsweek concerning the new face of masculinity. The message on the cover says it all, Man Up! But what does it mean to man up?

Does it mean that the “path to masculinity is paved with girly jobs and dirty diapers?” It may seem that way. The authors do suggest that a return to stereotypical ruggedness and machismo will not save masculinity. But in a fair minded response, Albert Mohler reminds us that becoming less macho doesn’t necessarily make things better.

“Today’s men are likely to be more nurturing, but they are also statistically less faithful. They may be changing more diapers, but they are also more likely to change spouses. Men must be encouraged and expected to be both faithful fathers and faithful husbands. Otherwise, any society is in big trouble.”

I would add, fathers and husbands should still provide for their families, work hard and provide servant leadership in the home. Yet, grow more faithful in being present, nurturing and loving. Men do not have to crawl back into the cave to return to masculinity but we shouldn’t expect them to look like women either. Gender equality doesn’t mean that men and women are the same. It means they are equally valued, respected and protected.

The one issue that everyone should agree upon is the face of manhood is changing. I have a three year old son and I pray that he will one day become a faithful young man. If that means being in a traditionally female job, that’s great! As long as he is providing for his family and serving God faithfully.

So about that project I gave you...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:01:00 +0000

How many times have you encountered a boss or leader who constantly takes back ownership of the work they give others?

Part of leading people is leaving them alone. Leaders are not project managers, in fact they are not managers. Now managers may be leaders, but they are not the same.

Why? Because leaders give over responsibility, control and rewards to others. They empower their followers to grow, to learn, to make mistakes and to take the credit.

One of the worst mistakes a leader can make is reclaiming power or micromanaging others. These actions burden employees and volunteers. These actions stunt growth, cause paranoia and expand fear.

I always desire to jump in and take over. But I know that there are far bigger costs, than others mistakes. What are the bigger costs? Fear of action, anxiety about decisions and a loss of creativity.

Making mistakes is part of life and helping others grow through mistakes is part of leadership.

You Follow Me

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Jesus took the twelve disciples out for a walk and instructed them to pick up a rock to carry with them. Peter decided to select the smallest rock he could find, so that his journey would be easy. After a few hours, Jesus told his disciples that it was time to break for lunch. He instructed each disciple to take their rock out and when Jesus prayed over it, the rock became bread. Everyone ate their bread, but Peter left lunch hungry.

A few miles into the afternoon hike, Jesus once again asked his disciples to pick up a rock. This time Peter knew exactly what to do. He found the largest that he could find and hoisted it up onto his shoulder. After a few hours of walking, the journey came to an end beside a large lake. Jesus looked at his disciple and instructed them to throw their rocks into the lake. Peter became disgruntled and started to complain about the other disciples’ rocks, but Jesus stopped him and asked him a question. “Peter, who were you carrying the rock for?”

Do you remember the words at the end of John’s gospel? Peter has just been given difficult news about how he will one day suffer the same way Jesus did. And Peter quickly turns to the other disciples and says, “Ok Jesus, what about this guy?” And what does Jesus say, “What is that to you? You follow me.”

Our job is to follow Christ and carry his mission-for us. Our focus shouldn’t be on everyone else.

There's no script for leadership. There can't be.

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:16:00 +0000

One of the great lines out of Seth Godin’s book Linchpin is: “There’s no script for leadership. There can’t be.”

Of course he is right. If there’s a script, you’re a follower. Sure, you may be “leading” a department or a church, but leadership is more than managing people. Leading is about taking people from where they are to where they need to go.

Now of course that doesn’t mean you can’t take great advice, learn lessons of leadership and get a lot of help along the way. But when you are leading, you are stepping out beyond where your tribe has been before. And when you step out past that point, you enter the land of leadership.

This is where risk and danger lurk on every corner, but also this is where reward and triumph live. Hope can be found in this frightening place, but only for those who are brave enough to tame its treacherous paths. Is there hope for those who refuse to lead? Perhaps, but they usually hope for mediocrity. Is that ok for you?

New School Year

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:42:00 +0000

Here's a little video for all the teachers, students and parents out there...

Mark Driscoll on Men

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:31:00 +0000

Pastor Mark Driscoll has an interesting take young men or as he calls them, "Boys who can shave."

Read It Here

Boundaries

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:41:00 +0000

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man reaps what he sows…” Galations 6:7-8

Behaviors have consequences. When we love and care for the people around us, we will have closer and more fruitful relationships. If we choose to sow selfishness, greed, idleness or anger, we will inevitably reap poverty, failure, loneliness and isolation. These are the natural consequences of our behavior.

Dr. Henry Could, in his book Boundaries, advises us that rescuing people from the natural consequences of their behavior is to render them powerless. He continues by saying,

“This happens a lot with parents and children. Parents often yell and nag, instead of allowing their children to reap the natural consequences of their behavior. Parenting with love and limits, with warmth and consequences, produces confident children who have a sense of control over their lives.”

I wonder who I help render powerless by overstepping important boundaries.

The Ministry of the Unnoticed

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:14:00 +0000

The following is an excerpt of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

“Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3)

The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character—things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted.

He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him—something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s Kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness—I can only enter it as an absolute pauper.

It's Not The Strongest...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Charles Darwin observed, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Do you ever wonder if the same can be said about churches? It’s not the biggest, the richest or the smartest church that ultimately thrives in our world. The church that endures is able to adapt quickly and meet the challenges of the mission field they live in.

These are easy observations to make, but the challenge we face is our wiliness to be that church. Willing to adapt to God’s lead, eager to face change and confident in God’s power.

Please take time this week to pray for our church. God has good things in store for us!

Newsletter Article

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:20:00 +0000

I saw a great church sign on the Internet the other day. It said, "Come hear our pastor. He's not very good, but he's short."

Now I am glad that Mary Anne hasn't placed that on our sign yet. Perhaps it's because I'm not short? But the sign gets me thinking about how we measure success?

I truly believe that the best measuring stick that we can use for our church is faithfulness. If we are being faithful to our calling, we will be successful. If we lack faithfulness, then we will fail no matter how many people show up or how much offering comes in. Faithfulness can be explained as simply as following and trusting God where ever he leads. Faithful churches come in varied shapes, colors and sizes, but they are always pleasing to God. Could we really ask to be anything more?

That Little Boy of Mine

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:05:00 +0000

Two eyes that shine so bright,
Two lips that kiss goodnite,
Two arms that hold me tight,
That little boy of mine.

No one could ever know how much your coming has meant.
Because I love you so, you're something heaven has sent.

You're all the world to me.
You climb upon my knee.
To me you'll always be,
That little boy of mine.

By Benny Meroff, Wayne King, and Walter Hirsch

Blessing of the Hands

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:44:00 +0000

This afternoon I participated in a service blessing the hands of health care workers in one of our local clinics. It was a privilege serving the nurses and doctors in this way and I pray that their work will be blessed by God in this coming year.

I thought that I would share our prayer and some words read today by Saint Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master
Grand that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
It is in dying that we are born into Eternal Life.
In His Name, Amen.

Saint Francis

May you be blessed with a spirit of gentleness and a heart that is tender. May you be blessed with a spirit of strength shining within you. May you be blessed with a spirit of compassion and a fervent caring. May you be blessed with a spirit of courage, daring to be who you are. May you be blessed with a spirit of openness, understanding, and respect. In Jesus Name, Amen.

So I thought this was funny...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:51:00 +0000

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Happy Mothers Day

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Sun, 09 May 2010 00:53:00 +0000

Ok, so some people have better mothers than others.

My Son Has a Great Mother!

Have Mothers Day!!!!

Francis Chan

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:37:00 +0000

Why Tim Tebow Works...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:47:00 +0000

Last night’s NFL Draft is good TV, even if you don’t enjoy football. But why? Because it creates drama. Now of course, most of the drama created is artificial and the true out come of the draft will not be seen for years. But really, we don’t care about that. We love to watch for the surprise pick, the unpredictable fall of highly touted stars, and of course the Raiders and their nonsense.

But having said all this, last nights biggest surprise was the young man who shouldn’t have been picked(at least according to Mel Kiper). Tim Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos as their 25th overall selection. So with this in mind, I thought I would share a couple of thoughts as to why Tim Tebow works…

Character Matters
Period. Ben Roethlisberger is finding this out right now. What really happened between Ben and the young women who has made accusations against him may never come out, yet what got Roethlisberger suspended were a string of poor decisions. Each one of which reveal his character. I’m not saying Ben is evil or guilty, but multiple poor decisions show us something of who he is. Ben put himself in multiple bad places and now the NFL and the Steelers organization are making him pay the consequences for those decisions. When the Denver Broncos (who know something about knuckleheads, see Brandon Marshall) choose Tebow, they choose a young man who has impeccable character.

Leadership
In case you haven’t heard, Tebow was a leader of two national championship teams and the field commander of a college football team that included numerous NFL caliber players. Oh, did I mention they have already built statues of his leadership moments outside the stadium at Florida. Tim may not be the most talented player, but he has been one of the most successful leaders in college football history.

Talent
But he’s Talented enough. When everyone runs a 4.5 forty and everyone throws the football 65 yards down the field, what makes the difference? Intangibles. Or at least that is what they are called most often. What are they? I don’t really know. What makes Joe Montana a better quarterback than Ryan Leaf? You can’t really say other than the fact that Montana has a finger full of Superbowl rings. Talent isn’t enough. It is only useful when you pair it with other things. Allen Iverson is one of the most spectacular basketball players ever, yet he never won a championship because it was always his show. Point guard Derrek Fisher on the other hand, has won multiple championships because of selfless play and working within the system he plays. Tebow learned very early on that playing within the system allows the system to work. This is how his team one their first national title.

Winner
Finally, Tebow is a winner. Even when his team is defeated, his attitude is that of a winner. Positive, encouraging, and driven to work harder, rally the troops, and make sure that this doesn’t happen again. Sure he’ll lose again. In Denver, he may lose a lot. But his mentality is that of a winner and you can’t teach that.

We can learn from sports and events like the draft. Often we like to pick high, grab the things that look great now, sacrifice late term picks for short term gain. But let’s remember that the bests teams almost always build their franchise in the late rounds. One pick doesn’t change the world. Consistent good choices over the long haul builds enduring success. If you don’t believe me, go look at the rosters of the Pittsburg Steelers and New England Patriots.

Thought this was cool...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:39:00 +0000

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

John Chandler's 3 Good Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon Ives) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:50:00 +0000

Ten Websites Every Bible Teacher Should Know

Never before in the developed world have Bible teachers been so resourced in terms of information. Here are ten helpful sites:

1. BibleGateway.com-On this site you can search a multiplicity of Bible translations in a variety of languages by word, phrase, topic, or passage. Among the twenty-one English translations are

o the New International Version,

o Today's New International Version,

o the English Standard Version,

o the New American Standard Bible,

o the Holman Christian Standard Bible,

o the New Living Translation, and

o the New King James Version.

2. Crosswalk.com's Bible Study Tools- This very helpful site includes

o an online Hebrew and Greek Interlinear Bible,

o several full-Bible commentaries including

§Matthew Henry's famous commentary,

§A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament,

§ Spurgeon's Treasury of David, and more.

o Several Bible Dictionaries including

§ Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, and

§ Smith's Bible Dictionary

o Lexicons in Hebrew and Greek

o Naves Topical Bible

o And a number of other helpful resources

3. BibleStudy.org's-Bible Maps & Timelines
Just what it says. Lots of maps from the Old and New Testaments

4. StudyLight.org-This site features

o A Devotionals Page that includes

§ Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest

§ CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening

o A Commentaries Page that features

§ Adam Clarke's Commentary

§ Albert Barnes' Notes on the New Testament

§ John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

§ Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown's Commentary on the Whole Bible

§ John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible

o Bible Encyclopedias including the classic

§ International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)

o The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
an amazing resource - this is an entire Bible of cross-references.

5. Leadership University - A large repository of fine articles relevant to the pastor including pieces on apologetics, systematic theology, philosophy, etc.

6. Fides Quaerens Internetum - a portal to the theological net featuring sites from a multiplicity of theological perspectives.

7. Grace Online Library - a fine collection of articles, books, etc from the Reformed tradition.

8. Christian Classics Ethereal Library - a dizzying assortment of entire books.

9. Creeds of Christendom

10. Christianity Today - CT is the source for what's going on today in evangelicalism

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