Jamie Jackson XP

The NINES is coming!

Jamie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:06:16 +0000

It’s been quite some time since my last post and I’m happy to say that I’m finally back to blogging! So… how cool would it be to hear from some the greatest church leaders of today and hear what they ares Game Changers for your life and ministry?

That’s what will happen on September 9th during a live online event called The Nines.

In one day, you can hear over 100 of the best church leaders, six minutes each, each one talking about Game Changers.

And it’s all free. Check this out!

Thanks to Leadership Network for putting this creative teaching event together in format and cost (as in free) that everyone can attend!

Register today

Chick-fil-A Leadercast

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:51:15 +0000

About The Chick-fil-A Leadercast

The Chick-fil-A Leadercast is a one-day leadership event featuring the world’s best leaders speaking about the leadership principles that matter most. Broadcast LIVE by GiANT Impact from Atlanta to hundreds of locations around the world, the Chick-fil-A Leadercast is a catalyst for new ideas and better leadership practices.

Our focus for this year’s event is to help you be the one leader to make a lasting impact in the lives of those you lead. Join us on May 7, 2010, and set your sights on being the one to make all the difference by living out the leadership principles that guide your decisions and your life.

ATTENDING

On May 7, 2010, experience an event that will inspire you to be the one to make a difference — at work, at home and in your community. It all starts with leadership training.

You will learn:

* The keys to connecting with others
* How to set yourself apart from the competition and influence others
* New ideas for creative problem solving
* Best practices for leading in challenging circumstances
* How to create strong team cultures
* How to avoid, detect and reverse decline

SPEAKERS

Jim Collins – Author of Good to Great, How the Mighty Fall, and co-author of Built to Last

Tony Dungy (Pre-Recorded) – Retired head coach for the Indianapolis Colts

John C Maxwell – Leadership expert and best-selling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Steve Uzzell – Award-winning corporate photographer and former staff member of National Geographic

Mark Sanborn – Best-selling author of The Fred Factor

Connie Podesta – Expert in the psychology of human behavior and leadership development

Jim Goodnight – CEO of SAS Institute, Inc.

Ed Bastian – President of Delta Air Lines

Ben Carson – Neurosurgeon and Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Chip Heath – Author of Made to Stick, Columnist for Fast Company, and Stanford Professor

SCHEDULE

Friday, May 7, 2010

8:00 AM	Registration
9:00 AM	Session 1
10:20 AM	Break
10:40 AM	Session 2
12:00 PM	Lunch
1:00 PM	Session 3
2:30 PM	Break
2:50 PM	Session 4
4:00 PM	Program Concludes

LOCATION

Valley Health @ Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
181 Kernstown Commons Blvd
Winchester, VA 22601
For more information please call 540-536-8924

Vision

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:52:43 +0000

It’s a make or break quality. You have either figured out the vision thing or… you have already begun drifting into the future. As church leaders we must specialize in vision both personally and in our churches. Check out what Greg Surratt has to say about about ‘vision’ in this video grab from the Seacoast Leadership Conference. Some great insights!

Leadership Conference – 2010 – Greg Surratt from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

Happy Easter!

admin — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 11:58:52 +0000

Happy Easter, friends! I hope you have a wonderful celebration filled with many blessings and a deep appreciation of our risen Savior:

http://read.ly/Matt28.6
http://read.ly/Luke23.43
http://read.ly/Eph1.7

Good Friday

Jamie — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:17:21 +0000

Matthew 27:27-31 (NASB)

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

Today matters. Dark Friday matters. His death matters.

So, let’s not look past this day as just the beginning of a holiday weekend. There’s a reason why in the Christian tradition – this day and service is considered the longest and darkest day of the year.

Let it be long. Let it be dark. Let it be silent. Let it be uncomfortable.

While we will celebrate the Good News of Christ glorious Resurrection it is important to see the depths of our darkness and depravity that is exposed in the last days of Jesus’ life and crucifixion. And once we see, if even for a glimpse, the depths of our depravity and brokenness, then the amazing depth of God’s grace and mercy is much more understood and experienced.

Attend a Tenebrae Service.

The atmosphere of Tenebrae Service is intentionally somber as the focus is centered on the final words of Christ from the cross. The name Tenebrae is the Latin word for “darkness” or “shadows.” You should experience a small portion of Christ’s pain and suffering from the day of His crucifixion through this service. That may unappealing to most.

One of the most conspicuous features of the service is the gradual extinguishing of candles until only a single candle, considered a symbol of our Lord, remains. As it gets darker and darker you can reflect on the great emotional and physical pain that was very real for Jesus that evening. Toward the end of the service, the Christ candle is hidden, typifying the apparent victory of the forces of evil over good. At the very end, a loud noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake at the time of his death (Matthew 27) and his resurrection (Matthew 28:2). At the moment of the earthquake, the temple veil was torn apart, making the Holy of Holies exposed to public view. This is understood to represent God’s change toward us with direct access to him, no longer requiring the ceremonial acts of the priests for our forgiveness of sin. The hidden candle is then restored to its place, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. By this single light the service is concluded and participants depart in silence.

Why?

Listen to the words from Isaiah 53:5-6, for they reveal why the events of Good Friday had to happen;

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Though we did not stand in the crowd calling out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” His blood was on our hands. It was because of us He was beaten, because of us He died. It was our fault Jesus stood in the Praetorium that day, we are the reason He allowed the guard to strip Him of His dignity and mock Him as they did. In the garden Jesus declared how the Father put twelve legions of angels at His disposal, but He refused to call on them so we could be healed.

We do not like to see this Jesus. We like to see Jesus in white flowing robes, not bloodied, swollen, and beaten. But we must see this Jesus, we cannot afford to look away. If we do, we fail to see what our salvation cost, and as a result we may treat it as a common holiday or seasonal event.

Spend time this day focusing on Jesus’ sacrifice. Don’t just settle for the thought of Jesus’ suffering, spend time looking at it in detail. For when we see the pain He endured on our behalf, it will heighten our excitement when we stand at the empty tomb and call out, “He is Risen!”

Is Easter still the “Super Bowl” event for churches?

Jamie — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:26:51 +0000

Tony Morgan recently posted on his blog some questions that have me wondering if Easter is still the “Super Bowl” event that it may have been for reaching people for Christ.

The post is based on this article from the Barna Group which addresses people’s perceptions of Easter. I admit that I’m not quick to take this type statical analysis and immediately drawl conclusions for programing changes. But in this case, it has me wondering if the culture is not changing faster than we think. For example, if it’s true that in your community only one-third of the people view Easter as a religious celebration that might impact how we approach our Easter programing. And, what if it’s true that 19 percent of the born-again Christians don’t view Easter as a religious celebration, either? Wouldn’t that impact how we approach Easter?

The stat that Tony picked up on and I’m agreeing begs the question is:

“Overall, 31% of active churchgoers said they would definitely invite someone they know who does not usually attend a church to accompany them to a church service on Easter weekend this year.”

Unfortunately, some might think that’s not all that bad of a percentage. What it means is that the majority of people don’t see Easter as a compelling way to reach people with the Gospel and that might mean we should be re-thinking how we approach this holiday. Certainly, we should not be putting all our eggs in the Easter basket if we are serious about reaching the lost

Tony puts it this way:

“For churches trying to reach a post-Christian, unchurched culture, I think we need to wake up to the fact that Christmas and Easter are no longer slam dunks for drawing crowds and sharing the Gospel.”

So, if Easter isn’t really the evangelist “Super Bowl” event we were hoping for what should it be? And, more to the point, what might the local church do to reach people through Easter?

The story of my favorite worship song from 2009 – enough said.

Jamie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:50:51 +0000

Executive Pastor Coaching Network

Jamie — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:29:59 +0000

I’m pumped to be part of the 2010 Executive Pastor Tele-Coaching Network with Kerrick Thomas, Executive Pastor, The Journey Church of the City in New York City! Best of all, its a tele-coaching network so I am not trying to fly to New York each month and I’m avoiding the cost purchasing plane tickets and hotel rooms.

The Executive Pastor Tele-Coaching Network is a 10 month relationship-based coaching network for Executive Pastors seeking to improve their competency and increase their leadership skills in the 9 areas that are crucial to being an effective Executive Pastor. The heart of the Network is found in a group of Executive Pastors talking together monthly over the phone for 2 hours focused on growing the skills necessary to be an effective Executive Pastor.

Kerrick Thomas is leading this Coaching Network along with special presentations by other Journey Staff. I excited to hear from Kerrick who servers as the Executive Pastor and a Teaching Pastor at The Journey Church and has co-authored
Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch and Activate: A Brand New Way to Do Small Groups.

I appreciate Kerricks willingness to colaborate and with 34 XP’s in the network from 18 states and two countries representing churches that range in sizes of 150 to 5,000 from 11 diff denominations there will certainly be plenty of ideas to be shared.

For me, this is a great opportunity to get out of my fishbowl and learn from others. I can’t wait!

My Bible Software

Jamie — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:42:04 +0000

Recently a number of folks have asked me what Bible study tools I use. And while I’m a huge fan of free and love the free bible study apps like YouVersion and BibleGateway, I am also now using Logos. Logos Bible Software is a power house of Bible Software Packages and is releasing a mac version which could mean the end of any PC use for me. Although version 4 is getting mixed reviews, it is still the most comprehensive and powerful software on the market. And Logos has recently added a iPhone app which pushes my iPhone addiction to whole new level. Check out the video below to get an idea of what this software has to offer.

The only issue I have with Logos software is it’s price tag. You can easily spend $1000 to get one of the robust packages – that’ll pinch! If you are thinking of purchasing Logos Bible Software this Christmas you can save by taking advantage of this discount! During Christmas they are running a 25% discount code: DECKTHEHALLS

Ever wonder about the Star of Bethlehem?

Jamie — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:36:13 +0000

Last night I saw a video that addressed what for centuries, historians, scientists and scholars have debated; the Star of Bethlehem in the Biblical story of Christ’s birth.

A documentary style presentation, Rick Larson shows how he believes astronomical events in the years 3 B.C. and 2 B.C. fulfill the Bible’s description of the star the Magi followed to find the baby Jesus – well, more like the toddler Jesus.

Larson, an attorney and legal professor, culminates 8 years of study and research to put together the DVD called The Star of Bethlehem. In his DVD Larson uses a computer program called Starry Night to show what the wise men actually saw when they began their journey to Bethlehem. Using this astronomy software, he goes back in time to the period in which the Eastern Star would have been viewed in the sky and pieces together a time line of astrological events that support, if not prove, the arrival of the Messiah as announced by the The Star of Bethlehem.

I was amazed and encouraged to see Larson’s findings and learn how the stars proclaim the incarnation of Christ.

Check out the promo video below to get an idea of