Josiah has a toy nativity set.
About an hour ago, Amber overheard him
playing.
He was holding the angel up in the sky and saying,
“I have
good news for you. Jesus is coming!
Glory to God!”
My heart was full as
a parent.
Josiah has a toy nativity set.
About an hour ago, Amber overheard him
playing.
He was holding the angel up in the sky and saying,
“I have
good news for you. Jesus is coming!
Glory to God!”
My heart was full as
a parent.
Our staff's prayers and strategic planning have been consumed with our vision for 2010. Our January teaching series, What If?, will unpack where and how God is leading our church community in the months ahead.
As we prepare to take our ministries to the next level, I've found the following articles on biblical vision fascinating and helpful.
Michael Hyatt on Why Vision Matters:
Leadership is more than influence. It is about reminding people of what it is we are trying to build—and why it matters. It is about painting a picture of a better future. It comes down to pointing the way and saying, “C’mon. We can do this!”
When times are tough, vision is the first causality. Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing we must recover.
Seth Godin on Fear of Bad Ideas:
Someone asked me where I get all my good ideas, explaining that it takes him a month or two to come up with one and I seem to have more than that. I asked him how many bad ideas he has every month. He paused and said, "none."
And there, you see, is the problem.
And Jeff Kapusta on Vision. Opposition. Response.:
Every great vision is followed by opposition. The moment you begin to step up to what God is calling you to do somebody is waiting to knock you down. It’s true. There are vision vandals out there that want nothing more than to keep you from achieving God’s best in your life.
- Wow.
- New attendance high yesterday. 632.
- Our staff has quietly been praying over the past few months for giving to reach a certain dollar amount. The past 2 Sundays in a row, our church community has given above and beyond our quiet prayer goal. God is exceedingly faithful.
- Numbers are one objective sign for church health, but not the sign for church health. Whether times are looking up or times are looking down, we will always choose to respond by worshiping our Master!
- Loved teaching the weekend's message on the 3 kings we sometimes miss in the Christmas story (Herod, Caesar...). The podcast will be online shortly via our new iTunes link.
- Last night's KidStuf Christmas was awesome! Loved watching my 3-yr-old dance on-stage and at the end spontaneously bow not once, but twice! Amber's video and pix to be online soon.
- Looking forward to Christmas Eve @ Colwood this Thursday at 5pm. Beyond the modern twist on traditional carols, we will experience some Christmas elements that we've never tried before at Colwood!
- Our new church website debuts in a matter of days. Jerry Brownell has knocked the ball out of the park on this one!
- Our staff team is entering The City today. This strategic community-building tool is definitely going to further our ministry's reach in 2010.
- I have vacation time coming up. Looking forward to some R&R with family in 4 days. Kelly Ball is speaking this Sunday; I'm back on Jan 3rd with our new series, What If?
I am typing this blog post from the airport terminal during a 3 hour layover in Las Vegas.
Yes, I happen to be in Vegas.
But I'm not staying in Vegas.
My final day in Seattle was packed with meetings.
First up was time spent touring Brooklake Church with Scott Harris, lead pastor. I've been following Scott's journey out of church planting and into an established, thriving church with personal interest.
Appreciated Scott's insights on church planters who, for whatever reason, end up transitioning out of planting. He rightly termed the experience the "Death of the Dream." As we shared our stories, we couldn't help but ask aloud who in the blogosphere is honestly and rawly talking about this aspect of church planting? The closest name we could lock-in on was Ben Arment.
Which ended up with me calling Ben later in the day... while standing in front of Mars Hill Church (the moment was a bit surreal).
As always, Ben was encouraging. He's an encouraging friend. I encourage you to follow Ben.
Upon entering the Mars Hill Offices, I promptly toured the Mars Hill restrooms. They were recently reformed. (Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm performing in Vegas right now. Literally.)
Truly appreciated spending a few hours with Scott Thomas, executive elder at Mars Hill and director of the Acts 29 Network. We grabbed Thai food, which is a little like eating soup consisting of Degobah.
Scott also wins the award for coolest office desk. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share anything about Scott's desk beyond that, except to say that I want one (I'm looking at you, Santa Claus!).
On a serious note, the time was also a bit surreal as Scott was just receiving the news about Matt Chandler as we met. Heartbreaking news that reminds us of the difference between hope and desire.
Scott graciously shared wisdom and insights that will help me in leading Colwood Church heading toward the new year. Two tidbits of wisdom that I don't think Scott would mind me sharing:
"Most church leaders lead out of comfort, not courage."
"Speculation is explosive!
Raw truth is more healing."
Now I'm in Vegas. My mind is oatmeal.
My heart is excited to see my family.
Thanks for tuning into my Seattle adventures.
Seacrest out.
On the flight from Chicago to Seattle yesterday, I read a pre-release copy of Mark Batterson's upcoming title, Primal.
Taking readers on a quest through the ancient catacombs of Christian spirituality, Batterson weaves what he calls the Prime Commandment with scientific discovery and personal anecdotes, leading readers toward surprising, Christ-centered conclusions.
My favorite quote? On epiphanies:
"...Staring at the stars is good for your soul. It's a primal spiritual practice that is as ancient as Abraham. And as our wonder grows, so does our soul. In fact, it's our capacity for wonder that determines the size of our soul."
Hands-down, I would make Primal one of your first-reads in 2010.