RickWomack

U B U

2010-03-02T12:07:00.002-05:00

Just came across this great video from Ed Young Jr. and the great people at Fellowship Church in TX - check it:

"GO" - but I end up "Staying"

2010-02-17T19:56:00.000-05:00

Going to "think out loud" for a moment in this post...

Jesus said, "Go!"

He didn't say, "Stay!"

So, which one am I doing the most of right now?....

Staying!

For now...

Until...

I can go!

One of my goals for 2010 is to get my entire family on the mission field in a short-term fashion...so, I'm in the process of talking, reading, calling and trying to understand the next step for this to happen.

Will you help me pray about this?
Have you taken a short-term trip?
Any suggestions?

Let's Talk About Sex

2010-02-16T09:41:00.000-05:00

I don't know that I've ever done a blog about sex - but, since my wife and I just finished up a Couples Retreat this past weekend, and one of our topics was titled, "The Sex Talk" - I thought I'd post some thoughts. (As a side note, I'm sure the blog traffic will increase since I'm using the word 'sex' in this post...on another note, we are not marriage counselors or sex therapists - but we are a couple that has an amazing marriage in every facet!).

First, I should say that for WAY TOO LONG Christians have avoided the "S" word - they don't talk about it in their churches, and many don't talk about it in their homes. Most are uncomfortable discussing it...I have several thoughts as to why...but I'll save that for perhaps a later post. Suffice it to say, sex is beautiful and God-designed to be enjoyed between a man and woman in the context of marriage. In fact, it's pretty amazing and should be something cherished, looked-forward too, and protected.

Here are some of the points that we highlighted this weekend:

1.   Your sex life should move beyond being boring or predictable – spontaneity!

2.   Avoid the “Time Bandits” (technology: emails or texting, phone, TV, or surfing the net; work: too many hours at the office; one-sided relationships w/people who constantly take; Children - you have to work together on this one) Make time to make love…

3.    Date Night – Fuel the fire…Be creative – It doesn’t have to be expensive, just intentional!

4.    Talk about it – define expectations (and keep talking about it!)

5.    Atmosphere…mood, music, candles, etc

6.    Don’t compare your spouse to others (models, athletes, celebrities, etc) - this helps protect your spouse and your marriage - do you see a pretty lady or a 'hot' guy...sure, but what VALUE does it add to comment and compare?

7.    Goal should be to please each other. Prefer one another!

8.    Men - Sometimes take time…romance; Women - be willing to be quick

9.    All 5 love language NEED to be expressed in your sex life – (words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, receiving gifts (lingerie…buy some, plan a dinner date)

10.    Sex begins before you ever get to the bed room...it starts with the way you communicate, you serve one another and the way you honor one another. My wife tells me that "I'm sexy" when I vacuum - maybe you think this is just a trick to get me to vacuum - works for me!

Now, let me go back to something I mentioned early on - most pastors don't (or won't) even mention it in their church...here's what I mean - I know that there are some churches that have used this topic to create almost a "shock value" in their community - that's NOT what I mean. However, I do think it should be taught about even in church just as tithing/giving, communication and worship are taught.

Lessons I'm Learning...Along the Way

2010-02-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

This post will be somewhat personal in nature...I'm learning some things...in ministry, in life, in family, in process. Here goes:

My wife told me today that I have to learn to accept the things that are not in my hands - wow!
I'm learning to "press into Jesus" more. What does that mean? Well, for me, it means learning more and more to walk in the Spirit, not the flesh - to trust outcomes, decisions and obstacles to Him.
I'm learning to value each and every moment with children and family more than ever.
I'm learning to trust God more than ever...
I'm learning that I don't have to have all the answers, be in every place, and do everything.
I'm learning that the things that I really love about ministry, can easily be replaced if not careful.
I'm learning to truly enjoy the mentoring relationships I'm able to develop with students and others.
I'm learning to allow God to stretch me...
I'm learning to suffer with friends who are suffering - some with hard decisions, some with a hard life.
I'm learning that some things are out of my hands, and therefore, out of my control - and that's probably a really good thing.
I'm learning to appreciate the unique personalities and interests in each of my children - which, by the way, are most amazing!
I'm learning...
Are you? What are you learning?

Origination, Destination and Maturation

2010-02-09T17:56:00.000-05:00

Just finished preaching a series of messages for a local church recently and one of the underlying, recurring themes that I kept emphasizing was this:

Where you came FROM is important...

Where you are GOING is more important...
WHO you are BECOMING is most important

Many pastors and Christians spend a large part of their time trying to convince others that the place of their origination is the primary value of who they are. For example, I had a high-school buddy that was convinced that since he was from the northeast, he was superior in many ways. Whether it was related to sports, social skills or just life in general, he was going to be better.
I also have met Christ-followers that spend a lot of their time talking about where they came from - whether it was the streets or the pews, you could be sure that their originating place was what was first in their conversation or their sermons. Their origination defined their identity...then there are those that allow their destination to define their identity...

Recently, I read a book by Andy Stanley that can be summarized in just one sentence (the book was The Principle of the Path) - that sentence...
"Direction, not intention, determines destination" - so, save yourself some money, that's the book.

And, it's true! Because truthfully, there are many people (and I've been one at times) that have GREAT intentions, but their direction is totally mismatched against their intentions. The end result...their destination is usually static or going in reverse.

So, origination and destination are important, but maturation is the MOST important.

In other words, WHO are you BECOMING in life...you're becoming someone. Of course, my goal in the series was to compel them to become more like Christ...to realize that in the process of life, we don't need to short-circuit the plan of God by rushing through a season...even a difficult one!

That's where I've been...evaluating my own maturation as it relates to: family, ministry, friendships, responsibilities, and responses.

How about you?
I'm sure you know where you came from, do you know where you are going?
More importantly, do you know WHO you are BECOMING?

Let's talk about it...please, leave a comment!

Life in 3D

2010-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

This being my first blog post of the New Year and New Decade, I thought I'd take a moment and define some things about both the new year and decade that I hope will become a reality.

I had the idea last year from this blog post to use 3 keywords as compass points or guiding thoughts rather than establishing New Year's Resolutions. I didn't act on it, and no regret it. So, for 2010, I plan to use the following keywords as defining thoughts and guides in life: Discover, Discipline and Develop. I've included a little more definition below:

Life in 3D

The three words that follow are compass points that I will use to guide my life in 2010. These words will affect all aspects of my life: finance, time, actions, thoughts, relationships, etc. They are not resolutions – resolutions typically fail and are bound to the calendar/clock. The choice is not to live by the clock, but, rather, the compass. Life by the clock is limited – life by the compass is unlimited, open to new things and constantly exploring. The goal is to use these three words to give direction to my efforts.

Discover

Obvious Result: Learning to live again with a sense of awe and wonder at life around me

* New things in the Bible
* New interests
* New Relationships

Discipline

Obvious Result: Better stewardship in my life

* My time
* My energy
* My mind
* My spirit

Develop

Obvious Result: Intentional depth added in key areas of my life

* Deeper relationships
* Consistency:

1. In my walk with Christ
2. In my diet
3. In my reading
4. In my blogging

Life in the "Fast" Lane

2009-12-31T20:00:00.001-05:00

Every year, during the month of January, many Christians, churches and ministries call their supporters and followers to observe an extended

I'm choosing to participate in the 21 day fast that many Christians participate in during the month of January. However, rather than the Daniel Fast related to food, I'm doing an extended fast of just water and juice for several days, coupled with a 21 day social media fast.

Here are the measures I'm putting in place:

No communicate via Facebook or Twitter for 21 days
No blog reading via Google Reader feed for 21 days
Removing Facebook and Twitter apps from my iPhone
Replacing social media time spent with time spent in reading the Bible

During this time I will:

Replace social media with reading the Scriptures. I plan to read the New Testament during the 21 days
Have others that can update facebook pages and twitter feeds if needed (this would be related to work/ministry)
Begin a journey through the Bible in 2010 that I believe will nourish me spiritually and strengthen the ministry God has entrusted me with
Journal, daily, the things God shows me through prayer and Scripture
Have my accountability partner and others hold me accountable to this fast - the primary purpose of this is not a "check up" so much as to reflect to them what God is showing me

Benefits:

Separation from non-essential media to focus intensely on essential disciplines (reading Scripture, prayer, journaling)
Establishing a pace of spiritual disciplines that will set in motion the priorities and focus of my life for 2010
Clarity in hearing the voice of God as I reduce the "noise" of social media

Blog Recap for 2009

2009-12-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick overview of my blog activity for 2009:

Before I get to stats, let me say that I've struggled to maintain a purpose for keeping this blog going - I still do somewhat. My numbers and activity were almost a third of what they were the year before. I hope to reverse that and have set some measures in place to help with it - I hope that regular, consistent blogging will help me develop a better understanding of WHY I should keep blogging.
Here's my look back at 2008 if you're interested.

In 2009:

I wrote 53 blog posts (down from 160 in 2008). I wrote several others and rescinded them before publishing because of content or ambiguity
As of 12/20/09 I had 2,594 visits to rickwomack.com
They came from 69 different countries (up from 55)
There were 1,712 absolute unique visitors, spending an average of 6 seconds less on my site, but viewing .01% more pages
29 people used dial-up as opposed to 72 in '08 - come on you 29, you have to give in and upgrade to high-speed internet!
Fewer people use IE, more people use Firefox and Safari double. Chrome went from virtually nothing to almost 4% of viewers.
The top referrers: Google, Facebook, then fellow bloggers (thanks Rachel & Debbie)

Here are 7 of my favorite blog posts from 2009:

Looking Back - 7 Great Questions

2009-12-30T13:47:00.001-05:00

The following questions come from Michael Hyatt - great content to use as an annual life review:

If the last year were a movie of your life, what would the genre be? Drama, romance, adventure, comedy, tragedy, or a combination?
What were the two or three major themes that kept recurring? These can be single words or phrases.
What did you accomplish this past year that you are the most proud of? These can be in any area of your life—spiritual, relational, vocational physical, etc. Be as specific as possible.
What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t? Okay, this is a little too personal for me to respond to directly.
What disappointments or regrets did you experience this past year? As leaders, we naturally have high expectations of ourselves and others. Where did you let yourself down? Where did you let others down?
What was missing from last year as you look back? Again, look at each major area of your life. Don’t focus now on having to do anything about it. For now, just list each item.
What were the major life-lessons you learned this past year? Boil this down to a few short, pithy statements.

Here are my answers:
#1 - Adventure
#2 - Relationships, Process
#3 - Deepening relationships
#4 - Not sure...not sure I'd tell if I were.
#5 - Discipline in reading & health
#6 - More time with family on vacation
#7 - In view of eternity...

Looking Back '09

2009-12-26T00:14:00.001-05:00

I want to look back in this post at two questions that I heard posed this year from Bob Roberts...

What is the right way to do church? (For me, it's easy to slip into this mindset and begin to opine on what I think the "right" way to do church is) - but, it's the wrong question
What does it mean to fulfill God's purposes? This is the right question!

I'm working through to make sure that question #2 is the first question I ask when I consider God's plan for: my life, my family, my ministry, my future, His Church, my role in our denomination, etc.

Don't miss it, it's subtle...
What does it mean...

to fulfill...

God's purposes?

All of them!

It may NOT be what you are presently doing, thinking, planning...

My Most Meaningful Post All Year

2009-12-24T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Birth of Jesus

The birth of Jesus took place like this.

His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.

Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant.

(It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.)

Joseph, chagrined but noble,

determined to take care of things quietly

so Mary would not be disgraced.

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream.

God’s angel spoke in the dream:

“Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married.

Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant.

She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—

‘God saves’

—because he will save his people from their sins.”

This would bring the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term:

Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Emmanuel

(Hebrew for “God is with us”).

Then Joseph woke up.

He did exactly

what God’s angel commanded in the dream:

He married Mary.

Merry Christmas All! This story, more than a story, a reality, brings hope-fulfilled, life-eternal, and joy never-ending.

Thank you for reading & Merry Christmas!

5 blog posts that have challenged me and you need to read!

2009-12-20T14:00:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to put some extracurricular reading on your radar during the Christmas break...these are 5 blog posts that I've kept in my Google Reader feed to read and re-read several times - scan through them - there are some important lessons to be found.

I'm stoked about my friend Lee becoming the editor of our denomination's magazine! But in the midst of these changes, I'm thankful that he's addressing some hard core topics that need to be addressed by us in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement - issues such as: racism, materialism, erroneous theology and praxis, excessive focus on prosperity while shunning those in need. Recently, Lee picked up an endoresment from Ed Stetzer. Ed blogs about Lee's prophetic voice in his LifeWay blog (read, he's SBC and respects the voice of Lee and many others in our movement - for that, I'm truly thankful!). Here's his post: Holy Ghost Housecleaning. Thanks Ed for crossing the lines of your movement.
One of my favorite blogs to read is churchmarketingsucks.com. Recently they offered some free advise - Don't Offend Those You Hope to Reach. If you get hung up over the word "marketing" then I suggest "communication" - that's what marketing, in essence, is. And, hopefully, you're not offended with the word communication - Romans 10:14 (from The Message version) says, "But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?" I leave you with this question, "Does who you say you are match up with what others experience?"
Leadership teams should always evaluate - I'm a big believer in evaluating what we're doing, why we're doing it, whether or not it's working and what we need to do next? Perry offers seven questions that leadership teams need to consider here. My favorite is this question, "What bothers us about our church?" - most aren't willing to ask that question - let alone answer it!
Ron offers us 10 quick ways to lead like Jesus does here - my two favorites are #3 and # 6 - what are your favorite (by the way, #10 is my "ultimate favorite") - I hope you agree! To help you agree, see what Ron says in the post below.
I've re-tweeted this, evernoted it & saved it in Google Reader - this MUST happen. Let me be very blunt (and perhaps a little R-rated) - it's imperative that ~~leaders~~ people keep their pants on and their zippers zipped. It's also imperative that ~~leaders~~ people protect themselves, their families, their communities and the church. It simply MUST happen! If you don't click on any of the others above - PLEASE CLICK on this post by Ron Edmondson. Ron talks candidly about 7 ways to protect yourself from an affair. For some related reading you can read what Perry says here (be prepared!), here, here, here or here.

When need and Kingdom collide...

2009-12-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

This is an appropriate video to share during the Christmas season, let me set it up...

I've been really pondering John 1:14 over the last month...from The Message version it says,

The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.

I've blogged about it already, but this verse so strikes me and is quickly becoming a life-verse for me - I'm amazed when I ponder the richness of this verse - how God (Jesus) left heaven to rescue man. How he took the form of a man, became a man, and died as a man. How Jesus went to the ultimate end to rescue mankind...what astonishing love!

Transition to the video I've embedded below. I don't know Carlos...I keep track of his twitter feed and read his blog, but what you are going to see below is and example, I believe, of God (in the form of the Holy Spirit) moving into the neighborhood, interrupting one artist's plans for the day, and bringing the Kingdom, as it is in heaven, to earth.

To set it up, Carlos has recently recorded a worship album. While doing some photo-ops for the album around Atlanta, Danny, a homeless man, approaches Carlos and joins in the song. Unscripted, unedited and unplanned, God establishes His Kingdom in their midst. I literally cried as I watched this video. I repented because I probably would have shrugged this man off, avoided eye-contact, moved about my business - I'm guilty...I've done it before - in fact, twice this weekn while I was in downtown Atlanta. But Carlos is approachable, loving and compassionate toward Danny - Carlos invites him to join in, he embraces him, he celebrates in praise with Danny...

Watch the video, examine yourself, cry with me, learn with me...

God, make us patient, loving, generous from inside out. Help us to move into others' neighborhoods. May our lives be true - start to finish. God, help us to become, belong, believe and be transformed so that we can reach others - as Christ did. God, make us sacrificial and give us a willing spirit to reach people far from You so that they can be filled with life in You. In Christ name, Amen!

How Much is Too Much?

2009-12-10T15:15:00.004-05:00

Like it,
Hate it,
Love it,
Or, Leave it...

Change happens!

The opposite of change, I once read, is death. If you're living, you're changing.

I was made aware of a very large, and very growing church that purposely tries to change at least 10% of what they are doing each year. That has to be a difficult metric to track, but the heart of the metric is that they are able to continue to grow, evaluate, reach people and make a major difference in their community because they are willing to constantly change. By the way, they realize that if they DON'T change at least 10% every year, in just 5 short years half of what they are doing will be ineffective. That's an eye-opener!

So, how much change is too much?

How can a local church continue to serve the members that are present (an important role), while still focusing on the people that need Christ the most?

I have my thoughts...but, I'd really like to hear yours!

When I reach 5 comments, I'll weigh in...ready, set, comment!

How Far is Too Far? (Pt. 2)

2009-12-03T15:44:00.003-05:00

I thought I was finished blogging about this topic from yesterday - sorry, I'm not!

I have become acutely aware, as I have reflected the past few days, of what some call the "spirit of Christmas." No, it has nothing to do with shopping (did that and survived), nothing to do with trees and decorations (still to be done...), and nothing to do with gift exchange. Well, maybe it does have to do with the last one!

Gift exchange?!?!

Christ...God's gift...exchanged His place in Heaven to "move into the neighborhood" (Jn 1:14, The Message translation). Paul reflects (from The Message; Philippians 2:6-8), that Christ "didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion."

As I read these two passages together I'm challenged with these thoughts personally:

How much do I think of myself?
How much do I cling to the advantage of life as it presently is?
Am I willing to sacrifice? To live without? Knowing that my sacrifice may be rejected!
How many "special privileges" do Iput into place to shield me from sacrifice and suffering?
To what extent am I willing to "become" so that others can be made aware of the hope and eternal life that I have found in Christ?
Do I live a selfless, obedient life?
How could I ever die a selfless, obedient death if I can't live such life?
Am I willing to move into someone else's neighborhood? Across the ocean? Around the world? For a season? Forever?

How Far is Too Far?

I'm wrestling with this one - I hope some of you will wrestle with it as well.

If I knew I were going to die in 6 months, I'd live my life in a drastically different way from day-to-day - what's keeping me from it?

As I said, yesterday: People, people matter!

How Far is too Far?

2009-12-02T14:21:00.005-05:00

When I was a youth pastor, that was a common question.

Typically, it was a teen wanting to play it "safe enough" to push the limits of their sexuality and sexual expression, while retaining the right to be considered a Christian. Now that I'm not in youth ministry and I deal more with adults...

Nothing has changed!

Let's move away from the discussion of sex and toward the discussion of salvation...

How far is to far?
How far do we go to reach people?

Do we enter the world of porn shows and conventions like Craig Gross does?

Are we gutsy enough to enter the world of human trafficking like Charles Powell is willing to do? (by the way, human trafficking is now the 2nd largest illegal crime behind the drug trade - some of it is for the purpose of the sex trade, but it's not limited to that-article by Charles is a little over half way down)

Are we willing to give up all that we have for the sake of reaching someone?

How much are we willing to sacrifice?

Our chapels and churches?
Our sanctuaries and seating?
Our voice and our vote?

People, people matter!

They are who Christ came for...died for...arose for...waits for.

I'm convicted when I read John 1:14, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Christ became human (yes, I know, fully human, fully God - but don't forget - fully human!).

Are we willing to become ______________ in order to dwell among some to reach them - no, not become a porn star or drug pusher or homeless person. But are we willing to sacrifice our status quo, our safe place and our sanctuary to understand the hell someone else is trapped in - all in an effort to reach them with Christ's love and life?

I'm convicted that I have chosen comfort and convenience over risk and uncertainty. I'm convicted that I have chosen status and safety over sacrifice and peril. No, I'm not looking to be a martyr. But I wonder, given the choice of safety, comfort and convenience have I sacrificed some of God's richest plans for my life - I wonder!

The issue of relevance can be a hot button topic in many settings within Christendom. So sad! Christ...left heaven...became man...became relevant...sacrificed...died - given the choice, would we choose this path?

Have we chosen this path?
Or, do we think that sacrificing all is going too far?

4 Questions Everyone Must Wrestle With

2009-12-01T12:10:00.001-05:00

A couple months ago I took a day off after having gone for 20 days straight...I went to church on my day off - here are the notes from my church service at Elevation's Online Service:

What's in your hand?- Exodus 4 - The Question of Calling. Whatever you have in your hand, throw it down at God's feet and let him do what He wants to do with it. You have to find the thing that you have in your hand, offer it to the Lord and let Him turn it into something. You don't have to be able to preach, you have to do what you can with what you have now. Eph 2:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? - The Question of Acceptance. Gal. 1:10. You cannot live for the approval of men and the approval of God - you must choose to serve one or another. Illustration using Kanye - "Who cares what you think?" - "It's not your award to give anyway." - In similar fashion, who cares what the opinion of others is? You are approved by God - it's settled!
How can a young man keep his way pure? - Ps. 119:9 - The Question of Integrity - Purity is a gift from Jesus and you walk in it - you don't earn it. How can a man do this? By living according to your word!
Who do you say I am? - The Question of Eternity - Mat. 16:15-16. If you get this one wrong, the others don't matter. So many misconceptions about who Jesus is. God has not sent a universal friend request on facebook - He's looking for followers, not friends.

This was a message taught by Pastor Steven Furtick to the students in their church - it has universal application!

Have you answered these questions?

Let's talk about it...

Re-Engaging the Workplace

2009-11-30T20:08:00.002-05:00

How do you feel at the end of a vacation?
Most of us are tired, and typically say something along the lines of "needing a vacation to recover from a vacation."

I'm convinced that the success or failure of re-entering the workplace is predicated on what happens BEFORE you leave and WHILE you're gone.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE:

Empty all of your in-boxes. Michael Hyatt gives you the steps to "Declare Email Bankruptcy" if needed. As well, Hyatt blogs about staying on top of email here (the first step will go the furthest to helping you!). Empty all of your work email, personal email and "junk email" (I have one address that I use strictly for contests, promotional events, etc and I check it once or twice a month). As well, empty all of your in-boxes in your social media (Facebook, etc).
Empty all of your return messages. Take the time to make any phone calls or follow-up emails before you leave so that you come back to a fresh, clean slate. Before I left for vacation I spent several hours on the phone talking to key people that I talk to on a regular basis.
Empty all of your files. Before vacation I had an estimated 30 files or so on my desk. I've invested in a nice, qwerty-style label maker that I use for filing. All files go into the filing cabinet or the desk files that I keep near me for frequent use.
Empty your desk. Again, I typically have numerous books, magazines, notepads, etc lying on my desk - they must go away. When I returned to work, I had only a picture of my wife, one of my Bibles, my phone and typical desk-organizational tools. There were no stacks, no files, no books, no magazines.
Empty your head. Take time to list any important follow-up items that you can't get to before vacation. By doing this, you give yourself permission to totally check out and forget about work.

Which leads me to...

WHILE YOU'RE GONE:

Be gone! Don't call. Don't email. Don't "check-in." BE GONE!
Give yourself permission to forget about work, your responsibilities and what awaits you. You've created an action plan for when you return - forget about work.
Check out of social media at your pace - I have about 25-30 twitter followers that come to my phone via text - during vacation, that was eliminated. I only checked twitter or Facebook at my pace and only when it wouldn't infringe upon quality family time. For some, you may want to check out entirely. For others, only minimally. Whichever you fit into, let the deciding factor be how it affects your interaction time with others. If social media reminds you of work or projects, then I suggest you check out entirely.
Don't work. I restricted myself from checking email, making calls, etc. The only interruption I received was from one of our employees (not sure he knew I was on vacation) and he needed a phone number. I took 30 seconds, copied and pasted the number into a text and responded - back to vacation!
Engage in another story. I usually read fiction while on vacation to engage my mind in someone else's story. That was my intent this time as well - but that's not what happened. As we began together on our journey together as a family, I realized the story I needed to engage was not a fictitious character, but the very real lives of those God has blessed me with. As a result, I was able to connect with my wife, son and daughter on a level was tremendously needed and very enjoyable.

What "Re-Engaging the Workplace" tips do you have?
What strategies have you found successful for "checking out" of the workforce?

I think I'm going to buy this truck

2009-10-15T13:42:00.000-04:00

Andy Stanley Catalyst Video

2009-10-15T09:17:00.002-04:00

One of the great things about Catalyst is the fun. The team that pulls this conference together obviously spends a lot of time thinking of creative and fun elements. This year we had pink flamingos lining the entry, a dozen or so hammocks outside of the venue, small footballs to throw across the arena and hilarious videos as transition elements between speakers or interviews. The video below set up Andy's last talk of the day and he had no idea it was coming - enjoy!

Catalyst 09 Recap

2009-10-13T12:12:00.002-04:00

My wife and I had the privilege of attending this year's Catalyst event here in Atlanta - it's the second one I've attended, her first. We enjoyed the conference w/a bunch of EC students - so happy to hang out with many of them, learn more about them and build bridges toward the next generation of leader.

Here are some of the thoughts that most captured me, followed by some links to other bloggers that did a better job of taking notes:

Most leaders won’t realize the significance of their mark until long after it has been left. (Andy Stanley)

“God takes full responsibility for the life that is wholly devoted to Him.” (Andy again quoting his dad, Charles Stanley) - Andy went on to give real life examples of how he had seen his dad live this out.

Living to make my mark is too small a thing to give my life to. But when God calls us to let him make his mark through us, that is the thing willing to give our life for. (Andy Stanley - the conference name was "On the Mark" - this was one of the most powerful things I heard)

10 Things Chuck Swindoll Learned in 50+ Years of Ministry: 1.) It’s lonely to lead. Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decisions, the lonelier it is. 2.) It’s dangerous to succeed. It is dangerous to succeed while being young. rarely, does God give leadership that young because it takes crushing and failure first. 3.) It’s hardest at home. Nobody at home is applauding you. They say, “Dad! You’re fly is open.” 4.) It is essential to be real. If there is one realm where phoniness is personified it is leadership. What I care about is that you stay real. 5.) It is painful to obey. There are rewards, yes, but it is painful nevertheless. 6.) Brokenness and failure are necessary. 7.) My attitude is more important than my actions. Some of you are getting hard to be around. And your attitude covers all those great actions you pull off. 8.) Integrity eclipses image. What you are doing is not a show. And the best things you are doing is not up front but what you do behind the scenes. 9.) God’s way is better than my way. God is going to have His way. 10.) Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility. (Chuck Swindoll)

A leader in the Bible named Joshua knew how to handle interruption. Four things that Joshua did in Joshua 3 that show us how to handle interruptions: 1.) Act immediately in obedience to God; 2. ) Act fearlessly; 3.) Acknowledge the presence of God; 4.) Anticipate God’s miracles. (Priscilla Shirer)

Sometimes the crowd thins, and people leave, even ones who are close to you. (Rob Bell)

Does your spouse get your very best, or does your spouse get what is left over from the church? Do your kids get your very best, or do they get the scraps? Our children pick up on what really matters to us without us saying a word. (Rob Bell again - and he brought it)

We think we need daring and bold decision making from our leaders in time of crisis. But we don’t. We need humility. (Malcolm Gladwell - retelling the story of General Joe Hooker and the sense of arrogance with which he led. Ultimately, he had better information and more troops, but his bold decision making and daring thinking led to defeat)

Incompetence irritates me, overconfidence scares me (another Malcolm Gladwell quote)

Finally, here are some other bloggers you can gain more info from:

http://www.bradruggles.com/2009/10/08/catalyst-09-andy-stanley/

http://churchrelevance.com/louie-giglio-on-everything-is-jesus/

http://churchrelevance.com/chuck-swindolls-10-ministry-lessons-and-8-bonus-nuggets/

http://churchrelevance.com/dave-ramsey-on-unstoppable-momentum/

http://churchrelevance.com/priscilla-shirer-on-divine-interruption/

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/10/priscilla_shire.html

http://churchrelevance.com/matt-chandler-on-confession-repentance-and-focus/

http://churchrelevance.com/rob-bell-on-enjoying-where-you-are-at/

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/10/rob_bell_on_the.html

http://www.bradruggles.com/2009/10/08/catalyst-09-rob-bell/

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/10/malcolm_gladwel.html

http://churchrelevance.com/malcolm-gladwell-on-the-danger-of-overconfidence/

http://www.bradruggles.com/2009/10/08/catalyst-09-malcolm-gladwell/

Progress DEMANDS that we challenge

2009-10-06T09:34:00.003-04:00

I've been teaching a series in Sunday school from the book by Mark Batterson titled, "Wild Goose Chase" - the teaching series is called, "Chase the Goose."

The basic premise is this - the Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit - An Geadh Glas - which means "Wild Goose." For them, following the Holy Spirit, pursuing God was an adventure - a "Wild Goose Chase." Anyway, pick up the book, read it, it WILL challenge you.

But this week Mark makes the statement to the effect that "Progress demands that we challenge assumptions" - that got me to thinking...what else needs to be challenged?

Here are some of my thoughts with regard to local church leadership, denominational leadership and Christian ministry in general:

Progress demands that we challenge structure - can we be more effective & more efficient? I know it worked last year/week/decade/century, but is there ANOTHER way it'll work better?
Progress demands that we challenge tradition - what should be remembered (but not idolized)?
Progress demands that we challenge practice - are we really doing all that we can do, or is there a better way to do it? I know it's always been done that way, is THAT the right way or is there a better way?
Progress demands that we challenge worldview - do we really have it figured out? Is there another way to view the world, issues, society, culture and mankind that perhaps is more honoring to God and redemptive in purpose?
Progress demands that we challenge theology - most will shun doing this, but challenging theology sharpens the theological sword and makes us better leaders?
Progress demands that we challenge ecclesiology? Are there other ways of "doing" church? Mark my words, the American denominational system will HAVE to struggle with the "house church" movement. It'll be tough and will create a divide unfortunately. This coming from a "denominational guy" - but the ones that wrestle with it and embrace it, I believe will benefit from it. God IS using the house church around the world...oh yeah, and it's found in the New Testament.

Just last night I was able to challenge a local church (and hopefully in a Christ-like, humble fashion - that was my heart and intent). I challenged them to experience their service from the view of a guest, their language from the ears of a guest, and their setting from the eyes of a guest.

What did I miss? By the way, Amazon challenged the notion that shopping had to be in a "brick & mortar" store. JFK challenged the assumption that man could ever walk on the moon.

What other areas of church/ministry need to be challenged so that we can progress?

I'm still learning...

2009-10-04T15:46:00.003-04:00

I've spent the past 3 weeks preaching in a local church that is without a senior pastor at present. I offered to do so because I felt they were in need of some consistency in the midst of transition. They've spent several months hearing from some amazing ministers. They also have a great pastoral team in place that is capable and anointed to fill the pulpit. But I just felt that some consistency in moving the ball forward was important. I'd like to share some important lessons I've learned in sermon preparation as well as hear your's in this post. But first...

I listen to a lot of messages and preachers - I like to to stay sharpened, be stretched, challenged and encouraged as well as to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to others.

But there's something I've noticed...if we're not careful, we can easily start sounding like ourselves and not like God. The problem is that sounding like ourselves often means we're bringing "day old bread" to the platform when God has something fresh and piping hot to be delivered.

I challenge preachers to listen to themselves...if you revert to preaching about political/current affairs often and with ease, you may just be sounding like yourself...if you revert to telling some of the Old Testament stories and making them applicable to every message, you may just be sounding like yourself...if you spend a lot of time preaching about how people are living, what's wrong with "folks today" or if you spend a lot of time drawing up nice do/don't do lists, you may just be sounding like yourself.

Am I saying..."don't preach about current affairs," etc...No! What I'm saying is that if that becomes FILLER for the majority of your message, then I challenge and encourage you to withdraw for a longer time in preparation and hear more clearly from God.

Here are some lessons I've learned:

Preaching/teaching more than 2 times per week is crazy! In fact, it's crazy stupid! I can almost promise most preachers that are doing this (because that's what we've always done) are horribly being UNDER utilized for God's purpose - much better to allow them to preach once (twice maybe or occasionally), hear clearly from God the direction He wants to take the entire service and have a divine Word that is applicable and life-changing.
Come loaded for bear - each week I preached about 65-70 percent of my notes. I simply had too much - but I was ready! And that's the key - preparation is work (and to me it's fun) and it can't be taken too lightly. My view on this is that a lot of the "extra" that I didn't preach was most likely for me - it gives me the ability to preach from the "overflow" of what God is doing.
Don't wait till the last minute - once in this series I ended up waiting until Saturday for the majority of my preparation. I spent 13 hours preparing for a sermon and a Sunday school lesson I would teach that one morning. By the way, this was due to sickness in our family...I did some casual reading through the week and prayed a lot about the direction for Sunday - but yes, it took me 13 hours of prep for approx 90 minutes (total) of preaching/teaching. This past week I prepared all week and by Friday was about 95% finished. It gave me the freedom to enjoy a college football game on Saturday with just a bit of tying up the loose ends late Saturday night.
Sweat the outline - I have moved away from worrying so much about my word-for-word preaching/teaching event - I'm more concerned with making sure the outline is what God wants...that it takes people from one place to another...that it flows (not that it's an acronym or uses alliteration)...and that it's accurate for the main theme of the message.
Develop a main theme - for me this is probably where I spend the majority of my "prayer time", "hearing from God time" and "creative thinking time" - yes, I literally sit and "think" of different ways of saying the "main thing" that I want to communicate - when I land on it, that becomes my main theme and the outline typically flows or revolves around that. For instance, the first week was "When reality sets in, we have to let the Remedy set it" - I said that probably at least 8-10 times in my message and it framed my outline. It's the "takeaway" that I wanted people to have at the end of the day.
Sweat the transition - this is where most people are lost - transition. Transitions are key and when I'm reviewing my notes before preaching, I spend MORE time thinking through and perhaps even preaching through the transition either out loud or going over it in my head. Transitions tie things together and take us from place to place. It's like visiting Disney, but riding the monorail to get to the theme park - the monorail is fun to ride and builds anticipation at arriving at the destination - so should our transitions.
Have some passion - passion is a missing element in many preachers. It could be because not enough time was spent in preparation or because the preacher is not able to preach from "the overflow" (by the way, that's really difficult to describe, but once you've experienced it, you'll understand). Passion is not yelling, talking fast or adding "uhhhh" to the end of each word. Passion is seen and communicated when you BELIEVE what you're saying is from God and for this moment. When you believe you have God's Word for God's timing, it's easy to be passionate.

Of course there are many amazing, anointed preachers that much more gifted than I am. I would love to hear your thoughts...what have I missed, what have you learned? Let's talk about it...

We Need A R-evol-ution

2009-09-14T09:36:00.004-04:00

Civility...definition, "courtesy, politeness" -
an endangered species

The past few days have given us the opportunity to witness the decline in civility in the public eye. First, Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) arrogantly shouted out during President Obama's address to the joint session of Congress, "You Lie" - you may view the video here.

Last night, although I wasn't watching the VMA's on MTV, I saw the chatter across the internet regarding what Kanye West did while Taylor Swift was making her acceptance remarks for Best Female Video of the year - you may see Kanye's actions here.

The definition above, extracted from a few "dictionary" websites across the Internet, is weak and lacks the necessary punch needed to counter the lack of civility present in our society. This is nothing new, lest you think this is a "race thing" it's been going on for a while. In the country music scene, you have Toby Keith that has been an outspoken critic of the Country Music Association (CMA) awards - article here.

So, what's the problem with the above definition?

It is weak. Politeness, can be extended, all while hijacking a conversation or situation, and stabbing someone else in the back. For example, "Excuse me (that would be polite), I'm happy that you won that award or were recognized for that achievement (more politeness), but the real recognition goes to so-and-so."

What just happened?

Politeness was extended (sometimes more than once)
The situation was turned from the original intent to your intent
You made the situation about you, even though you tried to make it about someone else
That is called selfishness

And it's rampant in the world around us...

For example, our 1st Amendment rights to free speech have been hijacked in the name of selfishness - I have no doubt as to your rights, but there's something to be said for timing, tone and context.

Rep. Wilson's timing couldn't have been worse - it's terribly rude, inconsiderate and selfish to interrupt the President (or ANY public speaker). The tone was hateful and dehumanizing - something that ought never happen. The context was the worst possible scenario - the beauty of our society is that after the fact, we can express our opinion, we just need to do it in the right context - for Rep. Wilson that context would have been after President Obama's speech.

Kanye's timing couldn't be worse - he made his remarks, intended to be about Beyonce, about himself. His tone was crass and careless (also demonstrated by his action of taking the stage...something that never should happen...notice the word usage - "taking the stage" - the stage is a privilege not a right, one is given the stage, the stage ought never be "taken"). And the context was awful - Kanye has a blog and an appearance on tonight's Jay Leno show - that should have been the context of his opinion.

We need a Revolution

George Washington had his list of 110 Rules of Civility - list found here. While they may seem old-fashioned and outdated, one of the common denominators is this: Consider Others First.

Romans 12:10 puts it this way, "Honor one another above yourselves."

In the book titled, "The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct" - author P.M. Forni offers advice for us all. At a glance, here are his 25 rules are (note: I've bolded the ones that are appropriate to these two situations in mind):

1. Pay attention
2. Acknowledge others
3. Think the best
4. Listen
5. Be inclusive
6. Speak kindly
7. Don’t speak ill
8. Accept and give praise
9. Respect even a subtle “no”
10. Respect others’ opinions
11. Mind your body
12. Be agreeable
13. Keep it down (and rediscover silence)
14. Respect other people’s time
15. Respect other people’s space
16. Apologize earnestly and thoughtfully (note: both have done this)
17. Assert yourself
18. Avoid personal questions
19. Care for your guests
20. Be a considerate guest
21. Think twice before asking for favors
22. Refrain from idle complaints
23. Give constructive criticism
24. Respect the environment and be gentle to animals
25. Don’t shift responsibility and blame

I recently preached a sermon and blogged saying in effect, "We need an Honor Revolution." Today, I say we also need a Civility Revolution. We need a Revolution!

We need a Revolution of Civility - one that affirms the worth of people rather than exerting some sort of self-imposed superiority. We need a Revolution of Civility - one that listens first with the intent of hearing the heart of the other person rather than waiting impatiently or interrupting someone to spout out our self-declared importance of opinion. We need a Revolution of Civility - one that respects people rather than gazing down the nose of our self-exalted position.

We also need a Love Revolution (By the way, if you look at the word Revolution, you see the word "love" spelled backwards. I've bolded it in the paragraph above...that's because love goes against the flow, is hidden in the many facets and dynamics of day-to-day life and and can be found even in a revolution). Join me in coming days as I blog about Revolution - a Love Revolution.

(By the way, pastors and church leaders, are you prepared for this type of interruption in your service...I sense that if we don't see a Revolution in Civility, we will see this type of debate taking place soon. While I'm all for dialogue, one of the reasons I embrace twitter, facebook and commmenting on the blog, timing, tone and context are also important).

In Light of Eternity

2009-09-09T11:26:00.005-04:00

"If you see a light at the end of the tunnel - RUN!"

Perhaps you've heard that before, perhaps in a movie, perhaps joking around with a close friend. The problem with it, is that it's wrong. Today, I want to encourage you to run toward the Light...

Yesterday I mentioned that I'd be posting about an amazing thing that happened to me this past weekend.

On Sunday, I celebrated another birthday - I'm not one that cares too much about a lot of fanfare on my birthday, I prefer to keep it pretty simple, eat some cake, and enjoy a relaxing day!

This year was no different in my expectations. I did, however, ask my wife to plan a simple date for us to share since it was on the weekend and the grandparents wanted to keep the kids. I decided we would attend church with the grandparents since that's something we're not often able to do, it was a holiday weekend and I purposely scheduled a "down" weekend in terms of ministry and speaking.

Sounds pretty simple (ok, and maybe boring)...but God interrupted the span of about 7 or 8 minutes during church on Sunday morning completely without warning. We were in the middle of worship, and moving toward participating in communion. The worship team was singing a song I have never heard before (I've included a YouTube worship video below). The lyrics are:

You awaken my heart
From slumbering
Meet me in mourning
And you speak to my grief

You're the light in my darkness
The delight of my eyes
The hope of the daybreak
When the sun's slow to rise

(Chorus)
I trust that every moment's in your hands
You're the God of my days
The King of my nights
Lord of my laughter
Sovereign in sorrow
You're the Prince of my praise
The love of my life
You never leave me
You are faithful
God of my days

You unveil my eyes
Help me to see
The arms of my Father
Encircling me
You're a constant companion
I am never alone
Your love is the banner
That's leading me home

My eyes are on You
My hope is in You
My faith is in You
My eyes are on You
My hope is in You
My faith is in You

During this song and communion I had a wonderful mid-life crisis. It's one that I've had before, just never in this fashion. In just a few moments of time, God began to help me see once again the journey of life He has us on. Full of life-changing decisions, but they pale in comparison to eternity. Complete with opportunity for adventure, yet quite boring if He's not involved. He helped me to see: 1.) my birthday - in light of eternity; 2.) my life - in light of eternity; 3.) my contribution - in light of eternity.

I left that service, and now have spent the last 4 days, glaring intently through the lens of eternity - because everything, every-thing, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is dismally small compared to eternity.

This type of awakening in one's spirit is usually reserved for a funeral of a close friend or family member; perhaps a parent, or a brother or sister. But God, by His Spirit, chose to interrupt my worship of Him to remind me...

In light of eternity, He's all that really matters!

He's the God of my days (and my birthdays)
He's the King of my nights (those lonely seasons where darkness and solitude are all that are found)
He's the Lord of my laughter (bringing joy that sustains through every season of life)
He's Sovereign in sorrow (reminding me that in my sorrow and sadness, all I need do is trust Him)

In light of eternity, He's all that really matters!

Isaiah says it this way:

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,

the Holy One, says this:

“I live in the high and holy place

with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.

I restore the crushed spirit of the humble

and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

Isaiah 57:15

In Light of Eternity...
regardless of your situation...
regardless of your relationships...
regardless of station in life...

He is the God of my Days

Enjoy