Great leaders are servant leaders.

Servant leaders think generationally.

16  In place of your fathers will be your sons; 
You shall make them princes in all the earth.
17  I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations; 
Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.

Psalm 45:16-17

The great challenge in leadership is being able to empower the next generation to become princes in the land.

While we learn from the fathers and we learn from the past, we have to press forward and think forward.

Being predictable is your friend when it comes:

• To your loyalty.
• To your reliability.
• To your beliefs.
• To your credibility.
• To your example.
• To your word.

24  A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Influence doesn’t come by doing things the way they’ve always been done.

Innovation comes when people dare to be unpredictable.

I would rather be a musician than a music critic.
I would rather be a chef than a food critic.
I would rather be a movie maker than a movie critic.
I would rather be a church builder than a church critic.

Don’t bring things back to the proven. Move to the unknown. Create change.

We need to be moving things to the sons. We have to be more loyal to the future than we are to the past.

Fresh life doesn’t come from being predictable.

I love an environment in which there is a predictable unpredictability.

Spontaneity and innovation never comes out of predictability.

To be a learner is to inherit the future.

Books must remain our servant and not our master.

When books become our master, we keep moving to what is already known.

Great churches and great ministries aren’t birthed out of textbooks.

We need to set up the future generations so that when they look back to what we have done, it will pale in comparison to what they have accomplished.

Experience isn’t everything. Look at Hollywood marriages for examples. People who have been married four, five, and even six times, don’t have any more knowledge than I have.

Wisdom is what builds the house. Not experience.

When culture is our master, we never move to the unknown.

When the program is our master, we stay in the predictable.

I don’t want to live my life just serving history. I want to live my life making history.

I want to learn from history, not repeat history.

Live your life where you are setting up princes in the land. Set others up for success.

Launch Out Into the Deep

The great disaster of the contemporary Church is not the liberals.  The real danger is dead, unctionless, unanointed, powerless, effete, watered-down orthodoxy.  The true contemporary tragedy of the American pulpit is not the advocation of liberation theology (although that is tragedy enough.)  The modern horror story is the dull-eyed, passionless, pathetic company man, whose compromised ministry is baptized more in complacency than in power.

The real menace hindering the outbreak of another American revival is never the wild-eyed, Marxist Jesuit spouting pop theology, nor is it the seminary jade calmly announcing that God is dead.  The more nefarious foe for a spirital awakening  is the slick professional who substitutes charm for unction, compromise for conviction, ecclesiastical politics for spiritual power, church growth techniques for revival prayer.  He is a pitiful husk of a preacher.  He is a superficial, virtually useless “den mother” whose preaching has no power to convict or convert.  His ministry, despite the earmarks of success, leaves a trail of starving congregations with swolen bellies and unmet cravings.  He is personally popular, powerless and pathetic, tasteful, tactful, and tepid.  His preaching is inoffensive and ineffective.

Wow!  This is reminiscent of the themes in the books and sermons by the late Leonard Ravenhill.

I never want to be one of these examples of a preacher or pastor.

What does this mean to you?

We are so blessed at The Assembly to be able to sit under the ministry and teaching of Pastor Ron week in and week out. It it always something new, fresh, and bold. He gets us outside of the four walls of the church where we can love on our community and our coworkers. He is able to present the Church as a loving place to be accepted, not as a palace for kings to judge others who may decide to show up. The grace that is shown in the church on a daily basis is more than I have ever felt anywhere at any time. We love loving people. It is what charges us up. It is what changes us.

Pastor Ron mentioned at the Preaching & Leadership Lab that we need to start building the church by conversion, not by transfer. So many churches, and we are guilty of this as well, only grow by accepting other Christians from other churches instead of seeking out the lost and unloved. I enjoy reading Perry Noble’s church reports on Sunday nights. He recaps the day and tells of attendance and most importantly: lives changed. Last week there were 516 new converts and over 14,100 in attendance at his campuses. That is growth by conversion, my friends.

Now I’m not saying that the church needs to grow just so they can say that they have the biggest attendance in the area or in America, but grow because that means lives are being changed.

So what are we doing to create conversation with our friends and neighbors? Are we inviting them to church? How about getting involved in Small Groups so that we can invite our neighbors and coworkers to join us?

Let’s join together and grow our churches, not for attendance records, but to introduce people to the God of MULTIPLE chances, Who never gives up on us.

What is your plan?

“You have stayed at this mountain long enough.  It is time to break camp and move on.”  (Deuteronomy 11:6-7)

As many of you know, I have been without a paying job since January 15 of this year.  I have been utilizing this time to continue my studies, to make connections, and to be Daddy to my girls.  While there is nothing better than being a Daddy, I just wish I could support my family by doing so.

I have been reading constantly and trying to make myself better.  Some of my readings have been:

• The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
• The Collaborative Habit by Twyla Tharp
• Innovate the Pixar Way by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson
• Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff (pure satirical humor.  Love it!)
• Creating Short Films for the Web by Hillman Curtis
• MTIV: Process, Inspiration, and Practice for the New Media Designer
• It by Craig Groeschel
• The Dip by Seth Godin
• The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
• Pop Goes the Church by Tim Stevens
• Steering Through Chaos by Scott Wilson
• The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons (to escape and just enjoy a 700 page book!)

As you can see, I have been trying to make the most of this season that I am in.  I have made incredible connections with leaders and pastors of influential churches around this area.  I have learned a number of things about creativity from these men and women.  But now I am ready to “break camp and move on.”

I am ready to leave my mark on the local church.

I am prepared to use my God-given creativity to develop ideas to reach the lost and hurting world around us.

I have resolved to move on.

I’m done circling this mountain.  It’s time to go up.  But with going up, it’s a tough climb and a valley will be sure to follow.  Bring it on.  This is the time.  This is my “for such a time as this” moment.

What has been holding you back from pursuing your dreams?

Buy this book HERE!

As pastors, we wholeheartedly believe that God exists, but we often do ministry as if he doesn’t.  Our sermons are filled with faith, but our actions prove that we’re devoid of it.  Our public prayers declare that all things are possible with God, but our leadership style says all things are possible if our efforts are good enough.

You could say that as we increase, it decreases.

Remember, it is not a result of resources (buildings, signs, mailings, lights, videos) but it does attract resources.

When you start to trust outward and physical resources instead of the inward and spiritual truth, you’ll always lose it.

We were a team.  But as we wrongly believed we needed things to produce it, we started to compete for resources.  Instead of completing each other, we started competing with each other.  Team members became more self-centered, territorial, and dangerously competitive.

Instead of saying, “What do we have to lose?  Let’s go for it!” we found ourselves saying, “With so much at stake, we’d better play it safe.”  Instead of living by faith, we lived by logic.

But God is the one who gives it.  And He seems to give it to those who want it – or more precisely, to those who want Him and His will.

If you think you’ve found a quick fix, I guarantee it’s not an it-fix.

Slowly, I started to fall in love with God again – not with His bride, the church.  (She already has a husband, and it’s not me.)

If you’ve lost it, God knows where it is.  You can find it by doing the things that once brought it to you.  Your relationship with God is only as good as your want it to be.

What are you waiting for?  Seek Him.  Now.

You have more in you than you realize.  God has put more in you than anyone knows.

If you want to keep it, and I know you do, ask God to ruin you.  Expose yourself to something that you know will move you.  Don’t shrink back.  Don’t fight your emotions.  Don’t lay another brick atop your self-made wall of protection.  Give in to your heart.  Feed the hurt.  Let it grow.  Let it bother you.  Invite it to overtake you.  God loves to give it to ruined people.

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and the exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, and starvation, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

That’s it.  Amen.

If you enjoy these notes, please purchase the book HERE. It’s worth your time.

“Instead of repeating the past, these passionate people want to create the future, even if the creation is peppered with failures on the way to success.” – Mark Batterson

“If your gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you.” – Curry R. Blake

I’d argue that people today aren’t rejecting Christ so much as they’re rejecting the church.

“When have we forgotten that the church doesn’t exist for us?  We are the church and we exist for the world.” – Erwin McManus

If your ministry has become focused on the already-convinced, I’ll bet your ministry doesn’t have it.

If you’re a leader of your ministry, you need to recognize that, for better or for worse, your ministry reflects you.

“In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering.” – Howard Hendricks

Regarding the men who tore off the roof to bring their friend to Jesus:

• First, they recognized that their friend needed Jesus.
• We also see that it took four different people to get this one to Jesus.

A church that has it recognizes that reaching people is not just the pastor’s job.  It’s everyone’s job.

Churches that have it are filled with people who sincerely desire to reach the lost.

Love overcomes the obstacles.

Do whatever it takes to make your ministry a place that welcomes those who don’t know Christ.

Too many messages contain more self-help than gospel.

Instead of boasting in how many people we’ve seen saved, those who have it realize how many more God wants to reach.

“What we do for ourselves dies with us.  What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” – Albert Pine

I’d go so far as to say God won’t let a ministry keep it for long if they won’t give it away.  Keeping it to yourself is a sure way to kill it.

What’s funny about it is the more you try to hoard it, the less of it you tend to have.  The more you are willing to give it away, the more of it God seems to give.

If you’re looking to find more of it in your ministry, maybe you should look for more ways to give whatever part of it you have to others.

The more we gave away, the more God used the same resources in other places, and instead of depleting our creative ideas, we discovered more.  The more of it we gave away, the more of it God gave back.

The self-centered ministry generally loses it.  And the kingdom-minded ministry seems to attract it.

“Do all the good you can.  By all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.” – John Wesley

Churches with it model John Wesley’s vision.

Ministry friendship builds bridges for kingdom wins.

“It is amazing what gets accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.  We have to lay down the egos and the logos and just go get it done for Jesus.” – Dino Rizzo

“There are two different types of people: church builders or kingdom builders.  We believe we are not the only ones doing good…that thought of being the only one doing it right or doing it at all can lead to an arrogance that will isolate you.  We value the ‘all above me, myself, and I’ approach.  There is so much more freedom in operating like that.” – Dino Rizzo

“Learn as though you would never be able to master it; hold it as though you would be in fear of losing it.” – Confucius

“One of the qualities of liberty is that, as long as it is being striven after, it goes on expanding.  Therefore, the man who stands in the midst of the struggle and says, “I have it,” merely shows by doing so that he has just lost it.” – Henrik Ibsen

If you want your ministry to have it, more important than anything else we’ve discussed, you must have it.  When it has filtered through your heart – the rare combination of passion, integrity, focus, faith, expectation, drive, hunger, and God’s anointing – God tends to infuse your ministry with it.

I wasn’t consumed by bad things; it’s just that I wasn’t consumed by the best things.

Passion creates  motivation, which leads to innovation.

Limited Resources + Increasing Passion = Exponential Innovation

People with it do life differently than people without it.

As God blesses your ministry with it, remember that those without it tend to criticize those with it, especially when you do things differently.

Yesterday’s controversy can become today’s norm.  And today’s contemporary becomes tomorrow’s traditional.  When you have it, you’ll find new ways to spread it.

Decide today that your team will work together to find new ways to reach people, not more reasons to stay the same.

The following is from Tim Stevens, Pastor of Granger Community Church (Granger, IN) and author of Pop Goes the Church:

• Everything you need to be innovative is already in your church.  God has gifted people who attend your church whom you haven’t even met yet.  Creativity attracts creative people and innovation attracts innovative people.
• Do your ministry with excellence and push the envelope on creativity, and others in your church who are wired the same way will rise to the surface and help you take it even farther.

“The goal isn’t innovation.  The goal is effectiveness.  We strive for innovation because we want to be effective.  Innovation can be confused with cool and hip and trendy.” – Tim Stevens

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

As counterintuitive as it sounds, failing often can help a ministry experience it.  Being overly cautious can kill it.

Aggressive leaders with it are often dreaming, experimenting, and testing the limits.  They don’t know what can’t be done and are willing to try thing other think aren’t possible.

“Failure is instructive.  The person who really thinks, learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” – John Dewey

“Failure is the tuition you pay for success.” – Walter Brunell

Peter’s education consisted of trying, failing, learning, adjusting, and trying again.  His “failing forward” most likely contributed to God’s decision to choose Peter as the guest speaker on the day of Pentecost.  Peter failed often.  He learned from his failures.  Then he led three thousand people to Christ and helped birth the church.

Failure is not an option.  It is essential.

“If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sure sign you’re not trying anything very innovative.” – Woody Allen

“The antidote for the fear of failure is not success but small doses of failure.” – Mark Batterson

“We seem to gain wisdom more readily through our failures than through our successes.  We always think of failure as the antithesis of success, but it isn’t.  Success often lies just the other side of failure.” – Leo F. Buscaglia

Fail!  If you’re not failing, you’ve stopped dreaming.  You’ll eventually stop learning.  And you will stop growing.

Those who have it, fail often.

Sometimes the fruit of your steps of faith is measured not so much by what God does through you as by what God does in you.

Learning to Fail:

• Call your new ideas “experiments.”
• Create a culture that allows failure.
• Don’t internalize failures.
  • Just because you failed at something doesn’t mean you’re a failure.
• Debrief after failures and successes.
  • Don’t waste a setback by not learning from it.
• Try again.
  • Don’t let yesterday’s loss talk you out of tomorrow’s win.

“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

The it-rich are those who have chose to face their fears rather than live with regrets.

“The healthiest and holiest people are the people who laugh at themselves the most.  Failure help us take God more seriously and ourselves less seriously.” – Mark Batterson

If you like these notes, please go HERE and purchase the book.  It’s worth it.