What an amazing year. Some of you have experienced great joy and some of you have experienced great sorrow. Many of you have reached new pinnacles of success and some of you have found yourself deep in failure. One thing is certain, nothing remains the same. Life is always changing..
The biblical writer of Ecclesiastes perhaps said it best when he wrote,” to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” As humans we are inclined to think in two extremes, either the good times will last for ever or the bad times will last forever. Once we gain a little perspective, however, we come to understand that neither the good times nor the bad times continue forever.
There is another dimension that is often overlooked in the “changing of the seasons of life” and that is the time period called transition. Our world is currently experiencing a time of transition. Transition is an “in between state”. It is a time when we realize that what ever period we were in is not going to continue, or indeed has already moved on. Transition is a time when we can see the past and the future in the same glance. The past is close enough, yet slipping away, and some form of the future is taking its place.
Times of transition can be very unsettling. The benchmarks that we once thought were certain are becoming unclear. In today’s time of transition we hear talk of potential job losses, homes being foreclosed, automobiles and "toys" being reposed and other talk of doom and gloom. It is no wonder we feel unsettled, out of place, anxious or even frightened.
On a daily basis we are bombarded by media reports which often use the sensational to garner headlines. These same media reports are often speculative and some times accurate. Often it is heard to discern the difference. Again our anxiety level rises.
Times of transition can also be used as a time of evaluation. When the things we take for granted are no longer there, we can be bold and begin to ask ourselves and each other questions about what is really important in our lives. We can search our hearts and re-evaluate our priorities. We can get back to basics.
Getting back to basics is at the heart of every sports team success. When a team practices the basics, you can be certain their fundamentals are in line. Accurately working the fundamentals, the basics, is the basis of a solid foundation. Trick plays and fancy plays can come and go, but the basics are the basics, the fundamentals are the fundamentals. The game of life is not won by fancy plays or even trick plays, but by majoring on the fundamentals.
In period of transition in our world’s economic system we would like to invite you to journey with us back to the basics. There are fundamentals to Christianity, which, when mastered and implemented have the ability to drastically reduce stress, anxiety, worry and fear. We would like to invite you to take a journey with all of us here at All nations Church as we explore the ancient, basic biblical concept of simplicity.
Beginning on January 25, 2009 hundreds of us will be gathering together to discover the power of learning to live more simply. Using small group gatherings, DVD’s and workbooks, and supported by Sunday Morning messages we will begin the process of understanding what it means to live a simple life.
The Freedom of Simplicity is a seven week series designed to help you live a fuller, more stress free life. It is designed to teach you the bible and the bibles principals for living well, in a complex world.
You can maximize your learning experience by planning to attend each of the seven Sundays and participating in a weekly Small Group discussion and study.
By participating in The Freedom of Simplicity you will find yourself spiritually prepared for the new season that is fast approaching.
Sign up for this small group series today. This is the best material and personal care we at All Nations can provide for you. Do not let this opportunity slip by. Sign up today at the Small Groups booth in the foyer of Fraser auditorium, Laurentian University any Sunday morning. They can answer any questions you may have. You can get more information and/or sign up for materials by calling 705.673.6110 after January 5Th, 2008. or check the website at www.allnationschurch.ca/smallgroups
To quote song writer Bob Dylan, ‘The times they are a chaingin.” We want you be prepared for what ever changing times may be ahead.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
GOD'S WAKE UP CALL TO THE CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA
It is hard to believe the whole world is reeling from financial uncertainty. In just over 90 days the western world went from being smug financially to being financially frightened. It is time for our faith to kick in. It is time for us as the people of God to put our trust in OUR Father’s careful provision for His children.
Just the other night one of the national media outlets lead off their newscasts with the words “500 thousand jobs to be lost”….and then the tag line IF the auto industry collapses. With headlines like that no wonder we feel fear and trepidation.
While the “sky is not falling” it is dangling perilously from some very shoddy defective fasteners. Why are we surprised? We have been warned for thousands of years that the god called materialism is a fake, a sham a house made of cards, a building build on sand. Finally the rain has come the house is falling. The foundations are eroding. It is time to get out! Jesus was very clear when he said “you can not worship God and Money.”
North American believers have not wanted to hear Jesus message. The “prosperity” gospel continues to be propagated in churches and throughout the airwaves of this great continent. The message has been clear…you can worship God and have it all. Worship God and he will give you “the American dream”. I don’t think Jesus ever said that. He called a rich young business executive to account. He said in effect choose me or your stuff. The bible records the sad ending to that event when we read that the young executive “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Sorrow is certainly the word for this week when it comes to financial matters
Here is my question. What will it take for Christians in North America to stop trusting in financial things for their security? The bible is so clear “do not lay up treasure on earth.” The bible states that the treasure will be eaten by moths (deflation?) it will rust (be valueless…like some stock portfolios?) …thieves will steal it (no comment necessary in the light of this weeks 50 billion dollar scandal). The Word of the Lord admonishes us to “lay up treasure in heaven” and your reward will be great. In other words take care of the things God wants taken care of and he will take care of you and the people you care about. What could be greater than being taken care of by God himself?
God’s world always operates backwards to the natural order. Take care of Gods kingdom and God takes care of your kingdom. Take care of your own kingdom and you are on your own.
Income in North American churches is dropping. Isn’t that a reveling statistic? Are people really thinking that “I’ got cut back so I will just cut back on God”?. Should this not be the time when giving to the Kingdom of God should be increasing? Are we as a nation failing to get the message? God is letting the god of this world, materialism, run its course with out His restraint. If you trust in money this is what you get…greed, scandal, deflation, and uncertainty.
North American Christianity is now in the process of being exposed for what it is…a self centered grab for God and the money! Show me God and show me the money, appears to be the heart cry of Christians in this western world. North American Christianity has been based on a “what’s in it for me” gospel. It has not been based on a sacrificial commitment to what God wants but has been based on the concept of a slot machine god who pays out what I want, every time.
Christians are hording in a time they should be giving. Christians are panicking when they should be praising. Christians are worried when they should be worshiping. The plain truth is that far too many of us do not trust completely in God for our provision. Our actions speak louder than our words. Our panicked response to the demise of this worlds system exposes our real belief system.
I believe God is calling His people to a higher level of trust and dependency on Him. It is never too late to begin putting our whole hand in His hand. In the book of Chronicles God speaks to His people and urges them to trust Him when he says “if my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land.
This economic crisis is a wake up call from the Lord to those of us who call ourselves Christians. It is now time for Christians in the Western world to put God first; period, no excuses, no delays. Your choice, go through it alone, or go through it with God.
Just the other night one of the national media outlets lead off their newscasts with the words “500 thousand jobs to be lost”….and then the tag line IF the auto industry collapses. With headlines like that no wonder we feel fear and trepidation.
While the “sky is not falling” it is dangling perilously from some very shoddy defective fasteners. Why are we surprised? We have been warned for thousands of years that the god called materialism is a fake, a sham a house made of cards, a building build on sand. Finally the rain has come the house is falling. The foundations are eroding. It is time to get out! Jesus was very clear when he said “you can not worship God and Money.”
North American believers have not wanted to hear Jesus message. The “prosperity” gospel continues to be propagated in churches and throughout the airwaves of this great continent. The message has been clear…you can worship God and have it all. Worship God and he will give you “the American dream”. I don’t think Jesus ever said that. He called a rich young business executive to account. He said in effect choose me or your stuff. The bible records the sad ending to that event when we read that the young executive “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Sorrow is certainly the word for this week when it comes to financial matters
Here is my question. What will it take for Christians in North America to stop trusting in financial things for their security? The bible is so clear “do not lay up treasure on earth.” The bible states that the treasure will be eaten by moths (deflation?) it will rust (be valueless…like some stock portfolios?) …thieves will steal it (no comment necessary in the light of this weeks 50 billion dollar scandal). The Word of the Lord admonishes us to “lay up treasure in heaven” and your reward will be great. In other words take care of the things God wants taken care of and he will take care of you and the people you care about. What could be greater than being taken care of by God himself?
God’s world always operates backwards to the natural order. Take care of Gods kingdom and God takes care of your kingdom. Take care of your own kingdom and you are on your own.
Income in North American churches is dropping. Isn’t that a reveling statistic? Are people really thinking that “I’ got cut back so I will just cut back on God”?. Should this not be the time when giving to the Kingdom of God should be increasing? Are we as a nation failing to get the message? God is letting the god of this world, materialism, run its course with out His restraint. If you trust in money this is what you get…greed, scandal, deflation, and uncertainty.
North American Christianity is now in the process of being exposed for what it is…a self centered grab for God and the money! Show me God and show me the money, appears to be the heart cry of Christians in this western world. North American Christianity has been based on a “what’s in it for me” gospel. It has not been based on a sacrificial commitment to what God wants but has been based on the concept of a slot machine god who pays out what I want, every time.
Christians are hording in a time they should be giving. Christians are panicking when they should be praising. Christians are worried when they should be worshiping. The plain truth is that far too many of us do not trust completely in God for our provision. Our actions speak louder than our words. Our panicked response to the demise of this worlds system exposes our real belief system.
I believe God is calling His people to a higher level of trust and dependency on Him. It is never too late to begin putting our whole hand in His hand. In the book of Chronicles God speaks to His people and urges them to trust Him when he says “if my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land.
This economic crisis is a wake up call from the Lord to those of us who call ourselves Christians. It is now time for Christians in the Western world to put God first; period, no excuses, no delays. Your choice, go through it alone, or go through it with God.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Advent of Christmas
Found this in my Christmas file...no author listed...but worth a read!
For most churches, Advent will began this year on November 30th, the first of the four Sundays before Christmas.
But, like it or not, for most of us, Advent began on or just before Halloween. The Big Box stores began to display an aisle or two of Christmas decorations next to the Halloween masks and the bags of candy. Smaller stores followed suit shortly thereafter. This is the first year I've noticed that Christmas lights are twinkling on the houses in many subdivisions in late November.
Of course, the rest of this article could be given to a rant about how the church needs to take a stand against the commercialization of Christmas and it's time for the church to go on the offensive to put Christ back in Christmas.
But what's the point? As the end of the year looms just ahead, there are no indications that the church has done any better this year over than the last several years. We're likely to have lost yet another million members from our churches by the end of the year. Fighting the Christmas rush isn't going to change that.
As you get your church ready for the holiday season, here are some things to keep in mind that could make a real difference in your community.
Die on the Right Battlefield
I think it's on page 1 of the Momma's Manual: "Child, make sure you choose your battles wisely." The church has been good at picking fights, but it hasn't been very effective at choosing its battles. We keep picking fights we can't win instead of choosing battles that really, really matter. Christmas commercialization is demoralizing, but the church doesn't exist to fight Wal-Mart. The church doesn't exist to end poverty, feed the hungry, house the homeless, end the war, or even to lobby for equal rights for anybody. All these are good causes, but Jesus wasn't born in a manger and didn't die on a cross for a good cause.
The only battle the church has been called to fight is the battle for the souls of the MIAs. Charles Wesley, a great evangelist, changed the culture of England by doing just that. He didn't lobby against anything. He didn't institute soup kitchens for the poor or advocate for the rights of the exploited workers. Instead, he took the gospel to the down-and-outs. The battle he fought was for souls. Period. The results were amazing, but he didn't shift his focus when the tides began to turn. For the church, there's only one battlefield worth dying on.
Be Relevant
In many churches I've worked with, relevancy means projecting worship choruses on a big screen while the worship band thumps the newest beat and the pastor wears a sport's jacket over a t-shirt to preach.
But the fact is, relevancy does not equal adopting culture. Relevancy means responding in ways that are meaningful to those in the culture. Remember the first paragraphs and the launch of Christmas at Halloween? Well, relevancy doesn't mean ignoring the trends. It doesn't mean adopting the trends. And it doesn't mean ranting against the trends.
Being relevant means you first have to note the trends and then respond in a way that is meaningful to those living the trends. The fact that some people are already decorating their homes may mean that the trend of a longer Christmas season is being widely accepted. In some ways this shouldn't be surprising. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the World Series was conflicting with the basketball season and the opening of football season all at the same time. These "extended seasons" are simply a reality that we ignore at our peril. Finding out how they're impacting your community and responding in ways they can hear (and see and feel), is what makes a church relevant.
Offer Respite
"Life is difficult." Scott Peck's famous words state the obvious, but sometimes it seems that the church hasn't quite "got it." Promises of health and wealth seem far removed from reality, and yet it seems you can't find a televised or radio-ized evangelist with a different message. And though you may not advocate such doctrines, never forget that this is one of the prevailing images of Christianity…a people out-of-touch with reality.
The church can't cure all the ills of society. It can't even cure all the ills of its own members. But the church can offer real respite from the travails that cloud people's lives by advocating, teaching, and modeling real spiritual disciplines. Virtually everyone in North America claims to be a spiritual being, and yet there is a great hunger for spiritual practices that make a difference in life. The church is poised as the potential leader in satisfying this hunger by getting serious and offering a respite of the spirit.
During this holiday season, consider offering classes out in the public eye that connect spiritual practices with real people. Consider teaching beginning and advanced meditation practices, labyrinth prayer walking, prayer-bead making (and related prayer practices), journaling, and so on. Market these classes as opportunities to change the holiday season into a holy-day season.
But don't stop with offering these classes to the masses. Until the church gets serious about its own practices, she will continue to flounder. Take the time this season to coach your people beyond the typical Advent Devotional from the Bible Book Store (or your computer). Coach them into fasting, prayer walking, journaling, and into accountability groups. Mentor them until these have become spiritual habits.
The world might notice,if the Church got serious about being the Church.
For most churches, Advent will began this year on November 30th, the first of the four Sundays before Christmas.
But, like it or not, for most of us, Advent began on or just before Halloween. The Big Box stores began to display an aisle or two of Christmas decorations next to the Halloween masks and the bags of candy. Smaller stores followed suit shortly thereafter. This is the first year I've noticed that Christmas lights are twinkling on the houses in many subdivisions in late November.
Of course, the rest of this article could be given to a rant about how the church needs to take a stand against the commercialization of Christmas and it's time for the church to go on the offensive to put Christ back in Christmas.
But what's the point? As the end of the year looms just ahead, there are no indications that the church has done any better this year over than the last several years. We're likely to have lost yet another million members from our churches by the end of the year. Fighting the Christmas rush isn't going to change that.
As you get your church ready for the holiday season, here are some things to keep in mind that could make a real difference in your community.
Die on the Right Battlefield
I think it's on page 1 of the Momma's Manual: "Child, make sure you choose your battles wisely." The church has been good at picking fights, but it hasn't been very effective at choosing its battles. We keep picking fights we can't win instead of choosing battles that really, really matter. Christmas commercialization is demoralizing, but the church doesn't exist to fight Wal-Mart. The church doesn't exist to end poverty, feed the hungry, house the homeless, end the war, or even to lobby for equal rights for anybody. All these are good causes, but Jesus wasn't born in a manger and didn't die on a cross for a good cause.
The only battle the church has been called to fight is the battle for the souls of the MIAs. Charles Wesley, a great evangelist, changed the culture of England by doing just that. He didn't lobby against anything. He didn't institute soup kitchens for the poor or advocate for the rights of the exploited workers. Instead, he took the gospel to the down-and-outs. The battle he fought was for souls. Period. The results were amazing, but he didn't shift his focus when the tides began to turn. For the church, there's only one battlefield worth dying on.
Be Relevant
In many churches I've worked with, relevancy means projecting worship choruses on a big screen while the worship band thumps the newest beat and the pastor wears a sport's jacket over a t-shirt to preach.
But the fact is, relevancy does not equal adopting culture. Relevancy means responding in ways that are meaningful to those in the culture. Remember the first paragraphs and the launch of Christmas at Halloween? Well, relevancy doesn't mean ignoring the trends. It doesn't mean adopting the trends. And it doesn't mean ranting against the trends.
Being relevant means you first have to note the trends and then respond in a way that is meaningful to those living the trends. The fact that some people are already decorating their homes may mean that the trend of a longer Christmas season is being widely accepted. In some ways this shouldn't be surprising. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the World Series was conflicting with the basketball season and the opening of football season all at the same time. These "extended seasons" are simply a reality that we ignore at our peril. Finding out how they're impacting your community and responding in ways they can hear (and see and feel), is what makes a church relevant.
Offer Respite
"Life is difficult." Scott Peck's famous words state the obvious, but sometimes it seems that the church hasn't quite "got it." Promises of health and wealth seem far removed from reality, and yet it seems you can't find a televised or radio-ized evangelist with a different message. And though you may not advocate such doctrines, never forget that this is one of the prevailing images of Christianity…a people out-of-touch with reality.
The church can't cure all the ills of society. It can't even cure all the ills of its own members. But the church can offer real respite from the travails that cloud people's lives by advocating, teaching, and modeling real spiritual disciplines. Virtually everyone in North America claims to be a spiritual being, and yet there is a great hunger for spiritual practices that make a difference in life. The church is poised as the potential leader in satisfying this hunger by getting serious and offering a respite of the spirit.
During this holiday season, consider offering classes out in the public eye that connect spiritual practices with real people. Consider teaching beginning and advanced meditation practices, labyrinth prayer walking, prayer-bead making (and related prayer practices), journaling, and so on. Market these classes as opportunities to change the holiday season into a holy-day season.
But don't stop with offering these classes to the masses. Until the church gets serious about its own practices, she will continue to flounder. Take the time this season to coach your people beyond the typical Advent Devotional from the Bible Book Store (or your computer). Coach them into fasting, prayer walking, journaling, and into accountability groups. Mentor them until these have become spiritual habits.
The world might notice,if the Church got serious about being the Church.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Purpose of Pain in the Human Personality
The pain of our human condition is all around us. It is next to impossible to turn on a television and not see someone, some culture, some country struggling under severe oppression or pain. In all of this suffering you may be asking the question where is God? You may even be asking God, “Where are you in my suffering?”
I think we long for a world where justice and fairness prevail; a world where children are spared the horrors of war, starvation, death, divorce, dissertation and illness. We long for peace and harmony. Unfortunately, we live under a worlds system whose primary concern is its’ own preservation. Preserving the system is paramount to preserving people. The Bible calls this system of selfish preservation “sin”. Sin does not care about fairness or justice. Sin has no interest in the highest standards, the moral path, and sacrifice for the common good. Self only has one goal, to preserve itself at all costs.
The pain that is part of the human condition is a direct result of this driving desire for self preservation. Our world gives token assent to the issues of justice, human rights, and ecology, all of which can be sacrificed in a moments notice if they were to interfere with our personal peace and affluence, and if we thought we could get away with it.
Into this world of deteriorating values came Jesus the Christ. The Christian account of his life says he was sinless. That means he never thought or behaved from a position of self interest. He only acted from a position of love and obedience to His father. Jesus came into this world to redeem humanity from its self. He came to bring order to the chaos. He came to be with us in our pain, to transform our pain for his good. He did this by accepting our sin, our selfishness and the pain we experience living in a narcissistic world, as his own. He then accepted our pain and crucified it (killed it,made it of no consequence) in his body when he died on the cross.
Then, three days later he raised himself from the dead and boldly proclaimed to the world that death is not the end, and pain is not the final condition of humanity.
And now he invites you to join him in this great mission of restoring our earth and the inhabitants in it. He asks to be invited in to our pain so he can transform it. He asks to be invited in to our death so he can defeat it. He asks to be invited into our selfishness so he can impregnate it with his love and there by redeem all of humanity.
He asks…and continues to ask each generation, if we will be the ones to let HIM make a difference in the world, through them.
I think we long for a world where justice and fairness prevail; a world where children are spared the horrors of war, starvation, death, divorce, dissertation and illness. We long for peace and harmony. Unfortunately, we live under a worlds system whose primary concern is its’ own preservation. Preserving the system is paramount to preserving people. The Bible calls this system of selfish preservation “sin”. Sin does not care about fairness or justice. Sin has no interest in the highest standards, the moral path, and sacrifice for the common good. Self only has one goal, to preserve itself at all costs.
The pain that is part of the human condition is a direct result of this driving desire for self preservation. Our world gives token assent to the issues of justice, human rights, and ecology, all of which can be sacrificed in a moments notice if they were to interfere with our personal peace and affluence, and if we thought we could get away with it.
Into this world of deteriorating values came Jesus the Christ. The Christian account of his life says he was sinless. That means he never thought or behaved from a position of self interest. He only acted from a position of love and obedience to His father. Jesus came into this world to redeem humanity from its self. He came to bring order to the chaos. He came to be with us in our pain, to transform our pain for his good. He did this by accepting our sin, our selfishness and the pain we experience living in a narcissistic world, as his own. He then accepted our pain and crucified it (killed it,made it of no consequence) in his body when he died on the cross.
Then, three days later he raised himself from the dead and boldly proclaimed to the world that death is not the end, and pain is not the final condition of humanity.
And now he invites you to join him in this great mission of restoring our earth and the inhabitants in it. He asks to be invited in to our pain so he can transform it. He asks to be invited in to our death so he can defeat it. He asks to be invited into our selfishness so he can impregnate it with his love and there by redeem all of humanity.
He asks…and continues to ask each generation, if we will be the ones to let HIM make a difference in the world, through them.
Monday, November 10, 2008
94 Leadership Quotes, by John Maxwell
94 Leadership Quotes
I consider John Maxwell to be one of the greatest leadership minds of this generation. Enjoy his timeless wisdom about, character, communication, credibility, failure, folowership, fostering creativity, difficult people, leading leaders, motivating others, people skills, personal growth, procrastination, recognising leadership potential, success, teamwork, time management and timing.
Let me know a few of your favorites quotes.
Character
1. It's true that charisma can make a person stand out for a moment, but character sets a person apart for a lifetime.
2. You build trust with others each time you choose integrity over image, truth over convenience, or honor over personal gain.
3. Character makes trust possible, and trust is the foundation of leadership.
4. Character creates consistency, and if your people know what they can expect from you, they will continue to look to you for leadership.
5. Over time, is it easier or harder to sustain your influence within your organization? With charisma alone, influence becomes increasingly more difficult to sustain. With character, as time passes, influence builds and requires less work to sustain.
Communication
6. Great communication depends on two simple skills—context, which attunes a leader to the same frequency as his or her audience, and delivery, which allows a leader to phrase messages in a language the audience can understand.
7. Earn the right to be heard by listening to others. Seek to understand a situation before making judgments about it.
8. Take the emotional temperature of those listening to you. Facial expressions, voice inflection and posture give clues to a person’s mood and attitude.
9. Persuasive communication involves enthusiasm, animation, audience participation, authenticity and spontaneity.
Credibility
10. Credibility is a leader's currency. With it, he or she is solvent; without it, he or she is bankrupt.
11. Speak the truth. Transparency breeds legitimacy.
12. Don’t hide bad news. With multiple information channels available, bad news always becomes known. Be candid right from the start.
13. A highly credible leader under-promises and over-delivers.
14. Diligent follow-up and follow-through will set you apart from the crowd and communicate excellence.
15. A trustworthy leader goes the extra mile to remedy strained relationships, even when it doesn’t appear to be required.
Failure
16. "Failing forward" is the ability to get back up after you've been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction.
17. Don't buy into the notion that mistakes can somehow be avoided. They can't be.
18. Failure is not a one-time event; it's how you deal with life along the way. .Until you breathe your last breath, you're still in the process, and there is still time to turn things around for the better.
19.You are the only person who can label what you do a failure. Failure is subjective.
20.Don't allow the fire of adversity to make you a skeptic. Allow it to purify you.
21.Generally speaking, there are two kinds of learning: experience, which is gained from your own mistakes, and wisdom, which is learned from the mistakes of others.
22.Seek advice, but make sure it's from someone who has successfully handled mistakes or adversities.
23. When to quit: (1) Quit something you don't do well to start something you do well. (2) Quit something you're not passionate about to do something that fills you with passion. (3) Quit something that doesn't make a difference to do something that does.
24.People change when they hurt enough that they have to, learn enough that they want to, or receive enough that they are able to.
Followership
25. More than anything else, followers want to believe that their leaders are ethical and honest.
26.When your people see that you are not only competent to lead but also have a track record of successes, they will have confidence in following you, even when they don't understand all the details.
27. As a leader, it's your job to get your people excited about what their work will accomplish; it’s a natural motivator.
Fostering Creativity in Others
28. People are an organization's only appreciable asset, but creative people are an organization's most needed asset.
29. Be willing to absorb some risk and failures to allow people freedom to express themselves.
30. Creative leaders inherently know when rules need to be challenged, and they can see when a more flexible approach should be taken.
31. Handle the ideas of your people carefully: If an idea is half-developed but has potential, pass it to the people in your organization who are proven process thinkers and implementers.
32. Sometimes giving your people permission to be creative is not enough; inspire them by modeling creativity.
33. The word 'reactive' and the word 'creative' are made up of exactly the same letters; the only difference between the two is that you 'c' (see) differently.
Fostering Your Own Creativity
34. When you are the leader in your field, it takes a greater level of innovation and commitment to stay there.
35. Make a point to continually search for a better way of doing things, even when things are going well, to ensure that a better alternative has not been overlooked and to keep your creative talents in practice.
36. Practice mental agility: Before you write off a far-fetched idea, back up and look at the big picture, because it might fit perfectly on another level.
37 Have fun: When you are truly having fun in your work, creativity flows freely.
Leading Difficult People
38. Consider who you are working with: Part of the art of leadership is discovering the unique relationship between the needs of the individual and the organization.
39. People only know that you and the organization intend to meet their needs when you tell them so.
40. Determine how to help the person, tell them how you will do it, and follow through – before asking the individual to do things in return for you.
41 People working together ultimately succeed or fail based on their commitment to one another.
42. Never give up easily on one of your people; it does a disservice to that individual and to you.
Leading Leaders
43. The better you are at surrounding yourself with people of high potential, the greater your chance for success.
44. Every relationship in your organization will affect you one way or another. Those who do not increase you will inevitably decrease you.
Motivating Others
45. When you delegate a task to your people, make a point to help them capture your vision for what the completed task will look like.
46. Hold your people accountable to a measurable standard of excellence, and make rewards and consequences a part of enforcing the standard.
47. Give your people full responsibility (ownership) for the completion of specific tasks and the prospect of sharing in the rewards that result.
People Skills
48. Successful leadership is about 90% people knowledge and 10% product knowledge.
49. You can have strong people skills and not be a good leader, but you cannot be a good leader without people skills.
50. The highest compliment a person can receive is one given by his or her leader; make a habit of being generous and sincere with your compliments.
51. When your people are having trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, remind them of the purpose of their work and help them envision what their work will accomplish.
52. Don't judge what your people want to tell you before they've told you. Listen to them.
53. Part of your job as a leader is to help your people figure out what they're most passionate about, and then to help them pursue it.
Personal Growth
54. The more seriously you take your growth, the more seriously your people will take you.
55. Leaders never outgrow the need to change.
56. My leadership began to take flight when I allowed myself to press people to change—whether they thanked me or cursed me.
57. Eventually, you must disengage from the relationships you’ve outgrown, or they will limit your growth as a leader.
58. Leadership involves the heavy burden of responsibility, and the fear of getting it wrong can paralyze a leader.
59. Confront your inadequacies and push your personal boundaries: It’s the surest way to grow, improve and expand the scope of your influence.
Procrastination
60. It doesn't matter how hard or long you work if you're not accomplishing what needs to be done.
61. Plan and execute your first failure so that you no longer have to fear it.
62. If the size of a task causes you to procrastinate or completely shy away, break it into smaller, more manageable tasks.
63. Often people fail to start or complete a task because they don't see any connection between what they're doing and what they really want to accomplish in life.
Recognizing Leadership Potential
64. Your key people can be spotted when important decisions are being made, because they're the ones explaining what needs to be done.
65. Determine how your potential leaders relate to the rest of your people; the people with the greatest potential won't have burned too many bridges.
66. A potential leader who obeys God is in a much better position to succeed than one who ignores God's will for his life.
67. Your potential leaders must have established a foundation of trust with others.
68. A potential leader is the one who would be able to mentally sustain your organization's vision if you quit thinking for the next month.
69. Potential leaders come to you to offer help more often than you go to them to give guidance.
70. True leadership requires serving others full time; potential leaders are ready and willing to do so.
71. Potential leaders make themselves valuable because they see and seize opportunities to better the organization—regardless of the nature or size of the task.
72.Though loyalty does not make a leader, disloyalty prevents a person from becoming one.
Success
73. Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all.
74. The biggest detriment to tomorrow's success is today's success.
75. Passion creates energy and magnetically pulls co-workers and customers into a shared vision, and it is exceptionally strong when linked with a leader's values.
76. Leaders don't rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits; they make every day a masterpiece.
77. The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people.
Teamwork
78. Teams make you better than you are, multiply your value, enable you to do what you do best, allow you to help others do their best, give you more time, provide you with companionship, help you fulfill the desires of your heart and compound your vision and effort.
79. Transmit your vision emotionally by gaining credibility, demonstrating passion, establishing relationships and communicating a felt need. Transmit it logically by confronting reality, formulating strategy, accepting responsibility, celebrating victory and learning from defeat.
80. Values hold the team together, provide stability for the team to grow upon, measure the team's performance, give direction and guidance and attract like-minded people.
81. Coming together is a beginning, and staying together is progress, but only when teams sweat together do they find success.
82. The Wrong Person in the Wrong Place = Regression. The Wrong Person in the Right Place = Frustration. The Right Person in the Wrong Place = Confusion. The Right Person in the Right Place = Progression. The Right People in the Right Places = Multiplication.
83. An organization's structure does not cause growth, but it does control the rate and size of your growth.
84. Talented performers flock to the best and brightest leaders, and these leaders in turn lift the lids off their people and uncork the latent talent inside of them.
85. The best way to serve the individuals on the team is to see that the whole team wins.
Time Management
86. Although it's admirable to be ambitious and hard-working, it's more desirable to be smart-working.
87. Though it's tempting—especially if you're a people pleaser—you have to learn to discern what wheels really need grease, what ones can be greased by others and what ones will squeak no matter how much oil they have on them.
88. The key to becoming a more efficient leader isn't checking off all the items on your to-do list each day. It's in forming the habit of prioritizing your time so that you are accomplishing your most important goals in an efficient manner.
Timing
89. The timing of your decision is just as important as the decision you make.
90. To establish appropriate timing for a decision, first discern the connection between the needs around you and the calling within you.
91. When assessing the ramifications for decisions, leaders must take into account the repercussions of failure.
92. Plain common sense can be the best deterrent to far-fetched opportunities.
93. All too often, would-be decision-makers take too much time collecting, analyzing and reanalyzing information, hoping for that one last convincing detail that will dictate the correct choice.
94. Consider if the passage of time shrinks available options or creates new ones.
I consider John Maxwell to be one of the greatest leadership minds of this generation. Enjoy his timeless wisdom about, character, communication, credibility, failure, folowership, fostering creativity, difficult people, leading leaders, motivating others, people skills, personal growth, procrastination, recognising leadership potential, success, teamwork, time management and timing.
Let me know a few of your favorites quotes.
Character
1. It's true that charisma can make a person stand out for a moment, but character sets a person apart for a lifetime.
2. You build trust with others each time you choose integrity over image, truth over convenience, or honor over personal gain.
3. Character makes trust possible, and trust is the foundation of leadership.
4. Character creates consistency, and if your people know what they can expect from you, they will continue to look to you for leadership.
5. Over time, is it easier or harder to sustain your influence within your organization? With charisma alone, influence becomes increasingly more difficult to sustain. With character, as time passes, influence builds and requires less work to sustain.
Communication
6. Great communication depends on two simple skills—context, which attunes a leader to the same frequency as his or her audience, and delivery, which allows a leader to phrase messages in a language the audience can understand.
7. Earn the right to be heard by listening to others. Seek to understand a situation before making judgments about it.
8. Take the emotional temperature of those listening to you. Facial expressions, voice inflection and posture give clues to a person’s mood and attitude.
9. Persuasive communication involves enthusiasm, animation, audience participation, authenticity and spontaneity.
Credibility
10. Credibility is a leader's currency. With it, he or she is solvent; without it, he or she is bankrupt.
11. Speak the truth. Transparency breeds legitimacy.
12. Don’t hide bad news. With multiple information channels available, bad news always becomes known. Be candid right from the start.
13. A highly credible leader under-promises and over-delivers.
14. Diligent follow-up and follow-through will set you apart from the crowd and communicate excellence.
15. A trustworthy leader goes the extra mile to remedy strained relationships, even when it doesn’t appear to be required.
Failure
16. "Failing forward" is the ability to get back up after you've been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction.
17. Don't buy into the notion that mistakes can somehow be avoided. They can't be.
18. Failure is not a one-time event; it's how you deal with life along the way. .Until you breathe your last breath, you're still in the process, and there is still time to turn things around for the better.
19.You are the only person who can label what you do a failure. Failure is subjective.
20.Don't allow the fire of adversity to make you a skeptic. Allow it to purify you.
21.Generally speaking, there are two kinds of learning: experience, which is gained from your own mistakes, and wisdom, which is learned from the mistakes of others.
22.Seek advice, but make sure it's from someone who has successfully handled mistakes or adversities.
23. When to quit: (1) Quit something you don't do well to start something you do well. (2) Quit something you're not passionate about to do something that fills you with passion. (3) Quit something that doesn't make a difference to do something that does.
24.People change when they hurt enough that they have to, learn enough that they want to, or receive enough that they are able to.
Followership
25. More than anything else, followers want to believe that their leaders are ethical and honest.
26.When your people see that you are not only competent to lead but also have a track record of successes, they will have confidence in following you, even when they don't understand all the details.
27. As a leader, it's your job to get your people excited about what their work will accomplish; it’s a natural motivator.
Fostering Creativity in Others
28. People are an organization's only appreciable asset, but creative people are an organization's most needed asset.
29. Be willing to absorb some risk and failures to allow people freedom to express themselves.
30. Creative leaders inherently know when rules need to be challenged, and they can see when a more flexible approach should be taken.
31. Handle the ideas of your people carefully: If an idea is half-developed but has potential, pass it to the people in your organization who are proven process thinkers and implementers.
32. Sometimes giving your people permission to be creative is not enough; inspire them by modeling creativity.
33. The word 'reactive' and the word 'creative' are made up of exactly the same letters; the only difference between the two is that you 'c' (see) differently.
Fostering Your Own Creativity
34. When you are the leader in your field, it takes a greater level of innovation and commitment to stay there.
35. Make a point to continually search for a better way of doing things, even when things are going well, to ensure that a better alternative has not been overlooked and to keep your creative talents in practice.
36. Practice mental agility: Before you write off a far-fetched idea, back up and look at the big picture, because it might fit perfectly on another level.
37 Have fun: When you are truly having fun in your work, creativity flows freely.
Leading Difficult People
38. Consider who you are working with: Part of the art of leadership is discovering the unique relationship between the needs of the individual and the organization.
39. People only know that you and the organization intend to meet their needs when you tell them so.
40. Determine how to help the person, tell them how you will do it, and follow through – before asking the individual to do things in return for you.
41 People working together ultimately succeed or fail based on their commitment to one another.
42. Never give up easily on one of your people; it does a disservice to that individual and to you.
Leading Leaders
43. The better you are at surrounding yourself with people of high potential, the greater your chance for success.
44. Every relationship in your organization will affect you one way or another. Those who do not increase you will inevitably decrease you.
Motivating Others
45. When you delegate a task to your people, make a point to help them capture your vision for what the completed task will look like.
46. Hold your people accountable to a measurable standard of excellence, and make rewards and consequences a part of enforcing the standard.
47. Give your people full responsibility (ownership) for the completion of specific tasks and the prospect of sharing in the rewards that result.
People Skills
48. Successful leadership is about 90% people knowledge and 10% product knowledge.
49. You can have strong people skills and not be a good leader, but you cannot be a good leader without people skills.
50. The highest compliment a person can receive is one given by his or her leader; make a habit of being generous and sincere with your compliments.
51. When your people are having trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, remind them of the purpose of their work and help them envision what their work will accomplish.
52. Don't judge what your people want to tell you before they've told you. Listen to them.
53. Part of your job as a leader is to help your people figure out what they're most passionate about, and then to help them pursue it.
Personal Growth
54. The more seriously you take your growth, the more seriously your people will take you.
55. Leaders never outgrow the need to change.
56. My leadership began to take flight when I allowed myself to press people to change—whether they thanked me or cursed me.
57. Eventually, you must disengage from the relationships you’ve outgrown, or they will limit your growth as a leader.
58. Leadership involves the heavy burden of responsibility, and the fear of getting it wrong can paralyze a leader.
59. Confront your inadequacies and push your personal boundaries: It’s the surest way to grow, improve and expand the scope of your influence.
Procrastination
60. It doesn't matter how hard or long you work if you're not accomplishing what needs to be done.
61. Plan and execute your first failure so that you no longer have to fear it.
62. If the size of a task causes you to procrastinate or completely shy away, break it into smaller, more manageable tasks.
63. Often people fail to start or complete a task because they don't see any connection between what they're doing and what they really want to accomplish in life.
Recognizing Leadership Potential
64. Your key people can be spotted when important decisions are being made, because they're the ones explaining what needs to be done.
65. Determine how your potential leaders relate to the rest of your people; the people with the greatest potential won't have burned too many bridges.
66. A potential leader who obeys God is in a much better position to succeed than one who ignores God's will for his life.
67. Your potential leaders must have established a foundation of trust with others.
68. A potential leader is the one who would be able to mentally sustain your organization's vision if you quit thinking for the next month.
69. Potential leaders come to you to offer help more often than you go to them to give guidance.
70. True leadership requires serving others full time; potential leaders are ready and willing to do so.
71. Potential leaders make themselves valuable because they see and seize opportunities to better the organization—regardless of the nature or size of the task.
72.Though loyalty does not make a leader, disloyalty prevents a person from becoming one.
Success
73. Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all.
74. The biggest detriment to tomorrow's success is today's success.
75. Passion creates energy and magnetically pulls co-workers and customers into a shared vision, and it is exceptionally strong when linked with a leader's values.
76. Leaders don't rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits; they make every day a masterpiece.
77. The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people.
Teamwork
78. Teams make you better than you are, multiply your value, enable you to do what you do best, allow you to help others do their best, give you more time, provide you with companionship, help you fulfill the desires of your heart and compound your vision and effort.
79. Transmit your vision emotionally by gaining credibility, demonstrating passion, establishing relationships and communicating a felt need. Transmit it logically by confronting reality, formulating strategy, accepting responsibility, celebrating victory and learning from defeat.
80. Values hold the team together, provide stability for the team to grow upon, measure the team's performance, give direction and guidance and attract like-minded people.
81. Coming together is a beginning, and staying together is progress, but only when teams sweat together do they find success.
82. The Wrong Person in the Wrong Place = Regression. The Wrong Person in the Right Place = Frustration. The Right Person in the Wrong Place = Confusion. The Right Person in the Right Place = Progression. The Right People in the Right Places = Multiplication.
83. An organization's structure does not cause growth, but it does control the rate and size of your growth.
84. Talented performers flock to the best and brightest leaders, and these leaders in turn lift the lids off their people and uncork the latent talent inside of them.
85. The best way to serve the individuals on the team is to see that the whole team wins.
Time Management
86. Although it's admirable to be ambitious and hard-working, it's more desirable to be smart-working.
87. Though it's tempting—especially if you're a people pleaser—you have to learn to discern what wheels really need grease, what ones can be greased by others and what ones will squeak no matter how much oil they have on them.
88. The key to becoming a more efficient leader isn't checking off all the items on your to-do list each day. It's in forming the habit of prioritizing your time so that you are accomplishing your most important goals in an efficient manner.
Timing
89. The timing of your decision is just as important as the decision you make.
90. To establish appropriate timing for a decision, first discern the connection between the needs around you and the calling within you.
91. When assessing the ramifications for decisions, leaders must take into account the repercussions of failure.
92. Plain common sense can be the best deterrent to far-fetched opportunities.
93. All too often, would-be decision-makers take too much time collecting, analyzing and reanalyzing information, hoping for that one last convincing detail that will dictate the correct choice.
94. Consider if the passage of time shrinks available options or creates new ones.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Answer To Lifes Three Greatest Needs
Our lives seem to centre around three spiritual needs; our need for acceptance, our need for significance and our need for security.
Take some time to think about whom or what makes you feel accepted. The truth is, if we give the roll of making us feel accepted to a person or a situation we are asking that person or situation to be a god in our lives. Disappointment will always follow. Why? To give a person or circumstance that much power over us is a recipe for disaster.
People and circumstance will always let us down. There is no perfect person or no perfect circumstance. Only God knows exactly what you need to feel accepted. Since God has proven he has accepted us, then perhaps it is time to remove that burden from the people around us or the circumstance we find ourselves in.
Finding significance in our world is equally as challenging. Can the world we live in give us a reliable and truthful answer to the questions of my significance? I suggest to you it can not. What is my purpose? Why am I here? What is the reason for this situation? Do I matter? Does my life count? These are questions that only the One who created you can answer. An attempt to find answers to these questions apart from God leads to futility, despair and depression.
How do we process the difficult situations in our lives? Challenging circumstances can cause us to doubt ourselves and doubt God. If my faith is based on what happens to me in this world that faith will quickly vanish in the face of trial, heartache and disaster. My security can not be based on anything that is in my world.
The chaos of life is designed to breed fear. If I want to live with out fear my security must come from Christ alone. Not Money, position, power, or physical relationships. My personal relationship with Christ is my only guarantee of security. My relationship with Christ is the only guarantee of security when I die. My relationship with Christ guarantees God’s love for me in the present and God’s love for me in eternity. God gave us that guarantee when his son died on the cross. Jesus death and resurrection is God’s unchangeable promise that we are secure in him, regardless of the issues of life and death.
Perhaps now is the time for you to discover the real freedom that comes from believing in a God who loves you and has your best interests at heart. Check out my series on IDENTITY THEFT at www.allnationschurch.ca and just click on podcasts. I welcome your comments,and suggestions.
Take some time to think about whom or what makes you feel accepted. The truth is, if we give the roll of making us feel accepted to a person or a situation we are asking that person or situation to be a god in our lives. Disappointment will always follow. Why? To give a person or circumstance that much power over us is a recipe for disaster.
People and circumstance will always let us down. There is no perfect person or no perfect circumstance. Only God knows exactly what you need to feel accepted. Since God has proven he has accepted us, then perhaps it is time to remove that burden from the people around us or the circumstance we find ourselves in.
Finding significance in our world is equally as challenging. Can the world we live in give us a reliable and truthful answer to the questions of my significance? I suggest to you it can not. What is my purpose? Why am I here? What is the reason for this situation? Do I matter? Does my life count? These are questions that only the One who created you can answer. An attempt to find answers to these questions apart from God leads to futility, despair and depression.
How do we process the difficult situations in our lives? Challenging circumstances can cause us to doubt ourselves and doubt God. If my faith is based on what happens to me in this world that faith will quickly vanish in the face of trial, heartache and disaster. My security can not be based on anything that is in my world.
The chaos of life is designed to breed fear. If I want to live with out fear my security must come from Christ alone. Not Money, position, power, or physical relationships. My personal relationship with Christ is my only guarantee of security. My relationship with Christ is the only guarantee of security when I die. My relationship with Christ guarantees God’s love for me in the present and God’s love for me in eternity. God gave us that guarantee when his son died on the cross. Jesus death and resurrection is God’s unchangeable promise that we are secure in him, regardless of the issues of life and death.
Perhaps now is the time for you to discover the real freedom that comes from believing in a God who loves you and has your best interests at heart. Check out my series on IDENTITY THEFT at www.allnationschurch.ca and just click on podcasts. I welcome your comments,and suggestions.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
MY OWN WORST ENEMY
Have you seen the TV drama “My Own Worst Enemy? Even if you haven’t seen it yet I am sure you get the idea just from the title.
I don’t know about you…but I cause myself more problems than any body else. Perhaps you have heard the expression, “open mouth, insert foot”. Well that’s not just a problem with George W. Bush.
The Bible is very clear about our responsibility for our thought life. The book of Ephesians chapter 4 and 5 explains the war that is going on inside each of us. It is a war between the old self,( self is the boss) the nature we were born with and the new self, ( love is the boss)the nature God gives us at the time of our spiritual birth. This war takes place in our mind, and specifically our attitude. One of the amazing things about attitude is that no one can take your attitude away from you. No matter what the circumstance of life, you get to choose your attitude.
Your attitude is your responsibility and God’s word makes it clear that we will be held accountable for our attitude. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read that we are to”… demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. ( act only from a position of love)
We become what we believe. We behave in accordance with what we believe. If we want to be different we must believe different, and that process begins with our thought life and the discipline of our attitude to make sure every thought aligns with how Christ would think. The reason Jesus Christ is our highest example is because he never thought or did anything that was not from a position of love. This is the basis of the famous Sermon On the Mount in the book of Matthew.
Our actions and attitudes will be a direct reflection of what we feed our minds. If we feed our minds God’s word and discipline our attitude to conform to that word we will behave accordingly. If we feed on the words of the world’s system, we can not help but reflect that system in our attitudes and action. We are what we feed our mind.
This story says it all.
An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life:
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."
Which nature do you feed the most? The nature of self,me mine,my way OR the nature of love,others,generosity,you first.
Until we each learn to function from a position of love in our beliefs, thoughts and actions, the world will continue to be at war, neighbours will continue to fight, marriages will continue to fall apart.
What kind of world are you contributing too?
I don’t know about you…but I cause myself more problems than any body else. Perhaps you have heard the expression, “open mouth, insert foot”. Well that’s not just a problem with George W. Bush.
The Bible is very clear about our responsibility for our thought life. The book of Ephesians chapter 4 and 5 explains the war that is going on inside each of us. It is a war between the old self,( self is the boss) the nature we were born with and the new self, ( love is the boss)the nature God gives us at the time of our spiritual birth. This war takes place in our mind, and specifically our attitude. One of the amazing things about attitude is that no one can take your attitude away from you. No matter what the circumstance of life, you get to choose your attitude.
Your attitude is your responsibility and God’s word makes it clear that we will be held accountable for our attitude. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read that we are to”… demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. ( act only from a position of love)
We become what we believe. We behave in accordance with what we believe. If we want to be different we must believe different, and that process begins with our thought life and the discipline of our attitude to make sure every thought aligns with how Christ would think. The reason Jesus Christ is our highest example is because he never thought or did anything that was not from a position of love. This is the basis of the famous Sermon On the Mount in the book of Matthew.
Our actions and attitudes will be a direct reflection of what we feed our minds. If we feed our minds God’s word and discipline our attitude to conform to that word we will behave accordingly. If we feed on the words of the world’s system, we can not help but reflect that system in our attitudes and action. We are what we feed our mind.
This story says it all.
An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life:
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."
Which nature do you feed the most? The nature of self,me mine,my way OR the nature of love,others,generosity,you first.
Until we each learn to function from a position of love in our beliefs, thoughts and actions, the world will continue to be at war, neighbours will continue to fight, marriages will continue to fall apart.
What kind of world are you contributing too?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
WHY YOU ARE THE WAY YOU ARE
Based the principles found in the bible, I wrote the following statement;
“You become what you believe. Change what you believe and you change what you become”.
Neither you nor I can act differently that what we believe deep inside of us. The bible calls that place of belief, the “heart”. If you want to behave differently you must change the source of your belief and that means you must change your heart.
Here is the problem we face: how do you change your heart? How can you be sure that you do not just change one defective set of beliefs for another? Or simply change one defective heart for another defective heart.
I realize that as a society we seem to have abandoned the notion that there is any moral truth at all. However, I believe the bible is a book about truth. The bible contains the truth about you. The bible is basically God’s story about what He intends to do with this world and with you in particular. God has a very specific plan for you. If you understand that plan and put that plan in your mind, you will be fulfilled, and satisfied. You must put what the bible says about you into your mind and into your heart ,so you can become what God has planned for you to become.
What a sad state of affairs to come to the end of life as we know it and finally realize we have been believing and behaving from a defective set of life principles.
There is an enormous amount of power in our mind, beliefs and thoughts. We would do well to be certain we have the right information in our mind.
Here are some amazing statements about the power that God has planted in your mind. They were written many years ago by a man named James Allen. He uses the term “man” to mean every person male or female.
“As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those which are deliberately executed”
“A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind”
“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears.”
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results. Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results”.
“Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot. It rapidly crystallizes into habit”
Let me encourage you to take the time to examine what you believe and why you believe what you believe. The key to fulfillment is in your thoughts and beliefs. This is what I believe; it matters what you believe. Your success depends on it!
Check out the pod casts on www.allnationschurch.ca and go to IDENTITY THEFT
“You become what you believe. Change what you believe and you change what you become”.
Neither you nor I can act differently that what we believe deep inside of us. The bible calls that place of belief, the “heart”. If you want to behave differently you must change the source of your belief and that means you must change your heart.
Here is the problem we face: how do you change your heart? How can you be sure that you do not just change one defective set of beliefs for another? Or simply change one defective heart for another defective heart.
I realize that as a society we seem to have abandoned the notion that there is any moral truth at all. However, I believe the bible is a book about truth. The bible contains the truth about you. The bible is basically God’s story about what He intends to do with this world and with you in particular. God has a very specific plan for you. If you understand that plan and put that plan in your mind, you will be fulfilled, and satisfied. You must put what the bible says about you into your mind and into your heart ,so you can become what God has planned for you to become.
What a sad state of affairs to come to the end of life as we know it and finally realize we have been believing and behaving from a defective set of life principles.
There is an enormous amount of power in our mind, beliefs and thoughts. We would do well to be certain we have the right information in our mind.
Here are some amazing statements about the power that God has planted in your mind. They were written many years ago by a man named James Allen. He uses the term “man” to mean every person male or female.
“As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those which are deliberately executed”
“A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind”
“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears.”
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results. Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results”.
“Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot. It rapidly crystallizes into habit”
Let me encourage you to take the time to examine what you believe and why you believe what you believe. The key to fulfillment is in your thoughts and beliefs. This is what I believe; it matters what you believe. Your success depends on it!
Check out the pod casts on www.allnationschurch.ca and go to IDENTITY THEFT
Monday, October 13, 2008
WILL THE REAL YOU PLEASE STAND UP
I don’t know about you, but I see very little of God in our world today. I see greed, haltered, selfishness, cruelty, emotional pain, rejection, isolation, jealousy, lies, sensuality, careless sex, aborted babies, broken promises, shame, guilt, fear and a host of other behaviours, that if taken together reflect God, I would want no part in Him.
Maybe what really freaks me out is that I see so little of God in my own actions. When I am truly honest with myself my behaviours more often reflect my selfish needs and not the actions of a loving God. I have reached a season in my life where I do not want that to be so any longer.
The key to changing any behaviour is to change what you believe in your heart. You cannot behave any differently from what you believe. Every action is a response to what you truly believe deep down in side of you. James Allen has written, “Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results. Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are”.
What would you do if you discovered that many of the things you believe about yourself are not true? They are in fact lies. And for years you have been acting/ behaving from that set of lies and not from the truth. And, (here comes the conspiracy theory) there has been a concerted effort to make sure you never find out the truth about who you were really meant to be. I call this IDENTITY THEFT.
It is so simple. God has a plan and a purpose and a personality just for you. That plan purpose and personality has been hijacked and until the hijackers are exposed you will never find the real you, the you, God intended you to be. Until you discover Gods intentions for you, you will forever be searching in the wrong place. That is why so many people work hard all their lives, get ahead, become successful and eventually come up empty. That is why so many people never learn from their mistakes and repeat the same failures over and over again. They have been deceived, lied to, and are working under false orders.
I believe with all my heart our real personality and purpose has been hijacked. In Psalm 139 David is very clear about the fact that God has a distinct purpose and personality for each of his created children. He says in verse 14 that” We are fear fully and wonderfully made”; made in the very image of God
There is good news. God has made a way for you to discover who he intends you to be. Everything hinges on what you believe and weather what you believe is the truth or a lie. We are all on a journey of self discovery. The path we take may be different. And contrary to current popular thought, all paths do not lead to the same destination.
There is a you, which God intended. You are not a random collection of neurons and microbes and synapses and electrical currents. Most of us have been living out lies, lies that we have embodied as truths. We must replace those lies with the Truth and learn to live each day out of the truth and act from a position of love in our personalities.
God has made it possible for you to behave differently. He gave us Jesus Christ as our example. Every action, every attitude of Jesus Christ was birthed from His understanding of the truth about who he was and his purpose. He behaved consistently out of his beliefs and his beliefs were grounded in love, for he himself was love in human form.
Genuine change in behavior is possible but we must start with a tested, proven reliable source for that change. I believe that reliable source is Jesus.
So here is my IDENTITY THEFT CHALLENGE, start to read about the life story of Jesus. Get an easily readable translation of the bible like The NIV, The Message, or CEV. You will find the translation short forms on the cover. Start in the New Testament section the book called John, then go back and read Matthew, Mark and Luke. One thing you will notice is the incredible consistency with which Jesus behaved. He behaved the same no matter what the circumstance. He also behaved in complete agreement with his source. (You will understand what I mean by the time you have finished the book of John). Getting grounded in understanding the personality and purpose of Jesus is the first step in discovering who you really are.
Next time we will look at the sources of what you believe about yourself. We will examine them and test them in a writing called “Why You are the Way You Are”.
Maybe what really freaks me out is that I see so little of God in my own actions. When I am truly honest with myself my behaviours more often reflect my selfish needs and not the actions of a loving God. I have reached a season in my life where I do not want that to be so any longer.
The key to changing any behaviour is to change what you believe in your heart. You cannot behave any differently from what you believe. Every action is a response to what you truly believe deep down in side of you. James Allen has written, “Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results. Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are”.
What would you do if you discovered that many of the things you believe about yourself are not true? They are in fact lies. And for years you have been acting/ behaving from that set of lies and not from the truth. And, (here comes the conspiracy theory) there has been a concerted effort to make sure you never find out the truth about who you were really meant to be. I call this IDENTITY THEFT.
It is so simple. God has a plan and a purpose and a personality just for you. That plan purpose and personality has been hijacked and until the hijackers are exposed you will never find the real you, the you, God intended you to be. Until you discover Gods intentions for you, you will forever be searching in the wrong place. That is why so many people work hard all their lives, get ahead, become successful and eventually come up empty. That is why so many people never learn from their mistakes and repeat the same failures over and over again. They have been deceived, lied to, and are working under false orders.
I believe with all my heart our real personality and purpose has been hijacked. In Psalm 139 David is very clear about the fact that God has a distinct purpose and personality for each of his created children. He says in verse 14 that” We are fear fully and wonderfully made”; made in the very image of God
There is good news. God has made a way for you to discover who he intends you to be. Everything hinges on what you believe and weather what you believe is the truth or a lie. We are all on a journey of self discovery. The path we take may be different. And contrary to current popular thought, all paths do not lead to the same destination.
There is a you, which God intended. You are not a random collection of neurons and microbes and synapses and electrical currents. Most of us have been living out lies, lies that we have embodied as truths. We must replace those lies with the Truth and learn to live each day out of the truth and act from a position of love in our personalities.
God has made it possible for you to behave differently. He gave us Jesus Christ as our example. Every action, every attitude of Jesus Christ was birthed from His understanding of the truth about who he was and his purpose. He behaved consistently out of his beliefs and his beliefs were grounded in love, for he himself was love in human form.
Genuine change in behavior is possible but we must start with a tested, proven reliable source for that change. I believe that reliable source is Jesus.
So here is my IDENTITY THEFT CHALLENGE, start to read about the life story of Jesus. Get an easily readable translation of the bible like The NIV, The Message, or CEV. You will find the translation short forms on the cover. Start in the New Testament section the book called John, then go back and read Matthew, Mark and Luke. One thing you will notice is the incredible consistency with which Jesus behaved. He behaved the same no matter what the circumstance. He also behaved in complete agreement with his source. (You will understand what I mean by the time you have finished the book of John). Getting grounded in understanding the personality and purpose of Jesus is the first step in discovering who you really are.
Next time we will look at the sources of what you believe about yourself. We will examine them and test them in a writing called “Why You are the Way You Are”.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
THE GLOBAL MONEY MELTDOWN
Greed has raised it's ugly head in the USA sub-prime mortgage crisis. What else but greed could have mortgage brokers, bankers and other lending institutions convince naive consumers that they can borrow money they can never hope to repay. Why are consumers so naive? Greed! They want to be naive! They want to believe they can buy that bigger house, car, pool and ATV. And what about the lending institutions who took those worthless mortgages and packaged them up into Real estate Investment Trusts that consumers in the stock markets thought were backed by real solid real estate? Deception, greed, naivete; the worlds monetary system at it's best.
1.8 million homes in default. Over 8 million homes with no or negative equity. Investment Banks falling like house flies. And with the massive 12 trillion dollar devaluation of the housing market, comes a major loss of real estate taxes which impacts every local community.
What follows is more of the truth. You may not want to hear it...but it is the truth!
National and Consumer debt is sucking the life out of our economies. If you want to survive difficult economic times…reduce your debt.
The most current figures I could research about debt are as follows… USA Debt today: $9,789,490,720,019. USA per Person: $32,119. Canada Net Debt 2007: $508,109,000,000. Canada per Person: $15,217
While some economists are telling us that the Canadian economy is strong enough and regulated enough to survive the US monetary meltdown, we will experience the aftershocks of a global economic crisis.
As the USA economy attempts to weather this recent storm of greed and deception in its financial institutions, massive infusions of cash will be needed. While the American government is proposing millions of dollars in bailouts for these institutions (and nothing it seems for the consumer) foreign governments and corporations are coming to the rescue.
According to the latest data, I was able to find, 785 U.S. businesses were acquired by foreign investors for $129 billion this year through August.
A few of the foreign investments now buying up the USA are:
Abu Dhabi's bid to buy 20% of the NASDAQ
Abu Dhabi's $7.5−billion bailout of Citigroup
China's $3−billion purchase of the Blackstone Group
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's purchase of 9% of U.S. private equity
firm Apollo Management for an undisclosed sum.
While foreign investment is regulated some what here in Canada, Canada and Canadian assets continue to be purchased by foreign interests (Vale INCO as an example).
The Bible is so clear about our obsession with money. It says that "the love of money is the root of all evil." Bigger, better, more, is at the heart of our consumptive society. We must reduce unnecessary consumption, learn contentment and invest in our world rather than make withdrawals from our world. It is imperative that we teach our children how to add value to the world through serving and giving rather than take value from our world through constant consumption.
The values I have just expressed are so counter-cultural...but they are the start of healing our devastated economy and following God's economic principles as outlined in the bible. Do not be in debt. Be generous. Save some. Live off the rest of your money.
While economists debate, we as people must become much more disciplined and directed in our spending. As people we must learn to trust in God as our source of supply and not the world’s monetary system. We could at least, check our Bible as much as we check our stocks.
1.8 million homes in default. Over 8 million homes with no or negative equity. Investment Banks falling like house flies. And with the massive 12 trillion dollar devaluation of the housing market, comes a major loss of real estate taxes which impacts every local community.
What follows is more of the truth. You may not want to hear it...but it is the truth!
National and Consumer debt is sucking the life out of our economies. If you want to survive difficult economic times…reduce your debt.
The most current figures I could research about debt are as follows… USA Debt today: $9,789,490,720,019. USA per Person: $32,119. Canada Net Debt 2007: $508,109,000,000. Canada per Person: $15,217
While some economists are telling us that the Canadian economy is strong enough and regulated enough to survive the US monetary meltdown, we will experience the aftershocks of a global economic crisis.
As the USA economy attempts to weather this recent storm of greed and deception in its financial institutions, massive infusions of cash will be needed. While the American government is proposing millions of dollars in bailouts for these institutions (and nothing it seems for the consumer) foreign governments and corporations are coming to the rescue.
According to the latest data, I was able to find, 785 U.S. businesses were acquired by foreign investors for $129 billion this year through August.
A few of the foreign investments now buying up the USA are:
Abu Dhabi's bid to buy 20% of the NASDAQ
Abu Dhabi's $7.5−billion bailout of Citigroup
China's $3−billion purchase of the Blackstone Group
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's purchase of 9% of U.S. private equity
firm Apollo Management for an undisclosed sum.
While foreign investment is regulated some what here in Canada, Canada and Canadian assets continue to be purchased by foreign interests (Vale INCO as an example).
The Bible is so clear about our obsession with money. It says that "the love of money is the root of all evil." Bigger, better, more, is at the heart of our consumptive society. We must reduce unnecessary consumption, learn contentment and invest in our world rather than make withdrawals from our world. It is imperative that we teach our children how to add value to the world through serving and giving rather than take value from our world through constant consumption.
The values I have just expressed are so counter-cultural...but they are the start of healing our devastated economy and following God's economic principles as outlined in the bible. Do not be in debt. Be generous. Save some. Live off the rest of your money.
While economists debate, we as people must become much more disciplined and directed in our spending. As people we must learn to trust in God as our source of supply and not the world’s monetary system. We could at least, check our Bible as much as we check our stocks.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
WHO I AM GOING TO VOTE FOR!
Well it's time for another Canadian election. I often get asked who I am going to vote for. As a "kinda" public figure and deeply into religion I have avoided answering that question for years. Today I am coming out of the "secret voter closet." You see, the other week I read an article in the Sudbury Star that quoted the late (and might I say great) Tom Davies answer to this very same question. In essence he encouraged people to vote for the candidate in our community who will be with the party that forms the next government. Now that's different!
Imagine Sudbury with a Federal representative who is actually on the governments side. Just think of the attention( read potential dollars)that our community could receive. Look at what "Wrangling Rick" has done for sudbury since his transformation from scrapping with the government to being able to scrape together millions for this community from the government. Now imagine what we could accomplish if we had both provincial and federal representation.
In my opinion it's time for us to get selfish. That's right! No more ideological voting for me. I have given up on the notion that there is any practical difference in Liberal economics, Conservative economics or NDP economics (if there is such a thing)and may the good Lord help us, Green economics. Show me the money.
I want attention for Sudbury. I want Sudbury to finally, be on the winning side. I want no more excuses for coming in second, or maybe even third in this election. Sudbury needs a federal representative from the governing side.
So who am I going to vote for? Simply put I am going to vote for the candidate from the party most likely to win.
You may ask me, "What party do I think is most likely going to win the election?" My reply,( said kindly and gently, of course) "non of your business".
Imagine Sudbury with a Federal representative who is actually on the governments side. Just think of the attention( read potential dollars)that our community could receive. Look at what "Wrangling Rick" has done for sudbury since his transformation from scrapping with the government to being able to scrape together millions for this community from the government. Now imagine what we could accomplish if we had both provincial and federal representation.
In my opinion it's time for us to get selfish. That's right! No more ideological voting for me. I have given up on the notion that there is any practical difference in Liberal economics, Conservative economics or NDP economics (if there is such a thing)and may the good Lord help us, Green economics. Show me the money.
I want attention for Sudbury. I want Sudbury to finally, be on the winning side. I want no more excuses for coming in second, or maybe even third in this election. Sudbury needs a federal representative from the governing side.
So who am I going to vote for? Simply put I am going to vote for the candidate from the party most likely to win.
You may ask me, "What party do I think is most likely going to win the election?" My reply,( said kindly and gently, of course) "non of your business".
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Power of Doing "One Thing"
Here is what I have discovered about life. You can only do one thing exceptionally well. People who succeed have an uncanny ability to drill down into their lives and find the "one thing" that will bring them home the "gold".
Most of us have too many irons in the fire. We have too many competing interests. We do too much in too many areas. Successful people bang on only one drum. They bang on it and bang on it and bang on it. They get better, and better and better until they are the best. They will not be deterred or deflected. Nothing gets in the way of the person who has decided that they will give their life entirely for the attainment or achievement of that "one thing".
They do not blame external forces for their failure neither do they give credit to external forces for their sucess.(i.e.luck)"One thing" people are disciplined to the 1/100Th of a second. Every action counts.Every thought is controlled.
Their environment is irrelevant.Their focus comes from a force within a purpose that originates with the Divine Architect. They have a mission and they will achieve that mission at all costs.
To my mind, Jesus The Christ is the great example of a "one thing" kind of guy. His focus, mission and goal was to provide a way for you and I to have an unobstructed, relationship with God our Father. The political machine of his day, the religious system of his day, his own very team (of disciples)and their blunders could not stop Jesus on his mission of sacrificing himself for us so that we would not need to be sacrificed. He made it. He got the 'gold". He stood on the podium of history, on a cross in the centre spot. He died. We get to live.
God has an intention for your life as well. God has a purpose for placing you in the sphere of influence that you are in. He has a mission for you. It is worthy of your life, your effort, your focus. It is worthy of stripping yourself from all unnecessary causes to pursue the "one thing" that will make you spiritually,emotionally and physically successful. You can read about it in bible in the book of Philippians Chapter 3...check out the 13Th verse on the "one thing".
So now it is time to do the inventory. What are the competing interests or loves in your life? What would you be willing to give up....to go up!
Most of us have too many irons in the fire. We have too many competing interests. We do too much in too many areas. Successful people bang on only one drum. They bang on it and bang on it and bang on it. They get better, and better and better until they are the best. They will not be deterred or deflected. Nothing gets in the way of the person who has decided that they will give their life entirely for the attainment or achievement of that "one thing".
They do not blame external forces for their failure neither do they give credit to external forces for their sucess.(i.e.luck)"One thing" people are disciplined to the 1/100Th of a second. Every action counts.Every thought is controlled.
Their environment is irrelevant.Their focus comes from a force within a purpose that originates with the Divine Architect. They have a mission and they will achieve that mission at all costs.
To my mind, Jesus The Christ is the great example of a "one thing" kind of guy. His focus, mission and goal was to provide a way for you and I to have an unobstructed, relationship with God our Father. The political machine of his day, the religious system of his day, his own very team (of disciples)and their blunders could not stop Jesus on his mission of sacrificing himself for us so that we would not need to be sacrificed. He made it. He got the 'gold". He stood on the podium of history, on a cross in the centre spot. He died. We get to live.
God has an intention for your life as well. God has a purpose for placing you in the sphere of influence that you are in. He has a mission for you. It is worthy of your life, your effort, your focus. It is worthy of stripping yourself from all unnecessary causes to pursue the "one thing" that will make you spiritually,emotionally and physically successful. You can read about it in bible in the book of Philippians Chapter 3...check out the 13Th verse on the "one thing".
So now it is time to do the inventory. What are the competing interests or loves in your life? What would you be willing to give up....to go up!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
NOW THAT'S AGRESSIVE,what do you think?
7 Ways We Keep Church Hoppers from Staying
Reposted from Brian Jones.com
I think two of the most dangerous influences any church faces are: (1) Spiritual leaders who have lost their first love and (2) the onslaught of church hoppers. Having wavered before in my faith and flirted with losing my first love with God, I know firsthand how dangerous the first one can be. But that's something we spiritual leaders have control over. The second one...not so much.
I call church hoppers “connoisseurs of fine churches” because they’re continually on a quest to find the church that is spiritual enough for them, will endlessly engorge themselves on the “services” of the churches they attend, and always have a critical word to say afterwards whenever “church” doesn’t meet their standards.
Here are seven things we try to do to keep church hoppers from wearing out their welcome.
#1 Ask church hoppers to commit to tithing and serving in your 101-201-301 classes
That usually takes care of it right there. Because church hoppers are consumers by nature, anything that strikes them as sacrificial will surely turn them off. As a ministry friend of mine used to tell me, “At the first sign of trouble, raise the bar.”
#2 Tell your people to stop inviting their Christian friends to church
This past Sunday I may have been one of the few pastors out there that stood up and said, “Please DO NOT invite your Christians friends to our Easter services. We want other churches in the area to know we have their back. Also, we want to grow this church through conversion growth, not transfer growth. Let’s pack this place out with people who are keeping God up at night because they are living far from him.” I strategically do that 3-4 times a year.
#3 Preach short sermons
Howard Hendricks used to say, “Keep them longing, not loathing.” I buy into that philosophy. I try to speak anywhere between 21 and 26 minutes max. That drives church hoppers nuts because they want to “be fed.” I’m not interested in “feeding people” unless they are in the early stages of their spiritual journey. Church hoppers as well as Christians further along their spiritual journey need to be feeding themselves. Anything I provide on Sunday morning should be in addition to their own self-directed spiritual nourishment. One point, one scripture, 21-26 minutes, that’s enough.
#4 Don’t sing 9,345 worship songs
Church hoppers, 9 times out of 10, came from a church background where they were taught they needed 5-6 worship songs to really connect with God. That needs to be re-taught. Where did we get the idea that worship = singing anyway? That’s part of it, but only a small part of it. Every part of the service is worship. Every part of my life is worship. Limiting your worship songs except for occasions when you are led by God to expand the repertoire forces people to recognize this or leave.
#5 Keep your services short
We keep our services to 55 minutes, period. That’s it. That’s because we believe “church” is more than the official service that happens on a Sunday morning. It’s what happens before, during and afterwards. It’s what happens during the week when 2-3 gather. Experiencing a well-conceived 55 minute service to the church hopper is like spending your whole life overeating and then sitting down for a healthy, well-proportioned meal that someone else serves you. “Hey, I’m used to eating 16 pieces of fried chicken for dinner and 8 servings of bread! Why do I only get two? Waah.”
#6 Eliminate Christian “insider” language from the way you talk on the stage
The fact that I say “Leader” and “forgiver” from the stage drives church hoppers nuts. “You meant to say ‘Savior and Lord,' didn’t you?” At issue is an old mission’s word called “contextualization,” which basically means we need to speak in the language and culture of the hearer, not the speaker. The Greek word “kurios” doesn’t mean “Lord” in 21st century American idiom. Your old Bible translation from 50 years ago may read that way, but people aren’t talking that way today. Challenge your “insider” language and watch how church hoppers and their friends file right out of your services.
#7 Sing Non-Christian songs in your services on occasion
This past weekend we opened our service with Jet’s “Are you Gonna be My Girl?”
On Monday I promptly received an email about it…
This past weekend, I could not believe my ears. When worship opened up, I heard the opening chords for Jet’s- "Are you going to be my girl?" I was expecting the Apologetix parody version, “Are you gonna be Ike's girl?”
But in listening to the lyrics it sounded like they were covering the actual Jet Song – a song about figuring out how to get a one night stand, for a girl who came to some club or party with another guy.
I am hoping that I was mistaken and they were playing the Christian Parody version because I am having a real issue with wrapping my head around why it would be remotely ‘OK’ to play this content in a worship service.
There is a line between having a light fun service to reach the new/non-believer and cheapening the value and truth that the gospel can stand alone to reach out to someone. This may have crossed it.
Frustrated…
Name Withheld
Here was my response…
Frustrated,
I got your email and appreciate you taking the time to shoot me your thoughts.
I must say that while I appreciate your concern, this is certainly not the first nor will it be the last time we sing non-Christian music in our worship services.
We do this because we are trying to reach both non-Christians as well as Christians in the same service, and playing a non-Christian song up front in the service, we have learned, puts people far from God at ease.
Our philosophy has always been that Christians should be the ones that should be made the most uncomfortable in church, not the non-Christians. The way I put it is this -- we will always choose to offend the Christians before the non-Christians.
Seeing that you are frustrated, and given the fact that I talked with a bunch of people far from God on Sunday who loved the energy of the song and felt connected to the service because of it, it appears that we have achieved our goal.
My suggestion is this -- weigh carefully whether or not you want to be a part of a church that sings music like this, and plays difficult to watch video clips, and a host of other things to reach people far from God. If not, then now would be the time to look for another church before you put down roots too deep.
If on the other hand this is the kind of church you want to be a part of, I would welcome you to join in with everything you have and start reaching out to people far from God.
I hope this helps.
Thanks!
Brian
Church hoppers can be a lethal bunch, so don’t make them too cozy. However, and I’ll blog about this at another time – please remember that God can also be leading some of those people to your church too. But that’s a post for another day.
Reposted from Brian Jones.com
I think two of the most dangerous influences any church faces are: (1) Spiritual leaders who have lost their first love and (2) the onslaught of church hoppers. Having wavered before in my faith and flirted with losing my first love with God, I know firsthand how dangerous the first one can be. But that's something we spiritual leaders have control over. The second one...not so much.
I call church hoppers “connoisseurs of fine churches” because they’re continually on a quest to find the church that is spiritual enough for them, will endlessly engorge themselves on the “services” of the churches they attend, and always have a critical word to say afterwards whenever “church” doesn’t meet their standards.
Here are seven things we try to do to keep church hoppers from wearing out their welcome.
#1 Ask church hoppers to commit to tithing and serving in your 101-201-301 classes
That usually takes care of it right there. Because church hoppers are consumers by nature, anything that strikes them as sacrificial will surely turn them off. As a ministry friend of mine used to tell me, “At the first sign of trouble, raise the bar.”
#2 Tell your people to stop inviting their Christian friends to church
This past Sunday I may have been one of the few pastors out there that stood up and said, “Please DO NOT invite your Christians friends to our Easter services. We want other churches in the area to know we have their back. Also, we want to grow this church through conversion growth, not transfer growth. Let’s pack this place out with people who are keeping God up at night because they are living far from him.” I strategically do that 3-4 times a year.
#3 Preach short sermons
Howard Hendricks used to say, “Keep them longing, not loathing.” I buy into that philosophy. I try to speak anywhere between 21 and 26 minutes max. That drives church hoppers nuts because they want to “be fed.” I’m not interested in “feeding people” unless they are in the early stages of their spiritual journey. Church hoppers as well as Christians further along their spiritual journey need to be feeding themselves. Anything I provide on Sunday morning should be in addition to their own self-directed spiritual nourishment. One point, one scripture, 21-26 minutes, that’s enough.
#4 Don’t sing 9,345 worship songs
Church hoppers, 9 times out of 10, came from a church background where they were taught they needed 5-6 worship songs to really connect with God. That needs to be re-taught. Where did we get the idea that worship = singing anyway? That’s part of it, but only a small part of it. Every part of the service is worship. Every part of my life is worship. Limiting your worship songs except for occasions when you are led by God to expand the repertoire forces people to recognize this or leave.
#5 Keep your services short
We keep our services to 55 minutes, period. That’s it. That’s because we believe “church” is more than the official service that happens on a Sunday morning. It’s what happens before, during and afterwards. It’s what happens during the week when 2-3 gather. Experiencing a well-conceived 55 minute service to the church hopper is like spending your whole life overeating and then sitting down for a healthy, well-proportioned meal that someone else serves you. “Hey, I’m used to eating 16 pieces of fried chicken for dinner and 8 servings of bread! Why do I only get two? Waah.”
#6 Eliminate Christian “insider” language from the way you talk on the stage
The fact that I say “Leader” and “forgiver” from the stage drives church hoppers nuts. “You meant to say ‘Savior and Lord,' didn’t you?” At issue is an old mission’s word called “contextualization,” which basically means we need to speak in the language and culture of the hearer, not the speaker. The Greek word “kurios” doesn’t mean “Lord” in 21st century American idiom. Your old Bible translation from 50 years ago may read that way, but people aren’t talking that way today. Challenge your “insider” language and watch how church hoppers and their friends file right out of your services.
#7 Sing Non-Christian songs in your services on occasion
This past weekend we opened our service with Jet’s “Are you Gonna be My Girl?”
On Monday I promptly received an email about it…
This past weekend, I could not believe my ears. When worship opened up, I heard the opening chords for Jet’s- "Are you going to be my girl?" I was expecting the Apologetix parody version, “Are you gonna be Ike's girl?”
But in listening to the lyrics it sounded like they were covering the actual Jet Song – a song about figuring out how to get a one night stand, for a girl who came to some club or party with another guy.
I am hoping that I was mistaken and they were playing the Christian Parody version because I am having a real issue with wrapping my head around why it would be remotely ‘OK’ to play this content in a worship service.
There is a line between having a light fun service to reach the new/non-believer and cheapening the value and truth that the gospel can stand alone to reach out to someone. This may have crossed it.
Frustrated…
Name Withheld
Here was my response…
Frustrated,
I got your email and appreciate you taking the time to shoot me your thoughts.
I must say that while I appreciate your concern, this is certainly not the first nor will it be the last time we sing non-Christian music in our worship services.
We do this because we are trying to reach both non-Christians as well as Christians in the same service, and playing a non-Christian song up front in the service, we have learned, puts people far from God at ease.
Our philosophy has always been that Christians should be the ones that should be made the most uncomfortable in church, not the non-Christians. The way I put it is this -- we will always choose to offend the Christians before the non-Christians.
Seeing that you are frustrated, and given the fact that I talked with a bunch of people far from God on Sunday who loved the energy of the song and felt connected to the service because of it, it appears that we have achieved our goal.
My suggestion is this -- weigh carefully whether or not you want to be a part of a church that sings music like this, and plays difficult to watch video clips, and a host of other things to reach people far from God. If not, then now would be the time to look for another church before you put down roots too deep.
If on the other hand this is the kind of church you want to be a part of, I would welcome you to join in with everything you have and start reaching out to people far from God.
I hope this helps.
Thanks!
Brian
Church hoppers can be a lethal bunch, so don’t make them too cozy. However, and I’ll blog about this at another time – please remember that God can also be leading some of those people to your church too. But that’s a post for another day.
Friday, April 11, 2008
POP GOES THE CHURCH
"Would your community be any different if your church disappeared tomorrow? Have you ever asked yourself this question? Have you ever considered it with others at your church? If your church suddenly disappeared, could the community even recover? Or would they go on as though nothing at all had changed?
What is happening at your church that is worth talking about? When people leave your service, are they thinking about the e-mails they need to send and the football game they want to watch—or are they thinking deeply about their own choices and thinking how they might make a difference in some one's life this week?
Sadly, for most of us, the answer is a resounding “no.” We didn't even have to think that long about the answer. Our church is great for our friends, our family, and us, but there is little measurable impact on the community. There is little happening that is making a difference outside of the few dozen or couple hundred who regularly attend.
Wouldn't it be great if a local church had a vision big enough to capture people's hearts and motivate them to action, so it had an impact on the community? Wouldn't it be awesome if a church was so effective people began following Jesus, growing in their faith, and as a result, the community was being loved and served?
I love the way John 1:14 is written in The Message. It says Christ “became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” He came to us—met us where we were. In Jesus' case, the neighborhood was a rural, agricultural society in first century Palestine. He immersed himself in that culture. He wore the clothes, used the language, and illustrated his stories with the signs and symbols of the day to communicate the Gospel of an upside down kingdom here on earth.
If Jesus physically entered twenty-first century America, I believe he would do much as he did in the first century. He would hang out with normal people in the real world, and he would reserve his strongest words for the entrenched religious leaders who love their traditions more than they love their people. I believe he expects no less from us.
The goal of Pop Goes the Church is to stretch your thinking. If you have bought into the belief that church is exclusively for building up the believers, I want you to reconsider. If you think a church service cannot help believers grow AND be attractive to non-believers, I want to convince you that it can. If you have never experienced a church service that stays true to the Bible AND is comfortable for your non-religious friends and you don't think it is even possible, I want you to explore the possibility. The community around you is dying without Jesus, and it is your God-ordained duty to wrestle until you find the best way to reach them. And once you do, don't apologize. "
Check Out the book POP GOES THE CHURCH by Tim Stevens, I dare you!
My Comments:
It is time we valued our neighbours relationship to God more than our own needs for religious comfort. It is time for the church to learn to colour outside the lines of our narrow mindedness about what is or is not worship. It is time to get real and be relevant about our relationship to Jesus Christ and His relevancy to the "pop culture" of today.
It is pretty scary when the American Idol contestants can sing a worship song as their opening number and the church is still debating about the relevance of POP CULTURE in our services. Even the great Idol marketing machine understands the significance of relating to various cultural groups to get their message out!
Get relevant, get real or go home...actually it is DIE!
The church has a God given obligation to reach this generation,with out compromising the truth that she has inherited. Methods change,the message remains the same. Methods change, the mission must never change.
What is happening at your church that is worth talking about? When people leave your service, are they thinking about the e-mails they need to send and the football game they want to watch—or are they thinking deeply about their own choices and thinking how they might make a difference in some one's life this week?
Sadly, for most of us, the answer is a resounding “no.” We didn't even have to think that long about the answer. Our church is great for our friends, our family, and us, but there is little measurable impact on the community. There is little happening that is making a difference outside of the few dozen or couple hundred who regularly attend.
Wouldn't it be great if a local church had a vision big enough to capture people's hearts and motivate them to action, so it had an impact on the community? Wouldn't it be awesome if a church was so effective people began following Jesus, growing in their faith, and as a result, the community was being loved and served?
I love the way John 1:14 is written in The Message. It says Christ “became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” He came to us—met us where we were. In Jesus' case, the neighborhood was a rural, agricultural society in first century Palestine. He immersed himself in that culture. He wore the clothes, used the language, and illustrated his stories with the signs and symbols of the day to communicate the Gospel of an upside down kingdom here on earth.
If Jesus physically entered twenty-first century America, I believe he would do much as he did in the first century. He would hang out with normal people in the real world, and he would reserve his strongest words for the entrenched religious leaders who love their traditions more than they love their people. I believe he expects no less from us.
The goal of Pop Goes the Church is to stretch your thinking. If you have bought into the belief that church is exclusively for building up the believers, I want you to reconsider. If you think a church service cannot help believers grow AND be attractive to non-believers, I want to convince you that it can. If you have never experienced a church service that stays true to the Bible AND is comfortable for your non-religious friends and you don't think it is even possible, I want you to explore the possibility. The community around you is dying without Jesus, and it is your God-ordained duty to wrestle until you find the best way to reach them. And once you do, don't apologize. "
Check Out the book POP GOES THE CHURCH by Tim Stevens, I dare you!
My Comments:
It is time we valued our neighbours relationship to God more than our own needs for religious comfort. It is time for the church to learn to colour outside the lines of our narrow mindedness about what is or is not worship. It is time to get real and be relevant about our relationship to Jesus Christ and His relevancy to the "pop culture" of today.
It is pretty scary when the American Idol contestants can sing a worship song as their opening number and the church is still debating about the relevance of POP CULTURE in our services. Even the great Idol marketing machine understands the significance of relating to various cultural groups to get their message out!
Get relevant, get real or go home...actually it is DIE!
The church has a God given obligation to reach this generation,with out compromising the truth that she has inherited. Methods change,the message remains the same. Methods change, the mission must never change.
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Age of Entitlement is Dead
The age of entitlement is dead. People in positions of leadership should no longer expect preferential treatment due to their positional authority. If anything there has been a major decline in societies view of its' leaders. Just check out the late night circuit and check how often people in once esteemed and untouchable positions, are now routinely criticized and made a mockery of. The president of the USA is made out to be a dummy with a less that average I.Q. Here in Canada the leader of the opposition, Stephan Dion is portrayed as a "dorky" school boy.
Once upon a time society respected its leaders and were delighted at the thought of rewarding them with the odd perk now an again. Well, that day is gone. Maybe that's a good thing! Perhaps some people in positions of leadership have brought this on themselves. Or maybe times have changed, maybe we are tired of the abuses of power.
There was a time right here in Sudbury Ontario where my Dad would receive a complimentary 10% clergy discount from such establishments as Eaton's and Silvermans ( down on Elm).
Parishioners would bring in the odd chicken, or a dozen eggs, even a roast or two. But in those days wages for clergy were sub standard and people did what they could to help out. In those days public service was just that, public service. People provided perks for hard working underpaid servants of the public good. Well, hard working may still apply ,but underpaid has gone the way of vinyl records.
Even most clergy in this modern era receive a reasonable wage for their service to God and their parishioners.
So where does that leave us with this entitlement issue. If you expect it, you are probably out of luck. If you think you deserve it, you are definitely out of luck. What do you think if we just become equals. And if at some special time we receive some special treatment that is over and above our expectations we can learn to be grateful again and rejoice in the unexpected love shown to us by people who think enough about us to let us know we are special to them today.
Once upon a time society respected its leaders and were delighted at the thought of rewarding them with the odd perk now an again. Well, that day is gone. Maybe that's a good thing! Perhaps some people in positions of leadership have brought this on themselves. Or maybe times have changed, maybe we are tired of the abuses of power.
There was a time right here in Sudbury Ontario where my Dad would receive a complimentary 10% clergy discount from such establishments as Eaton's and Silvermans ( down on Elm).
Parishioners would bring in the odd chicken, or a dozen eggs, even a roast or two. But in those days wages for clergy were sub standard and people did what they could to help out. In those days public service was just that, public service. People provided perks for hard working underpaid servants of the public good. Well, hard working may still apply ,but underpaid has gone the way of vinyl records.
Even most clergy in this modern era receive a reasonable wage for their service to God and their parishioners.
So where does that leave us with this entitlement issue. If you expect it, you are probably out of luck. If you think you deserve it, you are definitely out of luck. What do you think if we just become equals. And if at some special time we receive some special treatment that is over and above our expectations we can learn to be grateful again and rejoice in the unexpected love shown to us by people who think enough about us to let us know we are special to them today.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Never Complain About What You Permit to Exist
I deliberately stayed away from announcing a New Years resolution. Best reason; they don't work, for me.
I have found that resolutions relieve the guilty feelings I have a bout doing nothing, about something, that bothers me. But nothing ever changes. So here we have a dilemma. I will complain about something that bothers me. I will make a resolution to change whatever it is that bothers me. I will keep the resolution for at least two days. Guilt assuaged! I can now go back to complaining about what bothers me. The very act of complaining makes me feel like I am doing something about what is bothering me. And so the cycle of self deception continues...and nothing ever changes.So here's the deal. Either change whats bothering you or shut up about it. Hence the world famous saying "never complain about what you permit to exist."
In personal life this means taking an honest assessment of where you are in life, or weight, or career, or relationship and making a straight forward choice. Change it or stuff it! But stop complaining about it.
In business life the same principal applies. If you are not prepared to take action about what you are complaining about, then stop complaining. Do something or shut up.
This simple concept of not complaining about what we permit to exist can be the catalyst that forces us to find the solution to what bothers us. Constant complaining leads to a sense of powerlessness...we are never powerless. We always have choices. Its just that some people do not like the choices that are laid out before them. So the simple solution "never complain about what you permit to exist". Change your situation. If you feel can not change your situation, change your attitude. But at least stop complaining about it.
Well, that sure told me...didn't it. I have to go and make some changes! How about you?
I have found that resolutions relieve the guilty feelings I have a bout doing nothing, about something, that bothers me. But nothing ever changes. So here we have a dilemma. I will complain about something that bothers me. I will make a resolution to change whatever it is that bothers me. I will keep the resolution for at least two days. Guilt assuaged! I can now go back to complaining about what bothers me. The very act of complaining makes me feel like I am doing something about what is bothering me. And so the cycle of self deception continues...and nothing ever changes.So here's the deal. Either change whats bothering you or shut up about it. Hence the world famous saying "never complain about what you permit to exist."
In personal life this means taking an honest assessment of where you are in life, or weight, or career, or relationship and making a straight forward choice. Change it or stuff it! But stop complaining about it.
In business life the same principal applies. If you are not prepared to take action about what you are complaining about, then stop complaining. Do something or shut up.
This simple concept of not complaining about what we permit to exist can be the catalyst that forces us to find the solution to what bothers us. Constant complaining leads to a sense of powerlessness...we are never powerless. We always have choices. Its just that some people do not like the choices that are laid out before them. So the simple solution "never complain about what you permit to exist". Change your situation. If you feel can not change your situation, change your attitude. But at least stop complaining about it.
Well, that sure told me...didn't it. I have to go and make some changes! How about you?
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