The chocolate whisperer

Bill Hybles

2012-02-22T02:39:00.000-08:00

It's 4:00 am and I'm already up and getting ready. Today, my friend Jamie Johnson and I are traveling down to Chicago for a meeting with Bill Hybels. He's the Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church and he's been one of my long distance mentors since 1998.

Through his monthly leadership course, he has taught me more leadership lessons than any other person. So much of what I have learned about leadership is rooted in him. I am so excited about going! I've been told there will only be 15 people in the room. Can't wait!

Hey! Be quiet!

2012-02-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

I saw this list of wise sayings on silence:

- Josh Billings,“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.”
- Silence is the wisest of replies.
- There are three times when you should never say anything important to aperson: when he is tired, when he is angry, and when he has just made amistake.
- Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.
- Alexander Pope (English poet), “Be silent always when you doubt yoursense."
- Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.
- Calvin Coolidge, “I have never been hurt by anything I didn’t say.”

These sayings line up with the wisdom of Proverbs:

Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent...

Years ago, I used to attend a meeting for Pastors in the city I lived in. For some reason, I decided to try this out. I let them talk and talk and I never said one word (yes, I know that's hard to believe but it's true). I did it intentionally just to see what would happen. I kept attending this meeting and one day, one of those men said, "Let's hear what Brian has to say on this. He just always seems so wise." I almost burst out laughing! I had never said a thing, but my silence made me seem wise. Of course, once I started talking, that appearance of wisdom vanished :)

It's just like someone once said, "Better to keep your mouth closed and appear foolish than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Try silence today and see what happens. Just listen. And listen with the idea of learning what you can from the people around you.

One of my favorite verses

2012-02-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 24:10 If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.

I think about this verse often. When God allows you to be "refined by fire", what happens on the inside? Do you quit? Do you want to quit?

Perseverance is a key quality in the Bible for anyone serious about following Jesus. You will be tested and will have to endure.

This verse has helped me "hang on" many, many times in my life.

Why are you breathing?

2012-01-23T08:14:00.001-08:00

I’m reading an excellent book right now called “The causewithin you” by Matthew Barnett. I can’tput it down. It’s the story of a churchin LA that’s making a huge difference with the poor in that community. The book continually reminds us that we arehere on earth to serve God’s purposes and not our own. When we do that, we impact others and weourselves are deeply impacted. Look atthis quote:

“A transforming causeis never about you—promoting yourself, achieving greater fame or fortune,experiencing more pleasure or comfort, amassing greater power. It is always about using the resources Godhas given you – skills, relationships, experiences, money, time, intelligence,and all the rest – to make a positive impact in the lives of others.”

That’s why we are here. If you are alive right now and reading this, you are here forothers. If you are not alive and readingthis, please contact me immediately.

When people get this point, it changes their lives.

*Some friends of mine recently cameback from a missions trip in Haiti. Theyhave a new purpose. One of my friends isdownsizing her entire life so that she can live and give more in line with her newvalues and serve those in need.

*Years ago, my wife went to a “Feedmy starving children” packing event in the Twin Cities. She found a new purpose…save those childrenwho will starve to death today.

*Once, a friend went on a missions trip to Mexico. She found a new purpose…to serve “the leastof these.” She serves in places where many of us would fear to even go.

*My friends Patrick and Meagan Lissner are socommitted to serving those who are suffering, they are willing to riskeverything to start a store dedicated to “fair-trade” products so they can giveback to those who are literally in slavery at this very moment.

I could go on and on with stories just like those. The point is this...You are here for a purpose and it has nothingto do with you being rich, happy or complacent. You are here to be God’s hands and feet in this world to serve thepeople around you.

I will be talking a lot more about this in 2012, but it’s agreat time to start praying and saying, “God, where do you want me to make adifference with you?”

Why marriage is so important to our nation

2011-12-05T07:28:00.001-08:00

I read this on a website called "Unselfish.org".

>>>

Marriage
Married people are a positive influence on society since they are up to five times less likely to commit crimes, sometimes more than 50 times less likely to be the victim of a crime, and are less likely to be homeless,
less likely to be on welfare, and less likely to need government assistance. When children are involved, marriage is also important. Numerous studies indicate that children raised by their married biological parents are
much less likely to get in trouble with the law and less likely to have problems in school. A study done by the State of Wisconsin indicates that children raised in a traditional family with married biological parents are eight times less likely to become delinquent than some other living arrangements.

Which integrity quote is your favorite?

2011-11-30T07:25:00.001-08:00

Which one is your favorite? I love the Ghandi quote and the Peter Scotese quote.

Integrity is: Doing what you said you would do, when you said you would do it, and how you said you would do it. –Byrd Baggett

Always believe what a person does, not what he says. –Fred Smith

Integrity is not a 90% thing, not a 95% thing; either you have it or you don’t. –Peter Scotese

Wisdom is knowing the right path to take … Integrity is taking it. –MH McKee

People of integrity expect to be believed. They also know time will prove them right and are willing to wait. –Ann Landers

Watch what direction the feet point, when the mouth stops. You want a consistency between mouth and movement. –James Dignam

Integrity is keeping my commitment even if the circumstances when I made the commitment have changed. –David Jeremiah

Personal integrity is important, not because it gets us what we want, but because it helps us be what we want. –Michael Josephson

A man of character will make himself worthy of any position he is given. –Mahatma Gandhi

2011-11-29T05:46:00.001-08:00

I read this online this morning. It's a great reminder how challenging it is to hire:

You’ve probably seen Leadership IQ’s famous study that found that 46% of all new hires will fail within the first 18 months (reported in Fortune, HR Executive, Industry Week, and more). But did you read our whole study? Did you see the part where we discovered that when new hires fail, 89% of the time they fail for Attitudinal reasons, not Skills?

I post things like this for two reasons:

1) To remind everyone how important our attitudes are. We always have control of our attitude because we get to choose what we think about. Do you have the right attitude today toward your boss or coworkers or job? Why not? Who are you blaming for YOUR attitude? You can be grateful today no matter what situation you are in. If you are struggling with that just go online and google search for images of starving kids and compare your situation to theirs. It will help your attitude.

2) Because hiring is hard. Terribly hard. It's even harder in churches because people have unrealistic expectations. People expect that anyone applying for a job at a church must be a wonderful person and could never have a bad attitude. After all, they are a Christian working at a church. It couldn't be them. People also expect that in a Christian organization like a Church, all hires will be perfect and blessed by God. Then, when a bad hire happens, people go sideways and think something must be wrong with the leaders because a bad hire happened. Bottom line: People expect perfection, but it will never happen.

So I write this to try to give the right perspective on hiring when it comes to Churches: I've hired wrong in the past. No matter how much we change our hiring practices, perfection will never happen here or at any church. Mistakes have happened and will happen. That's not an excuse for sloppiness or laziness, it's just reality. Do you have a realistic view on hiring toward your church?

How to affirm people the right way

2011-11-22T11:44:00.001-08:00

Found this great article online today. This is very interesting!

>>>>>>>>>

A few years ago, I heard about some research conducted by Stanford University’s (go Andrew Luck! Sorry, couldn’t resist) Carol Dweck on the effects of our affirmation on children and teenagers. More specifically, the relationship between the types of words we use and the way they invite, or don’t invite, teenagers to continue to grow.
As this Harvard Business Review blog well summarizes the heart of Dweck’s research:

One study primed people with a simple phrase praising their intelligence based on completing a difficult task rather than the effort they put in to achieving the task by saying “You’re so smart,” versus “You must have worked hard.” This simple statement had the “smart” ones less willing to take learning risks in the future, as well protecting their status by lying. In fact, those praised for intelligence were found to be three times more likely to lie about their performance than those praised for effort.

As soon as Dave and I read Dweck’s study, we started to talk more with our own children about “hard work” than their accomplishments. Whether it be soccer or spelling, we talk with our kids about how proud we are of how hard they tried, not the end result of their efforts. Our hope is that our kids realize how important it is to keep trying, to keep growing.
As the recent HBR blog points out, this research can also be applied to organizations to help them develop a growth mindset.

Can organizations develop a growth mindset? One research project showed it’s possible by developing a workshop around mindset. It began with an article and video on how the brain grows with learning throughout life. Participants are then asked, “What’s an area where you once had low ability but now perform quite well? How were you able to make this change?” or “Who is someone in your life who has dramatically improved their performance? How did they do it?” Participants were then asked to draft an email to an employee who was doing well and then struggled.
After the workshop, these managers exhibited more openness to critical feedback, willingness to mentor — and a higher quality of mentoring — and openness to the possibility of employees’ changing.

This research begs the question: what can we do in our ministries and our families to help ourselves, and the other members, lean into growth? What questions can we ask? What qualities can we affirm?
The next time you’ve having a great conversation with a teenager or another leader, what questions can you ask them that might help them think more about how they can keep growing? How can you affirm their faithful effort?

Men's brains are being rewired

2011-11-12T16:30:00.001-08:00

All I can say to this article is...YIKES!

The Demise of Guys?

Boys' brains are being rewired by video games and online porn.

by Eric Reed

"Please, sir, may I have some different?" It's not "more" the average young guy wants today, it's different.
Psychologist Philip Zimbardo describes drug addiction as "wanting more," but guys today have what he calls arousal addiction, always "wanting something different." This never-ending stream of stimulation is behind the growing failure of males to connect with women socially or to succeed academically. They're dropping out of life.
Zimbardo cites excessive internet use, video gaming, and online porn as causes of this new addiction. By age 21, boys spend 10,000 hours gaming, two-thirds of that time in isolation. The average young man watches 50 porn clips per week.
"Boys' brains are being digitally rewired in a totally new way, for change, novelty, excitement, and constant arousal," Zimbardo says. "They're totally out of sync in traditional classes, which are analog, static, and interactively passive. And they're totally out of sync in relationships, which build gradually and subtly." This is creating a generation of young men who do not connect well in traditional teaching situations and who lack social skills especially with women.

Encountering a real God...

2011-11-10T08:15:00.001-08:00

That world outside there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity, it's waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity.
    Author: Leonard Ravenhill

I was in a meeting the other day where a friend was talking about his church and what he thinks people need in their life to really grow. One of the things he said really struck me. He said people need to "encounter" God. I have never heard it put that way specifically, but I believe it's true.

My faith is pretty strong because I have "encountered" God so many times.

     *When I was 14, I had a dramatic conversion where I "encountered" God and I was changed forever. I knew I had met a real God and He began the process of changing me from the inside.
     *In 2003, I was in a horrible crisis and my faith was struggling. I then decided to double my time spent each day reading my Bible and praying and I "encountered" God. My soul was dramatically healed.
     *Dozens of times in the history of HVCC, we were in a crisis spot where we needed God to come through or it was all over and we have "encountered" the God who provides and the God who guides.

All of this has resulted in my faith growing. I'm confident in HIM. But the truth is, I would NOT have this faith without those times of testing and pain where I was forced to turn to face the truth about me and rely on Him.

When I heard my friend talk about encountering God the other day, I was reminded of all this and was challenged to think about how can we help people "encounter God"? He is the one who changes people, not a ritual or service or habit. If you meet Him, everything changes. I'd love to hear if you have had such an encounter with God.

Does your belief system truly make you free?

2011-11-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

I read this story today:

I knew a guy when I was in Minot that told me, “I could never become a Christian.” When I inquired as to why, he said because there is no freedom. I’d have to give up this and that. I asked him if he was so free, then stop doing those activities that he felt we liberating. He looked at me with a disheartening look because he knew he couldn’t. So I asked him, “You’re not as free as you thought you where huh?”

That's so true. I've heard that before. We've embraced actions and behaviors that are NOT resulting in freedom for us. In reality, they have put us in bondage. As the guy said, just try to quit those things. Jesus is the only one who truly sets us free. Living His life, His way is not bondage. It's true freedom because it brings things you can't find anywhere else: True JOY and lasting PEACE. You can't find that anywhere else in this world.

I love my job

2011-10-19T07:12:00.001-07:00

I'm teaching on broken workplaces this week and I came across this. Enjoy!

I LOVE MY JOB
(apologies to Dr. Seuss)

I love my job, I love the pay, I love it more and more each day.
I love my boss and he's the best. I love HIS boss and all the rest.
I love my office and it's location. I hate to have to take vacation.
I love my desk, drab and gray, and love those paper piles each day.
I love my chair in my padded cell; there's nothing else I love so well.
I love to work among my peers. I love their leers 'n jeers 'n sneers.
I love my computer and all its ware; I hug it often to show I care.
I love each program and every file; I even try using it once in a while.
I'm happy to be here, I am, I am...I'm the happiest slave to my Uncle Sam.
I love this work; I love these chores; I love the meetings with deadly bores.
I love my job AND I'll say it again, I even love these friendly men:
These men who've come to visit today, in lovely white coats to take me away!

Funny quote

2011-10-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

"There's too much blood in my caffeine system."

Ever feel like that? I sure have lately. I was in Roscommon, MI all last week directing an assessment center for church planters. It was EXHAUSTING. On top of that I felt very sick all week and had to use massive doses of caffeine to fight off migraines. I certainly felt like I was propped up on caffeine. Thankfully, I survived and have been able to wean off the caffeine since arriving back home. I try to make sure there are at least two days each week where I don't drink any. However, this is not one of those days :)

Pastor's don't always use the right words...

2011-09-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

I have been known to occasionally slip up in my word selection. In part, it's because your brain can think so much faster than your mouth can speak.

One time, I was speaking about how I like to read books on vacation on the beach while sitting in the shade of a tree. Unfortunately, I combined the words SHade and sIT. Oops. I recently did it again and the word that came out was "farting". I don't remember what two words I combined that day. I just know the audience lost it!

So imagine how good I felt when I read what this Pastor said:

I was preaching on the sanctity of the holy of holies and the described the high priest entering the naos once a year with bells around the hem of his robe and a rope tied to his ankle in case he were to be killed by God. As I tried to describe his ministry behind the veil I said, "He tinkled here and he tinkled there, and he tinkled here and he tinkled there, and he tinkled ...". That was when I realized that I had lost the entire church.

Oh...those tinkling priests. Enjoy your day and watch your words carefully!

Great CS Lewis quote about Christianity

2011-09-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." - CS Lewis

How many times do people who say that they follow Jesus treat Jesus and their faith as only "moderately important." Oh, it's important they say, but...

    -few spend time each day reading their Bible and praying in order to develop their relationship with God
    -few give sacrificially as Jesus did for us
    -few risk often to invite friends and coworkers to come to hear about Jesus at church
    -few passionately pursue the full understanding of their gifting in order to use it all to serve God and build His kingdom

Even in my own life, I get distracted from what is MOST important and begin to live as if it's only moderately important. I will post later on the cure for this...

What made my Grandpa great

2011-09-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

It is a rare thing to encounter a great man. However, my grandpa fit the bill. I know that few of you reading this ever met him so let me tell you a little about what made him so great. There were so many things about him I loved...

I think my favorite thing about him was how loving and accepting he was. Once you joined the family, no matter what you had been through to that point in your life, you were IN. Ask my wife about it sometime. She was overwhelmed by the love he (and my grandma Ruby) offered. From the moment my wife met them, she was part of the family. It was like she had been a part of the family all along. It was the same love, the same welcome, and the same concern.

I remember one time Cherie and I stopped by for a visit. Cherie was pregnant with our first child. We spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa and they were so concerned about her. They tried to make sure she got enough to eat because they were so worried that she wasn't eating enough. It was so cute. We sat and played euchre for a while and then just talked. Of course, they went to bed @ 8:00 pm :)

I'll never forget the time last year when we stopped by unexpectedly. Grandpa was just sitting alone in his apartment when we called. We were a few miles away and we called and I told him we were coming over and that we were stopping by McDonalds to get some food for the kids. I asked him if he wanted a burger and fries and he said, "I'm always up for a burger." So we stopped and got him some food and then sat and talked with him and ate with him. It was great. As we were getting up to leave, he pressed a $10.00 bill in my hand. I told him it was not necessary, but he insisted. There was no saying "no" to Grandpa in situations like that. I tried to explain to him that it had only cost us a few dollars, but he wouldn't hear of it. He was just so happy to see us.

One of the truly great things about him was how others-focused he was. In my job, I've gone to visit lots of people at the end of their life. Almost exclusively, in those situations, the people you meet talk about themselves. They talk about their aches and pains and what they did and who stopped by. I've been in rooms where the other person never stopped talking until the moment you left. That never happened with Grandpa. He was always curious about you. He wanted to hear everything that was going on in your life and in the kids lives. He would sit and ask question after question and you always got the sense that your life was very important to him.

Oh...and Grandpa was a risk-taker. Did I tell you that he once tried to build his own little lake on his property? It didn't work out, but I LOVE the fact that he tried. I asked him about it once and he just kind of smiled and looked off to the side and said that it didn't work out like he had hoped. We need more people who try to build their own lakes :)

I loved him very much. I consider it a GREAT gift to have known him and an amazing privilege to have been born into his family. I will always miss him.

The world lost a great man yesterday

2011-09-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

Don Rudesill

We can learn a lot from zombies

2011-09-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

I saw something recently that got me thinking about leadership lessons we could learn from zombies. Since I have personally led a multi-year war against zombies on the X-box, I consider myself something of an expert on the subject. Here's what I've come up with so far:

*Zombies recruit effectively: They start with one, but soon there are so many more. All great leaders are recruiters. They know you get more done by teams than individually. Is there someone you need to talk to to get on your team?
*Zombies are goal driven: They have two simple goals: Eat you or convert you. That's all the do. They are not distracted by the other things of this world. They know their purpose and are relentless in pursuing it. Do you know your purpose? Why does God have you here? What are the one or two areas on earth where God has called you to make a difference?
*Zombies rely on perseverance not talent: Zombies aren't particularly fast, display no real talents, aren't verbally talented, but they keep winning in their attempts to take over the world. Why? They NEVER give up. They just keep going and going and going... Are you demonstrating perseverance today or thinking of quitting on a God-given dream?
*Zombies know how to overcome adversity: Obviously just being a zombie in and of itself is a lot of adversity. However, you never see a zombie just lay down and quit. They get up again and again. What affect does adversity have on you?

I have more, but I'll save them for later. Zombies may be giving us some of the best leadership examples in the world. I think someone should make a t-shirt that says something about zombie leadership. It might be a big seller!

Chicago

2011-09-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

I recently had to go to Chicago to direct an assessment center. It was a BLAST! We were back in our old stomping grounds. Cherie and I met at a college right down town Chicago. We couldn't believe how much had changed over the last two decades. It's so much nicer and cleaner. We walked everywhere and each night we tried a new kind of food. One night it was Thai food (not my favorite), the next night it was an Irish pub and the final night it was greek food. The Greek food was my favorite by far! Flaming cheese...yummy!

Another great quote

2011-08-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

"People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed."

An important reminder for every Pastor, teacher and speaker.

More insights from the Leadership Conference

2011-08-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

**Brilliant session on humility by John Dickson. He laid out five benefits of Humility:

   1) Humility is common sense:   None of us is an expert in everything.
   2) Humility is beautiful. It's psychologically true. We're more attracted to the humble. It wasn't always that way. Before Jesus and the crucifixion, honoring yourself was most attractive. Jesus changed all of history with his humble act of sacrifice on our behalf.
   3) Humility is generative. It generates new knowledge and abilities! You will learn more if you are humble.
   4) Humility is persuasive. Aristotle pointed out that the character of the persuader is the most important element of persuasion.
   5) Humility is inspiring. Jim Collins pointed this out in his book "Good to great." The best leaders in business in history were humble. You can google that to see what Jim discovered.

Leadership Conference insights...

2011-08-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

"Everyone is born an original, but sadly most die as copies".

"Show me first how you choose to live and give. How you live speaks so loudly, I can't hear one thing you say."

"We will believe in the future by creating it first!"

The data shows that true entrepreneurs reduce risk and spread it. They don't go looking for it. They often don't start with any ideas or vision. They just get in a space and just go do it.

The progressions of family businesses:
    1st generation: Creates
    2nd generation: Enjoys
    3rd generation: Destroys

In a world where you CANNOT predict the future = ACT! If you can't predict it, create it!

In the face of un-knowability, what would rational behavior look like? What's the rationality of sitting and thinking in teh face of un-knowability? ACT!

--Take small steps with what you have at hand. You can all take a step and make a difference with what you have at hand.
--Start with things you care about! Don't ask "where is there a great opportunity?". Do what you want!
--Act quickly with what you have at hand.
--ACT! Bring others along.

Failure doesn't mean "game over". It means "try again with experience." Call it "an exercise in learning something that nobody else knows."

Is your Christianity too comfortable

2011-08-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here's something I read online today. Give some thought to this for self-evaluation:

10 Signs Your Christianity Has Become Too Comfortable

1. You are not attending church with a high level of expectancy.
2. You no longer seem to be concerned about the spiritual condition of neighbors, family members, or your co-workers.
3. You haven’t had a spiritual conversation with a non-Christian in a long time.
4. The Bible seems like a history book. It’s lifeless to you.
5. Your happiness on Sunday mornings is more important than what it takes to reach the unchurched. As long as you get your parking spot, your seat, and hear the music you like, everything’s fine.
6. The plight of the poor doesn’t concern you.
7. Pictures of overseas suffering do not move you to action.
8. You do not give your financial resources sacrificially.
9. Your prayers don’t seem to be making it past the ceiling.
10. It doesn’t even dawn on you that God could do something incredibly radical in your life at any moment today. It’s not even on your radar.

It's my birthday and everything's changing...

2011-08-03T03:58:00.000-07:00

I'm 41 today. Wow. What's making an impression on me now is not my years, it's all the change.

*My kids have changed so much. Cherie and I are frequently alone in the house now. One kid is working out of state this summer and we hardly ever see him, three others work regularly and only Hannah is without a job...for now. My two oldest are just days away from college now and I still have two in High School. The house stays cleaner, but it's quiet. Very strange. Plus, my youngest turns 13 tomorrow. Wow. My youngest is a teenager. How did that happen...

*My love for my wife continues to change. I find she gets more and more beautiful to me every day. I admire so many things about her. She's so caring, thorough, thoughtful, devoted, driven. In many ways, she's a better leader than I am. I learn so much from her and there's no doubt I'm a better man because of her.

*My job changes all the time. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know about anything. I've been stretched so much over the last two years that I almost broke several times. However, I'm still here.

*My love for God continues to change. GPS has changed and is changing everything. I live with a much deeper connection to God as I go through each day with the constant theme of "I surrender" in my mind. I'm excited to see where it goes from here.

*One thing doesn't change and that's my desire to reach out to people far from God. That only continues to grow. So many have settled for knowing information about God when they could know God instead. Changes are coming to try to make us more even more effective as a church in fulfilling God plan.

I will be very interested to see what the next year brings.

Ouch...another short but convicting video

2011-08-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this:

Beth Moore - what surrender really means

"It will not turn out like you pictured it." I need that tattooed on my body and mind. I've know for some time that how we handle life when things don't turn out like we pictured will reveal whether we are saying to God "Your will be done" or whether we've said to God, "My will be done." I sure needed this reminder today.

This line also zapped me... "Will we follow Him no matter where He goes?" What if He goes in a way that doesn't fit my plans? My attitude still too often is rooted in asking God to bless my plans and if He doesn't, I'm frequently disappointed. I live far too often in the world of "My will be done" and not far enough in the world of "Thy will be done." I have such a long way to go yet... I will be adding this thought to my daily GPS plan. (If you don't know what GPS stands for, just scroll back in this blog to January of 2011 and start reading the GPS blog entries.)

My personal opinion on deep teaching...

2011-07-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

I love this link. Watch this and then I'll comment some more below:

Rick Warren on deep teaching

I couldn't agree more. I just got back from three weeks of vacation. During that time, I attended three large churches where the teaching would have been classified by the Christian world as "deep". However, I can't tell you one thing I learned or will apply from what those teachers spoke about.

I know that sounds critical and maybe even harsh or arrogant to say, but it's not my intent. I'm passionate about the state of the church in America and we are not doing good. We're dying and bad teaching is a huge part of this.

Here's my philosophy on teaching: The goal is NOT information. The goal is transformation. I've no doubt that some people walked out of those three churches with new Greek or Hebrew definitions from those three preachers. However, there are two questions you should answer after every sermon:

-What did they want me to know?
-What did they want me to DO?

Nobody could answer the second question after any of those messages. The first was hard enough to discern in most cases and impossible in one case.

James says that we must not settle for just hearing the word. We must become doers. That's one of the major problems in Christianity today. We are not living the life. That's why I teach the way I do. I aim at showing HOW to do what Jesus said and not just what He said. Transformation comes when we do what Jesus says...not just when we fill our notebooks and Bibles with notes that we never look at again. I could write LOTS more about this, but that's a blog for another day.

The harsh reality about saying NO

2011-07-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

I was reading online today about the importance of learning to say "NO". The author pointed out five negative consequences that come from our inability to do this:

   Other peoples’ priorities will take precedence over ours.
   Mere acquaintances—people we barely know!—will crowd out time with family and close friends.
   We will not have the time we need for rest and recovery.
   We will end up frustrated and stressed.
   We won’t be able to say “yes” to the really important things.

I groaned when I read this. Way too many times, my inability to say no has hurt me and my family. This is such a hard topic because most people working at churches care about people and saying no means saying no to people.

But, the other bigger problem is this: there have been many times where people have left the church because I said no to them. A family once left the church simply because we didn't give them a job. There was only one position and lots of applicants, but she didn't get it and she left. Ugh. This one can easily feel like a "can't win".

The point is you will pay either way. Which side are you paying on? Are you paying because you won't say no or paying because you are saying no?

More faith...less crime

2011-07-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

Great article!

The factor of faith in crime reduction

By BYRON JOHNSON HOUSTON CHRONICLE

July 23, 2011, 3:59PM

Recently there has been a growing interest in the role of religious institutions and faith-based organizations in confronting various social problems, and especially social ills like crime and delinquency. Consequently, understanding the nature of the relationship between religion and crime may provide much needed insights to help decision-makers and practitioners operate a more effective criminal justice system. For example, rigorous research can yield important data assessing the role of thousands of faith-motivated individuals, houses of worship and other faith-based groups interested in crime reduction and offender-rehabilitation programs.

Faith-based approaches to mentoring at-risk youth, drug treatment, restorative justice, cognitive restructuring of offenders or spiritual transformation of prisoners already exist in most communities. Thus, understanding how religion might prevent crime, or help youth from bad neighborhoods to be resilient in spite of their surroundings, is an important and policy-relevant matter. Research can help us not only understand how faith might matter, but how these faith-informed approaches can be modified and improved to have greater impact on common civic goals — like crime reduction and public safety - valued by all.

One of the first studies to shed new light on the religion-crime relationship was conducted not by a criminologist, but by an economist, Richard Freeman, at Harvard University. Since delinquency and crime tend to be most heavily concentrated in poverty-stricken areas or what social scientists like to call socially disorganized communities, Freeman focused on housing projects and impoverished communities in Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. Though it is true that crime is concentrated in disadvantaged communities, it is also true that the majority of poor urban youth do not turn to crime and deviance, even though they live in places where crime rates tend to be higher than normal. Freeman's study was particularly helpful because it identified factors that helped these teens become "resilient youth" - kids who stay out of trouble in spite of the bad neighborhoods in which they reside. More than a decade later, I replicated Freeman's 1986 study and found strong empirical support for his conclusions - active participation in a church plays a critical protective role and helps youth to be resilient to the negative influences of living in economically impoverished environments.

Aided by a number of important studies over the last two decades, and several systematic reviews of these scholarly publications, it has become clear that the religion and crime research literature is not inconclusive as some scholars have misleadingly suggested. These reviews document consistent and mounting evidence suggesting increasing religious commitment or involvement helps individuals avoid crime and delinquency. But are these research findings consistent with more recent research? In order to answer this question, I recently completed the most exhaustive systematic review conducted to date of the relevant research literature on religion and crime. This review located 273 studies on religion and crime that were published between 1944 and 2010. Ninety percent of the studies (247 of 273) find increasing religiosity to be associated with decreases in various measures of crime and delinquency. Only two out of 273 studies report religion was associated with a harmful outcome.

For example, an evaluation of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI), a faith-based prison program located at the Carol Vance Unit in Richmond, concluded that IFI program graduates had significantly lower rates of arrest following release from prison than a matched group of prisoners not participating in IFI (17.3 percent v. 35 percent). Similarly, those completing the IFI program had significantly lower rates of reincarceration than the comparison group (8 percent vs. 20.3 percent).

Put simply, increasing religiosity tends to be associated with decreasing crime. The weight of this evidence is especially intriguing in light of the fact that religion continues to be overlooked by so many. For example, one will look in vain to find any references at all to religion in criminology and criminal justice textbooks. This is because many social scientists go out of their way to overlook or dismiss the role religion plays in crime reduction in spite of the evidence showing religion is an important protective factor. Stated differently, religion insulates youth from harmful outcomes like suicide or crime, and helps them to be resilient within communities of disadvantage. Even more compelling is the fact that most faith-based interventions tend to be volunteer-driven and consequently are cost-effective. In an age of evidence-based government and unprecedented economic struggles, it would seem to be prudent to give more thoughtful attention to the many possibilities that religion and faith-based approaches can bring to bear on matters of crime and justice.

Johnson is Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University and author of "More God, Less Crime: Why Faith Matters and How it Could Matter More" (2011).

Leaders needed

2011-07-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

I recently sent an email to the people who lead ministries at HVCC. However, I consider the content so important that I'm also putting an edited version of it here on my blog.

There has never been a greater need for leaders in our families, communities, church and world. In the absence of godly leadership, you can see for yourself what’s happening. Do you like the direction our schools, state, nation and churches are heading? In the absence of great leaders, bad leaders are stepping up and taking us where we must not go.

This is where you come in. Did you ever stop to think that God may want to use YOU to bring positive change? Leadership is about influence. It’s time for all of us to take that responsibility to bring a godly influence into our world far more seriously. This means we MUST push ourselves to learn and grow. One way you can do that is to sign up for the leadership conference we’re hosting @ HVCC August 11 and 12. I know that you will be challenged, you will be stretched and you will be forced to become a better leader.

I also know money is tight for many people and time is scarce, but there’s too much at stake for us to just let this slide. “I’ll become a better leader next year” won’t cut it with God. He does not have you here on earth to take up space. He has you here to make a difference. This conference will help you get better as a leader. Please consider it and sign up at our website. You'll find it under our current events button.

Part of my zeal for this is what I’m reading this summer on vacation. Noel Tichey's book "The Leadership Engine" is mind-blowing! Awesome! I’ve learned so much already and I can't wait to implement the things I've learned. The more I learn, the more I realize I know NOTHING!

Please talk behind my back today

2011-07-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

I heard a great clip this morning from an author named Tim Sanders. He said we need to learn how to talk behind each others backs. He said it's perfectly ok to do this...as long as what you are saying is positive!

All day long, I want you to practice this. Talk behind someone's back about what a great job they are doing, how much you enjoy being around them, how great their personality and strengths are. Not only will the positive feedback get back to them, it will reinforce positive messages in your own mind toward that person.

If you are married, talk behind your spouses' back today. Same thing with your children. No negative today at all!

A ticking time bomb...

2011-06-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

This article will break your heart. I read it today and felt such sorrow. What hope do these kids have? More money? More drinking? More sex? More education? More... ??? Everything the world is offering them is meaningless and they know it. Pay attention to the question in the last sentence. Only God can fill this gap...

Britain’s teenagers are some of the most sexually abusive on the planet. They are also amongst the worst drinkers, smokers and have the highest pregnancy rates of any western nation. Simply, the state education system is failing to deliver.The consequences for that failure are now becoming apparent. According to the OECD one in 10 older teenagers are not in school or training or work.
A third of British 13 - 15 year olds have been drunk at least twice. Apparently girls are more likely to get drunk than boys. Teenage pregnancies are put Britain only 3 places behind Mexico at the top of the list.
In these circumstances sexual abuse is inevitable.
A recent University of Bristol study published these staggering figures based on a study of 1300 young people.

13 out of every 17 teenagers had an abusive relationship.
Nine out of 10 girls in the study said they had had an intimate relationship.
One in six said they were pressured into having sex while one in 16 said they were raped.
One in 17 boys reported being forced into having sex.
One in five boys reported abusive violence form girls.

Professor David Berridge from Bristol University and one of the reports authors was appalled at the high rate of violence in teenage relationships.
“It was shocking to find that exploitation and violence in relationships starts so young,” he said.
British concerns are about the ticking time bomb. These children will soon be adults - what then?

Pick your path...both lead somewhere

2011-06-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was teaching on temptation and how resisting temptation is rooted in a clear understanding of who God is. (To see that message, go to www.hiddenv.com and watch the message from 6-26-11. It should be uploaded by 6-28. Caution: Do not watch if you don't want to be challenged. It will make you think about things we don't want to think about.)

After the message was over, a friend came up to me and told me that he used to be a practicing pagan. He said that in the pagan literature, one of the slogans they live by is this:

If it harms none, do what you will."""

I was stunned. What a short-sighted theme to live by. It CLEARLY is the theme of this world. However, it ONLY works under these conditions:

     Condition #1: You never die (If you are never going to die, do what you want. No consequences.)
     Condition #2: There is no God (If God isn't real, do what you want. There are no rules.)
     Condition #3: This God is not Holy (If God is not Holy, then He doesn't care what you do.)
     Condition #4: This God is not Just (If God is not just, He won't hold us accountable for anything).

However, if there's a chance that those things are true, then that slogan is the most dangerous slogan to live by. It will bring some short term pleasure but guaranteed long term devastation. Living by that slogan is like having unprotected sex with a prostitute that you know has Aids but you do it anyway because you want the short term pleasure with no thought for any long term consequences. How dangerous is that?

I believe those four statements are true. Therefore, I want to live a life that preps me for the moment I stand before a Holy and Just God. If I'm wrong, what have I missed out on? Because I train myself to live by the principles of Jesus, I have a great marriage, love my family, work hard, have a lot of fun, see dramatic answers to prayer and experience God regularly. What am I missing?

Jesus taught that there is a path that leads to life and a path that leads to death. Which path have you chosen?

How are you treating Jesus?

2011-06-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Interesting. I was reading in John 8 this morning and Jesus said this:

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

What struck me today were the words "follow me". I thought about how I have done three different things with Jesus in my life...

*Ignored Him. For the first 14 years of my life, I didn't care about Jesus. Then there have been other times, even as a Christian, where I did not think about Him.

*Used Him. Ow. It hurts to admit this, but I have used Jesus. It usually happens when I'm ignoring Him and something goes wrong. All of a sudden, Jesus is my "buddy". Why? I need help. Now, Jesus is loving and gracious and responds to this call for help, but it's not optimal.

*Follow Him. This is the goal of my life now. I want to remain in HIM all the time so that His life fills me. GPS is the key to this. (Search my blog posts for info about GPS). You can KNOW Jesus and He can guide you when you recenter your life around Him.

Which of those three describe you today?

Great observation about the future

2011-06-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

At my boys graduation ceremony, one of the speakers quoted this:

“The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”- Alvin Toffler

Brilliant! He is not downplaying the importance of reading or writing. Instead, he is saying that in a world that is changing as fast as this one, it is imperative that we all keep some flexibility and adaptability in us. Things change!

For instance, did you ever play with Play-doh? When it's new, it's squishy and easy to reshape. However, after it's been left out for a while, it begins to harden and isn't as easy to work with.

Would the people around you say that you have lost some of your flexibility? Do you have a harder edge? Are you fighting some change needlessly? The way of the future is to learn, unlearn and relearn.

Wow...one of the best quotes I've ever read...

2011-06-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

A great friend sent me this the other day. It was in a marriage book she's reading. It knocked my socks off! I have read it over and over again. What a powerful truth and a great explanation for why so many Christians make no progress in growing to be like Jesus. "Things" are not the real problem...

"We're not suggesting denying issues. Nor are we advocating self-denial, but we do believe in denial of self. Religion teaches self-denial, but Christianity is about denial of self - denial of the desires of the "me-my-I-self" to put you before your spouse. The reason for the contrast is that religion sees things as the issue, but Christianity teaches self is the issue. A lot of people think they are doing things right if they deny themselves cigarettes, booze, or some other vice that is harmful, but they will allow themselves to be spiteful, bitter, selfish, and contentious. They give in to self and they are no better for it because, while avoiding bad exterior things is good, they are not the corrupting issue - selfishness is the corrupting issue.

If I can walk in victory in Jesus over self, if I can "die to self," then those outer things that corrupt the body aren't going to be the issue, but neither are the inner things that corrupt the heart."

20 years today

2011-06-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

June 1, 1991. That was the day I became a Pastor. Twenty years ago today.

Nobody is ever prepared to be a Pastor. School can't begin to teach you the skills you need to do this job well. Even after twenty years, I feel like I only know very little. You definitely better be called by God to the role or don't even bother. There's no way to endure without that sense that this is exactly where God wants you to be.

My basketball buddies joke that I have the easiest job in the world and only have to work for two hours each week. Interesting. I'm not sure what people perceive the role to be...I actually don't spend much time thinking about that.

I've seen so much in two decades. Incredible joy and and incredible pain. Fantastic transformation and heart-breaking defeats. I've only been in two churches in all that time. Madison East Bible Church and Hidden Valley.

So as June 1 comes to a close, I start my third decade as a Sr. Pastor. My oh my how things have changed.

GPS update...months later

2011-05-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

I admit I have been struggling with GPS for months. (You can go back in my blog to see what GPS stands for). It just didn't seem like it was working like it used to work.

I knew there was still more I had to learn, but I didn't know what. Then I picked up a book called "Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians". In one chapter, I was reading the story of someone named "Madam Guyon." It was a pretty interesting story, but it became an amazing story when I read about her spiritual journey. She had such incredible experiences with God until one day, it seemed as if God was withdrew from her. She actually wondered if God might have abandoned her. This sense of God's absence lasted seven years until someone pointed out something that changed her life. She was seeking God to get an experience, not just to seek God. She was addicted to the intense joy that comes from being with God. As long as pursuing God gave her that joy, she was fine, but slowly over time, the experience/feeling became what she wanted even more than just being with God. As the books says, "she had been thinking more about her emotions than about the Lord...".

Oops. That whacked me hard. Mistake #1078 in my spiritual journey so far. I was overwhelmed with joy when I became a Christian in 1984. Then when I started the GPS experiment, I felt that joy once again. However, subtly, the thrill of being with God slowly became what I wanted...even more than God Himself. Ugh. When GPS stopped creating any emotional reaction within me at all, I thought something was wrong. Like her, I thought maybe God was withdrawing. I wanted the feeling more than God.

No more. God is what I want. If He chooses to fill me with that amazing sense of joy, great! If not, I will continue to pursue Him every moment of every day until He comes. I surrender. It's about God, not me.

Update on Platteville

2011-05-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not heard about this, a few months ago, a man from the Platteville area contacted us and said that he would be interested in helping us get a new site started down in Platteville. At the time the letter arrived, we had a group of people praying regularly for God to reveal what we should do and another group meeting on Saturday morning to pray. We viewed the letter as a possible answer to prayer.

The man's name is Tim Swiggart. He's a graduate of UW Platteville and I've known him for about five years. He has volunteered to help in the role of "facilitator" for our new location. The staff met with him on two occasions in Dodgeville and then we traveled to Platteville to tour some potential meeting places.

Yesterday, we had an informational meeting in Platteville for anyone interested in helping us start a new site in that community. We had 8 families and individuals in attendance. Some were from HVCC-Dodgeville and live closer to Platteville, some were from HVCC-Richland Center and had just moved to Platteville and others were connections through Tim. It was very exciting and everyone signed up to help us take the next step.

What is the next step? We plan to begin what we call "Private worship services" on Sunday, June 5 in Platteville on the college campus. Like Dodgeville and RC, it will begin small. There will be video worship and teaching with a nursery for children birth through age 5 and not a lot more than that in the early days. Then we will pray and invite and build and see what God will do.

We would LOVE your prayers on this. We have no thought that we can build God's church. It will require God to show up and do what only He can do. I'll keep you posted.

Mind-blowing! Never heard anything like this...

2011-05-08T13:12:00.001-07:00

OK...I'm not saying I agree with this, but it's pretty stretching.

I love teams. I'm a people person and love to get a crowd in the room kicking around ideas. But at the same time, I also know when to clear the room and get down to business. Sometimes I think whoever invented the "open door policy" was an idiot, because sooner or later, you have to shut the door and start thinking. Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon, writers of I Hate People discuss the issue in their book based on the difficulties of working in the modern office. In the book, they insist that contemporary corporate America puts too much emphasis on teamwork. As they say, "Four decades ago, Fortune did a study of the most valued characteristics in an employee. The magazine found that teamwork was ranked tenth. . . . Jump forward to 2005, and Fortune's follow-up survey showed that teamwork had climbed to #1."

As told in the Wall Street Journal: "Teamwork, the authors say, suffocates creativity and has its own limitations. They describe a classic experiment done nearly a century ago by French agricultural engineer Maximilien Ringelmann. He measured people pulling on a rope connected to a strain gauge, first as individuals and then as members of tug-of-war teams. The result: A person pulls harder alone than as part of a group. Ringelmann dubbed the phenomenon "social loafing." Today it is known simply as the Ringelmann Effect, and what it means in the real world, say Messrs. Littman and Hershon, is that "the more people you throw at a problem, the less each contributes."

That doesn't diminish my desire to create great teams for discussing ideas. But it is a great reminder that teams aren't always the answer. There's a lot to be said for the creative power of a single person.

Amazing Easter Updates

2011-04-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

What an incredible day:

We broke 1000 again for only the second time in our history.
HV - Richland Center broke their all-time high in attendance.
There were lots of salvations today. I'll post when I know how many exactly.
Plus we baptized five people during the Good Friday service.

So much cool stuff! It's fun to watch when God takes over.

I have more to post about GPS later this week when I get a minute. God taught me something very cool last week. I'll share when I can.

The glove

2011-04-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

My wife pointed out to me an interesting quote that makes me think different about the verses from John 15 about the vine and the branches. First, here's what John says:

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Then my wife sent me this quote about a glove with no hand inside it:

He had a glove and kept commanding it to do something, which of course it couldn’t until a hand was inside it. This is what living connected to the vine. Apart for God, we are an empty glove, unable to accomplish anything. With God inside us, directing and helping us – we can accomplish what he has asked.

That's why GPS is so important. When we remain in Him, He remains in us. It's imperative we eliminate anything that would prevent God from remaining in us.

Are you spending time connecting your soul with Jesus?

Am I too competitive?

2011-04-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

I think I'm too competitive. About 12 days ago, I was wrestling with my son Josh. He's 6'2, 17 years old and very lanky. Normally, wrestling the kids isn't too much of a challenge for this old wrestler, but he's getting a little tougher. He actually makes me work once in a while.

Well, I got in a position where the only way I could keep my advantage was to do this move that would cause me to fall about 2 feet straight down onto my elbow on the hard wood floors. It was either that or I let him momentarily gain the advantage before kicking his butt. Here's how my twisted mind works. That decision popped into my mind and it was IMMEDIATELY answered...of course you just fall 2 feet onto the hard wood floor on your left elbow. YOU MUST WIN. Needless to say, the elbows of 40 year old men are NOT meant to fall that far and that hard with that much weight onto hard wood floors. I don't think I broke anything, but I'm in serious pain. For the first two nights, I woke up constantly because of the pain. Today is the first day it's felt better since this all happened.

Oh...but here's the REALLY good news. I won! Am I too competitive? Yeah.

The price of failure...

2011-04-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have often talked about the IMPORTANCE of failing.

*You learn what works and what doesn’t

*It means you took a risk and that’s critical for success in life

*It’s doubtful ANY great break through will ever come without failing

We’ve talked for years about “redefining failure”…it’s not the doorway to demise but the doorway to whole new worlds and experiences. However, what I don’t often talk about is the price so failure.

This is on my mind because I’m listening to a leadership tape that’s talking about failure. It suddenly dawned on me how easy it is to say “go fail” and how hard it can be on you personally to fail. In 2010, I got whacked for a failure I made in hiring. I hired the wrong guy. The system we used for hiring had worked well in the past, but had flaws that were exposed this time around. The failure was very public and very painful.

Now I still believe that you HAVE TO FAIL! It is critical to your success! But you also need to know that you will pay a price for your failure.

*Some will NOT be gracious with your failures. They will be cruel and second guess ALL your decisions and harshly criticize what you have done in the past. Hind sight is 20/20 as they say.

*Some will use it as a time to bring back all your previous mistakes.

*Some will view your failure as proof that you cannot lead and sometimes they don't mind telling you that.

*Some will take your failure and use it to smear you and your reputation.

*Some will personally attack you.

*Some will never trust you again.

Plus, our spiritual enemy will use it to whisper in your ear...

*You can’t lead

*You should do something different

*You are not capable of doing this

Ugh. I’m writing about this because experiences like this can settle in your spirit and KEEP you from taking any more risks. Failure hurts. It really hurts. However, you must not let yourself give up. You must take more risks and you MUST fail again.

Have you had times where you failed and took a beating for it? Are you ready to ask God to show you what your next risk should be?

A verse we ignore

2011-04-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Zechariah 7:10 In your hearts do not think evil of each other.

Whoa. That verse stunned me today. Do not think evil of each other? Whoa. That may be one of the most disobeyed verses in the entire Bible. We allow ourselves to think evil of people all the time. I know I do.

*We assume we know what they are thinking

*We easily label them for their bad actions while excusing our own. "It's because they are a jerk, selfish, cruel, but I was just having a bad day."

*We judge and condemn because they did something that hurt ME! After all, it's all about me.

I'm troubled when I ask myself this question: Who am I thinking evil of in my heart? Ugh.

Ask yourself that question: Who are you thinking evil of in your heart?

Truth about church members

2011-04-05T06:34:00.001-07:00

"A church member waiting to be asked to serve in his own church is just like the member of a family waiting to be invited to pull weeds in front of the house where he lives." Author Unknown

EntreLeadership lessons - Part 4

2011-04-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

*Always force yourself to do "worst-case scenario". It will help eliminate fear.
*People who are indecisive are some of the most anxious people on the planet
*Decisions are a form of confrontation and sometimes instigate confrontation.
*Error is just as important a condition of life's progress as truth - Carl Jung

EntreLeadership lessons - Part 3

2011-04-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

*John Maxwell - When you hire people that are smarter than you are, you prove you are smarter than they are. (Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant)
*You are NOT looking for the best people...you are looking for the right people. Brilliant!
*Three reasons team members fail:
   -Caused by leadership: fix it!
   -Caused by a personal problem: Quantify it - big problems require adjustments
   -Caused by incompetence: Can you educate them?
*If they are lazy, just fire them. You cannot make them move.
*No skill set or relationally strong enough to get there? Call it and remove them. The toughest call you can make!
*Sanctioned incompetence demoralizes all. If you allow a team member's poor performance to continue, you ARE hurting the team.
*Decision making is a hallmark of great leaders
*The internet has given doofuses a lot of power. They can take free cheap shots at everyone.

EntreLeadership lessons - Part 2

2011-04-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

*Ramsey: I could always make money, I just had a hard time with spending it. I just always thought I could outspend my stupidity!
*Dreams are wishes that seldom happen.
*Vision that is ready to go to work is called a goal.
*To be successful, you won't be in balance for a period of time! Now it can't last forever, but there will be times you are out of balance.
*He had a BRILLIANT section on establishing priorities:
   -Important
   -Not important
   -Leadership
   -Default and waste

We are spending WAY too much time in what's important but not urgent and way too much time on what's default/wasteful. Wow. The most important section is the one we're ignoring or too busy to take time for: leadeship.

Lessons from the EntreLeadership - Part 1

2011-04-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the Dave Ramsey EntreLeadership Conference. Brilliant! Here are some of my favorite quotes:

*Organizations are never limited by their opportunity; they are limited by their leader. The problem with my company is me!
*When you have to fire someone, be a servant leader: "Jesus wants you to be somewhere else."
*People will not follow wimps!
*If you have a problem with your team, that's your fault! The team was formed by you...fix the team!
*The bad news is I'm the problem with my organization; the good news is I'm the solution to my organization.
*Success: How many shining eyes I have around me? (because they are so excited about being with me and working with me and spending time with me).
*Positional leaders are not good: "I said so, I'm in charge." You are not a leader, you are a boss." Positions don't give you power.
*Inside every 15 year old, there are two people: A 4 year old and an adult. You never know which one is coming out. If you are acting like an adult, we'll talk like adults. If you want to act like a child, I have to treat you like I'm the boss. Once you have to treat them like a boss, you've lost. Goal: help them become an adult. Goal with employees: No boss behavior.
*Expect opposition: Especially from Christians. Whatever you do will bring opposition. It shouldn't be, but it is.
*Buy this: Thou shall prosper. Fascinating book description!
*5 books are required reading for all new staff! Great idea!
*Buy this one: The go-getter - it's a book.

Don't pray this prayer!!!

2011-03-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I did a message called "High risk prayers". In the message I challenged people to consider praying three high risk prayers.

    *Search me - Show me if there's anything inside me that is between me and you.
    *Stretch me - Put me in situations where I MUST depend on you.
    *Guide me so you can use me

Little did I know what would happen when I prayed those prayers. Let's just say, God answers prayer. This last week was incredibly difficult for me. God stretched me like an old stretch Armstrong doll. I'm not going to say it was pleasant because it wasn't. But I am going to say these things:

     -It was critically important for me: I HAD to have this experience.
     -It was effective: God was able to use this to change me. He used this to take my spiritual journey to a whole new level and my faith really grew.

If you want to hear the full message, head over to www.hiddenv.com and look in the "Unstoppable" series. I'd love to hear what happens to you when you pray this prayer. You can trust Him.

Another cool George Mueller story

2011-03-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

“When I first came to America thirty-one years ago, I crossed the Atlantic with the captain of a steamer who was one of the most devoted men I ever knew; and when we were off the banks of Newfoundland he said to me: ‘Mr. Inglis, the last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, one of the most extraordinary things happened that has completely revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. Up to that time I was one of your ordinary Christians. We had a man of God on board, George Mueller, of Bristol. I had been on that bridge for twenty-two hours and never left it. I was startled by someone tapping me on the shoulder. It was George Mueller.“‘Captain,’ said he, ‘I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.’ This was Wednesday.“‘It is impossible,’ I said.“‘Very well, if your ship can’t take me God will find some other means of locomotion to take me. I have never broken an engagement in fifty-seven years.’“‘I would willingly help you, but how can I? I am helpless.’“‘Let us go down to the chart room and pray,’ he said.“I looked at this man and I thought to myself, ‘What lunatic asylum could the man have come from? I never heard of such a thing.’“‘Mr. Mueller,’ I said, ‘do you know how dense this fog is?’“‘No,’ he replied, ‘my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life.’“‘He went down on his knees, and he prayed one of the most simple prayers. I thought to myself, ‘That would suit a children’s class, where the children were not more than eight or nine years of age.’ The burden of his prayer was something like this: ‘O Lord, if it is consistent with Thy will, please remove this fog in five minutes. You know the engagement You made for me in Quebec for Saturday. I believe it is Your will.’“When he had finished, I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray.“‘First,’ he said, ‘you do not believe God will do it; and, second, I believe He has done it. And there is no need whatever for you to pray about it.’ “I looked at him, and George Mueller said this: ‘Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years and there has never been a single day that I have failed to gain an audience with the King. Get up, Captain and open the door, and you will find the fog is gone.’ I got up, and the fog was gone. On Saturday afternoon George Mueller was in Quebec.”

Productivity tricks

2011-03-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

Slow and Steady: Stephen King has explained that he always writes 10 pages a day, every day of the year (even holidays). His slow and steady approach to project management has ensured that he has a steady stream of new works entering the marketplace, and he is one of the most prolific modern authors working in America today.
Get Up Early: Writers like Mary Higgins Clark and Sylvia Plath started writing at 5 am and 4 am each day, respectively. Both women had small children, and those early moments in the day were the only time they had to pursue their writing careers. Writer Denison Hatch forced himself to write just 500 words per day before starting his day job, and ultimately sold three novels.
Be Impulsive: In business, if you have a good idea, you need to move quickly to keep ahead of your competition. In the words of Bill Gates, “When you find a good idea act on it right away.”
Get Extreme: Architect Bernard Tschumi avoids procrastination by working at one of two extremes. “I work best either under pressure or by emptying my brain over the weekend,” he explains. “That blank state is helpful. It is like an athlete before a competition.”
Force Yourself to Stay Focused: Greek orator Demosthenes would force himself to stay focused on composing his orations by shaving off half of his hair, making him look so ridiculous that he wouldn’t be tempted to procrastinate by leaving his home. Victor Hugo would do something similar, forcing himself to meet his daily writing goals by having his valet hide his clothes. Yup, the guy who wrote “Les Miserables” liked to work in the nude.
Blow Off Some Steam: King Otto, ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1913, shot a peasant every morning to start his day. Thankfully, his two advisors were kind-hearted: one gave the king a rifle filled with blanks, and the other dressed as a “peasant”, acting out death throes when he was “shot”. While shooting people is absolutely NOT okay, never underestimate the stress relief you can get from a few rounds of Call of Duty.
What’s YOUR favorite productivity trick?

More on Prayer from George Mueller

2011-03-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

Pastor Charles R. Parsons in an hour’s interview with George Mueller towards the close of his life asked him if he spent much time on his knees.

“Hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer; I pray as I walk, when I lie down, and when I rise. And the answers are always coming. Tens of thousands of times my prayers have been answered. When once I am persuaded a thing is right, I go on praying for it until the end comes. I never give up!”

"In answer to my prayers, thousands of souls have been saved, " he went on. "I shall meet tens of thousands of them in Heaven."

There was another pause. I made no remark and he continued: "The great point is to never give up until the answer comes. I have been praying every day for fifty-two years for two men, sons of a friend of my youth. They are not converted yet, but they will be! How can it be otherwise? There is the unchanging promise of Jehovah, and on that I rest. The great fault of the children of God is that they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying; they do not persevere. If they desire anything of God's glory, they should pray until they get it.

“Oh, how good, kind, gracious, and condescending is the One with whom we have to do! He has given me, unworthy as I am, immeasurably above all I have asked or thought! I am only a poor, frail, sinful man, but He has heard my prayers tens of thousands of times and used me as the means of bringing tens of thousands of souls into the way of truth in this and other lands. These unworthy lips have proclaimed salvation to great multitudes, and very many people have believed unto eternal life.”

“Seek to depend entirely on God for everything,” he answered. “Put yourself and your work into His hands. When thinking of any new undertaking, ask, Is this agreeable to the mind of God? Is it for His glory? If it is not for His glory, it is not for your good, and you must have nothing to do with it. Mind that! Having settled that a certain course is for the glory of God, begin it in His name and continue in it to the end. Undertake it in prayer and faith, and never give up!"

"And do not regard iniquity in your heart. If you do, the Lord will not hear you. Keep that before you always. Then trust in God. Depend only on Him. Wait on Him. Believe on Him. Expect great things from Him. Faint not if the blessing tarries. And above all, rely only on the merits of our adorable Lord and Saviour, so that according to them and to nothing of your own, the prayers you offer and the work you do be accepted.

God Answers Prayer - George Mueller

2011-03-16T09:07:00.001-07:00

Dr. a. T. Pierson was the guest of George Mueller at his orphanage. He says: “One night when all the household had retired he [Mueller] asked Pierson to join him in prayer. He told him that there was absolutely nothing in the house for next morning’s breakfast. My friend tried to remonstrate with him and to remind him that all the stores were closed. Mueller knew all that. He had prayed as he always prayed, and he never told anyone of his needs but God. They prayed—at least Mueller did—and Pierson tried to. They went to bed and slept, and breakfast for two thousand children was there in abundance at the usual breakfast hour. Neither Mueller nor Pierson ever knew how the answer came. The story was told next morning to Simon Short of Bristol, under pledge of secrecy until the benefactor died. The details of it are thrilling, but all that need be told here is that the Lord called him out of bed in the middle of the night to send breakfast to Mueller’s orphanage, and knowing nothing of the need, or of the two men at prayer, he sent provisions that would feed them a month.

A new reminder...what this life is all about

2011-03-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some great quotes I found in a book by John Ortberg:

Jean Pierre de Caussade writes, "Every moment, and in respect of everything, we must say like St. Paul, "Lord what should I do?' Let me do everything you wish."

Jesus said, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love."

Brother Lawrence writes, "Let us often remember, dear friend, that our sole occupation in life is to please God."

"At the hart of communion with God, " writes Gary Moon, "is the whisper, 'As you wish.'"

Great quote!

2011-03-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

We wouldn't worry so much about what people think of us if we knew how seldom they do.

Not easily offended

2011-03-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

I found this great article I found online today. It's so true:

Why Leaders Cannot Afford to be Easily Offended

By Michael Hyatt | CEO, Thomas Nelson

As a leader, you are going to draw fire. People will criticize you. Some will second-guess your decisions. Others will impute motives that aren't there. A few will falsely accuse you.

For example, just a few weeks ago, someone wrote a blog post, publicly calling me a hypocrite. I won't lie: it stung. I was tempted to respond in kind. Thankfully, I didn't.
But that doesn't mean it was easy. It never is for me. I often have to remind myself of three great truths I have learned—and am still learning—about offenses.

Offenses are inevitable. Jesus Himself said,
Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! (Matthew 18:7)
According to the Dictionary.com, woe means, "grievous distress, affliction, or trouble." Anyone who has been offended understands woe. And, in my experience, it doesn't get much easier with age.
But as Jesus also notes, offenses must come. People offend us by what they do (sins of commission) and, sometimes, by what they don't do (sins of omission). Either way, life affords us daily opportunities to be offended.
Note that while offenses may be inevitable, Jesus doesn't let the offender off the hook. They, too, are accountable and will experience their own level of woe.
Offenses can be good for us. This is a hard saying. In the midst of being offended, it is difficult to believe that any good could come out of it, let alone that God might have a bigger purpose in mind. But consider two examples from the Bible. The patriarch Joseph was ridiculed, kidnapped, and then sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was later falsely accused of attempting to seduce the wife of a high-ranking, Egyptian official. He spent several years in prison, and it was years before he was vindicated.
He could have been very angry with his brothers. Years later, when he finally meets up with them again, he is in a position of tremendous power. He could easily have had his revenge. Instead, Joseph said to them,
Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones. (Genesis 50:19–20)
Or consider King David. In the latter part of his life, he was chased out of Jerusalem by his treasonous son, Absalom. If that weren't bad enough, a character named Shimei meets him on the road and starts throwing rocks at him. He curses the king and reminds him of all his sins. He says,
Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man! (2 Samuel 16:7, 8)
Abishai, one of King David's servants, said, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!" But note how David responded:
Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him. It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day. (2 Samuel 16:11, 12).
It's easy to resent those who offend us. But what if God has a deep and important purpose for sending them—something that He intends for our good because He truly loves us (see Romans 8:28).
Being offended is a choice. Every leader should memorize this verse:
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. (Proverbs 19:11)
There are certainly times when it is legitimate to be angry. The Apostle Paul says, "Be angry, and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). Anger can be a valid response to something that is wrong. But it can quickly become toxic—not only for those to whom we direct it but also for ourselves. This is why the Apostle James admonishes us to be "slow to anger" (James 1:19, 20).
Between the stimulus and the response is the power to chose. This is precisely what makes us human. We don't have to respond in kind.

The greatest leaders I know are not easily offended. Instead, they practice the habit of overlooking offenses. They take the high road, give the offender the benefit of the doubt, and move on. What about you?

How God Answers Prayer

2011-03-09T07:50:00.001-08:00

In his new biography of evangelist D. L. Moody, author Lyle Dorsett relates the following story of God’s amazing faithfulness: It was the spring of 1862 and the Civil War had taken its toll on troops and citizens alike. Evangelist D. L. Moody was frequently seen on the battlefields, ministering to soldiers on the frontlines. During one instance, late at night after a weary day at war, the party of Christian workers was walking among the body-strewn fields searching for survivors.The hundreds of men they came upon were wounded and famished, and a search of the area produced little nourishment for the weary men. Desperate, the small band of workers gathered together asking God to provide the needed supplies. “Later,” tells Dorsett, “some workers admitted that they were doubtful God would respond.” As the first gleam of morning light rose above the battlefield, a wagon appeared on the horizon. As it approached the workers, they realized it was a large farm wagon piled high with loaves of bread. God had provided: manna from heaven! The driver approached the men and told the following story: “When I went to bed last night, I knew the army was gone and I could not sleep for thinking of the poor fellows who were wounded and would have to stay behind. Something seemed to whisper in my ear, ‘What will those poor fellows do for something to eat?” I could not get rid of this voice.”That faithful servant of God could not sleep, so he woke his wife and she began baking as much bread as possible. Meanwhile, he hitched up his wagon and called on his neighbors to gather additional food. Said the man: “[I felt} just as if I was being sent by our Lord Himself.”

Our true power...

2011-03-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

"Thou art coming to a king, large petitions with thee bring: for His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much." John Newton

“Up in a little town in Maine,things were pretty dead some years ago. The churches were not accomplishing anything. There were a few Godly men in the churches, and they said: 'Here we are, only uneducated laymen; but something must be done in this town. Let us form a praying band. We will all center our prayers on one man. Who shall it be?' They picked out one of the hardest men in town, a hopeless drunkard, and centered all their prayers upon him. In a week, he was converted. They centered their prayers upon the next hardest man in town, and soon he was converted. Then they took up another and another, until within a year, two or three hundred were brought to God, and the fire spread out into all the surrounding country. Definite prayer for those in the prison house of sin is the need of the hour.” Dr. R.A. Torrey

"We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth." Andrew Murray

GPS - Frank Laubach

2011-03-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

When one has struck some wonderful blessing that all mankind has a right to know about, no custom or false modesty should prevent him from telling it, even though it may mean the unbarring of his soul to the public gaze. I have found such a way of life. I ask nobody else to live it, or even to try it. I only witness that it is wonderful, it is indeed heaven on earth. And it is very simple, so simple that any child could practice it. Just to pray inwardly for everybody one meets, and to keep on all day without stopping, even when doing other work of every kind.
This simple practice requires only a gentle pressure of the will, not more than a person can exert easily. It grows easier as the habit becomes fixed.
Yet it transforms life into heaven. Everybody takes on a new richness, and all the world seems tinted with glory. I do not of course know what others think of me, but the joy which I have within cannot be described. If there never were any other reward than that, it would more than justify the practice to me.

CS Lewis quote

2011-03-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. - C.S. Lewis

N.O.W.

2011-03-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

This Sunday night, we are hosting a NOW service...Night Of Worship. It will be night devoted to reinforcing all we're learning about GPS. Stories, Teaching and great music. I strongly encourage you to come out and join us if you can this Sunday @ 6:00 pm.

When God is the treasure of your life...

2011-02-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

What struck me this morning after my message was over was this thought:

When God is the treasure of your life, you don't care what happens to stuff and things. They aren't what you are after or live for so if they are taken away or lost, it doesn't matter.

Check this verse out: Hebrews 10:34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

How many of us would "JOYFULLY" accept the confiscation of our houses, cars, possessions, savings account? If you think they are "treasure", then you will be upset. If you know what true treasure is, you will be able to let it go.

To hear more, go to www.hiddenv.com - and listen to the 8th message in the Crazy Love series called "Obsession". The message will be posted by Tuesday night, March 1.

Cross the line

2011-02-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

I read this today and I thought it was a great illustration of spiritual commitment:

Line 1 - I believe in God and the Gospel of Christ enough to benefit from it but not enough to change my life.
Line 2 - I believe enough to contribute comfortably and give back as long as it doesn't cost me too much.
Line 3 - I believe that the baby in the manger was the beginning God's wonderful plan to save the world from sin and I give my life to the mission of working with Him to fulfill that plan."

Which line are you on?

GPS - How to fail at GPS

2011-02-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

Ok...new lesson learned the hard way. So far in this experiment of "setting my mind on things above and not on things below", I've learned what works and now more about what doesn't work.

I've known for a while that there are at least two obstacles to remaining focused on Jesus.

      #1: Bitterness: God seems to say, "You can either have my love or anger toward that person, but you can't have both. You pick." You have to forgive others or you don't get God. You can't have the love of God and hatred of people in your hearts at the same time. So be honest. Are you struggling to forgive someone?
      *Distractions: Wow is this one hard. I got clobbered recently AGAIN by this one. That's twice since I started this experiment on January 10. The only way this works is when you DESPERATELY want God and God alone! Not God + money, job, relationship, children, hobby, etc. You want God and would gladly give up all else to have Him.

Well I blew it recently. I allowed something to become more important in my life than God. I thought about it more and sacrificed to have it and made it my goal. Ugh. The results?

   *No sense of God's presence with me: This was sad and a little scary. Instead of turning to God and feeling that sense of electricity, I turned to God and felt nothing.
     *No supernatural change from God: What began to emerge in me again was me. Things I have not struggled with for so long suddenly became a struggle.

The good news? Romans 12:1 says this is completely under our personal control. We can at any time offer our lives back to Him. That's what I did this morning. I took this thing that I had allowed to become so important to me and told Him He could have it. I surrendered it to Him again. There was an immediate sense of God restoring what had been lost once again. Interesting.

Are you desperate for God? Like a drowning person is desperate for air or a starving person is desperate for food? Or is God neat, but not really all that significant. Would you give all that you have to follow Him or are there things in your life that you are saying to God, "not this"? You cannot experience life with God without keeping Him in the right spot.