This post is the seventh in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
If no one has accused you of doing anything crazy lately, maybe it’s because you’re not doing anything significant for God.
Don’t make your crazy mandatory. And, don’t make someone else’s crazy your crazy. Be crazy for God in the way that he has called you.
3. Be compelled by Christ’s Love (5:14-15)
Notes & Quotes
“You’re responsibility before God is not a spectacular ministry. It’s a faithful and sincere heart, grounded in what God has called you to do.”
When you get to the end of life, all that matters is (1) your relationship with God, (2) your faithfulness to his calling, and (3) your faithfulness to the people He has placed in your life.
You have to be content and joyful with 4 or God will never allow you to lead 4,000.
We must throw away the old/traditional scorecard, and e,brace the scorecard that God has for us.
This post is the sixth in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
When the Holy Spirit corrects you in private, repent in private.
If you do not repent in private, you will one day be corrected in public.
One of the devil’s crafty tactics is not bringing about consequences, but withholding them. He withholds his opportunity to pounce so that it is eventually much worse (Ecc 8:11). He knows you will keep sinning. He’s setting you up. Don’t let it happen!
God put mentors in th Bible for us in the form of the biblical characters. Every problem you will ever face, someone in the Bible experienced it before you (Heb 11:4).
2. Learn to suffer.
“Suffering will change you, but not necessarily for the better. You have to choose that.” (1 Peter 4:19)
3. Learn to leadyourselftoChrist.
When you get tired, sick and discouraged, you must learn to lead yourself back to the cross where you started.
If you made all of your life decisions when you’re sick, tired, and mad, what kind of life do you think you’d have? A bad one.
Notes & Quotes
“One of the truest tests of a servant is how we respond when we’re treated like one.”
For some of you, God called you to ministry, but not senior pastoring.
Some of us are confusing the work of God in transforming us and the work of Satan in troubling us.
God most often takes us by the hand and leads us through the challenging times, rather than picking us up and allowing us to miss them. Even so, He never lets go of our hand!
The best vegetables grow from sifted soil. The same is true in your life.
God grows the best stuff in sifted soil.
You don’t train for the start of the race. You train for the moment that you most want to quit so that you will decide to push forward to the finish. The same is true in ministry. You have trained through books, messages, and conferences so that you will continue on when you are most discouraged and closest to quitting.
This post is the fifth in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential – Shawn & Trishia Lovejoy
Orlando, Fl
Speakers: Shawn & Trishia Lovejoy
Topic: Marriage & Ministry
Date: April 25, 2012
4 Things God Taught Us About Marriage & Ministry
1. Intimacy is worth fighting for.
Church planters are known for fighting for the Gospel. We need to fight for our families!
We must fight for date night and family night.
Sometimes we must fight against religious/churchy people.
2. Have a last 10% family
We typically only share 90% of how we think or feel. We keep back the last 10%.
Be honest with each other.
3. There is only one enemy in your family.
The enemy is not: your spouse, your family, or your church.
The enemy is the evil one (John 10:10)
4. The family trully is a partnership.
Date nights are your responsibility.
Family days are your responsibility.
Family items (meals, allowances, prepping for the day, etc)
You are partners in marriage and ministry.
The stronger your partnership is at home, the stronger your ministry expression will be.
Notes & Quotes
The reason that our church is a textbook “simple church” is not just because we think it’s the best model for building a church but because we believe that it’s the best model for protecting our marriages and families.
Many of you are not tempted by moral failures, but you are tempted to put ministry over your marriage.
This post is the fourth in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential – Family, Marriage & Ministry
Orlando, FL
Speakers: Darrin & Amie Patrick
Topic: Battle Lines: Family and the Ministry
Text: 1 Timothy 3:15
Date: April 26, 2012
About Marriage
1. This is constantly a process.
Be careful of weighting your whole life condition on just the past three days of family and ministry.
Principle of 3s: Check the last 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months.
If you’re not careful, the church will become a mountain in the middle of your house, and everything will revolve around it.
Think of the ministry as a marathon, not a sprint.
2. Take care of yourself
Most church planters gain 20-30lbs in the first year. The stress pushes them to over eating, lack of sleep, caffeine pills, etc.
You must take a Sabbath (whatever is restful for you).
You must stay healthy (work out and eat right).
Don’t believe the lie that your stress level and busyness equals importance and significance in ministry.
There is humility in understanding that you have limits, and you are living in tandem with God to work within these.
3. Take care of each other.
Date Night: You must figure out how to continue dating each other. Doesn’t have to be dinner, late nights, or expensive. It can be a simple lunch.
Weekly Meeting: Talk about family plans, matters, and schedules.
Don’t treat each other like a problem to solve. Instead, treat each other like a mystery to discover.
About Family
1. Cast vision for your kids.
Daddy and Mommy have a job, but it’s not that much different than God’s calling
Don’t talk about church junk around your kids. Talk about the wins, but not the losses.
When you blow it, apologize and repent to your kids about it. Always, explain to them upcoming scheduling items that impact them.
2. Value the uniqueness of your kids.
Every child will have a different response to your role in ministry. Let them develop in that process.
You don’t parent your children. You parent each child. Differently (Proverbe 22).
3. Set boundaries to protect your family.
How many nights per week will you be out?
Is your family the mission? Or, will you leave your family aside, for the mission? What’s the important mission?
Your house: what are the boundaries for your home? You must be hospitable (1 Timothy 3). Find a way to make it work in a way that your family can accept.
Notes & Quotes
Don’t make a false dichotomy between your church and your family. They are connected, but not insuperable. Your family is part of the church.
To wives: Be your husbands biggest fan and his gentlest critic.
People will feign allegiance to your mission, but what they really want is a personal counsellor and friend. But, you just can’t manage that many friends or needy people.
If you do not have good boundaries, people will suck the life out of you.
Introverts in the Church by Adam Mchugh. Quiet: the Power of Introverts… by Susan Cain
Do the best you can to have friends outside of your church planting circle.
This post is the third in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential: Avoiding Moral Failure
Orlando, FL
Speakers: Brian & Amy Bloye
Topic: Common Threads of Pastoral Moral Failures
Text: 2 Corinthians 11:3
Date: April 25, 2012
Satan is targeting us.
What are some common claims of the deceived?
There is always someone close that they get involved with (it’s not a stranger).
There is always deceptions.
There is always secrecy.
There is always a lack of connection between spouses (They became business partners).
Who is suseptible to moral failures?
Adventure-seeking, adrenaline junkies
Visionary types
ADHD types
Competitive guys
Workaholics
People who appear confident, but are a bit insecure
People with narcissistic tendencies.
People with more spiritual passion than they do Bible knowledge (Ignorance of the Bible).
People with a lack of discernment, especially in themselves?
All of us in the ministry world are susceptible!
How can we prevent moral failure?
We have to recognize that this is a Jesus issue (Colossians 9:9-10).
Question: Is Jesus enough? (Even if your church isn’t a numerical success?)
We have to count the cost and embrace wisdom (Proverbs 5:1-9).
We have to admit that something is broken.
Notes & Quotes
You must intentionally prioritize your marriage over your ministry
Book Recommendation: When Godly People to Ungodly Things by Beth Moore
God did not call us to plant churches so that we can be worshipped.
If I am not pointing people toward Jesus, chances are I am pointing people toward me.
Many people are deceived into thinking that God is simply giving them a pass on their poor moral choices. If that’s you, you are being set up!
If you are struggling with unconfessed sexual sin, please do not plant a church!
This post is the second in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential – Contagious Church
Contagious Church: Turning mere attendees into zealous advocates.
Orlando, FL
Speaker: Larry Osborne
Topic: Contagious Church
Date: April 25, 2012
3 Things Every Pastor Needs to Know about
1. You need to know that no one wants to be used.
We use them because we see them as pawns for our vision.
You need to see the world from your lay people’s perspective.
If you don’t understand the real world, you will set up unrealistic expectations.
2. Assimilation is not retention.
Don’t measure assimilation. Measure retention.
3. Attendees become advocates when they experience three things: (1) satisfaction, (2) confidence, and (3) trust.
An attendee shows up every week. An advocate brings people with them…without being asked.
Turning Advicates into Zealous Advocates
1. SATISFACTION – Are people satisfied with both the product and the process?
If people are satisfied with the product but mildly uncomfortable with the process, they will keep coming back, but they won’t bring anyone with them.
Don’t be fooled by those who simply keep coming back because they’re not advocates, they’re just attendees.
How often do our people says, “Our church is great, but you need to know…” Usually, that phrase leads to a negative comment.
At what point in our service, do people feel (1) confused, (2) out of control, or (3) stupid?
Be careful of insider language: locations, abbreviations, etc. Every place you have it is a chance for confusion. If anything has a subtitle, the subtitle should be the title.
You need to occasionally take an audit in order to review what you have accidentally done.
Use plain language with your audience when teaching,
Always talk like there is a room full of new people. It communicates to people that their unchurched friends will be able to manage.
2. CONFIDENCE – Are people confident that the experience will always be the same?
One “throw away Sunday” will ruin the “come and see” experience. People won’t invite people if they’re scared it might be a bad week to invite someone.
You don’t have to hit a home run, you just need consistency. Home run guys, lead the league in strikeouts. The same is true in church world.
Consistency is more important than quality.
People want to know if you’re real. Excellence is a thing of the past.
3. TRUST – Do people trust the character and integrity of leadership?
Trust takes a long time to build, but only seconds to lose (in the big stuff and the small stuff). Moral failures and misleading announcements.
When you say people will like it, they should like it. When you say it is good, it should be good. When you say the Bible says, they need to be able to trust you.
Notes & Quotes
In th Christian world, we often use the same words, but a different dictionary.
At North Coast Church, we don’t do any marketing or advertising.
At North Coast Church, we’ve never done a special outreach or service.
At North Coast Church, we are service and small groups (sermon-based).
At North Coast Church, I’ve never asked people to bring their friends. If you have to ask people to bring their friends, you’re not doing something right. If you do the right things, people will tell people by world-of-mouth, without request.
This post is the first in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential – Discipleship
Orlando, FL
Speaker: Larry Osborne
Topic: Discipleship
Date: April 25, 2012
Where we’re all of the committed disciples when Jesus’s body came off of the cross? They had a chicken little moment.
Discipleship Profile: Joseph of Aramethia
Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15, Luke 23:50-54, John 19:38-40
He was rich.
He became a disciple (past tense).
He fulfills Isaiah 53:9.
He used his own tomb.
He’s one of 71 key leaders in the nation. (And he’s even prominent among them).
Good and upright man.
He had not consented to the decision to crucify Jesus. (But, why didn’t he do much to stop it?)
He was a discipleship of Jesus, but secretly…because he feared the Jewish leaders. (Isn’t that tough for us to handle? Isn’t a secret disciple supposed to be an oxymoron?)
Nicodemus is also a secret disciple.
Application of This Discipleship Profile
We’re never as strong as we think.
We’ll be judged by the way we judge others.
Our job is to encourage(1) the weak, (2) the struggling, (3) the back of the line, and (4) the not-yet-ready.
The 8 Dirty Little Secrets of Discipleship
We have redefined discipleship in unbiblical terms, and we have confused discipleship with leadership.
1. The ultimate mark of a disciple is obedience to what we know.
Not all of Scripture, but what you already know.
The word discipleship simply means “follower.”
When you make your application of obedience mandatory for everyone, you’ve become an accidental Pharisee.
The Bible teaches generosity. But, it’s expression is different in each disciple’s life.
The Bible teaches mercy. But, it’s expression (water, orphans, human trafficking, etc.) is different in each disciple’s life.
2. Discipleship is not a linear process.
The linear model was brought about by type A people, but it’s not for everyone.
Everyone takes the same lessons, but in a different order.
Don’t confuse the educational model and the discipleship model.
Instead of a pathway that we all walk on, let’s focus on moving people in the same direction.
3. No two personal relationships are the same.
Every person will relate to God differently.
And, our discipleship process needs to honor that.
What works for you may not work for everyone.
4. Whenever spiritual tools become spiritual rules they produce pride rather than disciples.
People were men and women of God before Guttenberg invented the printing press.
Not everyone is a reader, eespecially men.
We can’t look down on people who use different tools than us.
We should offer as many tools, paths and venues as possible.
5. Knowledge, self-discipline, and personal sacrifice do not equal godliness.
You can be A+ in these and still be messed up.
Be careful of pride.
6. When we use the Bible as a mirror, we become more like Jesus. When we use it like binoculars, we become pharisaical.
Blind spots are not always sin spots.
The High Place Principle (1Kings 3) – God looks at Solomon and says, “I love your heart. You’re going to
7. We are called to fulfill our calling, not our potential.
Disciple people to live out their calling, not their potential.
Sometimes, we must live beneath our potential because of our family, marriage, etc.
“The day I got married, I changed my ministry potential.” Paul explains that a married life alters your potential (1 Cor 7).
8. If my definition of spirituality is out of reach for the regular guy, it’s out of line with Jesus.
It’s a both/and. We need discipleship and leadership development. Let’s not cross the verses about the two, making leadership verses about discipleship.
Notes & Quotes
We’ve been raising the bar higher and higher.
We’re confusing discipleship and leadership.
Even Jesus’ disciples don’t consistently live up to our modern discipleship standards.
If your discipleship standard is higher than Jesus’, then you’re an accidental Pharisee.
We act like pride is an occupational hazard to discipleship. We act like it’s excusable for us to look down on others. But, pride is number one on God’s “I hate” list.
Check out the video below. It’s pretty stinking impressive. In high school, I played quarterback for my Christian high school’s flag football team (we weren’t a big enough school to have tackle). And, as a former quarterback, I can tell you that these passes were no easy feat. Sure, maybe they took multiple shots for some of the passes, but still it’s incredibly challenging to hit a football goal post three times in a row from 50 yards (single shot, no cut-aways).
So anyway, since the posting of the video last year, it’s reached nearly two million views, ans it’s earned this college quarterback, Alex Tanney, a shot in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. He’s been invited to their minicamp.
It just goes to show you the power of viral marketing. Viral videos and word-of-mouth advertising are hugely effective. If your business, organization, or church is doing something remarkable, people will tell their friends. And then, growth will happen naturally.
The Challenge
Let’s be remarkable and give people a reason to tell their friends and family about the amazing things that God is doing through us.
I stumbled upon this very interesting photo this past week in a Flipboard article. I had never thought about the lasting impact that a demolished building has upon it’s neighboring buildings. Take a look at the photos below.
Application
The truth is that this same sort of thing is true in the lives of people as well. In life, we stand side-by-side with our friends, family, and co-workers, and here’s the deal, when one of our “neighbors” has a life that’s demolished, by whatever means, we too are impacted. We are not immune to the collateral damage. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” Our lives are intertwined with the lives of those around us, and when one of us hurts, we hurt too.
Challenge
Let’s take this a visual reminder to do all we can to prevent life-demolition and to help our friends pick up the pieces if it does happen.
FRIDAY FINDS 05.04.12
Editor Real Talk, a Ryan Gosling–like meme featuring econospeak, a young design company out of New Zealand, and more in this installment of Friday Finds.
German photographer Marcus Bock’s Found Architecture documents the imprint of demolished buildings on their still-standing neighbors. The differing rooflines make a strong visual impact, almost more so than if the disappeared building were still standing. Such are the effects of nostalgia, I suppose.
My wife and I recently attended the High School Banquet for Liberty Christian School in Sanford, FL. At the event, two caricature artists from Digital Caricatures Live were there. Digital drawing is a new innovation in the caricature industry, and there are only about 10 artists in the country doing this. So, having them at the banquet was a real treat. The drawings are top quality, plus they’re digital so several copies can easily be printed. Gone are the days when only one of the people picture (usually the girl) get to take the drawing home. Now, multiple people can receive the drawings, and they can also be posted easily online. Pretty cool, right?
To see the other drawings from the banquet click here.
So, here it is. Our first caricature drawing. Fun stuff!
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