Monthly Archives: August 2011

Experience, Family Ministry, I Love My Church, Leadership, Ministry, Mission

I (Heart) My Church

IHEARTCHURCHbumper Starting this week, I am sending out a personal email message to the men and woman of our church. Here is a glimpse at this week’s email message:

1) I really do LOVE my CHURCH! I don’t want you to think I’m being corny or clichéd. I get FIRED UP when I think about what God is doing there and what he will do as we seek to follow Him and lift up the name of Jesus to those around us. God created the church to be the vehicle where the Good News of Jesus is SPOKEN ABOUT and DEMONSTRATED to every generation of people. And WE GET TO BE A PART OF THAT TOGETHER!!! What’s not to love about that? I LOVE THIS CHURCH and my prayer is that YOU LOVE THIS CHURCH TOO!

2) In an effort to communicate with you about what is happening at here, the plan will be to send out 2 emails each week.

Each week I want to send a letter to you recapping the weekend and casting vision for what is coming up for us. Consider this email a personal letter from me sharing with you what’s on my heart. One of the reasons for this is because I REALLY want to invest some time in being focused on some things that we’re going to be doing this fall. It is my prayer that this coming season will be one of THE most fruitful seasons of ministry we’ve EVER had!

The other email will be a newsletter and will include announcements, prayer requests, and event information. You should have received this email already this week. Think of that email as an extension of our Sunday bulletin.

The whole point of this is not to flood your inbox with a ton of information but we want to make sure we are COMMUNICATING with you on a regular basis. These two weekly email, I believe, will help us do just that.

3) This Sunday, we will continue the “I (Heart) Church” series. We will be talking about what real biblical COMMUNITY looks like and I don’t want you to miss it! In preparation for this Sunday’s message, take some time to read through some of Jesus’ words concerning his church…

Matthew 5:13-16
Matthew 11:28-30
Matthew 16:15-19
Matthew 18:19-20
Matthew 22:36-40
Matthew 25: 34-40
Matthew 28:18-20

4) School starts back next week and I want to challenge you to be praying for our STUDENTS and for our TEACHERS. The pressure on our students can be pretty overwhelming for them- the pressure to perform and excel can leave them believing that their IDENTITY is wrapped up in WHAT THEY DO not WHO THEY ARE IN CHRIST. I want everyone in our church to PRAY that God will COVER these students with his blessings this school year, that He will STRENGTHEN them to stand tall in their FAITH, and He will PROTECT them from a culture that wants to destroy them.

I also want all of you to PRAY FOR OUR TEACHERS. As the school year begins, many people of Lakeside will be in the classroom or on the field GUIDING and LEADING students. They are on the FRONT LINE of helping to lead the next generation. They need your prayers for ENCOURAGEMENT, STRENGTH, and PASSION. Please pray for the teachers at Lakeside AND I want to challenge you to daily PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER BY NAME for the entire school year!

5) I am so proud of those of you who have been reaching out and serving the residents of the retirement community next door. I heard that the Bible study last night was a PACKED HOUSE! The time spent loving on and caring for our neighbors has not gone unnoticed. I appreciate your desire and heart for service! Many thanks Ladies!!! Keep up the great work!

Discipleship, Heroes, Jesus is the Christ, Leadership

Who Are You For?

While reading through the book of Joshua yesterday I was challenged once again to answer this question:

Am I going to live my life concerned with who is FOR ME or AGAINST ME or Am I going to be consumed with who I AM FOR?

In Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua encounters a man who has his sword drawn standing in front of him. God has revealed to Joshua that they will take the heavily fortified city of Jericho captive but it seems that this man is standing in Joshua way.

Joshua asks the man, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

The man quickly replies, “Neither. As Commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come.”

Joshua falls to the ground and with humility in his voice asks, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

Joshua initial posture towards the man was a defensive one. He wanted to know who was for him or against him.

Isn’t this the age-old  question for those of us who lead people?

Do you trust me or them?
Am I your man or not?
Who’s side are you on, anyway?!?!

These questions breed a sense of fear into the heart of a leader. As as Master Yoda says, “Fear leads to suffering.” He couldn’t me more right. When a leader begins to make decisions and lead out of a sense of fear everyone suffers. Worrying and always looking over your shoulder wondering who likes you or who is after you is no way to live or lead.

The Commander of the Lord’s Army challenges Joshua by telling him that he doesn’t serve the big city, the mighty king, or even Joshua. The Commander is for Yahweh and Yahweh alone.

It is obvious from this point on Joshua was no longer concerned with who was for him or against him. Joshua had settled in his heart once and for all who he was for.

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14–15

What about you? Today, will you be more concerned about who is for you or against you? Or, will you decided to be concerned with The One you are for?

Books, Discipleship, Leadership, Resources

Vacation Reading List

Last month, Jon Acuff posted a picture of the 15 books that he was taking with him on vacation to the beach. I loved looking at his

I also wanted to share a picture of all the books that I will  taking with me on our vaction. I”m only bringing 11. I guess that’s what separates me from a best selling author. 4 measly books.

IMG_1285

As you can see, my picture isn’t as interesting as Jon’s. One hardcover book and my Kindle don’t really engage the imagination but the picture does tell a larger story. It seems that over the past two years I have been making the switch to digital. I love the convenience, the price, and the extra shelf space. The down side is that I miss out on some really beautiful covers like the book on the left. The real upside for this week will be that I won’t need a separate bag at the airport to carry all my books.

So which books am I taking with me to California? Let’s take a look:

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is one of the premiere comic book writers out there today. I don’t always like his stories or his particular take on certain characters but he understand the medium. I saw Morrison interviewed for a documentary about All-Star Superman (his voice sounds like Uncle Argyle and he looks like Lex Luthor) and have been interested to hear him talk more about storytelling and the Man of Steel. I am also looking forward to getting into this book since I just finished re-reading Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces earlier this year. I love reading about mythology, story, and culture- I am hoping Morrison delivers.

Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process by Blaine Hogan
Sundays come once a week. Every 7 days, another one arrives. In Untitled, Hogan offers hope and encouragement for those of us who have to turn out new content on a regular basis. The cover features a blank notebook- the bane of many writers and the thing that scares many of us from producing anything. I like the description from the book’s ad: Blaine Hogan “walks you through the creative process of attacking the blank page, executing vision, finding the importance of contemplation, fighting the battle with resistance, and learning from your failures.

Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down by John P. Kotter
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while now. One of the biggest tools I have to use as a leader is communication. If there are any insights I can learn in order to communicate better I am listening. I am hoping this book will help me learn to anticipate questions and push-back while giving me the knowledge to communicate vision and my thoughts in ways that invite people to come alongside me.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Re-reading Switch in conjuction with Buy-In.

Move: What 1,000 Churches REVEAL about Spiritual Growth by Greg L. Hawkins & Cally Parkinson
The 3rd book in the REVEAL study promises to help church leaders understand what spiritual growth looks like in the hearts of their people so they can maximize their efforts behind things that are actually leaving a lasting impact. I really enjoyed Reveal and Follow Me and I am very much looking forward to Move.

Small Groups With Purpose by Steve Gladen
I have some high hopes and big plans for the Small Group ministry at our church so I’m taking along a few books on the subject to help me think through what steps we need to take in order to impact our people and the community around us.

Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley & Bill Willits
Re-reading Creating Community in conjunction with Small Groups With Purpose

Creating a Tech Sabbath Habit by Bryan Brooks
Can I read about creating a Tech Sabbath on Tech itself? Will this cause a hole in the Space-Time Continuum? Great Scott, this is heavy!

Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway
So I’ve learned that Love Wins. I then went about Erasing Hell. Now, I’m onto a couple more books about Hell and the Afterlife. In case I thought I was escaping the heat of Texas (110 today!!!), a little light reading on the subject of eternity should set me straight.

Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go To Heaven? by Various Authors
Reading in conjunction with the above.

Leadership Prayers by Richard Kriegbaum
I desire to be a leader who depends on prayer.

So, there you go. I have been looking forward to this week for quite sometime. Beach, here we come!!!