How long do you think it took for David to defeat Goliath?
No one really knows, but I estimated that it took maybe 3 minutes for David to talk a little before felling Goliath with a hurtling stone.
Whether it was a little longer or shorter really isn’t the point.
What gets me is that these “3 minutes” changed the course of his life forever. It was the springboard that catapulted David into his destined purpose. It transformed him from shepherd boy to feared champion.
3 minutes.
It would be easy to think that 3 minutes is all that it took. But David was getting ready for his destined “3 minutes” for years. By being a good shepherd, protecting the sheep with his very life, he was getting ready for his 3 minutes.
By singing to God songs of worship when no one but the Almighty was listening, he was getting ready for his 3 minutes.
By serving his father and listening well, he was getting ready for his 3 minutes.
David didn’t know it yet, but a great leader and warrior was being forged in the wilderness.
No one was watching, but God was paying close attention.
Because David was quick to do his best in secret, he was ready when the public challenge came. The fight with the giant didn’t make David, it only exposed what was already there.
3 minutes.
A defining moment.
A life forever changed.
Because he was faithful in the everyday/ordinary/mundane stuff, David was ready for his 3 minutes.
I took my 3 daughters to the Dentist office yesterday. It was an amazing time (now when is the last time you used the word amazing to describe a visit to the dentist?). The Kid’s Care Dental Group has done an incredible thing:
They turned a place that evoked fear into a place of fun.
They have flat screen TVs with kid’s movies playing, TV screens in the ceiling above the dental chairs, video games and music. There are balloons, stuffed animals, toys, a playroom AND a playground. The workers, from the hygenists, dentists, and office staff are energetic and engaging.
What once was a place of avoidance, has become a desired destination.
I was BLOWN away.
I was so excited I asked them for a job application.
As we left to have a daughter/Daddy lunch at Quiznos, I thought:
How can we change the negative perception that many people have about church?
How can we make it an energetic, engaging, community where we are challenged by God’s truth but not condemned by it?
How can we communicate a relevant message that speaks to where we are, but not dillute it?
How can we use our innovation and creativity to lead differently?
What do you think?
(Oh, and by the way I was joking about the job application. I am keeping the job I’ve got!)
*We complete the “Exchange” series next week. We had a great time today talking about ’storm surfers’.
*We had a great testimony and story from Ed and Theresa Root today. They have been going to FC2 for about 2 months or so. During that time God has transformed their life from depression and despair to hope and joy. We are so excited to see what God is doing in their lives.
*We are starting a Dance Troupe at our church that will be meeting tomorrow night.
*I had some great conversations with people that are truly being touched by the presence of God.
*The guys at our church are planning to go see the Kings vs. Lakers in December.
*We celebrated the birth of Troy and Amanda Gatch new baby, Felicity Grace. Very, very cute kid! Wow. Makes me want another!
*We had a ‘family’ meeting after the service this past week where we talked about our past, present and our future. It was an honest conversation where we were able to talk straight about some things that needed to stop and other things that we need to get started. I let the church know that it is the season of change and transformation. God has greatness for us.
*I am looking forward to hanging out with the family this week and getting some rest. Thanksgiving on Thursday! The holiday season is upon us.
We can’t become what God has destined us to be without overcoming Resistance that stands in the way. The crazy thing is that the greatest source of Resistance doesn’t come from without, but from within.
We are the greatest Opposer and Oppressor of our own dreams.
We play both the Villian and the Hero.
Proverbs 13:23 tells us, “…much food is in the (uncultivated) ground of the poor, but because of injustice there is waste.”
What the Teacher in Proverbs is saying:
All the food that is needed for the hungry people is present, but it cannot be accessed because the ground that holds the resource is unworked, and through villianous behavior it remains that way.
In our own lives this principle is also true.
Everything that God intends to use as raw materials in the creation of His dream for our life we have already.
Our challenge is battling Resistance in drawing it out.
To overcome Resistance we have to get to those problem places that we would rather not visit, touch the areas we rather not touch, and look in spots we would rather close our eyes to.
But the life that we long to live is sleeping in those uncultivated places.
We must remember that no gem or great treasure has ever been found sitting above the surface of the ground.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson
There was television show called the ‘Pretender’ that was popular in the mid ’90’s. It was about a guy named Jarod that had the gift to ‘pretend’. He could integrate himself into any walk of life. He could be a doctor one moment, a policeman or a park ranger the next. As a human chameleon, Jarod could become anyone.
Except himself.
Jarod didn’t know who he was, and spent his life ‘pretending’ hoping to discover his true identity.
In our lives, we are not much different from Jarod.
We are Pretenders too.
We pretend that we are small. We pretend that we are insiginificant. We pretend that we are dreamless and visionless, with little or nothing to offer the world.
(Written at 12:01 am Sunday Night/Monday morning.)
*I love our church! It was great to be with them today!
*We talked today about a new strategy we are taking with our Children’s Department with our new Kid’s Ministry Coach, Pastor Inez Bayardo.
* I shared with our church God’s perspective on money. I think that money might be the most difficult thing for us to discuss in light of God’s word because of the poor choices that we have made in so many instances with money. But there is hope!
*We are coming off an incredible weekend at our ‘Change Me’ Encounter God Retreat. Someone told me today “My life is forever changed!” because they attended the weekend. Praise God for what He is doing.
*God is with us on this journey to bring restoration and renaissance to our church. We are blessed that He called us to it.
Interesting story in USA Today about the first images of a multiplanet solar system. The picture above is of a dust ring (in red) surrounding the star Fomalhaut which can’t be seen with the human eye.
It is a star that is 16 times hotter and brighter than the sun. This solar system has planets that are about 7 to 8 times more dense that Jupiter or Saturn and travel an orbit anywhere from 24 to 68 times longer than the 93 million miles in which the earth circles the sun.
The crazy thing is this:
God has known about this forever and we are just now seeing it.
God is always doing stuff, creating things, preparing us for things that we don’t know about.
We have to trust Him when our human eyes can’t see what He is doing.
friend (frěnd)–noun
*a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
acquain·tance (ə-kwān’təns)-noun
*Knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.
God has no limit to what He has for those that press past the discouragements and distractions that all of us face in this life. Those that do become His friends.
But God has few friends.
He has many more acquaintances than friends. The worst thing about these aquaintances is that they want all the priviledges and blessings of friendship without bearing the responsibilty.
They want the strength that comes from being close to God, while remaining at a great distance from Him.
God has few friends.
But many acquaintances.
May we be counted as His friends.
“O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?“
Purple Cows
At the Sticks Conference I talked about Trojan Horses, Purple Cows, and Broken Windows. Thought I’d share a few thoughts about purple cows.
One of my favorite marketing books is Purple Cow by Seth Godin. The book revolves around this metaphor: if you’ve seen one brown cow you’ve seen them all. But a purple cow, now that would catch your attention. One statement in the book has profound implications: “If you aren’t remarkable you’re invisible.”
Every church needs to paint itself purple. I’m not talking about gimmicks. I’m not talking about being different for difference sake. I’m talking about making such a remarkable difference in our communities that we are unignorable.
I have a couple core convictions:
1) the good news ought to make the news. Brown churches sit on the sideline and invite the community to come to them. Purple churches are always going and compelling. They are making such a big difference that they become a highly visible part of their community. And people drive by the brown churches–the churches that are invisible–to go to the purple church.
2) The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. I know that marketing is a dirty word in some church circles, but does it get anybody else riled up that Madison Avenue is far better at pedaling its worthless wares than the church is at preaching the good news? I have a problem with that. We need sanctified competitive streaks.
3) The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. Too many churches look too much alike. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. Every church has a unique churchprint and ought to be a unique expression of the gospel in their kingdom niche.
So how do we paint ourselves purple? For starters, dare to be different. You might offend some Pharisees, but that isn’t who you’re trying to reach. Secondly, disrupt the routine. I think it starts with your personal routine. Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. You need to get out of your routine so you can have some purple thoughts.
As a leader, you need to cause confusion. Jesus didn’t do orientations. He did disorientations. You need to find new ways of saying old things (see the Parables). You need to find new wineskins. You need to sing a new song. Neurological studies have found that familiarity stimulates the left-brain. Novelty stimulates the right-brain. We need some Spirit-inspired, right-brained ideas that capture the imagination of the church and the world.
How long do you think it took for David to defeat Goliath?
No one really knows, but I estimated that it took maybe 3 minutes for David to talk a little before felling Goliath with a hurtling stone.
Whether it was a little longer or shorter really isn’t the point.
What gets me is that these “3 minutes” changed the course of his life forever. It was the springboard that catapulted David into his destined purpose. It transformed him from shepherd boy to feared champion.
3 minutes.
It would be easy to think that 3 minutes is all that it took. But David was getting ready for his destined “3 minutes” for years. By being a good shepherd, protecting the sheep with his very life, he was getting ready for his 3 minutes.
By singing to God songs of worship when no one but the Almighty was listening, he was getting ready for his 3 minutes.
By serving his father and listening well, he was getting ready for his 3 minutes.
David didn’t know it yet, but a great leader and warrior was being forged in the wilderness.
No one was watching, but God was paying close attention.
Because David was quick to do his best in secret, he was ready when the public challenge came. The fight with the giant didn’t make David, it only exposed what was already there.
3 minutes.
A defining moment.
A life forever changed.
Because he was faithful in the everyday/ordinary/mundane stuff, David was ready for his 3 minutes.
3 minutes.
Are you ready for your 3 minutes?
Posted in The Future, Leadership | No Comments »
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.-Psalm 100:4
Too often we take for granted the blessings that we take advantage of everyday.
Eyes that see.
Hands that type.
Ears that hear.
Legs that work.
Lips that can speak.
Brains that think.
Air to breathe.
Lungs to breathe with.
Friends to lean on.
Families to love.
Children to hug.
Places to live.
Beds to sleep in.
Food to eat.
Water to drink.
Clothes to wear.
And much, much more.
We thank You God, for rescuing us.
We thank You God, for blessing us.
And we apologize for not doing it more.
Posted in Relationships, Family | No Comments »
I took my 3 daughters to the Dentist office yesterday. It was an amazing time (now when is the last time you used the word amazing to describe a visit to the dentist?). The Kid’s Care Dental Group has done an incredible thing:
They turned a place that evoked fear into a place of fun.
They have flat screen TVs with kid’s movies playing, TV screens in the ceiling above the dental chairs, video games and music. There are balloons, stuffed animals, toys, a playroom AND a playground. The workers, from the hygenists, dentists, and office staff are energetic and engaging.
What once was a place of avoidance, has become a desired destination.
I was BLOWN away.
I was so excited I asked them for a job application.
As we left to have a daughter/Daddy lunch at Quiznos, I thought:
How can we change the negative perception that many people have about church?
How can we make it an energetic, engaging, community where we are challenged by God’s truth but not condemned by it?
How can we communicate a relevant message that speaks to where we are, but not dillute it?
How can we use our innovation and creativity to lead differently?
What do you think?
(Oh, and by the way I was joking about the job application. I am keeping the job I’ve got!)
Posted in The Church, Family | 1 Comment »
Some of my thoughts from the Weekend:
*We complete the “Exchange” series next week. We had a great time today talking about ’storm surfers’.
*We had a great testimony and story from Ed and Theresa Root today. They have been going to FC2 for about 2 months or so. During that time God has transformed their life from depression and despair to hope and joy. We are so excited to see what God is doing in their lives.
*We are starting a Dance Troupe at our church that will be meeting tomorrow night.
*I had some great conversations with people that are truly being touched by the presence of God.
*The guys at our church are planning to go see the Kings vs. Lakers in December.
*We celebrated the birth of Troy and Amanda Gatch new baby, Felicity Grace. Very, very cute kid! Wow. Makes me want another!
*We had a ‘family’ meeting after the service this past week where we talked about our past, present and our future. It was an honest conversation where we were able to talk straight about some things that needed to stop and other things that we need to get started. I let the church know that it is the season of change and transformation. God has greatness for us.
*I am looking forward to hanging out with the family this week and getting some rest. Thanksgiving on Thursday! The holiday season is upon us.
Posted in The Church, Leadership | No Comments »
Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.
-from the War of Art by Steven Pressfield
We can’t become what God has destined us to be without overcoming Resistance that stands in the way. The crazy thing is that the greatest source of Resistance doesn’t come from without, but from within.
We are the greatest Opposer and Oppressor of our own dreams.
We play both the Villian and the Hero.
Proverbs 13:23 tells us, “…much food is in the (uncultivated) ground of the poor, but because of injustice there is waste.”
What the Teacher in Proverbs is saying:
All the food that is needed for the hungry people is present, but it cannot be accessed because the ground that holds the resource is unworked, and through villianous behavior it remains that way.
In our own lives this principle is also true.
Everything that God intends to use as raw materials in the creation of His dream for our life we have already.
Our challenge is battling Resistance in drawing it out.
To overcome Resistance we have to get to those problem places that we would rather not visit, touch the areas we rather not touch, and look in spots we would rather close our eyes to.
But the life that we long to live is sleeping in those uncultivated places.
We must remember that no gem or great treasure has ever been found sitting above the surface of the ground.
Posted in The Future, Leadership, Transformation | 1 Comment »
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson
Posted in Leadership, Transformation | No Comments »
There was television show called the ‘Pretender’ that was popular in the mid ’90’s. It was about a guy named Jarod that had the gift to ‘pretend’. He could integrate himself into any walk of life. He could be a doctor one moment, a policeman or a park ranger the next. As a human chameleon, Jarod could become anyone.
Except himself.
Jarod didn’t know who he was, and spent his life ‘pretending’ hoping to discover his true identity.
In our lives, we are not much different from Jarod.
We are Pretenders too.
We pretend that we are small. We pretend that we are insiginificant. We pretend that we are dreamless and visionless, with little or nothing to offer the world.
But that is not who we truly are.
We are not Pretenders.
We are Worshippers.
We are Overcomers.
We are Innovators.
We are Dreamers.
We are World Changers.
That is Who We Are.
So we can stop pretending.
Posted in Media/Culture, The Future, Dream Awake | No Comments »
(Written at 12:01 am Sunday Night/Monday morning.)
*I love our church! It was great to be with them today!
*We talked today about a new strategy we are taking with our Children’s Department with our new Kid’s Ministry Coach, Pastor Inez Bayardo.
* I shared with our church God’s perspective on money. I think that money might be the most difficult thing for us to discuss in light of God’s word because of the poor choices that we have made in so many instances with money. But there is hope!
*We are coming off an incredible weekend at our ‘Change Me’ Encounter God Retreat. Someone told me today “My life is forever changed!” because they attended the weekend. Praise God for what He is doing.
*God is with us on this journey to bring restoration and renaissance to our church. We are blessed that He called us to it.
*Good Night.
Posted in The Church | 1 Comment »
Interesting story in USA Today about the first images of a multiplanet solar system. The picture above is of a dust ring (in red) surrounding the star Fomalhaut which can’t be seen with the human eye.
It is a star that is 16 times hotter and brighter than the sun. This solar system has planets that are about 7 to 8 times more dense that Jupiter or Saturn and travel an orbit anywhere from 24 to 68 times longer than the 93 million miles in which the earth circles the sun.
The crazy thing is this:
God has known about this forever and we are just now seeing it.
God is always doing stuff, creating things, preparing us for things that we don’t know about.
We have to trust Him when our human eyes can’t see what He is doing.
The image may be dark, but God can always see.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
friend (frěnd)–noun
*a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
acquain·tance (ə-kwān’təns)-noun
*Knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.
God has no limit to what He has for those that press past the discouragements and distractions that all of us face in this life. Those that do become His friends.
But God has few friends.
He has many more acquaintances than friends. The worst thing about these aquaintances is that they want all the priviledges and blessings of friendship without bearing the responsibilty.
They want the strength that comes from being close to God, while remaining at a great distance from Him.
God has few friends.
But many acquaintances.
May we be counted as His friends.
“O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?“
-2 Chron. 20:7
Posted in Relationships, Transformation | No Comments »
Great post from Mark Batterson’s Evotional Blog:
Purple Cows
At the Sticks Conference I talked about Trojan Horses, Purple Cows, and Broken Windows. Thought I’d share a few thoughts about purple cows.
One of my favorite marketing books is Purple Cow by Seth Godin. The book revolves around this metaphor: if you’ve seen one brown cow you’ve seen them all. But a purple cow, now that would catch your attention. One statement in the book has profound implications: “If you aren’t remarkable you’re invisible.”
Every church needs to paint itself purple. I’m not talking about gimmicks. I’m not talking about being different for difference sake. I’m talking about making such a remarkable difference in our communities that we are unignorable.
I have a couple core convictions:
1) the good news ought to make the news. Brown churches sit on the sideline and invite the community to come to them. Purple churches are always going and compelling. They are making such a big difference that they become a highly visible part of their community. And people drive by the brown churches–the churches that are invisible–to go to the purple church.
2) The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. I know that marketing is a dirty word in some church circles, but does it get anybody else riled up that Madison Avenue is far better at pedaling its worthless wares than the church is at preaching the good news? I have a problem with that. We need sanctified competitive streaks.
3) The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. Too many churches look too much alike. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. Every church has a unique churchprint and ought to be a unique expression of the gospel in their kingdom niche.
So how do we paint ourselves purple? For starters, dare to be different. You might offend some Pharisees, but that isn’t who you’re trying to reach. Secondly, disrupt the routine. I think it starts with your personal routine. Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. You need to get out of your routine so you can have some purple thoughts.
As a leader, you need to cause confusion. Jesus didn’t do orientations. He did disorientations. You need to find new ways of saying old things (see the Parables). You need to find new wineskins. You need to sing a new song. Neurological studies have found that familiarity stimulates the left-brain. Novelty stimulates the right-brain. We need some Spirit-inspired, right-brained ideas that capture the imagination of the church and the world.
Posted in The Church, Leadership, Creativity/Innovation | No Comments »