Things I'm Learning from Nehemiah (part 1)

Currently I am reading through the book of Nehemiah. It's a book that I've read before but not really ever actually read to fully engage and learn something. I know that sounds bad, but lets face it, sometimes we read the Bible because we have to and go through dry spells.

Well, here are a few things that I'm learning, enjoying, and being challenged with so far in the book of Nehemiah:

• Nehemiah's passion and concern for his people drives me to be more passionate about my neighbors, friends and family. (Nehemiah 1:3-4) I am also encouraged to know that I am not a big baby because I too weep like a big baby!
• Nehemiah's prayer for His generation reminds me that I not only must continue to pray and confess my sins for myself, but pray constantly for those I encounter everyday! It is also okay to pray for success when you are are praying to accomplish God's will (Nehemiah 1:5-11)
• I love that the pastors of Nehemiah's day not only led the charge of rebuilding the walls but they got their hands dirty. This reminds me that as a pastor there is no job to good for me. I must always be a servant. (I'm so thankful for this principle that was taught to me at my home church of Waynedale Baptist Church as an intern, cleaning toilets) (Nehemiah 3:1)
• There will always be people who don't understand what we are doing, and why we are doing it. However, it does not make our obedience to do it any less essential or important (Nehemiah 3:5).

It would appear to me that Nehemiah's calling to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was about much more than simply rebuilding the walls for protection of the city. It is great to be reminded that when we are called to do something from God, not only will He confirm it but He will provide for it!

3 Things I've Learned at The Great Wolf Lodge and Can Apply to GC

Okay, seriously I may have a problem. Everywhere I go I am always watching, learning, and writing notes about customer service, hospitality, how to improve things with first impressions at church. This is probably good as we haven't launched Generation Church yet, but here are a few things I have noticed at The Great Wolf Lodge, with my family this weekend.

1. There is a constant buzz of fun - I think this is gonna be key for Generation Church, so key that it's one of our core values. I don't think God ever intended for us to live a boring life.

2. People are friendly - seriously, the staff seem happy to work here, and they are constantly saying hello to you in the halls, which in turn make other people here very happy.

3. My kids (and thousands of others) LOVE this place - I cannot begin to describe how my son's face light up when we walked through the lobby and witnessed millions of Christmas lights, and snow inside. My other son also fell awestruck of the indoor water park. Church should be an inviting place that people want to go to because JESUS is there!

We are still about 10 months from launching, but creating a plan and a vision of how we want to treat people from the parking lot to the auditorium, and everywhere in between is a necessity. Coming to places like this makes this hyperactive mind go crazy!

Life Happens When We Least Expect It

Over the last four years the Pastors in my life have been very great at helping me open my eyes to the spiritual warfare that happens. They have also been great about preparing me as a church planter and Pastor for the spiritual warfare that will occur in my life and in our family. I am so appreciative for their instructions because what has happened to me over the course of this last week could have ushered in some major depression and frustration in my life.

Yesterday - I attended a funeral for a friend I mentored my Senior year in High School, I found out that another great friend has stage 4 colon cancer, and my Grandpa (the only grandparent left) is having some health problems. Normally, I would question why and it would set me off track for the things that need to be accomplished for Generation Church! However, because I've been preparing for some major spiritual stuff to occur, dealing with these events (although sad) have been opportunities to share Jesus' love and opportunities for growth.

The overall point I want to get across is that life happens...how we choose to respond and how we are preparing for life makes all of the difference!

When the Blind Lead the Blind

As a part of my personal time with God I am reading through the book of Romans. I am doing this for a few reasons. The first is because I cannot be reminded enough that God's grace is abundant and it is the only reason I am who I am. Secondly it is a great reminder that I am so stinkin' sinful and am in total need of a Savior, because if admission to Heaven were based on me...we are all screwed. Finally, Romans is a great reminder (and a great tool) that there are so many people that we need to introduce to Jesus.

Well, today I wanted to share just a small portion of Romans 2 that hit me hard!
19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. 20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth. 21 Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? 23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.” - Romans 2:19-24NLT

There are several things that hit me:

1. Recognition of my calling to start and lead Generation Church- I am 100% that this is what God has called me to do and to be a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.
2. I must be practicing what I preach at all times!
3. My relationship with my wife and my commitment to her, our marriage, and the intimacy between us is the number one priority relationship outside of my relationship with Jesus.
4. It is vital that I do not give anyone any reason to walk away from Jesus.

So what do you get from these verses and how can you live a life so that you are not a blind man (or woman) leading the blind?

I Used To Take Notes From Starbucks

Starbucks. One coffee company that has changed our culture forever. I really love the atmosphere of Starbucks. It is a cool, place that has comfortable seating, lust loud enough background music, and tasty coffee (not saying that it is the best, but it does the job). I used to dream about planting a church that has a Starbucks like experience. I used to take notes from every Starbucks experience that I had. I would write down the color scheme on their walls, their lighting, their music, their displays, seating, etc. However, things have changed dramatically.

Don't get me wrong, I still like the environment at Starbucks. BUT...the biggest thing that has dramatically decreased (if at all even remotely present any longer) is the personal attention that I used to get. Not that the Barista's are impersonal, or unfriendly, but I have not walked into Starbucks in the last 2 years with any of them asking for my name and thanking me by name. That's right, it used to be that Starbucks would ask for my name and then once my order was ready, greet me by name and thank me by name, this doesn't happen anymore.

It is this impersonal experience that I refuse to let happen at Generation Church! I want every guest/owner/family member that walks through the doors to be personally greeted and feel as though they are worth something. For me, using my name shows that you care about me; the church must let people know that we care for them! It must be personal (this is not saying that the vision that God has laid on the Pastor's heart is compromised by the personality of everyone in the church, it just means that people must be the most important aspect of the church!)

Leaders in the Church, Starbucks, and anyone else of influence...make your experience personal it will bring worth to those you serve and open the doors for community!

5 reasons I love LifeGate Church

Over 16 months ago we moved to Lexington, KY for a great opportunity that my wife had with the University she works for. There were several reasons this was a great choice for us but the two main reasons was that it was closer to family and that it gets us closer to the vision that God has laid on our hearts.

When making the decision the first thing we did was start looking for churches. We decided that if we wanted to one day plant a church that maybe it would be a good idea to attend and help out a church plant for our time in Lexington. So God led us to LifeGate Church. Here are the top 5 reasons why I love LifeGate Church:

5. ARC - LifeGate is a part of the Association of Related Church which focuses on planting churches. I love this because of the encouragement that the ARC team offer (no matter the size of the church they pastor) and the passion they have for reaching people!

4. The lead staff team, led by Pastor Ashley Wilson, are amazing! These group of leaders are so passionate about Jesus changing our city it is infectious. If you spend more than 5 minutes with any of them you know there is something different in their life!

3. The Dream Team of Volunteers are absolutely incredible! The volunteers at LifeGate want to make an impact in our city and they take ownership of the areas of ministry they serve in. Many of them have full time jobs, but make a commitment to be a part of LifeGate and serve in ministries that take a lot of time and energy...(shout out to the Roadie Team - who unloads and loads the trailer every week; LG Kids Team- who set up their environment and love on kids; Cafe/Usher/Hospitality Teams - for being the front lines; Worship Team - these guys practice more than anyone I know and bring it every week!).

2. Real People - this church is full of people who don't care to be fake. Everyone has a story and their story reflects the realization that at some point they were in need of Jesus. They are unashamed about the love they have for Jesus but they don't try to cover it up by being unreal.

1. JESUS IS CENTER - In everything that LifeGate does, Jesus is the focus. Jesus is the foundation of every outreach, every small group, every fun event, and so on. If you come to a weekend experience you are going to hear about how much Jesus loves you and desires a relationship with you. Its not about fluff, its about pointing people to Jesus.

I am so honored to be a part of this amazing church!

ARC ALL ACESS TWENTY TEN

I was planning to blog often last week during my time at the Association of Related Churches (ARC) All Access conference. We traveled to Baton Rouge, LA, which was my first time in the state, to Healing Place Church led by Pastor Dino Rizzo.

What an awesome time hearing from some passionate men in ministry, worshipping with Hillsong United, and connecting with some great church planters. I wanted to touch on a few key things that I was reminded of and learned while there:

• There is going to be pain in church planting and in ministry - the key is to embrace the pain and thank God for the opportunity to go through something so small compared to the pain He endured for us.
• Being a leader is vital to ministry - leaders never cross the finish line first, because they are always bringing people with them.
• Don't be afraid to cry out to God - desperate people do desperate things, therefor never lose desperation when trusting God.
• To measure your church start with these 4 questions: Is your church humiliating? -does your service embarrass the unchurched or is it too embarrassing to bring friends to?; Is your church schizophrenic?; Is your church in denial about who they are?; Is your church delusional? - DO NOT FORGET about the hurting people around us, be the hospital, not a country club.
• We ought to be a magnet, not just drawing people in but also drawing God down.
• There is no big churches, only a BIG GOD using small churches in a really BIG WAY - stay small KEEP HIM BIG!

These are just a few small thoughts from my time in Louisiana. I would highly recommend if you are a church planter, a pastor, or anyone in ministry be sure to check out All Access Twenty Eleven next year.

So, whether you went to the conference or not what are your thoughts?

How to Have a Great Staff Meeting

I love the staff at LifeGate Church!! I could not ever imagine being a part of a better group of people when it comes to planting a life-giving, spirit-empowered church! Besides Sunday, one of the highlights of my week is Monday's, particularly our staff meetings. I always leave those meetings encouraged, challenged, and pumped up about taking things to the Next Level! There have been times at churches I've been a part of where I dreaded the staff meetings because it was more like a "you suck" session, but not at LifeGate. So why is that we have a great staff meeting and how can you have them for your staff?

1. Know that what you do is making an eternal difference. Therefore, priorities become about how to move people to the next level in their walk with Jesus.

2. PRAY TOGETHER - I would say that 1/3rd of our staff meeting is us praying for the people of our church and their friends and families, praying for one another and our families, and praying for God to move and use us!

3. Have fun - a team that laugh's together stays together. If you aren't having fun with one another, things become boring and you will end up hating working with the your team.

4. Always evaluate WINS/LOSSES - not only from a Sunday and your ministry area but in personal lives as well.

5. Know that a staff meeting is meant to make each of you better at what you do and to make that ministry you are a part of better - staff meetings should never be about bashing people, but how to evaluate things that can be done better, things that are going great, and set up a game plan for what's next.

6. Have staff meetings at times when most people think and operate the best - our staff meeting is at 8pm. Partly because of how our scheduling works, but mostly because several of us operate and think best later in the day. I know for me as a hyperactive individual, my brain tends to be thinking at its best during the 8-11pm time slot.

Following these six basic steps will allow you and your staff to really be united, as well as make staffing meetings a fun part of the week.

Loving What You Do

How many times have you heard this: "Man, I hate my job!" or "I hate what I'm doing."

This is all too common, and to be honest with you it is very common in the church amongst ministry staff members. I have definitely gone through it and am embarrassed.

However, right now... God is using me in a new role that I never thought I'd be in and is using it to prepare me for some great things in the future. But in this role I am getting the opportunity to truly love what I do! I am working hand in hand alongside some amazing people and I'm getting to lead others.

So what is your situation right now? Do you love what you are doing? If so great! If not here are three things to do/ask yourself in order to begin loving what you do?

1. Is Jesus in the center of what I am doing? If not, it is important to get things straight and put him back in whatever it is you are doing!

2. Is my attitude a reflection of who I am? You choose your attitude and attitudes are contagious. By choosing a positive and encouraging attitude, you have the ability to make the most of anything.

3. What can I do to improve my situation? Many times we play the blame game and forget to reflect on our own personal impact!

If you don't love what you do, its up to you to change the situation!!

5 Things You Should Be Doing For The Church (part 2)

#2. Praying for the Leadership God Has Put in Place

I think many times people get to pray for the pastor's of their church and the ministry leaders. God has placed them in that position with that authority for a particular reason and its essential to cover them in your prayers.

Many times people get frustrated and ticked off at the decisions leaders make for the church, but instead of getting ticked off, you should be praying for them. Obviously they are making a decision for a reason. So what if they think that switching to contemporary style of worship will improve the ability to reach more people. So what if there is no longer your Grandma's organ and drums are now in the Sanctuary (guess what there were drums in the Bible and I haven't found a single mention of an organ yet). God presents his vision for the church through the Sr. Pastor and unless that Sr. Pastor is living against God's Word, your job is to follow that vision. Now, if God has given you clear vision on how the church should be ran...GO START ANOTHER CHURCH. But I promise you if you can't be a follower, you can NEVER be a LEADER!

5 Things You Should Be Doing For The Church (part 1)

Lately, I have really been seeking what God wants from me as a Pastor and even more importantly what does He want from His Church. As I've been praying and seeking His Word, I've come to the realization that God desires us to get up off of our rear ends and be His Bride, His Followers, HIS CHURCH!

So what can you be doing for the Church? This is both for your local church as well as the entire family of God. So you should be...

#1. Praying for People

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results -James 5:16

I really think that James is very clear when he says that we NEED to be praying for people. I believe this is not just for fellow Christians, but definitely for those who don't believe. Why? Well it is clear that there is POWER in prayer and the results are going to be wonderful or as one translation puts it the results are something to be reckoned with.