Thursday, September 29, 2016

10 Ways to Have a Reproducing Culture

10 Ways to Have a Reproducing Culture

Reproducing Culture
“Reproducing cultures reproduce leaders.”
You can’t recruit leaders—at least not effectively—if you never develop a culture to do so.
Reproducing cultures reproduce leaders.
Finding new leaders is critical to the successful growth of any church or organization. Kingdom growth is greatly impacted by the numbers of leaders we can recruit.
Therefore, we must strive to recruit more leaders and we do so by having a culture of reproduction.
How do we develop that type of culture?

Here are 10 ways to have a reproducing culture:

Catch the vision of multiplication
It’s hard to convince people to buy into something you don’t believe in personally. As a leader, you must believe reproducing leaders is a valuable enough process to make it a priority.
Be intentional
Every leader in the organization must be willing to consciously replace themselves. Multiplication must be a part of the overall strategy. There must be a continual process of leadership recruitment.
Start early
Reproducing cultures replace leaders before they actually need them.
Invest in personal growth
You can’t take new leaders where the current leaders haven’t been or aren’t going.
Humble leaders
Leaders must not be afraid new leaders could lead better than them. When leaders allow people to shine under their leadership it advances their ability to lead. The good news is today’s generation likes honesty. They will follow a leader more if they trust their integrity.
Share responsibilities early 
The easiest way to learn something is to do it, and the more ownership given to people the more they will be motivated to participate.
Identify potential
I shared some ways I do this in a previous post. It’s important in a recruitment culture to always be looking for people who may someday be leadership superstars. Look for the good in people. What do they have that attracts people to them?
Create an environment conducive to leaders
Leaders don’t develop well under a dictatorship. If people are afraid to have an answer under the current leadership for fear of being wrong, they are less likely to try to have an answer. The real leaders will disappear quickly in a controlling environment—or where one or a few people get to actually introduce new ideas and make decisions.
Recruit
The “sign up” method seldom works well. The best quality people are almost always personally recruited. Jesus found people—with a personal ask—even at risk they would betray Him. The best recruitment in most organizations will be likewise.
Lead for life change
Some people will experience their greatest life change only when they are leading others or have some sort of responsibility of leadership. Nurture potential leaders knowing part of their spiritual maturity will be developed leading others.
Are you in a leadership reproducing culture? What makes it so?  
Ron Edmondson

Ron Edmondson

Ron Edmondson is a pastor and church leader passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive, and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Ron has over 20 years business experience, mostly as a self-employed business owner, and he's been helping churches grow vocationally for over 10 years.

[Video #3] How to Avoid the 3 Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes

Hey!
I’m glad that you got started with the seven important steps that you learned in the first video in this mini-training.
And I know that you’ve started to crush your fears connected to living out an authentic, every-day faith with your family and friends.
And now… video #3 is here! (another game-changer)
If you’re like a lot of my other friends, they tell me:
  • I don't know how to talk about my faith and spiritual things without making others (or me) feel weird.
  • I’ve never been good at building deeper relationships with non-believers.
The vast majority of Christians have never really been discipled. Or their discipleship was certainly not an "all of life" apprenticeship in how the gospel changes everything about us.
Well it doesn't have to be that way.
You really do GET TO live in community
with others and live out the gospel in 

natural, meaningful ways that are
accessible AND 
beautiful, and not just on Sundays... 
Watch this video now: The 3 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make On Mission

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I want to totally shorten your learning curve and frustration here…and I want to begin to de-mystify what living this “missionary” life in community really looks like. But you’re going to need to avoid these 3 big mistakes. I’ve made them before...but you don’t have to.
Now, here’s the big news and a little tease:
Tomorrow morning I’ll be sending you an invitation to enroll in my “7 Moves To Missional Course”. Enrollment in this online course will be open for a very limited time.
I created 7 Moves to Missional so I can walk with you step-by-step, showing you my seven simple, yet powerful "moves", that when you believe them and learn to practice them, will lead you deep into a missional lifestyle with your family... and then your friends.
Here’s the deal: I will be your coach, sherpa and friend on this journey.
Talk soon,
–Caesar
P.S. Click here if you missed any of the 3 Free Videos.
P.P.S. If you’ve got questions for me, please hit “Reply”.  I’m here to answer them!

20 Lessons For Pastors On Building A Great Team

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Shawn Lovejoy, founder of Courage To Lead and author of the great book Be Mean About The Vision, is one of my favorite leaders.  Recently he discussed what is needed to break growth barriers in your church.  It starts with building a great team.
Anytime Shawn speaks on leadership I listen.  He has so much wisdom to share and he does so generously.  The following are Shawn’s thoughts on building a great team, reasons for meetings, and staffing issues.
If your church is looking to grow to the next level, this will help you.
10 Lessons For Pastors On Building A Great Team
  1. When Jesus got ready to change the world He picked a team.  Not just a team, a great team.
  2. Often we sell the disciples short.  These men, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached and thousands were saved.  They turned the world upside down within one generation.
  3. Much of the growth and future of our church will rise and fall on the leadership quotient of the team members we surround ourselves with.
  4. One staff person can’t solve your problems.  But the right people can solve the problems.
  5. Build A Healthy Team Culture – Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
  6. We have to be the culture we want to build.  We have to model the culture.
  7. Have Great Meetings
  8. Proactively Address Staffing Issues
  9. If you’re not learning, you’re not growing.
  10. Empower Them
5 Reasons For Meetings
  1. Community – Do life together.
  2. Communication – People are down on what they are not up on.
  3. Collaboration – Every great meeting should be made in a meeting.
  4. Coaching – Every great coach watches the team play and debriefs them.
  5. Cheering One Another On
4 Staffing Issues
  1. Wrong Seat on the Bus – this speaks to capacity.
  2. Missing the Bus – this speaks to chemistry.
  3. On the Wrong Bus – this speaks to calling.
  4. They’re truing to drive the bus – this speaks to character.
Shawn concludes with his final lesson, “Build a high-growth team and you’ll break through your growth barriers.”
If you are a pastor or church leader, make sure you check out Shawn’s blog HERE and follow him on Twitter HERE.  You can also pick up his latest book Be Mean About The Vision HERE.  He will make you a better leader.
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Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences.  Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!

Are you mad at me?

I hated to make you wait...but I had to finish getting everything ready.
Today is the day–as promised: The 7 Moves to Missional course is now LIVE and open for enrollment. Jump in with me now!
I don’t want you to suffer the failures and frustrations we first did when teaching our kids and friends in community how to live out a real, tangible faith. You don’t have to.
I’ve put a TON of hours into building this course for you.
This is the most comprehensive, step-by-step training
I’ve ever offered...and all the risk is on me.
If you walked through my last three free videos with me you’ve got a good idea of WHAT you need to do. Now I want to walk with you step by step and show you HOW.

After taking the 7 Moves To Missional Course you’ll have the knowledge and confidence to:
  • Articulate a BIGGER gospel–one that touches every part of life and is truly good news.
  • Make your own family dinners a blessing to your kids and a more meaningful and attractive door into community for others.
  • Find natural places in your city or neighborhood that are perfect fit for you making new friends.
  • Identify which new friends are “leaning in” to relationship and a possible faith journey with you.
  • Lose the anxiety over moving these relationships toward spiritual discussions and life in community.
  • Create environments for relational growth that are inviting and that make people want to join you.
  • Teach the Bible through story and dialog, in a powerful and fun way that is reproducible.

Here’s what you’ll get:
  • Full, lifetime access to all of the 8 Video Modules and bonuses (click here to read more about each module and all of the bonuses included).
  • We’ll get to see each other live for our video Q&A sessions
  • And you’ll be a part of the 7 Moves Facebook private community of folks that are with us already. This is where you can get questions answered daily and celebrate your journey with a crew of like-minded and awesome people.
  • 30 Day Money-back Guarantee if for any reason this is not working out for you.
This one of a kind online course will change the trajectory of your life and that of your close family and friends.
Here’s those fears again...
There may be a reason rolling around your head for why you don’t enroll in this course today, so here are a few things I wanted to remind you of:
  1. This is not going to take a lot of your time to master these 7 Moves. Most modules take less than 30 minutes to complete. You go at your own pace and myself and the online community are always here for you.
  2. Even if you don’t plan to get started for a few weeks or so, jump in with us now–you get lifetime membership. You don’t want to wait to do this later because we aren’t able to open up enrollment very often. Enroll now.
  3. If you feel like you’ve read everything there is on living a missional life, but you don’t yet have a step-by-step and REPRODUCIBLE plan for how to simply and naturally do this, then the 7 Moves really is for you.
By the way:
You don’t need a “team” or group of folks to do this with. This starts with you (in the mirror) and leads you and your family step-by-step toward a simple series of proven steps that build naturally upon each other. As you grow in confidence (and are having a blast) you can invite others to join you.
Don’t let anything stop you from getting started today. I’ll be here to walk with you every step of the journey.
–Caesar (your missional mentor)
P.S. Still got Questions about the course? Just hit the Reply Button. I'm here to answer them for you.


(For the next few days we'll be sending more emails than normal connected with the 7 Moves to Missional course. If you'd rather not receive these, click here and we'll back off :-)
 

14 Things Leaders Should Do When They Seem Out Of Options

One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 4:17 which says, “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did”.  This verse has always given me great comfort.  As a Christian, it reminds me you are never without options.  You are never without opportunities no matter how dire things may seem.
Your career options may seem over, your sales funnel may seem dry, your connections may all seem lost but God gives life to things that are dead.  He brings things into being which currently are not.
I thought of this verse when I read Ben Reiter’s profile of Texas Rangers center fielder Ian Desmond in the September 26th edition of Sports Illustrated.  Last winter Desmond’s career seemed over.  This winter he should sign a contract for over $80 million.
How he did it is something all leaders can learn from.  The following are 14 Things Leaders Should Do When They Seem Out Of Options:
  1. Do Not Dwell On Past Mistakes – Desmond turned down a 7-year, $106 million contract from the Washington Nationals just two years ago.  Dwelling on this would do Desmond no good today.
  2. Be Thankful For What You Do Have – Desmond said, “I still have an opportunity to provide for my family.  As long as I have a jersey, I’m cool.”
  3. Keep Working Hard – Desmond put a batting cage in his Florida home.  Everyday he would go outside and keep hitting as he waited for his opportunity.
  4. Look For A Place To Serve – One day Desmond noticed a Japanese college team practicing.  He started catching balls in the outfield to help them out.
  5. You Never Know Who Is Watching – Unbeknownst to him, the Rangers had been attempting to acquire him since the previous July and had a scout watch him for six games.
  6. Be Willing To Change – Desmond had been a very successful shortstop with the Washington Nationals.  But after reading a July 6th scouting report, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said, “if he would ever be open to it, this guy would be a dynamic outfielder.”  After signing a 1-year contract, Desmond switched positions.
  7. Hire A Coach – No matter how good you are, everyone can get even better with a coach.  Desmond enlisted outfield coach Jayce Tingler to work with him.
  8. Put In Extra Work – Tingler put Desmond through three one-on-one tutorials each day during spring training.
  9. Practice Real Life Situations – During batting practice, Desmond would chase fly balls at full-speed just like he would in a real game.
  10. Think Outside The Box – Many of the players kept hitting home runs during batting practice.  Therefore, Desmond could not get the work he wanted.  So he went to the minor league practices where players could not hit it as far and he got in the amount of work he needed.
  11. Remember Your First Love – Do not get distracted.  Teammate Cole Hamels said, “He’s one of those guys who really knows how to separate the business side and the actual pure joy of playing the game.”
  12. Practice Good Financial Stewardship – Desmond said, “My wife and I are extremely frugal.  She still shops at T.J. Maxx.  Not that there’s anything wrong with T.J. Maxx.  We feel like, man, we already have enough money to live forever.  If we spend this money, we’re doing it really wrong.”
  13. Focus On Making The Most Of Times Of Transition – Desmond concludes, “If I took a loss financially, what I gained as a professional was worth every penny.”
  14. Leaders Who Do The Right Things When No One Is Watching Become In High Demand – Daniels now says, “We’re gonna have a lot more competition for him.  He’s gonna fit everybody.  But we know he fits us, and it’s a conversation we’re gonna have.”
What is one thing from this list which gives you encouragement today?
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Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences.  Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!

What NOT to Say to Someone in Pain

What NOT to Say to Someone in Pain

Several years ago at a physical therapy appointment I was getting some kinks worked out of my back. As the therapist torqued my left leg into a pretzel, she told me about a friend who recently got news about a life threatening medical condition. As my therapist shared, she felt unsure about what to say to her friend facing such sadness. Even though I’ve been in ministry over 35 years, the right thing to say to a person in pain still eludes me. What should we say to someone like her friend? Or better yet, what should we not say?
young desperate man suffering with hands on head in deep depression, pain , emotional disorder, grief and desperation concept isolated on black background with grunge studio lighting in black and white Since our youngest was diagnosed with a brain tumor 28 years ago (and is now doing well), what people have said to us through the years has run the gamut from perfect to really bad. Most people really want to encourage when we hurt, but often they say exactly what you don’t need to hear.
Here’s a few statements to NEVER say to someone in pain, no matter what kind of pain.
  • Every thing will be all right. God’s in control. (Yes, God is control, but everything may not turn out all right.)
  • Just have more faith and you will be fine. (Platitude.)
  • God told me that you’d be healed/your problem will go away. (Why did he tell you and not me?)
  • Could there possibly be some sin in your life? (Sounds like one of Job’s friends.)
  • My (aunt, uncle, grandmother, etc.) faced the same thing and they were healed. (I’m not your aunt, uncle, grandmother, etc.)
  • Well, I’m facing such and such…and then this person prattles on and on about himself or herself, seemingly oblivious to our pain. (You really didn’t hear me, did you?)
  • Just let us know what we can do. (Often this really means nothing or else they would have gotten specific on the spot.)
Words carry great power. The book of Proverbs tells us they have the power of life or death and that a well-placed word is very valuable. This verse is a great one.
Prov. 25.11 The right word at the right time is like precious gold set in silver.
I’d love to hear words that you’ve heard or said that were like gold in times of pain.
Related Posts:

5 Things Pastors Need To Know About Breaking Growth Barriers

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Jeff Maness is the Founding and Lead Pastor of Element Church in Cheyenne, WY.  The church, now nine years old, runs 1,500 in weekend attendance.  Jeff is an expert in growing a relevant church.  Recently, he shared a five items all pastors should know about breaking growth barriers.
Change Your Perspective
  1. “With every barrier busted it brings a new burden to bear.”
  2. “If you’re not prepared for the burdens of growing, it can keep you from going to the next level. One of the reasons churches stop growing is they are not willing to bear those burdens.”
  3. “The Relational Burden Of Growing – who is on your team and how will they function on your team as you grow?”
  4. “My role as the lead pastor on our team had to change if we were going to grow.”
  5. “My team needed to be used to invest in executive leaders and some high-capacity volunteers.”
I would also like to share some additional items about church growth I learned from my mentor John Maxwell.  John used to say, “With every new level comes a new devil.”  He used to teach us that the higher you go in your leadership the less options you have.
In other words, the higher you go in influence and responsibility, the following are things you lose:
  • There are some places you can longer go.
  • There are some movies you can longer see.
  • There are some conversations you can longer have.
  • There are certain things you can no longer wear.
  • There are some people you can no longer meet with.
  • There are some weddings you can no longer do.
  • There are things you sometimes have to give up – like having a meal at a restaurant with your family and not having people wanting to talk to you.
This is not about legalism or becoming a people pleaser.  This is about stewarding the precious gift called influence.
If you are a leader, you know the value of influence.  It is a sacred thing and should be handled with the greatest of care.  It is not something to be flippantly thrown around.  Because when you lose influence, you many never get it back to the level it once was.
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On Thursday October 13th, INJOY Stewardship Solutions is hosting an online event entitled, “How To Overcome The Challenges Of Leading A Growing Church”.  You will able to learn church growth lessons from experience pastors like Shawn Lovejoy, Marty Schmidt, Josh Pennington, Mike Linch and Jeff Maness himself.  Click HERE or on the images provided to sign up.

Monday, September 26, 2016

When This Pastor’s Wife Found Her Husband’s Porn Addiction – It Took Her 3 Days to Confront Him…

When This Pastor’s Wife Found Her Husband’s Porn Addiction – It Took Her 3 Days to Confront Him…

 

When Christina fell in love with a pastor in training, she thought she was marrying one of the good guys.
From the beginning of their marriage, she always felt like something was off. Within two years of their marriage, Christina had a feeling that it wasn’t going to last, but she couldn’t describe why. Eight years into the marriage, she opened their computer and found something in their search history that changed everything. She discovered her pastor/husband had a hidden porn addiction.
“It hit me like a wrecking ball, but some things started to finally make sense–why he wasn’t emotionally invested in our marriage, why he wasn’t available to me, not on a sexual level, but an intimate level. I always felt like there was half of him missing,” Christina says.
It took Christina three days to build up the courage to confront him. To her surprise, he didn’t deny it.
After that, they went through two-and-a-half years of an unhealthy cycle of forgiveness and relapse. Christina felt abused; she had no self-esteem. She even felt like her children were created in a lie and she was just a vessel her husband was using.
It was the toughest time of her life.
But the story didn’t end there. God ended up redeeming and reclaiming Christina and her husband–and put their marriage back together again.
“I see myself as the victorious daughter of Christ who is loved and valued.”
Dealing with pornography addiction as a pastor or ministry leader is incredibly tough and messy, but there is always hope in Christ.
If you know someone who needs to hear Christina’s story, please share this with them today.

20 Interesting (But Often Overlooked) Facts about the Parable of the Prodigal Son

20 Interesting (But Often Overlooked) Facts about the Parable of the Prodigal Son

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It’s an epic story, praised for its beauty, extravagant grace, surprising narrative and simplicity, but how well do you know it?
The story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15: 11-32 is one of the most iconic parables in all of Scripture. There is arguably more artwork (sculptures, paintings, literature, stained glass) focused on the Prodigal Son than any of the other 30 parables in the entire Bible.
It’s an epic story, praised for its beauty, extravagant grace, narrative clarity and simplicity, but it’s also full of subtle context, shocking twists and deep truths.

Here are  20 facts about the story that could be easy to miss–even for a seasoned ministry leader…

***
1. The word “Prodigal” doesn’t mean rebellious or lost—it means “wasteful” and “extravagant.” The word origin refers to a person who’s reckless and squanders their wealth.
2. The parable of the Prodigal is the last of three parables Jesus shares about loss and redemption—The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son—and it’s best read in that context to understand the full force of Jesus’ narrative.
3. When the prodigal son asked for his inheritance, it was like saying to his father, “I wish you were dead.” It was a huge insult, weighted with shame and guilt.
4. In the Jewish culture at this time, doing something like this would’ve likely cut you off from the community forever. And being a part of the greater community was critical for survival, health and overall quality of life.
5. In reality, the father would’ve had to split up the land and sell a portion of his assets to give his son the requested inheritance.
6. When the prodigal son was done partying and found himself alone and hungry, he took a job feeding slop to pigs. Why is this significant? In the Jewish culture pigs were “unclean” animals. If a Jewish man longed for the food of pigs it was definitely hitting “rock bottom.”
7. The prodigal son decides to head home—thinking that maybe his father would receive him as a servant. This is proof that the son didn’t understand the depth of his father’s love and compassion.
8. The prodigal son rehearses a speech, but he never gets to use it.
9. When the father sees his son return, he runs to greet him. Running in the Ancient Near Eastern culture was taboo at that time. It required a man to pull up his tunic to his hips and expose his legs (to keep from tripping). The practice was frowned upon and typically brought shame and embarrassment.
10. If a Jewish son squandered his money, giving it over to the Gentiles, he would’ve been cut off from the community upon his return. The father likely ran to meet his son to reach him before anyone else in the community had a chance to confront him. The fact that the Father runs to receive him is scandalous and shocking and goes against the cultural norm.
11. We title the story “The Prodigal Son,” but it could be just as easily titled “The Running Father,” says New Testament scholar N.T. Wright.
12. The father didn’t scold the son but gave him a lavish welcome home party—calling for his servants to prepare the fattened calf, a ring, a robe and shoes. This is God’s stance toward repentant sinners, and it’s always bold, surprising and overflowing with joy.
13. The father gave his son a robe to restore his dignity in front of the community. No doubt the son was tattered and dirty from feeding slop to pigs and the father clothes him as an act of love and compassion and to honor his son in full view of the village.
14. The father also gave the son a ring. Wearing rings during this time in history was a sign of both wealth and position. The power of this symbol reflects the father’s desire to restore his son as a family member and a respectable member of the community—under the shadow of the father—once again.
15. Next, the father asked his servants to get his son a pair of sandals. This, perhaps the most practical gift, was a gesture that said, “I want you around for a while.” The sandals prepared him to walk with the father without fear of cutting or soiling his feet from the ground.
16. But there was one last gift—the fattened calf. This kind of extravagant feast was reserved for incredibly important occasions. No longer would his son settle for the pods of pigs—he would now dine on the best meat available in the presence of his family and, likely, everyone in the village.
17. The story has a part two about the older son, that often gets overlooked, but it’s just as important.
18. The older son represented the Pharisees and scribes—they felt disrespected by God’s scandalous grace to the sinner and the outcast. Besides, they’ve been keeping the rules since day one—why didn’t they get a party?
19. The father’s response to the older son? “All I have is yours too, but this requires a celebration—my son was dead and now he’s alive again!” This is a great picture of God’s stance to the self-righteous sinner—kind, direct, generous, but still focused on the power of repentance.
20. The parable ends with the refusal of the older brother to attend the feast. We don’t know what happened, but Jesus left the story hanging, open-ended for questions and discussion, as he often does.

5 Ways Christians Worship and Glorify Satan

5 Ways Christians Worship and Glorify Satan

5 Ways Christians Worship and Glorify Satan
“We Christians often give credit and glory to Satan for things which he had nothing whatsoever to do with.”
Was that blog post title too provocative?
Here is something even more provocative: There is much in Christianity that is Satanic.
In fact, many elements of Christianity might make it the most Satanic religion on earth.
If you are already offended by this post, you may simply want to stop reading here. But if you keep reading, you will learn five ways that Christians worship and glorify Satan, and these five areas strike at the heart of much of what goes by “Christianity” today.

1. We Give Credit to Satan

Christians often say that one of Satan’s biggest deceptions is convincing people that he doesn’t exist.
This may be true, but I sometimes think that an even bigger deception of Satan is convincing people that he does exist, and that he is more powerful than he really is.
We Christians often give credit and glory to Satan for things which he had nothing whatsoever to do with.
It is not uncommon to hear Christians “blame Satan” and pray against Satan for things that in any other person’s life would simply be the result of poor choices, poor planning,or just poor timing.
Christians sometimes say that they are being tempted by Satan, or were sent bad dreams by Satan, or were kept by Satan from witnessing to a friend. With such ideas, Christians are attributing omniscience and omnipresence to Satan, which are attributes of God alone. Satan is a created (but fallen) being, just like you and me. He cannot be everywhere at once, and so it is nearly certain that none of us will ever have a personal encounter with Satan in our entire life. He has (in his mind) better things to do than give you bad dreams or tempt you to look at porn. The bad dream might be a result of the movie you watched, a stressful situation at work or the anchovies you put on your pizza. The temptation to sin most likely comes from your fallen “flesh,” the part of each human which naturally pulls us toward our baser desires. In both cases, Satan has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Christians sometimes complain that Satan created problems for them at the airline customs gate or in coordinating travel plans. This is especially true if these Christians are “missionaries” who are headed to another country to “carry out the great commission.” Any problem is therefore attributed to the power of Satan. Yet these things happen to tens of thousands of “normal” travelers every day. To give Satan credit for these is to give him way too much credit.
I once talked with a woman who wanted me to cast Satan out of her car. She said that she wanted to come to church on Sunday morning, but when she got in her car, it would not start. Clearly, this must be because Satan wanted to keep her from coming to church. I told her, as gently as I could, that Satan was not possessing her car, and it would do no good for me to pray over it. More than likely, her car wouldn’t start because of some completely natural reason. Maybe her car was old, or the battery was dead. Or maybe it wouldn’t start because it had been extremely cold the night before. To give Satan credit for keeping her car from starting on Sunday morning was to give glory to Satan that he did not deserve.
Make sure that as you go through life, you don’t give credit and glory to Satan for things he has nothing to do with. Life is full of problems, and everybody has problems, and these problems do not come upon you because Satan is targeting you. In all likelihood, Satan doesn’t even know you exist, and even if he does, he’s not going to waste his time by freezing your car engine or slowing you down at the customs counter.
But this is not the only way we Christians worship and glorify Satan.

2.We Accept Satanic Offerings

In Luke 4 and Matthew 4, Satan comes to tempt Jesus, and in the process, offers three things to Jesus, if only Jesus will worship him.
The three things Satan offers to Jesus were riches, control and fame, and Jesus rejected all three.
Yet within 300 years of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the church had accepted and embraced all three as tools to help them spread the Gospel. But these offerings from Satan did more to hinder the message of the Gospel than help it.
Whenever Christians today chase after riches as a means to spread the Gospel, control over others as a means to manage sin, and fame or glory as a way of gaining the world’s attention, we have sacrificed the Gospel on the altar of Satanic offerings. When we do this, we not only fail to advance the rule and reign of God, but instead help advance the influence of the ruler of this age.
I wrote a lot more about this in my forthcoming book, Close Your Church for Good, and so I won’t say anything more about this point here. (Sign up for the newsletter to get a free digital copy of this book when it is released.)

3. We Diagnose Someone as Demon Possessed

I know that this point might be controversial (but which of these five points are not?), but I do not believe we Christians should ever diagnose someone as “demon possessed,” for doing so might actually glorify and honor Satan.
I sometimes think that we diagnose someone as “demon possessed” because we don’t want to deal with the psychological, emotional, mental or spiritual issues that the person in question is actually dealing with. It is so much easier to write someone off as “demon possessed” than to do the hard work of loving, healing, restoring and mending that may need to be done with someone who suffers in such ways.
But more than this, when we consider the “deliverance” ministry of Jesus in liberating people from demon possession, it is important to recognize what Jesus was, and was not, doing.
In Jesus’ day (as in ours, though to a lesser degree), people associated sickness with sin. People believed that if you sinned, one way God might punish you is by sending a sickness upon you. Therefore, if a person got sick, this was taken as an indication that the person had sinned and God was punishing them.
One of the reasons, therefore, that Jesus went around “casting out demons” was to turn this religious lie on its head. Jesus wanted to show that God didn’t punish sinners with demon possession, nor was demon possession an indication of God’s punishment or of that person’s sinfulness. The so-called “demon possessed” person was just as loved and accepted by God as anyone else.
Furthermore, what Jesus wanted to reveal was that the most demonic thing about demon possession was not the demon possession itself, but was the diagnosis of demon possession. To diagnose someone as “possessed by a demon” is to diagnose them as being outside the grace of God, underserving of His love, care and protection, and as having been so sinful as to incur one of His greatest punishments.
But to show us that God does not send demons and that God does not punish sin, Jesus “cast out demons.” When God is truly at work, it is not to punish someone with demons or accuse them of having a demon, but to rescue, deliver and free people from such hopeless and condemning accusations.
So to accuse someone of having a demon or of being possessed by a demon is to remove a person from the sphere of God’s grace and love, and lock them in a prison of shame, fear and darkness, which is demonic. Therefore, to keep from glorifying Satan, we must never accuse someone of being demon possessed.
In fact, this accusatory spirit—for which we Christians are often known—is the fourth way we Christians worship and glorify Satan.

4. We Engage in Satanic Accusations

The word “devil” in Greek is diabolos. It is built upon the Greek words dia, meaning across, and bollo, meaning to cast or throw. The devil is one who casts or throws across something. In the various contexts of diabolos, it refers to one who maligns, slanders, or sows discord and division.
The word “satan” is similar. “Satan” is a Hebrew word (the Greek is satanas), and it means “accuser.”
Both of these meanings are clearly seen in nearly every passage in Scripture where Satan, or the devil, is described. He accuses God of withholding something good from Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), and he accuses God of showing favoritism to Job (Job 1). In Luke 4 and Matthew 4, he accuses, challenges and questions the mission and purpose of Jesus. The New Testament refers to him as the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev 12:10).
While God only loves, forgives and accepts, Satan only judges, accuses and condemns.
So when we Christians judge, accuse and condemn others, whose example are we following? Are we more like God or more like Satan?
When we demonize our enemies so we can condemn them, we mimic Satan rather than God.
When we accuse and condemn those whom we think are “sinners,” we mimic Satan rather than God.
When we sit in judgment on others, because they believe something different or behave in ways we think are wrong, we mimic Satan rather than God.
If we were to mimic God, we would love unconditionally, forgive infinitely and accept unreservedly.
But by mimicking Satan, we worship and glorify him instead.
And this judgmental, condemning, accusing attitude leads to the fifth and greatest way we worship Satan.

5. We Commit Satanic Violence

The most Satanic thing Christians do, however, is committing violence in the name of God.
If one person murders another, this is evil.
But it is infinitely more evil when one person murders another in the name of Jesus Christ.
The same goes for war, vengeance, lust, greed, gossip, slander and any other thing that is contrary to the character and nature of God.
When Christians go to war against their enemies in the name of Jesus Christ, we are not worshipping the God who told us to love our enemies, but are worshipping the demonic being who loves nothing more than to get us to do his bidding while blaming it on God.
We commit adultery because “God wants us to be happy.” We retaliate against our selfish neighbor because “God wants us to stand up for what is right.” We become rich on the backs of the poor because “God wants us to be wealthy.” We tell lies about others because “God wants us to share prayer requests.”
And on and on it goes.
Satan, having failed to become like God, tries to get God to become like him. And though God will never fall into such a trap, we who worship God have made God into Satan by doing what Satan wants while attributing it to God.
The most blatant way we do this is by committing violence against our enemies and claiming that it was divinely sanctioned, that God wants our enemies dead as much as we do.
While it is the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy, God gives generously to all, grants life to those in the shadow of death, and mends broken lives and damaged souls. If we are going to follow God, we will do what God does — even (especially!) for our enemies.

The Glorification of Satan

I know that this post will be somewhat controversial, but I believe that if the church is ever going to rise up and reveal to people the outrageous love of God, we must begin by jettisoning everything that looks like Satan.
I have suggested five ways we can do this above. Do you have anything to add?  

Burnout Main Reason for Pete Wilson’s Resignation From Cross Point Church in Nashville

Burnout Main Reason for Pete Wilson’s Resignation From Cross Point Church in Nashville

burnout
“We’ve said that this is a church where it’s okay to not be okay, and I’m not okay. I’m tired. And I’m broken and I just need some rest,” says Pete Wilson.
Pastor Pete Wilson, the founder and senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, has resigned from his position due to burnout.
You can see a clip from Wilson’s announcement to the congregation in the video below.

When It Is Time to Go

When It Is Time to Go

When It Is Time to Go
“There’s a difference between leaving and knowing when to go.”
Leaving is easy.
It’s what people do, right?
When things get difficult, it’s easier to go than it is to stay.
– It’s why the divorce rate is as high as it is.
– It’s why so many kids are growing up without one of their parents.
– It’s also why so many leave ministry far too early.
As a pastor or ministry director, usually the best thing you can do for yourself and your church is to stay. So many good things can come of hard and honest conversations. Influence and impact is multiplied by the number of years one invests in a community. Staying when most would leave builds character. Staying when most would leave earns respect and influence. Although leaving is what we feel like doing, staying is almost always what is right. My friend Sam Luce wrote a post specifically on this very topic. Also, my friend Carey Niewhof wrote about knowing when it is time to leave. He says that the average tenure of church staff isn’t really long enough to transform anything. Good things come to those who see things through.
However, knowing when to go is entirely different. Sometimes, God opens the door for what is next when you least expect it. Sometimes, God makes it abundantly clear that you are done. In these seasons, it takes courage to go, and knowing when it is time to go takes wisdom and clarity of God’s call on your life.
There have been two times in nearly 17 years of of full-time ministry that God has called me to go (he forced me to go one time, but that’s for another blog post). The first time was nearly 12 years ago after an incredible four years of ministry at the first church that took a risk on me. The second time was just just four months ago after a very fruitful and rewarding eight years of ministry. When I look back on my two experiences, I see several similarities.
Knowing it was time to go wasn’t immediate.
I wrestled with what God was doing in my situation for months, even years. In both occasions, I sensed that my time was coming to a close. In both occasions, I felt that God was preparing my heart for something. I began having conversations with family and trusted friends, seeking wisdom and advice as I wasn’t entirely clear on what was happening. On both occasions though, I had not given up. I was highly engaged in my work and ministry, excited about what God was doing with vision for the future in my current role. Although I felt in my heart that God was doing something, in both occasions I was working under the assumption that I wasn’t yet finished. My schedule was full and I had plans.
Knowing it was time to go was connected to honest conversations with my pastor.
The two times that I knew it was time to go came following honest conversations with those who led me. At my first church, there had been a leadership transition. I had endured some hurts and an endless list of frustrations. My wife sensed that I had disconnected from the vision of the house and it was true. Interestingly, my pastor called a meeting with me that week to see how I was doing. I was able to get everything off my chest and it was so healthy. This new pastor responded with love and acceptance and he did something I never expected. He released me. He told me that he didn’t want me to go, but if I felt God calling me to something else, he blessed me to go. Interestingly, I received a very random phone call two weeks later about a job in Texas. The time to go came AFTER an honest conversations with my leadership that needed to happen. I left with a clean heart and without hurts.
My recent departure was somewhat similar. I began feeling tension and frustration nearly two years ago. It wasn’t because of anything bad, just normal tension that many leaders experience when there is miscommunication or missed expectations. I felt like I was having frequent conversations with my leadership, trying to close gaps when they occurred. However, it was about eight months ago when I began having very intentional conversations with leadership. I was able to say all the things I needed to say, expressing hurts and frustrations and my leadership listened and responded. I felt accepted as they empathized with me, which was very honoring. However, it was in this season of open and honest conversations that I clearly heard the heart of my leadership. On multiple occasions, I received a very clear picture of where the church was headed and what was most valued—and it didn’t resonate with me. It wasn’t bad or wrong, it just wasn’t me. I knew in that moment that I wasn’t going to be able to serve my leadership as well as someone else would. Interestingly, like the previous time, someone approached me about an opportunity in Phoenix right after my conversations with leadership. One phone call with my current lead pastor and I knew that Phoenix was where we were headed. Hearing his vision resonated with my soul and it was a vision that I was excited to serve.
On both occasions, I left with a clean heart. I wasn’t frustrated, hurt or angry. I had been honest and clear with my leadership and amazing opportunities seemed to open up AFTER these kinds of conversations. The time to go wasn’t until after I was in sync with my leadership.
Knowing it was time to go was deeply connected to my calling.
I was called to the Next Generation on a summer beach retreat when I was 14 years old. Over the next five years, my calling would be refined and clarified. Since then, I’ve had a very clear sense of who I am and what I have been called to do. I’ve always known that I was in the exact place where God wanted me when my calling aligned with the church I was serving. I’ve never taken a job because it was a bigger church, healthier church or bigger compensation package. When I have known that it was time to go, it was to either a smaller church or a church that was less healthy than the church I was leaving. In both occasions though, I felt like I had more to offer and the church God was leading me toward was a place that aligned best with who God had made me to be and what he had called me to do.
There’s a difference between leaving and knowing when to go. When in doubt—stay. Have hard conversations. Push through the tension and fight for clarity and unity. Trust God in the process and have the courage to go when it’s time.  

Rick Warren: 3 Pillars That Lead to Success in Ministry And Life

Rick Warren: 3 Pillars That Lead to Success in Ministry And Life

Justin Blaney, the founder of Innovate 4 Jesus, asked Rick Warren to think back to when he was first starting a church at age 25. “What is something that other 25 or 30 year olds can learn from what you knew back then that set you up to become what you are today?”
Warren doesn’t miss a beat as he responds, “Don’t focus on building the church; focus on building people.”
At the end of the first year as a pastor, Warren faced burnout, even fainting in the middle of a service. The second year of Saddleback church, he battled with depression. But in that second year, Warren says God taught him the lessons he needed to build the church into what it is today.
From that second year, Warren learned that great leadership is “all about character, not charisma.” If you want God’s anointing on your life, Warren says, it has nothing to do with strategy, marketing, systems, etc. Instead, “it has everything to do with who you are.”
Finally, Warren offers three pillars on which to build your life and ministry: “You must build your life on integrity, on humility, and on generosity.” Those three things, he says, are the antidote to the three great traps of leadership.

Francis Chan: Satan Wants to Destroy Your Marriage

Francis Chan: Satan Wants to Destroy Your Marriage

“One of the things I absolutely hate is when I have an amazing spiritual experience and my wife isn’t there,” Francis Chan says in the following video.
This is a problem, Chan implies, because it can cause distance between husbands and wives when one spouse is trying to relate an incredible experience to the other but is not getting across accurately. As Chan explains, “Satan is so on the warpath” and he has his eyes set on taking out ministry leaders any way he can.
“Some of you guys are living some godly lives. You’re fighting; you’re pursuing things that are difficult and Satan hates that. If he can’t take you down in your theology and he can’t take away your courage, he’ll strike at your marriage.”
So what can you do to guard against Satan’s attack against your marriage? Chan advises that you don’t just do things like go on vacation with your spouse, but have focused times of pursuing the Lord together. He also emphasizes pursuing ministry together, which is something that Chan admits men are not always the best at doing.

Some Thoughts About the Recent Exit of Two Megachurch Pastors

Some Thoughts About the Recent Exit of Two Megachurch Pastors

Some Thoughts About The Recent Exit of Two Megachurch Pastors
“It’s not that pastors are fake; it’s that the struggle is real.”
Like many of  you, I was deeply saddened to learn of Pete Wilson’s recent resignation as the Senior Pastor of Cross Point Church.
In Pete’s own words (you should read and watch them for yourself), he’s tired, broken and has led on empty for too long. So he’s stepping back.
This comes, of course, just a few months after the exit of Perry Noble from NewSpring.
If someone had told me in January of this year that both Pete and Perry would leave ministry this year under tough circumstances, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.
Their departures have a lot of people talking and a lot of people thinking. Hopefully, it’s also got a lot of people praying.
It also has pastors reflecting.
I’ve been in conversations with people in church leadership. Many of us are asking what it means, and whether it can or will continue to happen to more of us.
Some writers and social media commentators have taken cheap shots. Man, that breaks my heart. I hope this post is the opposite of taking shots at anyone.
The mission of the church and its leaders is too important to do that.
I offer these few thoughts with the sincere hope this makes all of us a little better in the church. I also offer it out of a deep love and respect for Perry, Pete and all of you in church leadership.

1. Pastors aren’t fake; the struggle is real.

When a megachurch pastor resigns because he’s burned out, or because he’s experiencing personal problems, critics often rush in to claim that pastors are fake.
Look, most leaders who get into ministry aren’t fake.
It’s not that pastors are fake; it’s that the struggle is real.
I know Perry and Pete personally, and I have only detected sincerity in both of them.
They started churches because they love Jesus. They led out of a love for Jesus. They sincerely wanted to reach people and did reach people who will actually be in heaven because of what happened.
I think I’m on firm ground to say they still love Jesus, very much.
Pete and Perry are the real deal. They’re not the plastic hair/shiny suit type of preacher. They got in this and stayed in this for the right reasons.
I’ve also felt the push and pull of ministry and life. And it almost took me under.
The struggle is real. After a decade in ministry, I burned out too. (Actually, Perry and I talk about burn out in this interview.)
By the sheer grace of God, I came back and am now in a place where, while I have struggles like anyone, I feel healthy and extremely grateful. (While this isn’t a universal prescription, here are 12 things that helped me come back from burnout.)
Often when you see a leader exit, it has nothing to do with whether that leader is sincere. It has everything to do with the fact that the struggles he or she is facing are real.

2. It’s hard to lead anything.

It’s hard to lead anything, let alone a church. Or yourself.
Leaders face pressures non-leaders don’t always understand.
And leaders of large organizations face even more complex problems.
When you lead a large ministry or organization, it comes with problems and challenges 99 percent of the population never wakes up to most days.
Add to that the pressures of life, marriage, family, relationships and the task of leading yourself, and you have a recipe that requires tremendous personal stamina, humility, growth and development.
Sometimes critics say large churches are bad because they seem to generate outcomes like the ones we’ve seen recently.
The reality is that small church pastors also leave their ministries, experience burnout and suffer moral failure every day.
You just never hear about it because those stories don’t make the news. (Please note, neither the exit of Pete or Perry involves moral failure.)
Large churches aren’t inherently bad. Small churches aren’t inherently good.
Churches just have people in them. And that makes it…well, complex.

3. God loves and uses broken people.

Are Perry and Pete broken?
Yep.
And so am I.
So are you.
Too often we hold up perfect pictures of what our life is supposed to be like.
We all remember Eden somewhere in the back of our minds. It’s like we all know what it was like, and what it will be like in heaven.
But this isn’t Eden and this isn’t heaven. The war’s been won, but we’re living in a battlefield somewhere in between what was and what will be.
As a result, our lives are a complex mixture of sin and grace. Of brokenness and redemption.
This is true of pastors too.
We don’t have a direct line to God any more than you do. Our marriages aren’t ‘easier’ just because we’re in ministry (actually, you could argue that they’re harder). Our souls aren’t inherently more virtuous.
Pastors aren’t better people; they’re just called people. Called to the same calling to which non-pastors are called but in a specialized role.
Sometimes I wish people would actually read their Bibles. We think we have to be perfect for God to use us.
But then there’s scripture…
Noah got drunk and partied naked after God delivered him and his family from death.
Moses came into ministry after he murdered someone.
Jacob raised perhaps the most dysfunctional family imaginable.
Judah slept with his daughter-in-law only because he mistook her for a prostitute.
David was a fantastic king. And then he saw Bathsheba.
Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived in Old Testament times but really struggled with sex. And God. And cynicism.
Elijah saw one of the most powerful displays of God’s power in history, and then promptly fell into a self-pitying depression.
Jonah ran away from God again, and again, and again.
Peter denied Jesus.
Thomas doubted even when he saw Jesus with his own eyes.
Paul was a little insecure (just read 2 Corinthians).
The early church as described in Corinthians is a study of dysfunction.
Early Christians stopped believing in the resurrection (Read 1 Corinthians 15).
The amazing part is this: God used it all.
I know we preach on this stuff but it’s like we don’t expect it to apply to us.
As my friend Reggie Joiner and I wrote a few years back, God doesn’t use perfect pictures. He uses broken people.
Why does God use broken people? Because those are pretty much the only people he has.
Don’t get me wrong, none of this is an excuse to start sinning.
I want to stay faithful to my wife, be a compassionate father and be a healthier, better leader because I know it honors God to do that. Plus, life honestly goes better if you avoid those pitfalls.
But the fact that we are imperfect shouldn’t be a reason to say we can’t lead.
Clearly, there are activities and conditions that would and should take us out of ministry for a season or longer, but we have to get over this idea that leaders need to be perfect.
Christ is perfect. We get to partner with him.
If you’re thinking well, I’m just more righteous than all this, you need to know that puts you in great company. That’s exactly what the Pharisees thought.

What Now?

I hope and pray the day will come where we see Perry and Pete back in strong and vibrant leadership in the local church. The story isn’t over for either of them. As Perry often famously said, if you’re still breathing, God’s not done with you.
I also hope and pray that honest, helpful dialogue will help many more of us avoid hitting the crisis point that tips us out of leadership, if even for a season.
This is not a ‘do these five things and it will bullet-proof your ministry’ kind of post. Because the issues are far more complex than that.
But as for me, I want to develop the practice of getting the help I need before I need it. Yesterday, I went back to my counselor not because I have any burning issues, but because I want to see them before they start. As a close friend has told me, sometimes you need to go to a counselor not because you have a bad marriage, but because you want a good one.
I want to stay close to my inner circle, telling them more things more often. Walking closely with people who love me enough to call me out and tell me the truth.
And finally, I want to stay even closer to God. It can be difficult to have an intimate relationship with God when you do his work every day (I know that’s hard to understand if you’re not in full-time ministry, but trust me, it is). So I’ll keep pressing closer knowing he loves me because I’m me, not because I lead.
I’m not saying my friends didn’t do any of these things or didn’t want to do them, I’m just saying I know that when I do them, I’m healthier.
Any thoughts on this, friends? Abusive or negative comments will be deleted. This isn’t the time or the place for that. Cynics, please go somewhere else.
But for those of us who love the church and its leaders, what are your thoughts and what has helped you when you’ve run into the challenges of life and leadership?

7 Areas Where Leaders Can Use Their Influence

John Maxwell defined leadership for everyone when he said, “Leadership is influence.”  Do you want to know if you are a leader?  Simply look behind you and ask, “If anyone following me?”  Leadership is all about your ability to influence others.
On Friday, June 23rd, Kevin Garnett announced his retirement after a 21-year Hall of Fame career.  Because of his impact on the drafting of high school players, league salary structures, and the shifting balance of power in the Eastern Conference, Garnett is one of the most influential players of his generation.
In fact, ESPN’s J.A. Adande feels he is the most influential player of the last 20 years.  As I read his article on Garnett’s retirement,  I gleaned the 7 Areas Where Leaders Can Use Their Influence:
  1. Leaders Can Use Their Influence By Going First – One of the fundamental qualities of anyone in leadership is they are willing to go first.  In 1995 he became the first player in 20 years to go straight to the NBA from high school.
  2. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Clear A Path For Others – Garnett’s success basically gave others permission to make the same jump.  This opened the doors for dozens of other players including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and altered the next 10 NBA drafts until the league changed its eligibility rules.
  3. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Create Economic Opportunity For Others – In 1998, Garnett signed a then record $126 million contract.  This would create a work stoppage for the league as owners’ feared players salaries would exceed the value of franchises.  However, player salaries would still begin dramatically increasing.
  4. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Form Better Teams – With caps now put on star player compensation, this resulted in a team’s abilities to sign three superstars rather than two.  As a result, Garnett signed with the Boston Celtics in 2007 joining Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
  5. Leaders Can Use Their Influence Deliver Results – In 2008, the newly-formed Celtics defeated Bryant’s Lakers to win the NBA championship.
  6. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Change An Organization’s Culture – In addition to winning a NBA championship, the Celtics also defeated James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in twice in three years.  This is widely-believed to be one of the reasons James left the Cavs for the Miami Heat.  He simply would not win a championship with that team.  The Heatles were formed and the league would never be the same again.
  7. Leaders Can Use Influence To Ensure Sustained Excellence – Whether it was Garnett, James, Bryant, or Dwight Howard, a high school player has headlined a NBA finals team for 10 years and 14 of the last 17 years.
As a leader, what is one thing from this list you can learn to better use your influence?
1269
Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences.  Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Was this really that important?

Something is up...and you may have missed it.
In March I wrote a post and shot a video called,
What Are the New Measurements of a Successful Church?
10 Benchmarks of a Healthy Missional Church

Well, a LOT of people “Liked”, shared and commented on that post...
and then last week it really took off again! 

Something’s up. 
It seems like lots of us are tired of measuring the same “3 B’s”–
Butts (in seats), Budgets and Building Size. 

I’ve updated this post and you can now get a free eGuide that includes
a 10 New Benchmarks of Success Self-Test and Assessment along with
a copy of my full manuscript.  Check that out and share it with others.

=====================================================
But that got me to wondering: what other posts and videos have I
published that are super popular and helpful, that you may have missed?

Here’s a couple more that have been very popular you might dig:
3 Simple Words That Will Change Your Life
The New “Master-plan” That Takes The Pressure Off!

And
The Story of God
The Story of the Bible in Under 8 minutes


Here’s to the best summer on mission ever!
–Caesar

20 Thoughts On Helping People Recover From Terrible Decisions They’ve Made

Have you ever felt desperate?  Have you ever felt completely out of options?  Have you ever regretted, I mean deeply regretted decisions you have made?  We have all been there.
Yesterday, NorthStar Church senior pastor Mike Linch addressed this issue.  He preached from Psalm 51.  This section of biblical text was written by David after his sins of adultery and murder have been uncovered.
I have known Mike for almost 20 years.  He is one of the top two nicest people I have ever met.  If you do not believe me, recently I interviewed him for a webinar entitled “7 Challenges Senior Pastors Face”.  Click here for a free download of this time together and you will love him too.  No one is better equipped to encourage people to recover from their terrible decisions.
As I listened to his lessons, I knew for you to effectively lead yourself and others, you needed to have this information.
The following are 20 Thoughts On Helping People Recover From Terrible Decisions They Have Made I captured from Mike’s message:
  1. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, they must know they are desperate.
  2. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, show them unconditional love.
  3. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, wipe away their tears.
  4. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, help them find their way back home.
  5. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, remind them we’re all on a journey.
  6. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, tell them, “You’re not alone.”
  7. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, help them because they don’t know what to do.
  8. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, help them heal.
  9. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, point them to Jesus.
  10. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, ask them to run to the cross and know Jesus paid it all.
  11. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, remind them of the consequences of their sin.
  12. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, teach them shame will always follow their sin.  Adam and Eve tried to hide from God in shame.  This why revealing your sin is the beginning of the healing in your life.
  13. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, show them compassion.
  14. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, ask them to seek God daily and let Him change their life one step at a time.
  15. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, help them rebuild their life.
  16. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, tell them Jesus helps them change internally (inside-out), not just environmentally (what is around them).
  17. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, tell them what Jesus did on the cross was enough.
  18. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, ask them to run to Jesus.  They will probably not want to do this.  Remember, human nature is to hide in shame.  But what they want to run from is what they should run to.
  19. To help people recover from terrible decisions they have made, give them hope.  Their mess can become their message.
  20. After a person has been healed from terrible decisions they have made,  they can then turn their focus to helping others find their way home.
What is one lesson from Mike’s message you can implement to help people who have made terrible decisions find their way home?
Screen Shot 2016-01-29 at 9.35.18 PM
Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1869 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2015 Global Leadership Summit, That Church, REACT and Catalyst Conferences.  If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader.  Enjoy!!!