The LaunchPad

Random Swedish Thoughts

I am here in Sweden until Wednesday, speaking today at Harvest Center, and then teaching two more days in the Mission SOS Bible College.  So I thought I would share some random non-spiritual experiences and observations:

• Reindeer tastes better than you would think!  That was one of the meats I enjoyed on Thanksgiving Day (they don't celebrate that holiday here, but some friends took me out to dinner).
• While I was eating it, I texted my wife and told her to tell my kids:  'Rudolph tastes good!'
• The Stockholm area looks a lot like Pittsburgh.  Same trees, rolling hills, climate.
• Big difference:  In summer it stays light till 11pm.  In winter it gets dark at 3pm.
• Swedish people know about the NHL.  They can name players on the Penguins.
• Most people here know English as their second (or third) language.  They don't dub out the words for American movies or TV.  They just list Swedish subtitles.  So you hear English everywhere in the music, on TV, and even on signs and advertisements.
• It seems that wherever I go there is a similar feeling about the USA.  In some ways the people of the world resent the US.  In other ways they hold it in great regard. 
• News about our government, our politics, and our economy is covered almost as much as it is covered at home.  This also amazes me how people in other nations know so much about our politics.
• To most people in Sweden, the idea of 'church' has become irrelevant.  Many of them grew up in a very traditional Lutheran church, which is connected to and ruled by the State.  So the Swedish government appoints the leaders of the Swedish state church.
• But there is also freedom to start churches that are not connected to the State.  This is what Harvest Center is...what they call a 'free' church.
• Sweden has about 9 million population.  Almost 20% are immigrants from Africa and the Middle East.  But these two population groups don't mix much.  You see communities where there are white, blond, naturally born Swedish people.  And then there are immigrant communities where you hardly see any natural born Swedish.
• Sweden is also one of the most Socialist countries in the world.  The culture is also very liberal.
• But that has not stopped good free churches from being able to affect people with the gospel.

That's all for now.  Time to go to church.  Have an incredible Sunday.

My Bible Wringing

Spending some time this morning doing some personal Bible 'wringing' (my term for meditating word by word, and phrase by phrase on scripture).  The passage that I am meditating on is 1 Peter 5:5-9, where Peter lists a string of directive statements.

How do these statements relate?  Why is it difficult to practice them all at the same time?  Some of these require a posture of RELEASE.  Others require a posture of RESISTANCE.

• Accept the authority of your elders. (release control...defer to another)
• Serve each other with humility. (release...defer to honor another)
• Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand.  (release ego, rights, reputation)
• Give all your worries to God.  (release the ability to try to control through analysis)

All of the above statements require a particular choice where we become soft and surrendered, and purpose to open our hand and give honor, preference, or control to another.  But then the direction shifts in Peter's thoughts.

• Stay alert! (resist sluggishness and apathy)
• Watch out for your enemy! (resist distraction)
• Stand firm against him.  (resist devil)
• Be strong in your faith. (which requires resistance like building muscle)
• Remember your brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same suffering you are (resist temptation toward self-pity)

Success in the Christian life has a lot to do with knowing what to release and what to resist, what to let go of and what to take up and run with.

Often we do the opposite of what we should.  We resist submitting to authority, deferring to others, and yielding to God.  When end up trying to do God's job by worrying about our problems instead of trusting Him with our lives.

Then we fail to resist apathy, distraction, and self-pity.  So we end up defeated in some way by the devil's attack and become weak in the muscle of our faith.

Today, I want to choose to let go over the right things.  The I want to stand up and take responsibility for the right things.  When we do we get the benefit of verse 10:

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.  1 Peter 5:10

What Releases Favor?

This week at the Leadership Days here in Stockholm, a theme emerged in all the sessions.  The theme was this:  God's favor is released, when our pride dies, and we act in humble obedience toward God.

During my last session, I outlined some questions that we need to regularly ask ourselves to keep ourselves positioned in dependence upon God.

• In what way is God asking me to HUMBLE myself?
• What is God saying to me right now?
• Have I obeyed the last thing He told me to do?
• What is God 'kissing' right now?  What area of my life or ministry is being favored?
• How can I join God in what He is doing?
• What do I need to repair, reconcile, or repay?
• To whom do I need to apologize?  Who do I need to forgive?
• Where is God asking me to 'die' to my agenda? 
• What is God asking me to live for?

Remember, God OPPOSES the PROUD.  But gives GRACE to the HUMBLE.  Lord, help me live in the flow of your grace!

My Thanksgiving List

This is the first year since my freshman year in college that I have not been with family on Thanksgiving.  In order to maximize my trip to Sweden, I am doing several things:  1) spoke at the Leadership Days Conference; 2) teaching for four days in the Mission SOS Bible College (sister to the MCM Ministry School); and 3) speaking in the Harvest Center Church this Sunday.

But even though there is no turkey, pumpkin pie, or NFL football for me here in Sweden, I can still be THANKFUL.  So here's my BIG ITEM list.  I am thankful for...

1. My savior and hero Jesus!
2. An absolutely gorgeous, amazing wife.  We are married over 21 years, and I am more deeply in love with her than I ever thought possible.
3. Five healthy, intelligent, gifted, mature kids...all of whom are living for God.  I am so proud of them!
4. The best church family in the world, Allison Park Church!
5. The privilege of living in the USA, with all the freedoms and blessings.
6. A totally fantastic team to work with...my pastoral staff is awesome.   They are gifted, hard-working, and I just love being with them.
7. Some great friends around the world.  I appreciate Sven and Johannes and the entire Swedish connection.  I also absolutely love the pastors I work with in the MCM Pittsburgh network.  It is an honor to serve with them.
8. A destiny that is promised and protected by God.
9. The Holy Spirit who is my constant companion.
10. A tremendous heritage.  I have the best parents ever!  I married into such a powerful family with two amazing parents-in-law.

I could go on and on, but I think I will stop there for now.  I hope you will take some time today to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.  It is both necessary and healthy for your soul.

BTW - Nick Poole posted a video from the men and women in the PCO homes offering there thanksgiving thoughts.  Watch it here.

Kingdom DNA (part 6)

Yesterday, I was listening to Dennis Greenidge teach at the LEADERSHIP DAYS here in Stockholm.  He reminded me of one of my deepest KINGDOM VALUES, and that is the value of PRAYER.

Dennis told us the story of his ministry.  God spoke to him, "if you will meet with me every morning and 4am, I will use you greatly.'  He then went onto describe multiple divine appointments, God-interruptions, and miraculous provisions in his life and ministry.

'I could do nothing apart from God, therefore I had to rely totally upon Him,' was the statement that Dennis made to me after the session that he taught.

I totally identify with that!  And I recognize that nothing is a substitute for prayer!  No strategy, program, or wisdom-planning can produce on its own in the Kingdom.  In fact, everything about operation in the Kingdom of God requires miraculous intervention.

Who can bring a person to salvation without the Holy Spirit's work?
Who can live above sin without God's empowerment?
Where will provision come from apart from the hand of God?
What about the ability to study, understand, and teach God's Word?  Can it be done apart from the revelation that comes from the Spirit of God?

But when connected to God, life begins to flow into and through us.  One of the most important values of life is learning how to abide in and depend upon Christ (John 15).  If something is not working, pray.  If you are confused about what to do next, pray.  As a pastor, if you don't know what to preach, throw yourself on the mercy of God.

Rise early.  Call on His name.  Pour out your heart to Him.  Worship with abandon.  Learn to enjoy and find safety in His presence.  And then listen.  Open your ears to hear words from heaven.  Let God speak to you through the Word.

Dennis Greenidge said this, 'we worry too much about church growth.  We need to concern ourselves more with personal growth.  Then out of our life with God will be birthed all that we need.'

That same principle applies to situations beyond ministry.  We worry to much about raising our family, succeeding at our job, solving our problems.  We need to concern ourselves more with being totally dependent on God.  And as the Spirit of God flows in our life, we will find Him providing for us all that we need.

Blog Lay-out Issues

I am having some issues with Typepad, my blog-site.  Not sure what the deal is?  Temporarily I had to change to a more basic look. 

Divine Appointments

It is just about 2:30am Pittsburgh time as I write this, but it is 8:30am here in Stockholm.  It takes a few days to get the body adjusted when traveling east.  I flew out of Atlanta at 7pm on Sunday night and arrived in Stockholm at almost 5am (11am here in Sweden).

The best way to get adjusted to the time is to try to stay up and go to bed when night arrives.

Johannes and Maria Amritzer invited me over to their home for lunch.  Then Johannes and I took the train to downtown Stockholm to walk around, catch a movie, and for me...to try to stay awake due to my jet lag.

GOD HAD BIGGER PLANS!

As were just walking around, looking for a place to have some coffee, we bumped into a young man from the Harvest Center church.  He had been going through a difficult time, and was somewhat 'running from God' for the past two weeks.

He was shocked when he saw Johannes walking right toward him.  It was a beautiful moment of restoration.  He told us what he had been going through.  Admitted that this was a divine appointment.  We bought him dinner at the Burger King, we were standing near.  He promised to get back on the right track this week.

God is truly amazing.  He PURSUES us.  As we told this young man, 'you can't run from God without Him running after you!'  I am so thankful for a God like that.

BTW - It has been snowing like crazy ever since I arrived here.  Must be about 6 inches on the ground.  Feels like Christmas here.  This afternoon, I speak at my first session during the LEADERSHIP DAYS.  Read more about that here.

Bound For Stockholm

This afternoon (Sunday) I am flying out to travel to Stockholm, Sweden.  I have been invited by my good friend Johannes Amritzer to speak at a conference for pastors and leaders.  They are calling it LEADERSHIP DAYS. 

i will be speaking on Tuesday and Wednesday at the conference on the topic of church planting.

During my stay, I will also be teaching for a few days at our sister school, the Mission S.O.S. Bible College, and I will be spending some time at the Harvest Center Church. 

I arrive in Stockholm early on Monday morning.  As I get access to the Internet, I will keep you posted.

Ten Life-Defining Thoughts

A verse that I often quote to myself is Psalm 90:12, 'Teach us to number our days properly, so that we might live a wise life.'  Considering the temporary nature of life on earth and the eternity yet to come helps us live out of a healthy perspective. 

TEN THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NATURE OF LIFE

1.  Every moment we enjoy, every breath we breathe is a gift from God.

2.  God is not obligated to keep me alive.  He has a purpose for me, I live to fulfill it.  While God is merciful and gracious, He is not bound to keep me around if I choose to live a self-centered life.

3.  The most secure and satisfying place to be is in total alignment with His purpose.  When I adopt His agenda for my life, I feel His complete backing in all I do.

4.  It is possible to get too comfortable in the blessings of God.  Then when God speaks to us about a greater sacrifice or a new adventure, we don't want to leave our comfort zone.

5.  God doesn't care much for comfort zones.

6.  God is into 'crosses'.  He leads us to follow the way of Jesus, die to ourselves, and live for Him.

7.  When we refuse the 'death to self' process, we end up losing.  When we embrace this idea of dying to self and living for God, we end up gaining more than we ever dreamed possible.

8.  Two questions that we always need to address:  1) What is God asking me to die to right now? 2) What is God asking me to live for right now?

9.  It is extremely healthy to focus on the temporary nature of life.  Every trial is temporary.  Every pain will pass.  Any pleasure or pursuit in this life is momentary.  So what are you doing today that will last forever?

10.  What if you only had 24 hrs to live?  What would you do?  What if you had only 30 days, or just one year left?  He would you spend it?  What would you do as a result? 

GOD TEACH ME TO LIVE WITH PURPOSE.  HELP ME TO LIVE WITH ETERNAL VALUES IN VIEW.

Kingdom DNA (part 5)

Here's the summary so far:  from my perspective, their are certain key VALUES involved in being a mature follower of Jesus in the Kingdom of God.  I have attempted to outline four so far.

KINGDOM-MINDEDNESS - where we think of things through the world-view of God's Kingdom.  He is the King/Leader and we are His servants.  Therefore, His agenda comes first.

OBEDIENCE - this is the primary goal of a parent is to train their children to obey.  It is foundational to good character, but even more than that is critical to being able to walk with God and enjoy His favor.

GRATITUDE - we regularly inventory what we have received and seek to PAY IT BACK in honor, appreciation, and concern.

GENEROSITY - we also seek to PAY IT FORWARD to those in need.  We choose an attitude of FAITH in an ABUNDANT provider and invest what we have received in others.

The fifth VALUE is EMPATHY.  Living in the Kingdom of God involves the choice to get in touch with God's heart.  One way that we PAY IT BACK is to concerning ourselves with the problems that are on God's heart.  We have to ask this key, life-altering question:  WHAT'S GOD'S PROBLEM?

What are the burdens that are currently breaking God's heart?  Who is God concerned about?  What needs in the world are causing Him pain?  What can I do about it?

Psalm 25:14 says, "The Lord confides in those who fear (live in awe and respect for) Him.

One major sign of maturity in a person's life is that they have gained the capacity to set aside their own problems and concerns for a season, in order to give full attention to and support for the concerns of another. 

Last year, my wife went to Nicaragua to speak.  She was gone for a little over a week.  I was playing Mr. Mom and also trying to do all my normal ministry activities.  It was busy and I was both tired and stressed.  At one point, one of my teens poked their head in my room and asked a question that touched my heart!  They said, "Dad, I know you are really busy.  Thanks for all you are doing.  Is there anything I can help you with?'

Wow!  I just about wept!  They were mature enough to feel what I was going through, express appreciation for my hard work, and offer to help me with what was going on. 

Can you imagine how God feels when we do the same?  When we say, "Father, I have not come to ask for anything right now, just to say thanks for all you do.  And I was wondering, is there anything that you need me to do right now?  Is there a burden on your heart that I can share?'

This should be a regular practice in a Kingdom-centered believer's life.

Praying About Giving

This weekend is our FAITH PLEDGE service, where together attempt to hear from God regarding what He would have us do financially toward local and global missions projects in 2009.  I was wanting to write something as to how to prepare personally for such a step.

Then I remembered that I wrote a post on that very issue last year.  Below I have provided that article.  Read more about our Generations 09 Projects here.  Also remember that you can designate your giving toward whichever projects that you feel passionate about, and 100% of your giving goes toward that project.

WHEN MAKING A FAITH PLEDGE...

This weekend is our Faith Pledge weekend our 2009 Generations Campaign.  What I love about taking steps of 'over and above' giving is how it reveals God in my world.  There are very few areas where you can trace God's tangible hand at work.  Finances is one of those areas of the evidence of God's activity in your life.

How does one determine a faith pledge amount?

Build A Budget - the first step in financial health as a person is to write out a Monthly Budget. Think through all of your bills and spending habits.  Make value based decisions on how you want to spend.  If you need a tool to help you do that, here is a worksheet:  Download budget_profile.pdf

Decide To Tithe - before you can get to 'over and above' giving, you want to work toward the step of obedience called the TITHE. Tithing is giving 10% to God.  It is an obedience thing.  We don't designate it.  We don't divide it.  We give the tithe to declare that God is the Master of our finances and Lord of our lives.

Remember God's Faithfulness - think back to ways that God has provided for you in the past.  Consider specific financial blessings.

Consider The Need - Think about the missions projects and the faces they represent.  Pray for those the people involved.  Let God touch your heart for one or more of the situations:  Those in Ethiopia who have never heard the gospel; African villages with no clean water; girls caught in sex trade in India; teens here in the North Hills that need Christ; addicts in Pittsburgh who need a recovery home; etc.

Determine What You Can Afford To Give - as you evaluate your budget and consider your spending, what can you afford to give every month to these needs?

Ask God For A Faith Goal - don't stop with what you can afford.  This is where the miracle takes.  When we ask the Holy Spirit to tell us what He wants to do through us.  God can take what you can afford and add to it.  He can provide unexpected raises, gifts, inheritances, etc.

Trigger Your Faith By Giving - when we pledge this weekend, we will also GIVE THE FIRST PART of that pledge.  We call this a first fruits offering.  God's provision is not triggered by our pledging but rather by our actual giving.  When we give, we create a hole for God to fill.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE:  This year, Mel and I are thinking a little differently than we have in the past.  We are going to look at a percentage rather than an amount.  We have always given our tithe to God and then added a monthly amount to 'over and above' giving.

This year I heard Rick Warren talk about how every year he increased the percentage of his giving.  He went from 10% - to 11, then 12, then 13.  Every year, he increased his overall percent.  Now God has prospered him so much that he can afford to give 90% of his income away!  That's awesome.  I would love to get to that place in my life someday.  So why not start the journey now.

May God speak to us this week as we seek Him.  May He reveal Himself in tangible ways as we give.

This weekend is our Faith Pledge weekend our 2009 Generations Campaign.  What I love about taking steps of 'over and above' giving is how it reveals God in my world.  There are very few areas where you can trace God's tangible hand at work.  Finances is one of those areas of the evidence of God's activity in your life.

How does one determine a faith pledge amount?

Build A Budget - the first step in financial health as a person is to write out a Monthly Budget. Think through all of your bills and spending habits.  Make value based decisions on how you want to spend.  If you need a tool to help you do that, here is a worksheet:  Download budget_profile.pdf

Decide To Tithe - before you can get to 'over and above' giving, you want to work toward the step of obedience called the TITHE. Tithing is giving 10% to God.  It is an obedience thing.  We don't designate it.  We don't divide it.  We give the tithe to declare that God is the Master of our finances and Lord of our lives.

Remember God's Faithfulness - think back to ways that God has provided for you in the past.  Consider specific financial blessings.

Consider The Need - Think about the missions projects and the faces they represent.  Pray for those the people involved.  Let God touch your heart for one or more of the situations:  Those in Ethiopia who have never heard the gospel; African villages with no clean water; girls caught in sex trade in India; teens here in the North Hills that need Christ; addicts in Pittsburgh who need a recovery home; etc.

Determine What You Can Afford To Give - as you evaluate your budget and consider your spending, what can you afford to give every month to these needs?

Ask God For A Faith Goal - don't stop with what you can afford.  This is where the miracle takes.  When we ask the Holy Spirit to tell us what He wants to do through us.  God can take what you can afford and add to it.  He can provide unexpected raises, gifts, inheritances, etc.

Trigger Your Faith By Giving - when we pledge this weekend, we will also GIVE THE FIRST PART of that pledge.  We call this a first fruits offering.  God's provision is not triggered by our pledging but rather by our actual giving.  When we give, we create a hole for God to fill.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE:  This year, Mel and I are thinking a little differently than we have in the past.  We are going to look at a percentage rather than an amount.  We have always given our tithe to God and then added a monthly amount to 'over and above' giving.

This year I heard Rick Warren talk about how every year he increased the percentage of his giving.  He went from 10% - to 11, then 12, then 13.  Every year, he increased his overall percent.  Now God has prospered him so much that he can afford to give 90% of his income away!  That's awesome.  I would love to get to that place in my life someday.  So why not start the journey now.

May God speak to us this week as we seek Him.  May He reveal Himself in tangible ways as we give.

Psalm 23 - The CUTE Version

I showed this in the middle of my message a few weeks ago.  TOTALLY ADORABLE!!!

There is a companion VALUE to the quality of GENEROSITY.  It is the choice of GRATITUDE.  In some ways these two values are the different sides of the same coin.

Generosity looks forward.
Gratitude looks back.

This brings me to my next thought regarding the transfer of Kingdom DNA.  What I want to teach my kids, instill in other leaders, and reproduce in the churches we plant are these attitudes of mature Kingdom living. 

Both generosity and gratitude reflect a certain faith.  Since God has been so good to me, and since He is faithful and will continue to supply my needs, I now choose to live out of the abundance of His commitment to my life.  This type of faith in God's goodness acts itself out in two directions:

PAY IT FORWARD - PAY IT BACK.

1.  PAY IT FORWARD - one of the ways that we reflect a Kingdom-first perspective is to look for ways to extend the chain of blessing.  Jesus said, 'To whom much is given, much is required.'  So we look at what we have been given, and we work to be just as generous to others as God has been to us.

EXAMPLES:

• A church recently received a large gift to help with their move into larger facilities.  After their move, they chose to pay it forward by making a financial gift to a sister church with a similar need.
• I have a friend who received an unexpected bonus at work.  They chose to pay it forward by taking a portion of that bonus and giving anonymously to a family that was going through crisis.
• One of my prouder moments as a parent, was to watch my daughter, go out of her way to greet a newcomer to the Crosstown Kids service (this was when Alissa was just 7 or 8 years old).  When I asked her why she took that action on her own, without being prompted?  She said, "I remembered what it was like when it was my first time there.'

2.  PAY IT BACK - another way that we reflect this awareness of God's abundant goodness is to seek to return appreciation to those who have invested in us.  When I speak of paying it back, I don't mean that literally.  It is not a dollar for dollar repayment of a loan.  It is more of a re-investment in the relationship with someone who has been a source of supply for us.

EXAMPLES:

• When Jesus healed the 10 Lepers, one of them decided to pay it back by returning to give a verbal expression of appreciation.  Paying it back means saying THANKS.
• There have been several times that Pastor Russ and Jamie Horne from Sharpsburg Family Worship Center have volunteered their personal time and their leaders time, to provide childcare for an Allison Park Church 'Leadership' Event.  In 1999, APC helped plant the Sharpsburg church.  Giving back to help us with one of our events, so that the Nursery Workers could attend the function, was one of their ways to actively pay it back. 
• One of the ways I have attempted to pay it back, is through scheduled Anniversary Celebrations.  At our 30th and 40th Anniversaries as a church, we invited past pastors and leaders so that we could recognize their hard work, and honor them for their sacrifice.

I believe we should constantly be looking for ways to PAY IT BACK and PAY IT FORWARD.  We need to take inventory of all that we have received, and we need to look for ways to spread that same blessing to others in faith.

We also need to take inventory of those we have received from, and we need to look for ways to give them our appreciation, our loyalty, and our effort to support things that are important to them as well.

Thanksgiving season is such an appropriate moment to live out this expression of Kingdom DNA.

One of the adjustments that I am always trying to evaluate is the pace of my life.  There have been times when I have been driven to over-work, and I have gotten stressed out or physically sick as a result. 

As a younger man (not that I am ancient!), I handled most challenges by just pushing the gas pedal down and pushing through until the work was complete, or the problem was solved.  What I discovered was that the 'work harder or longer' solution did not always produce the healthiest results. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  Hard work is a value.  It is the basis for any type of lasting fruitfulness.  Diligence is always commended in the scripture.  But there is a difference between diligence and driven-ness. 

I have developed some evaluation questions to help determine and build a proper pace of life according to the present capacity that God has given me.

1.  Identify Key Responsibilities - based on my gifting, the needs of the organization I lead, and the value that I am able to add - what are the 3 to 5 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES that I am to personally maintain?  Identifying this helps me know what I am supposed to do and what I have to choose NOT to do.  Then I do what's most important for me and for the organization with passion and without distraction.

2.  Delegate Everything Else - the first question helps to determine what NOT to do (personally) and what to continue to do.  But then it must be determined who will take on the responsibilities that need an owner.  This step is actually healthy on two levels:  First, it streamlines my life.  Second, it broadens the leadership base.  Others are given opportunity, and the whole organization grows.

3.  Ruthlessly Evaluate The Schedule - advanced planning is the key to be able to do self-leadership.  If I don't determine in advance what my priorities are and set it into my schedule, other pressures or urgencies will begin to swallow my life.  In this process, I want to make sure I have proper time built in for God, for family, for exercise, and for Sabbath.

4. Invite Accountability - when these decisions are made, I share my priorities and scheduled boundaries with the primary advisor's in my life (my wife, my direct reports, my mentors).  I seek their input to make sure that I am seeing things right.  Then I ask them to keep me accountable for this new plan for my life.

5.  Schedule Breaks After Big Seasons - Sometimes life gets demanding and there is not much that I can do about it.  A crisis arises.  A necessary problem has to be addressed.  A planned season of ministry is scheduled, intense, and requires large amounts of time and energy expense.  When those busy seasons hit, I have learned the need to schedule some time to physically and emotionally catch my breath so that I can be ready for the next big push.

This week is a week that I am going to 'catch my breath'.  It's a time for less appointments and reduced activity.  I will still work, but I am going to slightly slow my pace to gear up for what's next.  The past few weeks have been amazing and wonderful in so many ways.   HarvestCry was incredible.  So many good things are happening right now.  I am so pumped about the future.

But I also know myself well enough that I can't just roll on adrenaline and go onto the next big thing.  Wisdom and experience has taught me that there are ebbs and flows necessary to a healthy life. 

Values have to be more caught than taught.  But while actions speak louder than words, words are necessary to define expectations, to affirm, and to correct when necessary.  Yesterday, I wrote that the very first value that I am trying to build into my natural children is OBEDIENCE.

So I was trying to think, what is the very first value that I want to build into a pastor or church plant?

Church planting is a lot like parenting.  The goal is to reproduce yourself in what is being birthed.  Imparting DNA in the fabric of the culture of this new church.

The first quality that I am trying to build into a new church is that of GENEROSITY.  Why?  Because there is a gravitational pull that is constantly working against a church becoming 'Kingdom-minded' and therefore generous. 

Here's the thought process that affects pastors, churches, and individual believers.  We think:  AS SOON AS I GET ALL MY OWN NEEDS TAKEN CARE OF, THEN WE WILL REALLY BEGIN TO GIVE.

All our efforts get consumed with financing the next local church project, hiring the next staff member necessary for growth, paying our own bills, expanding our own outreaches.   And we keep telling ourselves, as soon as we get to the next level and things get a bit more momentum, then we as a church will begin to really give.  But it rarely happens that way.

Why?  Because that mindset works against the principles of the Kingdom.

• Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God...and all these things will be added...(Matt 6:33)
• What you sow, you will also reap.  Sow generously, reap generously.  Sow sparingly, reap sparingly.  (2 Corinthians 9)

At APC we try to model this in several ways.

TITHING - we give away the first 10% of our general income to Kingdom work.  Actually, we try to give more like 11% or 12% just to make sure that we don't dip below the Tithe mark.  So every month we send away financial support to missionaries and organizations both locally and globally.  We don't store up our 10% and then try to give it away in chunks to projects.  We have about 75 missionaries/organizations that we support.

OVER + ABOVE GIVING - we also take regular opportunities to give out of 'extra' cash on hand (if it is there) to do what we call RIDICULOUS GIVING.  We give even out of our need to urgent projects that come to our attention.  We also encourage our people to do OVER AND ABOVE giving by making a 'faith pledge' to Kingdom efforts (we call it our GENERATIONS campaign). 

AN OPEN HANDED ATTITUDE - when we start a new church, we encourage the church planter to take as many people from APC as they want.  We encourage apcers to go with the new church if God speaks to them to be a part of it.    We give finances to help get that new church started, to pay the pastors salary for 2 years, and to make sure that needs are met.

ONGOING RESOURCING - after the churches are launched, my goal is to continue PUSH OUR RESOURCES to the edge, meaning that I want these pastors and new churches to have tools, coaching, encouragement, and support to help them succeed.  Like a parent continues to push for their adult child's success, so we want to continue to push for the success of these pastors and churches.

PASTORAL SUPPORT - the final thing that I do prior to one of our church plants becoming sovereign (independently functioning) is this:  I encourage the new church board to do two things...1) make sure that the church is TITHING to the Kingdom out of its general fund; and 2) give the Pastor a raise!  One of the signs of a generous churches is the attitude that they have toward their pastor.  My final words in the push toward independent function is to encourage this type of generosity.

As we have practiced this generous spirit at APC, God has poured out incredible favor on us.  This is what I long for for the churches that we establish.  And most often, these churches have adopted this attitude and have picked up this VALUE.

There are times, however, when churches we have planted have abandoned this generous mindset.  They stopped tithing.  They rarely give to missions projects beyond themselves.  They stop participating and cooperating with us or with other churches for fear that they will lose their people (many pastors are very afraid that they will taste the ministry of another church and choose to leave and go somewhere else). 

Boards become stingy with their pastors.  Pastors become focused on building their own kingdom.  People are not challenged toward OVER AND ABOVE giving.  Fear of loss becomes a dominate emotion.  Scarcity thinking takes over and squeezes out faith in an abundant Provider.

And before long, the church is plateaued and struggling or worse self-consumed or divided.  And the only way out of this fog is to GIVE YOUR WAY OUT.  One of our churches recently had this correction.  They had failed to tithe for quite some time, and finances had become very tight.  But they chose to tithe even though it would mean a potential deficit.

And God has been moving and providing.  They are on their way back to the values of the Kingdom and therefore, the incredible release of God's favor.  In my next post on this subject, I want to outline two directions of giving that keep this generous attitude fresh.

Mel has been listening a lot to the worship music of Kim Walker.  This song is a very powerful declaration.  Can you imagine if we really believed this?

John Ortberg is one of my favorite speakers/authors.  He recently wrote a post about 'election sins'.  It is both insightful and funny.  Enjoy.

My son has a bumper sticker on his car that reads: “I poke badgers with spoons.” Its significance is not self-evident to everybody who reads it, so let me tell you its story.

It comes from a British stand-up named Eddie Izzard. Eddie grew up in the church, and heard early on about the doctrine of original sin, but was a little fuzzy on the concept. He assumed that it meant that priests get tired of hearing the same old boring confessions time after time—greed, lust, gluttony, and lying to the tax man. Eddie thought the priests wanted to hear some truly original sins.

So he came up with something he figured no one had ever confessed before. “I poke badgers with spoons.”

READ THE REST HERE.

I thought this was funny...and somewhat true!  The sun does seem to rise and fall, here in Pittsburgh, on whether the Steelers win on Sunday.

What are the VALUES I am trying to live out and pass on to the next generation?  The next several posts will outline those.  First, let me start with one of the most basic core ideas that is the primary focus in the early stages of a child's life. 

The over-arching foundational value of a healthy, mature, Kingdom-centered life:  OBEDIENCE!

My job as a parent is to train my kids to OBEY.  In fact, during the pre-school years, that is the one thing we do, all day long, over and over again.  We teach their young will to OBEY.  We impart to pre-schoolers the concept that there is an AUTHORITY greater than themselves.  We work to enforce obedience of their young 'will' because a pre-schooler can't yet make a reasoned decision to do the right and wise thing.

OBEDIENCE is also a key value in the life of a believer.  And God as our Heavenly Father is working on a similar objective with us as His kids.  It is impossible to grow, to be fully blessed, to be powerfully used by God, until we learn to obey God's leadership.

So here's my first intentional DNA transfer.  THE PATH TO GOD'S BLESSINGS TRAVELS THROUGH THE ONGOING CHOICE OF OBEDIENCE.  You cannot by-pass obedience to get God's best, 

So we pray:  God, help me to learn obedience as one of your children.  And may my obedient lifestyle become contagious to my children and all those who are under my care.  Amen.

One of the great hopes of a parent is that you can pass along your values to your kids.  It's wonderful when someone says, 'Your son looks just like you!'  But it is even better when someone says, 'Your son or daughter acts like you.'   Wow.  What a moment!

When someone recognizes a positive attitude or quality in our kids, it means that several very good things have happened.

• We have lived something well.  Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ.'
• We have imparted it effectively to those that are watching and following us.
• They have not only adopted that value into their lives, they too are living it out.

DNA is the code that is etched into every cell in our body.  We pass physical DNA onto our kids, and the traits spelled out in that code determine what they look like, how tall they are, etc.

Spiritual DNA can also be passed from one generation to the next, but it is not as automatic.  Spiritual DNA requires intentionality.  Yes, it is often better caught than taught, but it is not always transferred simply by watching.

So what are the values we want to pass along to the next generation? 

I am asking that question from several vantage points right now.  First of all, as a parent of five kids (three of whom are in line to graduate from High School, one after another, three years in a row).  I want to distill, communicate, and even measure how well I am doing in getting my values across.

Second, I am asking that question as a pastor.  Am I being clear about the Kingdom values to the people God has given me to shepherd?  Am I living it out in a way that my people can see these things evidenced in my life?  Are they catching it?  Have they adopted it?  Are they living it?  Are they sowing it into others?

Finally, I am asking that question about the churches that we have 'mothered'.  Have these church plants and their pastors caught the values?  Do they have the Kingdom-DNA?  Are they taking what they have received and being generous with it?  Have they become self-consumed?  Do they care as much about Kingdom needs as they do the needs of their own church?

One of my faults as a leader is that I often assume people understand what is important to me because I am working so hard to model it.  Values have little value if they are only words without actions.  But they also do not talk root if they are actions without words.

The process of rooting values in the life of another requires ACTIONS + WORDS + ENFORCEMENT.  What we say and do must have some teeth (accountability) to really stick.  Over the next few days, I want to write about some Kingdom values and try to clarify what makes up the DNA of my life and ministry.  Looking forward to your feedback.

Here's our version of Cardboard Testimonies, done this weekend just prior to communion.

I began my message this past weekend with this question:  Do you have a PROBLEM-ORIENTATION or a POSSIBILITY-ORIENTATION about life?  What do you see when you look ahead?   And what emotion fills your soul as a result?

Problem-Thinkers tend to imagine the worst.  They picture all the potential negatives that might occur.  We do this because we want to prepare our contingency plans, and strategize to solve the problems even before they happen.  But the impact to our soul tends to be anxiety, fear, and stress.

Possibility-Thinkers tend to imagine the best.  They picture all the ways that God can work through their situation for good.  They view their problems as opportunities for God to work.  Instead of building contingency strategies for life, they spend time in grateful praise for the goodness of God, and in prayer for the circumstances beyond their control.

Possibility-Thinkers get the benefit of peace.  Beyond that however, the tone of their existence can be defined more by 'wonder' and expectation about what God is getting read to do.  Problem-Thinkers are defined more by 'dread' and anticipation of the impending difficulty that hangs over their head.

The great news is, we can change the way we think.  We can choose to view life through the lens of God's power and promise.  When we do, the atmosphere of our whole world can change.

This past weekend was our first HARVESTCRY at Allison Park Church.  It exceeded my expectations on so many levels.

• We did an APC version of Card-Board Testimonies on Sunday morning just prior to communion.  There were about 30 individuals who walked out on stage carrying their transformation story.  I bawled my eyes out!  There is nothing quite like the radical redemptive love and grace of God.
• I am not sure of the attendance this weekend, but it seemed like every service was packed.  There was great energy in the room at the 11am especially.   We seem to be really growing as a church right now.
• Saturday night, Johannes shared about the theme of HARVESTCRY and the basis for the name of his ministry MISSION S.O.S.  It's purpose is to respond to the S.O.S. cry from those who need Christ.
• He told multiple stories of people in unreached areas who were changed through the love of Christ.  There was such a tender atmosphere there.  Johannes painted pictures with his words of real life people around the world and how their lives are impacted by those who respond to the call.
• Again, I wept when I saw about 50 of our people respond to the challenge to go either on a short-term missions trip, or potentially to one of the mission bases in the future as a longer term missionary.
• Saturday morning was an incredible time of training leaders through our Leaders Summit.  We had about 200 Small Group Leaders from APC and other MCM churches.  Marie Cartlege's session on Ministry To People In The Storms Of Life was the hit of the morning.  The sessions should be up online on the apc website this coming week.
• You can read some of the notes from other sessions on Ben Davis's blog.
• Thursday night was the Jeff Deyo worship concert.  Jeff is truly a worshiper.  He did not have any of the pretense you often see in famous musicians.  He poured out his heart to God.
• BTW - I guess I am getting older, because I felt myself thinking..."this is too loud".  All that was tempered, however, by the fact that the room was packed with teenagers who were passionately worshiping God.
• Friday night, David Santistevan led worship.  We sang music from his new CD.  Again, the altars were packed with young people who were jumping, lifting their hands, and praising Jesus. 
• There is nothing quite like watching your own teenagers pursue God!  All three of my own kids were going hard after God this week.
• Friday night there were about 25 who responded to the call to give their lives to Jesus.
• Friday morning, we invited prospective students to check out the MCM Ministry School.  The room was filled to capacity.  We had maybe 50 prospective students plus our current 18 who sat in on the Prayer School and the classes that morning.  Johannes and I taught on the book of Acts.
• I spoke seven times this past weekend at the various events.  God graced me because I needed to prepare five separate teachings/messages in a very short time. 

I woke up this morning absolutely exhausted and yet unbelievably satisfied.  It was one of the best weekend's of ministry in my entire life. 

Johannes Amritzer spoke Friday night during our Harvestcry about amazing and what to us seems to be unusual SIGNS in the New Testament church.

1. Places were shaken. (Acts 16:25-26; Acts 4) - so much power that physical places were shaken.

2. People judged by God right away - (Acts 5:1-5; 12:21-23) - fear of God backed up by his active discipline.

3. Travelling in the Spirit (Acts 8:39-40) supernatural movement for the purpose of preaching the gospel.

4. People seeing Jesus revelations - (Acts 9) people saw manifestations of the Living Jesus. (Acts 18:9-10)

5. Angels were seen - (Acts 5:19, 8:26)

6. People saw visions - (Acts 9:10, 10:3)

7. Carrying and releasing the power of God (Acts 5:15, 19:11-12)

This makes me want to become a Georgia Bulldog fan! What a great example of the Jesus kind of love. Thanks to ESPN for doing this kind of story.

I am sitting here in the MCM Ministry School this morning.  Johannes Amritzer is teaching on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  It is so beautiful how he is describe the role of this 'comforter/counselor' in our lives:

• John 16 uses the Greek word 'paraclete' to describe the role (another counselor) of the Holy Spirit.  Paraclete was a word used by the Romans to describe a motivational speaker who was sent to stir up the troops just before they went to war.
• The Holy Spirit is a motivator in our life.
• He is like a kind father or encouraging coach who speaks to us to build us up and remind us of what we mean to him.
• When we feel down, tempted, empty, we need to learn to lean on the Holy Spirit to give us the power we need for life.

These are just a few of the thoughts from this morning.

REMEMBER...Johannes is speaking in a service tonight (Friday) at 7PM at APC.  He is also speaking on Saturday night at 6pm.  Hope to see you there.

I am so pumped about being able to host this great event here at APC over the next few days.

• Jeff Deyo in Concert tonight at 7pm.  This worship event is FREE to all who attend.  I absolutely love this guy's passion for God.
• MSX (Ministry School Experience) - Friday morning we are opening the MCM Ministry School for any prospective students.   Sign up here if you are interested.  Things kick off with Prayer School at 7:45am and go through until Lunch.
• Johannes Amritzer speaking on Friday night at 7pm.  David Santistevan will lead us in worship.  This will be a powerful night of inspiration and ministry.
• Johannes Amritzer speaking on Saturday night at 6pm (during our normally schedule APC service).  During this service, we will share some testimonies about miracles Jesus has done during recent missions trips from APC.
• Sunday AM Services - I will be speaking, with a special communion celebration that you don't want to miss. 

I can't wait to see what God will do during these days.

Our nation has now entered into a season of great transition:  A new president; many new congressional leaders; a new season with many new challenges.  CHANGE IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT regardless of whether it is personal, organizational, or national.  Change can be difficult even whether we perceive the shift to be positive or negative.

One reason why change feels scary is because there is so much that is UKNOWN.  What will happen next?  What will these leaders do?  How will our economy respond?  What will this mean for the family, for the culture, for the future?

We can reduce the anxiety that comes with major change when we focus on the KNOWN.

• Jesus is alive and at work in the world.
• His power is just as strong as it ever was.
• Radical love still changes the world.
• God is absolutely committed to us (Roman 8:31-39) and nothing can separate us from His love.
• God blesses the merciful, the pure in heart, the meek, the poor in spirit, the peacemakers.
• God's promises are firm.  We can stand upon His Word.
• His grace is sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in our weakness.

So on this day of great transition, we should focus on the known.  We should pray for those who are leading us.  And out of the peace that comes from our security in Him, we should love, bless, and seek peace with everyone we encounter.

This is not the reason why we vote.  We vote out of conviction, values, and out of the honor that it is to be a citizen of the USA.

But since they are offering, why not enjoy a good cup of coffee tomorrow.

All you have to do is show up and say that you voted, and Starbucks will give you a FREE cup of coffee.

Praying for God's will to be done!

This is such a powerful song.  We ended the services this weekend with this declaration:  YOU ARE STRONGER.  It fit so well with the verse we talked through:  God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of POWER, and of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE.

During this season, we choose this:  I WILL LIVE OUT OF FAITH AND NOT OUT OF FEAR!

I think it is very healthy to spend some time in prayer for the big decisions that will be made both locally and nationally.  We are encouraging people to vigilantly fill a slot in our 24/7 Prayer Room during this time and to bring friends with them to pray.

Here's some of what I will be praying:

God, first of all we declare that you are the one in whom we trust.  Our lives, our families, our resources and our futures depend on You. You are our Father, who lives in the heavens.  We praise your name.  We recognize that you rule over all.  We willingly submit ourselves to your leadership.

We pray that your Kingdom would come, and your will would be done.  May heaven's purposes and power be released in our nation.  We want the way things are in the heavens to come down and be manifest on the earth, specifically upon our own country.

Forgive us O God for our many offenses.  For our pride and arrogance, forgive us.  For using harsh, critical and sometimes slanderous words, forgive us.  For our bitterness toward others, political leaders, or political parties, forgive us.  For our self-righteousness, forgive us. 

Forgive us Lord for being a nation that so values the freedom of sexual expression that we are willing to destroy the lives of our own children in the womb.

Forgive us O Lord for the way we treat the idea of marriage and family.  We have allowed divorce without consequence, encouraged sex without responsibility, and attempted to define marriage as something beyond the beautiful expression of life-time covenant between a man and a woman.

Forgive us O Lord for years of prejudice in this nation and for the injustice that extended from that prejudice.  Forgive us Lord for our lack of concern for the poor, the homeless, the suffering, and the innocent.

Lord we need your mercy, but even more than that, we need your transforming grace.  Our hearts have become hard and our motives have become selfish.  We need a move of God upon the hearts of people all across this land.

Now, we ask you God to guide the decisions made in this upcoming election.  We believe that you can work in our lives, regardless of what happens, but as we cast our vote, we truly do seek your will to be done.  Move upon the hearts of people to make a choice that will be in the best interest of this nation.

And now, we pledge ourselves to bless and pray for our leaders whoever they will be following this election.  We choose to become part of the solution. We will NOT extend the atmosphere of anger and suspicion that so fills our airways.  We will love those we perceive to be our enemies.  We will bless those who curse.  We will pray for those who we feel are mistreating us or others.  And most of all, we choose to DO GOOD to those who hate us and to those in need.

We will not let this election season be the last time we think about the issues important to our nation.  We will continue to engage our culture and pray for change in this nation.  We will work to invest in life, the family, for racial reconciliation, and for the meeting of the needs of the poor and the vulnerable.

Finally, we declare that our hope is in You and in the coming of Your Kingdom in the hearts of people.  We thank you for freedom in this nation.  We believe we need to pray for and support our leaders.  We long for skilled governance from our national and local leaders.  But we believe that the most important solutions are not political, nor are they governmental, they are spiritual.

So just like in the days of the early church, when they lived under the harsh and oppressive rule of the Romans, may the Kingdom of God come and expand in the hearts of people.  May the work of Jesus in the hearts of Your people ignite a revolution that will transform not only this nation, but will touch the world.

We pray this will all humility and faith.  In Jesus' name, Amen!

We are so excited about the events of this upcoming week.  One of the opportunities we are offering, is for anyone interested to check out the MCM Ministry School.  You can attend ONE DAY OF CLASSES on Friday morning, November 7th.

What's the schedule for that day?

• 7:45 - 8:45am - PRAYER SCHOOL - attend the hour of prayer that the students experience every day.
• 9:00 - 10:30am - JOHANNES AMRITZER - teaching on the BOOK OF ACTS.
• 10:45 - 12:00pm - JEFF LEAKE - teaching on the BOOK OF ACTS
• Noon - LUNCH

After lunch we will host a brief Q+A session for those who want more information on the School.

If you are interested you can register online by clicking here.  THIS IS FOR ANYONE who is even considering the MCM Ministry School in the future.  You have to be in 11th grade or above.  But THIS IS NOT JUST FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.  If you are interested, sign up today!

Next Saturday (Nov 8), during our HarvestCry emphasis, we are hosting a SMALL GROUP LEADER'S SUMMIT for leaders from Allison Park Church and also churches in the MCM Pittsburgh network.  In the spring, we hosted a similar event and it was a powerful day of training and inspiration.

Our featured speaker for the morning is Johannes Amrtizer.  But we have many amazing breakout sessions as well.

• Brian Bolt on Ministry To The Addict + Their Family
• Marie Cartledge on Ministry To People In The Stormy Seasons Of Life
• Training for youth and children's ministry workers.
• How To Study The Bible by Mike Santistevan
• Praying With Power by Chris Gibbs

Just to mention a few.  If you are interesting in attending, you can sign-up online by clicking here.

Kingdom DNA (part 4)

There is a companion VALUE to the quality of GENEROSITY.  It is the choice of GRATITUDE.  In some ways these two values are the different sides of the same coin.

Generosity looks forward.
Gratitude looks back.

This brings me to my next thought regarding the transfer of Kingdom DNA.  What I want to teach my kids, instill in other leaders, and reproduce in the churches we plant are these attitudes of mature Kingdom living. 

Both generosity and gratitude reflect a certain faith.  Since God has been so good to me, and since He is faithful and will continue to supply my needs, I now choose to live out of the abundance of His commitment to my life.  This type of faith in God's goodness acts itself out in two directions:

PAY IT FORWARD - PAY IT BACK.

1.  PAY IT FORWARD - one of the ways that we reflect a Kingdom-first perspective is to look for ways to extend the chain of blessing.  Jesus said, 'To whom much is given, much is required.'  So we look at what we have been given, and we work to be just as generous to others as God has been to us.

EXAMPLES:

• A church recently received a large gift to help with their move into larger facilities.  After their move, they chose to pay it forward by making a financial gift to a sister church with a similar need.
• I have a friend who received an unexpected bonus at work.  They chose to pay it forward by taking a portion of that bonus and giving anonymously to a family that was going through crisis.
• One of my prouder moments as a parent, was to watch my daughter, go out of her way to greet a newcomer to the Crosstown Kids service (this was when Alissa was just 7 or 8 years old).  When I asked her why she took that action on her own, without being prompted?  She said, "I remembered what it was like when it was my first time there.'

2.  PAY IT BACK - another way that we reflect this awareness of God's abundant goodness is to seek to return appreciation to those who have invested in us.  When I speak of paying it back, I don't mean that literally.  It is not a dollar for dollar repayment of a loan.  It is more of a re-investment in the relationship with someone who has been a source of supply for us.

EXAMPLES:

• When Jesus healed the 10 Lepers, one of them decided to pay it back by returning to give a verbal expression of appreciation.  Paying it back means saying THANKS.
• There have been several times that Pastor Russ and Jamie Horne from Sharpsburg Family Worship Center have volunteered their personal time and their leaders time, to provide childcare for an Allison Park Church 'Leadership' Event.  In 1999, APC helped plant the Sharpsburg church.  Giving back to help us with one of our events, so that the Nursery Workers could attend the function, was one of their ways to actively pay it back. 
• One of the ways I have attempted to pay it back, is through scheduled Anniversary Celebrations.  At our 30th and 40th Anniversaries as a church, we invited past pastors and leaders so that we could recognize their hard work, and honor them for their sacrifice.

I believe we should constantly be looking for ways to PAY IT BACK and PAY IT FORWARD.  We need to take inventory of all that we have received, and we need to look for ways to spread that same blessing to others in faith.

We also need to take inventory of those we have received from, and we need to look for ways to give them our appreciation, our loyalty, and our effort to support things that are important to them as well.

Thanksgiving season is such an appropriate moment to live out this expression of Kingdom DNA.

Pace + Capacity

One of the adjustments that I am always trying to evaluate is the pace of my life.  There have been times when I have been driven to over-work, and I have gotten stressed out or physically sick as a result. 

As a younger man (not that I am ancient!), I handled most challenges by just pushing the gas pedal down and pushing through until the work was complete, or the problem was solved.  What I discovered was that the 'work harder or longer' solution did not always produce the healthiest results. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  Hard work is a value.  It is the basis for any type of lasting fruitfulness.  Diligence is always commended in the scripture.  But there is a difference between diligence and driven-ness. 

I have developed some evaluation questions to help determine and build a proper pace of life according to the present capacity that God has given me.

1.  Identify Key Responsibilities - based on my gifting, the needs of the organization I lead, and the value that I am able to add - what are the 3 to 5 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES that I am to personally maintain?  Identifying this helps me know what I am supposed to do and what I have to choose NOT to do.  Then I do what's most important for me and for the organization with passion and without distraction.

2.  Delegate Everything Else - the first question helps to determine what NOT to do (personally) and what to continue to do.  But then it must be determined who will take on the responsibilities that need an owner.  This step is actually healthy on two levels:  First, it streamlines my life.  Second, it broadens the leadership base.  Others are given opportunity, and the whole organization grows.

3.  Ruthlessly Evaluate The Schedule - advanced planning is the key to be able to do self-leadership.  If I don't determine in advance what my priorities are and set it into my schedule, other pressures or urgencies will begin to swallow my life.  In this process, I want to make sure I have proper time built in for God, for family, for exercise, and for Sabbath.

4. Invite Accountability - when these decisions are made, I share my priorities and scheduled boundaries with the primary advisor's in my life (my wife, my direct reports, my mentors).  I seek their input to make sure that I am seeing things right.  Then I ask them to keep me accountable for this new plan for my life.

5.  Schedule Breaks After Big Seasons - Sometimes life gets demanding and there is not much that I can do about it.  A crisis arises.  A necessary problem has to be addressed.  A planned season of ministry is scheduled, intense, and requires large amounts of time and energy expense.  When those busy seasons hit, I have learned the need to schedule some time to physically and emotionally catch my breath so that I can be ready for the next big push.

This week is a week that I am going to 'catch my breath'.  It's a time for less appointments and reduced activity.  I will still work, but I am going to slightly slow my pace to gear up for what's next.  The past few weeks have been amazing and wonderful in so many ways.   HarvestCry was incredible.  So many good things are happening right now.  I am so pumped about the future.

But I also know myself well enough that I can't just roll on adrenaline and go onto the next big thing.  Wisdom and experience has taught me that there are ebbs and flows necessary to a healthy life. 

Kingdom DNA (part 3)

Values have to be more caught than taught.  But while actions speak louder than words, words are necessary to define expectations, to affirm, and to correct when necessary.  Yesterday, I wrote that the very first value that I am trying to build into my natural children is OBEDIENCE.

So I was trying to think, what is the very first value that I want to build into a pastor or church plant?

Church planting is a lot like parenting.  The goal is to reproduce yourself in what is being birthed.  Imparting DNA in the fabric of the culture of this new church.

The first quality that I am trying to build into a new church is that of GENEROSITY.  Why?  Because there is a gravitational pull that is constantly working against a church becoming 'Kingdom-minded' and therefore generous. 

Here's the thought process that affects pastors, churches, and individual believers.  We think:  AS SOON AS I GET ALL MY OWN NEEDS TAKEN CARE OF, THEN WE WILL REALLY BEGIN TO GIVE.

All our efforts get consumed with financing the next local church project, hiring the next staff member necessary for growth, paying our own bills, expanding our own outreaches.   And we keep telling ourselves, as soon as we get to the next level and things get a bit more momentum, then we as a church will begin to really give.  But it rarely happens that way.

Why?  Because that mindset works against the principles of the Kingdom.

• Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God...and all these things will be added...(Matt 6:33)
• What you sow, you will also reap.  Sow generously, reap generously.  Sow sparingly, reap sparingly.  (2 Corinthians 9)

At APC we try to model this in several ways.

TITHING - we give away the first 10% of our general income to Kingdom work.  Actually, we try to give more like 11% or 12% just to make sure that we don't dip below the Tithe mark.  So every month we send away financial support to missionaries and organizations both locally and globally.  We don't store up our 10% and then try to give it away in chunks to projects.  We have about 75 missionaries/organizations that we support.

OVER + ABOVE GIVING - we also take regular opportunities to give out of 'extra' cash on hand (if it is there) to do what we call RIDICULOUS GIVING.  We give even out of our need to urgent projects that come to our attention.  We also encourage our people to do OVER AND ABOVE giving by making a 'faith pledge' to Kingdom efforts (we call it our GENERATIONS campaign). 

AN OPEN HANDED ATTITUDE - when we start a new church, we encourage the church planter to take as many people from APC as they want.  We encourage apcers to go with the new church if God speaks to them to be a part of it.    We give finances to help get that new church started, to pay the pastors salary for 2 years, and to make sure that needs are met.

ONGOING RESOURCING - after the churches are launched, my goal is to continue PUSH OUR RESOURCES to the edge, meaning that I want these pastors and new churches to have tools, coaching, encouragement, and support to help them succeed.  Like a parent continues to push for their adult child's success, so we want to continue to push for the success of these pastors and churches.

PASTORAL SUPPORT - the final thing that I do prior to one of our church plants becoming sovereign (independently functioning) is this:  I encourage the new church board to do two things...1) make sure that the church is TITHING to the Kingdom out of its general fund; and 2) give the Pastor a raise!  One of the signs of a generous churches is the attitude that they have toward their pastor.  My final words in the push toward independent function is to encourage this type of generosity.

As we have practiced this generous spirit at APC, God has poured out incredible favor on us.  This is what I long for for the churches that we establish.  And most often, these churches have adopted this attitude and have picked up this VALUE.

There are times, however, when churches we have planted have abandoned this generous mindset.  They stopped tithing.  They rarely give to missions projects beyond themselves.  They stop participating and cooperating with us or with other churches for fear that they will lose their people (many pastors are very afraid that they will taste the ministry of another church and choose to leave and go somewhere else). 

Boards become stingy with their pastors.  Pastors become focused on building their own kingdom.  People are not challenged toward OVER AND ABOVE giving.  Fear of loss becomes a dominate emotion.  Scarcity thinking takes over and squeezes out faith in an abundant Provider.

And before long, the church is plateaued and struggling or worse self-consumed or divided.  And the only way out of this fog is to GIVE YOUR WAY OUT.  One of our churches recently had this correction.  They had failed to tithe for quite some time, and finances had become very tight.  But they chose to tithe even though it would mean a potential deficit.

And God has been moving and providing.  They are on their way back to the values of the Kingdom and therefore, the incredible release of God's favor.  In my next post on this subject, I want to outline two directions of giving that keep this generous attitude fresh.

One Of My Wife's Favorites

Mel has been listening a lot to the worship music of Kim Walker.  This song is a very powerful declaration.  Can you imagine if we really believed this?

John Ortberg is one of my favorite speakers/authors.  He recently wrote a post about 'election sins'.  It is both insightful and funny.  Enjoy.

My son has a bumper sticker on his car that reads: “I poke badgers with spoons.” Its significance is not self-evident to everybody who reads it, so let me tell you its story.

It comes from a British stand-up named Eddie Izzard. Eddie grew up in the church, and heard early on about the doctrine of original sin, but was a little fuzzy on the concept. He assumed that it meant that priests get tired of hearing the same old boring confessions time after time—greed, lust, gluttony, and lying to the tax man. Eddie thought the priests wanted to hear some truly original sins.

So he came up with something he figured no one had ever confessed before. “I poke badgers with spoons.”

READ THE REST HERE.

I thought this was funny...and somewhat true!  The sun does seem to rise and fall, here in Pittsburgh, on whether the Steelers win on Sunday.

What are the VALUES I am trying to live out and pass on to the next generation?  The next several posts will outline those.  First, let me start with one of the most basic core ideas that is the primary focus in the early stages of a child's life. 

The over-arching foundational value of a healthy, mature, Kingdom-centered life:  OBEDIENCE!

My job as a parent is to train my kids to OBEY.  In fact, during the pre-school years, that is the one thing we do, all day long, over and over again.  We teach their young will to OBEY.  We impart to pre-schoolers the concept that there is an AUTHORITY greater than themselves.  We work to enforce obedience of their young 'will' because a pre-schooler can't yet make a reasoned decision to do the right and wise thing.

OBEDIENCE is also a key value in the life of a believer.  And God as our Heavenly Father is working on a similar objective with us as His kids.  It is impossible to grow, to be fully blessed, to be powerfully used by God, until we learn to obey God's leadership.

So here's my first intentional DNA transfer.  THE PATH TO GOD'S BLESSINGS TRAVELS THROUGH THE ONGOING CHOICE OF OBEDIENCE.  You cannot by-pass obedience to get God's best, 

So we pray:  God, help me to learn obedience as one of your children.  And may my obedient lifestyle become contagious to my children and all those who are under my care.  Amen.

One of the great hopes of a parent is that you can pass along your values to your kids.  It's wonderful when someone says, 'Your son looks just like you!'  But it is even better when someone says, 'Your son or daughter acts like you.'   Wow.  What a moment!

When someone recognizes a positive attitude or quality in our kids, it means that several very good things have happened.

• We have lived something well.  Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ.'
• We have imparted it effectively to those that are watching and following us.
• They have not only adopted that value into their lives, they too are living it out.

DNA is the code that is etched into every cell in our body.  We pass physical DNA onto our kids, and the traits spelled out in that code determine what they look like, how tall they are, etc.

Spiritual DNA can also be passed from one generation to the next, but it is not as automatic.  Spiritual DNA requires intentionality.  Yes, it is often better caught than taught, but it is not always transferred simply by watching.

So what are the values we want to pass along to the next generation? 

I am asking that question from several vantage points right now.  First of all, as a parent of five kids (three of whom are in line to graduate from High School, one after another, three years in a row).  I want to distill, communicate, and even measure how well I am doing in getting my values across.

Second, I am asking that question as a pastor.  Am I being clear about the Kingdom values to the people God has given me to shepherd?  Am I living it out in a way that my people can see these things evidenced in my life?  Are they catching it?  Have they adopted it?  Are they living it?  Are they sowing it into others?

Finally, I am asking that question about the churches that we have 'mothered'.  Have these church plants and their pastors caught the values?  Do they have the Kingdom-DNA?  Are they taking what they have received and being generous with it?  Have they become self-consumed?  Do they care as much about Kingdom needs as they do the needs of their own church?

One of my faults as a leader is that I often assume people understand what is important to me because I am working so hard to model it.  Values have little value if they are only words without actions.  But they also do not talk root if they are actions without words.

The process of rooting values in the life of another requires ACTIONS + WORDS + ENFORCEMENT.  What we say and do must have some teeth (accountability) to really stick.  Over the next few days, I want to write about some Kingdom values and try to clarify what makes up the DNA of my life and ministry.  Looking forward to your feedback.

Here's our version of Cardboard Testimonies, done this weekend just prior to communion.

I began my message this past weekend with this question:  Do you have a PROBLEM-ORIENTATION or a POSSIBILITY-ORIENTATION about life?  What do you see when you look ahead?   And what emotion fills your soul as a result?

Problem-Thinkers tend to imagine the worst.  They picture all the potential negatives that might occur.  We do this because we want to prepare our contingency plans, and strategize to solve the problems even before they happen.  But the impact to our soul tends to be anxiety, fear, and stress.

Possibility-Thinkers tend to imagine the best.  They picture all the ways that God can work through their situation for good.  They view their problems as opportunities for God to work.  Instead of building contingency strategies for life, they spend time in grateful praise for the goodness of God, and in prayer for the circumstances beyond their control.

Possibility-Thinkers get the benefit of peace.  Beyond that however, the tone of their existence can be defined more by 'wonder' and expectation about what God is getting read to do.  Problem-Thinkers are defined more by 'dread' and anticipation of the impending difficulty that hangs over their head.

The great news is, we can change the way we think.  We can choose to view life through the lens of God's power and promise.  When we do, the atmosphere of our whole world can change.

This past weekend was our first HARVESTCRY at Allison Park Church.  It exceeded my expectations on so many levels.

• We did an APC version of Card-Board Testimonies on Sunday morning just prior to communion.  There were about 30 individuals who walked out on stage carrying their transformation story.  I bawled my eyes out!  There is nothing quite like the radical redemptive love and grace of God.
• I am not sure of the attendance this weekend, but it seemed like every service was packed.  There was great energy in the room at the 11am especially.   We seem to be really growing as a church right now.
• Saturday night, Johannes shared about the theme of HARVESTCRY and the basis for the name of his ministry MISSION S.O.S.  It's purpose is to respond to the S.O.S. cry from those who need Christ.
• He told multiple stories of people in unreached areas who were changed through the love of Christ.  There was such a tender atmosphere there.  Johannes painted pictures with his words of real life people around the world and how their lives are impacted by those who respond to the call.
• Again, I wept when I saw about 50 of our people respond to the challenge to go either on a short-term missions trip, or potentially to one of the mission bases in the future as a longer term missionary.
• Saturday morning was an incredible time of training leaders through our Leaders Summit.  We had about 200 Small Group Leaders from APC and other MCM churches.  Marie Cartlege's session on Ministry To People In The Storms Of Life was the hit of the morning.  The sessions should be up online on the apc website this coming week.
• You can read some of the notes from other sessions on Ben Davis's blog.
• Thursday night was the Jeff Deyo worship concert.  Jeff is truly a worshiper.  He did not have any of the pretense you often see in famous musicians.  He poured out his heart to God.
• BTW - I guess I am getting older, because I felt myself thinking..."this is too loud".  All that was tempered, however, by the fact that the room was packed with teenagers who were passionately worshiping God.
• Friday night, David Santistevan led worship.  We sang music from his new CD.  Again, the altars were packed with young people who were jumping, lifting their hands, and praising Jesus. 
• There is nothing quite like watching your own teenagers pursue God!  All three of my own kids were going hard after God this week.
• Friday night there were about 25 who responded to the call to give their lives to Jesus.
• Friday morning, we invited prospective students to check out the MCM Ministry School.  The room was filled to capacity.  We had maybe 50 prospective students plus our current 18 who sat in on the Prayer School and the classes that morning.  Johannes and I taught on the book of Acts.
• I spoke seven times this past weekend at the various events.  God graced me because I needed to prepare five separate teachings/messages in a very short time. 

I woke up this morning absolutely exhausted and yet unbelievably satisfied.  It was one of the best weekend's of ministry in my entire life. 

Johannes Amritzer spoke Friday night during our Harvestcry about amazing and what to us seems to be unusual SIGNS in the New Testament church.

1. Places were shaken. (Acts 16:25-26; Acts 4) - so much power that physical places were shaken.

2. People judged by God right away - (Acts 5:1-5; 12:21-23) - fear of God backed up by his active discipline.

3. Travelling in the Spirit (Acts 8:39-40) supernatural movement for the purpose of preaching the gospel.

4. People seeing Jesus revelations - (Acts 9) people saw manifestations of the Living Jesus. (Acts 18:9-10)

5. Angels were seen - (Acts 5:19, 8:26)

6. People saw visions - (Acts 9:10, 10:3)

7. Carrying and releasing the power of God (Acts 5:15, 19:11-12)

This makes me want to become a Georgia Bulldog fan! What a great example of the Jesus kind of love. Thanks to ESPN for doing this kind of story.

I am sitting here in the MCM Ministry School this morning.  Johannes Amritzer is teaching on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  It is so beautiful how he is describe the role of this 'comforter/counselor' in our lives:

• John 16 uses the Greek word 'paraclete' to describe the role (another counselor) of the Holy Spirit.  Paraclete was a word used by the Romans to describe a motivational speaker who was sent to stir up the troops just before they went to war.
• The Holy Spirit is a motivator in our life.
• He is like a kind father or encouraging coach who speaks to us to build us up and remind us of what we mean to him.
• When we feel down, tempted, empty, we need to learn to lean on the Holy Spirit to give us the power we need for life.

These are just a few of the thoughts from this morning.

REMEMBER...Johannes is speaking in a service tonight (Friday) at 7PM at APC.  He is also speaking on Saturday night at 6pm.  Hope to see you there.

I am so pumped about being able to host this great event here at APC over the next few days.

• Jeff Deyo in Concert tonight at 7pm.  This worship event is FREE to all who attend.  I absolutely love this guy's passion for God.
• MSX (Ministry School Experience) - Friday morning we are opening the MCM Ministry School for any prospective students.   Sign up here if you are interested.  Things kick off with Prayer School at 7:45am and go through until Lunch.
• Johannes Amritzer speaking on Friday night at 7pm.  David Santistevan will lead us in worship.  This will be a powerful night of inspiration and ministry.
• Johannes Amritzer speaking on Saturday night at 6pm (during our normally schedule APC service).  During this service, we will share some testimonies about miracles Jesus has done during recent missions trips from APC.
• Sunday AM Services - I will be speaking, with a special communion celebration that you don't want to miss. 

I can't wait to see what God will do during these days.

Our nation has now entered into a season of great transition:  A new president; many new congressional leaders; a new season with many new challenges.  CHANGE IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT regardless of whether it is personal, organizational, or national.  Change can be difficult even whether we perceive the shift to be positive or negative.

One reason why change feels scary is because there is so much that is UKNOWN.  What will happen next?  What will these leaders do?  How will our economy respond?  What will this mean for the family, for the culture, for the future?

We can reduce the anxiety that comes with major change when we focus on the KNOWN.

• Jesus is alive and at work in the world.
• His power is just as strong as it ever was.
• Radical love still changes the world.
• God is absolutely committed to us (Roman 8:31-39) and nothing can separate us from His love.
• God blesses the merciful, the pure in heart, the meek, the poor in spirit, the peacemakers.
• God's promises are firm.  We can stand upon His Word.
• His grace is sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in our weakness.

So on this day of great transition, we should focus on the known.  We should pray for those who are leading us.  And out of the peace that comes from our security in Him, we should love, bless, and seek peace with everyone we encounter.

This is not the reason why we vote.  We vote out of conviction, values, and out of the honor that it is to be a citizen of the USA.

But since they are offering, why not enjoy a good cup of coffee tomorrow.

All you have to do is show up and say that you voted, and Starbucks will give you a FREE cup of coffee.

Praying for God's will to be done!

This is such a powerful song.  We ended the services this weekend with this declaration:  YOU ARE STRONGER.  It fit so well with the verse we talked through:  God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of POWER, and of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE.

During this season, we choose this:  I WILL LIVE OUT OF FAITH AND NOT OUT OF FEAR!

I think it is very healthy to spend some time in prayer for the big decisions that will be made both locally and nationally.  We are encouraging people to vigilantly fill a slot in our 24/7 Prayer Room during this time and to bring friends with them to pray.

Here's some of what I will be praying:

God, first of all we declare that you are the one in whom we trust.  Our lives, our families, our resources and our futures depend on You. You are our Father, who lives in the heavens.  We praise your name.  We recognize that you rule over all.  We willingly submit ourselves to your leadership.

We pray that your Kingdom would come, and your will would be done.  May heaven's purposes and power be released in our nation.  We want the way things are in the heavens to come down and be manifest on the earth, specifically upon our own country.

Forgive us O God for our many offenses.  For our pride and arrogance, forgive us.  For using harsh, critical and sometimes slanderous words, forgive us.  For our bitterness toward others, political leaders, or political parties, forgive us.  For our self-righteousness, forgive us. 

Forgive us Lord for being a nation that so values the freedom of sexual expression that we are willing to destroy the lives of our own children in the womb.

Forgive us O Lord for the way we treat the idea of marriage and family.  We have allowed divorce without consequence, encouraged sex without responsibility, and attempted to define marriage as something beyond the beautiful expression of life-time covenant between a man and a woman.

Forgive us O Lord for years of prejudice in this nation and for the injustice that extended from that prejudice.  Forgive us Lord for our lack of concern for the poor, the homeless, the suffering, and the innocent.

Lord we need your mercy, but even more than that, we need your transforming grace.  Our hearts have become hard and our motives have become selfish.  We need a move of God upon the hearts of people all across this land.

Now, we ask you God to guide the decisions made in this upcoming election.  We believe that you can work in our lives, regardless of what happens, but as we cast our vote, we truly do seek your will to be done.  Move upon the hearts of people to make a choice that will be in the best interest of this nation.

And now, we pledge ourselves to bless and pray for our leaders whoever they will be following this election.  We choose to become part of the solution. We will NOT extend the atmosphere of anger and suspicion that so fills our airways.  We will love those we perceive to be our enemies.  We will bless those who curse.  We will pray for those who we feel are mistreating us or others.  And most of all, we choose to DO GOOD to those who hate us and to those in need.

We will not let this election season be the last time we think about the issues important to our nation.  We will continue to engage our culture and pray for change in this nation.  We will work to invest in life, the family, for racial reconciliation, and for the meeting of the needs of the poor and the vulnerable.

Finally, we declare that our hope is in You and in the coming of Your Kingdom in the hearts of people.  We thank you for freedom in this nation.  We believe we need to pray for and support our leaders.  We long for skilled governance from our national and local leaders.  But we believe that the most important solutions are not political, nor are they governmental, they are spiritual.

So just like in the days of the early church, when they lived under the harsh and oppressive rule of the Romans, may the Kingdom of God come and expand in the hearts of people.  May the work of Jesus in the hearts of Your people ignite a revolution that will transform not only this nation, but will touch the world.

We pray this will all humility and faith.  In Jesus' name, Amen!

We are so excited about the events of this upcoming week.  One of the opportunities we are offering, is for anyone interested to check out the MCM Ministry School.  You can attend ONE DAY OF CLASSES on Friday morning, November 7th.

What's the schedule for that day?

• 7:45 - 8:45am - PRAYER SCHOOL - attend the hour of prayer that the students experience every day.
• 9:00 - 10:30am - JOHANNES AMRITZER - teaching on the BOOK OF ACTS.
• 10:45 - 12:00pm - JEFF LEAKE - teaching on the BOOK OF ACTS
• Noon - LUNCH

After lunch we will host a brief Q+A session for those who want more information on the School.

If you are interested you can register online by clicking here.  THIS IS FOR ANYONE who is even considering the MCM Ministry School in the future.  You have to be in 11th grade or above.  But THIS IS NOT JUST FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.  If you are interested, sign up today!

Next Saturday (Nov 8), during our HarvestCry emphasis, we are hosting a SMALL GROUP LEADER'S SUMMIT for leaders from Allison Park Church and also churches in the MCM Pittsburgh network.  In the spring, we hosted a similar event and it was a powerful day of training and inspiration.

Our featured speaker for the morning is Johannes Amrtizer.  But we have many amazing breakout sessions as well.

• Brian Bolt on Ministry To The Addict + Their Family
• Marie Cartledge on Ministry To People In The Stormy Seasons Of Life
• Training for youth and children's ministry workers.
• How To Study The Bible by Mike Santistevan
• Praying With Power by Chris Gibbs

Just to mention a few.  If you are interesting in attending, you can sign-up online by clicking here.

Lessons From The Election

John Ortberg is one of my favorite speakers/authors.  He recently wrote a post about 'election sins'.  It is both insightful and funny.  Enjoy.

My son has a bumper sticker on his car that reads: “I poke badgers with spoons.” Its significance is not self-evident to everybody who reads it, so let me tell you its story.

It comes from a British stand-up named Eddie Izzard. Eddie grew up in the church, and heard early on about the doctrine of original sin, but was a little fuzzy on the concept. He assumed that it meant that priests get tired of hearing the same old boring confessions time after time—greed, lust, gluttony, and lying to the tax man. Eddie thought the priests wanted to hear some truly original sins.

So he came up with something he figured no one had ever confessed before. “I poke badgers with spoons.”

READ THE REST HERE.

Pittsburgh Sunrise

I thought this was funny...and somewhat true!  The sun does seem to rise and fall, here in Pittsburgh, on whether the Steelers win on Sunday.

Kingdom DNA (part 2)

What are the VALUES I am trying to live out and pass on to the next generation?  The next several posts will outline those.  First, let me start with one of the most basic core ideas that is the primary focus in the early stages of a child's life. 

The over-arching foundational value of a healthy, mature, Kingdom-centered life:  OBEDIENCE!

My job as a parent is to train my kids to OBEY.  In fact, during the pre-school years, that is the one thing we do, all day long, over and over again.  We teach their young will to OBEY.  We impart to pre-schoolers the concept that there is an AUTHORITY greater than themselves.  We work to enforce obedience of their young 'will' because a pre-schooler can't yet make a reasoned decision to do the right and wise thing.

OBEDIENCE is also a key value in the life of a believer.  And God as our Heavenly Father is working on a similar objective with us as His kids.  It is impossible to grow, to be fully blessed, to be powerfully used by God, until we learn to obey God's leadership.

So here's my first intentional DNA transfer.  THE PATH TO GOD'S BLESSINGS TRAVELS THROUGH THE ONGOING CHOICE OF OBEDIENCE.  You cannot by-pass obedience to get God's best, 

So we pray:  God, help me to learn obedience as one of your children.  And may my obedient lifestyle become contagious to my children and all those who are under my care.  Amen.

Kingdom DNA (part 1)

One of the great hopes of a parent is that you can pass along your values to your kids.  It's wonderful when someone says, 'Your son looks just like you!'  But it is even better when someone says, 'Your son or daughter acts like you.'   Wow.  What a moment!

When someone recognizes a positive attitude or quality in our kids, it means that several very good things have happened.

• We have lived something well.  Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ.'
• We have imparted it effectively to those that are watching and following us.
• They have not only adopted that value into their lives, they too are living it out.

DNA is the code that is etched into every cell in our body.  We pass physical DNA onto our kids, and the traits spelled out in that code determine what they look like, how tall they are, etc.

Spiritual DNA can also be passed from one generation to the next, but it is not as automatic.  Spiritual DNA requires intentionality.  Yes, it is often better caught than taught, but it is not always transferred simply by watching.

So what are the values we want to pass along to the next generation? 

I am asking that question from several vantage points right now.  First of all, as a parent of five kids (three of whom are in line to graduate from High School, one after another, three years in a row).  I want to distill, communicate, and even measure how well I am doing in getting my values across.

Second, I am asking that question as a pastor.  Am I being clear about the Kingdom values to the people God has given me to shepherd?  Am I living it out in a way that my people can see these things evidenced in my life?  Are they catching it?  Have they adopted it?  Are they living it?  Are they sowing it into others?

Finally, I am asking that question about the churches that we have 'mothered'.  Have these church plants and their pastors caught the values?  Do they have the Kingdom-DNA?  Are they taking what they have received and being generous with it?  Have they become self-consumed?  Do they care as much about Kingdom needs as they do the needs of their own church?

One of my faults as a leader is that I often assume people understand what is important to me because I am working so hard to model it.  Values have little value if they are only words without actions.  But they also do not talk root if they are actions without words.

The process of rooting values in the life of another requires ACTIONS + WORDS + ENFORCEMENT.  What we say and do must have some teeth (accountability) to really stick.  Over the next few days, I want to write about some Kingdom values and try to clarify what makes up the DNA of my life and ministry.  Looking forward to your feedback.

APC Cardboard Testimonies

Here's our version of Cardboard Testimonies, done this weekend just prior to communion.

Problem Or Possibility?

I began my message this past weekend with this question:  Do you have a PROBLEM-ORIENTATION or a POSSIBILITY-ORIENTATION about life?  What do you see when you look ahead?   And what emotion fills your soul as a result?

Problem-Thinkers tend to imagine the worst.  They picture all the potential negatives that might occur.  We do this because we want to prepare our contingency plans, and strategize to solve the problems even before they happen.  But the impact to our soul tends to be anxiety, fear, and stress.

Possibility-Thinkers tend to imagine the best.  They picture all the ways that God can work through their situation for good.  They view their problems as opportunities for God to work.  Instead of building contingency strategies for life, they spend time in grateful praise for the goodness of God, and in prayer for the circumstances beyond their control.

Possibility-Thinkers get the benefit of peace.  Beyond that however, the tone of their existence can be defined more by 'wonder' and expectation about what God is getting read to do.  Problem-Thinkers are defined more by 'dread' and anticipation of the impending difficulty that hangs over their head.

The great news is, we can change the way we think.  We can choose to view life through the lens of God's power and promise.  When we do, the atmosphere of our whole world can change.

Weekend Reflections

This past weekend was our first HARVESTCRY at Allison Park Church.  It exceeded my expectations on so many levels.

• We did an APC version of Card-Board Testimonies on Sunday morning just prior to communion.  There were about 30 individuals who walked out on stage carrying their transformation story.  I bawled my eyes out!  There is nothing quite like the radical redemptive love and grace of God.
• I am not sure of the attendance this weekend, but it seemed like every service was packed.  There was great energy in the room at the 11am especially.   We seem to be really growing as a church right now.
• Saturday night, Johannes shared about the theme of HARVESTCRY and the basis for the name of his ministry MISSION S.O.S.  It's purpose is to respond to the S.O.S. cry from those who need Christ.
• He told multiple stories of people in unreached areas who were changed through the love of Christ.  There was such a tender atmosphere there.  Johannes painted pictures with his words of real life people around the world and how their lives are impacted by those who respond to the call.
• Again, I wept when I saw about 50 of our people respond to the challenge to go either on a short-term missions trip, or potentially to one of the mission bases in the future as a longer term missionary.
• Saturday morning was an incredible time of training leaders through our Leaders Summit.  We had about 200 Small Group Leaders from APC and other MCM churches.  Marie Cartlege's session on Ministry To People In The Storms Of Life was the hit of the morning.  The sessions should be up online on the apc website this coming week.
• You can read some of the notes from other sessions on Ben Davis's blog.
• Thursday night was the Jeff Deyo worship concert.  Jeff is truly a worshiper.  He did not have any of the pretense you often see in famous musicians.  He poured out his heart to God.
• BTW - I guess I am getting older, because I felt myself thinking..."this is too loud".  All that was tempered, however, by the fact that the room was packed with teenagers who were passionately worshiping God.
• Friday night, David Santistevan led worship.  We sang music from his new CD.  Again, the altars were packed with young people who were jumping, lifting their hands, and praising Jesus. 
• There is nothing quite like watching your own teenagers pursue God!  All three of my own kids were going hard after God this week.
• Friday night there were about 25 who responded to the call to give their lives to Jesus.
• Friday morning, we invited prospective students to check out the MCM Ministry School.  The room was filled to capacity.  We had maybe 50 prospective students plus our current 18 who sat in on the Prayer School and the classes that morning.  Johannes and I taught on the book of Acts.
• I spoke seven times this past weekend at the various events.  God graced me because I needed to prepare five separate teachings/messages in a very short time. 

I woke up this morning absolutely exhausted and yet unbelievably satisfied.  It was one of the best weekend's of ministry in my entire life. 

More Than An Adventure

Johannes Amritzer spoke Friday night during our Harvestcry about amazing and what to us seems to be unusual SIGNS in the New Testament church.

1. Places were shaken. (Acts 16:25-26; Acts 4) - so much power that physical places were shaken.

2. People judged by God right away - (Acts 5:1-5; 12:21-23) - fear of God backed up by his active discipline.

3. Travelling in the Spirit (Acts 8:39-40) supernatural movement for the purpose of preaching the gospel.

4. People seeing Jesus revelations - (Acts 9) people saw manifestations of the Living Jesus. (Acts 18:9-10)

5. Angels were seen - (Acts 5:19, 8:26)

6. People saw visions - (Acts 9:10, 10:3)

7. Carrying and releasing the power of God (Acts 5:15, 19:11-12)

A Tear-Jerker!

This makes me want to become a Georgia Bulldog fan! What a great example of the Jesus kind of love. Thanks to ESPN for doing this kind of story.

Don't Miss Friday Night

I am sitting here in the MCM Ministry School this morning.  Johannes Amritzer is teaching on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  It is so beautiful how he is describe the role of this 'comforter/counselor' in our lives:

• John 16 uses the Greek word 'paraclete' to describe the role (another counselor) of the Holy Spirit.  Paraclete was a word used by the Romans to describe a motivational speaker who was sent to stir up the troops just before they went to war.
• The Holy Spirit is a motivator in our life.
• He is like a kind father or encouraging coach who speaks to us to build us up and remind us of what we mean to him.
• When we feel down, tempted, empty, we need to learn to lean on the Holy Spirit to give us the power we need for life.

These are just a few of the thoughts from this morning.

REMEMBER...Johannes is speaking in a service tonight (Friday) at 7PM at APC.  He is also speaking on Saturday night at 6pm.  Hope to see you there.

HarvestCry Begins Today

I am so pumped about being able to host this great event here at APC over the next few days.

• Jeff Deyo in Concert tonight at 7pm.  This worship event is FREE to all who attend.  I absolutely love this guy's passion for God.
• MSX (Ministry School Experience) - Friday morning we are opening the MCM Ministry School for any prospective students.   Sign up here if you are interested.  Things kick off with Prayer School at 7:45am and go through until Lunch.
• Johannes Amritzer speaking on Friday night at 7pm.  David Santistevan will lead us in worship.  This will be a powerful night of inspiration and ministry.
• Johannes Amritzer speaking on Saturday night at 6pm (during our normally schedule APC service).  During this service, we will share some testimonies about miracles Jesus has done during recent missions trips from APC.
• Sunday AM Services - I will be speaking, with a special communion celebration that you don't want to miss. 

I can't wait to see what God will do during these days.

Known + Unknown

Our nation has now entered into a season of great transition:  A new president; many new congressional leaders; a new season with many new challenges.  CHANGE IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT regardless of whether it is personal, organizational, or national.  Change can be difficult even whether we perceive the shift to be positive or negative.

One reason why change feels scary is because there is so much that is UKNOWN.  What will happen next?  What will these leaders do?  How will our economy respond?  What will this mean for the family, for the culture, for the future?

We can reduce the anxiety that comes with major change when we focus on the KNOWN.

• Jesus is alive and at work in the world.
• His power is just as strong as it ever was.
• Radical love still changes the world.
• God is absolutely committed to us (Roman 8:31-39) and nothing can separate us from His love.
• God blesses the merciful, the pure in heart, the meek, the poor in spirit, the peacemakers.
• God's promises are firm.  We can stand upon His Word.
• His grace is sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in our weakness.

So on this day of great transition, we should focus on the known.  We should pray for those who are leading us.  And out of the peace that comes from our security in Him, we should love, bless, and seek peace with everyone we encounter.

Free Coffee

This is not the reason why we vote.  We vote out of conviction, values, and out of the honor that it is to be a citizen of the USA.

But since they are offering, why not enjoy a good cup of coffee tomorrow.

All you have to do is show up and say that you voted, and Starbucks will give you a FREE cup of coffee.

Praying for God's will to be done!

You Are Stronger!

This is such a powerful song.  We ended the services this weekend with this declaration:  YOU ARE STRONGER.  It fit so well with the verse we talked through:  God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of POWER, and of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE.

During this season, we choose this:  I WILL LIVE OUT OF FAITH AND NOT OUT OF FEAR!

How To Pray For The Election

I think it is very healthy to spend some time in prayer for the big decisions that will be made both locally and nationally.  We are encouraging people to vigilantly fill a slot in our 24/7 Prayer Room during this time and to bring friends with them to pray.

Here's some of what I will be praying:

God, first of all we declare that you are the one in whom we trust.  Our lives, our families, our resources and our futures depend on You. You are our Father, who lives in the heavens.  We praise your name.  We recognize that you rule over all.  We willingly submit ourselves to your leadership.

We pray that your Kingdom would come, and your will would be done.  May heaven's purposes and power be released in our nation.  We want the way things are in the heavens to come down and be manifest on the earth, specifically upon our own country.

Forgive us O God for our many offenses.  For our pride and arrogance, forgive us.  For using harsh, critical and sometimes slanderous words, forgive us.  For our bitterness toward others, political leaders, or political parties, forgive us.  For our self-righteousness, forgive us. 

Forgive us Lord for being a nation that so values the freedom of sexual expression that we are willing to destroy the lives of our own children in the womb.

Forgive us O Lord for the way we treat the idea of marriage and family.  We have allowed divorce without consequence, encouraged sex without responsibility, and attempted to define marriage as something beyond the beautiful expression of life-time covenant between a man and a woman.

Forgive us O Lord for years of prejudice in this nation and for the injustice that extended from that prejudice.  Forgive us Lord for our lack of concern for the poor, the homeless, the suffering, and the innocent.

Lord we need your mercy, but even more than that, we need your transforming grace.  Our hearts have become hard and our motives have become selfish.  We need a move of God upon the hearts of people all across this land.

Now, we ask you God to guide the decisions made in this upcoming election.  We believe that you can work in our lives, regardless of what happens, but as we cast our vote, we truly do seek your will to be done.  Move upon the hearts of people to make a choice that will be in the best interest of this nation.

And now, we pledge ourselves to bless and pray for our leaders whoever they will be following this election.  We choose to become part of the solution. We will NOT extend the atmosphere of anger and suspicion that so fills our airways.  We will love those we perceive to be our enemies.  We will bless those who curse.  We will pray for those who we feel are mistreating us or others.  And most of all, we choose to DO GOOD to those who hate us and to those in need.

We will not let this election season be the last time we think about the issues important to our nation.  We will continue to engage our culture and pray for change in this nation.  We will work to invest in life, the family, for racial reconciliation, and for the meeting of the needs of the poor and the vulnerable.

Finally, we declare that our hope is in You and in the coming of Your Kingdom in the hearts of people.  We thank you for freedom in this nation.  We believe we need to pray for and support our leaders.  We long for skilled governance from our national and local leaders.  But we believe that the most important solutions are not political, nor are they governmental, they are spiritual.

So just like in the days of the early church, when they lived under the harsh and oppressive rule of the Romans, may the Kingdom of God come and expand in the hearts of people.  May the work of Jesus in the hearts of Your people ignite a revolution that will transform not only this nation, but will touch the world.

We pray this will all humility and faith.  In Jesus' name, Amen!

Experience The Ministry School

We are so excited about the events of this upcoming week.  One of the opportunities we are offering, is for anyone interested to check out the MCM Ministry School.  You can attend ONE DAY OF CLASSES on Friday morning, November 7th.

What's the schedule for that day?

• 7:45 - 8:45am - PRAYER SCHOOL - attend the hour of prayer that the students experience every day.
• 9:00 - 10:30am - JOHANNES AMRITZER - teaching on the BOOK OF ACTS.
• 10:45 - 12:00pm - JEFF LEAKE - teaching on the BOOK OF ACTS
• Noon - LUNCH

After lunch we will host a brief Q+A session for those who want more information on the School.

If you are interested you can register online by clicking here.  THIS IS FOR ANYONE who is even considering the MCM Ministry School in the future.  You have to be in 11th grade or above.  But THIS IS NOT JUST FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.  If you are interested, sign up today!

Small Group Leader's Summit

Next Saturday (Nov 8), during our HarvestCry emphasis, we are hosting a SMALL GROUP LEADER'S SUMMIT for leaders from Allison Park Church and also churches in the MCM Pittsburgh network.  In the spring, we hosted a similar event and it was a powerful day of training and inspiration.

Our featured speaker for the morning is Johannes Amrtizer.  But we have many amazing breakout sessions as well.

• Brian Bolt on Ministry To The Addict + Their Family
• Marie Cartledge on Ministry To People In The Stormy Seasons Of Life
• Training for youth and children's ministry workers.
• How To Study The Bible by Mike Santistevan
• Praying With Power by Chris Gibbs

Just to mention a few.  If you are interesting in attending, you can sign-up online by clicking here.