The LaunchPad

Nationwide Simulcast

This morning we registered with the Town Hall For Hope to be a site for the upcoming nationwide simulcast by Dave Ramsey.

The event is free and will be available to anyone who would like to attend.  The date is Thursday, April 23rd - from 8pm until 9pm.

We will host the simulcast in the Chapel on the 2nd floor at Allison Park Church.

For more information visit the Town Hall For Hope website here. 

Easter Events

The next two weekends are going to be so much fun.  On Palm Sunday (and Saturday at 6pm) we will host the JUDAH PRAISE TEAM who will sing with the APC Choir.  For the kids we will have an Easter Egg Hunt during all of the services in the Crosstown Kids service.

• 3500 Eggs
• Special Prize Give-aways (the biggest being a Nintendo DS System)
• Parents can join their kids in the Crosstown Service for the Egg Hunt.
• This makes an easy invite for friends and family because guests will be able to stay with their children and ministry will be provided for the entire family.

The following weekend we have some special events as well:

• Traditional Good Friday Service @ Noon
• Sunrise Service @ 6:30am in the APC Cafe - this year we decided to move the service indoors and take advantage of the large windows in the Concourse. 
• Easter Weekend Services - Sat @ 6pm; Sun @ 9 + 11am

We are believing that the Easter Weekend Services will be the largest attendance day in the history of Allison Park Church.  The Fasten Your Seat Belt Series will continue, so every service is designed so that the guests that we bring will have the best experience possible.

Join me in praying that God will use this Easter season to draw many people to Hiimself.

Hudson Plane Landing - Jerry Shanko's Story

Seven Things I Can Control

This weekend, we began our INVITATION series...WHEN THE FASTEN SEAT BELT SIGN COMES ON.  During the first message, we covered what it takes to maintain our peace in the midst of a storm based on Paul's experiences in Acts 27. 

The only way we avoid panic and live in peace is when we choose to focus on what we can control and let God take care of the rest.  So what's under my control?

1.  When I Live - If I choose to live in tomorrow's problems I will produce anxiety and stress.  God gives sufficient grace for every moment.  But He does not give advanced grace.  He gives grace for NOW.  So I need to choose to live in the RIGHT NOW grace of God, and find joy in the moment I am currently living.

2.  What I Do - We can't control what others do, but we can control our own response.  We need to act in a way that is proactive and that prepares us for the rigors of the storm ahead.

3.  What I Carry - In Acts 27, the men chose to throw grain, tackle, and cargo overboard to lighten the ship.  All three of those items are good things.  But in the midst of a crisis, sometimes even good things must be temporarily set aside so that all our attention can be focused on the task at hand.

4.  Who I Listen To - In a crisis moment, we have enough temptation toward discouragement.  We don't need help from any negative voices.  We need to tune out the voices of fear and tune into the voices of faith.

5.  What I Believe - Hearing is one thing, believing is another.  Paul chose to believe God's promise in His life in spite of external evidence to the contrary.  The wind and waves continued, but Paul's will was aligned with the Word of God.

6.  What I Confess - My words reinforce and release my faith.  I encourage myself by my speech.  I can also undermine my faith and joy by what I speak.  Choose to speak what you believe.

7.  Who I Trust - Paul says in Acts 27, the angel of God WHOSE I AM...appeared to me.  Paul knew he belonged to God.  He chose to trust God with his life, his future, and his immediate circumstances.

And God took care of the rest.  The ship wrecked, but Paul and everyone else on board survived.  We all go through storms in life, but learning how to journey through with peace is a key to the quality of and direction of our life.

Serenity Prayer P2

I am closing the message this weekend by inviting everyone to join me in praying the well known prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr.  When I looked up this prayer, I never realized that there was a second section.  The expression of this second part is also very powerful.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next. Amen.

Shifts In Parenting

This afternoon, I took Melodie out for lunch (Fridays is our date day) and we were taking time to evaluate our parenting approach and how things are going with each of our five kids.  I find these conversations to be very helpful because often she sees things I don't pick up and visa versa.

One of the observations that we made was how the emphasis has to change as kids grow up.

Preschoolers - the focus of training here is on the development of their will.  The main thing we do here is ENFORCE OBEDIENCE.  We train the will to obey over and over again.  This is why parenting preschoolers is so exhausting.

Elementary Age Kids - the focus now is beginning to shift from the will to the heart and mind.  We move from enforcement to TEACHING.  Parenting at this stage requires a mixture of enforcement and explanation.  We are training them to understand why they are to obey, and why they should act with responsibility and respect.

Teens - the focus moves now from enforcement/explanation to INFLUENCE.  We recognize that these young people are steps away from adulthood.  They are on the verge of making their own choices in life.  Now they need a coach, a friend, and a strong model/influence for their future.

When we try to use influence with preschoolers, we end up talking to ourselves.  They are too young to respond to reason.  They simply need strong direction.  When we try to use control with teens, we end up fighting with ourselves.  They resist being commanded because they now need to be led.  They need understanding and advise.  They need our active involvement in the way they think and decide.

Parenting is an adventure.  It is well worth the journey.

Why We Do Invitation Months

Ed Stetzer provides some great data on when and why people are receptive to conversations about faith.  We specifically plan INVITATIONS SERIES during seasons like Easter because their is a heightened openness to God during this times.  Read the entire post here.

Love vs. Lust

This is a message trailer produced by Granger Church. I love the creativity. Check out some more of their videos here.

Portals Of Grace

Yesterday, I did a devotional for the MCM Ministry School based on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.  In this passage, the apostle Paul reveals what seems to be a totally radical and completely upside-down choice.

But He said to me, 'my grace is sufficient for you, and my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore, I boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

It's all about the grace of God.  This was Paul's realization.  God's grace is more than enough (sufficient).  His grace is a completing force (made perfect).  Strength flows from the grace of God into our lives when we are weak.  Grace transforms weakness into strength and overcoming power.

Therefore, anything that helps me access God's grace is a gift in my life.  That is why Paul could delight himself in difficulties or weaknesses.  He wasn't rejoicing that there was pain present in his life.  He was rejoicing that the pain he was enduring could become a portal or doorway through which he could access God's sufficient grace.  He identified five such portals:

1.  Weakness - points where I am feeble or unable.  These cause me to depend on God's ability and not my own.

2.  Insults - offenses from friends.  These teach me that God heals my wounds and help me to learn how to love like Jesus loves, and forgive like Jesus forgives.

3.  Hardships - the word here in Greek means 'tight places' where we have to squeeze through.  It refers to situations that cause stress and pressure.  Through stressful situation we learn that God's grace can lift our burdens and see us through.

4.  Persecutions - offenses from enemies.  Through persecutions we learn the principle that what others mean for evil God can turn around and use for His good purpose. 

5.  Difficulties - these represent impossibilities or problems that seem to have no solution.  Again, we discover God's sufficiency when we face these with a reliance on the grace of God.

It is so liberating to look at these five issues in life from a heavenly perspective.  We can transform our pain into a portal of grace if we choose to recognize that God's strength shows itself most powerfully when we depend on Him.

John Maxwell's Run In With Airport Security

I heard about this last week on John Maxwell's blog.  What a moment! I appreciate John's ability to laugh at himself.  He tells a great story.  Here's an excerpt from his blog...

I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life. Early in my marriage I would win arguments with my wife, Margaret, and hurt her feelings really badly. I have made business moves that lost tens of thousands of dollars at a time. And I’ve made leadership decisions that led to failures for my organizations. But up until now, none of the dumb things I’ve done has gotten me arrested.

Here’s how this came about. Last Sunday, I was in Birmingham, Alabama, speaking for the Church of the Highlands. It’s a wonderful church with a marvelous leader named Chris Hodges. He is a good friend, the congregation is fantastic, and I had a terrific time.

Most of the time when I have speaking engagements, I fly commercially, especially when the commitments are far from home. But when the engagement is not very far away and it means that I will be able to sleep at home in my own bed, I’ll sometimes fly on a private airplane. That was the case on Sunday.

As I got on the plane, someone from Chris’ congregation gave me a gift: a handgun. “This is for Margaret,” he said, “so she can feel safe when you’re traveling.”

Now, I’m not really a gun person. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people who own guns. I have been hunting a few times with friends, so I’ve shot a gun before, but I’ve never bought one. It’s just not my cup of tea. But I knew this was being given as a gift from the heart, so I accepted it, put it in my carry-on, and got on the private plane and flew home.

And then I forgot about it.

FINISH THIS POST HERE.

Makes You Think

This is an excellent video about trends in our culture produced by Granger Church.  They do some tremendous multi-media material.


ImNotBuyingIt.com Video from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Relationship Killers

On Saturday, I did a BOARD MEMBER TRAINING for five church boards within the MCM Pittsburgh Network.  This was the first Board Training that we have ever done, and it seems to really have been effective.

One the key components in any healthy family, marriage, church, or board is the right tone of response to one another.  When we respond to one another with honor, respect, grace, and humility - we reinforce strength in our relationships.  But when we strike a different tone, we get a destructive result.

1.  PRIDE - even God can't work with this quality.  James 4:6 says, 'God opposes the proud'.  When a person is arrogant or unteachable, they become difficult to work with, trust, or depend on.

2.  SUSPICION - sometimes when a person has been burned in the past, they require that everything is proven to them up front before they trust.  But it is hard to develop much in an atmosphere of suspicion.

3.  CONTEMPT - this is the opposite of respect/honor.  Contempt is biting.  It is like a relational poison.  When someone disdains you or your ideas it makes you want to hit back or revolt.  Honor builds.  Contempt destroys.

4.  RESENTMENT - love 'keeps no record of wrongs' it says in 1 Corinthians 13.  It gives permission for us to move past the mistakes of the past.  Love extends grace.  But resentment holds us to the past and makes it impossible for broken relationships to be made whole.

The fact is that we can do a lot of things to change the negative direction of a difficult relationship.  But unless the tone changes, the results will remain the same.  But if we change our tone, every other step toward progress becomes much easier.

Two places to start?  1) HUMILITY - we must be willing to become soft, willing to admit fault, willing to acknowledge or need for God and for others; 2) RESPECT - make sure that your words and actions convey a worth and value for the persons involved.

Change your tone, change your life.  That sounds like a title for a good book.

Who Will I Invite?

Next weekend we launch into a five week series.  Each service will be designed as an easy 'invitation' moment to bring friends, family members, neighbors, or co-workers.  The themes of each message will focus on God's grace to deal with unexpected challenges in life.

Week 1:  Unexpected Crisis (March 28-29) - we have an exclusive testimony from Jerry Shanko (Shaler H.S. Grad) who was one of the passengers on the Hudson Plane Landing.  After the service we will have a fellowship with Krispy Kream donuts and Starbucks Coffee.

Week 2:  Emotional Turbulence (April 4-5) - during each of the service we will have an EASTER EGG HUNT for all of the kids in Crosstown.  There will be special prize give-a-ways for the kids.  In the adult service, we the APC Choir will sing and will be joined by the JUDAH PRAISE TEAM. 

Week 3:  Personal Uncertainty (April 11-12) - this is Easter weekend and we will have four services (Sat 6pm; Sun 6:30am in the Cafe; Sun 9am and 11am).  We will hear a special healing testimony from a family from my home church (Monroeville AG).

Week 4:  Relational Confusion (April 18-19) - this is day we are going to honor SINGLE PARENTS.  Those raising kids alone have such a challenging role in life and rarely receive recognition.  We are going to focus this day on them.  Every Single Parent in attendance that day will receive a special gift from us.

Week 5:  Spiritual Unrest (April 25-26) - Mary Cay Burt who runs a missions organization that reaches to China will be our special guest.  Mary Cay recently lost her husband and has gone through some significant transition.  She will share her story and also sing for us that day.

Every weekend after the message, I will give an invitation for people to receive Christ.  We are praying for hundreds of people to come to Jesus during this important Easter season.

But planning services alone is not what makes this work.  Now we need to each do our part by inviting someone who needs encouragement, or who we want to honor as a Single Parent, or who simply might enjoy these messages, testimonies or events.

I have already made a list of people that I am personally going to invite.  In fact, I have specific people who come to mind for each weekend theme.  How about you?  Who will you invite?

Thoughts On Self-Worth

Scripture:  Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.  Proverbs 29:25

Observation:  Opposite decisions often produce opposite results.  If we choose to build our lives around the opinions of people, we will find ourselves caught, snared, stuck.  But if we build our sense of self around the God’s opinion, and we trust in His care, we will be secure.  We can be so influenced by what other people think.  Often this prompts us to do unwise and even self-destructive things just to please (avoid the disapproval those who’s opinions we care so much about).  The only way to get free from this destructive path is to begin to live our lives for an audience of ONE.

Application:  What makes a person valuable?  Popularity?  Importance?  Success?  Or is it simply that we have been created, pursued, redeemed, and chosen by God?  If we don’t build our sense of self around the choice of God to love us, then we will build our self-worth around one of the following:

Acceptance – Each of us have a person or persons who are very important to us (spouse, parent, friend, boss, hero).  When we build our lives around their acceptance, we feel happy when they are giving us positive feedback.  When they are unhappy with us, we feel as if our whole world is shaking.

Status – There are symbols of potential importance here (titles, possessions, money, or simply being most important in any group of friends).  When we build our self-worth on status, we feel good about ourselves, to a degree, when we feel we have place among a group.  When we seem to be losing a hold on that place, our whole world shakes.

Accomplishment – How much can we do?  What successful can we become?  When we build our self-worth around our accomplishment, we feel some degree of confidence when things are going well.  But if we begin to fail or fall short, our whole world shakes.

The problem with all of the above is that they all can be taken from us.  None of them are a certainty, and that is why we often feel so insecure.  When we build our self-worth around something other than God’s choice to love us, we have chosen a foundation for our worth that is highly unstable.  There is only one thing that can never be taken from you, and that is God’s unwavering choice to love you and accept you through the work of Christ on the cross.  Your value stems from this one fact.  God has chosen you.  God has accepted you.  Nothing you do or don’t do, nothing you have or don’t have, and nothing people think or don’t think can make God change His mind concerning you.  He loves you. 

Prayer:  God, thank you for choosing me.  I rest in your decision to love me.

Self-Leadership Podcast

A few weeks ago, Dick Hardy from the Hardy Group, did a phone interview with me about the subject of self-leadership.  You can check out the Hardy Group here and listen to the podcast here.

I Really Relate To This Commercial

Faith + Health

Charles Colson's recent Breakpoint email included these thoughts about the connection between faith and well-being.  To read the entire article, click here.

As Time puts it, “a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that faith may indeed bring us health.” Just for example, people who regularly attend church are less likely to die in a given year than those who don’t. And people who believe in a loving God have a better chance of recovering from a serious illness than those who don’t.

There are even studies that suggest, as Galton intuited, that being prayed for, whether you know it or not, makes a difference.

But as mathematicians constantly remind us, the fact that two things, like church attendance and good health, are statistically associated doesn’t necessarily mean that one causes the other. It could be a coincidence or, in this case, it could be what you might think—regular churchgoers are less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors than non-churchgoers.

Or it could be that correlation is causation. The evidence continues to mount that that is the case.

In other words, despite the mounting evidence that faith does improve health, some people still say there is nothing supernatural about it. So, Time tells us, many researchers and scientists resist the clinical implications of these studies.

For example, they point to studies that show how parts of the brain light up like a Christmas tree during prayer and meditation. We believers believe that it’s God who designed the brain that way, but they say it is nothing more than evolutionary biology and neuro-chemistry. They try to explain away the sense of peace we experience in prayer or worship in purely material terms. So, they reason, why compromise the practice of medicine with so-called “metaphysical mumbo-jumbo”?

Paradoxically, this skepticism helps us to understand what faith truly is. As I wrote in my book The Faith, faith is a complete view of the world and humankind’s place in it. It’s a way of knowing. It is not a feeling. Christians should and do pray even if their brains don’t light up. We entrust our lives to God even if it makes no difference in medical outcomes.

Why? Because of what we know about God—that He Is and that He loves us and rewards those who seek Him.

Pastor Andy On The Radio

Andy has done a great job raising awareness of poverty in Haiti and helping to mobilize funds toward helping villages there.  Today he will be on a local radio station talking about the project.  Here are thoughts from his blog:

I haven’t written about “The Haiti Adventure” for quite some time, though much has happened.  The very short, plain vanilla version is that in the past several months, God has provided $110,000 to provide sustainable solutions to the pastor we met there for his students, teachers, church, and community.

I’ll do some posts with more info of the rather miraculous ways that God has continued to work (first one coming tomorrow), but if you’re free this afternoon, you can tune in to Word FM as they are talking this week about Haiti and Food For The Poor and have asked me to be a guest on their afternoon show around 4:15 today (you can listen online or if you are in Pittsburgh, it’s 101.5 FM).

Something More Than Church Planting

This morning I am participating as a part of a panel discussion at a Church Planting Roundtable in Carlisle, PA.  I love being a part of these discussions because this subject triggers one of my personal passion buttons.  Church planting is part of the DNA of Allison Park Church, and we are now in the process of planting our 8th church (Element Church in Millvale) in 2009.

What makes me excited about church planting is not just the birth of another church.  Actually, I am not committed to church planting for church planting's sake.  There are several things that are primary motivators for me...

1. THE OBEDIENCE FACTOR:  I have felt prompted by God that this is His strategy for the region where I pastor, so obeying that prompting enabled me to join God in what He is doing in my area. 
2. THE ADVENTURE FACTOR:  Working for God's agenda is truly an adventure.  When He breathes on something, it moves faster and hits bigger than anything we could imagine.
3. THE CITY-REACHING FACTOR:  I believe God's agenda is more than just growing the church that I pastor.  I believe God wants to reach my city one life at a time.  There is no better way to reach a city than by multiplying churches. 
4. THE REPRODUCTION FACTOR:  When a church multiplies and reproduces another church, there is a need to raise up and release new leaders to step into critical roles and responsibilities.  Discipleship takes on its truest form when people are being sent out to do ministry.
5. THE COACHING FACTOR:  I love to coach.  When I started as the Lead Pastor at APC, I had some great coaches that helped me (my father and father-in-law primarily).  I absolutely love being able to encourage, listen, and coach the pastors of these new churches.
6. THE ABUNDANCE FACTOR:  The giving of money, leaders, people away to a new church requires and reinforces and abundance-mentality.  It forces me to practically and tangibly choose a Kingdom-value system instead of a personal-advancement value system.
7. THE ETERNITY FACTOR:  There is no way to really judge the eternal impact of multiplying churches.  It is like starting a chain reaction in a very positive sense.  People will come to Jesus that I may never meet on this earth, because they do not attend my church.  But because I was a part of the launch process, I get to share in the celebration of their salvation.

I probably could add to this list.  But these factors are really what its all about for me.

Life Indicators

These are some thoughts from my journal this morning.  Here's the question:  HOW'S YOUR PEACE TODAY?  Peace is a key indicator light on the dashboard of your life.

Scripture: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

Observation:  Peace is something that is promised to us when we are ‘in’ Christ Jesus.  The choice to clothe ourselves with the identity of Jesus (becoming ‘in’) is something that brings with it the fruit of peace.  The type of peace described here is a quality that is not at all based on logic, analysis, financial resources, or visible solutions.  It is a peace that transcends of that that.  It transcends our problems and our current trials.  And this peace serves as a guard for our hearts and minds.

The word ‘guard’ here is similar to the word we use for ‘umpire’ or ‘governor’.  Peace not only protects (guards) and sustains, the lack of it actually warns and instructs us.  It helps us determine what attitudes, behaviors, words, and choices contribute to our peace or rob us of it.  When we lack peace, it is an indicator that something needs adjusted.

Application: I need to let peace rule or govern my heart.  When I lack peace, I need to discern why.  Neil Anderson describes this in his book, The Bondage Breaker.  He says that..

• Anger is a sign of a blocked goal.  Someone or something is standing in the way of what we want and therefore we get mad.
• Anxiety is a sign of an uncertain goal.  We worry as to whether or not something will occur.
• Depression is a sign of an impossible goal.  When hope is lost, we give up and our heart is overcome with grief.
  
• Peace is a sign of a rightly aligned goal.  When our goal is to become like Jesus, we have attached our heart to a goal that nothing and no one can stop.

The good news is that nothing and no one can stop you from becoming like Christ.  And since God has predetermined that this is the destiny of every follower of Christ, we can be assured that Christlike character will be formed in us.

So when we choose to adopt God’s radical goal for our lives, we get the supernatural by-product of peace that transcends understanding.

Prayer:  God, I bring my problems and challenges to you today.  I surrender my rights and my expectations to your Lordship.  And I agree with your goal in my life.  Use all of these things to make me like Jesus and to bring your name honor and glory.

Bridgepoint Is One Year Old

This past weekend, Bridgepoint Church celebrated its one year anniversary.  Bridgepoint is the 7th church plant of Allison Park Church and is focused on reaching the city of Tarentum.  We offer our congratulations to Pastor Greg and Francie Krowitz on their first year of ministry there.

You can visit Greg's blog here, read about their big day of celebration this past week, and view some pictures from their first year.  I understand that the room was packed with people who came to help commemorate this wonderful day.

Next month marks the beginning of the preview services for church plant #8, Element Church in Millvale which is pastored by Rich and Jodi Jones.  Pray for them as they get ready to launch.

New INVITATION Series Trailer

I am really looking forward to our next message series which will begin in two weeks.  Here's the specifics:

Can You Imagine This Funeral?

Sometimes we read the historical record of Jesus' life and we don't stop to really imagine the impact of such things...

LUKE 7:12-17
As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out–the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.  When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don't cry.”  Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”  This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

When I read this today, I was imagining the utter awe at a man sitting up in the coffin and starting to talk.  All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW.

10 Random Thoughts

Here are a few things that have been rolling around in my mind over the past few weeks:

1. They say Pittsburgh gets something like 205 cloudy days out of 365 in a year.  Maybe that's why I so enjoy the sunny ones.  It's a rare privilege.
2. Soon I will mark my 21st year of being on staff at APC.  That blows my mind!  I joined the staff as a Pastoral Assistant in April of 1988 and became the Sr. Pastor in July of 1991.
3. Parenting teenagers is a lot of fun for me.  I enjoy the conversations and the opportunity to coach and persuade them toward a wise life.
4. The Saturday night service at Allison Park Church is growing rapidly.  Last night we had over 300 adults in the Sanctuary for the 6pm service.  I really enjoy these evenings.
5. Almost every week our 11am service is at capacity and is packed not only with people but with energy.  And the 9am service is holding its own but not growing currently.  We are all trying to figure out that dynamic?  Is 9am too early for people now?
6. Today kicks off MARCH MADNESS officially as the 65 teams are selected and seeded.  I can't wait to fill out my bracket.
7. I am not a big baseball fan anymore, partly because the game is so slow and partly because the Pirates haven't had a winning season in 15 years.  So I have decided to cheer for the Phillies in honor of Rich Jones. 
8. Now that the weather has turned, I am looking forward to getting outside and running this week.
9. One of the most fulfilling things that I do is coach other leaders.  That's a big part of why I enjoy the church planting process, is that I get to coach these church planters.
10. I am so thankful that God has given me such an amazing incredible wife.  I don't deserve her!

I would love your input on the 9am service trend.  Any ideas as to why that's a more slow grow service or time?  If you are a pastor, what's happening in your area?  If you attend APC what are your thoughts?

Weekend Links

Here are some links to some very interesting posts I have been collecting and wanting to share.

1. Video Venues - Lee MacFarland, pastor of Radiant Church in Surprise Arizona provides some interesting thoughts on why he is not using video venue.
2. Insecure Pastors - Brad Leach opens his heart on what can often happen in leadership.  This is a powerful post and hits home.  
3. Avoid Failing Fatally - Craig Groeschel lists ways we can avoid making moments of failure into patterns of failure.
4. Church Is A Tag Team Sport - Mark Batterson discusses the power of 'word of mouth' and 'word of mouse'.
5. Anti-Essential Christian Books - Monday Morning Insight Blog provides a link to Eugene Cho's very funny potential book titles.  Here are a few:

Everyone Is Going To Hell Except Me - John MacArthur

There’s No ‘U’ in Ministry: A Woman’s Guide - Mark Driscoll

God’s Most Glorified When We’re Most Calvinified in Him, by John Piper

This Book Looks Longer Than It Really Is - Rob Bell

10 Keys To The 8 Steps To The 3 Paths To The 1 Way to God (TM) - Rick Warren

How to Fall in My Presence - Benny Hinn

Check out the rest on Cho's blog.

God's Radical Goal

Here are some thoughts from my journal today.  I am really enjoying this SOAP format for journaling (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer):

Scripture:  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who  have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.     Romans 8:28-29

Observation:  This is one of the most often quoted verses in the Bible.  It has such powerful meaning.  First, God can redeem everything that happens to us and use it for His purpose.  Not everything bad that happens to us is caused by God, or willed by God.  In fact, God is a loving Father and wants nothing but the best for us.  But God is able to take even the evil decisions of wicked people and turn them into things that can help to accomplish His purpose. 

Second, in verse 29 God reveals to us what is His purpose.  It says that He foreknow (or knew in advance) who would respond to the gospel and give their lives to Christ.  Those He ‘foreknew’, He also predestined (determined in advance) that they would have a particular destiny.  What did God pre-determine that we would become?  He has chosen to conform us to the likeness of Jesus.  God’s purpose is to make me like Jesus.  It says that ‘Jesus might be the first of many’.  God wants to create an entire movement/family of people who live like, act like, and speak like Jesus.

Application: When I understand what God is trying to do in my life, it makes everything take on a new potential.  Trials become God’s formative atmosphere for Christ-like character.  Offenses become an opportunity to learn how to forgive.  Irritations become a way to develop patience.  Temptations are a chance to learn obedience.

These verses in Romans declare that God is working everything together for my good, and to especially accomplish His purpose which is to make me like Jesus.  So God is using everything in my life to make me like Jesus.  This is His highest desire and this is in our best interest.

When I understand what God is trying to do in my life, it provides me with an opportunity to tap into a new level of peace.  You see, if I agree with God’s purpose I begin to realize that nothing can stop me.  Nothing can hinder you from becoming like Jesus.  Difficult people won’t hinder you from that goal…in fact they can only help you because through them you learn how to love like Christ.  Agreeing with God’s purpose also helps me put an intentional priority on God’s pleasure.  We can choose to please God by acting like Christ in the midst of difficulty.  This releases God’s favor on my life.

Prayer:  God, I choose today to agree with your purpose.  Use everything in my life to make me like Jesus.  More than anything else, I want you to do that in my life.

Six Overtimes

I am a huge college basketball fan, so I love this time of year they call MARCH MADNESS.  Well, last night I watched several games in the Big East Tournament.  The first was disappointing, a Pitt loss.  But the second game was actually even more intriguing.

Syracuse beat UConn in a game that took 3 hours and 46 minutes to play, and six overtime periods to decide a winner.  It was one of the longest games in college basketball history, and I stayed up until 1:30am because I couldn't stop watching.

The game was a tribute to endurance, heart, and the value of every man on the team.  Johnnie Flynn, point guard for Syracuse played 67 minutes (normally a player might play 35 minutes).  He looked like he could hardly walk he was so tired.  But he willed his team to victory.

And when most of the starters fouled out, the bench was emptied.  There were players who played in the final overtime who have not seen the court this year.  Some of these guys were non-scholarship, walk-on guys who practice hard and never see any glory.  They were out there playing critical minutes in the Big East Tourney. 

The old saying. "its not whether you win or lose but how you play the game."  That was truly evident in this six overtime thriller.  Ok...enough blogging now...I need to take a nap.

How's Your 40 Days?

A few weeks ago, APC launched into an emphasis during the Lenten season that we are calling 40 Days Of Consistency.  Here's what I am looking for:

How is it going for you so far?
What have you learned about what it takes to build a healthy habit?
What insights from God's Word have you gained through your devotional time?

Leave a comment below.  It might really encourage someone.

Oswald Chambers On Vision

The following was sent to me by Andy Lehmann and is taken out of the book, My Utmost For His Highest.  It reinforces this concept of leading out of faith.

“I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19).

If we lose “the heavenly vision” God has given us, we alone are responsible—not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled. The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly vision” is to give our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God’s vision. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life—sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings.

“Though it tarries, wait for it …” (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself. We try to be so practical that we forget the vision. At the very beginning we saw the vision but did not wait for it. We rushed off to do our practical work, and once the vision was fulfilled we could no longer even see it. Waiting for a vision that “tarries” is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul’s welfare that we get caught up in practical busy-work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.

Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen. Let God send you out through His storm, and don’t go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will “bear much fruit” (John 15:8)

It is essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7).

Faith vs. Goal Setting

What do you have faith for?  This is the question that I have challenged each of my pastoral team at APC to ponder over the next few weeks.  Having faith for something is more than having desire for something.  It is also more than just having a goal to accomplish something.  Faith involves the following:

1.  Seeing what God sees - Faith sees into that which is not yet.  It requires revelation.  God reveals to us what He is desires to do and faith allows us to see that.

2.  Feeling what God feels - When we are talking about faith for an area of ministry, we are asking for God to reveal to us not only His intention/promise, but also His heart.  When God gave me faith for planting churches, he also burdened me with the need of the specific communities that needed a church.  When we have faith for something we are not only seeing what God wants to do, we are beginning to feel the 'why' because He starts to share with us His heart.

3.  Speaking what God has said - Having faith for something involves us making declarations based on His word to us.  Again, when God birthed faith in me to plant churches, I had so say out loud what He had spoken to my heart.  I began to say things like this...

God has asked us to have a Kingdom-first vision.  We are seek first His Kingdom specifically by planting churches as our first priority.  So we have set a goal to plant one church a year for five years.  And God has given me this promise (Matthew 6:33) as we seek first His Kingdom...He is going add to us all that we need.

I said all of that back in 1996.  We have since planted 7 churches are are working on launching church #8.  But the journey toward church planting started with FAITH.  Before any action was taken, God helped us see what He was doing, feel what He was feeling.  And then I had to be bold enough to say it out loud.  I had to declare what God has said, even tough it seemed impossible to me.

After faith was birthed in me, then we set some goals to measure our progress.  Goals made the vision tangible.  Goals helped us develop wise strategy.  But we did not start the process with a goal.  We started the process with faith.

So often in ministry, we want to begin our planning with a strategy session.  We talk about what WE want to do for God.  We express the desires of our heart in a well-formed strategy.  Then we set goals out of that strategy/planning time that are big enough to sound inspiring.

What I have discovered is that at times my goals to do not actually align with what God is doing.  My desires and strategies may be good concepts, but they may not necessarily be God's?  When I set goals out of my own mind and heart without the process of faith (seeing, feeling, speaking) I end up stressed out from striving in my own efforts to accomplish.

But when I set goals out of faith (the specific revelation of God's heart) I am amazed at how easy the process of ministry feels.  The reality is, we are either working for God or we are asking God to work for us.  I know that sounds harsh.  But revelation has to be the starting point for planning and action.

God has to initiate.  We respond in believing prayer and strategic obedience.  The fact is that God wants to initiate all kinds of things through the life of every believer.  He is always at work.  He is active in our lives and in our futures.  He has amazing things planned.  He is waiting for us to stop long enough to listen to His heart and attempt to discern the working of His hand.

When we are working for God, we can be assured that we will have God's backing in what we do.  But when we set the plan and ask God to work for us, we may or may not have His support.  What a difference there is when we choose to lead out of faith!

5 Questions

Earlier this week I listened to Andy Stanley's Leadership Podcast.  He did a talk about COMMUNICATION and shared the five questions he asks in preparation for every talk.

1.  What do they need to know? (INFORMATION) - This should be narrowed down to ONE MAIN THING that is the key factor.  The ONE THING needs to be the 'burden of the Lord' for you, meaning something you you just can't wait to share.

2.  Why do they need to know it? (MOTIVATION) - This should be shared as a part of the introduction.  It whets the appetite to know more.  We paint the problem or reveal the tension of a passage or an issue.  This makes people lean forward and say, 'tell me more.'

3.  What do they need to do? (APPLICATION) - If people leave with a clear assignment of next steps, it helps make the message both practical and doable.

4.  Why do they need to do it? (VISION) - These why questions are essential because they build not only motivation, but also faith and vision.  We ask the question, 'can you imagine how life would be different if we all....(did what we need to do).'

5.  How can I help them remember? - The use of a memorable phrase to communicate the ONE THING is critical.  We can add to the impact with a token (something we give as a remember) or by some type of homework assignment that forces us to bring the idea into our lives during the next week.

This was a great reminder to me for my own preparation process.  I am looking forward to attacking the message for this weekend armed with these reminders.

Home Run Video

I used this clip a few weeks ago as a part of a message.  There is a beauty in this because it demonstrates the power of grace and of relationships.

Foundational Attitudes

We are currently in the BEYOND THE BASICS series and are basing our topics on Hebrews 6:1-2 where the writer of Hebrews provides a list of foundational ideas that we must master or understand to 'go on to maturity'.  Each of these doctrinal concepts also has an attitudinal component.

1.  Decided Direction - (repentance from acts that lead to death) if we are going to have any kind of momentum, we have to make up our minds that we don't want to live in the old ways any longer.  Without a made up mind, we will keep falling in and out of the same junk and will never be able to keep our spiritual progress.

2.  Focused Faith - (faith in God) James 1:2-5 says that if we continue to doubt God's Word, we are like the waves of the sea blown and tossed by the wind.  We must have a conviction that the promises of God are true and a will to EAT RIGHT and EXERCISE our faith.

3.  100% Commitment - (baptisms) the word for baptize means total immersion in something.  It is not being sprinkled with a little bit of God.  It requires a 'dive in' mentality. 

4.  Positive Relationships - (laying on of hands) we need the proper relational environment to grow.  Spirit reproduces spirit.  So we have to choose our primary relationships wisely, and we need to stay in environments where God can impart to us His fresh work.

5.  Eternal Values - (resurrection and the judgments) our daily choices must be made with eternity in view.  If we are not counting our days and living in light of the eventual judgment, we will not live wisely.

Blaming Or Building

This past week the Dallas Cowboys released Terrell Owens, who is one of the most talented receivers alive.  They did so even though he was under contract for the next few years.  They did so even though they will have to pay him something like 9 million dollars even if he does not play at all.  Why?

T.O. has character issues.  They say he is a cancer to a locker room.  He complains.  He criticizes his quarterbacks.  He is a constant one man soap opera.  So even though he has a boat-load of talent, the Cowboys would rather play without him.  And it seems, at least at the moment, that no one else wants him either.

How does such a talented person get this way?  BTW - this is not the first time a team wanted to get rid of him.  He has had the same problem with three separate teams now.  We actually can learn something very important for T.O.'s perpetual immaturity.  What?

When things go wrong in your life you have a choice.  You can either BLAME or you can seek to BUILD your own character.  I don't think I have ever heard Terrell take responsibility for any part of a problem.  For Owens, it is always someone else's fault.

Problems, conflict, failure, criticism are all opportunities to learn and grow as a person.  So how do we avoid the pattern of perpetual immaturity?

1.  Look Inside First - when things aren't going well, try to discern your own contribution to the problem before looking elsewhere.  Even if your part is a small percentage of the issue, take responsibility for it and not only will you grow, you will model for others what it takes to be part of the solution.

2.  Seek Input From Positive People - Ask trusted friends to speak into your life and point out blind spots for you.  It is important that you go to people that you know are committed to you first of all, because you can trust their words and gifts to your soul.

3.  Welcome Criticism - One source that we can learn from more than we realize is that of harsh criticism.  Typically there is a tiny nugget of truth in what a negative critical person is saying to us.  We show great maturity when we can identify the 2% that they are right about and spit out the 98% that they are wrong about.

4.  Verbalize Ownership + Seek Forgiveness - We lead when we acknowledge our faults and ask forgiveness.  We feel like it is humiliating, but in reality it is one the moments when you stand tallest in the eyes of others.

5.  Refuse To Blame - While no doubt others are also wrong too, and obviously there has to be ownership on their part as well, it is not your job to try to correct in the midst of a conflict.  We must avoid becoming bitter (placing blame in our hearts).  We must also avoid verbalizing the 'you were wrong too' feelings that we have. 

6.  Propose Win-Win Solutions - in attempting the fix what's broken, try to find a way for everyone involved to come away with a win.  Address the issue in a way that takes everyone's thoughts, feelings, and concerns into account. 

7.  Smile + Stay Positive - cheerful positive people are hard to resist.  So don't let someone else get the best of you.  Don't let them see you sweat.  Stay soft.  Be positive.  Rise above.

Dealing With Debt

Rick Warren recently published a e-newsletter with these thoughts about dealing with debt.  I thought these steps were excellent.

There’s no doubt personal debt has played a key role in the current financial crisis. Debt levels have been climbing for several decades. And pastor, more than likely, they’re climbing in your church.

You’ve got people in your church who are hurting – badly. A recent survey of Southern Baptist pastors by Lifeway Research showed that only one in four thought their parishioners were struggling with debt – well below the true national average. The average American is spending $1.25 for every $1 they make. My guess is that pastors from other denominations have the same false impressions of their congregation as well. Most of us have been clueless about the mounting personal debt among our church members.

Debt isn’t just impacting our church’s pews though. It’s impacting the pulpits as well. Many ministries are sunk because pastors are so burdened by debt they leave the ministry for more profitable work.

Debt is a problem we can’t ignore any longer. But how do we get out from under it? We’ve got to commit to these nine steps and help our congregations do the same.

READ THE STEPS HERE.

Leading Out Of Faith (p2)

Yesterday in our Pastoral Strategy Meeting, we talked about the difference between leading out of FAITH and leading out of ASSIGNMENT.  I did a post on the this a few weeks ago, and during our discussion we outlined the difference between leading these two approaches to life and leadership.

LEADING OUT OF FAITH                                 LEADING OUT OF AN ASSIGNMENT

We get to do something                                  We have to do something

We lead out of passion                                    We lead out of position/duty

It’s exciting – an adventure                             It’s boring – a task

We become owners of vision                           We are only renters of someone's vision

We focus on the ‘why’ (vision)                        We focus on the ‘what’ (activity)

There is meaning behind effort                       There is a maintenance mentality

Goals big enough for God                                Tasks small enough for me

Motivated by expectation                               Motivated by fear of failure/disapproval

My challenge for my team right now is for each of us to choose to lead out of faith.  Even if you have an assigned role or some responsibility, you can still shift from an ASSIGNMENT to FAITH.  How?

1.  Think about the WHY behind the WHAT - go over each assigned task and ask the questions, 'Why am I doing this?  What will happen if I do this well?  What will be the consequences to the Kingdom of God if I fail to do it well?'

2.  Consider God in the process - what might happen in your life in ministry if God got involved?  What major breakthroughs would occur?  What significant provisions might be birthed?

3.  Feel The Need - what needs are you meeting?  What is it about these needs that breaks God's heart? 

4.  Let The Holy Spirit Birth Faith - if you begin to pray what is in front of you, God will begin to birth faith/vision for what He can make possible that is currently impossible.

So here's the question I challenge you to ponder.  As you consider the future, WHAT DO YOU HAVE FAITH FOR?  What do you believe that God wants to use you to do?

Day Four: Practicing The Fear Of God

Here are some reflections from my journal today.

Scripture:  Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Observation:
Fear of God is NOT being scared of God because He is somehow arbitrary or abusive.  It does not imply that God is uncaring, mean, or out to get us.  Fear of God implies respect, awe, and reverence.  It is an awareness of how powerful He is.  Like when we look in awe at Niagara Falls.  It is a realization of how beautiful his Holiness is.  Like when we stare at a work of art.  It is also a respect for His ways, like when we respect the law of gravity while walking on a high place.  Choosing to be aware of God like this makes us wise.

This verse also says that we can practice the fear of the Lord.   When we practice, we accomplish two things:  1) we grow in our understanding of God, His ways, and how a wise life can benefit everyone.  2) our practice is an act of worship.  So when we choose to fear the Lord, we choose to praise Him.  God is pleased with this as our worship.

Application:
So how do we practice the fear of the Lord?  The NIV says it like this...those who follow His precepts have good understanding.  So we fear God when we search out his precepts (principles/commands) through His Word.  We fear God when we act upon the principles of God's Word.  So it is not enough to know what God's Word says, we also have to obey what we know to grow in understanding.  Actually, knowing without doing will darken our understanding.  We become quickly self-deceived when we don't obey what we know.

I think we also grow in the fear of the Lord when we worship.  Worship is like a 'zoom out' lens.  We zoom out from the immediate problems and circumstances.  We focus on the magnitude of God.  We remember who He is and what He has done.  When we worship we 'stand in awe' of God.  All of this helps me to live and build upon a wise life.

Prayer:  God, help me during these 40 DAYS OF CONSISTENCY to grow in the fear of the Lord that I might live a wise and understanding life.

Day Three - Playing Offense

As we continue in our 40 DAYS OF CONSISTENCY, I am thinking a lot about the attitude that consistency births.  In a word that attitude is...CONFIDENCE.  The truth is that life is best lived out of a confident, faith-filled, aggressive mindset.  Here are some thoughts from my journal a few days ago:

Scripture:  Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Observation:  Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples a mission.  My paraphrase of what He was saying is this, ‘Go take over the world…one life at a time.’  He was getting ready to leave them, but His challenge was for them to move ahead with aggressiveness.  He didn’t tell them, ‘Go into the world and SURVIVE.’  His challenge was for them to live with an expectation that not only would they continue to experience victory in their own lives, but that they would be a part of spreading a ‘Jesus Revolution’.

The basis for this expectation was the reality that they now were carrying His authority and that they could count on His presence to accompany them wherever they went.  Think the progression of Jesus statement:  All AUTHORITY in heaven and earth has been given to me…(because that’s true) therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.

Application: On a battlefield or even on a football field, the objective is always to gain ground.  Playing defense is not enough.  To truly have a winning team, you must have a strategy not just to hold territory but to take territory.  Many believers have a ‘survival mentality’.  They are focused on getting by, avoiding pain, staying out of sin.    This survival mentality, however, can contribute to our undoing.  We get so focused on what we don’t want to happen that we can begin to live in fear of potential failure every day.

Something good happens in us when we begin to believe for bigger things.  Our objectives need to change.  When we wake up every day, we need to consider what we want God to do in and through us during that day.   We need to begin to dream about the plans that God has for us.  We should start to declare God’s great promises for our children, our families, our finances, and our future.  Most of all, we should ask God to use us to extend the great news of what Jesus can do in a person’s life.  We look for opportunities to serve someone, to pray for someone in need, or to just show some act of kindness in a way that represents Christ.

Prayer:  God, I will not just survive this day!  I will overcome and conquer.  Use me Lord, to extend your Kingdom on earth.

Consistency - Day One Reflections

I have to admit that yesterday, I was a more complete in my disciplines than I normally am on a Monday.  After a weekend of speaking, Mondays are my most challenging days to stay on track.  But there is something wonderful about accountability.  Knowing that everyone else was kicking off this 40 DAYS OF CONSISTENCY season, I pushed myself to make sure I did what I needed to do.

Again, the spirit of this season is not to 'give stuff up' as much as to stay on task with some type of plan for personal devotional life.  The goal is that by the end of this 40 days, we will have some new strong habits established.

I am adding some physical goals to this 40 Days season because I need to kick start my diet and exercise habits again.  It feels good to get started on an essential habit.  Even with the diet/exercise goal, I feel a little sore today.  But I feel satisfied that i forced myself to actually do what I have been intending on doing for weeks.

Looking forward to adding some consistency today.

Larry Osborne - Multi-Site Limitations

Larry Osborne pastors North Coast Church which is one of the leading Multi-Site Churches.  I attended a conference at North Coast last year, and I am truly amazed at what they are doing in San Diego.  Larry has written so much on the benefits of the multi-site movement.  On a recent blog post, he talks openly about two limitations.

Full disclosure - I’m a flag waving member of the multi-site movement. I pastor a multi-site church. But I’ve noticed two limitations that even the strongest proponents and harshest critics of video venues and the multi-site movement seem to have missed.

• The first is an Attendance Ceiling.

Few video campuses ever break through the 1,000 barrier. Almost all are midsized or smaller. Ten years into the multi-site movement, no one has come close to breaking the code for planting multiple large attendance video campuses. And the handful that have planted one all feature very expensive facilities AND a nearby celebrity pastor with an enormous regional following. 

• The second is a built-in Geographical Limitation.

The further from the mothership one gets, the harder it is for a video-driven campus to succeed. Most (not all, but almost all) of the video venue success stories are found within the same geographical region as the main campus. Those that do succeed at the outer edges seldom grow beyond the mid-hundreds.

What does that mean?  READ THE REST HERE.

Interesting Links On Darwinism

These two articles about the impact and current status of Darwin's naturalistic evolution were very interesting to me.  The first comes from Tony Campolo.  Read his thoughts here.  The second is from Charles Colson.  These two are at opposite ends of the Evangelical spectrum, but they seem to agree on this issue.

Hudson Plane Landing - Animation

I found this video clip on the Boomer In The Pew Blog.  What an amazing moment.  BTW - we were able to make contact with one of the passengers who was on the plane.  We will be sharing his interview on the final weekend of March.

40 Days Of Consistency

From March 1 to April 10 we will launch into an emphasis we are calling 40 DAYS OF CONSISTENCY.  Christians all over the world, from various denominations, take some steps to focus on their spiritual lives as we journey toward Easter.  It is common to 'give something up for lent' in order to recognize the self-denial and sacrificial life of Christ.

We believe in the practice of fasting (which is similar to the practice of self-denial during lent).  It has value if when you take something away (food, pleasure, entertainment) you also add something in by using your time to pursue God.

So we decided to make our Monthly Focus in March, an emphasis to add something to your life.  If you are also 'giving something up' that is good too.  What we want to add is CONSISTENCY.  No one loses weight by giving up one meal a week.  They must be on a diet and exercise plan.

Likewise, spiritual maturity develops in us as we build on a disciplined approach to our daily walk with God.  So we are encouraging you to focus on CONSISTENCY in your personal devotional habits.  Here are some tips for how to make that happen.

1.  Set an appointment with God - mark it in your daily planner.  Determine what time you will set aside to read your Bible and pray.

2.  Select a place - it is important to find a spot when you will not be distracted or interrupted.  The need for quiet time, might also influence when you decide to have this time with God.  You might have to get up early enough to have a place to yourself.

3.  Decide upon a plan - we suggest a Bible reading plan like the ONE YEAR BIBLE or YOUVERSION.  We also have PRAYER GUIDES available so that you have some structure to your prayer time as well.

4.  Declare yourself to a friend - tell someone what your plan is and ask them to keep you accountable.  Small Groups are a great place to check up on one another.  It helps when you confess your intent and express your plan.  That step seems to make it even more firm in your own mind.

5.  Shoot for progress not for perfection - if you miss a day, don't give up.  Remember the goal is not perfection it is consistency.  One day missed does not deny the other five days when you did your devotions.  Don't let the devil lie to you and keep you from maintaining your momentum.

I am believing that these next few weeks will be the best weeks of our year so far in 2009.