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Leaders that Lift

I recently learned about Steve Kelly, pastor of Wave Church in Virginia Beach, Va. His podcasts are amazing, so check it out!

Myths that Mangle Church Planters Part 2

MYTH #2: THOSE THAT START WITH YOU WILL BE THE ONES WHO STAY!  I am so thankful for the people that God used to help start Lifepoint.  They will always have a special place in my heart, but only one family is still here nine years later.  Thats not a negative, its just a reality.  The people that start with you will not stay with you!  As a leader, we want to believe that people will be with us forever but it doesn't happen.  God always brings you the people you need for that moment, and He moves others.  Lifepoint has grown as much by subtraction as by addition!! Love them, but Let em go!!

Myths that Mangle Church Planters: Part 1

I believe in church planting and I love church planters!! I believe with all of my heart that it is the front lines of advancing the Kingdom of God.  Nine years ago my wife and I planted Lifepoint Church, and its been the ride of a lifetime! As church planters, we are constantly asking questions, because you live one week from extinction. We are hungry for ideas and helpful information, which can inspire you to take it to the next level in your leadership. Along with all the good, there are myths that sound so sexy and spiritual but they will MANGLE AND ENTANGLE YOUR MINISTRY!

THE MYTH OF FINANCIAL HINTS: We are planning a financial debt relief series and I will hint about tithing. Here's the upside, people won't give me pushback and they will begin to tithe.  WRONG!!!!  People don't get hints!!!! I bought this myth hook, line and sinker, and then one day I realized why Jesus taught about money so much...People don't get hints! If you want people to learn how to bring the tithe to God, you have to teach it clearly and consitently.

Pacifiers

All 3 of my kids loved their pacifiers, and it was like pulling teeth to break the habit as they got older. It was tough on them (and their parents!!) The pacifier was momentarily soothing for them and for Stephanie and I as well.  We were glad it calmed them down. The rugged reality was that we had the responsibility of breaking them from it, or they would never grow up.

Whether you are a parent or a pastor, the people you lead must be broken from spiritual pacifiers or they will never grow up! I was thinking this morning, what are my pacifiers(my way, my comfort, etc.)?  In Mark 15:15, Pilate gave into what the crowd wanted: "So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them..."  It was Barabbas or Jesus, and the crowd chose Barabbas to be set free and Jesus to be crucified.

Personally, I'm glad they chose Jesus because He died for my sins, but there is also a valuable lesson to learn: THE CROWD(MAJORITY) RARELY CHOOSES WHAT IS BEST FOR THEIR PERSONAL GROWTH!!! If the opposite was true, we wouldn't need leaders. As leaders, we must resolve to live in the uncomfortable reality of removing pacifiers from those we love so they can become all God made them to be.

"F" Words that destroy! Part 2

    FAMILIARITY!  Have you become so familiar with your surroundings that you begin to take for granted their greatness? When something is new we tend to care for it and be more thankful that it’s in our lives, but the more familiar we are the less we appreciate what we have. Have you become too familiar with your spouse? Kids? Job? Your church?  The Fact that Jesus has Saved your soul and made you brand new inside?

 

It happens to all of us, and it happened to the neighbors of Jesus. They took for granted that Jesus, the Son of God, was from their town. They had seen him play as a child and work as a carpenter. Now Jesus was performing these amazing miracles, and they just laughed it off. Look at what Jesus said:

 

 Mark 6:4(NLT) "...A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family."

 

Here is the question that we need to ask ourselves, "Where have I become too familiar?" Has Jesus blessed your life with people and relationships, and you’re starting to laugh it off and explain it away?

 

Lets live today with a sense of wonder of how good Jesus is too us!!

 

 

 

 

"F" words that destroy! Part 1

   FIXATING! This one word has ruined a lot of potentially great moments in my life! My perspective, and yours, determines our focus, our passion, our decisions, etc. When I Fixate on things other than what Jesus called me to do, I get distracted and defeated. Here are a few of the things I have fixated on in my life:

 

1. How I compare as a Pastor to other Pastors.

2. How LifePoint compares to other churches.

3. Beating myself up for past decisions.

4. The approval of others.

 

There are many more, but I think you get the point. Satan loves it when I fixate on the wrong things!  I am to FIXATE ON FOLLOWING JESUS!! He gives me what I need to know for this moment and that's all I need. Jesus will lead you to a life of an "Open Hand", and His way will push against the places and people I fixate on! If your grip is tight, there is a good chance you’re FIXATING on the wrong things.

 

Psalms 145:15-16(NLT) ¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it.  ¹⁶ When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

 

 Let's live in this moment with our hands open!

MIRACLE WEEKEND!

Psalm 66:5-6, "Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!  He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him."  I am still so jacked up about what Jesus did for Lifepoint this past weekend.  I have not received all the results from the weekend at the time of this post, but here is what we do know:  371 people at Lifepoint Wesley Chapel(LPWC), 17 people invited Jesus into their lives! It was worth ever penny!!!   At Lifepoint New Tampa(LPNT) we had 57 people invite Jesus into their lives, and the attendance was higher than before the launch of LPWC!  We had a record number of first time guest at LPNT, and this was a holiday weekend.  We have the most amazing volunteers, and you did a bang up job!!  I am so proud of you!!  This weekend we to a "hole nutha level".  Great job inviting your friends, because Jesus used you to make an eternal impact!!  It would not surprise me for this coming weekend to be even larger.  As God to connect you with someone today and bring them with you this weekend!  Obedience + High Risk= Changed Lives! 

Dig A Well

Genesis 26:17-18, " So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley, where he set up tents and settled down.  He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abrahams death.  Isaac also restored the names Abraham had given them."  Abraham wanted to remember and his kids to remember amazing moments in his life with God.  It was custom in these moments to dig a well and name it.  Water was a precious commodity and people drank from these wells for generations.  The name signified what God had done in his life and family.  I think it is so cool how his son, Isaac, reopened the wells his father dug.  We dig wells today by recording miraculous moments in our lives.  Several years ago I began to journal my time with God and write out my prayers to Him.  I have been able to write down phenomenal moves of God in my life, my family, and Lifepoint Church.  I treasure these journals more than any furniture, vehicles, clothes, etc.  They are a record that God keeps His promises.  This week we launch a new campus in Wesley Chapel.  The office is buzzing with excitement and the phones are ringing.  I am jacked up to see what God is going to do at both campuses this weekend!!  I have been writing down how God provided the equipment and the resources to launch first class.  Monday, I will dig and well and write down the miracles that transpired.  So when God leads us to the next mountain to climb, I can go back and drink fresh water from the well.  Where do you need to dig today? 

    We kick off "Parental Elephants" this weekend and I will be speaking on "Stepping In It".  Our new service time are 9:15a.m. in Wesley Chapel and Saturday @ 5:30p.m. Sunday 9:45, 11:15, and 12:45 in New Tampa.  If we believe that the Tomb of Jesus is empty, then no seat this weekend should be!

Tough Roads

This morning I read a verse that jumped off the page!  Psalm 65:11 "You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance."  You and I don't experience the miracles of God on newly paved roads.  The tough roads take your life and ministry to Gods best. They make you more aware, and you don't fall asleep at the wheel.  The tougher the road the less likely you will forget the trip.

What do you See?

When you look at people, what do you see?  This was a painful question I asked myself yesterday morning. (I have these regular conversations with myself) As a follower of Jesus and a leader of people, this is critically important!  Being a highly driven person, I'm always on the lookout for opportunities and problems to solve.  That's not bad, but I found myself focusing more on the quirks.  What they didn't get right, things about their personality that drives me crazy, etc.  Jesus was honest with people, but He also saw the best in them as well.  Today, what is the best about the people you work with, live with, train with,etc?  Make that your focus and amazingly some will begin to see the best in you!