birthday parties…

today was the day of birthday parities. i started out my day in lakeland at a conference heard a great message from tommy barnett and went to a class taught by rusty raley on what a sinner sees…great session that was passionately taught and prepared for by rusty. after rusty taught i had the privilege to speak to a group on bringing out the new in youth ministry. I had a great time. right after that the birthday parties began. I got a text from my wife telling me she was on her way home…our 5 year old was invited to one of his buddies birthday parties and he had a great time. I pulled into my driveway around 3 after driving for 2 hours and drinkin a starbucks in the middle…and my house was full of family celebrating my nephew colins b-day. he’s now 4. he had a blast and it was some good family time. once this party was over we went over to a friends house…ronnie woods turned 27…he’s still a kid at heart. happy birthday ronnie! his house was full of people and lots of love. about 8:30 we rolled out to go home…i unpacked ironed my boys pants and sat around watching my team the dolphins do well in preseason. the day is over…I ate a lot of cake today! no worries i will sweat it all off in the parking lot tomorrow!

the multiplication annointing

pastor tommy barnett spoke tonight and it messed me up. I truly want the multiplication anointing he proclaimed. 1500 jammed the altars wanted the anointing of multiplication. God was in the place. excerpts from 2 of his message….

4 steps to change:
1. revelation
2. confrontation
3. transformation
4. manifestation

during the confrontation stage…don’t get your eyes on the process keep your eyes on the promise!

its the process that prepares you for the promise!

God is looking for permanent change in our lives not just temporary relief.

eagles go thru a molting process when their tail feathers fall out and whistle when they dive for prey… the process starts with this and evolves to the point that an eagle will lose its appetite for food…some eagles do not make it thru the molting process. all of its feathers fall off and many are plucked out to go thru the molting process. during this time the eagle loses all strength and walks around on the ground. eagles that have been thru the molting process and made it have been seen diving towards these eagles dropping bits of meat to them to eat.

it is during the molting process that the eagle could resort to living like a vulture and eat dead things rather than hunt for live prey. the eagle that goes thru the molting process goes thru a complete renewal and the end is better than the beginning. renewal brings about a stronger and faster eagle that can soar higher. the process is what brings you to the next dimension.

how do you keep from quitting:
1. you have to burn every bridge behind you
2. don’t tell anyone you wanna quit
3. do not expose yourself to people that you dont want to be like
4. lock yourself in so you cannot quit

great men are just ordinary men that would not quit.

youth ministry and creativity…

today was an incredible day…I spoke at an all church ministries convention to a group of hungry youth leaders. you could just sense in the room the desire for something fresh and new. in order to bring out something new in ministry you have to bring it out of your storehouse. the storehouse is where all the treasure is. “we have this treasure in clay jars…” the treasure is inside of us, and if we want new exciting and fresh things to be brought out of ministry, then you have to have a fresh encounter with God. if you don’t got it you can’t bring it. well here is a short recap of the class.

why aren’t you bringing out something new?
a. you are comfortable with what you have.
b. you are afraid of failing
c. a lack of confidence in your creativity!
d. a lack of prayer and planning!

in order to bring out something new…
a. you gotta do something new!
b. you gotta evaluate and elevate what you are presently doing!
c. you need a vision- write it down!
d. don’t be afraid to fail!
e. take a risk – step out in faith!
f. speak life into what you are doing right now!

what an amazing session…you could just see the wheels of creativity turning in the hearts of leaders