Forget it…

Have you ever forgot something and then remembered and the pain of what you forgot was oh so real? Just recently I placed a pair of black shoes on the fender of my jeep, running around getting everything needed for a super busy day I jumped in the jeep and Forgot the shoes. When I went to put my shoes on, I thought I left them home so I headed home on my way to another campus to preach. It was when I switched to another pair that I had the vision of the shoes placed on the fender…I forgot and they will never be seen again. Now its time for something new!

In life and ministry we hold onto so many things, if we could just for get the past, then we could move onto something new. The absolute truth is this, “You can’t change the past, but you can change today and tomorrow!” If we hold onto the past and we don’t let go of it, then wed wont be able to move forward. The pair of shoes I forgot, brought me a lot of places, but they will never bring me to the next places! Forget and move on!

Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

leadership is courageous and contagious!

leadership is courageous! When you are a leader you have to be willing to make decisions and not second guess yourself. You are the leader and you need to follow through with your decisions! Those decisions are not always easy ones…I had a group in and gave them a set amount of time in a service to minister and time slipped away, so when the time came for them to get back on the stage I had to make a leadership decision. It did not matter how much makeup they put on and prep they put into whatever they had planned to do, it was time for the meat of the service and that meant making a decision to cut out something big in the service. being someone that wants to take care of groups and treat ministry partners right, I struggled with saying NO, but in the end it had to happen…and it was the right decision. Ministry leaders have to be willing to make courgeous decisions from time to time. People will not follow a wimpy half hearted limp wristed decision maker, but they will follow a courageous leader not afraid to make hard decisions. so leadership is courageous!

Leadership is contagious! when you are a leader you are imparting skills and lifestyle to all those around you. If you want to find out what kinda leader you have, then look at who is following. if the followers are not committed, weak, inconsistent…then maybe the leader is the same. As a leader you are imparting a wealth of information into your followers. You are also imparting a mindset that will cause the follower to act and respond to life and ministry in the same manner. the way you think, act and talk are all contagious traits that your followers will exhibit. So, leadership is contagious!

seasons in ministry

Today I thought about what season we are in. I am reminded by viewing our crowds just last night that my season is shifting and changing. Last year about this time we were about to graduate out a large group of students that grew up and now that they are gone, we are shaping and challenging a new group of students to step up and step into the role of leading. Season…this season is a one of new faces, and new expectations. We cannot do ministry the same way we have always done it and expect to continue to see bigger results. Season…it’s one of shifting and changing. Our crowd is more and more diverse in every way and that is a picture of our church. We have to shift our mindset from what we have done and done well, to what we can do and do better. Season…it’s one of shifting and changing. This is real season with real challenges that we face weekly. I say all this to say if you are determined to reach a generation, then you have to constantly change the way you do things in order to reach the next generation. I am willing and ready for the challenge to reach a tough generation. These are not church kids walking through our doors! We are touching the unchurched, the hurting, the lost, the broken, the over entertained, the heartless, the weak, the proud…Students from all walks of life and from every school in our area. This is why we do what we do!

What season are you in?

If you don’t recognize where you re, then you might miss your season!

the value of good leadership…

My thought for the day…what would you do without good leaders? If we did not have good leaders, where would we be today? I thought about the leaders that led me to places I have never been before. These thoughts became so real after spending time this past weekend with 9 students and some leaders that are living a dream that I had the honor to impact. We need good leaders! I think about leaders that are leading around me and the value they bring to the people they lead. The people will perish for a lack of vision. It’s a leader that sees the destiny and leads the people toward it! What this world needs good strong leaders…people that know the direction they are headed and not afraid to make the necessary changes to get where destiny leads. Leaders lead because that is what they do. When Israel went to a new land God gave them Joshua and he instructed the people to consecrate themselves and get ready because they were about to go to a place they have never been before. People want to go to new places, they are tired of the routine, the mundane, the ordinary…I want to go new places…what about you?

legacy…hand it down!

legacy is a big word…it means something that has been handed down by a predecessor. just a thought…what are you handing down? this weekend i had an opportunity to preach a youth retreat and low an behold i was smacked in the face with legacy. there were 9 students from my first youth church that were running the retreat, leading worship, playing in the band and just simply serving. so much emotion and memories flooded my mind and spirit from the past. I took them to camps, retreats, fine arts festivals, missions trips and so much more. I sowed into their lives and now they stood around approaching 30 years old declaring…wow we are getting old…they were all back together and I believe God brought this all together to show me that the moments you have with students make a difference in a lifetime. You never know what will come of the lives you choose to sow into. Keep sowing,,,keep giving…keep going! God will use you, and you can leave a legacy behind!

Don’t be weary in doing good, for in due season you will reap if you faint not! this weekend was my season!

just another manic monday…

i am reminded of a song relient K redid from the 80’s today…”just another manic monday” originally sang by… the lyrics go like this…

It was just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
‘Cause that’s my funday

Sunday is truly a funday in the ministry! Sunday is like the Superbowl for everyone in ministry! If you look at it that way, then everything has to be on target, everyone has to be on point and you gotta give your very best in that moment. last week the whole career of athletes was realized in one game, one moment, one opportunity to do something significant! Don’t let it pass you by!

Monday is truly manic for me…beacause all the conversation and events of a Sunday spill over into my monday (my day off-rest?) and i find myself dreaming, working, paying bills, waiting on the mail (something good is coming today-i can feel it), taking care of a sick kiddo, sending emails…and yes writing a blog!

Monday is manic…looking forward to sunday…its a funday!

welcome to the ministry…

today i was reading a tale of three kings, a book on brokenness. powerful read for anyone in ministry. i started to think about leaders that have been in my life, and i realized that the one thing that i have always desired was to simply serve them and do the best possible job i can do in serving. this does not mean i will always like what i have to do (powerful fact: you will always have to do things you don’t necessarily want to do, but it’s how you handle those things that reveals who you are) I have had dealings with several youth pastors that are dealing with situations in their churches and they call for advice…well what they are saying is i have to do this or that and i can’t really focus on what i want to do! my answer is simple…you are a youth pastor, that means you will do a lot of things that you don’t consider fun – welcome to the ministry! the answer has been the same…but you don’t understand i am passionate about what i do, but if i have to do all these other things i can’t…this is Where I say hold up! you just said “I have to” in a sentence like it’s a JOB and not a privilege and “I can’t” like it’s impossible to do what God calls you to do. grow some muscles of faith and get real!

i find so many that are more about protecting what they do, rather than serving the king! no matter who you work for, or what they ask you to do…from scrubbing a baptismal tank, editing video, fixing sprinklers, going to see shut-ins, parking cars, teaching 4 year olds, or picking someone up that broke down 3 hours away…do it with ALL your heart as unto the Lord. this may sound like a rant post today, but what the kingdom needs is more servants and less people with titles that only want to do what they want to do! i heard someone get super spiritual lately and claim their leaders armor just don’t fit them and that’s why they are where they are…sounds like an excuse for betrayal!

Today, tomorrow and every day I wake up I get to go to work at the greatest church for the most driven visionary pastor on the planet. What a privilege it is to just simply serve. Great read today from a tale of three kings…you should read it…and if you have read it, then read it again.