Got this from a friend. Challenging and Convicting.
The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers.
Are the followers reaching their potential ?
Are they learning ?
Are they serving ?
Do they achieve the required results ?
Do they change with grace ?
Do they manage conflict ?
February 24, 2009
February 18, 2009
Props to JB
This past Sunday we finished up the series XCELR8. The service was kicked off with the song "Get Away Car" by Toby Mac. John Bunn, our Director of Service Programing, showed us his hidden talent as a rapper.
Great job, JB!
Check it out for yourself.
Great job, JB!
Check it out for yourself.
February 17, 2009
American Idol
Last night was the kick off of America voting to determine the next "American Idol".
The singers often come into this contest thinking that they are better than they really are. I don’t think many of them have a very accurate view of their talent, so it is painful and humbling to hear people speak straight forward about their performance.
The guy who every one loves to hate, Simon, was in rare form. I believe one of the reasons why so many people love to hate Simon is because he keeps it real and realizes what this is all about.
His word tonight was “back to the real world”. He knows that it is a long journey to win the contest.
Ephesians 4:15 tells us to "speak the truth in love so that we can grow up in Christ.“ Now I realize that Simon doesn’t always practice the part of speaking "in love", but he does often speak the truth about the performer.
One of the interesting things about "American Idol" is to see the development and growth of the singers. Have you ever asked the question why this happens? They have someone constantly coaching them and speaking the truth in their lives.
What would happen in you and me if we had someone constantly speaking truth in our lives?
Maybe we would reach our potential as well.
February 12, 2009
Don't Miss
This Sunday we will be finishing up the series “ XCELR8 “ breaking through to new levels.
We have looked at : Experiencing a breakthrough in …………
• Faith
• Fun
• Family
• Finances
And the final one this Sunday, Freedom.
You won’t want to miss this one.
I believe that most people are not as free as Jesus died for them to be.
We are going to learn how do you know if you are living in bondage.
How to break free from any bondage in your life.
Don’t miss. I would encourage you to bring a friend who is struggling in life.
We have looked at : Experiencing a breakthrough in …………
• Faith
• Fun
• Family
• Finances
And the final one this Sunday, Freedom.
You won’t want to miss this one.
I believe that most people are not as free as Jesus died for them to be.
We are going to learn how do you know if you are living in bondage.
How to break free from any bondage in your life.
Don’t miss. I would encourage you to bring a friend who is struggling in life.
February 3, 2009
GAP
Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him holding what appears to be a marijuana pipe.
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it was “disappointed in the behavior recently exhibited by Michael Phelps,” who was selected the group’s sportsman of the year. He also was honored as AP male athlete of the year, and his feat in Beijing — breaking Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record for most gold medals in an Olympics — was chosen as the top story of 2008.
“Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people,” the USOC said in a statement. “In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities.”
This isn’t the first embarrassing episode for Phelps after an Olympic triumph. In 2004, a few months removed from winning six gold and two bronze medals in Athens, the swimmer was arrested on a drunken driving charge at age 19. He pleaded guilty and apologized for the mistake.
A few weeks ago , I shared that all of us have a GAP--that many times there is a discrepancy between who we are known for and who we really are.
What we need is to be known by someone.
What we need is to be known by a group of people who know us for who we really are and love us too much to leave us that way .
That is the only way we can successfully deal with the GAP between what we are known for and who we really are.
I believe that Michael will continue to struggle and fail to fulfill his responsibilities, even though his desire is to be a role model, unless he gets in to true community with a group of people who really know him and are able to accept him that way, but then love him too much to let him remain that way.
So it is with you and me. We all have GAPs and we will never be able to close that GAP by ourselves. If we could, we would have already done it.
All of us need to be in true community with a group of people who really know us and are able to accept us, but then love us too much to let us remain that way.
Who are you doing community with?
PS.
I just heard on Mike & Mike that a group of 10 to 15 yr old swimmers have chosen to take down Michael Phelps posters. It has been interesting to see the different responses between adults and young people. The adults are concern with the money he might lose, it seems like the youth are more concern with the character he lost with them.
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it was “disappointed in the behavior recently exhibited by Michael Phelps,” who was selected the group’s sportsman of the year. He also was honored as AP male athlete of the year, and his feat in Beijing — breaking Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record for most gold medals in an Olympics — was chosen as the top story of 2008.
“Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people,” the USOC said in a statement. “In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities.”
This isn’t the first embarrassing episode for Phelps after an Olympic triumph. In 2004, a few months removed from winning six gold and two bronze medals in Athens, the swimmer was arrested on a drunken driving charge at age 19. He pleaded guilty and apologized for the mistake.
A few weeks ago , I shared that all of us have a GAP--that many times there is a discrepancy between who we are known for and who we really are.
What we need is to be known by someone.
What we need is to be known by a group of people who know us for who we really are and love us too much to leave us that way .
That is the only way we can successfully deal with the GAP between what we are known for and who we really are.
I believe that Michael will continue to struggle and fail to fulfill his responsibilities, even though his desire is to be a role model, unless he gets in to true community with a group of people who really know him and are able to accept him that way, but then love him too much to let him remain that way.
So it is with you and me. We all have GAPs and we will never be able to close that GAP by ourselves. If we could, we would have already done it.
All of us need to be in true community with a group of people who really know us and are able to accept us, but then love us too much to let us remain that way.
Who are you doing community with?
PS.
I just heard on Mike & Mike that a group of 10 to 15 yr old swimmers have chosen to take down Michael Phelps posters. It has been interesting to see the different responses between adults and young people. The adults are concern with the money he might lose, it seems like the youth are more concern with the character he lost with them.
February 2, 2009
New Record
NBC sold all 67 advertising spots for the Super Bowl for a new record total of $206 million. The network said its total of $261 million in ad revenue for all of Super Bowl day is also a record.
The ads sold for between $2.4 million and $3 million per 30-second slot.
This is really incredible in light of the fact we are in the middle of the economy’s steep downturns.
So what does this teach us?
It teaches us that marketers are more knowledgeable about mankind and his tendencies than many people are . As people we have a tendency to think we can watch things, hear things, see things without it effecting us.
The advertisers knows differently. They know that if they can place something in our minds/our thoughts that there is a good chance that we will act on it. That is why they are willing to spend such enormous amounts of money even during a economic crisis. They know it will pay off for them in the long run.
Scripture though teaches us to not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes and to take every thought captive.
So don’t be fooled. You and I are greatly impacted by what we watch and see. If you don’t believe me, just look at what advertisers pay just to have the chance to influence people.
The ads sold for between $2.4 million and $3 million per 30-second slot.
This is really incredible in light of the fact we are in the middle of the economy’s steep downturns.
So what does this teach us?
It teaches us that marketers are more knowledgeable about mankind and his tendencies than many people are . As people we have a tendency to think we can watch things, hear things, see things without it effecting us.
The advertisers knows differently. They know that if they can place something in our minds/our thoughts that there is a good chance that we will act on it. That is why they are willing to spend such enormous amounts of money even during a economic crisis. They know it will pay off for them in the long run.
Scripture though teaches us to not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes and to take every thought captive.
So don’t be fooled. You and I are greatly impacted by what we watch and see. If you don’t believe me, just look at what advertisers pay just to have the chance to influence people.
February 1, 2009
7th Anniversary
Seven years ago today, I had heart bypass surgery. It was a life-altering time in my life.
The doctors said I had had a heart attack while Patty and I were in San Antonio, TX. I knew I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t know of the heart attack. I told Patty that I wanted to make it back to Canton and stop by Aultman Hospital on the way home—just to see if they could give me some medicine. The tests revealed the heart attack, and the doctors said that I needed to be admitted.
It shocked both of us. That week I had the surgery—5 bypasses. It has forever changed my life. I think about death every day. It has helped me to focus on what is really important in life. It also has developed an even greater trust in God.
It has forced me to live every day to the fullest and to keep short accounts with God and to make sure that my relationships with my wife, kids, family and friends are in good shape.
"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.” - Psalm 39:4
Today I was introduced to a new friend. His name is Steve. He shared with me that last month he felt some numbness in his right foot and it started to go up his side. He went to the doctor and the early diagnosis is that it is a brain tumor. It is malignant and he is in the fight of his life.
The good news is that this has caused him to reevaluate life, his priorities and his relationship with God. Today Steve received the greatest miracle that any person can receive--eternal life. I shared with him that God will walk with him through this battle and will never let go of him.
“Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” - Psalm 90:12
Life is precious. Don’t take it for granted.
The doctors said I had had a heart attack while Patty and I were in San Antonio, TX. I knew I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t know of the heart attack. I told Patty that I wanted to make it back to Canton and stop by Aultman Hospital on the way home—just to see if they could give me some medicine. The tests revealed the heart attack, and the doctors said that I needed to be admitted.
It shocked both of us. That week I had the surgery—5 bypasses. It has forever changed my life. I think about death every day. It has helped me to focus on what is really important in life. It also has developed an even greater trust in God.
It has forced me to live every day to the fullest and to keep short accounts with God and to make sure that my relationships with my wife, kids, family and friends are in good shape.
"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.” - Psalm 39:4
Today I was introduced to a new friend. His name is Steve. He shared with me that last month he felt some numbness in his right foot and it started to go up his side. He went to the doctor and the early diagnosis is that it is a brain tumor. It is malignant and he is in the fight of his life.
The good news is that this has caused him to reevaluate life, his priorities and his relationship with God. Today Steve received the greatest miracle that any person can receive--eternal life. I shared with him that God will walk with him through this battle and will never let go of him.
“Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” - Psalm 90:12
Life is precious. Don’t take it for granted.
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