NextStep

I have the privilege of sitting in a room with a lot of guys with VISION. There is something about a compelling vision that just generates excitement.

I am taking this week to help people who feel called to start a new venture take another step toward that goal. I am honored to hear all the dreams that these people have but I am even more honored to help them take a step in that direction.

I feel like my role in this season of life is to help people take one step beyond where they are right now. Just today I had the opportunity to talk to a man who wants accountability for spiritual disciplines so we figured out the next step. Then on my way to my meeting I had a parent call me to let me know that her daughter and son in law are having issues with drugs and the only person they want to talk to is me (incredibly humbled). I explained that I will talk to them and figure out the next step. Now I get to be part of a team of leaders that helps others figure out and take the next step to start new churches. WOW

For whatever reason I have been given the responsibility to help people figure out their next step. What an honor to have people share their frustrations and failures followed by their dreams. I LOVE hearing them and helping them remove he clutter and excuses to move forward.

My point: I believe God has a plan for each and every one of us but I also belive the enemy does too. We decide who's plan we are going to fulfill.

What's your next step & what's stopping you from taking it?

Encourage

We have created a culture of "evaluate everything". With that, comes some incredibly honest feedback. Some good, some not so good - or is it.

Even the "not so good" is positive if we use it to make things better. We always try to have a critical eye but never a critical heart. There is definitely a difference.

I love the freedom we have as a staff that we are not easily offended. We are also trying to establish an encouraging culture.

We have started taking a few minutes of our staff meeting to encourage someone at the table. This is specific encouragement, not just "way to go" or "good job".

The culture of evaluating can get poison very quickly if we don't balance it with encouragement. We are training our minds and hearts. We have the freedom to evaluate and communicate how to make things better but we also have the responsibility to encourage to make sure we are not just seeing the "not so good".

My point: you will find what you are looking for. If you are looking for something to make better, you won't have any trouble. If you are looking for something that people are doing right - you will find it.

Go encourage someone today. See if you can send a text or email that makes a person smile or even respond with "wow".

Proverbs 11:25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.


You want to be encouraged or refreshed - go encourage / refresh someone else...

I heart you

This past weekend we had 35 couples from C3 go on a marriage retreat. It was aweome.

It was a great reminder that a marriage centered on God makes for a much better marriage. The things we most often argue about are issues that come from our fears. Once we are able to identify those fears we can deal with them.

We had a very brave couple sit in front of everyone and work through an issue that has been going on for quite some time. They changed their focus from getting their own way or making sure their opinion was heard to posturing themselves with an open heart to truly understand the other. They changed the goal to understanding the other persons heart.

When you are in a position to understand, you don't have to get all emotional and defensive. When the other person "feels" understood (not when you "think" you understand them), they are more open to trying to understand you.

Watching this couple be that transparent with everyone staring at them was a life changing experience. It took away everyones excuses: If this couple can talk like that in front of everyone, we should be able to do it in private.

My point: marriage is a journey. Are you being a good journey partner. Would you want to journey with someone like you.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, we went to our room and they had personalized cookies - now that is a great retreat! (of course our kids ate them...)

anonymous

One of the best things about my job is the joy of watching anonymous generosity.

I have had the privilege of telling people things like: their entire missions trip has been paid for, someone paid for your marriage retreat & here is a brand new 64gb iPad 2...

I have been on the receiving end of some anonymous gifts too and I used to wrestle with it. I would drive myself crazy thinking - who did this? I then realized that if I thanked them, that was it but if I allowed them to remain anonymous then God would bless them. I thought it was a better "thank you" if I allowed God to take care of it.

Konan just did a great series on the "blessed life" and it has radically changed lives. People are being incredibly generous and God is doing amazing things. You can listen to them on the C3 website but be careful - it will wreck you (in a good way)

My point: Anonymous is fun to be, hard to receive and AWESOME to be the messenger for.

1 thing

Wed night the adult youth team chose 1 thing that they would want to say to the students if they knew they would NEVER see them again. It was really hard to come up with a sentence but here is what we came up with. 

//Tomorrow is promised to no one, so what choice are you going to make today

//Find out who it is that God says you are, then believe it - live it out!

//God allows us to struggle in order to learn lessons we couldn't experience any other way

//Acknowledge Him in all your ways & he will direct your path (pr 3:5-6)

//Stay REAL! Dont imitate, ...Duplicate. BE yourself and LOVE yourself, and know that the only one that can JUDGE you is Jesus Christ, himself.

//Don't lose heart! Trials are temporary, focus on eternity (2 cor 4:16-18)

//You are not an accident. God has a very special purpose and plan for your life. He loves you unconditionally and wants to help you live out His purpose for your life.

//Life is full of choices, choose wisely. 

//You WILL stand before God and give an account for the way you live this life


My point: you never know when the last time you see someone is the last time you will see them. We challenged them to make every encounter one that they would be ok being remembered that way.

After we presented our "1 thing" we had some of the students share the 1 thing they would say to someone if they knew they would never see them again and I was BLOWN AWAY.

These students are incredible and we as a team, are honored and humbled to be part of such amazing people.

What is the 1 thing you would say...

check your pulse

Each Wed at youth we have a time set aside to share "check your pulse" moments.

The youth name is Pulse and we have decided to help students focus on the time between opportunity and decision. In that brief moment of time we are trying to give them so many questions that they can ask themselves before they make a decision. We want them to pause long enough to "check their pulse" and run the decision thru a few questions then make a wise decision.

A lot of times when we talk to someone after making a bad decision, we ask them "what were you thinking?" and they typically respond with "I have no idea". So we just want them to pause, check their pulse and then hopefully make a good choice.

Anyway, last night we had a student stand up and tell how he was at a party and he was being encouraged to smoke marijuana. The guy he went to the party with decided he didn't want to be around that stuff and was leaving. Now he was left with only the people who wanted him to smoke it but he said he had a "check your pulse" moment and decided that this is not the best thing for him to do. Instead of smoking, he found his friend and they left together.

I am so proud of these guys. I am equally proud of the environment this team has created to allow students to feel comfortable enough to stand up and share personal stories without fear of being judged.

My point: we all go thru junk & hard times. I think it is sad that we don't feel comfortable enough to ask for help or choose not to open up in fear of being judged instead of helped.

I am so encouraged to see the LifeChange that is taking place in these students & adult leaders - well done team!

is this the part...

I was part of a group of dads who participated in a dance routine during Hannah's recital (the dad video is on my facebook). When I was on my way to the first rehearsal I told Shayna that I was just going to keep interrupting the instructor and asking "is this the part where I rip my shirt off?"

I made the mistake of telling Konan the same story. One of the owners of Passe (the place Hannah takes dance) goes to C3 and Konan decided to share my comment with her. At practice the next week, she and her husband asked me about it - is this the part where you rip your shirt off...

You know how sometimes you do things at home that you should only do at home. Things that are funny to us at the dinner table aren't necessarily funny to do at someone elses house or in a public restaurant? You know how you have to have those conversations with your kids and explain it to them that all the conversations we have at home don't need to be repeated - THIS WAS ONE OF THEM!!!

My point: We all do or say things that everyone isn't supposed to hear. Even if we don't want them to be repeated, we should be prepared if they are.

No harm was done with this one (I actually thought it was hilarious & so did they) but how many times do we wish we wouldn't have said something or hit "send" before we thought about it.

Side humor: yesterday we were having lunch at the same place some of our friends were eating and I had Hannah (5) and Raegan (3) go to their tables and ask "is this the part where I rip my shirt off"- it was pretty funny. I guess if we can do it at home, we can do it in a restaurant...