what I am reading

Here are just a few of the resources I am into these days. 

catalyst offers some free resources (audio, ebooks) that are worth getting and taking a look at.

you can sign up to get these emailed to you each day:
seth godin has a blog worth reading. it will definitely challenge your thinking.
leadership freak is always a good read.
minute with maxwell  is a good 1 minute video clip of John Maxwell talking about a word. good to have going in the background while you are getting set up in the morning.

my point: I am always trying to learn and here are a few of the free resources I use to grow.

Let me know if you have some you like. 

measure this

We live in a society where we need to measure things. That is why we have report cards in school, performance reviews & lists to work from. That is why we time our races. That is why we have a scale in the bathroom. We need to know if we are doing "better".

I had a conversation with someone that asked "how do you know if you are growing spiritually" I thought that was a great question. I started to think about that and here is what I came up with. 

Galatians 5:22 talks about "fruit of the Spirit" - it consists of peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. 

If we are growing in our relationship with Christ, we will be growing in these areas. Granted, some of these areas may be a little more challenging to measure than others but we can at least use these as areas to focus on in our lives. 

Do you have more peace in your life? Do you have more joy in your life? Are you finding yourself more patient when you used to explode? Are you being more kind to people who may not deserve? Are you doing more good than you used to? Are you gentle in your actions and your words? Do you find yourself having more faith and less worry? Are you able to visibly see self control in areas of bad habits, language towards others and in your personal health and finances? Do you find yourself showing love when you don't have any reason to?

That my friend is Spiritual growth. 

My point: we can measure pretty much everything else, why not spiritual growth. This is a way to look at your life compared to the qualities & characteristics that the Bible says you should demonstrate. You may not like what you see, but you can't plead ignorance anymore. 

Feel free to agree or disagree. If you disagree, how do YOU measure spiritual growth. I am open to learn

I am going to practice self-control and go to bed so I can get up early & workout...

grow or go

Konan and I had coffee this morning with a church growth consultant. To hear him talk made my head spin. To see the potential of God through C3 makes me think two things: "WOW" & "Why me"...

I have no earthly idea why I am allowed to be part of something so amazing. Every Sunday morning when we see 200+ people come into a building hoping to "connect" with God, I am humbled.

People that knew me in high school, college or the military would laugh hysterically if they knew I am a pastor responsible to help people "connect with God, grow in that relationship, and use their gifts to serve Him".

Now I look at where I am in leadership and I know that if I don't keep growing, I am going to stunt/hinder what God wants to do. I can't allow that to happen.

My point: if I am the reason C3 is not growing to its full potential, it is MY FAULT!!! I can't look to anyone else and blame them. Your growth is your responsibility. I need to keep reading, finding mentors and challenging myself.

I either have to continue to grow or I need to go! Are you helping your place of employment grow, are you growing. Maybe its time to...