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Friday Five: Link-o-Rama, Prayers, & Hilton Head

1. New bloggers :: Welcome Chris Ruppe and Bryan Plyler to the blogosphere! I had the "opportunity" to ride to Exponential with Chris and Bryan a couple of weeks ago...the scars are healing nicely. Love these guys and the important work they are doing in Rock Hill and Lugoff/Camden respectively.

2. Comment King :: Pete Wilson can post a picture of someone sweeping a floor and ask "What's your favorite broom?" and 600 people will comment. :-) The best example this week was his hold your breath contest. Pete's blog has become one of my favorites because you just never know what's next!

3. WiBo :: Yes, there's still time to get on on the epic that is The Whiteboard Sessions. Ben has been posting the "why's behind the speakers" over on his blog...check 'em out and then get signed up. If you need help signing up, email me. Hey, Chris Elrod is going...how can you resist now?

4. Prayers :: Pray today for the family of Michael Colwell and the North Point family. Michael was a passionate follower of Jesus who went home to Jesus Sunday night after battling cancer for 2 years. He was 32 and left an incredible wife and 2 beautiful boys...and who knows how many people who were impacted by his life and leadership. The memorial service is today at North Point.

5. Hilton Head :: LB, the girls, and I are heading to Hilton Head for the weekend. One of our former students is getting married and I am doing the wedding...it's on the beach and everything! Should be a great couple of days with some great friends.

See you next week!

The Tyranny of Out of the Box

I'm a sucker for the next big idea. I admit it.

I crave the edge. I hate status quo.

I've seen this work for good. In our journey to discover what God is up to in Columbia and to join Him in that work, it has been good. We had to leave behind a lifestyle and a ministry style that was quite comfortable and embrace an entirely new posture.

But, this passion can also work against me.

When I constantly chase the out of the box idea, I feel like I am running 1000 miles per hour with my feet one inch off the ground. Lots of great thoughts, ideas, conversations, but no real progress.

What if, by defining or accepting a box, my ability to innovate, create, and see forward movement increased?

After a few months living in Columbia, we had met interested people that live all over Metro Columbia and discovered needs and opportunities all over the city. The problem was prioritizing and focusing...I simply couldn't.

God clearly showed me that our initial box is in Northeast Columbia - it's where Lara Beth and I grew up, it's where we have the most street cred, it's where our best relationships are, it's where we know needs and opportunities and have the connections to do something about it. I can ignore it or accept it. To ignore it is to accept little or no progress and tons of big ideas. To accept it is to put the rubber on the road and get something done...with the big ideas all still attainable.

Out of the box thinking is great until it paralyzes you. When you feel paralysis setting in, look for a box and accept it. Once you accept your box, leverage, innovate, and create within it like crazy.

That's Quotable: Mark Driscoll

Absolutely hilarious quote from Mark Driscoll's latest work, Vintage Jesus:

"The Jesus I was told about could easily have passed for one of the kids in the ghetto daycares near my house who were pumped so full of NyQuil they would sit quietly and drool on themselves while watching cartoons until their moms came to pick them up after work...

Worse still, this weird Jesus seemed to really like sheep. I never saw a picture of him with a baseball glove or with other kids, but I did see him with a lot of sheep. Sometimes they even made us glue cotton balls to construction paper in an effort to make our own sheep so that we could apparently be as weird as Jesus. In short, Jesus seemed freakish, definitely not the kind of guy you'd want on your baseball team because he'd never have the guts to slide hard into second to break up a double play or throw inside to a batter to back him off the plate. Rather, he'd prefer to pick flowers in the outfield and daydream about fluffy sheep while praying for his enemies and keeping his emotions under control."

I randomly thought of this quote today during a meeting and laughed out loud. Driscoll's talking about how Jesus is often portrayed as exclusively meek, mild, and timid when in fact, He was very bold and passionate.

This book is an absolute must read. I am about halfway finished, have made tons of notes, and will definitely be walking through it with some friends who are not Jesus-followers, but are definitely curious.

Can't wait to see their reaction when they read quotes like this one! :-)

Whitewashed Tombs

Some real-time reflecting for you on a gorgeous Monday morning...

Read in Matthew 23 this morning...Jesus' 7 Woes to the scribes and Pharisees. Some serious, in your face preaching that kicked my butt. Specifically, I journaled on verses 27-28:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

More than I'd like to admit, that describes me. It's my default mode and it's sort of what I grew up on. Way before I knew how to care for the condition of my heart and soul, I knew I wasn't supposed to drink, smoke, chew, or have sex. In other words, I knew how to clean the tomb way before I realized the death cooped up inside.

But who am I kidding...I still fall back into doing more to make the outside look good than to deal with the death on the inside. Here's a thought that hit me this morning:

A clean graveyard is still a graveyard. Death is obvious and life is absent.

On the surface, graveyards are pretty. Freshly manicured lawns, fresh flowers, beautiful stone markers...some even have historic chapels. But no one likes going to a graveyard. Not because they aren't nice, but because of what is inside and underneath. It's still a graveyard, no matter how beautiful it is.

Am I pretty on the surface and dead just below? In the short-term, people can be fooled by my whitewashed tomb and neatly trimmed lawn. But over the long-term, what is inside will work it's way out. It starts with the people closest to me and works out to people I only meet one time. If death resides in me, my family will reflect it. It will become obvious even to the most casual observer. They may not put their finger on it, but they'll scratch their heads and wonder, "Something's not right with him."

Jesus is never fooled. The Pharisees didn't fool Him and neither do I. He sees and knows it all. A surefire way to live without the blessing of God is to care more about the outside than the inside.

My choice today: trim the grass and wash the tomb one more time or come face to face with what's inside?

Your Big Idea

A little Friday Fun...

You're on the stage in front of 900 of the best leaders in the country gathered for The Whiteboard Sessions. You've got 30 minutes. Mark Batterson just finished his big idea. Perry Noble is up next.

What's your big idea?

Head On Over to ChrisReeder.com

My good friend and fellow church planter Chris Reeder has a great series of guest bloggers dropping by his blog for the next week or so with nuggets of advice and wisdom for new church planters.

For some odd reason, he invited me to write a post. Head on over to Chris' blog to read what I'd say to a church planter that knows he's called to plant, but has no idea what he's doing.

Keep checking Chris' blog daily for more great advice from much more worthy voices than mine!

Good Music: Brett Younker

Gotta tell you about my good friend Brett Younker and his first record, This is Life. About a year ago, Todd Fields, the veteran worship leader at North Point, called to tell me about Brett and to give his high recommendation not just of Brett the worship leader but Brett the Jesus-follower. After getting to know Brett, I see what Todd saw - a gifted musician who's heart burns to follow and honor Jesus.

From poppy grooves to raw acoustic to fist in the air rock, this album has it all when it comes to sound. The one constant is Brett's solid, unique vocals and honest lyrics. Brett says about the album, "I hope these songs point you to know God a little bit more and give you peace wherever you are. I hope they offer you life." Mission accomplished.

My personal favorite is "Savior of the World." I've heard Brett lead this song twice and loved it the first time I heard it. The chorus is right on...

You're the hope for the hurting
Life to the dying
Jesus, Savior of the World

You give grace to the broken
And peace to the searching
Jesus, Savior of the World

Brett regularly leads worship at North Point and Encounter, a weekly environment in Auburn. AL. He also travels around to lead in various venues. In fact, he'll be in Columbia TONIGHT leading at Columbia Metro. If you're smart, you'll be there. :-)

In all seriousness I love this record. No doubt these songs communicate that Jesus is life, and Brett's a believable storyteller because he is living it. Check it out on iTunes...you won't be disappointed.

Be What You Want Them to Become

"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV)

When I first read this, I thought, "Wow...Paul was an arrogant jerk." He literally said, "You want to know what Jesus looks like? Watch me and do what I do." No one could blame Paul for being a wuss, that's for sure.

You want to know how you should give? Imitate me.
You want to know how you should talk? Imitate me.
You want to know who you should spend your time with? Imitate me.

Notice Paul didn't say, "Do what I preach to you." He said, "Do what I do."

Lara Beth and I are working through a parenting study and the statement was made that what we are is what our kids will become. I couldn't help but make the same application to leadership.

If I want people to go where God is at work, I have to model it.
If I want people to give generously, I have to model it.
If I want people to die for the sake of the gospel, I have to model it.

Am I confident enough in my own imitating of Jesus that I would say to others, "Imitate me as I imitate Jesus"?

Who we are will speak much louder than what we preach. Be what you want people to become.

Living Illustrations

Yesterday, I spoke to the student at my home church. Talk about deja vu all over again...man, it was weird thinking that just a few years earlier, I was sitting in the seats listening to the speaker wondering when he would ever finish...:-)

We went to the worship service after the student gathering and I saw one of my big takeaways from Exponential in action: the power of giving people living illustrations.

Instead of having a full-blown sermon, about 6 people shared stories of how God has been at work in their lives. Some shared how they began to trust Jesus with their lives. Some shared about unique provision. One lady shared a powerful lesson of how she learned what it meant to be adopted into God's family by being adopted into her earthly family. Each story pulled you in more and more.

The pastor, who is also my father in-law didn't have to preach anything. All he had to do was say, "This is how God is at work in these people - He's at work in you, too." From there he gave people the opportunity to take steps similar to those taken by the people who shared their stories.

Powerful stuff! As Andy said last week, "Stories do more to communicate the vision of your church than anything else?"

I'm curious...how do you tell stories in your church? Leave a comment and let us know...

Friday Five: Great Week

I had a blast at Exponential in Orlando! So thankful for Captain Senesi and our convention for making it possible for poor church planters to attend.  I'm walking away with so much and I will write more as I process, but here are five big takeways that are front and center:

1. Tim Keller on Romans 1:16-17 - "Paul is not saying the gospel produces power. He says the gospel IS the power of God in verbal form. Do we believe that?"
   • Do I secretly believe that movement is up to me?
2. Neil Cole on multiplication - "Multiplication starts at the smallest level.  If you can't reproduce disciples, then you can't reproduce leaders, churches, networks, or anything else."
   • Am I personally involved in disciple-making?
3. Andy Stanley on making vision stick - "Stories do more to clarify the vision than anything else. People need living illustrations."
   • Are there stories to tell and am I telling them well?
4. Alan Hirsch on Missio Dei (The missionary God) - "God is at work in every person calling them to Himself in and through Jesus Christ. I do not bring God to people - He's already there."
   • Do I believe that God is already at work in the heart of the stripper, the addict, the abuser, the broken, the scared, the wounded, the sick, and the gangbanger?
5. Alan Hirsch on potential - "Every Christian has within them the potential for global transformation."
   • Do I believe this about me? Do I believe it about the people that are already a part of what God has called us to do in Columbia? Am I releasing people or restraining people?

Bigger than all these, I am back home in Columbia with tremendous HOPE - hope for our city, hope for our state, hope for our nation, and hope for our world.  My hope is founded in the power of the gospel, the missionary activity of God, and the invitation to the people of God to join Him in what He is doing.

And, I am beyond thankful to be on this journey with the men I was able to spend the week with. Senesi, Plyler, Ruppe, McGlohon, Willis & the Midtown crew, Bishop, Morris, Barrineau, Browning, Martin & the Bluffton crew, Thompson, Mitchell...I love you guys and it's an honor to lock arms with you.