Sunday Rewound

I made a commitment when I became a pastor that I would always be honest and authentic with my church. (And no, honesty and authenticity are not the same thing…) I feel that being anything less would not allow me to lead the way I feel God has called me to lead a group of people on a journey of faith towards Jesus. In the past few months of our pre-launch phase of Genesischurch.tv West, we have had some of the most amazing experiences that have generally been “glitch-free.” Unfortunately, today was another story. Many people have made the joke that “the devil lives in the sound system,” and while I do understand that it is a joke, something was going on in ours today!

            * Weather was great this morning. I went in early to do some things, and I got my cup of coffee and took a walk around the property and it was simply amazing.

            * Last week someone broke into the back building. They did not return this week.

            * There was a buzz about how great The Link (our membership class) was on Saturday. I kept hearing how great Pastor Phil was. Final count was 26 people there to learn more about being a member of our church. Did I mention we have not even launched yet?

            * So let’s talk technical glitches. Sound check for the band went fine. I was in there and it was good. The band sounded great and the set was tight. The experience began and the first song went fine. We moved into our meet and greet, and then things began to unravel.  I noticed that it sounded like the monitors were cutting in and out. The band had some “uh-oh” expressions going on.

            * Then it got worse, and it was at one of those moments there was no going back. Arron’s, our worship leader, vocals and lead guitar went out in the house. Or at least was way down. The people were lost without a melody to carry. All you could hear was the drums, and electric guitar, and a bass guitar. Arron not knowing what was going on in the house kept on playing. So what did I do? I went to the keyboard and played. I knew the keyboard could be heard in the house, so I went for it. Might not have been the best solution, but it was all I could think of in the moment. I guess those years of leading and playing in Gainesville came in handy!

            * On a much better note, we started a new series called “Reservations. It is about the reality of Heaven and Hell, and it went great. People were obviously responding and many people had some great questions for me afterwards. Tough subject, but definitely needed one.

 

Again, I want to say how amazing our volunteers are. From our leadership staff (all volunteers) to our service teams, days like today are much easier to handle when serving with a group of people like you. Keep serving God by serving people!

Recommended Reading

Several years ago my mentor and friend, Dr. E. Bob Kuschel, gave me a book and told me to read it. The book is “A Tale of Three Kings.” Many people have read the book, and if you are on staff somewhere, either volunteer or paid, this should be high on your list of reads. If you are currently on staff somewhere and have already read the book, READ IT AGAIN! Each time I read it (once a year) I get something new out of it. It only takes about an hour to read, but it will be a fulfilling hour.

Lazy River Leadership

One of my favorite theme parks in Orlando is Wet N Wild. I love that place. As a thrill seeker, it has some cool slides, and as a budget oriented person, it is not bad ticket price and you can bring in your own coolers full of food. As a teenager, my cousin and I would be taken by my parents, and we found a game that we liked to play there. There is something there called The Lazy River. It is basically a pool of water about 10-15 feet wide that runs around the entire park powered by a strong current of water. You can get a tube or raft and float around enjoying the day. If you swam with the current you could swim fast, but if you went against it, it was almost impossible. The current is pretty strong. So the game was basically to go as fast as we could around the Lazy River without touching anyone. We would bob and weave through people trying to get to wherever the water was taking us. We went with the flow and had to deal with people along the way. Some would get out of the way, some would try to stop us, some would give us a push to get us going faster, and some would yell at us and tell us “that is not how you are supposed to do it!” The later usually a 300 pound hairy sunburned man on a float that was struggling to stay up wearing a beer drinking helmet filled with a couple of Pabst Blue Ribbons!

Proverbs 21:1 in The Message reads like this, “Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; He directs it to whatever end He chooses.” One key to effective leadership is to stay in the water. Don’t get out. Stay in the channel of water that God is directing you through. There will be people along the way that will try to stop you, tell you “church can’t be done like that,” or tell you to try to do it your way by going upstream. And at the same time there will be people that will be cheering you on, believing in your vision, and sometimes giving you the push you need. As leaders, we are called not just to make decisions, approve budgets, hire or fire staff, or a host of other things that we “label” leadership. We are more importantly called to stay in the channel of God’s direction, because only by staying in the channel God has for us will we truly end up in the place He prepared. Stay in the water. Go with God’s current. Be who you are. And when you pass the fat drunk guy telling you that you will never succeed, stick a pin in his raft and don’t look back, it won’t be pretty…

Sunday Rewound Variation

So it has been a week since I was able to blog, and I missed it more than I thought. I also got a ton of flack from some of my loyal readers, which always surprises me how many people actually ready this site of rambling thoughts! Anyway, today will be a mix of “Sunday Rewound,” and “Random Thoughts,” to give you all you need for today!

 

·      Just downloaded the new Ray Lamontagne release and its really good. Cool vibe. Not everyone will like this style of music, so try it before you buy it!

·      Sunday morning weather was amazing. That was a good start, but then it quickly turned into “one of THOSE days.” Church Leaders, you know what I am talking about…

·      Media was acting crazy, coffee maker wasn’t working right, and then we found out someone tried to break in the back building. Broke out a window and there was glass everywhere. Not a good start to Sunday!

·      The overall experience went well though. Had more visitors and that is always a great thing to see.

·      Loved having Ty and Jennifer in the experience with us. Ty is the Lead Teacher for our elementary kids experience and Jennifer is our Nursery Coordinator and as such they are usually serving in the GenesisKIDS department. Due to Brenda teaching this week in the elementary, and Jennifer getting people fully trained, they were able to be with us and it was great to see them. We missed Ashley, our rocking drummer, this week. Flint came off guitar and did a good job filling in for her.

·      My packers thumped the Colts. The Pack is Back.

·      We got moved this past week, and quickly found out that my son likes to throw things down the stairs. Toys, pacifiers, soap dispensers, and anything else he can get his hands on goes down the stairs as he sits and watches and cracks up laughing.

·      We finished up our “Entourage” series. Pastor Brian did a great job teaching this series, but now we turn to our next series, “Reservations.” It is a series about Heaven and Hell. It will be interesting…

·      Ate a Jasmine’s with Pastor Phil Harris last week and it was good. We try to do sushi as often as we can and he took me to this place. Good sushi and great price. Next stop, Circa Sushi where they serve sushi on a conveyer belt!

·      Finally, the high school basketball team I coach starts practice today. Part of me thinks I do not need another thing to do, but the other side of me is stoked about doing something else besides obsess with growing a church. It is going to be a good release.

 

Okay have a great week and remember to go out this week and Know Christ, and Make Him Known!

FYI

Many of you are aware that I moved yesterday and with that comes some inconveniences. One of which is that I will be without internet at my house until Tuesday. That means that there will be no Sunday Rewound today. (I am typing this is at 8:20AM from the West Campus.) Also I will be leaving for the Florida State Minister’s Meeting for the next two days. So I will be “offline” for a little while, except for at night in the hotel room…maybe. But maybe I need a break from all the blogging, twittering, facebooking, etc? NAH! I will keep you updated! Have a great first half of you week!

My Mind Dump

It has been amazing over the last month or so to see the amount of new people attending Genesischurch.tv West. As a result, I have had some “different” comments about our church. Being a video venue presents one small problem that I am working through. Since I do not preach every Sunday, people use my blog more and more to get to know me better. In the last few weeks, I have had several emails from new people that want me to blog on some personal things about me. They say I talk a lot about the church and my family, but they want to know about me. The first time someone told me this, I honestly brushed it off, but after more comments and emails have taken place, maybe I need to. So after reading a blog by Scott Hodge about a “mind dump,” I have decided to give you my personal mind dump. Here we go…

·      Books – I am currently trying to finish my Doctorate of Ministry up so my reading is mostly confined to textbooks. But I am reading “11 Indispensable Relationships You Can’t Live Without,” by Leonard Sweet. This book has challenged me to see who I have in my life, and who I need in my life. Very challenging to truly examine where you need more and less of people in your life. Highly recommend.

·      Bible – Personal reading: The Message. Personal Study: NLT

·      Music – Okay I am a music junky, and my tastes are very diverse. Yesterday I downloaded the new Oasis album “Dig Out Your Soul.” It is much better than their last few releases. I have also become re-hooked on the Jeremy Riddle album “Full Attention.” Amazing collection of passionate music. I still cry during the song “Sweetly Broken.” I am studying to Priscilla Ahn or Joshua Radin. Laid back music that let’s my mind work. Lots of others, but also I am hooked on Pandora Radio. Check it out.

·      Computer – MacBook Pro. I use it for about everything. I have a PC in my office but it is basically a huge jukebox. Holds all my itunes as well as file storage. It’s like a digital storage unit!

·      Mindmapping – I love mindmapping. It is for those of us who do not want to be liner thinkers. This is the program I use. I use it for to do lists, sermon prep, project planning, staff meeting prep, and just about anything else I can.

·      Television – Sportscenter, Heroes, Lost, Survivor, Big Brother, The Ultimate Fighter, Good Eats, Diners Drive Ins and Dives, and there’s more…

·      Sports Teams – First and foremost Kentucky Wildcats – I bleed blue! Green Bay Packers, I honestly root for all the Florida Teams…unless they are playng Kent

·      Food/Bev – Sushi is on the top of my list. Healthy, cold, delight to the tastebuds! I am also a huge coffee drinker. Right now my fav spot is The Coffee Pub on Thomasville Road. Their Sumatra is unbelievable. When I am at Starbucks, it’s a “triple venti 4 pump white mocha with whip.” That’s a rare treat. But sometimes all I really want is a nice hot espresso.

 

Okay, that’s enough for now. If you have any more questions, leave a comment and I will do my best to answer them. Now back to the task at hand: Growing an amazing, healthy church on the West Side of Tallahassee!

Angels Among Us

Maybe the angels we are so desperate to find are already among us. We talk about angels protecting us, and while we think it is always about the spiritual battles in another place we can’t see, maybe the things sent to help us are with us. Now some of you may not have children of your own, but that is not the issue. Maybe God sends kids to this world to save us. For a minute lets look at what they do for us:

1. Keep us alert to danger. When a child is with us, we are much more alert to our surroundings.

2. Teach us forgiveness. Kids do things without understanding the full ramifications of their choices, yet we love them no less, forgive them more, and teach them a better way to do things. Sound familiar? It should, because it represents our relationship with God…

3. Keep us from the place of “over-serious.” When you think you can’t handle anymore, make a silly face at a kid, preferably one you know, and watch what happens. It keeps us grounded. We make a bigger deal out of things…they don’t.

4. They “erase” bad days. Have a bad day. I mean a really bad day. Then go home and see what happens when your child comes running in and jumps in your arms. My bad day always goes away.

5. They teach us dependence. When you have a child you are responsible for their life, literally. They can;t feed themselves or take care of themselves. They are totally dependant on the parents. Even when they try to do things on their own, they fail and have to come to you for the right way. Again, sound familiar? Whether or not we want to admit it, we are totally dependant on God. Where do you think your next breath comes from?

My kids protect me. From overseriousness, to lack of purpose, to making sure I am cooking healthy meals. Again, if you do not have kids, and think that kids aren’t here for you, get a cup of coffee or drink of your choice, and go to a park with a friend and watch the joy a child has in play. A child’s joy is infectious. It moves you at a place only something spiritual can. Watch a child because you just might be watching an angel…