Current State Of Church Planting

Maybe many of you have already seen this data, but for those who have not--I thought I would pass this along. Leadership Network just released a study about current trends in church planting. There are some really encouraging facts stated here.

First of all, the survivability of new plants is shifting...68% in the study are still around after four years.

Read a great overview here or download the study here.

Reflections of a Consumer

This morning I had breakfast with my Executive Pastor to discuss the Sunday services and plan for the upcoming week. When entering the diner, we were greeted somewhat gruffly by a waitress that didn't seem too interested in serving us. The diner was cold and I was too intimidated by the waitress to even ask her to turn up the heat. After giving us the menus, she disappeared for some time. When the meal finally arrived it was okay, but nothing special. I left there thinking, "I don't think I'm going back there any time soon."

Welcome to the life of a consumer. A consumer is someone who buys goods and services to meet their personal needs. Contemporary culture in America is consumer driven. Naturally, this mentality is going to infiltrate the church world. That poses the question, "Should we treat our guests as consumers, catering to their spiritual needs?" I think the obvious answer is "Yes."

Consumers are people. Jesus wants us to reach the lost - consumers and all. What did Jesus do with the consumer mentality evident in first century Palestine? In Mark's account of the feeding of the 5,000 we see Jesus with the help of the disciples meeting the physical needs of the people. In John 6:26 Jesus addresses their consumer mentality and says, "You've come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs - and for free." (The Message)

When it comes to people, you've got to start where they are even if that means accepting them with their consumer mentality. The key to effective life transforming ministry is not stopping there but helping transition that consumer into a contributor. I've spent way too much time in my albeit brief ministry experience trying to redeem culture. I'm through with those feeble efforts. Instead, I've vowed to spend the rest of my life to creating culture, not merely redeeming it.

Therein lies the hard question: how do we create a culture of servanthood discipleship in a consumer driven world?

Can church be both missional and attractional?

Alan Hirsch in The Forgotten Ways says, "The major challenge to the viability of Christianity is not Buddhism...nor is it Islam...nor the New Age... All of these are challenges, no doubt, but I have come to believe that the major threat to the viability of our faith is that of consumerism."  

Yes, Paul, we are pastoring people who are consumers first and Christians second (or third, fourth...)  Willow Creek says that their mission is to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ.  I wonder if we should say that our mission is to turn American consumers into authentic sacrificial Christ followers?  Is that possible when we seem to be "selling" Jesus as "the way to have all your needs met" and our church as the place where you can find it?  Is it possible to attract consumers to church without appealing to their consumer instincts?  And if we are appealing to their consumer instincts, how can we expect them to turn into missional, cross-bearing, loving-the-least-of-these kinds of people?  

Can a church be both attractional and missional?  I hope so and I'm looking for examples.  

Are We Just Pastoring Consumers?

Jeff, I join with Gerry in thanking you for posting the Hawkins video.

An even scarier thought than that we are not meeting deeply felt needs is that American Christians seem themselves as little more than weekend church consumers.

Here is a book review of "Shopping for God" in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal that may reinforce our worst fears--that we are pastoring consumers rather than transformed transformers.

Here is further discussion on getreligion.org.

the Reveal video

Jeff, I found that Reveal video interesting. And frightening. And then funny.

Interesting in looking at the different people that we serve in our churches. Frightening in that the one group of people least likely to be enjoying our churches, is the group that identifies themselves as closest to Jesus. It took me awhile to digest that.

And then funny. Funny because I can remember various people who really did see themselves as far too close to Jesus as to be weighed down with something as messy, hard, and uncomfortable as church can be sometimes. I'm ashamed to admit that I have had that sorry attitude myself at times.

I'm just glad Jesus wasn't like that.

Willow Creek's Soul-Searching

The team at Willow Creek has launched a new website called REVEAL. The are in the process of doing research about what is truly effective in making 'fully devoted followers'.


Greg Hawkins, their Executive Pastor, talks very openly in this online video about what has been effective and what has apparently not been.


He describes five different groups that the church attempts to provide ministry for: Exploring, Growing, Close, Christ-Centered, and Stalled.


I found this very thought provoking. The video is 13 minutes long, but it is worth the watch.

Training Next Generation

From the days of Elijah and Elisha onward, prophetic leaders have recognized the importance and urgency of developing and investing in the next generation of leaders through educational efforts. The Elisha narrative of the floating axe head illustrates the marvel of the miraculous in the midst of the mundane. “Alas master it was borrowed” rings with the cry of distress of one who was responsible for a vital tool owned by someone else who expected it to be returned. Elisha’s intervention served the need of the individual and provided a necessary piece of equipment for the construction of the School of the Prophets. The Prophet’s presence demonstrated his personal support of the project and by association, the favor of the Lord. Elisha was investing in future generations in need of direction and guidance.

A vision for the training of the next generation cries out for attention. Not everyone is called to attend the School of the Prophets (called to the ministry), but in the North American culture, the generation of young people being educated in secular institutions are largely turning away from Christ and lost to the kingdom of God. Anecdotal evidence to the contrary could be found, but the reality remains that the influences within our culture, particularly on the secular campuses undermine faith, encourage skepticism, and feed the pluralistic appetite of a world without a biblical worldview and committed to tolerance of everything except Christian faith. Others have documented the results. (See page 9 of http://colleges.ag.org/faculty_resources/articles/PDF/LowCost.pdf )

What can we do as Spirit-led leaders to turn this toward a future that can train our youth in a biblical worldview without turning our backs on the culture that needs salt and light?

Breakthrough Catalysts

Dan Reiland wrote this in his Pastor's Coach email. What do you think of it?

I have often been asked "What is the one key thing to break through to the next level?" My answer always begins with "That is a complex, multi-layered answer that depends on the church's culture and location, the pastor's gifts and vision, the people's commitment and energy, the churches resources and the mindset of the board." (And that is a partial list.) Then the pastor says: "Yeah, but what is the ONE thing I need to work on to break through to the next level?" So I then talk about the "big three" - prayer, evangelism and leadership development.

Inevitably, the pastor breaks in and says, "Yeah, but what's the ONE thing I need to focus on to break through to the next level?!!!" Against my better judgment, I'm going for it. I know you will likely say, "But what about?" Hey, I'm just trying to answer a very popular question.

If you will grant me a huge amount of contextual grace for my grand generalizations, I will attempt to give you the ONE thing. First, let me say that the real catalyst is the Holy Spirit. It is the purpose and power of God that makes it all happen. But that is a given. And keep in mind that each level builds on the previous. You don't get to forget the breakthrough catalyst that got you to your current level as you tackle the next.

Breakthrough Catalyst 0 - 200 Pastor
At this stage, the pastor is the key player. The volunteers matter, resources matter, the energy level matters, etc., but nothing is more critical to breakthrough 200 than the pastor. His or her leadership is essential. Vision and communication skills are important, but candidly, I've seen hundreds of churches breakthrough this level where the pastor loved God, had great relational skills, worked hard, and loved the people but was neither a great communicator nor strong visionary. These pastors understand the Great Commission and just go for it. If they are good communicators and visionary leaders that provides all the more fuel for stages to come and helps the process move faster.

Breakthrough Catalyst 200 - 400 Organization
Up to about 200 a church can function in a very organic, fluid, single-celled gathering of people. Everyone knows everyone and the pastor keeps his watchful eye on everything. This is good, in fact, I often counsel pastors not get too organized in that 0 - 200 stage. A large percentage of churches I've worked with in that stage are over-organized and under-evangelized. Don't put so much energy into lining up the ducks, focus on getting more ducks!

But when you pass 200 you need to get organized. I don't mean organized like lots of committees, but organization in the sense of empowering volunteers to take some key roles from the pastor. I'm also referring to being organized in terms of multiple networks of service opportunities and environments for community. Volunteers serving well and small groups gaining momentum and functioning effectively are critical at this stage. A number of things must be able to function without the pastor.

Breakthrough Catalyst 400 - 800 Staff
You have probably read ahead and seen that I have listed staff twice. This is not a mistake. I'm listing staff at each stage with a very different emphasis or distinctive edge. At 400 - 800 staff members are critical in terms of their ability to enlist, organize and equip volunteers for service. (I don't mean this in a demeaning way, really, but staff in churches from 200-400 often do a lot of ministry themselves. They help the pastor get things done. That's good, but not at this level.

The ability to enlist others or recruit is the first step that separates those who get a paycheck and those who don't. Many volunteer leaders can recruit well, but most don't. It is not an option for staff to be expert recruiters. I would never give a paycheck to a pastor or ministry director who could not recruit well. From that leadership baseline, the staff members ability to equip (effectively train people for ministry) and organize people is key. Staff at this level must be able motivate volunteers to sustain meaningful, productive and enjoyable service.

Breakthrough Catalyst 800 - 1200 Vision
Remember, none of the previous catalysts can be ignored, we just add the next catalytic emphasis. From 800 - 1200 the breakthrough catalyst is a compelling vision. I have seen many churches get nearly to 1000 with some vision, though not always inspiring or owned buy the whole congregation. In fact, some churches can get that far by merely sustaining a focused emphasis on the biblical mandate found in Matthew 28:19-20. I think God blesses that. But to go past that, I don't know of any church that has done so with out a crystal clear, consistent and compelling vision. They know where they are going, why they are going, and how they will get there. The vision is not easy nor is success guaranteed, but it is clear.

I believe that God gives that to the lead pastor, and then confirms it through the key volunteer leaders and staff. The vision must be fresh, powerful, inspiring, biblical, and truly maintain the heartbeat of God. Vision can take almost any shape or form, but it must come from God.

Breakthrough Catalyst 1200 - 1800 Communication
So, check it out, the pastor is a leader, the church is organized, the staff is mobilizing volunteers, and the vision is clear. Now what? The pastor's communication skills must become top notch. To get this far the pastor must be a good teacher or preacher who is articulate, biblical and practical. But at this stage, the pastor, or teaching pastors, must grow to the level of a strong communicator. The leader now rises above leveraging (in a good way) his or her beloved status as pastor and relationships with the people, and communicates as a leader who can move the people, even people that he never gets to know personally. There is quite a difference between teaching those who know and love you and inspiring a large flock with whom you cannot possibly have personal relationships with everyone.

Breakthrough Catalyst 1800 - 2400 Staff
We now return to staff for a second catalytic breakthrough. At 400 - 800 the staff must be experts at recruiting, organizing and equipping. Good management skills go a long way at that stage. At 1800 - 2400 the staff must be able to empower and develop others to lead. In short, they must be leaders.

Much has been taught on this subject, but few are really good at it. I often say if you have anyone on your staff that is a truly gifted and effective developer and can empower other leaders, then take really good care of them. It is one thing to recruit, organize and equip people to do the work of ministry. It is quite another to develop and empower leaders who can recruit, organize and equip other leaders for effective ministry. These are the most natural and gifted leaders. Few church staffs will be comprised of this caliber leader across the board, but you need to have several on staff like this to break through this level.

Breakthrough Catalyst 2400 - 3000 Execution
3,000 is the new 2,000. Two thousand used to be the great divide amongst mega churches. It was the size that seemed to stop 99% of churches from going further. God has seen fit to see many churches blast through 2,000 and thrive, but only to slam into the new wall of 3,000. Personally, as one who loves the local church I look forward to the new code that helps hundreds of churches break through 3,000.

But until that time comes, the current catalyst to move up to that stage (3,000) is world class execution. Execution is not complicated to understand, but really hard to do. It is doing what you promise you will do and doing with premier excellence - and here's the kicker - consistently, fifty-two weeks a year, year after year.

Staying focused, keeping things simple, remaining aligned, keeping the main thing the main thing, and fighting for a lean ministry is tough at this size church. But these things are essential to world class execution. And while you are doing all that, to simultaneously raise money, cast vision, deliver world class programs and services requires mind-numbing attention to detail and relentless diligence. This is no job for the faint of heart and like all the previous stages, it requires a boat load of God's blessing.

There you have it, for better or worse, I gave it my best shot. Sincerely, I hope this is helpful to you. So find your ONE thing, and go for it.

CONFLICT = INTIMACY

I listened to Nancy Ortberg at the Catalyst Labs in Atlanta a few weeks ago. Her workshop was titled "Authentic Leadership" and was good, but one sentence became defining for me this past week. "Conflict is the only way to intimacy." I was intrigued by it at the time, but it has come to embody so much of what we have been through for nine years.

I am not drawn to categorical statements like this one. I tend to see things in shades of gray rather than black and white. "Conflict can't be the only way to intimacy," I thought, there must be some other paths. There may be, but we experienced the power of conflict in a leadership meeting last week and it did bring us to the place of intimacy. And there are other applications as well.

The first and most obvious reality here is that the determinate conflict of the cross produced the ultimate opportunity for intimacy for the entire human race- any who will respond. The battle raged in the twisted and bloodied body of the Savior and broke a course for us to enjoy the real and awesome, intimate and personal presence of the Father.

Likewise, a birthing mother emerges from the grueling battle to tenderly embrace the little one in the epitomic act of intimacy. Without her struggle there would be stillbirth. Her conflict forces life out of her and into the child. We pray for her in the struggle, and celebrate with her in motherhood.

I am testing this truth in other places too. As I enter the conflict of my 50th winter, with all it's winds and bitterness, I do so anticipating the tender quiet walks in the warming spring air that will inevitably be possible on the other side. The conflict helps me appreciate the peace and growth that will surely come.

In our leadership meeting last week we were reviewing a recent conflict that ended with the departure of one family. I had not the slightest idea how the meeting would develop, but simply trusted God to lead us. There were some extremely tense moments, and the Lord had to prophetically intervene, but the conclusion was tears and revelation that had the effect of creating a new intimacy among us. I was exhausted at the conclusion, kind of like giving birth.

Our church is located in an old coal mining culture that has made an art out of conflict. Our church family has been through some major battles in the past 25 years, and some casualties have fallen. Having weathered some conflicts here myself in the past nine years I have wondered if anything good can ever come from the splits and quarrels that have sometimes divided us. Now I have some hope that we can transition into a culture of peace and close relationship, modeled by our leadership, if we will learn to allow the conflict to create intimacy.

Following The Launch Pattern

This coming weekend, APC will begin the process of our 7th church plant. BridgePoint Church will be located in the community of Tarentum (northeast of Pitt).

BridgePoint will be started a little differently than any of our other plants. We are going to follow the plan outlined by Nelson Searcy in his book, Launch: Starting A New Church From Scratch. In my opinion, Searcy's book is the most practical and useful book on church planting that I have ever read.

The Launch Process calls for monthly preview services six months prior to the full-time start up of the church. So every 3rd Sunday, starting this weekend, we will be hosting preview services. The full-time start of the church is set for March 9, 2008 (Palm Sunday).

You can read more about the steps leading up to the process of Pastor Greg Krowitz's blog.

Becoming A Priest To Those Who Don’t Go To Church

Many of you are already in relationship with or have heard of Johannes Amritzer from Stockholm, Sweden (http://www.missionsos.org). Early this year I heard Johannes give a great teaching on “Becoming A Priest To Those Who Don’t Go To Church.” Like me, I’m sure you’ll find something to apply.

Johannes focused first on Abraham in Genesis 23:3-6 and how he had lived among the Hittites in such a way that they had great respect and regard for him – seeing him as a “Prince of God!”

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.” The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” (Heb. = elohyim nasi = “a prince of God”)

- It is not enough to have respect and influence inside of the Church; we must have the same influence outside of the Church!
- Abraham walked in the land that he “would possess” as though he “already possessed it!” We must move through the land that God has promised to give us as though He has already given it and we fully possess it! It is ours!

Johannes then considered the Apostle Paul’s ministry in Athens recorded in Acts 17 and shared seven principles for “Becoming a Church Planting Priest in the City.”

1) Paul had a disciplined spirit. v16

- Paul could move throughout the pagan city without it affecting his testimony. There was no compromise within him.
- He wasn't taken in by the city's carnal attractions, nor did he remain aloof like some “holier than thou" visitor. Instead, Paul was able to observe the needs of the city without it exciting his unrighteous or self-righteous flesh.
- If you do not have a disciplined spirit you're not ready to move forward in church planting.

2) Paul knew how to build relationships with all kinds of people. v17

- He gave value to all people, both in the synagogue and in the marketplace.

3) They gave Paul their platform. v18-19

- Once you are regarded in their eyes, they will open the door for you to share.

4) He connected with their culture. v22-23

- He did not attack them. His statement “You are very religious” may have been viewed as a complement by the Athenians - “Thank you, Paul!”

5. He could quote their authorities. v28

- He related to them by touching something that was important to them!

6) He called the people to repentance. v30-31

- The rest is in vain if we never present the Gospel.

7. He discipled those who responded. v34

- The focus is always on disciples, not simply decisions.

20 years to change a culture

What would fundamentally change the culture in Pennsylvania and Delaware?

1. 1000 new churches that reach at least 100 new believers each? (100,000 new believers out of 10 million unchurched people?

2. Some kind of new cultural broadcast that captures the imagination?

3. 10,000 new leaders/ministers?

4. Some kind of mailing to every home?

I think that some variation of #1 is the obvious answer, even though 1000 new churches seems like a huge, unreachable number. So, assuming for just a moment that you are a Catalyst leader because you agree, how do we get 1000 new churches underway?

I'm 45. I have 20-30 good ministry years left, by the grace of God. Is it possible that one day when I might stand before God that I will have seen real, cultural fundamental change in my lifetime?

How Can We Serve You?

It's been about 3 weeks since we launched Catalyst Leadership. Though this is not a 'hot topic' blog, we have had between 6-700 unique visitors and days with 1-200 visits.

We are here to serve you. We have no other reason to exist. Please take a look at the list of contributors and tell us where we can serve you. What do you want us to address? What topics will help you in your ministry?

Feel free to answer anonymously, or you can email me offline at pgrabill@aol.com.

Disturb me Lord

Craig Groeschel of LIFECHURCH.tv made reference to an old prayer by Sir Francis Drake while speaking at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta last week. It's good...
Disturb me, Lord, when my dreams come true, only because I dreamed too small.
Disturb me when I arrive safely, only because I sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb me when the things I have gained cause me to lose my thirst for more of You.
Disturb me when I have acquired success, only to lose my desire for excellence.
Disturb me when I give up too soon and settle too far short of the goals You have set for my life.
Sir Francis Drake

unChristian

Christianity needs a face lift. On second thought, it needs total reconstruction surgery. In their newly released book entitled "unChristian," David Kinnaman (from the Barna Group) and Gabe Lyons (co-founder of the Catalyst Conference) reported that only 3% of 18-29 year olds in America hold a positive impression of Christianity. Christianity has a major image problem.

This open hostility held by the current generation (ala Kathy Griffin telling Jesus to go "suck it" a couple weeks ago at the Emmy's) is alarming, yet somewhat understandable.

Case in point - last week at Minister's Enrichment I was checking out of our hotel when I noticed the "Sleep Inn" (yes, we only travel first class) desk clerk, a young women in her early 20's, trying to assuage an irritated guest. The guest raised his voice several times (something about already paying his bill for which he did not have a receipt - of course, it wasn't his fault) and the young woman went to the back room for reinforcements from the manager. During this uncomfortable encounter, I could only pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let this guy be one of our card-carrying ministers."

Well, we paid our bill and with receipt in hand left the hotel. I smiled and wished the young woman well and told her how pleased I was with her service. During the break after the first session, I was in the lobby trying to resist the delectable donuts when I looked up and guess who I saw ... bingo ... Mr. Angry Guy from the hotel. I was so upset. How could this so called "Christian" (minister none-the-less) treat someone so unkindly.

Then I paused and realized, I can't stand "Christians." The hypocrisy and hostility and unwillingness to carry out the mission of Jesus. You see, I love Christ, but there's a lot Christians I can't stand. And perhaps the Christian I cant' stand the most is the one writing this blog entry. I can't my stand my inconsistencies and my unwillingness to go the second mile and sacrifice for the cause of Christ like I should.

If we are going to reach this generation for Christ, we are going to have to live the life of a Christ follower every day. What can you do to understand what a new generation really thinks about Christianity and why? More importantly, what role can you play to change that perception on a daily basis?

A Challenging Abundance

It's interesting to me that when Jesus got his 'staff' together to train them and send them out to advertise His event, (and they say Jesus didn't do advertising, or that we should not be 'event' driven!) that His first concern was what they were thinking about people's openness to His message.

"There is just so much harvest out there", he told them, "and it's ready now". (Lk 10:2)

I wonder if I am seeing even a little of what Jesus saw when He saw the harvest so plentiful. Are my eyes seeing people everywhere who wish to crowd into The Kingdom, or do I see it as "hardly anyone wants to live for God these days"?

God help me see the abundant harvest today, so that I can bring some of it in.

Yesterday as I was waiting for an appointment to show up (they were stuck in traffic and I waited 90 minutes), I did a little unscientific research on the net. I found an atheists site that was trumpeting that 74% of America does not go to church, so we can no longer be called 'a nation under God.' Some of the presumably Christian sites said that number is too high- that only about 12% of Americans actually attend church at least monthly.

Which got me doing a little simple math (it's all they taught in Amish school, okay?). If there are something like 13 million people here in Penn-Del, does that mean there are maybe 9 million left to reach?

We have such a huge, exciting job to do. And I am so pathetically small at getting it done. I sure hope that when I stand before my hero at his judgement seat, that he can find it in my little life to say "well done good and faithful servant". I pray that between now and my retirement, that somehow, but God's grace, we can see maybe a 5 or 10 percent growth in the number of people in PennDel attending church, and a little momentum in God's direction. 5% would be an additional half a million people in church, right? 10% would be over a million!

How can we get this done in the next 20-30 years?

Pastoral Missions Trips

Yesterday, our Catalyst group had the privilege of hosting Christopher Alam, a long-time missionary evangelist who has planted over 1000 new churches and has seen millions of converts in Africa and Asia. Just last week he was received into the Penn-Del District of the Assemblies of God (his close friend, Reinhard Bonnke, was received into the Peninsular Florida district this month as well).

One of the group members asked Christopher what an American pastor should do to keep their faith level high that God can/will do the same kind of miracles here that are happening in many other places of the world.

I was struck by Christopher's answer.

He said, "I would recommend that every pastor in the U.S. minister on a missions trip once a year to sustain his/her level of faith."

What do you think? Has that approach been effective for anyone?

The hardest and most productive part of leadership

I wanted to give something back to my leaders, and made the mistake of asking them what they wanted from me.

"How can I serve you"? I asked, like a sheep to the slaughter.

"Write a prophetic word over us", they answered. "Ask God what he thinks of us, and write it out. Use your prophetic gift."

So we invited people to sign up for a leadership night. 120 key leaders showed up. I had three weeks to write 120 prophetic words.

I seemed to slave away at it morning noon and night until it felt like it would kill me. I finally got the last ones done 15 minutes before the meeting started tonight.

So we got into the meeting and I started passing out framed prophetic words that I had asked God for and received. There were a lot of tears, hugs, and amazingly shaken people. I have rarely felt so appreciated with anything I have ever done. Or felt God's anointing so powerfully present in the room. Before I got home, 15 more people heard about it and ask if I could possibly do it for them as well.

I sure need to do this more. There is little that I could do to matter more to the volunteers, givers, and otherwise precious leaders that God has given me. And there is little that could ever be more effective in helping people know this Jesus, and walk with Him.

Pre-Marital Counseling

Most pastors I know do premarital counseling, but I'm sure our approaches are quite varied.

For some years, we have been using the Prepare compatibility test as well as the old Richard Dobbins videos/workbooks.

I'd like to invite everyone into this, not just the contributors.

What do you use? What does your process look like?

Please leave a comment and share...

BTW, here are three things I tell almost every couple:
(1) You are attracted to each other because you are different from each other, but a terrible thing often happens right after the wedding. Couples start wondering why their spouse isn't more like them. I say, that'll happen, but it takes about 50 years. Don't expect to become more like each other the first year.
(2) There is absolutely no correlation between a good wedding and a good marriage. I remind them of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. I encourage them to have as nice a wedding as they wish to have, but not to think that it has anything at all to do with the success of their marriage. I then ask which they are putting more prep into.
(3) Along those lines, I counsel the bride to make the wedding as nice as she can, but when the wedding time comes, forget about all the details and just enjoy it, no matter what goes right or goes wrong. I say, wouldn't be a shame to put all that effort into a wedding and then not enjoy it because something went wrong, which is almost inevitable.

Catalyst Session: Erwin McManus

God has called us to create the future. We cannot change history. We cannot make history. But we can and should create the future.

God seems to work most powerfully through those who live most passionately.

Solomon paints a very depressing picture in Ecclesiastes. He seems to be almost suicidal and says that there is nothing new under the sun, and that everything is meaningless.

But Solomon was wrong. God is always doing a new thing. With God nothing is hopeless. God is a creative God. He is actively at work in human history. He is inviting us to be a part of the new thing He is doing in your world right now.

We need to rethink our relationship to history. If we make history, it simply means that we are doing something profound and powerful in the moment we are in right now.

So how do we establish and reconnect ourselves to what it means to being truly human? God created all of us with the capacity to choose. Our futures are not pre-determined. We can choose what happens in our world. Adam and Eve had a choice for what their future would look like. We are now recreated in Christ for good works that were prepared in advance for us to choose to do.

People always ask me, 'who do you preach to on the weekends...believers or seekers?' My answer is simple, 'I preach to humans...which seems to cover just about 98% of everyone.' I think if we preach to people in these categories we miss some of the deepest longings that are simply a part of being a human being.

God didn't create you to live passively, he created you to be creative. He also created you with many needs even beyond your spiritual life. He created you because He enjoys meeting those needs. He formed you to want and to have longings. When we speak to people, we should connect into those longings and bring God into the longings of the heart.

There is a universal longing in every human for the authentic and the real. Our soul is sick and we are longing for authentic connections with God and others.

Isn't it great that we have come to a moment in the church world where it is ok to tell the truth. We don't have to make our life sound better than it is. We can be honest and transparent about our struggles, questions and doubts. We can be honest about what we don't like about the condition of the Church. What happens when we are authentic is that Jesus becomes more beautiful in the atmosphere of the truth.

Jesus becomes attractive to our world when they seen Him through the authentic pictures of the brokenness of our own lives.

In fact, perhaps all of human history is a contrast between tragedy and beauty. God creates beauty. Then we come along and we by our attitudes or decisions turn that beauty into tragedy. But then Jesus arrives and he makes beautiful the tragic things of our broken lives.

Is it possible that we have trained ourselves to live in this inhuman world that we have lost the ability to see and celebrate that which is truly beautiful. Consider the early verses of Isaiah 53, what God saw as ultimately beautiful (the cross) was seen at first as horrid to us. Consider the revelation of the 'word' in John chapter 1. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, but we did not even recognize Him.

Our world needs someone to help them see the beauty of God's expression in the most painful experiences of their lives.

Craig Groeschel + Rick Warren

More information from the Catalyst Conference. Hope this is helpful!?! Craig Groeschel did a powerful session about the tendency we have toward practical atheism.

• Mark Batterson's take on Groeschel's talk.
• My notes from Groeschel's talk.
• More great quotes from Rick Warren's message.

Catalyst Session: John Maxwell

Central Thought Of Talk: Intentionally add value to people every day!

The greatest way to add value to people is to find your 'strength zone' (gifts, passions, skills) and then leverage those strengths for others.

Several Hinderances In Adding Value To Others In My Young Life:

1. I didn't know my 'strength zone' so I didn't know what to leverage.
2. Don't add value to people as a technique to build your own thing. It has to be a self-less things. It is simply a sowing mentality. Don't worry about the reaping. Just help people.

Fact: We are either adding value to people or we are taking value from people. So the question is do I add or do I subtract.

Reality: People who add value do so INTENTIONALLY. By nature we tend to be selfish, we are subtractors. We have to do it daily and intentionally. How?

1. You have to VALUE people.
2. You have to make yourself more Valuable.
3. You have to know and relate to what other people value. (great leaders are first listeners, and then learners, and then they are leaders).
4. You have to do the things that God VALUES.

Catalyst Labs stimulate and challenge

The annual Catalyst Conference here in Atlanta is always preceded by what are called Catalyst Labs. These are workshops with amazing speakers (last year I got to meet Eugene Peterson among others) and I find it more helpful and exciting than the arena event which attracts 11,000 people. Here is a bit of my experience to piggyback on Jeff Leake's reports on the general sessions which I also attended. Click here for Catalyst site
First of all Catalyst Lab speakers included Mark Batterson, Chris Seay, Matt Chandler (he was great), David Batstone, Leonard Sweet, Ron Martoia, Jud Wilhite, Nancy Ortberg, Reggie McNeal, Tim Elmore, Brad Powell, Ed Stetzer, Gabe Lyons, Rick McKinley, Shane Claiborne and many more.
I am always alone when I come here so it can be hard because I am a social creature. I long for discussion and fellowship but have to be satisfied with information and inspiration. Fortunately, as we were waiting to enter the venue for the evening session on Wednesday I asked the man next to me where he was from. "Newfoundland" he said. I was thrilled because we have a lady in our church from Newfoundland. But it got better because he was from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland, serving as their Secretary/Treasurer. Turns out he had no transportaion to and from his hotel, so I had a spirit-filled buddy for the next two days!
I love this conference because of the diversity, not just in subject matter, but also in terms of attendees. There is also a sense of expectancy and excellence that I rarely find elsewhere. A man named Reggie Joiner always opens with a Pre-Lab session, and he is very creative. He shared is views on ministry and used ten words to characterize the transitions we need to make in the coming years.

• From focus on Students to focus on Leaders. We need to begin to see those who sit in our classes as potential leaders being trained for ministry instead of mere pupils being filled with our great wisdom.
• From Content to Experience. It's the difference between a classroom and an apprenticeship. We must flesh things out and show how the scripture works in the real world.
• From Production to Relationship. People are more important than the show we perform each week.
• From Age-focused to Family-focused. We must stop dividing families during the church ministry time and give parents tools to share their faith with their most important mission field- their children.
• From Growth to Service. We must mobilize to serve a broken world and leave the growth to God.

Reggie Joiner is head of RETHINK, and is worth listening to.

I love Leonard Sweet's brilliance. He is a futurist and is always thinking in terms of what is next. His job seems to be to prepare and warn the church so we can be more effective and not miss the waves of change that come like continuous ripples, faster and faster it seems. He explained how the classic bell curve with it's large middle and diminished ends has been replaced by the "well curve" with almost no middle and large ends. We see it in economics (the diminishing "middle class"), politics becoming polarized, and even in the church where we have mostly large or small churches, but very few medium sized churches. He encouraged us to build bridges between the ends, because that's what Jesus would do. He also called us to be MRI- Missional, Relational and Incarnational. Leonard Sweet

I came away from the Labs with many good ideas, but more importantly I am reconsidering the way we do things at Mountainside. I can see more clearly where we ought to be going and how we might get there. All I ask of a conference or gathering these days is two simple things. I need to be inspired to give my life more fully and purely to the cause of Christ, and some effective and meaningful ways to motivate others to do that with me.

Catalyst Session 5: Rick Warren

If you want God's blessing, anointing, and power to rest on your life--then you have to get with God's agenda. God has not promised to bless your agenda. But He has promised to bless His agenda through you.

Stop praying, 'God bless me!' Begin praying, 'God what is it that you are blessing.'

So what is God blessing? In a word...THE KINGDOM!

Where is the Kingdom of God? It is wherever Jesus is King.

What is the Kingdom of God? It is God's people fulfilling God's purposes on God's planet for God's glory. It is multi-cultural. God is a global God. It is eternal. It is powerful, run by God's power. It is inevitable, for God will one day place Jesus as ruler over all.

When will Jesus come back? If Jesus didn't know that, I shouldn't expect that I will be able to figure that out either. I stopped trying to figure out what Jesus didn't know. Matthew 24:14 tells us the key factor. The gospel must be preached to all nations and then...

What is God's agenda? It's the Kingdom coming through the Church. When you are married, you love your bride no matter what. Jesus loves His bride no matter what. He asks us to do the same. Jesus said, "I love the church so much it hurts...I died for it.' We need to stop putting down the church. It is God's agenda in the world.

God wants you to love the real Church not the ideal Church. And He wants you to learn to serve in it.

God created the universe, galaxy, planet, to put us on this globe. He did it because He wanted a family. He made us to love us. That's why we are alive. The Church is the expression of God's family on earth. One day everything else will burn up, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The only thing that will last on this earth is God's Family.

I am not interested in changing culture, I am interested in creating it. God is a creative God. For thousands of years the Church has created culture.

Think about the moment when God told Moses to lay down his staff. When he did, it became a snake. When he picked it up again, it again became a staff. Why did God do this? What do we learn?

• Whenever God asks you a question, it is never for His benefit. It is always to teach us a lesson.
• Whenever God does a miracle, He never does it to show off. It is always to teach a truth

The staff of Moses represented three things:

• First, it represented Moses' identity. Moses was a shepherd. The staff revealed that.
• Second, it represented Moses' income. All Moses' income was wrapped up in flocks not stocks.
• Third, it represented his influence. It was the means by which Moses moved his sheep.

God asked Moses to lay all this down for Him. God then told him, 'Moses, if you surrender it to me...I will make it come alive. And every time you pick it back up again, its going to die. It's all about surrendering it to me.'

From the moment Moses laid down his staff, it is never called the staff of Moses again. It is now called THE ROD OF GOD.

The question that we all have to answer is 'What Is In Your Hand?'

When you stand before God, you will have two questions to answer to God. What did you do with my son Jesus? and second...What did you do with what I gave you?

Catalyst Session 4: Francis Chan

Francis Chan is a pastor of a church in So. Cal.

It is actually possible to be successful preacher and have a growing church--and not really love the people of your church. It is also possible to be successful outwardly and not really be in love with Jesus.

In the early days of my faith I had a deep passion for people, the lost friends in my high school, the people that I worked with in the Mexican Restaurant I worked at. I had a huge love for God and for people...and then I got into ministry.

And I am constantly fighting to keep this from becoming just a job. I am working hard to be aware of the tendency I have to drift away from the core of what this is all about.

Paul talks in Galatians of how God had selected him to be used by Him from birth. This thing we do is not something we should treat casually. God ordained us into His service. He has filled our bodies with the very Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead! That is some serious power!

So do you really speak and serve out of that reality?

Jeremiah 1:4 tells us that Jeremiah was known by God BEFORE he was even formed in the womb. So God knew us before he actually created us. In verse 5 he goes on to say that...before birth I had selected Jeremiah to be a prophet.

Does God really think that about me? Did he really have this specific a destiny for me even before I was conceived? Do you really believe that God wanted you hear on this earth because He had a design for you so important and so essential that only you could fulfill?

Jeremiah's response to this knowledge was...'I don't think I can? I don't really talk that well.' But God rebuked him and told him that he was not to doubt himself or refuse to go out of fear.

At the end of the day, we have to not only believe that we are uniquely designed and called by God, we also have to do the very unique thing God designed us to do. It's fine to learn from other successful pastors and churches, but we need to get back to the place where we get alone with God and listen for the unique and specific things God wants you to do in your context.

And just in case Jeremiah didn't get the point of God's call, listen to what God says in v. 17:
Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.

Question: Am I really ready to say whatever Jesus called me to say? Jeremiah was called to say some very difficult things. Are you willing to say WHATEVER Jesus calls you to say?

Jesus did not build a popular ministry. He challenged people to pick up their cross and follow. The large crowds found His sayings so hard that they departed from Him. If Jesus had a church in the same city as me, I would probably have a bigger ministry. People would leave his church and come to mine because He would say much more challenging things that I tend to say.

I don't want to present to Jesus a lukewarm church of a bunch of people who sort of love Jesus. I want to present a 'bride' of people in my local church that are passionate radical followers who are willing to give up everything to please Him. I could spend my life for that. Building a big building or a big crowd, what good is that?

I want to build a BRIDE for Jesus. I want to fulfill the complete mission and destiny that I was born to fulfill. I want to live up to the capabilities of the Holy Spirit that is alive within my soul. I don't want to do the typical thing, or the thing people expect me to do. I want to do what Jesus has for my life.

Catalyst Session 3: Unchristian

Session three launched with a discussion about a new book that is out called UNCHRISTIAN. It is a documentation of how the current culture views Evangelical Christians.

• Young people ages 16-29 are 8x more likely to have a negative view of Christians than did their Boomer parents.
• Their views were shaped not as much by the media as by their personal experiences. The majority surveyed had been in a church for at least six months and at some point have considered becoming Christians.
• The over-riding idea is not so much that we are resented for our righteousness but rather for our self-righteousness.

This is a book that I will not only read, but I think should be read by as many believers as possible so that we can understand the challenge we are dealing with in reaching the next generation.

After that Shane Claiborne who leads a ministry in Philadelphia shared his vision for following Jesus who was never cornered by political or religious expectations. Shane was an intern both at Willow Creek and for a time under Mother Theresa. A very unique guy.

His life and ministry to the poor and broken in Philly was very challenging. I wish I could convey in my words more about his spirit (one of those things that you just to be present to absorb).

Catalyst Conference Session 2: Patrick Lencioni

Blogger's Note: Lencioni is a great leadership author. One of my favorite books of his is called DEATH BY MEETING.

Isn't it interesting that many of the popular TV shows of the past (Happy Days, Seinfeld, Friends), they rarely showed people at work. Even in church, we rarely think about or refer to our life at work.

Job misery is something that effects every social level and every type of profession. No job is a perfect job. So how do we address our work life? What can we do to help people find greater fulfillment and meaning in their jobs?

Samuel Johnson: People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed.

THREE SIGNS OF A MISERABLE JOB (...or a miserable church member):

1 - Anonymity - going to work and feeling like you aren't known. All human beings have a need to be known, so when we feel like no one cares enough to know us, we feel we are missing something important.

Sometimes in the interview process potential employees are sold with warmth on a great work environment. Then after beginning the job, there is a huge disconnect. Important moments happen for employees (births, deaths, etc) and no one seems to care.

When it happens in a church, it is particularly painful because the expectations are higher for a church (especially a church staff).

If we don't care about the people we manage, we shouldn't be a manager.

Why don't we do this? It is intuitive. It should be a no-brainer. It might be busyness. It might be a lack of our own sense of value. We don't understand that we have importance and influence to them. Sometimes we feel like it might be disingenuous because you have never asked about them before.

#2 - Irrelevance - people that don't feel they are making a difference have a deep sense of insignificance.

We as leaders need to be constantly remind people of the difference they are making in the company or in the lives of others. Identifying for people their role and reminding them of how valuable it is brings great meaning and purpose to their existence.

Why wouldn't we want every waitress, janitor, church usher, or minister to know what a huge difference they are making in our lives?

#3 - Immeasurement - people need to measure for themselves how they are doing. If you don't know how you are doing, and you don't know how to track it, you tend to feel a bit hopeless and out of control.

Often sales people like their jobs because they always know where they stand. We all have a need to measure.

We need to measure what is is we do that is relevant? What do we do to assess our effectiveness?

Good management is actually good ministry. Helping people feel valuable can be one of the biggest impacts on their lives.

Live Blogging At Catalyst Conference

I am attending the Catalyst Conference on Thursday and Friday (Oct 4-5). I will be blogging live from the sessions. You can read the notes from Andy Stanley's first session here.

More posts to come...

Wednesday Morning, October 3, 2007, Penn-Del Minister’s Enrichment – H.B. London

Moral Failure in the Pastor's Life
Why does pastoral moral failure occur?
· Fatigue and Burn-out. You are depleted of energy, and you need something to fill you up.
· Carelessness. You allow yourself to slip in very subtle areas.

Three things observed in every pastoral failure –
1. Very limited time alone with God.
2. Unresolved conflicts at home.
3. No one holding them accountable.

Other observations noted in pastoral failure -
· An over-abundance of pastoral counseling. Pastors must have a good referral system – people who you can refer your parishioners to who are better than you are at counseling. This is no indication of weakness on your part.
· Spiritual burn-out. When you see the same people, saying the same things, with the same problems, and you begin to wonder if anything ever will change. You keep getting beat down, and you spiritually burn out.
· Loneliness and isolation. Pastors and/or their spouses feel isolated and underappreciated. You seek affirmation in other places, and this leaves you vulnerable.

Ephesians 5:3 – let there not even be a hint of immorality. We need to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6)

· The inability or unwillingness to identify areas of weakness. We need to do everything we can to avoid all areas of personal weakness. You need to have someone to whom you are personally accountable. Someone who you allow to ask you the hard questions. Build safeguards into your life.

If therer are unresolved issues from the past, they must be resolved, or they will come back to haunt us.

What is the solution to these things?
1. Intimacy with God
2. Right relationships
3. Adequate rest
4. Honest accountability
5. Meaningful ministry
6. An attitude of joy and thanksgiving
7. A vigilant spirit

Guard your heart, stay pure, love your family, stay very close to God.

Tuesday Evening, October 2, 2007, Penn-Del Minister’s Enrichment – H.B. London

The dream never dies, just the dreamer.

The song never stops, just the singer…

I’m not going to let the challenges, difficulties, take my song away, or my dream away.

When we dream, God nearly always gives us impossibilities at first. They seem impossible to us at first. The size of our dreams has to do with the size of our faith. If we are going to realize the wonderful things God will give us, we need to begin living out our dream.

Illustration of James Dobson’s experience on the Phil Donahue show at the beginning of the Focus on the Family ministry. Donahue told him "we're going to eat you alive." And they did. Dobson could easily have given up at that starting point in the ministry of Focus on the Family, but if he had, then all that it has become would never have taken place.

Joseph’s brothers said ”Behold here comes the dreamer. Let’s slay the dreamer and see what becomes of his dreams.” (Genesis 37:20.) Then they threw him into a cistern, and sold him to the enemy. (:28) The enemy wants to slay us, and to throw us in a cistern where we will never realize our dreams nor even think about them again.

Everyone needs a dream – what’s yours?
Without a dream, you have no ministry, just a job. No sense of passion or call.

The cistern of self-doubt. That is the doomsday of the dream. God gives us a dream, and puts us in a place to see the dream become a reality. All too often, self-doubt becomes the cistern the enemy enslaves us within. You can’t go around feeling sorry for yourself, or allowing doubt to creep in.

The cistern of rejection. Perhaps people have left your church. Rejected you. Jesus likewise had people reject him. The people of Nazareth said “aren’t you the son of the carpenter?” Even Peter turned away from Him. You must be true to yourself, true to the Scriptures – you can not try to please everyone.

The cistern of failure. You’ve prepared your message, thinking it’s going to be the best ever, and it “cures people of insomnia.”

The cistern of anger. Too many pastors are angry over one thing or another, and due to their anger, they are unable to accomplish anything for the Lord. You will never accomplish anything for God as long as you are filled with self-doubt, rejection, failure or anger. We cannot allow the enemy to hide us in the cisterns of life. We need to get out of the cistern, and do all we can for the Lord every day of our life.

Everyone needs a Reuben – who’s yours?
Reuben saved Joseph’s life (Genesis 37). Everyone of us needs someone we can count on, that we can trust, who can rescue us. You allow a person in your life to monitor your life and hold you accountable.

Everyone needs to stay close to Jesus
From the cistern, Joseph moved to the palace, and was next to the king. (Genesis 45). Joseph says to his brothers “Come close to me.” In the hard times, Jesus says to us, “Come close to me.”

When we come close to Jesus, three things take place at that moment of surrender –
· You begin to love people the way Jesus loves them. Numbers, attendance, all become far less important. You begin to serve the ones
· The Bible becomes the source of light and strength, rather than a textbook for preaching
· There is a boldness that comes, from being freed from over-concern of what people think or say.

If you are ever going to see your dreams come true.
· It will need to be an impossible dream
· You will need people who will hold your arms up and pray for you
· It will be at the foot of Jesus, and we will have to let Him live us

Tues AM: H.B. London

Dean of Duke University said at one time, 'being in the ministry today is the greatest call in the world--but it is the worst job in the world (meaning most challenging and difficult).

1 Timothy 4:15-16--Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

FOUR GAUGES TO WATCH IN OUR LIVES: Don't forget to watch the gages. We all have a dashboard in our lives just like we have in our car.

#1 - The Spiritual Gauge

Is it well with your soul? Are you walking in intimacy with God? Or has your relationship with God become professional (a working partnership)? Are you comfortable in His presence.

One of the greatest tragedies in the Bible. Samson went out to do battle as before, '...and did not know that the Lord had left him.

Henry Blackaby talked about his walk with God where his success in ministry had become the substitute for real relationship with God. God spoke to him and told him, "Henry...you are hurrying me! You need to slow down and do life with me."

Stats say that the average pastor spends less than 20 mins alone with God per day.

#2 - The Physical Gauge

Are you living like the Temple?

Pastors tend to neglect this area of life. Exercise. Diet. Healthy living. All of these are part of a good investment in God's work in your life.

Keeping in shape lifts your energy, builds enthusiasm, and assists you in maintaining a good perspective in life.

#3 - The Emotional Gauge (dealing with draining circumstances and draining people)

I will not be anxious!

Stats say that the average pastor may deal with 2 or 3 crisis moments a month. After a while it takes a toll on us. If we are not careful we become callous and aloof and we lose our joy and our ability to influence others.

Emotionally draining people tend to draw our attention. Before long we are concentrated on them. Our focus on them actually does more to drain us than anything else.

#4 - The Family Gauge

The most important people in your congregation are your spouse and your children.

Your congregation needs to:

• Allow you to dream impossible dreams.
• Pray for you regularly.
• Treat your family with respect. They need to allow you to take time off, vacations, and time to be with your family.

When I started in ministry I had this idea...H.B. you just build the church and God will take care of your family. THAT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE!

Your primary call is to your family. If you have everything else in ministry, numbers, status, recognition, results, but you lose your family--what good is it? We can never allow our involvement to destroy our most important relationships.

What about the Check Engine Light? It comes on when...

• When you begin to look for short-cuts and compromises in your ministry and life.
• Not giving adequate time to Bible Study and prayer.
• When you avoiding time with kids and spouse
• When you allow inappropriate material on your computer.
• When you begin to cut corners in your integrity or in your financial dealings.

When we see the warning signs on the dashboard, we need to take it very seriously and make sure that we are guarding the health of our lives.

Monday Night: H.B. London (Phil 4)

Here are the notes from the Minister's Enrichment Retreat on Monday night.

Nearly 50% of seminary grads drop out of ministry within 5 years.

We lose 1500 ministers a month across USA for one reason or another.

We tend to forget the basis for our call and the challenge that we answer when we say yes to ministry. This call and profession is unique. When Jesus called his disciples, he promised to make them fishers of men. He did not, however, promise them success, and size of ministry, and status. He simply asked them to follow Him.

Paul wrote often from the worst of circumstances (old, cold, and lonely; in prison and suffering). Yet he wrote about God's sufficient grace. He told Timothy to focus on the reward of a finished race. He wrote to the Philippians about rejoicing in all circumstances. Paul learned, in spite of his difficulties, to lead himself to life-sustaining choices.

#1 - We need to REJOICE

It's difficult to rejoice with your head down, or when you are frowning, or when you are complaining, or when you are finding fault. Rejoicing is a choice we must make in spite of the circumstances of our life. This is one of the most important factors in a sustainable ministry...HOLD YOUR HEAD UP AND REJOICE.

Some have figured out that about 40% of our work is dealing with negative stuff. That's why we have to work so hard to not be overcome with negativity. Sometimes we have allowed the joy-suckers to so influence our ministry that we have become like them. We have let them destroy the true nature of the body of Christ which is that of energy, and joy, and life.

#2 - We need to RELAX

We need to stop taking ourselves so seriously. We need to stop trying to act so spiritual. We need to simply encourage people, be real with people, affirm them, and give them life.

A mentor from my past said, 'you don't have to be a great preacher to be a great pastor. Just practice the ministry of presence. Just be with them, affirm them, value them, love them. They will remember you not so much for the sermons you preach but for the sermons you live.'

I would say to my people almost every week: God loves you today as if you were the only person on this earth that there is to love. And if you were the only one on earth, Jesus loved you enough to die just for you. And I love you too.

When I left my pastorate, they gave me a ring with that statement inscribed in it. They had really heard me. They knew I loved them.

RELAX...and remember that it's God's church and their his people. We are simply custodians.

#3 - We need to REST every now and then.

If we are going to have the peace of God, then we have to empty ourselves of the things that cause the unrest. Jesus is the peace-giver! Nothing else will suffice but the peace that only he can give.

We must surrender the things that clutter our lives to HIM!

When we are struggling with the inevitability's and difficulties of life, think about the things that are good, and praise-worthy and worth celebrating. Think about the hurting people that you are able to offer care for. Think about the people who get saved, by God's grace, even during the worst sermons you have ever preached.

Paul had learned to rejoice. He learned to relax and be gentle with all. He learned to be content in all circumstances. And he was able to declare because of this: I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH.

BEST OF THE FUNNY QUOTES:

• Laughter is healthy. If you can't find things or people to laugh at--watch TV. It's not quite a Sitcom, but sometimes its close.
• Their are many of joy-suckers in your life. You can close their eyes and see who they are. They have an ability to pull the life and the joy right out of you. Joy-suckers are just joy-suckers and every movement has them. I don't know if you can heal them or not?
• I have to say that some of the finest funerals I have ever performed were joy-sucker funerals. I'd be up there looking sad and everything, but inside I was smiling. Besides that I got paid $100 for doing the funeral.

Live Blogging at Minister's Enrichment

Just arrived at the Penn-Del annual Minister's Enrichment. With this technology, we are going to try something here--live blogging the main sessions.

H. B. London, a pastor to our nation's pastors, is our guest speaker. For those of you who are unable to attend, we will share what we can so that you can benefit and still feel connected.