You Can't Do Everything

10 NCAA National Championships, winning 88 straight games, and 4 perfect seasons mark the legacy of one of our time's greatest leaders, Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden describes "Competitive Greatness" as Being Your Best When Your Best Is Needed. What an amazing way to describe greatness! But the interesting thing about this is that Wooden didn't come to this definition easily. He had to make a choice very early on in his career that set him on this path. And what was that choice? Let's see...

Did you know that Wooden's first job was making $1,500 annually at Dayton High School teaching English? He was also the football and basketball coach. Wooden recounts the situation by saying that they gained a pretty good English teacher and a really bad coach. Interesting. But here is where the big decision came into play that set him on the path to greatness...Coach Wooden decided to quit coaching football after just two weeks of beginning his new job. HE QUIT COACHING FOOTBALL.

If you want to be the greatest at something YOU CAN'T DO EVERYTHING.

Andy Stanley reiterates this idea in his book The Next Generation Leader by saying, "Devoting a little of yourself to everything means committing a great deal of yourself to nothing." To Be The Best When Your Best Is Needed you must decide when to say NO to things that will divert your focus to the few things that God has called you to do. This means saying no to things that are "good" someimes. So remember...Don't attempt everything if you want to be the greatest at what you are called to do.

Reading...

I had an amazing revelation a few years ago when I graduated college. The moment when I realized that I could now read "for fun" and not "for finals" was one of the more liberating experiences of my life.

So I began to buy books that I wanted to read, however I began to get dozens of reads on leadership, organization, finance, entrepreneurship, and business. All of these topics are very interesting to read, but I wouldn't call it necessarily "fun reading".

A week ago I bought my first Novel. It is a book called The Justice Game by Randy Singer. I will be honest with you. It has been one of the most relaxing things in the world to escape into this thick book, and for a few brief moments forget about the "real world".

Here is my advice to all you leaders out there who only read for your self improvement...READ FOR FUN. You will be surprised at how much it refreshes your brain to consume something that isn't business related.

4 Parts of God's House

Recently in my personal time with God I have felt strongly impressed to read through the Minor Prophets. This type of thing doesn't happen every day, but when the Holy Spirit directs me to a particular portion of Scripture, I know it is for a reason. It is from that reading that I would like to share with you now.

Haggai 2:6-9 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

Many lessons can be extracted from this passage, and I wouldn't pretend to know them all. But I do know a few things that God has whispered to my spirit as I read these powerful words.

When God's house is functioning in a Biblical way these four things will always be present...

1) His People (v. 7)
2) His Power (v. 7)
3) His Provision (v. 8)
4) His Peace (v. 9)

Be encouraged! God knows how to fill his house with all four of these components. Lean on him, and he will direct you in all wisdom as to where you fit into His plan to see these things come to pass in your place of worship.

Diverting

My family and I recently returned from a wonderful vacation. We spent 5 nights in the small town of Timberon, NM. As we drove up the winding road high into the mountains it became immediately apparent that we were far from civilization. My idea of a perfect vacation isn't going to Disney Land or the beach, it is disappearing and diverting from everything. I would rather be in a cabin away from phones, computers, and news than in the middle of traffic, big crowds, and long lines.

One of the most important and effective ways to keep your fire going strong for God is diverting away from your hectic schedule. TAKE A BREAK. SLOW DOWN. And do something that you wouldn't normally do. Draw, read a good book, take a walk in the woods, connect with nature, or you could do something way out there and build a house of cards like I did.

Here is a picture.

I know it sounds silly, but if you do something that you don't normally do, if you divert from your normal routine, then you will be amazed at how you will stay refreshed.

I Must Decrease

The minister confessed something that no one in the crowd expected. It wasn't a confession of a scandalous nature, but his words still shocked everyone. 

He told us about how his weight was impacting his ability to properly minister to his people. If he ever gave an altar call, he would find himself completely out of energy after praying for only a few people. What was the problem? The problem was not his lack of desire, but his lack of good health. 

He desired to pray for more people, but his body would not allow him the strength that he needed to do the job. 

John 3:30 says that He must increase, and I must decrease. 

I just wonder if there might be a physical application to this verse? Could it be that if we allow the care of our bodies go by the wayside, that our ministries will be cut short? Could it be that if our weight decreases then His ability to work through us will increase?

If we were to sit down with the minister mentioned above, I know that he would tell you of his regret. He constantly wonders to himself what might have happened if he had simply had the energy to pray for people when they needed it. 

One of the greatest ways to stay energized for God is to stay energized physically. 

Just a thought. 

Intersecting

A friend of mine, Evangelist Marshall Windsor, put me on to this song. I heard it at the exact moment in my life when I needed to be encouraged. It is funny how we seem to intersect with the right form of encouragement right when we need it most.

I hope it is a blessing to you as well. Enjoy!

Click HERE to watch.

Friends=Fire

One of the quickest ways to be inspired and motivated is to surround yourself with friends who are doing what you want to do. If you have friends who are always climbing to higher heights and pushing the envelope, then you will be more likely to do the same.

* If you want to lose weight, then make friends who are healthy.
* If you want to plant a church, then make friends with church planters.
* If you want to run a marathon, then make friends with a runner.

You get the point. But what we may not always realize is that the friends we have today mark our future.

Friends=Fire

How Does Free Sound?

We are always looking for more economical ways to do quality ministry. For those of you in Youth Ministry, here are a couple of sites that are providing amazing resources for FREE.

YouthMinistry.com freebies: Here you will find free ebooks with devotionals and unique games. Youth Pastors are always looking for creative games and icebreakers. Check this out for some good stuff. http://youthministry.com/freebie-library

Youth Leadership Coach: Here are a few good illustrations, sermons, dramas, and podcasts from one of Americas foremost youth leaders, Jeanne Mayo. You cannot afford to overlook this one. http://www.youthleaderscoach.com/freebies.asp

Just a little more fuel for the fire. Enjoy.

FREE BOOK

I just thought I would pass this on to you. For your FREE COPY of Ray Comfort's newest book simply click HERE.

Enjoy. I just recieved my free copy! I look forward to reading it.

Sabbath Rest: The Key To Avoiding Burnout

Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

God has always had a plan to keep each of us living and working at our best. He built this plan into the very fabric of his creation. From the very beginning God had our passion for him in mind, and he made a way for us to keep that passion. 

Are you ready? Here it is...REST! Take a break!

I was at dinner recently with a minister over the age of 70 years old along with his wife and my wife, Sara. This minister was and still is in ministry today. Given his age and the many years of ministry he had put in the question came up, "Do you ever plan to retire?" He said, "Yes." Then I asked him another question. "How have you not burned out over the years?" 

He told me something in that moment that I will not soon forget. 

He told me that the best way to avert burnout is REPENTANCE. He said that the only reason a person burns out is they are not praying enough, resting enough, and putting their priorities straight. So if a person is burning out, they need to repent. Burnout means that something is off. Priorities are not in line with the word of God.

Don't forget to rest. Don't forget to keep your prayer life alive. Don't just rest physically, but rest in the presence of the Holy Spirit meditating on God's Word. 

If we do these things we will avoid burnout. 

"Sexy Jesus" By: Josh Mayo

MOMENTUM Monday, a weekly internet article, sent out an interesting piece by Josh Mayo. Josh is an up and coming Youth/Young Adult minister, and he recently came out with a book called "Sexy Jesus". I must say that the title alone caught my attention. I have not yet read the book, but I hope to read it in the near future. Since his premise appealed to me, I thought I would pass it on to you. Check out the article to see for yourself.

http://www.joshmayo.com/

The Equation For Growth

I grew up in an area of the country where formal education was not at the top of the priority list. For some reason, it was frowned upon even more if you received a "Christian" Formal Education. Some would say that if you went to Bible College, you were seeking man's wisdom instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to be your teacher. 

This thought process has always bothered me. 

The bible says in 2 Peter 1:5-8  ⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

You see, God has given all of us a part to play in our personal development as leaders. This means that we read books, attend seminars, go to conferences, take notes, download podcasts, and whatever else is at your disposal to grow in godliness.  

We must make every effort to add to our faith. When we do that, we set ourselves up for extraordinary growth! 

Here are a couple of books that you might be interested in...

Breakout Churches: By Thom S. Rainer

I am currently reading this book. Rainer bases his research largely on Good To Great by Jim Collins (another must read for every leader). But the difference with Breakout Churches is that it find the biblical application for Christian leaders. READ IT. AND ADD TO YOUR FAITH. 

27 Tough Question Pastors Ask: By Dick Hardy

Dick is a close personal friend of mine, and I must say that he has certainly delivered a masterpiece of writing in 27 Tough Questions. READ IT. AND ADD TO YOUR FAITH. 

Fear Not

One of the easiest ways to lose your way, it seems, is to fall into the trap of fear. Fear is a crippling disease that can stop you in your tracks. What is fear really? What is it that we are fear the most? Failure? Being misunderstood? Conflict?

Whatever the case may be, I know that we all are probably afraid of something...right? Am I alone on this point? I certainly hope not. Look at this...

 

Psalm 27 ¹The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

If you are facing a fearful situation right now be encouraged to know that God is right there with you, and you have nothing to fear.

2 Samuel 22:2-3 He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior;

Got Skills?

Maybe you are like me, and you don't consider yourself to be a very creative person. But I found encouragement in this passage of Scripture. 

It is so amazing to think that we, the people who walk this Earth, are created in the very image of God (Gen. 1:27). And I am certainly not smart enough to know all of the implications of that truth, but there is one thing that I can take away from it...we too are called to create! 

How can we do this? What do we need to have in order to fulfill this great calling that resides in each of us? I guess the proper way to say would be WHO do we need?

Look at this...

^{Exodus 31:1-7 1} Then the LORD said to Moses, ² "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- ⁴ to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ⁵ to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. ⁶ Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: ⁷ the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent-

We are destined to create, and I find it so amazing that God fills us with His Holy Spirit to be able to accomplish this. Today I challenge you to pray this simple prayer...with me. 

God fill me with your Holy Spirit, and make me the creative genius you want me to be.

YOU GOT SKILLS!

Here For You

In a world with so many obstacles between us and our passion for Jesus Christ, it is my desire to provide something that will assist in removing those obstacles. That is what this blog is dedicated to do. It will serve as a daily kindling to your fire, and I trust that you will interact with each other and spur one another on to greatness.

A great person once posed the question, "What do you burn for?" And I pose that question to us all.

• What are the things that keep us going?
• What can we do to make sure that this generation is remembered for being the people who set the world ablaze for Jesus Christ?

2 Timothy 1:6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you...