Marriage Books

I feel like I'm in writing boot camp. These past couple months I have been revising a book for the guy I work for the most - Josh McDowell. In the 80's he wrote "Secret of Loving" and sold a slew of books. He's kept me really busy for over a year but this baby hasn't been the most rewarding. I am surely grateful, but bored to death - as well. It's a book full of quotes, excerpts and statistics from journals, magazines and other books. All of which I am responsible to replace with something similar and new. The problem for me is that this is not my niche subject. Maybe it will be one day.

Yesterday, I counted over 400 articles and journals I have combed through. I've yet to count how many marriage, love and relationship books there are in my huge wooden basket in the living room. To be honest, I'd rather not think about marriage for a while. If you wonder why, it's because 1) I have other subjects burning I'd ready to write about & 2) I'm unimpressed with the books we're putting out there on relationships, marriage, sex and love. They lack something - maybe it's depth (I'll go into that at another time) yet they have plenty of fluff and reference the same people over and over.

The only way I'd love to write about marriage is to add some philosophical juice to it. Make people think. Yancey does what he does so well because he makes you think. He works really hard to be fresh and creative. These books are simple and clear but not original. Maybe, I'm too into it right now to be objective. What do you think about marriage books?

I have one week for FINISH - and I'd appreciate your prayers. I'm reminded tonight that learning is living, and that is because growing yourself grows people. True love is underscored in giving, never in recieving. A way of thinking I learned today is: You are changed most by the love you give.

The Gatekeepers

There’s something to be said about the gatekeepers. You know, the ones who have the ability to open doors. They’re the influencers. We all know gatekeepers in our communities, churches, and businesses. They have extraordinary opportunities. They have the chance to control a situation. They may be directors, CEO’s, or community leaders. They have untapped vision. They need to find people who share their vision. They don’t have to have the same vision, just the same heart. We have to learn how to train the gatekeepers how to unleash the gospel into their arenas of influence. You see there are people who can control their art – like the Mel Gibson’s, Switchfoot, and U2.

So, how do we help these people walk the tightrope with finesse and delicacy?

Honesty Sincerity—There’s something to be said of people who can say things with complete honesty no matter where there at or what circumstance they are going through. It’s hard to just be honest, but it’s even hard to stay sincere. We want to say things to caress and impress. For example, even in Hollywood, you might be a lot of things, but if you’re honest with sincerity, they’ll love you in every angle.
I was at one of my best friends father’s funeral today. My buddy Ty led his dad’s funeral with as much honest sincerity that I’ve ever seen in my life. It was fifteen minutes that reminded me of the complete power of sincerity – it connects to the human heart every single time. With the spirit and love Ty spoke with, he could have given a sermon in any church across this country and extremely succeed.
I love people who are honest and sincere about life. You might be scared to death, shaking, cringing, but if you’re just honest and sincere you can connect with people. I think Jesus was the most amazing honest yet sincere example there ever was.

Authenticity—I know it’s the most overused and misunderstood word out there, but it’s still a great word that hits exactly what everyone loves and appreciates the most, especially today. All in all, you might speak a faraway language from culture, you might be a loss long hipster, you might miss a lot of beats from reality, but if you are real, genuine and authentic people will love you because you are a rarity.
People respect big hearts. As much as Mel Gibson’s movie stirred controversy, people still respected his big heart and vision.

Delicacy—There’s a frailty in people of delicacy. Delicacy is when we make known that we are weak too. Everyone has weaknesses and people don’t want to get around people who act like they don’t. It’s important to admit when we’re wrong or when we mess up. The church is desperately in need of people who exhibit delicacy in how they handle delicate people.
I’ve never known my brother when he wasn’t delicate with people. He’s one of the most compassionate people I have ever known and it comes through so natural. When I go to him about a problem or a situation where I need some counsel (and I do that often), he handles –me– with an extreme care and consideration. I’ve learned that people dig that and it’s not a coincidence that people dig my brother, without question. I asked him the other day about what he thinks I should do about with this thing that came up and it’s like he has this ability of putting himself in my seat as he helped me think through my decision. Yet the quality that I most admire about my brother is his loyalty to those closest to him like family and friends. He’s a valiant friend—who wouldn’t think twice about dropping his important daily tasks for a friend in need. People go through a lot in their lives: death, divorce and betrayal. They need a little delicacy every once in a while. They need people who they know will hurt with them. I hope they’ll find that in us. That’s what we find in Jesus—a Father who treats us with a delicate tenderness and understanding—a Father who weeps with us when we weep, who hurts with us when we hurt.

Finesse—grace, elegance, poise, refinement, assurance. I’m convinced some of us might be lacking in this area without much choice, but there are people who just have it. God knows that. God knows the ones he created. He knows some have gifts; he chose to give them. Thank God for finesse – the actors who make an epic come alive or evoke a memory we experienced. Thank God for a Billy Graham who preaches with deep-hearted finesse or a pastor Joe whose elegance helps draw people to an environment that leads people to Christ. People have finesse and we can help nurture them and unleash them to help stroke souls to God.
Finesse is not found in just charisma; finesse is found in the way we talk and walk. Finesse is being able to look someone in the eye with unwavering confidence. God gives us finesse. Finesse becomes choked up when we don’t know who we are because I think finesse has a lot to do with just being natural. While some may have more than others, we all have a life to tap into, a journey to reflect on, an experience to share. One of the ways I think finesse can be discovered is through our stories. Stories unleash assurance and gracefulness. We are assured from what we’ve experienced or what we believe; how we live is our assurance.

Ray Charles once said, “All we have to do is take the time to play the right notes for the occasion.” We’ve got the note – the gospel – now all we have to do is find, make, seek, and prepare for all those occasions where we can play our note with finesse, honest sincerity, authenticity and delicacy.

Power of the Marketplace

Been thinking a lot about the "engaging culture" mindset . Below is an excerpt from Bill Bright's last book. These are the words he wanted to say to the church as he went home. I'd like to think this man (who influenced me in an incredible way) has earned the right to be heard. Personally, it struck me for several reasons. Read his words and allow me tell you why.

“I have been asked if I have any last words before God calls me to a new assignment, and I do. To the believing world, I would add this: in light of our failure through the years to be salt and light, as Jesus commanded, our generation is faced with a grave crisis. Anti-God forces have largely become the dominant voice and the major influence in our culture. My challenge to believers would be: reverse this tide. It is not enough to say, “I must live a godly life”—that is a given. It is not enough to say, “I must be a witness for Christ”—that is a given. Beyond these two, we must be salt and light in our culture, helping people to realize that the God of our Bible is our only hope.”

I don't think he would have never said these exact words 20 years - especially 50 years ago. I've heard Billy Graham say numerous times that he thinks the greatest force the Christian cause has is in the marketplace. Very interesting when thinking about evangelism models. How does that make all of you feel who work in the marketplace?

The thought that comes to my mind is the way this affects those who work in the marketplace - the gatekeepers - who I'll talk about tomorrow. How does this affect the way we lead our churches and ministries? It presents us with one option: to expect more out of them. We can't by trying to raise up pastors - we need business leaders of steel who know how to penetrate the culture.

Thoughts?

Change the Heart, not the Mind

It’s important to change the way people think about things, but when it comes down to it, the mind war will always lose, whereas, the heart war will always win. As we enter a new era of ministry I recommend that we work harder at becoming authorities at changing the heart rather than the mind. This is a far off concept to the modern world and reasonably so, since for many years changing the mind has been an effective model, but today is a new day.

We’ve become a well-oiled machine at building great conferences and churches. We know how to attract people and we are surely knowledgeable at church growth, thanks to the Donald McGavern’s and John Maxwell’s. We’ve even put enormous attention on the inner qualities of the church called church health. Yet there is yet another wave growing amidst the church world, as God places holy discontment inside leaders, the same kind of righteous frustration that spurred church growth and church health movements. Without oversimplifying a big, complex thing, I’d like to think what is actually happening is a needed focus on relational health. This is because relationships change people, including hearts because they change what people care most deeply about. Churches are creating experimental environments, community societies, tools that replace our independence with dependence. Most people have holes inside of them because they miss-out on things that give them relational fulfillment. The business world is doing the same thing. Today, you can find gardens and bars, even a baby nursery inside of businesses. Whatever they can do to fulfill their employee’s needs they do. The church is trying to do the same thing.

This is something that is dear to my heart because for a few years I spent my ministry time dipped in trying to change people’s minds. My mentor has spent most of his journey trying to change the way people think about God, life and relationships. My respect for him is higher than almost any other person I know, but what I respect more than anything today is that he realizes how important it is to change the heart. I respect him for sticking to his calling – to help change the way people think because that’s important for vast reasons. Yet he admits today that it’s more important to change what people care about. You change what people care about through the relationship factor, building environments of relational health.

The reality is people don’t care about personally what they believe theologically and biblically. That is true because they don’t know how much it affects them personally and relationally. They believe good things but don’t care that much about it. Their loyalty lies in their membership rather than their heart.

Branding the Gospel

I’ve been thinking a lot more about the 'art of branding' and how I can think with practical “sense” about it. Here's a couple thoughts going through my head today pertaining to branding:

First, there’s Culture.
A culture has a texture – something you can see and feel. They can feel how rough or smooth you are when they face you. Is your surface a rugged edge or a cushioned environment? An environment is your season, not your foundation. In a spiritual culture your foundation, your goal and your message is the gospel. When someone meets the gospel they’re faced with a decision and they know it. For some it creates a cringing or for others it thrusts meaning. And that all depends on their former experience with it. Maybe they met, even desired it, but it felt irrelevant to everything in their journey but death. But…they might not have met the true gospel and now they have a bad taste in their mouth.

Second, there’s People.
Never choose to create a foundation that has any potential to downgrade the gospel all because of someone’s human opinion. All because of someone’s tradition. The only thing that matters is for your culture to become a redemptive healing place. If anything stands in the way of that tear it down immediately so Jesus can come back into your place. You can only do your best, I know, but God needs us to create environments that are inviting…even to a mainstream culture, so his message has no strings attached besides what it is. The number one reason the gospel fails to reach people is because of people.

Third, there’s Sense
If anything it’s wise to understand brand sense in a sensory world. Branding is an art involving: Touch, Sound, Sense, Sight. Branding is for those who desire: coherence, common sense, soundness, logic, wisdom, meaning, and just plain intellect.

Fourth, there’s Presentation.
Was the gospel meant to be delivered in the air? Can you just speak it out loud and it will penetrate a culture? Yes, but that’s just one piece of the pie. Let me add - A very important piece, especially to me personally.

Did Jesus do His greatest work through his gospel presentation or was it the way he lived? Was it through his sermons or through his quality time with those he has close relationships with? The answer is both.

I’d like to bargain that even though the sermons were immensely effective (and I’m happy about that since I am a preacher) the most effective way to live a Christian life is through 1) trusting our Heavenly Father. The movement we are a part of succeeds the most when we just stay close to him and do what he wants with every single part of our lives. This cannot be overemphasized nor watered down. 2) relationships - the kind where quality matters more than quantity. Where depth matters more than giftedness and intellect. God didn’t call most people to be preachers and sermonizers for the sake of preaching and presentation. He called all people to “make disciples” through relationships with others and a relationship with himself. The two great commandments are to 1) love God and 2) love others. Can you think of a better way to change the world than to create environments where it becomes most natural for the culture to love God and love others? That is, removing everything and anything you can think of that could get in the way of that.

Is the Gospel like a virus? When it enters the air it spreads like the flu. It did that powerfully at one time here in North America. But they’ve discovered how a vaccine for it – ignore it and do what you want. In Africa, the virus is beginning and succeeding but it will only last as long as the church doesn’t kill it. In America the church has killed the gospel virus with a vaccine.

Someone told me yesterday this: “I’m just evangelistic! That’s why I am going to do church this way.” My response was: “What does it mean to be evangelistic? Does it mean you have the ability to speak truth to the lost culture? Does it mean you just love to share Jesus in the way that worked for you 30 years ago? You’re not evangelistic! The evangelistic church is the one where people are getting saved. That’s it!” This person’s methodology and philosophy for evangelism is just a habit, not an effective God-led presentation for Christ.

Another question arises: Is your target audience worth it? Worth what? Worth the time and energy to understand them for who they are. They aren’t into cutting edge. They love tradition. They love authentic. They are this… Do you know that or preconceive that? They ARE worth KNOWING those answers.

Does your church culture look like that? Does your church culture resembles the needs of the churched or the unchurched? God loves his church, the one he meant to be filled up with the unchurched. His eyes see everyone, but his laser focus is on the unfound, the lost he desires more than we could comprehend to save.

These are the kind of questions and answers that could set you free to leverage your ministry into new heights.

Stats that make you go hmm...

Not that long ago, I attended a small pastor's forum of 19-20 pastors led by John Maxwell and Ted Haggard. Ted Haggard who is President of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastors a mega church in Colorado Springs delivered an above & beyond inspiring lecture. It was so good - and informative - I decided to post ALL of my notes. I have to publically thank Doug Carter - Senior VP of EQUIP and Amber's overseer for inviting me to attend such a forum. - thanks Doug! Enjoy!

I believe this is the greatest opportunity for ministry since Jesus’ day.
I believe this generation has been sovereignly prepared by God.

Interesting Facts:

For the First time ever…
• One world super power
• Economic explosion
• Trade Routes –The gospel traveled through trade routes to the world.
• Were we are today for the first time in the last 2,000 years all the forces are open to the gospel.
• US is freedom of religion
• More people today live under this special protection.
• US Navy keeps trade routes open
• UN fundamentally protects civil liberties which opens doors for missionaries.
• We have:
Economic Freedom
Military Freedom
Social Freedom

Amazingly, God has opened every force for freedom!

• We have more resources of communication, and travel ever before
• We have more radio stations, books, and leaders than every before.
• We distribute 170,000 copies of the Bible a day.
• We distribute 11 million Scripture portions a day. (Ex: 4 Spiritual Laws)
• 15,000 people are born daily. 150,000 people die daily.
• Net Growth is 2%
• 1/3 of the world identifies themselves as believers.

The 3 Most Powerful Men on Earth
1. President George W Bush A Committed Christian
2. Prime Minister of Great Britain A Committed Christian
3. Prime Ministry of Australia A Cultural Christian

We have to capitalize on this opportunity! We can’t become passive or distracted!

• Our greatest competitor is Islam – 1.2 billion
• We are growing at 9.3% a year.
• Islam is growing at 2.7% a year.
• The President has to identify it as a political conflict, but it’s actually a religious conflict (He knows that but can’t communicate that publicly).

The power of our advance is remarkable.

• More Wheaton College graduates are in the White House than any other college.
• Today there are more believers in the White House than ever before.
• We see missionaries → the number’s are amazing.
• God is raising up leaders with amazing influence.

This is why the Osama’s have great reason to be concerned. We are invading their world.

This is your Finest Hour!

Today, if you go to any nation with a prayer team and then follow it up you will see results. Our test saw 300-600% results. We are seeing this just about everywhere.

• Be outward focused, penetrate every system with the gospel because there are open doors everywhere.
• Everything you do will produce harvest if you’re in the spirit.
• It’s easier to win people to Christ than ever before.
• This could be the generation that could communicate to every person for the first time.
• Every day there are 460 martyrs (They are mostly in Asia and other unreached areas).

Books to Read→ Thomas Friedman’s “The Lexus and the Olive Tree” & “The World is Flat”
Huntington’s “Clash of Christianity”

Missiologists say that if we fail to do this in the window of opportunity Islam will prevail and we might not get another opportunity for 600-1000 years.
If we don’t our grandchildren are going to think → what was our grandparents thinking!

Examples
Cold War – We messed up! (We had the opportunity to stop them but we didn’t)
Hitler – We messed up! (Churchill warned the world but they didn’t listen and millions of lives were lost)

• There’s never been two countries with a operating McDonald’s where there has been a war. China – Nixon opened trade there and now it will go to a Democratic society.
• There are more churches in America than fast food restaurants.
• More Christians in media today.
• Mel Gibson is the Michelangelo of our generation. His movie has made the greatest impact than anything ever.
• John Maxwell– Christians are not to get into a defense mode—we are to penetrate by being salt & light.

Branding

The world of branding really intrigues me, so I started jotting down tidbits here and there about the Christian brand...

"You don't build it for yourself. You know what people want and you build it for them." —Walt Disney

What is our elevator pitch? We need a brand essence statement, a tagline that will be used to describe us. Create brand ambassadors. Who are our core paddlers?

How do we make a personal contact between our brand and target person? The personal link between the brand and the people. People need a human agent to grasp truths in today’s culture, especially when it pertains to spirituality. Before we’re tempted to think perfect or sleek, we must think about the person we are trying to help. People want to feel a personal spirit in weblogs, books, articles and emails. The goal is to facilitate interaction. Our sites must be saturated with tools that are forced to think like a Human. We want to give people the opportunity to talk freely about the issues their heart is craving, perplexing and find intriguing.

We believe the gospel has to be revived and rebranded for every generation. We are never content with success. We are under the conviction to serve people. We believe the gospel is lively and don’t dare want to be in the way. We are only doing what God has called us to do. We walk with Him and that’s that. We believe the church is craving a newness in the cause of evangelism. We live in a culture that has been seeded for over hundred years and now we take seriously the reality we are facing the mandate we are called to do. Our role is simple: facilitate interaction. No matter what a culture faces, relationships break through. Love continues to stand strong.

We want to create communities and springboard them the best we can, especially in places where communities never existed before. To do that we have to find a champion who vibrantly ventures the team forth. He’s the leader. Everything is about leadership. These types of communities don’t happen overnight, some need days while some need years.

We have learned that it’s not about control. Truth is something that has to flow freely. When you control it you endanger it. Like a movie that depend so much on the media because their reviews could have tremendous affect on who goes to see it.

Truth has become a lucrative business. There may be ways this is useful but the danger is even greater. Never allow Truth to be squeezed into a box. It’s the number one danger. The question is: are we ready for this kind of dialogue? Some are while some aren’t. Every movement faces weaknesses. Unfortunately, many times as it matures it becomes outdated.

In the business world jargon is seen as a grave danger. The focus has to be on the customer or they’ll lose. We must remove our jargon so we don’t become irrelevant. If we do, we’ll lose our audience to a captivating world. It’s sad that the world beats us when we have the easiest product to sell there is.

You know, I find it interesting that we attend seminary to learn all the in’s and out’s of our message, but we never learn the in’s and out’s of who we’re delivering that message to. Sure, the message may be more important than the receiver in a general sense but the message loses its purpose without a personal delivery taking place. The message was given to change people.

We are all about: Turning boring to breathtaking. Turning wearisome to winsome.

Do the details matter? Think about it – when you call your cell phone carrier and they put you on hold for a l-o-n-g time. Ever wandered if they really knew what they were doing. When this happens to me I always think they must not want my business because they can’t even have decent customer service. Let me say that again. CUSTOMER service. Two words to think about: there’s customer. The audience we are trying to reach. Then the other one: service. Are we serving them? Want to build God’s image, then pay attention to the details.

Be honest. People just want you to be direct with them. All we have to do is tell them the Truth.

Leveraging the Internet. There’s a lot of help from the Internet. Email helps us connect with more people. Go to a party and meet someone and all you have to do is get their email to make that personal connection. Building websites so people can get to know you is a powerful tool and cheap.

What is our DNA? Our name (brand) should reflect that. Your brand is what you want people to think about you. So the question is: do you clearly know who you are? You may not be certain what you are going to do, but you better know yourself.

Plan, Establish, Implement, Maintain

Never forget that your brand is all about two things at first: sight and sound. That’s a shocker to many ministry leaders, but it’s true. Environment matters. You are creating awareness. Brand Expert Martin Lindstom says you have to create for all the five senses.

How do you leverage what you have accomplished? What are some practical ways to implement the gospel?

Just remember: “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do,” once said by Henry Ford. So you got to take in all you can and dive in with all you have!

Emerging Leaders

One of the misunderstandings among emerging leaders is the expectation they have to do rather than be. J. Robert Clinton says that during most of our lives God is primarily working in the leader, not through the leader. “Most emerging leaders don’t recognize this,” Clinton writes. “They evaluate productivity, activities, fruitfulness, etc. But God is quietly, often in unusual ways, trying to get a leader to see that one ministers out of what one is. God is concerned about what we are.”

We rationalize evangelism, those simple acts of telling because we see a great Christian leader as the preacher in the pulpit or the leaders whose ministries have the greatest productivity. This is far from what God is doing. Clinton emphasizes that rather than trying to mimic another person’s substance and style, “we should be what God intends us to be.” Share Christ the way He wants you do share. Ask God what he has in mind and go do it. Get around people who aren’t afraid to live like this – who are more than willing to step out and act.

I had (am) to learn this the hard way, but I’m grateful that I’m learning this lesson now, early in my life. God willing – I’ll be able to get to know God in an amazing way for the rest of my life.

Young leaders must hear the plea: never hurry God. Don’t think you have to accomplish so much so early. Rather, simply keep the fire burning for your Heavenly Father who loves you dearly and ask Him how you can serve Him, then obey. In time, we’ll know this very clearly. We’ll have the understanding we desire to have. But for now, let's choose God over understanding, okay?

My 'Don't Forget' List

A few days ago I took some time off for a couple hours to sit, think, meditate and pray. I began to write down the things God keeps bringing up to me, when I do this. There's many, many more I could add, but here's my 'Don't Forget' List for today:

• The will of God is the most dangerous place to be.
• Step out and trust that God will open and close the right doors. Simply walk with God.
• Read God’s Word and Simply Obey it. Want to be smart – meditate on the Word. Make the Word central to your thinking.
• Embrace the price you have to pay. Suffering is inevitable to a true Christ-follower. So don't run from it - embrace it.
• Ministry is not a means to success. It’s simply obeying our Father. Nothing is a means to success. We are to simply obey the Father. We can learn that the easy way or the hard way, but, in reality, there’s not really an easy way to learn this one.
• The call of Christ to me is a call to live a heroic life. Prosperity – NO! Consumerism – NO! Live noble and heroic in this broken fragmented culture.
• Refuse to live a victimized life. Embrace the innocence and lifefulness of God.
• Spend loads of time studying the life and ministry and message of Jesus. He’s the centerpiece. Study the relationship – it’s a love story written directly to me.
• Learn to labor in prayer. Ask God to show Himself and be ready – James 1. Prayer is not a convenience; it’s a discipline. No one feels like praying. I’ve heard numerous people say you have to pray when you don’t feel like and pray until you feel like it. Prayer is the most powerful force in the universe, yet we the church, have discovered how to get by without it.
• Discover the path God is calling you to and have the courage to "do" it.
• Love to live and live to love. Dream to live and live to dream.
• God gets a lot of joy from us coming after him. He loves “the try”.
• Are you grateful that God loves you? That will come out. Love is the fuel. If not, you’re going to run out. Am I taken hostage to love?

Walking with Him

Oswald Chambers once said, “It is much easier to do something than to trust God.” The only way to know the living glorious God is to walk with him. Chambers alludes that we would rather work for him than believe him. The challenge arises to believe in him which intersects with believing him. The true litmus test for a community of followers of Jesus is to find out if they are living what they claim to believe. It’s sad when ministers water down truth and accept the condition of these confused folk. They accept it because they too don’t truly believe it. If I want to find out how much someone believes in this truth then all I need to do is find out what they care about. Do their beliefs give a slab to what they care about?

I believe that the root reason why we lack compassion for others is because we haven’t received any compassion ourselves. Then too, you’ve never walked with Jesus, because a walk alongside of him showers you with big drops of compassion. Everywhere I turn I need compassion, understanding and patience from God. And he gives it. If I were God I’d shoot balls of lightning at myself, but he daily listens to me, waits on me and believes in me. As I fail, give in and give up he looks at me and says, “I’ll wait as long as I need to because you’re well-being is important to me.” Now, the one who walks with God understands the kind of well-being I’m referring to. Sure, it is physical, mental, emotional and spiritual but underlined with glory and purpose. If you walk with God you’re the first to admit that you’re completely criminalized in every way possible. That’ll change the way you see the world. And you will naturally leak compassion and understanding which is the only way Jesus preached truth (Psalms 26:3).

I believe in stillness. You know the power and soothing sitting still can bring. In a westernized culture we are formed to go and do, but the secret resides in sitting still and then go and do. And when we go and do under that kind of power the one sitting still worshipping our Heavenly Father delivers, what we really do is unleash the purpose of God in our lives. You want to do the right thing then walk with God in the power of God. How do you expect to walk with God without sitting still with God? This thing called prayer was commanded by Jesus while on earth – it is essential to the well-being of his follower. Basically, we were created to sit still with God.

Many Dream to Live

I like to look back long enough to draw some understanding. Here's a bit of that...

MANY DREAM TO LIVE, BUT FEW LIVE TO DREAM. Every story is filled with people who are of the dreamer sort. It is in building the dream that we discover the value and the reality that the one carrying the dream has to be shaped before he is able to fulfill it. The present state of wherever we are on our journey captures the essence of God’s wisdom and sovereignty. There are a lot of dreamers and visionaries but few who actually do something for God – Why? They aren’t willing to be shaped so they can be walked through so the dream can occur. Too many of us desire too badly to be the CEO while we are supposed to be apprentices.

I think we have to choose to embrace the price in fact, enjoy the price we have to pay. The reality that the person carrying the vision has to be ready before the vision comes about. I think both of us are a prime example that vision carries a tremendous weight. It is so much more than, “I’ve got a vision, its time to achieve it.” Vision resides in a much deeper place and we have to learn how that can be such a beautiful thing to appreciate rather than dispute.

Vision has become some sort of a truism but oh, our life hopefully can teach that it CAN be understood much more clearly. I am learning that visions often lead leaders into deep pain and confusion. I think I’m learning to embrace the struggle a visioneer has to go through instead of falling hard again into the pit of confusion.

When we go through the experiences the dream requires wisdom will drip from our mouths because we’ve been through it. The best teacher is not all the books I read or the amazing leaders I know; it’s experience. Knowledge will get you so far, but wisdom takes you places.

Someone might be tempted to say, “Experience! You’re just getting started.” I am not going to argue with that but I will say that when you’re online with God, age is unimportant, but grasping who God is, that’s what matters most. And you won’t grasp who God is until you’re willing to buck the safe zone and step out in the faith zone. I think too few young (and old) leaders are willing the pay that kind of price. And that’s a tragedy because they’re missing out on so much. My philosophy, “Listen to God, then jump in!” That’s exactly where wisdom leads us.

Winnovate?

My blog is simply a way to share my heart with others in order to convince some to find God, others to share God and even more to use all means available to navigate journeyors to experience Jesus Christ amidst the changing culture all around us. I know...this is just a blog. But I just have to drip a little bit of my heart. I bleed to find partners who want to winnovate the culture for Christ. For those who aren't the churchy type, you'll have to bear with me...I'm just passionate to help people become a spiritual harbor for the spiritually thirsty. Winnovate is about two things: innovation and winning people to Jesus. I'd like to hope this site will be a channel for others to find innovative solutions to Spirituality. Winnovate is all about a relationship with the God of the Universe, Jesus Christ.

I like to read blogs so I decided it's time to start posting my own - but let me share with you up front that you won't be reading much of my writings that won't be tied in some form or fashion to evangelism. Here's more of my heartbeat: I want to help others become a drawbridge for people to cross in order to experience Jesus Christ. I want to see Jesus become the compass people need to navigate the journey amidst the changing culture all around us. I desire to encourage Christ-followers to create relevant environments that draw in culture, and along the way weave together church unity, community involvement, interactive worship, experimental Christianity and a transforming presence in the areas they are submerged into.

In short, my life mission is to penetrate the culture with Christ’s gospel message while at the same time empowering the church's impact. Right now, my channels are full-time writing, preaching the gospel and burning with my fellow brothers. So I guess you could say that Winnovate is an invitation... ok, ok more like an altar call. Come to the feet of the King.