Filed under: Life and Leadership, sportspastor | Tags: Bible, courage, dreams, Erwin McManus, God, leaders, leadership, Mark Batterson, passion, perspective, potential, prayer, responsibility, sacrifice, Scripture, teamwork
My dreams are bigger than me and I like it that way. My dreams will require divine intervention if they are going to be realized. My dreams are a vision that needs to be communicated to God’s people so that they can join in on the privilege of doing something that is greater than themselves. My dreams require responsibility, sacrifice, and teamwork. My dreams require prayer and perspective. My dreams are bigger than me and I would not have it any other way.
I listened to a sermon by Mark Batterson recently on the topic of courage. He pointed out that throughout history and throughout Scripture the people whose stories are passed down and stand the test of time are those about people who did something courageous. We don’t tell stories of those who chose to be comfortable rather than challenged. We tell the stories of those with a passion and zeal for life. We tell the stories of those who had dreams that were bigger than themselves.
Erwin McManus once spoke on the topic of passion and leadership. He pointed out that we follow people that are confident and passionate about the adventure that is in front of us. Leadership is influence. Often those leaders that are passionate are followed even if they are going the wrong way.
The Bible has tons of stories of people who made poor decisions and went the wrong way. We can learn from the mistakes of others. But we can also be inspired by those same men and women who realized if they were going to be successful in accomplishing God’s call on their future that they would have to ignore the doubters and pursue God ordained dreams that can only be accomplished if there is divine intervention. Dream big because God is big. Give him a chance to show his power and might and give him the glory when what you dreamed becomes reality.
Filed under: Life and Leadership, sportspastor | Tags: church, church leadership, Jesus, ministry, pastors
Pastor Greear notes that “there are two kinds of churches–the kind where the church is an audience gathered to share in the personal fruitfulness of the pastor, and the kind where members are equipped to be fruitful themselves.” I have seen so many well-meaning churches limit their ministry to one main thing in the name of “Good to Great” and not in the name of Christ Jesus. These churches make it all about Sunday morning and forget that ministry also happens in the life of the believer Monday – Saturday. It is not about a Sunday Morning show centered around one charismatic leader. It is not about observation, it is about multiplication. Church leaders should equip the saints for the work of ministry. Go and make disciples – be a fruitful church that glorifies the Father (John 15). Read Pastor Greear’s complete post here.
Filed under: Life and Leadership, sportspastor | Tags: encouragement, forgiveness, grace, hope, Jesus, love, marriage, orphan, widow
I spent the weekend working on a video for Preach It, Teach It. Take 5 minutes and visit the website and watch the featured video in the top right corner. It is a song of hope for those who are hurting. Have you recently lost a loved one? Is your marriage falling apart? Do you feel all alone? Does your heart break for the widow and the orphan? They are hurting and alone, too. Are you struggling with an addiction of some kind? Don’t miss this video. Consider giving this link to a friend that you know needs a word of encouragement. We all have challenging times in our lives when we desperately need to “Cry Out to Jesus”. Click here to visit Preach It, Teach It and see the video.
Filed under: Life and Leadership | Tags: bloopers, driving, laughter, life
If you can’t laugh at yourself then you are taking life too seriously. This morning I had a great moment to laugh at myself. I rolled the trash bin to the alley and then jumped into my truck parked in the driveway just above the container. I buckled my seat belt, cranked the ignition, turned on the music, and the heat, and of course put on my shades. Then it happened – I glanced at my sunglasses in the rear view mirror – and once convinced that I was both handsome and cool, I slammed the truck into reverse and backed into the trash container. Boom! Trash everywhere…everywhere!
What was your trash can blooper today? Yesterday? Oh come on…I know you had a moment. Did you laugh or curse? If you didn’t laugh – try it next time – and lighten up because laughter is good medicine.
Filed under: Life and Leadership, sportspastor | Tags: Craig Groeschel, Leonard Sweet
“11: Indispensable Relationships You Can’t Be Without” by: Leonard Sweet
As believers, our journey is just as important as the destination. And because relationships are essential to our walk through life, it is vital that we partner with people who positively impact our world. Dr. Leonard Sweet believes these essential people are found in the pages of God’s Word. Using eleven classic figures from the Bible, Sweet details key personal attributes that make up God’s Dream Team for your life. Readers will be encouraged to not only seek out such people, but to find their place with those around them.
“It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It” by: Craig Groeschel
Craig Groeschel, founder of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK), witnessed a powerful presence from God that he calls It at work in many churches. What is this transformational force? How can you and your ministry get—and keep—It? Combining in-your-face honesty with off-the-wall humor, this lively book tells how any believer can obtain It.
Filed under: Life and Leadership, sportspastor | Tags: christian living, church, evangelism, faith, Gospel, outreach
“Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” These words are an exhortation of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:1b. What are the characteristics of a life lived in such a way that it is worthy of the calling we have received from God? To discover the answer to this question you must first identify your calling. I believe that God will give you the passion to do what he has called you to do. For example, I am passionate about the calling on my life to equip believers to make the most of every opportunity to reach out to people who are far away from God through the most creative and relational means possible. Now if that is my calling, then how do I live life in such a way that it would be worthy of this calling I have received?
Colossians 4:5-6 offers further insight into my calling and the answer to this question: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” I looked at a number of Bible commentaries and based upon careful exposition have drafted a version of this selection of Scripture in my own words: Believers should live in such a way that they will attract, inspire, and convict non-Christians, giving them a favorable view of the Gospel and the church. Believers should have a verbal witness that is winsome, full of character and worthy of respect.
A healthy balance of faith and practice make a lasting, positive impression on a person who is far away from God. This means that we are responsible for living a life worthy of the calling we have received.
Starting tonight and from here forward, I will be posting links to the best sports headlines of the day from around the web and I will be adding my own commentary (sometimes insightful and sometimes attempted humor). Also, starting tonight, I will be posting on a more regular basis on a broader range of topics than just sports outreach ministry. What intrigues me the most about other bloggers is when they speak the right words at the right time into my life and it encourages me, makes me laugh or cry, challenges me in a particular area, or just offers perspective from another person just thinking out loud. Make plans to stop by the SportsPastor blog for the latest in sports and ministry and much, much more.
Filed under: Life and Leadership, church, church leadership, leadership, sportspastor | Tags: Andy Stanley, Catalyst08, Craig Groeschel, Jim Collins, Perry Noble, Seth Godin, Steven Furtick, Tony Morgan Live
Catalyst is all about shaping leaders in the Church, presenting the next big ideas, practices and content. Catalyst exists to ignite passion for Christ and develop leadership potential in the Next Generation, equipping them to engage and impact their world. Every year 12,000 next generation leaders converge on Atlanta in October for the Catalyst Conference, the leadership experience of the year. But Catalyst is more than a conference – it purposes to serve as a leadership filter, continually providing relevant training, innovative events, and cutting edge resources for leaders in the Church.
If you are like me and did not have an opportunity to make it this year check out these blogs for a brief report or even notes from the conference. We must start with Tony Morgan’s updates. Tony Morgan is a pastor and the Chief Strategic Officer at NewSpring Church where he develops creative solutions for communications, technology and NewSpring Ministries–the church’s ministry that equips other church leaders. The following is a list of his notes on some of the featured speakers.
Perry Noble
Andy Stanley
Jim Collins
Steven Furtick
Seth Godin
Craig Groeschel
Two other blogs that are doing a great job at live blogging the Catalyst Conference are Coffee Shop Journal and Ross Middleton’s Blog – Collide Leadership You can also check out Catalyst Backstage with Anne Jackson.
Filed under: Life and Leadership, church, evangelism, outreach, servanthood, service | Tags: church, fellowship, servanthood
As you have probably noticed I am working my way through Geore Barna’s book, Revolution. Having graduated from Baylor University with a B.A. in Religion and Sociology, I enjoy the process of evaluating Barna’s data and applying the truth in the context of ministry. Today I want to focus on one of Barna’s reports regarding servanthood.
Are you involved in acts of selfless service? Did you know that there is a better distraction from your daily grind than the television? Love becomes tangible when the people of God reach out to the hurting and needy people in their church and community. Notice I said church and community. Even though a person may look like they have it all together on Sunday morning, they are most likely struggling and hurting about someone or something. Minister to them. God wants us to go the extra mile to help those in need. Now about the city – think about the first church as described in the book of Acts. It says that they praised God and enjoyed the favor of all the people and as a result, “each day, the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)
Too many Christians come to church for themselves. I call this “menu-mentality” – what is on the menu of programming for my family and myself? Barna reports that only one out of every four believers will spend time in a given week serving others. Most people would rather give money to an organization that serves instead of rolling up their sleeves and truly being the hands and feet, the beautiful hands and feet that bring the Good News (Isaiah 52:7).
Filed under: Christianity, Christians, Life and Leadership, christian living, church, evangelism, ministry, pastor | Tags: evangelism
Did you know that the typical churched believer will go their entire life without having the privilege of being involved in the process of leading someone to place their trust in Christ. I believe that this is due to the fact that they are overwhelmed by the task of evangelism. We are called to share the love of Christ with those who are lost and in need of a Savior, yet many are intimidated by this daunting task. If you dig deeper you will find that they have a fear of rejection by friends and family if they even ventured into the realm of evangelism. In fact, many believe that sharing the gospel is the job of the pastor on Sunday mornings at the end of the sermon.
George Barna in his book Revolution suggests that the role of evangelism goes beyond the pulpit. He points out that the early church as described in the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 2, carried out their evangelistic efforts through faith-based conversations. They prayed for and embraced opportunities to have “low-key/high impact conversations about truth and purpose in life. When this approach is combined with a life lived in such dedication to the things of God, opportunities will arise to share the joy of your salvation. The greatest witness that a person can have is a lifestyle that creates interest from those searching for meaning and purpose in life. When you find someone questioning your pure motives and inspired perspective you are engaged in the process of evangelism. It is our calling to share the gospel and it is God’s desire to save. I challenge you to redefine evangelism in your own life and “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:20)
Filed under: Gospel, Life and Leadership, church, evangelism, outreach, pastor, sermon | Tags: Elevation Church, Gospel, Steven Furtick
Pastor Steven Furtick is the lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. At a young age, Steven realized God’s plan for him to start a life-changing church in a metropolitan city. Elevation Church was founded on the faith of eight families who risked everything — sold houses, quit jobs and moved to Charlotte believing God would turn their city upside down for His glory through the local church. That risk has resulted in a remarkable return.
At their two-year mark, Elevation grew to more than 3,500 in weekly attendance between its two portable campuses. In 2007, Elevation Church was named one of the 10 Fastest Growing Churches in America. And they are just getting started.
Pastor Steven’s challenging message and passionate desire to see “those far from God filled with life in Christ” has ignited a fire in Charlotte and beyond. Pastor Steven recently preached a three-part series on the gospel that was life-changing for over 900 people that gave their lives to Christ during the 3 weeks of The Gospel series. Visit the Elevation Church website and make time to listen to these sermons. Pastor Steven’s combination of boldness, conviction, and humility make him a gifted communicator that God is using to impact Charlotte in a powerful way. Pastor Steven is an inspiration to me and a constant reminder that the gospel is the power of salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16)!
Filed under: Life and Leadership, Primetime Passage, sportspastor | Tags: baseball, christian living, evangelism, fireworks, Gospel, Jesus, Olympics, Philippians
What do the Olympic opening ceremony, a win for the home team in a baseball game, and your tax dollars at work on a July evening have in common? They are all reasons to have a fireworks show. This summer I watched the fireworks high above the city of Frisco, Texas, on a beautiful July 4th evening and they were amazing. The best part of every fireworks show is the grand finale. For a good while you watch the fireworks come and go in a variety of patterns and colors, but everyone knows when the grand finale arrives. The pattern goes from come and go to shock and awe!
When writing words of encouragement to the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul talks about the importance of maintaining Christian virtues, such as joy, gentleness, and peace. Paul’s words, as recorded in the New Testament book of Philippians, chapter 4, are nothing short of a fireworks show; in fact, they are the grand finale of his instruction:
Philippians 4:8-9
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Consider the impact of each of these words in the life of a Christ-follower and the light they can bring to those who don’t know Jesus. For example, think about the word noble. This word implies integrity, something worthy of respect. We must as the question, “Do our lives win the respect of outsiders?” Do they see in us something that is different? Do our lives make them consider their own lives and make them want to change?
Paul’s instructions are not only intended to direct my steps as a Christian, but he also recognized that when we live according to these virtues that other people will see the light of God in us. In other words, Paul is saying that believers should focus on what is morally and spiritually excellent. But he doesn’t end there. In addition to setting our minds on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, Paul encourages believers to remember everything they have seen in his life, and to put them into practice. We too must move this truth off of the pages of Scripture and into our lives in order to gain a credible witness from which to share the gospel.
Too often Christians today repeat everything that they have heard from Paul’s epistles (letters) and fail to actually put anything into practice. This only affirms the skeptical excuses of those that claim Christian hypocrisy is what keeps them from faith. One pastor has said that the greatest hindrance to the movement of Christ on the earth today is Christians. Another has said that the greatest cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but deny him with their lifestyle.
So here is the bottom line. I believe that the only way that our words are going to have any impact is if they are accompanied by action. We have the amazing word of God, the fireworks, and we fail to put these dynamite words into practice. If we are going to change the world, we must start with our own hearts and lives. Maybe then, will outsiders respond in shock and awe.
