BLeach

Strategic Alliances

I drove this afternoon to Allison Park, PA just in time to have dinner with some men who have really influenced the formation of my church planting dreams.  Jeff Leake and I are working on forming a network called Origin.  Lance and Peter are administrative geniuses.  Ron Johnson serves as a father and catalyst to the whole dream.  Even as a friend and I made the four hour drive this afternoon I felt a sense of destiny.  Everytime I've gathered with these guys my life has been altered. 

Later today we'll gather with about 60 other pastors to pray and fast and discern the first steps in the Origin dream.  It will be a room full of leaders asking Jesus to transform cities.  I'm expectant, excited, even a little giddy.

Not sure I'll sleep much tonight:)

Speak Lord

I think I heard a voice from heaven today.  I couldn't catch all the words, but was able to make out most of them.

Lost people

Church plants needed

Hawaii

I just want to respond like this guy.

Questions for Community Leaders

One of my ministry goals this year is to spend more time getting to know a variety of community leaders.  My purpose in spending time with them is to hear their story and learn about my mission field.  I've been developing a list of questions that I've been asking them. 

• How did you come to serve in this position?
• How has our community changed since you've been here?
• Do you know of some other communities that are similar to ours?
• What have churches done in the past to benefit our city?
• Do you have any negative impressions of what churches have done?
• What are your dreams for your business/school/etc.
• How could our church serve those?
• Do you have any personal needs I can pray for?

I've found that asking people about their dreams is a great way to find common ground.  After all, I happen to be a dreamer myself:)  It also sets people at ease.  Nothing does more to energize and relax someone than talking about the values that mean the most to them.

I'd love to add to the list.  Let me know if you have some suggestions.

Random Study Day Question

I'm not sure if this one has any deep theological implications, but Luke 9.18 has got me scratching my head.

Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him.

Hmm...:)

Blog Disclaimer

The words [displayed] here are concepts.  You must go through the experiences.

-Augustine

Repentance and Bikes

My message yesterday hit a little too close to home...for me.

So Saturday I surrendered to Jesus my nasty habit of forgetting that other people exist. 

Jesus gave me a chance to activate my repentance on Saturday night.  He's good like that:)  I was driving home from the gym at 5.30 pm.  It was snowing.  The wind was howling.  The wind chill was twenty below.  And I passed a woman pushing her bycicle over a snow covered sidewalk. 

As I did, one thought popped into my mind.  Man, that stinks.  And I proceeded to drive another half-mile.  That's when I realized I was a hypocrite:)  I also knew that my conscience would forbid from preaching in the morning unless I turned around.  Yeah, I know, really outstanding motives:)  So I went back, loaded a bike into the back of my Jeep and gave a new friend a ride.

Yesterday I shared the story with our church.  Little did I know that we had a first-time guest in our second service who is temporarily riding her bike instead of driving her car.  Before she left she told me that when she sees trucks and vans roll by she often wonders why they don't give her a ride.  My simple story captured her heart.

We rarely realize how much God can do with simple obedience.

Other People Exist

I had alot of fun preaching yesterday.  February is Sending Month.  We focus on the three expressions of our mission: local, regional and global.  Yesterday I talked about Life Outside Church of the King and developed one foundational truth.

Other people exist.

I repented on Saturday when I finished writing the message.  I tend to develop tunnel vision in the name of focus.  So Jesus' example is stretching.  He had laser-like focus on His mission.  Satan gave him an opportunity to bypass the cross.  Pilate gave him an opportunity to bypass the cross.  His disciples begged him to bypass the cross.  He refused.  Everytime.

But in daily activities Jesus was more than focused.  He was available.  In fact, most of his miracles were schedule interruptions.

I think alot of us tend to get this backward.  We're ultra-focused on daily tasks.  I can tell you what I'm doing Wednesday and Thursday.  But we're under-focused on mission.  As a result our availability to people is blocked by busyness.

Personally, if I spend too much time in my office, I forget that other people exist.  All my work becomes in-house.  But the church is unique in that it is the one organization in the world that exists for the benefit of those who are not yet members. 

Maybe that's why God told Abraham in Genesis 13 to walk through the length and breadth of the land.  Lift up your eyes and look north, south, east and west.  Turn 360 degrees.  And then God promised to give him all the land that he would see. 

I don't think our ministry is limited by resources.  It's limited by those people and places we refuse to see.

Today I want to lift up my eyes and spin 360 degrees.  Do you know what I see?

4 million reasons why I've been sent.

Game Day

Today thousands of pastors will stand between heaven and earth and call Jesus' church to surrender to His mission.  Many to the east have already begun.  Hundreds to the west will follow.  May Jesus help us all to represent Him accurately.

Today dozens of church plants in our country will launch.  Visionary pioneers have spent months preparing for the next few hours.  May Jesus cause details to come together and dreams to be fulfilled.

Today millions of disciples will gather to worship.  Heaven will be hearing some sweet sounds.  Swahili.  Russian.  Spanish.  English.  May Jesus receive the fame He deserves.

Where will you serve today?  Where will you worship today?  Do you see the bigger picture? 

You belong to a movement. 

Super Sunday?

You better believe it:)

Making Missionaries

Last night I met with a team of writers in our church who are helping me put together the material for our April/May Lifegroup campaign.  We try to plan our annual small group calendar around two all-church studies.  We choose a topic that is strategic for our church and then weave six Sunday morning messages together with five short films that we'll put together on DVD's and give to our Lifegroup leaders.  The writing team will be working over the next five weeks to write the manuscripts for the five video teachings. 

I'm pretty pumped about this team.  This is my third year producing these campaigns.  I use to do all the writing myself which added up to long hours and lower quality.  Last fall was my first attempt at distributing the writing weight and the result was less hours and higher quality.

The goal of our spring campaign is to teach missional living.  We want to turn every member of our church into an effective missionary to Metro Detroit.

We're using the story of Jonah to help us all look in the mirror.  Jonah was a missionary by default since God sent him to Ninevah.  He just wasn't a very good one.  By the end of the story you're almost laughing out loud at a suicidal, whiny, self-righteous missionary.  God's missionary is actually uglier than his mission field.

Every church in America is filled with missionaries.  I hope Jesus will use these videos and messages to teach us how to be good ones.

In God We Trust

I always love it when my dad preaches for me.  This past Sunday he finished up our two-week series on God's Economy.  We've been taking a New Year's look at tithing. 

I started the series a few weeks ago with a talk called In God We Trust.  I contrasted two types of tithing found in the Bible.  Some people tithe as law.  They end up missing the point.  Others tithe as worship and discover one of the most spiritual experiences to be discovered via finances.

I've received alot of feedback on that message so I thought I'd link to it.

Subscribe to the podcast.

Download the audio file.

Read it!

Why not take the tithing test in 2007 and invite Jesus into the center of your personal financial strategy?