If you feel confident that you can accomplish what is in front of you with no problem at all…then you didn’t hear from God.
If no one is angry at you…then you didn’t hear from God.
If you don’t have to ask anyone to sacrifice to make the vision come true…then you didn’t hear from God.
If religious people are not steaming at you, blogging about you and/or leaving your church…then you didn’t hear from God.
If you have the money in the bank to do what God has asked you church to do…then you didn’t hear from God.
If every step is perfectly designed and nothing happens to totally throw you off along the way…then you didn’t hear from God.
If someone doesn’t try to talk you out of what you are about to attempt…then you didn’t hear from God.
If you don’t stay up at night thinking about the vision…then you didn’t hear from God.
If your vision is in contradiction to God’s Word…then you didn’t hear from God. (And no, you didn’t get a “special revelation” that gave you permission to trump His Word!)
If you know all of the answers…then you didn’t hear from God.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Growing by Subtraction
Here are some things you need to understand. Change happens. People leave churches and people stop being involved in ministries. There are many reactions when this happens, but here are some thoughts on how to handle it:
1. Don't talk people into staying when they want to leave. You rarely talk an unhappy person into being happy.
2. Love people, Love people, Love people, Love people!
3. Don't take it personal even though it hurts. No matter who you are or what your leadership position, people will leave from time to time. Don't take it personal (this can be hard).
4. Always take the high road. Even if people talk bad about you or say things that aren't true, take the high road and let God fight your battles for you. (Again, not always easy.)
5. Understand that there are times when people need to leave so that the church can go forward. A church really can grow by subtraction. We've seen it happen here at OAG on more than one occasion.
1. Don't talk people into staying when they want to leave. You rarely talk an unhappy person into being happy.
2. Love people, Love people, Love people, Love people!
3. Don't take it personal even though it hurts. No matter who you are or what your leadership position, people will leave from time to time. Don't take it personal (this can be hard).
4. Always take the high road. Even if people talk bad about you or say things that aren't true, take the high road and let God fight your battles for you. (Again, not always easy.)
5. Understand that there are times when people need to leave so that the church can go forward. A church really can grow by subtraction. We've seen it happen here at OAG on more than one occasion.
The Next Level
What is it that takes a ministry to the next level? Is wishing enough? Of course not. Taking a ministry - any ministry - to the next level requires some serious investment of time and work. Here are some things that are absolute musts:
1. Quality time with God. SERIOUSLY, crank up your prayer life and Bible reading and watch what God does in your life and ministry. It's easy to allow the ministry to replace quality time with God. The best decisions I make in ministry are birthed out of quality time with God.
2. Fasting. If you need a breakthrough in your life or ministry, go on an extended fast. Fasting does wonders.
3. Give like crazy. Some ministers and leaders are stingy. I know you're not one of them :). Give offerings over and above your tithe, give your time away and invest in ministry. Give away your great ideas! God always gives me back more than I give away! If you need a breakthrough, you NEED TO START GIVING!
4. Be open-minded. Some leaders are full of condemnation towards other leaders, ministers, churches and ministries because they are closed-minded. There is nothing worse than being judgmental and critical of everything that is different from you and what you are used too. There is a whole new world of opportunity awaiting you if you would be open to it.
5. Work harder: Some leaders are flat out lazy. They use spiritual mumbo jumbo to justify their laziness. If you want to go to the next level, it will require hard work.
6. Work smarter not harder: Some leaders work harder but not smarter. They don't struggle with laziness, but they are killing themselves by working harder and stopping the ministry from going to the next level. Learn to delegate (a big finger pointed right at me on this one!), build a team, less is more, focus on only what you can do, quit micro managing and don't confuse long hours with accomplishment. Work smarter not harder!
7. Take a risk: THIS IS HUGE! If you want to go to the next level, it will require risk. You have to quit playing it safe. After all, the Bible says we should live by faith. When is the last time you took a MAJOR faith leap to get your ministry to the next level?
1. Quality time with God. SERIOUSLY, crank up your prayer life and Bible reading and watch what God does in your life and ministry. It's easy to allow the ministry to replace quality time with God. The best decisions I make in ministry are birthed out of quality time with God.
2. Fasting. If you need a breakthrough in your life or ministry, go on an extended fast. Fasting does wonders.
3. Give like crazy. Some ministers and leaders are stingy. I know you're not one of them :). Give offerings over and above your tithe, give your time away and invest in ministry. Give away your great ideas! God always gives me back more than I give away! If you need a breakthrough, you NEED TO START GIVING!
4. Be open-minded. Some leaders are full of condemnation towards other leaders, ministers, churches and ministries because they are closed-minded. There is nothing worse than being judgmental and critical of everything that is different from you and what you are used too. There is a whole new world of opportunity awaiting you if you would be open to it.
5. Work harder: Some leaders are flat out lazy. They use spiritual mumbo jumbo to justify their laziness. If you want to go to the next level, it will require hard work.
6. Work smarter not harder: Some leaders work harder but not smarter. They don't struggle with laziness, but they are killing themselves by working harder and stopping the ministry from going to the next level. Learn to delegate (a big finger pointed right at me on this one!), build a team, less is more, focus on only what you can do, quit micro managing and don't confuse long hours with accomplishment. Work smarter not harder!
7. Take a risk: THIS IS HUGE! If you want to go to the next level, it will require risk. You have to quit playing it safe. After all, the Bible says we should live by faith. When is the last time you took a MAJOR faith leap to get your ministry to the next level?
People Skills
One of the things that hinder people and ministries from moving forward is a lack of people skills. If you want to have a healthy organization and a thriving life, you need to have good people skills. Here are a few things I've learned regarding the area of people skills.
1. People generally follow people they like.
2. People generally follow people who have a positive attitude.
3. People generally follow people who see the best in others.
4. People generally follow people they can get along with.
How to make people like you
1. Listen to them
2. Be generous with them
3. Genuinely care about them and their family
4. Help them accomplish their dreams
5. Admit when you are wrong or make a mistake
How To Make People Not Like You
1. Be a know it all
2. Only see things from your point-of-view
3. Gossip about people
4. Tear down others
5. Talk about yourself all the time
6. Always point out the negative
7. Always tell people what they can't do
1. People generally follow people they like.
2. People generally follow people who have a positive attitude.
3. People generally follow people who see the best in others.
4. People generally follow people they can get along with.
How to make people like you
1. Listen to them
2. Be generous with them
3. Genuinely care about them and their family
4. Help them accomplish their dreams
5. Admit when you are wrong or make a mistake
How To Make People Not Like You
1. Be a know it all
2. Only see things from your point-of-view
3. Gossip about people
4. Tear down others
5. Talk about yourself all the time
6. Always point out the negative
7. Always tell people what they can't do
The Vision
If I had to condense my heart for OAG right now it would be this: I'm hungry to see God do something bigger and better in my life and in the life of OAG.
I just read a portion of the commencement address Steve Jobs gave at Stanford a few years ago. It was titled: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. His words resonated with my spirit. He closed his address this way:
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewritters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along. It was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then, when it had run its course, they put out a final issue.
It was the mid-1970's, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early-morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."
It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
I just read a portion of the commencement address Steve Jobs gave at Stanford a few years ago. It was titled: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. His words resonated with my spirit. He closed his address this way:
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewritters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along. It was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then, when it had run its course, they put out a final issue.
It was the mid-1970's, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early-morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."
It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
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