Learning from Sandra Bullock

As I watched the Oscars last night I was struck by the acceptance speeches not of the superstars, but the film editors, sound technicians and the other essential personnel who are also honored by the Hollywood community on that special night once a year. For many it is a once in a lifetime event. A lifetime of work by those who work behind the scenes, receiving ‘uber appreciation’ in one night. There were emotional moments, tears often intermingled with laughter. For some it is a race to thank as many people as possible before the orchestra music signals it is time to move on. Others took a moment to thank a select few.

And when Sandra Bullock accepted the Oscar for best actress she spoke directly to the four other women nominated. She didn’t have to do that but she did it just the same. She thanked LeAnn Tuoy (who was present in the hall) whom she played in the movie, The Blind Side. But when she thanked her mother it was a special moment.

Most of us will never have a moment like Sandra Bullock and the other Oscar winners had last night. But suppose for just a moment you did have just an opportunity. What would you say? To whom would you say it? Who would you thank?

Although we might never have an Oscar opportunity, why not say it now? Why wait? Tell them today.

What’s keeping ya?

Until next time.

Living in the Zone: A book review

Living in the Zone: a 40 Day Spiritual Game Plan for Men is a new resource from Thomas Nelson Publishers. The authors are Kyle Rote Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew. Rote is a former professional soccer player, a three time champion of ABC-TV Super Stars and a retired CEO of a sports management firm. Pettigrew is founder of Leaderpoint, an author, speaker and busy consultant to numerous Fortune 500 companies.

The format of the book is simple: it is 40-days of devotional for men emphasizing our relationship with God, wife, children, friends, work, and the future. Each daily devotional is an easy read of 5-7 pages with a section of questions for individual or group discussion, a brief daily assignment and a place for prayer requests and praise. Each daily section uses scripture and inspirational stories from the likes of Kurt Warner, Tony Dungy, Allan Houston and John Wooden.

Former head football coach Tom Osborne of the Nebraska Cornhuskers describes Living in the Zone: applying spiritual truths to the dilemma of balancing career and family in today’s culture….it draws on athletic metaphors to illustrate the importance of doing things God’s way rather than our way.

I highly recommend Living in the Zone to church leaders wanting to take the men in their congregation to a deeper level of discipleship.

The Life that Pleases God Matthew 5:3-6

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus describes the criteria for fitness in His Kingdom. The Neatitudes are Jesus' own specifications for what every believer ought to be. Providentially, the Beatitudes follow the same pattern as the Ten Commandments: just like the Commandments the first four beatitudes describe a life that pleases God, the last four describes a life lived for others.

What kind of life pleases God?

Jesus said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (v. 3 ESV).

What does it mean to be "poor in spirit?" It does not mean to be economically destitute, cowardly or without the Holy Spirit. The life that pleases God begins with admitting our own spiritual bankruptcy. "We are all beggars" declared Martin Luther. The gospel does not work for the proud and self-sufficient, but for those who own up to their own sinfulness and who cast themselves on the grace and mercy of God. As Charles Spurgeon noted: "The first link between my soul and Christ is not my goodness but my badness, not my merit but my misery, not my riches bit my need."

The life that pleases God? The first step is to acknowledge our spiritual bankruptcy.

Jesus continues: " Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (v. 4 ESV).

What does it mean to mourn? In a word: grief. Its the kind of grief we experience when we see a person who has wasted their life, or a frined who is whithering away from cancer and is too young to be this sick. The Bible applies this to our own sinfulness: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death!" (Romans 7:24 ESV).

Jesus promise to those who please God in this way " shall be comforted." The life that pleases God grieves over the way the world truly is and will ultimately see God set things right!

In Matthew 5:5 Jesus declares: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." In our culture "meekness" suggests we become someone's doormat....sort of a cross between wimp and a wallflower. This is a tragic distortion of what Jesus taught. In Jesus day meekness was described in several ways:

a wild horse that had been broken and brought under control was to be "meek or gentle."

ointment that drew fever and pain out of a wound was "meek medicine"

people who were polite, treating others with dignity, courtesy and tact were called "meek"

Jesus calls us to live another way of life. Eric Liddell, the missionary and Olympic gold medalist, whose life is told in the film Chariots of Fire was described as "ridiculously humble in victory and utterly generous in defeat." That's the life that pleases God. The reward for the "meek: is that they shall "inherit the earth." This means that every need we have will be met. The greedy grab and lose, while the meek inherit and gain.

Finally Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matt. 5:6 ESV). People who live a life that pleases God have spiritual passion, an insatiable hunger to know God intimately and model His ways. This more than just acquiring biblical and theological information. It is much more. jesus is describing about a life aligned with God's character: His holiness, truth, goodness and righteousness.

Our reward is to be "satisfied." Instead of being perpetual victims of spiritual starvation, never getting sufficient nourishment to grow grow strong we shall be satisfied. here is the hope of this promise: we will become spiritually satisfied, able to handle harsh conditions and endure uncomfortable circumstances. God's pantry never runs low. His well never runs dry!

That's the life God blesses----the life that pleases Him.

Cell Groups plus Sunday School? Why the answer is No

Just last week I had a conversation with a church leader who wanted to add home based cell groups alongside their Sunday School strategy. I began to ask him questions: they had room to start new units, the church was open to multiple Sunday school hours and they were growing at a healthy rate.

The bottom line is he thought adding home=based cell groups would be a growth accelerator. Can't fault him for that, in fact its commendable. The problem is that off-site cell groups and sunday school can't coexist. For several years I was part of a group of consultants who related to some the largest and fastest growing churches in the country. As a group we could not find a single church that did both cell groups and sunday school well. They are two entirely different DNA's.

If you know of a church that is doing well let me know. It'll be a first

Is Your Church a Good Neighbor?

Someone once said, "Good fences make good neighbors." The meaning is obvious. Fences help us maintain proper boundaries. The is true for churches. Most pastors I know want to be good neighbors. Sometimes that can be a challenge. Years ago Prestonwood Baptist Church was growing so fast they filled their onsite parking every week. As their growth continued many people began parking in a strip mall parking lot across the street. Obvious the business owners in the mall were upset, believing the church members were taking spots that should have been used by customers. The issue finally resolved itself when a group of businessmen who attended Prestonwood bought the strip mall! Not many churches can do that!

I thought about that a few weeks ago as I drove by the Village Church near my home one Sunday. The Village Church is one of the fastest growing churches in the country. Their pastor is Matt Chandler a dynamic preacher and visionary pastor. Many of you know he is battling cancer. The first Sunday of December Village Church held their first service in their new worship center, located in a shopping center in a former grocery superstore.

As I drove past one Sunday morning recently on tyhe way to my church, I noticed the Village Church parking crew helping worshippers park that morning. What stood out to me was their obvious effort to protect the parking spaces of a local Mexican restaraunt. They were doing there best to be good neighbors. I should confess: it was important to me because it's my family's favorite place and we eat their almost every Sunday. Never get between a sixth generation Texan and their favorite Tex-Mex place, but I digress. Way to go Village Church!

Is your church a good neighbor? Your church may not be located in a shopping center, but that's OK, you can still be a good neighbor. Here's three areas to consider:

1. The public school nearest your church. How do they feel about your church? How often are your members and staff on campus. It's important you know and follow their rules for access. Increase your visibility. before you can be an agent of change they must know you care. Ninety percent of life is just showing up. Quit bellyaching about the state of our public schools, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Imagine what would happen if every church in America adopted and commiitted to serve the school nearest to them!

2. Restaraunts. Do you and your staff patronize eating establishments near your church? How well do you know the managers and staff? Build good relationships with them. Get to know them. Look for opportunities to minister to them.

3. Open your facility for community events. Let your buildings and property work for you. The best marketing tool your church has is the community grapevine. When you allow your community access to your property to get goodwill and that's something no marketing plan can pay for.

Good fences make good neighbors. But for churches it's not fences to build but bridges to your community that's criticical.

The Gift of Christmas

My earliest Christmas memory occured when I was five years old. I remember my brothers (age 4, & 2) and I decorating the tree in our small home in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. We were so excited! Christmas was nearly here. We went to bed that night in anticipation of a wonderful Christmas morning opening presents. We awoke early the next morning before Mom and Dad were up and ran into the living room to discover Santa had come that night! Perfectly gift wrapped gifts were under the tree! That's when my brothers (age 4 & 2) and I had a familiy conference. Our descion: to plunge right in and see what Santa had brought. We jumped right in and began opening boxes. Our first surprise was that the presents were dish towels, tools, shirts and socks--much to big for us. Our second surprise occurred when our parents came into the room with the fury of a Texas tornado.

My brothers and I had jumped the gun. Those gifts we opened were for our extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins! My mother had stayed up late the night before to wrap them. The recriminations began immediately. Being the oldest I was blamed. In my defense I said I was out voted by my brothers (ages 4 & 2). After a stern talking to we now understood that Christmas morning was still a couple of days away.

I think about that first Christmas memory this time of year. All the hustle, bustle and anticipation. As I shop the crowded stores and malls I wonder how many people will miss the true joy of Christmas. As Christians we know the true gift of Christmas: Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us.

In 2 John 3 we find this verse: "Grace, mercy and peace be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." (HCSB) Five great words describe the results of the gift of Christmas: grace, mercy, peace, truth and love.

May these be yours through Jesus Christ this Christmas season!

[This is my last post until after Christmas.}

Do you serve in a Christendom or Missional Church?

For the past few months I have had the privilege to serve with a group of people charged with the responsibility for strategic planning for a regional group of churches. It is challenging task but one wrought with God-sized opportunities. Their ministry area is projected to grow from 625k to over 1.1 million by the year 2030. One of the key issues our group wrestled with was the current state of our churches. We recognized that many churches are still mired in practices of yesteryear and are unable to seize opportunities for ministry in today's world. They are Christendom churches. We also recognized that many churches today ar Missional churches. Some were planted that way in recent years, some transitioned from a Christendom culture to missional mode. What are the differences between Christendom and Missional churches? What kind of church do you serve? Here are a few differences that can help you discover what kind of church you serve:

Christendom Churches: focus on maintaining the institution; Missional: focus on transforming lives.

Christendom churches: make a long-term commitment to the church; Missional: have a new found commitment to Jesus Christ.

Christendom churches: manage through committees and position holders; Missional churches deploy members into missions and ministries.

Christendom churches make decisions (usually for someone else to implement!); Missional churches make disciples of Jesus.

Christendom churches emphasize members training; Missional churches emphasize lifetime learning & growing in grace.

Christendom churches focus on raising money; Missional churches focus on raising people.

Christendom churches discuss internal needs; Missional churches address the unchurched in the community.

Christendom churches have an information-oriented faith; Missional churches have an experience-oriented faith.

Christendom churches are concerned with perpetuating a heritage; Missional churches are concerned with looking toward the future.

Christendom churches talk about church work; Missional churches talk about fulfillment, mission & ministry.

Where did you come out? Do you serve in a Christendom or Missional context.