This post is the third in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential: Avoiding Moral Failure
Orlando, FL
Speakers: Brian & Amy Bloye
Topic: Common Threads of Pastoral Moral Failures
Text: 2 Corinthians 11:3
Date: April 25, 2012
Satan is targeting us.
What are some common claims of the deceived?
There is always someone close that they get involved with (it’s not a stranger).
There is always deceptions.
There is always secrecy.
There is always a lack of connection between spouses (They became business partners).
Who is suseptible to moral failures?
Adventure-seeking, adrenaline junkies
Visionary types
ADHD types
Competitive guys
Workaholics
People who appear confident, but are a bit insecure
People with narcissistic tendencies.
People with more spiritual passion than they do Bible knowledge (Ignorance of the Bible).
People with a lack of discernment, especially in themselves?
All of us in the ministry world are susceptible!
How can we prevent moral failure?
We have to recognize that this is a Jesus issue (Colossians 9:9-10).
Question: Is Jesus enough? (Even if your church isn’t a numerical success?)
We have to count the cost and embrace wisdom (Proverbs 5:1-9).
We have to admit that something is broken.
Notes & Quotes
You must intentionally prioritize your marriage over your ministry
Book Recommendation: When Godly People to Ungodly Things by Beth Moore
God did not call us to plant churches so that we can be worshipped.
If I am not pointing people toward Jesus, chances are I am pointing people toward me.
Many people are deceived into thinking that God is simply giving them a pass on their poor moral choices. If that’s you, you are being set up!
If you are struggling with unconfessed sexual sin, please do not plant a church!
This post is the second in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential – Contagious Church
Contagious Church: Turning mere attendees into zealous advocates.
Orlando, FL
Speaker: Larry Osborne
Topic: Contagious Church
Date: April 25, 2012
3 Things Every Pastor Needs to Know about
1. You need to know that no one wants to be used.
We use them because we see them as pawns for our vision.
You need to see the world from your lay people’s perspective.
If you don’t understand the real world, you will set up unrealistic expectations.
2. Assimilation is not retention.
Don’t measure assimilation. Measure retention.
3. Attendees become advocates when they experience three things: (1) satisfaction, (2) confidence, and (3) trust.
An attendee shows up every week. An advocate brings people with them…without being asked.
Turning Advicates into Zealous Advocates
1. SATISFACTION – Are people satisfied with both the product and the process?
If people are satisfied with the product but mildly uncomfortable with the process, they will keep coming back, but they won’t bring anyone with them.
Don’t be fooled by those who simply keep coming back because they’re not advocates, they’re just attendees.
How often do our people says, “Our church is great, but you need to know…” Usually, that phrase leads to a negative comment.
At what point in our service, do people feel (1) confused, (2) out of control, or (3) stupid?
Be careful of insider language: locations, abbreviations, etc. Every place you have it is a chance for confusion. If anything has a subtitle, the subtitle should be the title.
You need to occasionally take an audit in order to review what you have accidentally done.
Use plain language with your audience when teaching,
Always talk like there is a room full of new people. It communicates to people that their unchurched friends will be able to manage.
2. CONFIDENCE – Are people confident that the experience will always be the same?
One “throw away Sunday” will ruin the “come and see” experience. People won’t invite people if they’re scared it might be a bad week to invite someone.
You don’t have to hit a home run, you just need consistency. Home run guys, lead the league in strikeouts. The same is true in church world.
Consistency is more important than quality.
People want to know if you’re real. Excellence is a thing of the past.
3. TRUST – Do people trust the character and integrity of leadership?
Trust takes a long time to build, but only seconds to lose (in the big stuff and the small stuff). Moral failures and misleading announcements.
When you say people will like it, they should like it. When you say it is good, it should be good. When you say the Bible says, they need to be able to trust you.
Notes & Quotes
In th Christian world, we often use the same words, but a different dictionary.
At North Coast Church, we don’t do any marketing or advertising.
At North Coast Church, we’ve never done a special outreach or service.
At North Coast Church, we are service and small groups (sermon-based).
At North Coast Church, I’ve never asked people to bring their friends. If you have to ask people to bring their friends, you’re not doing something right. If you do the right things, people will tell people by world-of-mouth, without request.
This post is the first in a series from my time at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL last month. I will post several others in this same category. I invite you to browse all of the notes that I took.
Exponential – Discipleship
Orlando, FL
Speaker: Larry Osborne
Topic: Discipleship
Date: April 25, 2012
Where we’re all of the committed disciples when Jesus’s body came off of the cross? They had a chicken little moment.
Discipleship Profile: Joseph of Aramethia
Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15, Luke 23:50-54, John 19:38-40
He was rich.
He became a disciple (past tense).
He fulfills Isaiah 53:9.
He used his own tomb.
He’s one of 71 key leaders in the nation. (And he’s even prominent among them).
Good and upright man.
He had not consented to the decision to crucify Jesus. (But, why didn’t he do much to stop it?)
He was a discipleship of Jesus, but secretly…because he feared the Jewish leaders. (Isn’t that tough for us to handle? Isn’t a secret disciple supposed to be an oxymoron?)
Nicodemus is also a secret disciple.
Application of This Discipleship Profile
We’re never as strong as we think.
We’ll be judged by the way we judge others.
Our job is to encourage(1) the weak, (2) the struggling, (3) the back of the line, and (4) the not-yet-ready.
The 8 Dirty Little Secrets of Discipleship
We have redefined discipleship in unbiblical terms, and we have confused discipleship with leadership.
1. The ultimate mark of a disciple is obedience to what we know.
Not all of Scripture, but what you already know.
The word discipleship simply means “follower.”
When you make your application of obedience mandatory for everyone, you’ve become an accidental Pharisee.
The Bible teaches generosity. But, it’s expression is different in each disciple’s life.
The Bible teaches mercy. But, it’s expression (water, orphans, human trafficking, etc.) is different in each disciple’s life.
2. Discipleship is not a linear process.
The linear model was brought about by type A people, but it’s not for everyone.
Everyone takes the same lessons, but in a different order.
Don’t confuse the educational model and the discipleship model.
Instead of a pathway that we all walk on, let’s focus on moving people in the same direction.
3. No two personal relationships are the same.
Every person will relate to God differently.
And, our discipleship process needs to honor that.
What works for you may not work for everyone.
4. Whenever spiritual tools become spiritual rules they produce pride rather than disciples.
People were men and women of God before Guttenberg invented the printing press.
Not everyone is a reader, eespecially men.
We can’t look down on people who use different tools than us.
We should offer as many tools, paths and venues as possible.
5. Knowledge, self-discipline, and personal sacrifice do not equal godliness.
You can be A+ in these and still be messed up.
Be careful of pride.
6. When we use the Bible as a mirror, we become more like Jesus. When we use it like binoculars, we become pharisaical.
Blind spots are not always sin spots.
The High Place Principle (1Kings 3) – God looks at Solomon and says, “I love your heart. You’re going to
7. We are called to fulfill our calling, not our potential.
Disciple people to live out their calling, not their potential.
Sometimes, we must live beneath our potential because of our family, marriage, etc.
“The day I got married, I changed my ministry potential.” Paul explains that a married life alters your potential (1 Cor 7).
8. If my definition of spirituality is out of reach for the regular guy, it’s out of line with Jesus.
It’s a both/and. We need discipleship and leadership development. Let’s not cross the verses about the two, making leadership verses about discipleship.
Notes & Quotes
We’ve been raising the bar higher and higher.
We’re confusing discipleship and leadership.
Even Jesus’ disciples don’t consistently live up to our modern discipleship standards.
If your discipleship standard is higher than Jesus’, then you’re an accidental Pharisee.
We act like pride is an occupational hazard to discipleship. We act like it’s excusable for us to look down on others. But, pride is number one on God’s “I hate” list.
Check out the video below. It’s pretty stinking impressive. In high school, I played quarterback for my Christian high school’s flag football team (we weren’t a big enough school to have tackle). And, as a former quarterback, I can tell you that these passes were no easy feat. Sure, maybe they took multiple shots for some of the passes, but still it’s incredibly challenging to hit a football goal post three times in a row from 50 yards (single shot, no cut-aways).
So anyway, since the posting of the video last year, it’s reached nearly two million views, ans it’s earned this college quarterback, Alex Tanney, a shot in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. He’s been invited to their minicamp.
It just goes to show you the power of viral marketing. Viral videos and word-of-mouth advertising are hugely effective. If your business, organization, or church is doing something remarkable, people will tell their friends. And then, growth will happen naturally.
The Challenge
Let’s be remarkable and give people a reason to tell their friends and family about the amazing things that God is doing through us.
I stumbled upon this very interesting photo this past week in a Flipboard article. I had never thought about the lasting impact that a demolished building has upon it’s neighboring buildings. Take a look at the photos below.
Application
The truth is that this same sort of thing is true in the lives of people as well. In life, we stand side-by-side with our friends, family, and co-workers, and here’s the deal, when one of our “neighbors” has a life that’s demolished, by whatever means, we too are impacted. We are not immune to the collateral damage. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” Our lives are intertwined with the lives of those around us, and when one of us hurts, we hurt too.
Challenge
Let’s take this a visual reminder to do all we can to prevent life-demolition and to help our friends pick up the pieces if it does happen.
FRIDAY FINDS 05.04.12
Editor Real Talk, a Ryan Gosling–like meme featuring econospeak, a young design company out of New Zealand, and more in this installment of Friday Finds.
German photographer Marcus Bock’s Found Architecture documents the imprint of demolished buildings on their still-standing neighbors. The differing rooflines make a strong visual impact, almost more so than if the disappeared building were still standing. Such are the effects of nostalgia, I suppose.
My wife and I recently attended the High School Banquet for Liberty Christian School in Sanford, FL. At the event, two caricature artists from Digital Caricatures Live were there. Digital drawing is a new innovation in the caricature industry, and there are only about 10 artists in the country doing this. So, having them at the banquet was a real treat. The drawings are top quality, plus they’re digital so several copies can easily be printed. Gone are the days when only one of the people picture (usually the girl) get to take the drawing home. Now, multiple people can receive the drawings, and they can also be posted easily online. Pretty cool, right?
To see the other drawings from the banquet click here.
So, here it is. Our first caricature drawing. Fun stuff!
On April 20 & 21, 2012, the men from my church attended the 2012 Man Up Men’s Conference in Orlando, FL. The conference featured powerful and insightful messages from Jerry Thorpe & Jim Groves. This is the fifth & final post in the series.
The notes may be hard to follow, but feel free to browse them for insights. Especially, check out the “Notes & Quotes” section at the bottom.
On April 20 & 21, 2012, the men from my church attended the 2012 Man Up Men’s Conference in Orlando, FL. The conference featured powerful and insightful messages from Jerry Thorpe & Jim Groves. This is the fourth post in the series.
The notes may be hard to follow, but feel free to browse them for insights. Especially, check out the “Notes & Quotes” section at the bottom.
Man Up Men’s Conference
Orlando, FL
Speaker: Jim Groves Topic: Trusting God Text: Genesis 3:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21 Date: April 21, 2012
Story: The Fork in the Road (Trusting God vs Pleasing God)
Trusting God seems nebulous.
Pleasing God seems more manageable and concrete.
We take that path. Then, we come to a building. On the building is a door.
On the door, there is a sign that reads, “Striving to please God.”
On the door, there is a door knob that read, “Effort.”
Behind the door, is the “Room of Good Intentions.”
In the room, everyone wears a mask, pretending everything is great.
In the room, a banner reads, “Working on my sin to achieve an intimate relationship with God.”
It seems to hard. Eventually, I can hear that behind the masks, no one is fine.
So, I leave the room.
I go back down the path and come to the fork in the road.
I choose “Trusting God.”
And, I come to another door with a sign that reads, “Living out of who God says I am.”
The door knob here reads, “Humility.”
I enter in, and it’s “The Room of Grace.”
I think I’m back where I already was.
They ask how I am, and I shout out, “I’m not fine! I’m a sinner. Things are bad!”
From the back of the room, I man shouts back, “Is that all you got?”
Suddenly, I realize no one in this room is wearing a mask.
Then, I see the banner in the room, which reads, “Standing with God with me sin in front of me, working on it together.”
Reflections
It is impossible is actually please God.
We must trust God.
Application
Some of you give your wife only one path: “pleasing my husband,” which means she must enter “the door of striving to be all you want her to be.” So, she must turn the door knob of “effort.” She’ll have to work really hard to be what you want. Entering the room of “good intentions,” she’ll have to “work on her challenges to achieve an intimate relationship with you.” And then, there’s the mask of “everything’s fine.”
You wouldn’t want this in your relationship with God. So, why would she want it.
Instead, let her choose “trusting my husband,” which leads to the door of “living out of who my husband says that I am.” She’ll turn the door knob of “Love” and enter the “room of grace.” here she will “stand with you, with your challenges in front of you, working on them together.”
Notes & Quotes
Your marriage reveals your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Single guys, get your act together before you mess up some girls life by marrying her.
Guys hide behind things that make them feel better: bigger tv, bigger house, bigger paycheck, bigger car, bigger, bigger, bigger.
We have wrongly believed that performance is the key to acceptable.
Be careful of Santa Claus Theology: “You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout, I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town. He’s making a list and checking it twice. He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town.”
“God isn’t interested in changing you because He already has.”
On April 20 & 21, 2012, the men from my church attended the 2012 Man Up Men’s Conference in Orlando, FL. The conference featured powerful and insightful messages from Jerry Thorpe & Jim Groves. This is the third post in the series.
The notes may be hard to follow, but feel free to browse them for insights. Especially, check out the “Notes & Quotes” section at the bottom.
Man Up Men’s Conference
Orlando, FL
Speaker: Jerry Thorpe Topic: Successful Living Text: Philippians 3:13-14 Date: April 21, 2012
Synopsis: “This one thing I do, forgetting the things behind, I press on to the finish line.”
Outline:
1. This One Thing I Do (Goal or Mission for Life)
Characteristics of True Goals:
A true goal should be identifiable.
A true goal should be measurable.
A true goal should be challenging.
A true goal should be public.
Reflection & Questions to Ask Yourself:
What are your spiritual goals?
What are your health goals?
What are your marriage goals?
What are your family goals?
What are your financial goals?
What are your work goals?
What are your ministry goals?
2. Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind
Two Things You Have to Forget:
Forget your inadequacies.
Forget your skeptics.
Three Tings You Have to do to Walk on Water:
Get out of the boat.
Forget the storm.
Ignore the boat people.
3. I Press On (Don’t Quit)
Notes & Quotes
Successful living begins with a salvation experience. Otherwise, all your success doesn’t matter.
If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.
On April 20 & 21, 2012, the men from my church attended the 2012 Man Up Men’s Conference in Orlando, FL. The conference featured powerful and insightful messages from Jerry Thorpe & Jim Groves. This is the second post in the series.
The notes may be hard to follow, but feel free to browse them for insights. Especially, check out the “Notes & Quotes” section at the bottom.
Speaker: Jim Groves Topic: Identity Text: Romans 6:1-10 Date: April 20, 2012
Outline:
Word Picture: Man-Eating Grizzly Bear
Imagine you’re being chased by a man-eating grizzly bear. As you run away, you come upon a log cabin, and dart inside, locking the door behind you. Now, you’re safe, but you don’t necessarily feel that way.
Step 1: Truth – You are safe
Step 2: Faith – I believe I am safe.
Step 3: Works – Live like a safe man. Act like a safe man.
Step 4: Feelings – I finally begin to feel safe…sort of.
* Replace “safe” with any other truth from the Bible: forgiven, accepted, a saint, Christ’s friend, and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Step 1: Truth – You are accepted
Step 2: Faith – I believe I am accepted.
Step 3: Works – Live like a safe man. Act like a accepted man.
Step 4: Feelings – I finally begin to feel accepted…sort of.
* Work through this pattern.
* Focus on the right things you are supposed to do, and you will stop doing the wrong things.
* Focus on your true identity and act that way. Your feelings will catch up.
Notes & Quotes:
You will live out what you really believe to be your true identity. Not what you say is your true identity.
Emotions get in the way of our obedience.
Most adultery starts with this feeling: I feel unloved.
Hypocrisy is acting differently than you are, not acting differently than you feel. Only Satan defines it as acting differently than you feel. Jesus defines it as the former.
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