This Week: Battleship
Theme: There’s a Fight & Struggle for Our Souls. Are you prepared? Are you even in the right fight?
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Random Stuff
Jason *over and out*
I mess up.
You mess up.
Forgiveness cannot be something we expect, but something we humbly ask for.
A big part of that is apologizing well.
I’ve met people all across the board (Christian, Muslim, Atheist, etc) who fail at this.
Just read a pretty honest/open post on how we can apologize well when we fail someone.
Check it out here.
Jason *over and out*
Now, it’s a fine line of striving for excellence and not worshiping excellence.
We all should desire to be the best we can be, but what happens when our best becomes the norm?
Do we strive to grow and be better? Is it an ever changing process?
God’s plan is to “continue to do a good work in/through us.” It’s constantly happening.
Read a great post on striving for our best. Here’s a snapshot below. Want to read the whole thing? Click here.
The reason is that “better” now will eventually become outdated and average later. When the first generation iPhone came out, it revolutionized the industry. But it was updated and replaced because it soon was no longer sufficient to meet the needs of those it was serving. Yesterday’s release of the iPhone 4 was just the latest update. A year or so from now, we will have the iPhone 5 because the needs of the consumer will constantly demand a better phone.
Your capacity as a leader, a spouse, a parent, or an employee might be adequate right now, but it will be inadequate momentarily. The needs of those around you will constantly demand you to produce at a higher level. For this reason, we must have a healthy obsession with improving everything we do every time we do it. Not for the sake of pride. But for the sake of those who need us to be at our best and continually improving on our best. – S. Furtick
I always want to be moving towards the best version of me that God has in store. How are you making changes and allowing God to move in you, so you can grow and get better?
Jason *over and out*
Watched the Apple WWDC Keynote yesterday with Steve Jobs presenting the new iPhone 4, and he had some trouble. In the church production world, the guy running things behind the scenes would have been called out, asked why he let that happen, and then told when he messes up- there are souls at stake (I used to think this way, not so much anymore). Why is that? Jon Acuff wrote a funny post about how to get out of troubles like this when they happen at church. Check it out here.
I know we shoot for excellence on Sundays @ Forefront- But, what if something goes wrong? Is it really the end of the world? Some of the most impacting messages have been the ones I thought bombed. The times I talk about from things I thought were funny at church, are drum shields falling on drummers, feedback that sounded like a the space ship from Close Encounters landing, people tripping on cords on the stage and turning it into a silly dance, etc.
It’s those moments that many production teams and leaders cringe over, that I say we embrace. Things happen. We mess up. Things don’t always work out. 9 times out of 10, it’s an accident. From the stage I tell people “God’s got this.” The big stuff. The small stuff. The stuff you wreck. The stuff that’s a total accident.
I would contend that the church is simply an extension of our personal lives. We come together broken and wrecked, to worship a perfect God, and things will happen. Good or bad- God has the power over it in the end. For me it’s a trust issue. Do I trust that God can move in spite of a light failure or a botched transition? Can he break the hearts of people without smooth sermon slides or when someone messes up the words to a song? Yes. Yes He can, and He does.
I love the illustration Jon used in his post about the early followers of Jesus and if they held to this production debacle type of thinking:
“I can’t imagine Peter ever leaning over and telling one of the other disciples, ‘I’ve got to be honest with you, the acoustics of this particular hill Jesus is speaking from are lousy. And I don’t know how we’re going to feed everyone here. The production values of this event are horrible. Amateur hour.’”
I’m learning more and more to trust Jesus in the little things. I used to put a huge emphasis on the “production debacle.” Personally and professionally. I didn’t want to appear unprepared. I never wanted people to think excellence wasn’t important to me. But, in the process I started serving excellence instead of Jesus. I focused on being perfect instead of being His.
It’s a fine line, but I challenge you- don’t get so caught up in the details of life, having everything perfect and in line, that you miss the point of this…
We’re forgiven.
He loves us.
Let’s love others- even through our fumbles and screw ups.
Jason *over and out*
“Surround yourself with people who love God and love you, but love God more than you. That way they can speak truth into your life- even if it hurts.”
- P. Noble @ WiBo 2010.
Right now Dan (our Executive Pastor) and I are meeting with our elders at Forefront Church.
Talking about God’s church, holding each other accountable, and praying for you, your family, and our community.
These 6 guys help make me a better leader and man before God.
Please pray for us as we meet and seek after God & His plan for His church at Forefront.
Jason *over and out*
Speaking is tough.
I love it, but it is not easy to craft a fine tuned message every week.
It takes a great deal of study, research, prayer… and practice.
Yep, Practice.
So, when I went to speak at the church I first worked at, I knew I had to bring my “A” game.
Real Life was the place I learned to let my ego go.
During those 7+ years of ministry I became a better leader.
I released a lot of anger issues, made plenty of mistakes, and received a lot of grace.
I love Forefront, but it was nice to see some old friends and speak about “Temptation.”
Want to listen to how it all went down? Check out the message below or click here to download the mp3
From a conversation I had a couple days ago…
“So I noticed recently you haven’t been blogging. Aren’t you afraid your traffic will slow down? What about your readers, don’t they need to hear from you? How do you stay connected with them? Just curious. I thought a big blog rule was to post every day and keep people coming back.”
I laughed out loud as they asked this. I know that sounds pretty rude, but it just made me laugh and I’m not one to hide my emotions. I informed them I don’t blog entirely for readers, I blog because I need a release and love to write. I also blog to allow the people who come to Forefront a glimpse into my life, to get to know me better. If people read, super. If they don’t, that’s cool too. I love the interaction of social networking, but I had to stop worrying about that awhile back.
If my worth comes from readership, blog stats, people affirming my thoughts/opinions, and feeling a burden to constantly stay connected to a digital world- I’m screwed. Luckily, I find my worth in what matters. Or better yet, who matters.
Unplugging allows me…
to focus on the important things.
to lead my family.
to invest in my wife & daughter.
to pour into my relationship with God.
to give direction and encouragement to our staff.
to act a fool just because I need a release (just actin’ goofy with no reservations).
to sit and contemplate the future.
to listen to the voice of God.
to allow God to cleanse my spirit.
It felt good to unplug for the last couple of weeks, but now I’m back and ready to roll again.
If it doesn’t feel good to unplug or you just cannot bring yourself to do it… you’re addicted and need to tell someone. RIGHT NOW.
Jason *over and out*
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Send your name, email, and story to: story@forefront.org
We cannot wait to hear what God is doing in your life.
Who knows, you might win an awesome chance to hear some great leaders and kick it with the staff and other Forefront peeps.
So… let’s hear your story.
Jason *over and out*
It’s true.
Clothing logos. Status updates. Bumper stickers. Sports team jerseys. Eye wear. Blogs. Auto Email Signatures. Billboards. TV Commercials.
Everybody’s communicating something.
Sometimes it’s things we agree with and love, other times it’s things we are against and disagree with. A few decals on vehicles I see everyday on my way to work as I drive through the neighborhood:
- Calvin urinating on a Redskins logo
- PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals)
- Terrorist Hunting License: Let’s Kill Their A**es!
- Don’t Blame Me, I Voted For BUSH
- Keep Honking, I’m Reloading…
It’s easy to be negative.
It feels good to let out frustration on another person.
When we don’t get what we desire, we throw fits. Get angry. Shout louder.
My daughter hasn’t liked a meal in almost two weeks. Every time she pushes her food away and screams “I want pizza!!!”
She’s not getting pizza. Period.
And… she’s acting foolishly. But she doesn’t know that yet.
Because she is only a child.
As the news of health care reform being voted through spread across the air waves…
Christians began to respond in ways that I prayed they wouldn’t.
It broke my heart.
I believe it broke the heart of God as well.
I have a plea.
A word of encouragement.
(following is an excerpt from a recent response, see full article here)
- Instead putting our “hope” in healthcare, let’s put our HOPE in the power of Jesus to save, heal, and deliver. We must transition from fairy tale subscribers, to true witnesses of the life changing power of God. When a world is dying, a building is burning- the call is to the church. Let’s be like Jesus in this hour!
- Instead of labeling people liberal or conservative, why don’t we see them as people who are far from God in need of Jesus? Without forgetting, that aside from God’s grace & love we would ALL REMAIN dead in sins. Love mercy, do justice, walk humbly.
- Instead of lobbying for schools to teach creation, why don’t lead our children into encounters with the creator, settling all doubts.
- Instead of being divided within the church over as to what our role is in the political process, whether it be to be activist, or pacifist, how about we work together to advance God’s work here on the earth, following the example of Jesus. The message of Jesus transforms hearts, transformed hearts transform the culture.
So glad to be serving at Forefront.
Where we strive to Love God, Love People, and Turn The World Upside Down.
Jason *over and out*
