Pastor's Blog

The FCCI conference was a success

We took the leadership out to dinner last night and that officially ended the conference. The leadership said we treated them very good and the support ministries was second to none. You guys are the best!! During one of the sessions it really hit me as I looked around. We have touched the ministries of people all over the world. At this conference there were more than twenty two nations represented. Just think, with the amount of work we put into this conference lives in more than twenty two nations willnever be the same. Dr. Carl Conley of FCCI will be with us on Sunday. Don't miss this  opportunity to hear from him. If you worked during this conference, you will receive a harvest on it.

Thanks again!

Supernatural Leadership

With all the leadership teaching we get, don't forget the supernatural element. Remember, we have an edge on the world in that we are cooperating with Father God in what we do. That means He provides us with all we need to be a successful leader. Here is a list of some of the things Father God provides. First, there is the faith to believe and see beyond possible to the impossible. You know, with God nothing is impossible to him who believes. Next are the supernatural tools. We call this the anointing. God has given us the ability to do what He has called us to do. And lastly, He has given supernatural favor. God has made us to be irresistible in the things we need to get the job done. Remember, we can and should be a supernatural leader, because, "If God be for us, who can be against us!"

Get the Picture

I spent several days in Raleigh at Living Word Family Church this past week with Karl and Lana Stewart. We were there observing the way they do "Church". We learned some great things. My thought for you today is simply this. When we are in faith for something, whether it is growth in the church, your personal life, or material things, it always helps to see it somewhere else. It might be as simple as getting some pictures or as involved as driving or flying somewhere to see it in operation. The point is, before you can have or do something you need to see it. By going to Raleigh, I saw where we as a church need to go. Once you see it, then you can do it!

How do you eat an Elephant?

I know you have heard the question, "How do you eat an elephant"? The answer you usually hear is, "One bite at a time." My answer is different. My answer is "Invite a lot of friends to help" You see, A job will get done faster and more efficiently if you have help. Jesus understood this. When He was faced with the challenge of feeding the multitude, He said arrange them in groups of thousands, hundreds, etc. As we see with Jesus, not only did He get help, He organized them into manageable groups. To be a success in ministry, you have to organize your team into manageable groups. This is the purpose of organizational charts and structure. Here are some thoughts about organizing your team. The size is determined by what you can manage. Leadership experts say you can effectively manage in detail five people. So, your team should consist of no more than five, and each one of them should have a team of five and so on. A very important point in team building is called the line of authority. This simply put means, You delegate and inspect the work of your team and let them delegate and inspect the work of their team. You shouldn't delegate beyond your team. Be careful not to usurp the authority of your team.  If everyone stays in their place and listens to their leader, the "elephant" isn't so big after all. More to come...

You are God's Design

I'm sitting out on the veranda studying for tomorrow. As I look out over all the flowers Pastor Debbie has planted and all the green trees, I am amazed at Father God's sense of color. The thought hit me! If God can design all these different flowers with all this color and attention to detail, He certainly can and does have a design for our lives. He has paid attention to all the details of our lives and now He is ready for us to bloom and grow. Let's stand tall for God, just like the flowers in my back yard.

Be A Problem Solver

Someone ask once, "What qualities are you looking for in people to help bring the vision to pass?" One of the qualities is the willingness and ability to be a problem solver. When I ask my team what to do in a certain situation, it is not always that I don't know what to do, I sometimes want to hear different ways to do things. A problem solver is not a "we can't person". By this I mean, a problem solver doesn't say, "oh, we can't do that!" They are people who don't take the easy way out by saying it can't be done. They are willing to go the extra mile to pray, research, and take risks to see the best plan or answer given. I like being around people who can come with lots of solutions to problems. This gives us the best possible chance at getting the "God" answer, A minister once said,"God has a million ways to get something to you." Just think how we limit ourselves by having only one solution to a problem.

Respect Those Who Work With Us

Awhile back I wrote a blog about respecting volunteers, I want to look at that again today. In going to different churches, I have seen volunteers treated well and I have seen them treated as if they were second class or worse. The ones that were treated well were happy and productive. The others had a bad attitude that came out when greeting guests, and you know we can't go there! So, here are some tips for treating volunteers with respect. We have already talked about the time volunteers can give, but remember this. If you always spring things on people at the last minute, you are saying, "your time is not important". Give your team as much notice as possible, then when there is an emergency, they are more willing to help out. My next point is, Don't talk down to people. I see this happen a lot. Some think it is okay to talk rough and belittle people to get a point across, I think it is being rude. Next, Realize your helpers might have a good idea once in a while. Actually, because they see what you may not see ask for their input on a regular basis. And lastly, when talking to them, give them your full attention. This validates them and shows them you think what they are saying is important. Respect those God has given you to help you and they will stay with you a long time.

Are you a Mountain Climber?

As leaders it is easy for us to get so busy that we don't have time to get new instructions from Father God. We find ourselves in a position to have to rely on the past orour best guess when we don't have time to listen for "A Word from Heaven", and this is no time to not have God's direction. In the Old Testament, God' called Moses to come up to Him on the mountain, so He could give him specific instructions. God is calling us up to the mountain to talk to us also. Do you know where your mountain is? It is a place where God can speak to you without the interruptions of the day. It is a place where you can give God your undivided attention and see things from His perspective not yours. For Moses, it was up on the mountain, for us, it might be by a stream or by the lake, or in a closet. The important issue here is to get away from the noise of life, so you can hear HIM! Let's go mountain climbing with God!

A Ministry of Excellence

In our executive briefing meeting on Tuesday, we were talking about excellence. The question was asked, "Why have we stopped saying we are a ministry of excellence?" Hum? I hadn't said we were not a ministry of excellence any longer, but, because we hadn't said we are, people have let it slip. Then Lana said, "Are we a church of wire hangers?" Wow! She gets it! She was referring to the coat rack outside the office wing of the church. Some how the rack had several wire hangers. And these were not even nice wire hangers. A ministry of excellence shouldn't have wire hangers, we should have nice wooden hangers. You see, here is the point, we all should be looking around the church and asking ourselves if what we see says excellence. And just as important, when we see something less than excellent, we should take care of it. Don't say, "Somebody needs to do something about that."  A ministry of excellence draws people of excellence, so , let's do our part.

Happy Mothers Day

I want to say thanks to all the moms on Mother's Day. Under Jewish custom during Bible times, the mother was the main care giver for the children during their first several years. This is because of the nurture of a mom. It was her privilege to help shape their character and moral compass. That is still true today. Thanks for all you do to shape a new generation for God.