Monday Ten

With the major winter storm set to slam us this week, here is a timely, ten things you can do while the skies dump a foot or two of snow on your neighborhood.

1. Gather the kids and let them watch the two inches of snow per hour come down. They'll be bored after thirty seconds and want to watch TV.

2. With that much snow, it's better to work ahead and spend the day shovelling snow. Since the kiddos will be out of school, make it a P.E. day, and put them to work.

3. It has been a while since we received a foot of snow. Take time to make something interesting. Just keep it clean. A few years ago, some students at a university where I live got a little vulger with their snow sculpture.

4. A foot of snow brings new meaning to snow angels. Each angel will be a two-person effort. One to fall in, and the other to hoist them out.

5. With that much snow, two good snow forts should be easy to pull off, not to mention the massive snowball fight.

6. When having a snowball fight, you want to keep it clean. Any dirty play can lead to a host of retalitory efforts by your opponents. Slush balls and yellow snowballs among the worst.

7. When shovelling that snow, the object is to get it all cleared off before your neighbors. There's nothing that says neighborhood dominance like being the first with a cleaned and dried driveway after a snow storm.

8. To that end, right now I'm wishing I had installed a driveway heating system.

9. Once you get your driveway cleared of the snow, use all that excess to construct a life-sized snow car. Your neighbors will envy your new wheels...until the sun comes out.

10. If you're having trouble with a neighbor, take a cue from "Grumpy Old Men" and spray his roof with hot water. It'll turn to snow. I would include some movie clips of that and the ice war, but this is a family friendly blog.

Blogs to Check Out

• If you ever schedule guest speakers at your church or business, check out this post and this one from pastor Herbert Cooper.
• Here's a good, funny post from Perry Noble about how much God loves us.
• Steven Furtick, author of Sun Stand Still, which is a great book, writes about a need for controversy.

Audacious Faith

My small group is currently going through Steven Furtick's book, "Sun Stand Still." One of the themes in this book surrounds developing and audacious faith.

Essentially, an audacious faith is all about trusting that God will take your ordinary and make it extraordinary. It isn't a cocky or arrogant belief, it's an expectancy that God will come through on His promises.

Many times, we want our faith to be based on perfect circumstances with as little risk as possible. But, God's extraordinary works through ordinary people often involve a lot of risk. For the ordinary person to follow God's commands requires faith while not knowing whether God will come through.

It's taking a chance. A major risk. And, if it's in line with God's heart, we can expect him to turn our ordinary into something really special.

Monday Ten

1. If you follow my blog much at all, you know by now that I love my church.

2. We are in the middle of a series called Whoopie-Cushion Life. While the series title carries a lot of levity, the messages do not. We've been dealing with addictions and overcoming them.

3. As an usher, it has been weird telling parents who bring their kids into service that the message is PG-13.

4. I talked to a staff member yesterday who said that the mailer that went out promoting the series has garnered a lot of angry calls from people who felt it was inappropriate for a church to do a series called Whoopie-Cushion Life.

5. But, over the first two weeks of the series, over 200 people have given their lives to Jesus. I guess off the wall stuff to get people interested in church DOES work.

6. Next week, my usher co-leader is on vacation, so I'll be heading the team in the last service at church. Don't come and cause any trouble, because I'll bounce you out.

7. Changing subjects: I'm not thrilled about this year's Superbowl. I was hoping for a Bears-Jets game in two weeks.

8. That being said, I'll be pulling for the Packers to best the Steelers. I really don't like the Steelers. I like them less than I do the Cowboys.

9. I am investing in a new home theater system. That has meant educating myself on all the nuances of electronic audio equipment. And I thought keeping up with computer technology was bad!

10. Every day when I sign off my radio show, I use the words from this blog, "People Matter To God," because I want my listeners to really think about that as the day goes on.

Strive for Excellence - Part Two

Last week, I led my team of air personalities through a simple plan that I hope will lead the product we broadcast into excellence. It was a simple plan, but one that is sure to bring immediate results.

In short, I asked my team to use a simple table to plan out their radio air shifts. I wanted them to know what they were going to say in advance of turning on their microphone. For them, I created the equivalent of a road map.

When you want to strive for excellence, whether it is at home, on the job, or even while taking a trip, you need a road map. In finances, this is called a budget. In business, we call it a strategy meeting. I think you get the idea.

Here's a few tips:

• The plan you create doesn't have to be complex. In fact, many times simple is better, because simple is easier to understand.
• Your plan must have measurable goals. Without them, you'll never know if you're on the right track.
• Your goals must be both challenging and achievable. It's good to think of them as stair steps (intermittent goals) leading to the final goal.
• You must keep regular tabs on the plan. If you let it sit without occasional check-ups, your plan will derail.
• Allow your team to have some input in shaping the plan. This encourages buy-in, and buy-in increases the chances of success.
• Don't let your team hijack the plan. It is the leader's job to ensure the end goals are achieved. The follower won't always understand the leader's determination to meet those goals.
• Celebrate your team as they meet the different goals in your plan. Encouragement goes a long way toward increasing buy-in and raising morale.

Do you have any other ideas on how to strive for excellence? I'd love to hear them.

Strive for Excellence - Part One

Last week, I led a meeting with my staff to do a little training, and unveil a simple strategy to help us improve what we do.

I could have easily opened the meeting by saying we were striving for perfection. And, while that is something I hope my co-workers achieve, I also realize it is very unrealistic.

You've heard the phrase, "You can fool some of the people all of the time...." Well, a similar philosophy applies to perfection. You can be perfect some of the time. But, you can't be perfect all of the time.

Too many people stress themselves into burnout trying to be perfect at what they do in life, be it parenting, career, recreation, etc. Instead, the better option is to strive for excellence.

Excellence is much easier to achieve. It tells people that I'm constantly trying to improve, but I know there will be times I drop the ball.

The leader who encourages his staff toward excellence will always be asking, "What can we do to make it better." But, the leader who wants perfection from his people will always be finding something wrong.

Remember -- excellence is a good thing ... perfection is unattainable. What are some ways you are striving for excellence?

What's Your Passion?

I ask this question, because it is one I am asking myself.

What is your passion? What gets your life stirred up? Your heart pounding? Excitement bubbling in your veins?

Hopefully, your passion is one that is in sync with the gifts God has given you. To have a passion that is out of sync with God will end up leaving you empty in the end. A "fulfilled" life comes from a passion that is lived out in accordance to God's plan.

Here's a question I'm trying to answer. I ask it of you. God has a plan for you -- what is it?

Save Your Marriage

According to the CDC, in 2009 there were 2,077,000 marriages in America. That equaled a rate of 6.8 per 1,000 people. The number for 2008 was slightly higher, but still close.

However, the divorce rate in 2009 was 3.4 per 1,000 people. Another way of saying this is that even though there were over two-million weddings performed, there were also over a million couple standing before a judge in order to end their marriage.

Depending on which source you look at, the divorce rate for first time marriages is anywhere from 40-50%. Second marriages is anywhere from 60-67%. And, third marriages have a 70-75% chance of failure.

If the statistics hold true for 2011, more than two-million couples will begin a journey together this year, but less than half will ever spend the rest of their lives together.

I mention this simply to point out that the people getting married never plan on ending their marriage in divorce. But, the statistics prove it happens.

2011 is still fresh and new. Why not make a decision today, whether you expect to get married this year, or already are, to protect your marriage? Make the decision that you are not going to be one of those statistics of failure.

The Great Racial Divide

Something amazing has happened over the past couple of years. It's something I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

For the past half century, America has been healing the racial division that dated back to the slavery days of our Union's history.

Yet, over the past couple of years, we have seen public figures do all they can to tear this wound open once again. The saddest part is that the biggest culprit has been our own President. If you're a fan of his, I'm not trying to make you mad. I'm just pointing out the facts.

On Monday, America will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Let's recognize that we are all God's creation. The color of our skin has never and will never make any difference to Jesus. It shouldn't matter to us, either.

Another Blog to Check Out

Here's a great blog post to check out. Jon Acuff writes about "Thinking every other Christian but you has it all together."

Disappointed

By all accounts, the events of last Saturday, where a gunman shot 19 people, killing five in Arizona, were tragic. But, today, I want to write on something that has the potential of becoming a far greater travesty than those events.

I'm taking a break from the usual topical fare, so I can focus on this current events issue.

I was angered and saddened to learn of the shooting. But, the public events that have followed have me fired up. Within a couple of hours after Congresswoman Giffords and the 18 others were gunned down, the Pima County sheriff uses his first press conference as a political bully-pulpit.

With no evidence at all -- read that ZERO EVIDENCE -- Sheriff Clarence Dupnik made the claim that the suspect was a) a crazy man, and b) influenced by conservative talk radio and politicians. Dupnik expounded on those statements by claiming that it was the vitriolic words of the conservative right that led to events like Saturday's murders. (BTW, vitriolic is already the most overused word of the year.)

Sheriff Dupnik was extremely careless, reckless and completely unprofessional. And, it is possible that he may have blown the prosecutions case right out of the gate. He has essentially handed the defense it's insanity case.

But, the sheriff's fate is for the people of Pima County to decide. It is what has happened after the sheriff spoke that has me worked up.

In the four days since the shootings, we have witnessed liberal politicians and pundits laying the blame for the shooting on conservatives like Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh. Not only is it irresponsible to blame other people for one individual's actions, in this case it was a blatant and intentional lie. Further investigation has revealed that the shooter has been influenced by communism and liberal ideologies.

I am very disappointed in the people who are supposed to be truthful and reliable, but have sold their souls in order to push an agenda.

Where This All Comes From

Last week, I blogged about the need for establishing some personal self controls so that we can avoid the dangers that would destroy our relationships, our careers and our walk with God.

I have three boys at home, and I'm not sure what it is about children that make them want to push the boundaries of their parents' rules, but they do it just the same. My younger two are perfect examples.

I can mark that proverbial line in the sand, and they will get to the edge of that line, and look me in the eye as they cross into disobedience. What's interesting is how they go about it.

They don't take one giant step in defiance. They slowly shuffle up to it, all the time keeping an eye on my reaction. It isn't until they get to the edge of disobedience that they take that big leap, and sprint toward what I had told them not to do.

That is precisely how we leap into the dangers that cause damage in our lives. Whether we are Christ-followers or not, the majority of us have a built-in sense of right and wrong. We know when we are playing with fire, and what the end results will be if we go too far for too long.

But, just like my kids, we shuffle to the edge of danger, flirting with it for a while, and them jump in with both feet. All the while, we hope we don't get burned. Or, more precisely, we don't think we will get burned.

We see all the evidence of people who have flirted with the same dangers, and the charred remains of their lives. But, we convince ourselves that the damage won't happen to us.

Eventually, though, our luck runs out, and we reach the tipping point. Disaster strikes, and we're left to deal with the mess we have created. Oh, and there are casualties. There are always casualties.

Are you flirting with something dangerous in your life?

Monday Ten

1. If you live in the Ozarks, chances are good that you would've seen a story about my church, North Point, last night on the news.

2. NPC opened a 2nd campus on the east side of Springfield this past weekend. Grand opening is next weekend.

3. The new campus on East Sunshine has live music, and preaching is video from the main campus on Norton Road.

4. 503 people came out to yesterday's first service.

5. My family wasn't among them, because we were volunteering at the Norton Road campus.

6. Volunteering at a place you really like and believe in is a wonderful experience.

7. Being able to see people commit their lives to Jesus each week is even better.

8. Elsewhere, I went bowling last Thursday. First time in about a year...maybe more. The blister on my right heel reminds me how poorly I bowled.

9. It's supposed to snow today. Hopefully, not enough to close school.

10. Favorite phrase my pastor used to tell a recovering alcoholic: "Screen it before you say it."

Some Days Just Go Like This

Some days, you feel like you're out in front, leading the pack. Then, suddenly it goes like this.

My Blogging Goal for 2011

There are thousands of blogs in the Internet today. Most don't have a mass market appeal. I have no illusions that mine will.

But, I do have a lot of things on my mind that center around connecting people to Jesus. That's why I created this blog -- to share them with those who stumble upon this site.

I enjoy writing, and think that I do a pretty good job of communicating my thoughts. If that is not so, someone please tell me.

2011 is just getting started, and for my blog, I have a goal of simply becoming better. I want to be better at consistent writing. Better at the writing technique. Better at developing my platform.

What is something you want to become better at in 2011?

I Want to Write a Book

I have wanted to write a book for years.

I have thought about different topics, and different genres. I have even made several attempts at a manuscript. But, I have always stopped shortly after starting.

The reasons have varied, but ultimately, I haven't done it, because I haven't been passionate about what I was writing. As a result, I haven't done my homework on what it takes to write a book and get it published.

This year may be different.

I don't have any unrealistic expectations about getting my idea published. I'm a first-time author. But, I know I have a good idea, and I know that I could fill a book on the subject.

Would anyone buy a book on this subject? Maybe. It would probably end up as a graduation or engagement gift. It won't be deeply theological, but should be very practical.

Is my idea original. In one word, NOPE. On any given Sunday, you'll hear pastors speak to the subject I'm considering. But, there is a time and a season for everything, and I think the time/season may be right for a book on this topic. For that matter, the time is probably right for several books on this topic.

I'm doing my homework. I'm beginning to learn what it takes to build a platform, shape the ideas, and put them to paper (or a Word document, in my case). Eventually, I'll have to shop the idea around to some agents who can take my idea to a publisher.

It's a long process that many times will end in failure. But, you never know until you try.

What is something you would like to accomplish this year? What are you doing to achieve that goal within the next 12 months?

Playing With Fire

One of the childhood rules every kid hears about is, "Don't play with fire, or you will get burned." I was one of those kids who were fascinated with the science of fire. Or, maybe I just liked to play with it to see how it worked.

That all ended one day when I was burning trash and while messing around, I ended up burning the inside of my left arm at the elbow bend. I still have the scar, although it is barely visible today.

My folks never knew about that, because I was embarrassed for getting burned while doing something stupid. But, that principle of "play with fire, get burned" is something that is so applicable in every area of our lives.

We get ourselves into great trouble when we ignore the warnings and start messing around with danger. This is an easy concept to grasp if we are talking about stuff like heavy machinery, hazardous chemicals, or even fire. But, many times we play with hidden dangers -- hazardous materials that don't come with warning labels, or your mother's counsel.

The hidden dangers I am writing about are the kind that mess up our lives, our relationships, and our connection to God. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul urges the Christian believers to live by the "fruits of the spirit." The last one in that list may very well be the one that our culture today struggles with the most -- self control.

Throughout this year, I will be blogging from time to time about ways we can re-establish self control in our lives. Without it, we will continue, as a society, to careen toward destruction.

As we start a new year, what are some ways that we can build up self control in our lives?

Monday Ten

Happy New Year. As I look forward to the next twelve months, here are some goals I have set for myself.

1. Be a better husband and father. I want my boys to look at my wife and I and say, "I want to have a marriage like that."

2. Read the Bible in it's entirety. Pray for me, Leviticus is a hard read.

3. Speaking of praying, I want to pray more in 2011.

4. Hear from God, then do what He says. I believe God has some exciting stuff for my family and I this year. I don't know what it is, but I want to have the courage to do what the Almighty tells us.

5. I would like to write a book. I have an idea I'm working on, and would love to put it on paper then get it published. If no one will take it, you'll see it on this blog. If it does get published, please buy it. The proceeds will go to feed hungry children...mine.

6. I want the theme for my life this year to be summed in one word: EXCELLENCE. Perfection is impossible, but I believe everyone should strive for excellence. When the calendar changes to 2012, I want to be able to say 2011 was an excellent year for myself.

7. On the excellence theme, I want to do an excellent job in my job. I want to do the best I possibly can do on the air and off the air. This one will be tough, because I need to be excellent every day of the work week to pull this off.

8. I want to become better organized at work and at home.

9. I want to create more margin in my life.

10. I want to lose 50 pounds this year.