They showed this at Catalyst. These guys are too funny. Check out more and TrippandTyler.com
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- What I discuss in the blogosphere are my own personal views and do not reflect the views of the church I am on staff at, Mesa First.
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Why Average?
- I don't truly see myself as only average. I just believe I am like so many other people who feel called to greatness and at the same time feel completely inadequate. This blog will prove that I AM actually completely inadequate. Enjoy.
April 28, 2009
Awakening the Dreams of Others
Since coming back from Catalyst last week, I have been slowly processing all of the things that were shared with me over those two days. What an incredible experience. One of the sessions that has been on constant repeat in my mind was led by Erwin McManus. This was my first opportunity to hear him live and he is an incredibly gifted communicator. Here is the specific quote that I can't seem to get out of my head,
"Commit to the dreams of others, more than you are committed to your own dreams."
Simple. Probably something you have heard or, for you, this is something that has always been obvious. Not me. I find that it is easy for me to become very selfish in my relationship with God and in how I live my life. The more I thought about this, the more I realized how quick I am to use people to fulfill the areas of need that I see and less worried about the dreams and goals God has given them. I understand providing opportunities to allow people to discover the gifts and pursue the dreams God has for them is healthy. I just don't want it to become a box that I force them to fit into or them fulfilling what I want...not what God wants for them.
You could definitely say that Jesus lived a life that unleashed the dreams of others. He was an incredible listener. He trusted people. He saw things in those that followed Him that they were unable to sometimes see in themselves. He gave second chances.
As Christians we are all called to live this way. Everywhere we go. Everyone we meet we have the opportunity to unleash the God given dreams of the individuals we cross paths with. While technology helps us stay more connected than ever before, it also can disconnect us from some of the God given opportunities we have right in front of us.
Whether it be the server at a restaurant, our cashier at the store or our spouse at home we must be the type of person that allows people to dream big.
God does not create ordinary people.
Let's start seeing the extraordinary!
April 23, 2009
Catalyst West Coast - Day One
Well the first day of Catalyst West Coast is officially in the books. If you haven't made it out a Catalyst Conference yet, you need to find a way to get to one as soon as possible. I will try to process some of the things that I heard and will be taking away with me over the next couple of days here on my blog. For now, I will tell you this. Mariners Church has an unbelievable campus. I really had not heard of Mariners before signing up for Catalyst, but it's obvious that God is doing something incredible here. I look forward to learning more about the leaders of this great church. Also, Andy Stanley started off Catalyst and, as expected, I could have left the conference and have been satisfied that I had gotten my money's worth. He is an unbelievable teacher that speaks in bullet points to me. There were some comments he made about vision vs. plans that will challenge my and guide decisions I make as a leader,potentially, for the rest of my life. Great stuff. Expect some more from me very, very soon!
April 16, 2009
Hollywood..HERE I COME!
Ok. So I am technically going to Irvine, CA and not Hollywood. But Hollywood sounded better.
I am gearing up for Catalyst next week and looking forward to the opportunity to learn from some incredible leaders. If you are in So Cal and would like to take me out to dinner or maybe purchase me a ticket to enjoy Disneyland, I will be happy to accept. Also, if you hear any reports of David Hasselhoff running on the beach next week, they are not bringing back Baywatch..it will just be me getting my morning jog in!
(By the way, the picture is of my daughter, Abby. I took this shot a couple of weeks ago when she had to "put her shades on because it was just too bright inside.)
April 08, 2009
The Gospel According to U2
A couple of years ago I remember seeing Granger Community Church doing a series using the music of U2. I thought this was such a great way to use the music of a well known band to share a message based off of the themes found in their songs. To be honest, that moment was where I really began to realize that it was "ok" for the church to leverage culture to present a timeless message. I thought that was so freeing and opened up so many doors creatively. I couldn't tell you why I thought the medium AND the message had to be sacred, but I did. It caused me to view ministry in a way where we can speak to people inside the walls of the church (from the platform, in the service) the same way we connect with people in our daily lives. We find common interests and begin to live life with one another and through that naturally opening up to share with those we care about the things we care about most. Church. Family. God.
I love all of the unique ways churches are trying to embrace culture without compromising the message of the Gospel. I also love the community we are able to build online through twitter, facebook and sharing sermon ideas through websites like Church Marketing Sucks.
I write about this because we are starting a series the weekend following Easter titled, "The Gospel According to U2". We believe this will be a great opportunity to share a timeless message in a unique way. We are not simply copying the idea from Granger. We are making this series work for us and what our people need to hear. At the same time, we are thankful for churches like Granger that made the decision to start shaking things up a little and challenging other churches to think differently.
I couldn't be more excited about this series and look forward to having those of you that can make it come be a part!
April 06, 2009
Catalyst West Coast!
I just found out that I will be going to Catalyst West Coast later this month. I couldn't be more excited for this. Three weeks ago I felt like I needed to try to attend, but I wasn't sure how I could make it happen. Since then, my ticket, gas, and food have all been taken care of by individuals at my church. Wow! The crazy part is they did not even know that I needed financial help to make this happen! I am absolutely blown away with how this all came together and I intend to make the most of this experience.
I had the opportunity to go to Catalyst in Atlanta last October and it was unbelievable. I plan on blogging as much as I can while I am. Blogging will be my way of packing all three of my blog readers into my luggage and bringing you with me to experience this conference.
If you are interested in going with me to the Catalyst Conference go to www.catalystwestcoast.com and register soon. Hurry! They only have 300 tickets left!
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