Albums I’m Diggin’ At The Moment

Here are five incredible albums I’m really into right now…

I hope you guys don’t mind seeing an edition of Tuesday Tunes on one or two of these records in the coming weeks with a little more in depth review.

John Mayer’s “Battle Studies” (Not out yet…it leaked, what can I say?)  

Switchfoot’s “Hello Hurricane” Best record by Switchfoot since “Beautiful Letdown.”

Phil Wickham’s “Heaven And Earth” The acoustic versions are just as good as the record…

Dashboard Confessional’s “Alter The Ending” (Their Single, Belle of the Boulevard is amazing!)

Rob Thomas’ “Cradlesong” (This album is extremely underrated)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gospel Does Not Matter

I have had various conversations with students, parents, pastors, church leaders, church goers and non church goers about the importance of the Gospel to the world.

Some argue there is no importance of the Gospel to the world. Others say it is of the upmost importance.

I would agree with the latter.

Culture says that we need more. More knowledge. More information. More status. More followers. More money. More time. More stuff.

The gospel says we need more love.

That’s it.

LOVE.

We don’t need more friends on facebook. We don’t need more followers on twitter. We don’t need the latest fashion. We don’t even need the latest, most cutting edge Bible translation.

We need to love Jesus.

Love involves relationship. Relationship involves time. Time involves sacrifice. The Gospel IS sacrifice.

We must sacrifice who we are and what we do to love people the way God loves us! Isn’t that the Gospel?

The Gospel is of the UTMOST importance.

The second we as Christians think that what we have to offer (Jesus) is not as important as a football game, the lake, movies, magazines etc is the second we should stop following Jesus.

THE DAY WE SAY WHAT THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER IS BETTER THAN WHAT WE OFFER IS THE DAY WE ARE SAYING THE GOSPEL DOES NOT MATTER.

Why don’t we stop trying to find ways to make the Gospel “more cutting edge.”

It’s the Gospel for Pete’s sake.

Let’s learn to be just as concerned about having the Gospel in our hearts the way we are concerned about our phones being right beside us all the time!

The Gospel says to love the way Christ loves us.

THAT’S IT!

If you can’t accept that then you think the gospel does not matter.

Just sayin’

THOUGHTS?

GLOW Recap

This last Wednesday night we had our final Oak Leaf Student event of the fall before kicking off FUEL weekly in January.

It was an incredible night filled with tons of glowsticks, blacklights and changed lives.

• 3 people made the decision to follow Jesus!!! 2 others rededicated their lives to Him! GLORY TO GOD!!!
• It was Marcus’ first time ever leading worship and he did an incredible job. Looking forward to him being THE Oak Leaf Student Ministry Worship Leader. Watch for big stuff…
• We had the largest crowd for any student ministry event we have ever had. We had 170 students there and over 200 total including the adult volunteers.
• I seriously have the greatest student leaders on the planet! They continue to keep the bar raised high. Student serving whole heartedly and giving up their free time to make a difference is real student ministry. Way to go student leaders! Keep it up!
• GLOW was the coolest thing this church has ever seen this student ministry do. Period. Can’t wait for more events like this in the future.

Keep your eyes and ears open at what these students are going to do for this community. Students won’t make the decision to not come to Jesus because they didn’t get to hear about Him. These students will turn this community upside down…WATCH!

Check out these pics from Wednesday night!

How To Reach Men

I’ve had several conversation over the last few days with quite a few different people about why men don’t want to go to church.

Some of the reasons were crazy…some of them were legit.

All of them, though, are fixable.

Let me explain.

WHEN PASTORS AND WORSHIP LEADERS BEGIN TO PREACH AND SING WITH THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOSPEL, PEOPLE WILL RESPOND…INCLUDING MEN.

That’s it. There is no magic formula.

Now don’t get me wrong…my church uses different methods and strategies that are geared towards men (and I think those things are good) but I think we spend too much time worrying and arguing about it. It is important. It is an issue. But let’s just preach the gospel and let the Holy Spirit do His thing.

Church leaders criticize the pastors who wear designer jeans and the worship leader with the skinny jeans but WHAT WE WEAR DOESN’T SUPERCEDE WHO WE WEAR.

Jake, are you crazy…we are supposed to WEAR Jesus?

Yup…check it:

• Romans 13:14 “Cloathe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ…”
• Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore, put on the full armor of God…”

When we preach with the authority of the Gospel that was given to us through the redemption of the cross, that’s when people, INCLUDING MEN, will start paying attention to what God is doing in your church.

When we put on Jesus and He is the ultimate authority of our life, we can then use that authority to preach Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Let’s quit debating.

Let’s quit arguing.

Just live out what Jesus says in scripture.

Teach what Jesus says in scripture.

Then watch what the Holy Spirit does.

THOUGHTS?

STORY Recap

I got the incredible opportunity to attend the Story Conference at the Paramount Theater in Chicago, Illinois last week. It was a great conference and I learned a lot.

Sorry for the delay of this post but things have been a little crazy around here lately.

I will share JUST A FEW things from each speaker/workshop leader that I walked away thinking about.

ED YOUNG:

• Everybody wants to reach people until you start reaching people.
• Church work is BRUTIFUL
• Don’t chase the people who leave your church.
• God smiles when we use our passion for purpose

DAVE GIBBONS

• We’ve limited our story because of our budgets.
• Develop a theology of discomfort.
• When there is personal revelation of weakness, it releases the Holy Spirit to work.
• Love is a choice. Jesus didn’t WANT to go to the cross.

CHRIS SEAY

• We love the Bible because it points us to love.
• We are not tired from doing too much, it’s because we are doing the wrong things.

JOHN ORTBERG

• Don’t quit dreaming. When you quit dreaming, you die.
• Quit asking God to fullfill your dream. Just ask Him to be a part of the bigger dream.

STACY SPENCER

• Tell the story and let Jesus be heard through you.
• In communicating, introduce dilemma to the text.
• Illuminate the redemption.

MIKE FOSTER

• The struggle of now is more important than the struggle of past.
• People don’t get you when you constantly project success.
• People only want to follow someone with a limp.

DON MILLER (who had the flu and STILL killed it!)

• A story is when there is a character who has to overcome conflict to get something.
• Character matters more in a story than success.
• The world says we shouldn’t have conflict…why should the church?
• In Genesis 2 Adam is lonely…that’s conflict.
• Adam didn’t meet Eve in a bar and chicken out of getting her number…she didn’t exist. That’s conflict.

SKYE JETHANI (My personal favorite of the entire conference)

• You have the chance to educate or illuminate, teach or preach, inform or inspire.
• The world says for every problem, there is a pill, program or person to solve it.
• The ESSENCE of life is unmet desires. The PURPOSE of life is to meet those desires…through Jesus.
• Jesus has become the MEANS to the end rather than the end.
• When you have the vision, the means take care of themselves.
• Nothing of scripture makes sense if our vision is locked on the reality of the consumer world view.
• Enter into the realities of scripture THROUGH their imagination.

TONY MORGAN

• You can’t just listen to God, you have to actually DO what he says.
• The pace of ministry sometimes supercedes relationship with Christ…that’s not good.
• Let leaders learn by doing the wrong things.
• Don’t get stuck DELEGATING tasks rather than LEADING volunteers.
• We experience fear when we think we are in conrol

STORY was a great conference and I can’t wait to see what is in store for next year!

Learning

I am beginning to understand a little more about leadership.

I am grasping the fact that leadership is not always learned over night.

I am also realizing the fact that you don’t learn leadership skills and practices when things are easy.

If everything we are doing is easy, then chances are that we aren’t growing as a leader.

There is a problem in that.

As we lead we are teaching others. As we teach others, those that we teach begin to understand/know more. If what they are learning begins to surpass what we know and teaching then our leadership is no longer effective.

That’s hard. That means we (leaders) must always be challenging ourselves to stay on top of our game.

I, as a leader, am beginning to realize that I must continue to put myself out there. I must deal with the tough situations in my life and overcome them. Not so I can boast and say, “Look what I did!” But simply because I need to learn from them and teach others how to better deal with similar situations.

I must, as a chosen leader in the church, continuously be in God’s word and spending time deepening my relationship with Him so I can better lead those arond me and in my ministry.

These leadership principles are things that I am struggling with. I am learning to rely on God and to remind myself that He has me where I am for a reason. But, with that comes responsibility. I am responsible for how I deal with situations and I am responsible for my relationship with Jesus.

If I don’t manage my struggles and my relationship with Jesus well, then I won’t manage people well.

Thoughts?

Halloween…

Ok, guys and girls. I want to create a little conversation about what I shoud be for Halloween this year. I am not exactly sure where I am gonna be on this night BUT wherever I am I want to have an amazing get-up.

SO, with that being said, Leave a comment telling me your suggestion of what I should be for Halloween and why you think that is what I should be…

Looking forward to hearing the conversation!

Go!

Saturday Six

1.) Two of my very best friends, Nathan Wright and Hannah Watts, got engaged last night! I’m so excited for them and I can’t wait to see how God uses those two for His kingdom!

2.) I leave for Story Conference in 3 days! I’m so excited…Never been to Chicago so I’m looking forward to that part too.

3.) I’ve been reading in Phillipians the last few days….WOW. God has been really been speaking to me through that book.

4.) I just bought Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and I’m really digging it. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

5.) We are continuing Storybook Sex this weekend at Oak Leaf Church. I hope you all can make it out tonight at 5 or 6:30 or tomorrow morning at 10 and 11:30. If you can’t, check it out online here. By the way, this has been a really incredible series going through The Song of Solomon. Lives are being changed and marriages are being restored. God is moving!

6.) GLOW. November 4 at 7pm. The House of Rock. Middle and High School only. Be there. Suzy Jordan is bringing the heat and Marcus and the band are gonna tear it up. I’m really excited about this night!

Just A Little Encouragement

I needed this today…maybe someone else will too.

¹ In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.

² Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;
turn your ear to me and save me.

³ Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

⁵ For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.

⁶ From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.

⁷ I have become like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.

⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.

⁹ Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.

¹¹ They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”

¹² Be not far from me, O God;
come quickly, O my God, to help me.

¹³ May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.

¹⁴ But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.

¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

¹⁷ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

¹⁹ Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?

²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.

²¹ You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.

²² I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.

²³ My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I, whom you have redeemed.

²⁴ My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.

-Psalm 71

Thank you Jesus!

Give it away…

Doing too much?

Overwhelmed?

In over your head?

Give it away…

Not your job…just the things you suck at.

There is a lot of those things for me.

So what am I doing about it?

I’m giving that crap away. I am blessed with a few people who want to help me succeed and that’s awesome.

So, I’m putting them to work.

I am TERRIBLE at planning and administrative stuff.

Spreadsheets. Flash Reports. Event Planning. Documenting. Inputting. Calculating. Estimating.

It’s all going away soon.

I can focus on:

Big ideas. Communicating. Discipleship. Counseling.

Whew.

I am pumped to be able to do what I do and I am blessed to give some of it away.

Just something I’m learning about leadership…