WE CAN'T LIVE APPREHENSIVELY

Pursuing Jesus requires instinctive and intuitive actions and reactions. We don't have time to be apprehensive when it comes to chasing Jesus dreams, nor does God want us to hesitate when he has called us to encounter the unknown. The reality is we are taught our whole lives to be careful and cautious in making decisions that may have a major impact on our lives. Jesus gave no time for logical thinking when he called people to uncomfortably engage his teaching and embrace his lifestyle.
We should trust our instinctive and intuitive jabs relying that the Spirit's logic trumps our finite reasoning any time. Let's not allow the uncharted and unexamined exclude us from the destination God may have for the illogical pursuers...

LISTEN TO THE STORY BEHIND THIS AWESOME SONG!!!!!

Yes Massa...

Don't read the Gospels if you love money!!!! Seriously, because you will Americanize those passages that command you to give it all away in order to truly follow Jesus. I would rather you not read them at all, than hear you give your version of being a good steward of God's money and all that stupid donkey crap!!!! One of America's leading Christian financial Advisers instructs us to put 15% in to retirement, and 10% in to God's kingdom. Listen to me, there is a problem if we're putting more money in to our retirement than we are giving to God's kingdom. But Jesus, " We're just trying to be good stewards." There is a problem if we are storing up more money in savings, than we are giving to those who need. Oh yeah, Jesus actually says, "Store" up your treasures on heaven and earth. There is a problem if we spend more time pondering our next financial move, than we do falling in love with Jesus.

Don't read Francis Chan's book, " Crazy Love" unless you want to make a change in your life.

Y ME?

When I started the journey with Jesus over 7 years ago it was all about me! I really had no vision for what God would do through me to reach other people. I simply wanted to latch on to his word and hungrily pursue his will. The idea of Jesus using me to inspire, or encourage any creature on this planet, entered me not.

The more I struggle with the faith, the more it seems that Jesus enables me. It's the craziest thing.. I am simply a man who is subject to sin destroying his life, as much as anyone else. Yet in the hardest times of temptation and sin, Jesus rescues me and empowers me to impact someone else.

I constantly marvel at Y Jesus chooses to reach people through my insignificance. I am just a struggling man from a Podunk town in Kentucky.. Yet, Jesus CHANGES lives through words I use and things I do.... IT JUST BLOWS ME A WAY DUDE!!!!

30 HOURS - NO FOOD

How many of you have ever gone 1 day without food? Let me tell you, it is not an easy endeavor. How many of you did something that radical when you were a teenager? Probably not many of you. Starting about 1 1/2 hours ago several of the teens at Harmony committed to Jesus 30 hours without food. Let's not forget that there are some adults involved in this as well.. ( including the Teen Minister) This sacrifice seems quite contrary to the weekend most of us are having in the Horse capital of the world. Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby, and the party has already begun for most of this state. Companies across the state dismissed employees early from work for the sole purpose of celebrating the " fastest 2 minutes in sports." So while so many Kentuckians, and all those who have traveled across the world are getting sloshed and wasted, there is a little known group of teens 1 hour down I-64 starving for Jesus! Now, this 30 hour famine has nothing to do with the Kentucky Derby, I just see the irony in the timing. The purpose of the famine is to raise at least 7,000 dollars in order to purchase some Bicycles for some Pastors in Uganda.... Praise God for our Teens at Harmony and the Leader they have pushing them to a greater intimacy with our Lord!!!!

4th Obsession: REINFORCE CLARITY

In his 4th Obsession Lencioni is particularly referring to human systems. It's not efficient enough to simply state the vision and over-communicate it, if it's not carried out through the people. The way he breaks this reinforcement down is: HIRING,PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT,REWARDS,DISMISSAL... Every person that inquires of joining your team should be filtered through this process. The vision should be clarified immediately, and if the other teammates don't believe the person being interviewed is capable of buying in to the vision, then that candidate is thrown out. After the person is chosen to be a part of the team, that person must be evaluated regularly to determine if the work is motivated by the vision and produces the results of the vision. The team must constantly be rewarded! I believe as leaders we fail terribly in this area!!! We tend to run our teams on empty without every filling them up, and ultimately the tank burns out. If there is 1 thing I have learned early in my life as a leader, it is to REWARD the team for their hard work and passion!!!!! If you don't THANK, they will TANK!! Sometimes people will have to be dismissed because they are preventing the vision from succeeding fully. These people aren't always horrible employees, they just never fully buy into the vision. This change doesn't always have to be negative. Most of these people need a change, they just don't know it yet. Still for the sake of the BIG VISION, certain teammates have to be benched!!!!

3rd Obsession: OVER - COMMUNICATE

How do you build a successful organization or leadership team? OVER COMMUNICATE THE VISION! If there is any truth to the research that claims it takes at least 7 times of hearing the same thing, before it really settles in your brain. Then the third OBSESSION, could be the most important. Once a leader develops a Vision he/she is elated and overly anxious to communicate it to the team. Then what happens? The leader only states the vision 1 or 2 times and then the vision is put away. 6 months later the leader can't understand why the people aren't buying into the Vision.

If you are truly passionate about your vision or the vision for the team, then as the leader you will unconsciously implore your people until they are consumed with what you believe to be the driving force behind the team! OVER-COMMUNICATE, OVER-COMMUNICATE, OVER-COMMUNICATE!!! If you don't, then accept the failure that will come your way!

2nd Obsession: BE CLEAR

According to Lencioni, the greatest leaders understand the importance of clearly communicating the Vision. The Vision must drive the leader and his team. The reason that leaders fail to communicate a Vision, is that they are not passionate about it. Vision can't be forced upon a leader, but he must consume himself with what he believes to be vital to the success of the organization. Once a leader is convinced that the Vision will succeed, then and only then, can he passionately communicate the Vision to his team. A leader who isn't consumed with the Vision, is a leader who will never inspire his team to obtain the Vision!

1st Obsession: BE COHESIVE

If you haven't read, " The 4 Obsessions of An Extraordinary Executive," I highly recommend that you do. For all of us wanting to improve and develop as leaders, I believe it is a must read! The vast majority of the book is written as a fictional account distinguishing the contrasts between A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE CEO AND an average CEO.

The first obsession of an Highly Effective leader is " BUILD AND MAINTAIN A COHESIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM." In order for an organization to be healthy and vibrant, the leadership team must be cohesively functioning as 1 unit. As leaders, we are only as productive as the teams we build and maintain. A leader who fails to build trust within his team, is a leader who is destined for failure.

As a young leader, I have the urge to do everything myself. At this point in life, I have an over consumption of ideas and nuances that I believe could or would be effective in what I am doing. However, I must understand that unless my team is as passionate about my ideas as I am, the ideas will surely fall by the side. If I believe my vision is vital to the organization, then it is my job as a leader to infuse that belief in to the people I have been called to lead!

He Masters the MASTERS

The most elegant and prestigious Golf tournament the game has to offer begins tomorrow. The MASTERS is exactly as the title indicates; a tournament only for the Masters of the game. Their is one guy who unequivocally Masters the MASTERS. Tiger Woods, have you heard of him? What a shocker, he dominates this golf tournament too. An idiot looks at Tiger Woods and honestly thinks he got this good by natural talent and working just like the rest of the players on tour. You're an IDIOT!! Please go to Tigerwoods.com and check out his daily routine. You will ask no more why he is the greatest player of all time. IMHO he is the greatest athlete of all time!

By the way, He will own another GREEN JACKET by Sunday evening!

Cranked UP

I feel like I just returned from Ampville!!! This weekend rocked, and Jesus was glorified!!! I am super-pumped about what is shaking at Harmony, but I realize there is much pursuit to be done. Jesus is rocking my world right now, and honestly I don't know that I have ever been more in love with HIM! The most poignant part of the whole weekend was seeing a woman and her daughter come to Jesus together. It floors me that God uses the foolishness of preaching to reach people.

Praise Jesus that Andrew,Denise and the teens are back from Mexico. Man our teen ministry rocks, and to God be the Glory! I am thrilled to work along side Andrew Gill (teen minister) and in my opinion, he is top notch!

ROAD TRIP 09

Two friends and myself decided to embark on a 9 day trip from Gtown,Ky to Las Vegas,NV. It is a 30 hour drive one way and believe me, it is 30 any way you look at it. Typically mapquest and gps directions are a little slow, but not this time.

Highs

1. 3 buddies on a cross country road trip, absolutely once in a lifetime
2. Playing golf at Badlands in Vegas, course was out of this world beautiful
3. I laughed to tears every day and that is good for the soul
4. Watching March Madness with no other thoughts, but b-ball all day
5. 75 miles per hour speed limit
6. God talk with Adam (my buddy) as we were driving 30 hours


Lows

1. I missed Myranda and Titus after the 1st night... I literally could've cried each night
2. Lost hearts and seared minds that permeate Vegas
3. Lost money
4. Played golf terribly
5. Spiritually speaking, I would've have rather been somewhere else

8.5 minutes

It dawned on me that if you were to spend only 8.5 minutes with God each day, that at the end of the week you will have spent 1 hour alone with God. At the end of the year, you will have spent 52 hours with God. God can do A LOT with just a little bit of our time. I believe we must think big picture, but in order to get there we must take small strokes.

I hEAR YOU

No distractions = more time with GOD and family!!! At first Myranda and I were a little uncertain as to what " trailor life" would bring us. The idea of packing all that we have accumulated over our 6+ years of marriage into something that by definiton is " Mobile" frightened us a tad! Ironically it has been amazing for our family. We have lived the past month with no cable or internet. Anything else that has potential to entertain is packed away in a box we can't reach. We haved laghued more, talked more, prayed more, and engaged God's word more. Thank God for the trailor and what it has given our family!!

It's amazing what you hear if you listen. Without the technological distractions, our family has grown closer to the God who speaks. You should try it for a while! GOD STILL SPEAKS, we just have to LISTEN!!!

PASSION

This is a Great Word! Let's Stop and think about what we are passionate about. Some have passion for our country. These men and women are called soldiers. Soldiers are willing to fight, bleed and die with a passion for freedom. Some of us may be passionate for our spouse or significant other. We love that person with a deep passion that motivates us to tolerate the mistakes they make. Because we passionately love that person we are willing to forgive and forget. Some may even be passionate about a particular sport. In this neck of the woods, basketball brings passion to a lot of folks. We love to play, watch, and cheer with passion as the Cats are playing. Some of you may have passion for money. The passion that gets you out of bed in the morning comes from the reality of cashing the paycheck at the end of the week.
Each and every thing that we are passionate about requires sacrifice and suffering. One of the original meanings of passion is, " to suffer." I have a passion for golf. Therefore, I sacrifice time and suffer through bad days of playing and practicing in order to obtain my goals.

My true passion is Jesus!!! If he is my true passion, how much am I sacrificing and suffering for him? This is the problem for so many. The "Me Jesus" is fine and expedient. When I want Jesus I can have him. But when the time comes to sacrifice and suffer for him, well I better find another church to attend.
Will we have true Passion for our Lord? Will we rise early in prayer and go to bed late in service? Will we look for ways to serve his people, or will we wait to be served? Will we enforce the discipline it takes to serve our Lord, or are we slaves to our impulses and pleasures? Passionate Christians see a Passionate Lord!!! Non-passionate Christians see a way out!

HE DIDN'T..........

Last night around 9:30 something very pivotal in our young family occurred. We were watching the movie, " made of honor." Well, I should say my wife and mother-in-law were watching the movie. Anyway, my 2 year old son Titus heard the synonym for donkey roaring out of the T.V. screen. The moment that changed us all happpened. Through his maggie and all ( we call his pacifier, maggie) he said his first word not approved by his parents, "A#$."

Now, being the spiritual leader and protector of my family, I........... lost it in total laughter!!! It was flat out, dag on HILARIOUS!!!!!! OF COURSE MY WIFE WOULD BEG TO DIFFER.

The time has come in our family when we have to be extremely cautious of what we are watching and saying around Titus. He will repeat everthing we say and everthing he hears. Needless to say, the time has come when daddy has to be extra careful, or he will get in big trouble!!!!!!!!!!

Trailor Tales

I have been really excited about livin the trailor life!!! One lady has said it best, " Everyone should experience trailor living at least once in their lifetime." It has definitely been an experience my family and myself will never forget. Here are some of the highlights....

1. Coming home the second night to an open back door that we had double secured.
2. Discovering random breakouts and rashes in places that only trailor critters can travel.
3. Watching old movies at night, becuase real trailor dwellers don't have cable television or world wibe web.
4. Kneeling to pray and brushing off old cat hair as you return to your feet.
5. Enjoying sleepless nights in the bed due to our mysterious neighbors stealthily dashing through the living quarters.

THE TURTLEMAN

I have recently become a fan of the turtleman. This dude is CRAZY!!!!THIS IS KENTUCKY STEREOTYPE AT ITS FINEST!!!Anyone and everyone should definitely take 5 minutes out of their busy schedule and enjoy,
" Kentucky's best kept secret."