Sign my grandson up for the Cavaliers in about 20 years. He can really take it to the hoop…and dunk!
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I am teaching th
rough our new G4 Vision on Wednesday Nights at 7pm. The Sessions left: Growing (September 14), Giving (September 21), and Going (September 28). Hope to see you there!
Brooklyn was so excited about her first day of K4 at FHCS. Here she is with her friend Raley and “Bop-Bop”
My dad was eating lunch in town the other day in Cleveland and met the Indians All-Star Closer Chris Perez.
Flint Hill is proud and pleased to announce the hiring of Brother Bob Cardinal to our Leadership Team. Bob will serve as the Interim Administrator of Flint Hill Christian School, then will move to the Executive Pastor of the Ministry once a permanent Administrator is hired. Welcome Bob and Debbie!
After much prayer, consulting the Scriptures, going to conferences, listening to sermons and podcasts, the Leadership Team and I would like to announce our new purpose statement:
“To Glorify God by Gathering, Growing, Giving, and Going in the Name of Jesus and by the Power of the Holy Spirit”
Awesome post from Pete Wilson. I met him in Atlanta and purchased his book “Plan B”. Check it out…
Probably the most asked question I get in interviews and by pastors I’m mentoring is, “If you could go back and change anything in your ministry, what would you change?”
Usually I’m thinking, You don’t have enough time for me to actually answer that question. I’d change tons of things.
However, at the very top of the list would be my driving desire to be “loved” at all costs.
I have a lot of friends in ministry that are addicted to this pride-swelling choice as well.
For most of my life and certainly all of my ministry, I’ve been addicted to pleasing everyone. It didn’t matter if it cost me my personality, my family, or even at times, my vow to speak truth. I just wanted to be “loved.”
- I would ignore the sincere compliments of others to be obsessed with the few critics.
- I would abandon my boundaries and go above and beyond to “help” someone while ignoring my family.
- I would put off the tough leadership decisions trying to keep all sides content.
Why? Simple. I wanted to be “loved.”
But let me tell you something. Leading with a desire to be loved is dangerous. Parenting with a desire to be loved can be destructive. And if you spend your life trying to be loved instead of being loving, it’s going to lead you to all kinds of unhealthy extremes.
Part of learning humility for me is to understand I simply can’t please everyone. Not everyone is going to like me, love me, or think I’m great. They’re just not.
I feel like I’m growing in this area. I’m learning the freedom that comes along with seeking to love, instead of always desiring to be loved. The first leads to meaning and significance while the latter is an emotional black hole that can never be filled.
I pray you will learn to live in the Kingdom and be freed from the sheer stupidity and vanity of going through life trying to make sure other people think the right things about you. If you depend on other people loving everything you say or do, you will end up doing and saying nothing. I pray you’ll receive the fact that you are loved in the eyes of God in such a way that you can then go out to lead and live, seeking to truly love the people around you.
Daniel’s girlfriend Olivia, from Lubbock, Texas will be staying with us while she attends Aveda Institute in Birmingham. She is a fine young lady and has been a blessing to my wife and I. You can follow her on Twitter at @oliviaakey.
The Lord worked mightily in our hearts today at Catalyst 2010, day 2. Andy Stanley spoke first, and he laid out the tension in leadership of “selling our birthright for a bowl of stew”. He brought to light our fleshly “appetites” and what we would be willing to sell our birthright for as leaders. Then, Daniel Pink spoke about Leading with Tension. He addressed biological drives, and the carrot and the stick principle, and being a part of something meaningful. He also stated 3 leadership principles that work: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.
This evening, Beth Moore spoke. She is a fine woman of God wih a great word from the Lord. She brought a highly practical message on the traps leaders face, specifically insecurity. Then Francis Chan spoke, and brought a convicing message on how “normal” Christians reach out to the poor and needy. He asked the question, “do our lives make biblical sense?” In other words, does our lifestyle match our beliefs?
A great, refreshing, renewing, and reviving day. Thank God for His Word and the messengers He has put in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed worshipping with my brothers in pastoral staff.
A phenomenal first day at Catalyst in Atlanta. We started the day with some passionate worship lead by Aaron Keyes. We all attended 3 labs each. The first lab I attended was by Dr. Eric Mason, Lead Pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia. He brought it. He spoke about how we should live our lives in the incarnation of Jesus. It is marked by he understanding and practice of the Christian witness that is rooted in and shaped by the life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. The next lab I attended was by Chris Hodges, Senior Pastor of The Church of the Highlands. He talked about principles that produce momentum structurally, systematically, and spiritually. Very practical and very good. Lastly, Gavin and I heard from Pastor Pete Wilson, Lead and Founding Pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Nashville, TN. He spoke of the commality of leaders being in the “dip”, or being down because of circumstances. He defined being in the dip as “The spot in life where we have a heightened sense of vulnerability and a diminished sense of power.” The truths he brought are far too rich to summarize on one post. God is really moving in our hearts. We are getting fired up!
