Innovation

The Nines was awesome! It was an online "confer-ence". Each speaker had 9 minutes on 9-9-09 to share anything they wanted to with Christian leaders across the nation. I only got to listen in spurts because it was on a work day, but here were some great thoughts by Gary Surratt from Seacoast Church about Innovation (with my thoughts in orange):

1. You hit the wall. Something is not working. [Pretty much any vision begins with frustration about something not being the way it should be.]

2. You get discouraged. You see it as a failure. “It’s ok to sit on the pity potty as long as you don’t get ring around the hiney.” [Yes! That's awesome!]

3. Trust God. Never been a day when God said: “I didn’t see that one coming.” [True dat!]

4. You start by asking the barrier breaking questions. "If nothing were impossible, what could we accomplish here?" [He also mentioned a question that I've been thinking about often..."If God's will was being done on earth as it is in heaven, what would that look like?"]

5. You collect innovative ideas. Get people in the room. Pray. Brainstorm. If you start filtering first you never get creative. Our matrix is easy/hard and big win/small win. [I love this idea! We'll definitely use this one!] We pick two or three and then we filter.

6. You do it until it quits working. Every new idea has an expiration date. [I agree. Everything has its season--and then eventually needs to be reworked, or cancelled altogether!]

So...I ask the deep question: If God's will was being done on earth as it is in heaven, what would that look like? What would that look like in your life and in your community?

The Principle of the Path

I've been soaking up Andy Stanley leader-ship podcasts on my way home from work. (Like I said, he's my new favorite!) On the last one I listened to, he talked about the Principle of the Path. Never before have I heard a principle that was so simple, yet so profound, and made me have one of those "AHA!" moments.

The principle is this:

Direction--not intention--determines your destination.

It seems like there are so many people who look back on their lives and think, "How in the world did I end up here??!" Failed relationships, loads of debt, poor health, moral crisis. The fact is that, despite their best intentions, they traveled down the wrong road, and kept going!

OK, to make it personal, I've wanted to be healthier for a while (lose some weight, gain muscle, and develop good eating habits). But the truth is, I find myself going over to McD's lately for mochas. That's the road I am choosing to travel, but it's not getting me to my destination. On the other hand, I've seen lately how the renewed vision and ever-increasing reality of our move has helped me to be more purposeful about taking steps to prepare for the church plant. I am listening to podcasts, reading books, learning from other leaders, blogging :) and getting our house out on the market. Instead of just great intentions, Shanygne and I are moving down the path that will get is to our destination.

There are so many applications to this principle that I feel a sermon series coming on!! :)

What roads are you taking to get to a destination? What roads are you taking that are not getting you to your destination?

Picture from www.sxc.hu, submitted by K_Alex.

Visioneering: Success

Andy Stanley is my new favorite. He is an excellent commun-icator! I've been listening to his podcasts and reading his book Visioneering. The book is right on target with where we're at in the church planting process (the "pre-start"). It's a great book for anyone who has a burden or vision for something that just will not go away. (Hopefully that's most believers!)

Here are some quotes that have been meaningful to me from what I've read so far. These are all related to success:

• "Success often leads to self-sufficiency. Rare is the successful individual who has not lost sight of what he would be without God."
• "God's work, done in God's way, in God's time, is always successful. And it come off in such a way as to point back toward the source: God."
• "Success is remaining faithful to the process God has laid out for you."

Good stuff, huh?

How would you define "success"--especially as it relates to ministry? What do you consider some of the successes in your life?

Does Your VISION Change Your REALITY?

(If you haven't already, please read the previous post. It's an intro to this blog.)

I started this blog because of some friends that I've been talking to about coming with us to Sioux Falls to plant a church. Most of the time people laugh when we ask them if they want to come with us to Sioux Falls, SD to plant a church. We live in Texas, so the response we usually get is, "Doesn't it get really cold up there?" Of course my answer is either, "Why, yes...yes, it does," or, "Well, with all the global warming, it's bound to be like living here in Texas soon." Sometimes I'll chuckle along with them, as if it was a joke that we would even ask them such a preposterous question about coming with us to such a foreign land.

It's not.

But we have at least one couple that is seriously considering, so I started this blog with them in mind. They at least asked the question..."What's the vision?" That's a great question! It's also a hard question to answer. I have somewhat of a vision written up (which I'll share in future posts), but sometimes I wonder if I'll have to scrap it on day one to make room for reality! At the same time, I know that vision is the driving force for reality. If we don't have an idea of where we're going and what it might look like when we get there, we'll never get anywhere!

So...with that in mind...I will begin working out the vision in blog form. I welcome you to add your thoughts to help make the vision unfold and take shape. I'm not an island, so I trust and depend on my fellow brothers and sisters to hear God's voice, too, and offer what they think He might be saying.

So, what are your thoughts on vision? Is it important? Will a specific, written vision make a difference in church planting, or will it immediately get replaced with the reality of the situation?

INTRODUCTION: The Part Everyone Should Read, but Probably Won't ;)

This blog is about the anticipated realization of a new church in Sioux Falls. It's a record of the journey to see a God-given vision come to reality (and beyond!). It's for those who are willing to join us, or are thinking about joining us, for the journey--whether by prayer, encouragement (friendship, mentorship, etc.), or your physical presence in Sioux Falls!

Even though I say it's about a church, it's really, ultimately, about the kingdom of God. We want to see His kingdom advance into places that have previously been resistant to His rule and reign. There will be struggles and challenges along the way, but they'll all be worth it for the miracles that will result!

Will you join us for the journey?