Hey Friends,

I am well underway in writing my fourth book. Not really sure who will read them, but I am enjoying the discipline of writing. The fourth book is about reaching people for Jesus. I am really not sure who will read this one because the last several books I have read on Kingdom leadership from current thought leaders are very anti-growth. Shocking but true! Not sure how Jesus feels about it. That is another blog for another rant.

As you are going to church this weekend, let me ask you a question – what are the bottlenecks and barriers? Look around and ask the question, “What is keeping us from reaching more people that are hell-bound today?” Don’t hear that question much anymore.  Strange!

As leaders we must always be on the alert to the barriers that build up to stop up reaching more souls for the Savior. Some of the barriers are physical. There are so many, from the width of a hall to the signage in the building. The list is long. The second barrier is spiritual. It can be sin in the camp, lack of burden for the lost, to strongholds in the staff. Again, the list is as long as the plethora of possibilities that prune our potential.

I want to challenge US to open our eyes this weekend. Look around with fresh eyes and ask the Lord to show you the barriers to building bridges to those without Jesus. Are you burdened, broken, and passionately pursuing people who are without our Lord? Just a question.

The last thing Jesus gave us before He ascended into heaven was the Great Commission. Let’s not lose it in our generation.

Love you,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

As leaders of others in some sort of ministry position, we all need more than we have. How many times have you said, “I wish I had…?” We have all said it. I have gone to conferences and watched talent, technology and other teams and wished I had something I didn’t have at the moment. Why is it we always seem to focus on what we don’t have rather than what we have? Strange isn’t it?

If our focus is on what we don’t have, then we have a good excuse not to do anything. Moses argues with God about his going back to Egypt to rescue the slaves. It didn’t work too well the first time for Moses. His list of “reasons” showed pretty good thinking. Moses tells God they won’t believe him. “What do you have in your hand?” A staff! “Throw it on the ground!” And it becomes a big honking snake. I’m impressed. “Pick it up!” (Moses is the man) And it becomes a staff again. Do that and use what you have.

Jesus does the same thing with the feeding of the 5000. “What do you have?” God will use what you have and we are worried about what we don’t have. A problem, wouldn’t you agree? The bottom line is that if God can part the Red Sea with a stick and feed 5000 with a happy meal, He can use what you have!

You have all you need today to do what He has called you to do today. I know all the things you need: money, space,  technology, advertising, core group, staff…  The list can go on for days. Remember the Disciples? What did they have? They rocked the world and so can you. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave is alive in you!

Have a prayer list of the things you would like to have or feel you need in order to reach more people, but keep your focus on what you already have and use it for His glory. He doesn’t really take too kindly to excuses.

Just a thought,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Do you ever wonder if any advertising is true? I sure do! I know how con artists can get away with the con. We want things to be true so we believe them against our better judgment. I love to watch diet or exercise commercials.  They say, “Take this pill or work out on this equipment for five minutes a day, three times a week and you will look like this in weeks.” And they sell millions of dollars daily. We know it can’t be true but we want it to be EASY!

“Advertising messages continually promote methods of achieving end results with little or no effort. And this material and these messages are so effective that in many cases people will work harder to avoid the extra effort than to actually apply the effort that will produce the originally desired outcome.”  ~212°  The Extra Degree

You and I are leaders in the Kingdom of God and there are no short cuts or easy methods to changing lives or building churches. It boils down to extra effort in ministering to people, walking close to God, building leaders, building teams, casting vision and making a difference. It does not happen in front of the TV, but in the streets where life happens.

People are watching us and it really is true: pace of the leader – pace of the pack. They will follow your lead and your direction. Let us work hard. Let us not be afraid to get our hands dirty in life and ministry, because it is really messy and it is hard. You had better be committed to God and His ministry because some of the people you help will turn on you when you least expect it. Paul warned the Galatian church, “Not to bite and devour each other.”

Our call is not easy, and yet we follow Jesus in passionate pursuit of transformed lives and impact on a lost and dying world. Work hard and remember our retirement benefits – they will blow your mind!

Yours to count on,

Chris

P.S. This is why we started KALEO ministry – to help you in the journey. I hope you can be with us for our LIT2010 conference in Knoxville. It will be a day of life change, encouragement, empowerment, and enablement for the community of the KALEO-ED!

Hey Friends,

This morning I read a great little booklet called, 212° The Extra Degree. It is a challenging and encouraging booklet to motivate us to continue our effort and not to quit. It is not a Christian book. I have found some of the most challenging and creative books are from secular authors. Strange that the worshippers of the creative and creator God don’t use it – creativity, that is. Just a pet peeve of mine – sorry to digress.

The axiom, or thought, of the booklet is that there is only one degree between 211° and 212°, but that one degree makes a lot of difference. At 211° you have hot water and at 212° you have steam, and steam can empower a locomotive. Steam can give the power to do what you need done. We are talking about one degree of difference. Most of us can turn up the heat one degree, can’t we?!?!  Keep in mind that 211° is hot water and 212° is boiling!

“Raising the temperature of water by one extra degree means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine – a beautiful, uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed our every endeavor – consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task we undertake. 212 serves as a forceful drill sergeant with its motivating and focused message while adhering to a scientific law – a natural law. It reminds us that seemingly small things can make a tremendous difference.” 

Remember, some of us have no one who really challenges us and I want to encourage you in the race. Discouragement can descend on any of us. Some of us are running this race “sort of alone” and that is not the way God developed and designed this to work out. Remember Jesus and 2 x 2?

I wonder, can you add one degree? Can you add a little extra effort? As I read my Bible, I see  that Jesus never let up for us - even all the way to the cross.

Just a thought,

Chris

Hey Friends,

As leaders we should be constantly challenged or we will grow stale and slowly quit pushing to advance the Kingdom of God or our personal growth. In a conversation the other day with my mom, I told her my memory was failing just slightly. She asked me if I used my brain. I must admit my first thought was not a holy one. I pray, study, write, and prepare to speak every day. I have a personal growth plan that is pushing it, to say the least, with part of it being to memorize 52 verses this year.  My mind raced to all I do in a flash. And let me be honest – several smart-aleck comments flooded my mind. It is not normal for me, but I chose not to respond since her intentions were good. She ended by saying, “You must challenge your brain every day for it to keep firing and creating new paths to think with.” It is so easy to only do what we know and not challenge our brains to try new things.

Are you growing and challenging yourself? It is easy to get comfortable, sit back and enjoy the ride and the momentum. Many don’t even realize they have kicked the gear shift into neutral and are being pulled by the inertia of the past and all God has done. Remember, God’s name is not I was, but “I AM.” We remember and rejoice in all His past miracles and movements, but we must move forward and not sit back until we get home. Oh, by the way, this is not our home – heaven is. So let’s keep marching and working while it is day, for night comes when no man can work. Sound familiar?

Many of you reading this blog are leaders and as such you don’t really have anyone pushing you. It can be difficult without someone encouraging you and engaging you to keep going. That is why I am here and we have this community of the “KALEO-ED.” The “Called.” We need each other to keep us going when we might be tempted to slow down, coast, or even quit.

Don’t give up! Keep going! You’re so close to a miracle.

Love you,

Chris

Hey Friends,

While going through some of my leadership files, I ran across a leadership test from my friend, John Maxwell. Here are eight questions to help you evaluate where you stand and where you need to work:

1. How and where do I have influence? “Influence – not postion or power – makes a leader successful.”

2. Where can I improve my people skills?

3. Do I have a positive outlook?

4. Do I see evidence of growth in self-discipline?

5. Do I have a proven track record of success in my field?

6. How are my problem-solving skills?

7. Do I refuse to accept the status quo?

8. Do I have a big-picture mindset?

It will help your leadership if you spend a few minutes meditating on each question. Each area can make or break your leadership if you are not careful.  Leadership is an art that can be learned and improved upon. No one, not even the leadership guru John Maxwell, is perfect. We can all grow! I want to grow some every day of my life. I know you want to grow or you would not be reading this blog. Everyone except my mother.

Pick one area and allow the Lord to grow you in that area. Develop a plan to improve because the better your leadership ability, the more value you can add to people. We all want to be “adders and multipliers” to others. This is one of the main reasons for our growth.

I pray you have a great weekend and I will see you Monday on the leadership lifeline.

Yours to count on,

Chris

Hey Friends,

I guess this is an odd question, but what kind of math person are you? Some people add to you and some subtract. Some divide you and some multiply you. What kind are you to the people you come into contact with? Here is a list of some of them. Look it over and see where you find yourself in the equation:

1. Some people add to others. D.L. Moody said, “Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can.” Great advice from a man that rocked the world. Don’t you love to be around people that add value to you? Chuck Carringer, our Pastor of Family Ministries, does it to everyone with whom he comes into contact. He is amazing. He not only is growing our family ministry, but he is a life coach for individuals that want to improve.

2. Some people subtract from others. ”Subtractors” are not there to help you, they add to your burden. They don’t help you carry your load, they want you to carry yours and also help them with theirs.

3. Some people multiply you. My assistant multiplies my time and my effectiveness. Almost twenty years ago a friend of mine named Melvyn Smith told me that one day I would have a great assistant and life would get better automatically.

4. Some people divide you. They take away from you. For some reason they want you to seem less than you really are. It is an odd thing. I guess some people’s lights burn so dimly that they have to blow out the lights of others to make theirs seem brighter.

Leaders want to take everyone to the next level. They want to add value to, or even multiply, people’s lives so they reach the peak of their potential. That is the reason I wrote The Climb of Your Life -  to help people scale summits that seem impossible.

Which kind of math person are you? To make a difference you must build others up. There are more than enough people in the destruction business so let’s be in the construction business – building lives one at a time. I don’t know about you, but I surely am grateful for those that added value to me. It’s pay back time.

Just a thought,

Chris

P.S.  For those of you in the Knoxville area, I want to encourage you to attend Chuck Carringer’s monthly leadership seminar.  Each month he focuses on a different area of leadership development that is designed to help you increase your capacity to lead.  The next one is this afternoon, January 21, at 5:30 p.m. in Satellite-1.

Hey Friends,

Do you think we can still worship idols in the 21st century? I am sure we can. The Scripture says, “greed is idolatry.”  Any greedy people left? Most are!

I wonder if we worship and serve the Lord because we love Him or for what He can do for us? Would we love and serve Him if we knew He would not do anything for us after salvation?

Watch how many fall away during problems and pain. Isn’t that when we tend to question God the most? Notice, when Moses told the Israelites he was there to rescue them, they were fired up. That is, until Pharaoh took away the straw. When life got harder (and God told Moses it was going to before the rescue was over), they quickly turned away form Moses and called themselves “Pharaoh’s servants.”

So, do we love God regardless? Will you follow Him and continue leading in His Kingdom when the bottom falls out?

I wonder – do we seek God for His hand and not His heart? I find myself asking God about my heart and motives. Let me give you some idols we can easily worship instead of God:

1. Success

2. Influence

3. Numbers, attendance and baptisms

4. Family

5. Money

6. Your stuff!

7. Yourself

The list can go on for days. As leaders in the Kingdom of God we must place God as preeminent and the number one priority. Beware of seeking His hand without first seeking His heart. Look at your heart and ask for the revelation of what is on the throne. Don’t take this for granted or you could get into trouble.

“Love the Lord your God with all of your…” With everything you are, or have or will have because it is all His. Remember He owns us. “We were bought with a price…” Think He paid too much?

Yours to count on,

Chris

Hey Friends,

Yesterday we talked about worship and its importance in the life of a Kingdom leader.  Let’s continue on the topic. We all have studied the life of King David. He was called, “a man after God’s own heart.” Why? I mean, this dude could sin! Murder, adultery, lies, manipulation…the list is long and yet he is given such a name. He was also one of the greatest kings in the history of Israel. Oh yea – one last thing – he was in the lineage of the Messiah. Wow! I’m glad God uses imperfect people!

I can tell you, if we did the things David did we would not have a job at the church. Wouldn’t you agree? So why, how, can he be called a man after God’s own heart? We could list several reasons, but let’s consider one or two that can help us become closer to the heart of God:

#1 He was a rapid repenter. Once David was confronted with his sin he repented and confessed to God. That is what the Lord is looking for in us – rapid repenting and recovery. He is not looking for perfection. That is why Christ came and died for us.

#2 He was a radical worshipper. We all have read the story of his dancing before the Ark. We see the celebration of the followers and the dejection of his wife. We see who God said was right. Are you a radical worshipper? I have watched many leaders and pastors in public worship services, and most did not participate. They sat and worked on notes for the sermon. How does it look to followers of Christ when the shepherds shun worship? We set the example.

This is the reason I don’t go to the platform until time to teach – I participate in worship. I want people to see me as a radical God-lover. I want to be an overt worshipper. I want there to be no question as to my love for my great God.

How about you – do you participate in public worship? Or is something more important? Remember, not only are the members watching, but so is God.

What do you think?

Chris

Hey Friends,

Let me ask you a question – do you love God more than anything else? It is the first commandment, after all. Jesus confirmed it during a Q & A session. It is the number one command in the list of the “Big Ten.” It is all about worship. It is about God’s place and priority in our hearts and lives. This is the key to enjoying the abundant life Jesus purchased for us on the cross. Are you enjoying it?

So, are you dressed in a wardrobe of worship? Shouldn’t it be obvious to everyone we come into contact with? Romans12:1 says, ”Therefore, I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Wow!  Worship is not a once-a-week event! It is a lifestyle. We are to “present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice” – 24/7 worship in action and attitude!

So, are you dressed for worship? Today we don’t take the animals to the Temple for sacrifice, but we do bring a sacrifice to the worthy Lord. Hebrews 13:15 tells us, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

Life should be lived in victory and celebration to God! It is not circumstantial, but attitudinal. So, how’s yours?

It is time to put on those dancing shoes like David did. It is time to give God His glory and worship due to His name. Are you arrayed in an attire of worship?

Shouldn’t it be one of the things that marks the saints? I am convinced that is should be a mark of every leader in the Kingdom of the Mighty God.

Just a thought.

Yours to count on,

Pastor