Hey Friends,

It seems to me that the capital of today is social networking. Most people don’t want to be bothered, especially those of us in the ministry. Why is the church the last group to get on board? So, why should I bother to get involved considering  the cost of technology and time? Great question! Let me tell you why I finally got involved.

First, I want to add value to people.  If you have content that can help people, why not get it out in as many media as possible? So, I tweet, blog, write, do a daily devotion, podcast and use every way I can to add value to others. “Freely you have received, freely give,” is what the Word says.

Second, I want to be able to help others by connecting. I am an aggressive competitive person and always want to advance. After years of trying to win, I found out it is better to connect than compete. Social networking makes connection quicker and easier.

The third reason I use social networking is to open doors for me. That may sound selfish, but it is true. It is not just about me, but that is part of it. When I finished my first book, I looked around and realized I had no one to help me with it. I had kept my head down at my desk and just worried about growing the church. I realized I did not keep up with my friends or anyone else. I recognized what a poor decision I had made without even thinking about it.

So, today I network for mutual advantage. I am only concerned with a win-win scenario. It is not just about me. I look for ways to promote my friends, their books, resources, conferences and anything else I can to add value to others. We all need each other and we need to help others because one day we will all need it.

Last week I met with a very sharp young adult who just graduated from seminary. He was looking for a ministry position. He has spent the last eight years getting ready for vocational ministry. The only problem is he, like me, did not work on his network. Seminary helped him with his systematic theology but not his social network.

Whom are you helping and who is helping you?

Just a thought,

Pastor Chris

P.S. I’m sure if the Apostle Paul were here today he would use anything and everything to advance the message.

Hey Friends,

The Dead Sea is beautiful. I have driven around it and have gone for a swim in it. It is below sea level and NOTHING can live in it because everything flows in and nothing flows out. It is dead! It is dead because this is not how the Lord designed the world to operate.

We are all supposed to take things in and we are all supposed to give things out. This is true in the physical realm as well as the spiritual realm. Far too many people, and even some in the church today, are dead seas in their lives and in their thinking.

Life is all about them! Everything flows to them, but never away. They are like the Dead Sea and  nothing can really live in them or around them. The Dead Sea is selfish and God can’t bless selfishness. I hope you caught that last sentence because it is so true. 

I wonder if some of the churches today are “Dead Sea” in their thinking. If the life of God is flowing in, then the life of God should be flowing out and giving others life.

Does life flow out of you? Are you a giver of yourself? Of your money? Of your time?

Look around you – do you see life? Are the people around you flourishing, thriving, growing, and giving life to others? That is the plan of God. We are blessed to be a blessing. People are like plants; they need water to grow and we are called to water them.

Who are you blessing?

Just some thoughts…

Love you,

Pastor 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.