Hey Friends,

Legacy is written about a lot, but thought about and acted on much less! I am not trying to be morbid nor do I have a consuming thought of death, but I realize that the race will be over for each of us sooner than we think. I just turned 50 and I can see the end of the ministry and this leadership race.

Yesterday my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and the same day a lady that used to play in one of our bands at church was killed. Life is short here on the cursed planet. Every day is a gift from God and should be lived to the fullest. Because of this we must make succession plans for our leadership and for the groups we lead.

Elton Trueblood wrote, “We have made at least a start in discovering the meaning in human life when we plant shade trees under which we know full well we will never sit.” I have watched many of my leadership and ministry heroes leave great organizations without any thought for the future. Some just walked away and let thriving ministries close! Not good leadership.

When I was in Israel I visited Yad Vashem. It is the Holocaust museum and is a must visit. Never have I been more moved as that day. There is a street in honor of the “Gentiles” who helped the Jews during this horrible time. For the famous ones like Corrie Ten Boom or Schindler, they plant a tree. This tree will give fruit after 30 years. It is a selfless tree. It is known as this because if you plant one you know you will never eat of the fruit. You planted it for others.

That is what we need to do for the next generation, for the church and for ministry. Far too many leaders hang on until they are too old. The church loses its focus and momentum, and the great leader leaves as the church is dropping like a rock without a plan for succession.

Let’s do better!

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

One of the greatest issues holding back leaders today is their yesterday. I thought that on the cross Jesus paid for ALL of our sins and shortcomings! If you are going to reach your peak performance and potential you must put the past where it belongs: behind you! If you don’t let go then you’ll never go forward.

I love what Zig Ziglar used to say all the time: “Yesterday really did end last night and today really is a brand new day.” I couldn’t agree more and so does the Lord. You must let go of successes, failures, wins and losses and move into the future. “Forgetting what lies behind me I press on…”

John Maxwell said of the past-dwellers:“They spend too much of their lives recycling a junkyard of regret.”  The cross applies to you and your past just like it does to those you lead. If you continue to replay the past, that is all you’ll ever get out of life. Time to put on a new tape. This tape has not been recorded yet; it is your future and it is great. Focusing on yesterday pulls you farther away from the opportunities you have today. Today is what matters and where your focus must be.

Most car accidents happen because the drivers are not focusing on where they are going. As you drive, you glance in the rear view mirror and focus on the windshield of where you are heading or you will crash. Leaders must keep the organization going forward. Let it never be said that we stalled out the progress because we were focused on where we had been.

Where is your focus? Have you let the past loose and let yourself off the hook? Proclaim I John 1:9 and move ahead with the power of God.

Just a thought,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

As a pastor, one question that I get asked the most is:  “How can I know God’s will for my life?” It is a great question and one that I have spent a lot of time contemplating and considering. There are some things that we know are, without question, the will of God for each of us because they are revealed in the Word!

In the Book of Ephesians, Paul prays for us being led by the Holy Spirit and so it is the will of God.

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

Look at all that is in this powerful, pregnant paragraph that is God’s will for YOU today:

• Riches of His glory
• Strengthened in the inner man by His power
• Christ would dwell in your heart
• You would know His great love for you
• You would be filed with the fullness of God

That is a mouth full! Wouldn’t you agree? All that, and so much more, is the revealed will of God for you right now! That blows me away. I wonder, are you experiencing any of it? If not, why not? This is God’s plan for you! Today this is what He wants you to experience.

It is my prayer for you that you walk in this and so much more. God is a well that has no bottom or end to the flow of love and power and glory to us. “Out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.”

Bubble up! Today!

Love you,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

God gave me a cool thought last week while reading in my devotion time with Him. I was in 2 Kings and got to Chapter 11. There is a great story, rich with symbolism and meaning for us today. King Ahaziah died in battle and his mother, the Queen, killed all of his kids – all except the one she missed. Joash was taken and hidden in the Temple. The Queen didn’t even realize he was missed in the mass execution. For six years the priests hid him from the wicked queen. I guess they knew she wasn’t EVER going to the Temple! A whole different lesson altogether…

At the end of the sixth year the guards brought him out and proclaimed him King. They killed the Queen and made Joash the King. As I pondered on the passage a thought hit me: what are we growing in the House of God? Think about it. They were growing a king that made sweeping reforms for God.

What are we growing? Warriors? Scholars? Jesus Freaks? Christ-followers? An army for God? Saints? People sold out in deep love with God?

Take a look around your ministry, your group, church, family or friends. What are you helping to grow for God? We don’t usually look forward to where we are going so we don’t worry about the crop of Christians we are raising up. Do you think this is an important question? I do, and I am sure God cares because He has so much to say about this topic.

Would it be fair to say that in the last two or three generations we are not raising up warriors? It is easy to see we are losing this generation and we must accept some of the responsibility. So, what will we do about it? I challenge you to seriously consider my query and make a deliberate decision on what you want to be a part of raising up.

God wants to use you! Are you up to the challenge?

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

This weekend we start a new sermon series called, “Eyes Wide Open.” I am so excited about it. The series is about living your dreams and helping others live theirs. This is a huge new way to add value to those you love. Pastor Josh Whitehead, our Executive Pastor, gave me a book last year called the Dream Manager. It rocked my world. It is a secular leadership book and it was groundbreaking for me. Many of our staff read it and we determined the Lord wanted us to build a series of sermons based on the premise of the book.

This weekend it starts. Let me ask you some questions I got out of the book:

1. Do you have dreams?

2. Do you have them written out?

3. Do you have a short-term and long-term plan to accomplish them?

4. Does anybody else know your dreams?

5. Is anyone else helping you in any way? We can’t achieve the dreams alone!

6. Do you have a list of the dreams of your family, close friends and coworkers?

Can you imagine the value you can add to people if you find out their dreams and set out to help them achieve them? This is huge in how you can make a difference for others. Life is about others and you can make a difference in so many!

Imagine with me what could happen if all 5,000 people that will hear at least part of this sermon series choose to do it? We all know more Word than we do and this can so improve our lives and the lives of those we care most for.

I challenge you to listen to the messages online at Faith Promise Church or go to our Internet Campus on Sundays at 9:00, 10:20, or 11:45 am, or 9:00 pm and grow with us.

I dare you to live the dream. I am!

Pastor Chris, The Dreamer

Hey Friends,

We love potential and we hear the word all the time. “He or she has great potential” is meant to be a compliment. When does the word become ugly and no longer a compliment? It is when we don’t reach it or we miss our opportunity to be all we have the potential to be. Then to hear the word “potential” becomes ugly because it passed us up and we waved goodbye.

Have you ever watched someone with awesome potential miss it? We all have and we hate it, especially if it is someone we love. Don’t you hate to watch potential pass your kids up? How must God feel when it was He that placed potential within us and we miss His best for us? I’ll bet it bothers Him.

I love what John Maxwell said, “Many people possess a hundred acres of possibilities but keep only one acre under cultivation.” So few people actually reach their potential – why don’t we be the exception and not the rule?

• Are you gaining on your potential?
• How far do you believe God wants you to go?
• Are you getting out of your comfort zone?
• What will it take for you to achieve your full potential?

During the next few days let’s explore the pathway to your potential. It matters to God, so it should matter to us!

Yours to count on,

Pastor

Hey Friends,

All week we have talked about believing and trusting the Lord for great things. I have laid out some stuff I am having faith for God to do and have been asking you the same questions. Some things I am sharing with you are firsts! This week I have made some new declarations and I pray you have done the same thing. Today let’s go for broke and give it all to you – here are the 2 areas in which I believe God will work the major miracles:

1. Faith Promise Church –  I believe God is going to build one of the greatest churches since the day of Pentecost. I believe we are going to touch a generation for the Lord. I believe we will see more saved that we can count. If you read the book of  Acts, you see that they couldn’t keep count for long – they just said the numbers were increasing…  God is building a staff that will be creative, multi-generational, anointed, and so in love with Jesus they will draw the multitudes to Him. At the end of the day the ministry will be so supernatural that only God can take the credit.

2. Partnering with Pastors and Church Leaders –  I am starting a ministry to help churches reach their full redemptive potential.  This ministry is another area of faith I have in the Lord to accomplish what is in His heart. I have tried to drop this issue. It has caused me heartache, loss of money, and countless hours of lost sleep. I am convinced God is at the center of this ministry. It will launch with a conference in the spring of 2010 at FPC.  I am not leaving Faith Promise, but will trust God to move in both areas and to use me to touch more leaders than I can count. I want to do for Pastors what was done for me in the past.  Help me go to the next level in leadership so the church can reach more people bound for hell.

I could list the needs and all I am trusting God for today, but you wouldn’t read it due to its length. Trust me when I say I am trusting Him for A LOT!

How about you? What are you trusting the Lord for? Some people have listed great things on this blog this week. Keep it up. God responds to faith.

Yours to count on,

Pastor

Hey Friends,

Faith is not just a New Testament issue, it is found all the way through the Bible. As a matter of fact, in Isaiah and in Zechariah it was written that if we don’t see it, God won’t do it! Faith is a matter of fact for the God-worshipper. So let me ask you the same question I asked you yesterday: WHAT ARE YOU TRUSTING GOD FOR?  “If you can see it you can seize it.”

As the senior leader of Faith Promise I have great faith for the future. We are currently praying about goals for next year and for the next ten years. I am so excited! We are going to have to have great faith to go to the next level. Let me share what we are believing the Lord for:

• Staff positions that must be filled – I believe God is going to bring some amazing leaders to add to the TEAM
• The right place to add our second campus
• The money we need to start our campus expansion
• Some creative ideas about how to grow next year without much space
• Revival to fall on our church

I have faith for some serious stuff and I know our God is sooo able. What do you believe He can do in and through you? Without question, it is His desire to use you in a greater way. I can’t wait to see how it works out. What can you see?

Please ponder the place of faith in you.

Pastor

Hey Friends,

Have you ever noticed the times Jesus was almost “shocked” at the faith He found in some people? “I have never seen such a great faith in all of Israel.” Faith has always moved the heart of God. In the light of that thought, let me ask you a question: WHAT ARE YOU TRUSTING GOD FOR?  As you look toward the future for you, your family or your ministry, what are you believing God to do in you? For many, this may seem like a strange question.  Should it be for us?

I know that God is more than able. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…” I can ask a lot. I can think a lot. What do you see in the future?

For me, I see an amazing life with my wonderful wife. I look forward to enjoying her fellowship for years. I believe God is going to use my kids to impact His Kingdom in a big way. Both of my boys plan to go into the ministry. I have faith and believe God is going to move in powerful ways in both of them. My daughter is in nursing school and her husband is going to go to medical  school. I believe our Lord will blow them away in how He will use them.  No question in my mind. I look forward to watching them and even mentoring them to greater heights than God has taken me.

What are you believing for? What can you see? Do you think God is able?

I pray you will think about it.

Pastor

Hey Friends,

Summer is over, everyone is back in school and the crowds are back in church. Our attendance is up 20% over last year at this time and I expect a fabulous fall. As a matter of fact, as leaders of ministries all over America and the world let’s prepare for a great harvest of souls. What is your outlook for the fall?

One of the many things we leaders must do is set the expectations for the people God has for us to lead. As you look to the future, close and distant –  how do you see it? How you see it, THE VISION, is how others will see it. Sight of the leader, plight of the people. You set the speed as you lead.

In our current economy and outlook by most people worldwide, we leaders must give encouragement and hope that the future will be brighter. Please beware leader, that you don’t allow your political views to hinder your ministry. So many Christ-followers are discouraged and that mindset has infiltrated the Kingdom. Remember our God rules and He is not worried or whining about the outlook.

Come on leader, let’s get revved up about the fall and the potential of miracles and life change. Our God is able. I know there are negative things going on in the world but our God trumps it all. That is the thought that gets me up in the morning. That biblical principle is what gives me hope and enables me to keep going when others want to quit. How are you? How is your outlook? Is our God able?

Have a great weekend!

Yours to count on,

Pastor

P.S. As my good friend Chet Carney says, “It takes Kingdom people to do Kingdom work.”