LIFEsync

Ministry Update

In case you missed it...

We have joined the Pastoral Team at Covenant Church, Carrollton, TX!  (Pastors Mike and Kathy Hayes)  Please continue to pray for us as we pursue the path God has placed before us!  We love you!  We'll keep you, our wonderful friends and family, updated as we move forward! 

 

 

The Kaleo Project - MISSIONS PARTY DALLAS

 

  

P  R  E  S  E  N  T  S

Four False Ideas That Destroy Leaders

Perry Noble recently shared this on his blog and I wanted to share with you!  Check out his blog too!

 

 

#1 – “I Cannot…”

One of the things that seems to be appearing over and over again to me as I read the Scriptures is this thought…

At the end of the day…I am a servant of the Most High God!  AND…a servant can do EXACTLY what his master has commanded him to do because he is operating under the power and authority of the One who called, equipped and empowered him to serve in the first place.

You can do EXACTLY what God called you to do!!!  Don’t back down!

#2 – “I Am Not As Good As…”

Comparing yourself to other ministers and/or ministries is one of the quickest ways to go insane and completely lose your focus on who God is and what He has called you to do.

We should learn from “them” but focus on “HIM!”

There will always be someone who does something better than you!  Your call isn’t to imitate people but to focus on Christ!!!

#3 – “I Failed Before”

Of course you did!!!

All great leaders have failed at something significant!

However, what makes them great is that they do not allow their failures to define them.  They pick up the pieces and move forward.  They learn lessons from their failure…if there was a sin issue involved they repent and submit to Jesus and the leadership of others…and then they get on with life!!!

Peter failed!  Remember when he tried to cut off the servants ear and had to be rebuked by Jesus!!!  YET when it came to Acts 2 and the day of Pentecost he was the guy who Jesus anointed to preach the Gospel and see over 3k new believers!

#4 – “All Hope Is Gone”

Uh…the only problem with that thought is THE TOMB IS EMPTY…and as long as that is a reality then there is always hope…ALWAYS!

I know some reading this feel like you are just about at the end of your rope…but from my personal experience I’ve discovered when I do get to the end of my rope Jesus is always there saying, “what took you so long?”

Losing hope can bring about times of intense desperation…but quite often intense desperation leads to undeniable revelation!!!  When we lose hope and believe that things are just about over…well…that’s always a time for God to remind us of WHO HE IS and what He is capable of!

Leadership and Respect

I recently read this over at Perry Noble's blog and wanted to share it with you!  You can read more by checking out his blog. 

Brian Houston, Leadership and Respect September 21, 2010

I was reminded the other day that Brian Houston may be one of the most successful men/pastors/church leaders that I know.

For those who are not familiar with Pastor Brian…he is the pastor of Hillsong Church…and God has used him in incredible ways over the past 25 years.

But…please keep reading because I am not saying He is successful because he has an amazing church (although it IS one of the most amazing churches I have ever visited.)

I am not saying he is successful because their church seems to continue to produce some of the best worship music on the planet.

I am not saying that he is successful because his church puts on one of the best conferences in church world year after year.

I am saying he’s successful because his son, Joel, put this quote on twitter the other day…

@joelhouston luv that my dad is still the most passionate, wise, secure, humble authentic, trnsparent, motivated Godly man i know

When I read that I personally was FILLED with hope like never before in regards to my relationship with my wife and daughter.  Because…

Pastor Brian has been used by God in an incredible way.  God has used him to build an amazing church and create an environment where leaders are empowered and released to do amazing things for God’s Kingdom…

BUT…he did not do it at the expense of his marriage or his relationship with his children!

He did not sacrifice his calling to be a godly husband and dad for his calling to be a church leader…

He has done both…and done both well.

Church leaders…it is my prayer that we can learn from this and do the same…because if we build great ministries and everyone loves us except those who know us the best…WE HAVE FAILED!

Pastor Brian is proof that we do NOT have to sacrifice a tremendous legacy in order to have a tremendous ministry!

Pastor Brian…thanks for showing us this can be done…keep up the amazing work!

(ONE MORE THING…pastors…I know we can do just about everything right and still have children that go astray!  I say this to encourage you…don’t give up on them!  If you did all you can then you’ve GOT to trust Proverbs 22:6 and know that your child was HIS child…and He will bring them home!!!)

Protecting Your Pastor's Faith

I recently read this article and wanted to share it with you.  Steven Furtick, Lead Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. wrote this for his blog over at Steven Furtick Blog.  I am blessed with a church family at alcplano.tv and staff that protect my faith every week.  Wherever you attend church, please protect your Pastor's faith so he can effectively accomplish the mission of Jesus Christ in the Earth!

 

Leaders need to know the facts. We can’t hide from reality, nor should we. But I’m also convinced that too many leaders are confronted with too much bad news without solutions.

This is especially true of pastors. It seems like sometimes we can become the clearinghouse for all that is wrong in our church. And since solutions are rarely proposed, we spend the next few hours or the rest of the day trying to fix problems. Problems that usually dozens of other people could have generated solutions for without our help.

This isn’t just about increased stress and decreased mental energy on our part. Most people don’t realize it, but every problem they bring their pastor makes a demand on their faith to believe God. It’s the pastor’s responsibility to cast the vision God has given them for their church. But they have to be able to believe that the God-sized vision they are receiving is actually capable of being implemented.

If their people keep bringing them problems all the time, it weakens their faith and orients their mind towards wondering what is going to go wrong next. The pastor eventually doesn’t have the faith to believe God for big things because it doesn’t even seem like the small things are being taken care of.

One of the greatest things you can do for your pastor is protect their faith. You want to keep your leader in a place where he’s optimistic. Where he’s dreaming about where God is taking your church. Not on everything that is keeping it from getting there. And the best way you can do this is by limiting his awareness of problems that do not have viable solutions.

This doesn’t mean keeping your pastor completely in the dark. Yes, he should know there are problems. But more than that he should know that his team has them covered.

Commit yourself today to begin bringing solutions, not problems. It will protect your pastor’s faith. And make you irreplaceably valuable in your church.