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Posts Tagged ‘Purpose’

Some great advice from Seth Godin’s blog: Preparing for the Breakthrough/Calamity… That’s what we spend most of our time doing. The breakthrough speech that will change everything, or the giant insight that opens every door. We fret about the apocalyptic ending, the big crash, the slam climax as well. Of course, it almost never happens [...]

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Emil Brolick, Wendy’s new CEO, has a real challenge. The world has changed and Wendy’s has been stuck for 10 years. It’s now woefully behind its more nimble competitors, McDonald’s and Subway. But Emil has this simple plan: Have a vision and a strategy Define reality Give hope Execute Each step is critical, but leaders [...]

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Willow Creek, the poster child for seeker sensitive ministry, is no longer trying to be so hip. At the recent Catalyst Conference, a Willow teaching pastor, Darren Whitehead, surprised us with the new Willow. Thirty years ago Bill Hybels launched Willow and the “Seeker Sensitive” movement from a theater. It was all about being fishers [...]

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Here’s an inspiring story from Pastor James Emory White: Just a few weeks ago, on a Thursday afternoon, a young woman came by the office to give me something. She was going to put it in the offering plate, but decided to just hand it to me. I was in a meeting, so she left [...]

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Over 20 years ago, best-selling author Steven Covey shared a quote that changed many lives: It’s easy to say “no” when there is a deeper “yes” burning within you. Covey explained that success is often a result of a clear, deeper “YES”  within us that empowers us to say “NO” to distractions. During those same [...]

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Friday is typically date night for me and my wife. But after another intense week it’s painfully difficult to slow down and simply be present. Sadly, I can be a poor date. Could this be how Christ and our pastor feel about us on Sundays? With hectic schedules, 100 channels, 24-hour news, Facebook, Twitter, and [...]

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They may frustrate you with their expectations or intimidate you with their social connections. They’re “Digital Natives” while we struggle as “Digital Immigrants”. What they want from church is very different as well. Here is research data from Dave Tonen regarding what the 18-30 year old crowd want from you and I at church: Community [...]

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Media consultant Phil Cooke reports that the research has been done and the verdict is in (though we hardly needed it to tell us): We are hopelessly addicted to our digital devices. So much so, in fact, that some psychologists are pushing to have “Internet Addiction” broadly classified as a clinical disorder. Take a look [...]

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Ten months ago, we met our 12-year-old daughter in China. We were scared and overwhelmed but driven by the vision that we were being called to stretch beyond our own comfort. Francis Chan’s words were ringing in our ears: God hasn’t called us to comfort. We’re called to take big risks so that if He [...]

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My dad passed away last night. He suffered from Alzheimer’s and deteriorated rapidly over the past few weeks. It was a blessing to have my mom and all eight of us kids around his bed as his breathing grew slower and slower. It was a special time as we told stories and sang old hymns [...]

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Success isn’t having all the right answers. It’s the courage to ask the right questions. This was pointed out to me in a conversation with a pastor friend who built a large mega church of over 12,000. His ministry was built on one key question: Who are we trying to reach with the gospel? My friend went [...]

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As we connect with hundreds of pastors around the country we’re consistently hearing the lament that their message seems to have lost its punch, their finances are flat, or growth seems to have stagnated. What…you say… they should attend a building conference? Yes…exactly…it may be the most important thing they can do! Dave and Jon [...]

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How do we make decisions in these uncertain times when many of our old signposts have disappeared or are no longer relevant? These words from business guru Peter Drucker may offer us and our ministries some important insight: Decisions are not so much made as they become apparent. What “God things” are becoming apparent around you [...]

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The Bible clearly tells us that money can’t buy happiness. So why do we still pursue careers and promotions as if it can? Forbes magazine recently reported research from the University of British Columbia showing that once we reach the median income in the US of about $60,000, the happiness we get from additional income [...]

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…That’s what Seth Godin says. He challenges us to be explorers. In his words, A well-rehearsed performance will go without a hitch. But an explorer seeks the hitches, because hitches are the fissures and chasms that help us leap forward. Many of us were taught to pursue a well-rehearsed life. To do that requires focus, [...]

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