September 2011
2 posts
Invitation Intimidation
“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, ‘We’ve found the Messiah.’” (John 1:40-41 THE MESSAGE)
I like that: ”the first thing he did” was to invite somebody. Usually, the last thing...
My Favorite Renaissance Road Moments
(In No Particular Order)
1. The spontaneous baptism. We were nervous. What if nobody responded? 21 people did. And it was a defining moment for our church.
2. Pastor Nick, in a most serious God-moment, holding up a big sign about how God has transformed him into a “succeful” (pronounced suck-ful) business owner. I nearly peed my pants.
3. Pastor Nick calling me after...
August 2011
14 posts
Leadership Rule No. 5: Overcommunicate
You can’t repeat yourself enough.
You can’t repeat the VISION of the job or the project enough.
You can’t repeat the WORK goals enough.
You can’t repeat the CONDUCT requirements enough.
You can’t repeat WHAT YOU EXPECT enough.
*When you’re at the lunch table building equity, don’t forget that you’ve still got an enterprise to run. Be clear and...
This Week's R2 MVP: Jennifer Johnson
She came to Relevate to be with a bunch of teenagers after surgery! That’s how dedicated this girl is. She’s constantly talking about how much she loves her kids. Each and every week she helps Pastor Nick get together design elements for his Thursday night sermon, and then she shows up to play an ACTIVE role with her kids.
She’s constantly counseling her kids, whether online,...
What Makes Renaissance Road Church Great? (Part...
“Take your shoes off, Moses, for you stand on holy ground.”
What made that ground holy? It wasn’t Moses. It wasn’t the ground itself. It was the God on the ground. So often in successful churches, businesses, and organizations, the temptation is to call the place holy because of … the place. It’s all about the place.
The place has its own brand, its own...
LEADERSHIP RULE NO. 4: Be More Than a Friend
This one is difficult, especially in light of Rule No. 3 (Build Friendship Equity). Leaders naturally like being liked. They like being a friend.
But the best leaders are more than just a friend. They are the disciplinarian. They are the delegator. They are the accountability. They are often the pest who has to follow up with the slack worker.
The best leaders, because they’ve built...
THIS WEEK'S R2 MVP: Tammy Tilley
Tammy is R2’s Growth Groups Coordinator, and she’s ON FIRE. En fuego! So hot that you may get burned if you’re in the same room with her.
Seriously, Tammy took over our Growth Groups Coordinator job about four months ago from one of our Pastors. Honestly, it’s always difficult for a pastor to give a ministry up. But for this lady, she’s taken us to the next...
What Makes Renaissance Road Church Great? (Part...
“Renaissance Road is called to bring people far from God back to God so that they can know life change!”
That’s who we are. That’s what we do. Every little thing we do is designed to reach them. Growth groups, cool lighting, fog machines, super-excited greeters, music that thumps, messages that hit hard, a student ministry that kids actually look forward to coming to,...
LEADERSHIP RULE NO. 3: Build Equity
It is impossible to lead people without equity, without you having created and fostered a relationship. Without them trusting and believing in you, you have no prayer of TRULY leading them.
Many great leadership failures happen because the leader tried to discipline, fire, promote, or make a risky decision without any equity. That leader assumes that barking an order will get a result. And...
THIS WEEK'S R2 MVP: Miranda Heath
She’s a teenager. She’s got a lot going on … including church. Weekly, Miranda sits in on a Wednesday night Creative Team meeting, goes to our Thursday night student ministry (Relevate - where she has become a real leader), and then serves on our WoW Team (R2’s greeters on steroids) on Sunday morning.
Miranda always smiles even though she’s got teenage stuff to...
What Makes Renaissance Road Church Great? (Part...
In a few weeks, R2 will celebrate its 3 year anniversary. God has honored us and elevated us. One of the reasons, I think, is our doctrinal creed. I get asked all the time, “What does this new church actually believe?” Well, here you go:
R2 is a church made up of a lot of people from a lot of places, and we don’t expect to all look, act, think, and believe the same. We’re not...
LEADERSHIP RULE NO. 2: Complete Honesty
You’ve got to tell them, the people who follow you, the truth. Completely.
Usually, leaders aren’t completely honest for a couple of reasons.
One: You don’t take it far enough and you are semi-honest. Why? You don’t want to hurt feelings. But in not telling them the complete truth, you are elevating their feelings over truth, over progress, over needed change. You...
THIS WEEK'S R2 MVP: Kyle Hilchey
About a month ago, I needed help (on the shortest notice possible) with some heavy lifting at our church ON A SATURDAY MORNING. Enter Kyle. This guy had just spent the week in physical training to be a policeman, and you’d suspect that he’d screen the call from the preacher early on a Saturday morning. But not this guy. He not only answers my call but proceeds to put in about 6...
What if the Church Apologized?
Yeah, I said it. The Church has done some things, things that she was never called to do. The Crusades. Witch hunts. Selling (yeah, literally, selling) tickets to Heaven.
So yeah. The Church is a screw-up … on a cosmic level. Capable of incredible beauty in one minute and devastating atrocity in the next.
But what if she apologized? (By the way, I draw a line of distinction between...
Leadership Rule No. 1: Fire Them ALL
3 Sundays ago, I fired every single volunteer at Renaissance Road Church. Risky? Yes. Made me lose sleep just thinking about it? Absolutely.
But here’s the thing. Volunteers are more than volunteers. They are people, and every one of them have passions, interests, and commitments now that they may not have had two years ago when they signed up to help out with teenagers on Thursday...
This Week's R2 MVP - NORBERT KING
Norbert is on fire. He’s on the WoW Team. He teaches our kids. He shows up for our teenagers at Relevate. Last Sunday, I arrived at church, and Norbert was walking around outside, in the heat, with a trash bag picking up trash. This Sunday, after church, Norbert made sure that he was one of the last ones to leave so that he could turn the lights off.
That’s the thing about...
July 2011
3 posts
10 Years with the Same Woman
10 years ago today, a dorky 23-year-old law student married a smoking hot elementary school teacher. During the honeymoon, the dorky one fell on the sail of his wind-surfboard and nearly lost the ability to have kids. The hot one got whiplash in the bed … no not like that sicko. She got a running start and slid into the bed, face first, trying to be funny.
After the honeymoon, they made...
Eviction Papers
In Acts 19:21, the Scripture says, “Afterward Paul felt compelled to go over to Macedonia (Sometimes you just feel compelled to end a season in your life. You feel it deep down. You may not like it, but you feel it. That’s the radical side of you coming out. And when God speaks from inside of you, you’d better listen. You’d better be radical.) Paul felt compelled to go over to go over...
The Art of People: When They Quit
One of the most difficult things that you can go through is somebody quitting you. Somebody breaking up with you; somebody walking out on you; somebody leaving your company or your church because of YOU. When somebody quits you, they leave a crater-sized hole in you – a hole of sorrow, a hole of, quite honestly, bruised ego. “I mean what’s wrong with me that such and such would just...
June 2011
4 posts
THE WAITING
Renaissance Road Church, the rockin church that I helped to start almost three years ago, actually almost started eight years ago. I was 25 years old (that makes me 33 right now if you’re doing the math), and I had group of about 15 other people with me, and we were seriously talking about starting a church. When I say “with me,” I mean that they were behind me. They wanted me to be...
The Art of People (Part 4): How NOT to Resolve a...
After being in both ministry for over a decade and a trial lawyer for nearly that long, I’ve learned that conflict is as much a part of life as breathing. We ALL face conflict . . in our marriage (“what are we going to spend the tax refund on”), on our jobs(“that’s MY parking space”), at the gym (“dude, you did too foul me”), and most assuredly at...
The Art of People (Part 3). Leadership Is NOT . ....
Leadership is NOT (and I know that I’m going to step on some toes here):
1. Being able to organize an event. (Even my Outlook Planner can do that.)
2. Raising money. (It’s not the money that makes a leader. It’s how effectively the money can be used. It’s how the money was obtained in the first place.)
3. Starting a church, a business, or a non-profit. (Anybody...
May 2011
3 posts
The Day I Turned 33 ...
THE DAY I TURNED 33 started with a wake-up call serenade of “Happy Birthday” by a (smiling from ear-to-ear) six-year-old, (jumping up and down) two-year-old, and my (too-hot-for-me-even-at-six-in-the-morning) wife. Yes, I just said six in the morning, and yes, that time of day actually exists. For those of you who have never seen six in the morning, it’s absolutely magical.
...
The Art of People (Part 2): From Studs to Duds
I’m a HUGE Los Angeles Lakers fan. Actually, these days, I kinda hate admitting that.
This year was supposed to be THE year. The most talented player on the planet (Kobe Bryant) mixes with the second best coach on the planet (Phil Jackson is a close runner up to, and I hate saying this, Mike Krzyzewski). You add in other players who would be the best players on almost any other team (Pau...
The Art of People (Part 1)
Honestly, I hate that title. The ART of people? Really? I would much rather say “The Science of People” or “People Are Completely Predictble.” But alas (apologies to my thirst for having a logical explanation for EVERYTHING), I cannot.
It’s because people are messy. They are unpredictable. They love you. Then they hate you. Then they love you again, often...
April 2011
4 posts
Looking Good VERSUS Doing Good
I once lied to my mom (sorry mom). When I was seven years old, I got into my mom’s jewelry cabinet, and in an attempt to test the strength of sterling silver, I snapped one of her necklaces … actually, it was her favorite necklace that had a locket on it with a picture of my family in it. I felt terrible, not because I’d actually broken my mom’s favorite necklace, but because it meant...
The History of My Church
Last week, R2 premiered THIS VIDEO, a retrospective of where we’ve been as a church. You really should check it out. Our Design Team outdid itself.
Following is the script:
We came out of the wilderness, wandering through life, wondering if this is life. We are sons and daughters, husbands and wives, divorced, sinners, has-beens, could-have-beens, and vagabonds. We came out of the...
Roots (Part 3): The Imperative of Our Mission
“Jesus said, “Go into all the world making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”
Last words are important. These are some of Jesus’ last words.
Jesus did not say, “Stay and build big buildings that are more of a monument to YOU than they are to me.” He did not say, “Stay and argue about the coolest way to...
What Dreams May Come.
Dream a dream big enough to be a dream. For God’s sake, do not dream in human proportions; human proportions can be “achieved.” Dream something that is beyond your means to accomplish. Believe something that requires God to step in.
And this is the trick: God will not step in where dreams are shortsighted and dim. God has given you the capacity to dream for a reason - for in your...
March 2011
4 posts
Roots (Part 2): Community and a Lady Named Mabel
It’s confession time again: I sometimes (okay, a lot of the times) don’t necessarily like to talk to people. I end phone conversations abruptly. I rush through the crowd on a Sunday morning at church. I zone out in the middle of counseling (sorry to those of you that I counsel).
But I love people. I really, really do. I’m a pastor (more importantly, a Christian)....
Roots (Part 1): Worship
John 4:23 says that “God is looking for worshippers who will worship him in spirit and truth.” Not just emotion (spirit), but authenticity (truth) is how God takes his worship. That means God is looking for, hunting down real worshippers. Authentic worship attracts God.
Have you ever felt like God has gone missing? Maybe you’re there. Your Godscape is like the desert without an...
What if You Got Double?
“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. (2 Kings 2:9 NIV)
Here’s the story. Elisha is about to take over for Elijah. Elisha is about to become THE man, THE prophet. He is about to do miracles that the world will only see...
WHAT IF WE WANTED TO ADVANCE THE KINGDOM THIS...
MIAMI – Kobe Bryant had come back into the empty arena, his gray Lakers T-shirt soaked with sweat as the shots kept arcing into the night. The clock lurched toward midnight, the clean-up crew stuffed popcorn boxes and wrappers into trash bags and the NBA’s most maniacal talent wouldn’t leave the gym. He had returned to shoot for an hour and a half on the Heat’s floor, to go back to work,...
February 2011
4 posts
When God Moves . . .
“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was MOVING over the surface of the waters.” (-Genesis 1:2 NASB)
God was about to move. Darkness would shortly meet its match. Light was being birthed. All because God MOVED.
Whenever God moves, something is coming. God moved over the waters … and light was coming....
Man Up!
Most men detest dealing with emotion. But the Bible talks about life in the Spirit being a life of pure emotion, love, joy, peace, patience … you get the picture.
Men, here are some tips for experiencing emotion God’s way. Tip One is to back up and pray about it. If she ticks you off, if that friend hurts your feelings, do not bottle it in and do not do the opposite of that and...
Yes, Affirmative, Absolutely
“The wine supply ran out during the festivities … Jesus told the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’” (John 2:3,7 NLT)
Saying “yes” to God will often require you to give up something that you think is valuable. Jesus asks for WATER. Read the passage. He has them fill six 30 gallon waterpots with WATER. That’s a lot of WATER. 180 gallons of...
No, Nunca, Not Happening
In John 11, Jesus says “no” when Mary and Martha ask him to drop everything and save their dying brother, Lazerus. Shortly thereafter, Lazerus dies. Shortly thereafter, Jesus shows up, and Lazerus is resurrected. All because Jesus said “no!”
Do you want to know why we can’t say “no” like Jesus did? It’s because we want to control it...
January 2011
4 posts
Grow Up
This week, Renaissance Road Church begins sign-ups for growth groups. And you’ll be able to find a group for just about anything, from women’s self defense to serious, deep Bible study. I’ve said this before, and I say it here, growth groups or small groups or lunches with your Christian friends are the best way for you to grow up in God. Here’s why:
1. Sunday morning...
R2 Will Do Anything . . .
ANYTHING short of sin to reach them. To love them. To bring them in. To show them. To introduce them to the One. Jesus. The life-changer.
ANYTHING because they’re in pain. Hurting. Crying at night. Beaten. Forgotten. Not loved. In need of the One. Jesus. The love-bringer.
ANYTHING to change them. Misdirected. Underachieving. Sinning. Running. Needing direction. Empty of...
The Pit (Part 2)
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man
who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those...
The Pits (Part 1)
“So when Joseph arrived, his brothers pulled off his beautiful robe and threw him into the pit.” (-Genesis 37:33-34 NLT)
Ouch. Finding yourself like that in a Pit unexpectedly can be the worst. Sudden disaster, sudden betrayal, or sudden disappointment can take the wind out of you and leave you feeling buried alive. The Pit is the pits. And the problem with the Pit is its...
December 2010
2 posts
The Top 10 Things of 2010
Every year, my wife and I sit down to put together a list of the top 10 things that have happened in the last 365 days. LEGAL DISCLAIMER: my wife, Kelley would like for me to emphasize that she does not endorse and, in fact, rejects several of the comments made herein. That being said, here you go in no particular order (did I mention that these are in NO particular order):
1. I finally...
Ain't No Mountain High Enough . . .
Recently, I was enlightened.
I’ve realized that my life has been a series of mountains, one goal, one climb after another after another: Give the graduation speech for your high school. Check. Dual majors in college. Check. Law school. For some God-forsaken reason, check. Partner in a prestigious law firm. Check. Pursue, date, and somehow marry the way-too-hot-for-you girl of...
November 2010
3 posts
For the Sake of the Call
CALLING - (noun) (1) That place in life that fits you like a glove; (2) The sweet spot of life.
Confession time. Just the other day, my wife asks me if I ever think about quitting. At the time, the church problem of the day had risen, and it had gotten to her. My answer was, “Yeah, I think about quitting - sometimes.” The truth is that in this line of work - church planting -...
"Hi Fivs"
A couple of Saturdays ago, I’d finally run out of semi-good excuses to not do yard work. At about 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon, just after my weekly post-lunch couch crash, I go to a spot just outside of my five-year-old, Jackson’s, bedroom. And I’m getting frustrated because I’m digging in red clay, the enemy of every red-blooded American male - especially...
They Called Me the Anti-Christ (Part 2)
I sat there that night knuckles white, choking back the tears, holding back the anger. I was at church. A place I loved. In a meeting. With people I loved. And a group of them had just called me the Anti-Christ. Truthfully, on the way out that night, I loved the church and the people there a little less.
...
October 2010
4 posts
They Called Me the Anti-Christ
*Someday I’ll write a book. When I do, some of what follows will be in it.
I sat there that night knuckles white, choking back the tears, holding back the anger. I was at church. A place I loved. In a meeting. With people I loved. And a group of them had just called me the Anti-Christ. Truthfully, on the way out that night, I loved the church and the people there a little less.
The...
ACCEPTABLE RISK
At my church, I am in the middle of a series all about the perils of irrational FEAR. You know, we’re saying things like, “FEAR is a destiny killer. FEAR points you to an enemy that doesn’t even really exist. FEAR, sorry ‘fear,’ doesn’t deserve capital letters when you type it.” Great stuff, I know.
But over and over, I’ve been asked this question: how do I know if that little voice in the...
Really Big (Part 3)
This messes me up EVERY TIME.