Lesson #11 from 2010

Less is More. The concept isn't original to me, but I learned this lesson the hard way in 2010.

First my confession: I can be a little bit workaholic and a lot passionate. So, I tend to work really hard in the ministry and want to get and keep my hands in everything. However, I learned early in church planting that I have to spend most my time training and developing leaders then giving them meaningful opportunities to lead. Once they're proven, I don't micro-manage, but trust them to lead and continue to build God's Kingdom.

However, I create more work for myself and our team by dreaming bigger dreams and running after even greater purposes of God. Then, I have to keep giving away major chunks of my job description, so that we can continue to reach more people and impact God's Kingdom. So far so good. But, there are lots of areas that I don't want to give away or not sure if I can trust the leader, so I keep doing it, even when I don't want to.

In 2010, I had a few areas that I thought I was good at, even gifted, only to learn that I'm not that good, and even worse, I was putting my hands into areas where others were better equipped. This zapped my energy, passion, and even caused me to start doubting myself. Since I was drained, I had less energy and focus to lead in the areas where I'm very passionate and feel most gifted. Result- weary, discouraged leader who had to learn to give away more opportunities and responsibility. Less is more!

Want biblical evidence for this lesson: read Romans 12.

The teaching part of this I heard and read from Andy Stanley in his book, Next Generation Leader and his leadership podcast here. I'd recommend all leaders listen and read them.

Here are the keys to what I've heard and now, learned the hard way.

The more I try to do, the less I get done. The more areas I try to work at, the less impact I have in any area. And the more I do, the less others can do.

The less I do the more I accomplish. The less I do, the more opportunity others have and the more they get done.

Hardest part of this lesson for me: to be honest enough and self-aware enough to realize that I am not as good at as many things as I thought I was. And there are others that are much better at most things than me.

My (and your) options:

1. to feel insecure and inadequate, and try to improve in those areas, and keep spreading our selves so thin, and hope that no one notices OR


2. admit my weaknesses in humility and acknowledge my strengths, then focus the bulk of my energy in the areas of my greatest strengths.

Leaders offer the most good to the Church when they leverage their greatest gifts, and maximize their full potential in the specific areas that God has uniquely anointed and gifted them. However, leaders hurt the Church when they focus on strengthening their weaknesses, then use those marginally improved weaknesses in the Church.

We must do what ONLY we can do.

This doesn't mean that we'll have shorter work weeks, just more focused hours while we're working.

This isn't an excuses to NOT strength areas of weak character. We must grow in Christ-like character. I'm writing about areas of limitations in skill, competence, and calling. In character, we must constantly be growing, in the others- less is more.

Thanks, Lifehouse, for your patience as I grow and learn these hard lessons the hard way.

Ask yourself: what are your strengths? What can only you do? how can you do that to the fullest for God's Kingdom? What do you need to stop doing? Make a "don't do" list.

Lesson #12 from 2010

I'll take some time each day to blog lessons I learned (many the hard way) from 2010. Starting with #12:

Transparency trumps failure. When, not if, we mess up, admit it candidly, take responsibility, then move on.

Biblical mandate for this principle: Isaiah 11:2-3, "

The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD..." (NKJV)

I've never made any pretense of being perfect or fearless. However, when I mess up or fail, it can still be very disillusioning to those I lead. That fear of leaving people demotivated and disillusioned can keep many pastors and leaders back from being honest about their shortcomings, failures, and poor decisions. But I learned in 2010, regardless of how sizable the failure or painful the unmet expectation, just admit it.

During a particularly difficult season at Lifehouse, I had a choice, as I was preparing for our annual business meeting, where I was going to present that things did not work out like I had vision-casted that they would. Be the leader I was taught to be and act like I had it all figured out and just cast new/ different vision, hoping people won't figure out that we've dramatically changed course OR candidly share my mistakes, what I've learned, what I am certain God is speaking to us, and transparently invite people to follow in spite of my humanness.

To my surprise, Jesus-followers are more gracious with transparent, honest leaders than we give them credit. People are looking for vulnerability among leaders more than stoic, I-have-it-all-together-and-figured-out charades.

Thanks Lifehouse for giving me a deeper faith in God and the Church.

In what area do you need to choose transparency over saving face?

How and why we fast

Welcome to 2011 and the start to the 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer!

I get lots of questions about why and how to fast during this time, so I figured I'd address a few of them here. Please download and read the flyer/ schedule that we've provided for the church here.

Why we fast?

• It's a biblical mandate and a basic discipline of Jesus-followers. Throughout the Bible many key figures fasted (Moses, David, Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah), and namely Jesus fasted for 40 days before He began His formal ministry. The apostles and Jesus-followers of the early Church followed Jesus' example and fasted regularly (see Acts 13:2-3).


• We fast to leverage our natural appetites as an alarm to keep focused attention on God during a season of prayer. In essence, every time I get hungry, it's a reminder to pray and meditate on God's Word and continue to seek His face.

Why 21 days or any other length of time?

• Our 21 day fast is taken from the example of Daniel when he was fasting for breakthrough from God (Daniel 10:2-3).


• There is nothing sacred about 21 days or 7 or 40, but there are biblical examples of each.


• The point isn't to see how long a person can go without food, but to seek God and cry out to Him in desperation for our own needs, but more importantly, for the needs of the Church, our community, and our nation, even the earth.


• At Lifehouse, we do a 21 day fast from the model of Daniel- claiming breakthrough from God for the spiritual needs of our community and asking God's blessing over the Church of this region.


• Honestly, I personally started fasting to kick-off each year when I was in Bible college. First, I fasted 3 days, then a week the next year. After 10 years of fasting personally, I decided to lead our church in this discipline to start each New Year.

How do we fast? What kind of fast do we do?

• There are several different ways to fast: Daniel's fast (meats and sweets), media fast (give up TV, recreational internet, movies, etc), all food, liquids only, water only, and sunrise to sunset liquid only (standard Jewish method).


• There is no right way if your heart is right. The point is to use your appetite(s) as a reminder to focus your attention on God.


• This is a great opportunity to build new habits and kick old ones, so consider fasting TV, video games, or some food that you no isn't good for you.


• If you haven't fasted before, I'd recommend not going 21 days with liquids only, especially if you have a physically demanding job.


• Consider fasting your favorite meal of the day, or fast meats and sweets. I ask our leadership team to do a media fast during this time (it keeps us focused on God and not filling our minds with unnecessary trash).


• There is nothing "holy" or super-spiritual about a more extreme fast. I personally do a liquid only fast for these 21 days, but part of my reason is that I'm so thick, that it probably takes this much time for me to recalibrate, get refocused on God, and clear away all the junk that's built up over the past few months.


• IMPORTANT: this is NOT an effective weight loss plan. Do not fast to loose weight, trust me, you'll gain most the weight you loose back quickly, unless your are establishing good habits during the fast.

My recommendations:

• Fast one meal per day and set consistent prayer times each day and start reading through the Bible.


• If you are able, consider a liquid only fast for a few days during the week.


• Come to corporate prayer times at 6-7am and 7-8pm. Praying with other passionate Jesus-followers will both challenge and encourage your prayer life and focus.

Let's see what God does as we humble ourselves and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. Let's pray that God heals our land and transforms our communities!

Bible resources- FREE

The most critical step in growing in our relationship with Christ is studying and obeying the Bible. So, here are some FREE tools to help you:

• download and listen to the Bible (load onto mp3 player or burn onto CD) here. Also available- Old Testament & KJV,
• download audio NIV Bible in professional format for $23 here,
• read and study the Bible with these sites full of Bible translations, commentaries (authors research on each chapter and verse of the Bible), daily devotions, as well as many other helps. In order of usefulness: 1. biblegateway.com; 2. biblestudytools.com; 3. searchgodsword.org. Many of these tools would cost $1000s if you had to buy them in hardcopy.
• for smart phones, iPhones, iPads, etc: Bible resources at youversion.com.

If you'd like to download and have Bible research tools on your computer, here are a few I highly recommend and use myself:

• for everybody who wants to start seriously studying the Bible- powerbible.com for PC only ($19),
• for people serious about studying the Bible and building a library- logos.com for PC and Mac, as well as iPhone- packages range from those who want personal study (Home package- $120) to leaders and life group leaders (Bible Study Leader package- $212) to lay pastors and teachers (Leaders library- $260) to pastors and scholars (Scholar's library- from $504).

These resources are well worth the investment and dramatically speed up your ability to study the Bible. Honestly, what once took me 10 hours to do in college in the library, I can do on my laptop in 10 seconds. There is no excuse for not seriously studying the Bible. Plus, the Logos software is upgradeable and expandable, so you can start at a base level, and upgrade and buy books as desired. Hey LOGOS, you should give me a commission for this plug :)

We have a surprise for everyone at Lifehouse in January 2011 that will help you grow in your spiritual life through 2011. Come ready to grow and deepen your faith (not free software, but great nonetheless!).

Roller Coaster Living

Confession: Laura likes roller coasters more than I do. I enjoy them, but would rather do something else crazy, and honestly, I try to act like I'm enjoying the ride a whole lot more than I actually am.

Confession: I've lived the roller coaster life and don't enjoy that either. And unfortunately, so have you. And we don't enjoy watching other people live this way- roller coaster attitude, roller coaster marriages, and a roller coaster spiritual life.

You don't enjoy it either, even when you're life is swirling around on the track. Here's what roller coaster living sounds like:

• in love with their spouse one day, and ready to kill each other the next.
• happy about their weekend, then miserable on Monday afternoon.
• use words to bless, and then using such colorful language that you'd make a sailor blush, and mothers are plugging their kids' ears.
• speak of godly things in one conversation, and then tell a dirty joke.

This is partly the human condition. We battle between feeding our spirit and our flesh. We battle, as Christians, with being instantaneously made "perfect" in Christ's righteousness at the moment of salvation, and yet we are being "perfected" through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

That part I completely understand. But I find the roller coaster life exhausting and unacceptable! Maturity, especially in the Christian life, means that we are becoming more consistent and stable. My directive, GROW UP! If you're loving your spouse one moment, and mistreating them the next- STOP IT! If you're words bless and curse, ask God to transform your vocabulary. If you're spiritual life looks more like this guy attached to the roller coaster track than a mountain path, SEEK GOD!

The apostle James challenges us in James 3:4-18 to be wise with "wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

Hope this serves as a word of encouragement rather than correction. I feel the same tension and roller coaster ride. I'm just prayerfully submitting myself in humility before God to be transformed and unstrap from the tracks of my sin-nature.

COMING SOON: Red Carpet Sunday!

On Sunday, December 5, we’re rolling out the RED CARPET for all friends and family members of Lifehouse Church East! Every guest of honor can enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides, continental breakfast, family portraits, and admission to Legend, a special Christmas series.

Tickets for the event are FREE, but seating is limited in each service, so start making your guest list today!



The box office will be open November 21 & 28 before and after the 9:00 & 10:30 AM service. You may also call 301-824-4656 or email info@lifehousechurcheast.org for WILL CALL information.

Every guest can also submit their contact information on their ticket stub to be entered in the VIP Gift Package drawing ($225 value!). There will be one winner drawn for the 9:00 AM service, and one drawn for the 10:30 AM service. Guests must be present to receive their prize. Ticket stubs can be submitted at the box office on Sundays.

these videos are proof that EVERYONE is necessary at Lifehouse

In case you don't know where you belong or what talent you have to offer, I want to assure every person at Lifehouse is valuable and necessary.

As PROOF, we've discovered that one ministry partner's unique gift is making jibjab videos of the office staff. Who knew that this was a necessary role in the church, but hey, we want everyone to maximize their giftedness to impact God's Kingdom at Lifehouse.

I had to censor most, but here are a few jibjab videos of our team that may give you a laugh. OH, and be very afraid if you see someone at Lifehouse trying to get a close of picture of your face. You may find yourself in one of these.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Featuring: Lauren Layman, Melody Belotte, Corey Broadwater, Patrick, Brian Linn.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Featuring: Pastors Ron, Patrick and Laura, Corey Broadwater, and Dave Johnson

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Featuring: Pastor Joe and Lois, John and Jamie Aldridge, Lauren Broadwater.

Take-aways from our Leadership Advance weekend

Just got home from our Leadership Advance planning weekend with the pastoral/ staff team of Lifehouse. Here are some take-aways:

• First, this wasn't a retreat, but an advance, because we're not retreating to escape but to plan to move forward. Not semantics, Cause!
• We are full of "holy discontentment". We're not satisfied with our level of experience with God or our impact for the Kingdom of God. We want more of God and more of God's purposes.
• We're a band of mis-fits. Most of us on the team honestly think that we don't belong anywhere else, feel inadequate for the responsibility we've been entrusted, and really believe that God does extraordinary things through very ordinary us.
• Failure isn't failure if God's in it and we learn and grow through it.
• We only want to dream what scares us and demands God to show up!
• We've only just begun!! We're on the very front end of what God wants to accomplish through Lifehouse and our team. There are more lives to be changed, hearts transformed, and souls saved.

I've returned feeling excited and overwhelmed at the same time. I feel the tension between believing by faith in the impossible of God and the reality of what it actually takes to implement those BIG dreams!

Huge "thank you" to our amazing leadership team!

Who we are under pressure

When we're under pressure, what comes out of us? Our best? Our worst?

The truth is that our truest self is revealed. What we truly are is squeezed to the surface. Under calm and comfortable circumstances, we can hide our intentions and weak character. But in the thick of battle, our character is exposed.

Do you like what pressure reveals about who you are?

Trials, hardship, and pressure are not sent by God, but are used by God to expose weakness and sin, so that we can grow in our faith and Christ-like character by repenting of sin and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our heart.

We may not like it, but trials and hardship are our greatest teacher. Here's how Charles Spurgeon wrote about this topic in his commentary on 1 Peter 1:7 "The trying of our faith..."

"Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith... Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators... no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity."

How is the Holy Spirit trying to develop your character today?

In what areas has pressure revealed sin or weak character of which you need to repent?

Celebrate! Our faith is growing stronger and our character more Christ-like!

a very inadequate THANK YOU to our Veterans

Loud shouts of thunderous appreciation and gratitude to ALL our American Veterans!!

Thank you for giving your blood...

sweat...

tears...

sacrifice...

and service...

financial well-being...

determination...

unwillingness to quit...

for missing your child's birth...

first word...

their first step...

and countless other firsts...

birthdays, anniversaries...

for putting on hold your dreams...

your families interests...

your needs...

your advancement...

for staying the course through the throes of battle...

fear...

pain...

death...

lack of support...

injury...

anxiety and stress about your cares at home...

for being vigilant...

to the Cause of Freedom

to defending the Constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic...

even when you wanted to run...

or hide...

or call home but couldn't...

Your sacrifice gave us...

comfort...

freedoms of speech, assembly, and so many more...

the right to bare arms, to protest, to vote...

the chance to see our kid's birth, first step, and a million other firsts,

the ability to live our hopes and experience the American Dream.

the opportunity to worship God in the greatest nation on earth.

THANK YOU to my heroes! May God bless you and may God bless America!

I can't express how much I personally appreciate your duty, honor, and sacrifice!

my lay-away purchase

in prep for the message this Sunday, I came across this video:

The trunk monkey chaperone version is my next lay-away purchase. I don't care how much! I'll pick it up in about 7 years, when my oldest daughter is able to get her driving permit. :)

Boys, are you afraid? Not nearly enough! You know I'll be hunting you!

The WHY behind "Don't Go to Church" Sunday

In case you're curious...

Here's NOT why we said, "don't go to church" on Sunday, October 31st:

• to save money- we didn't do this to be cheap or try to save on expenses. We believe reaching people for Christ and leading people in life transforming experiences on Sunday mornings are worth the investment,
• to get out of the theater- we like meeting in rented facilities that gives us the flexibility of keeping our focus on reaching the unchurched and serving our city by showing and sharing God's love. Meeting in the theater allows us to do that.

Here's the BIG whys behind why we lead Lifehouse to "don't go to church":

1. To say "YES" to God. First and foremost, this was a God-led idea. We didn't come up with this in a planning meeting. I had been sharing some ideas with our team that I felt God had placed on my heart, but I kept wrestling with them, and finally shared that it wasn't the right timing. However, i also expressed that there was something BIG that God wanted us to do to conclude the Bare-Naked Faith series, but I didn't know what it was. The next morning, in our staff prayer meeting, Lois Quesenberry shared an idea and my spirit leapt. I said, "That's it! That's the thing God wants to do." That's the genesis of the life group Sunday. It happened on a Tuesday, we announced on Sunday. When God calls us to respond, I've made a commitment to always just say "YES!"
2. To teach Lifehouse and our community that we DON'T GO to church, we ARE the Church. Church isn't a location, a building, or a Sunday morning experience. The Church is people gathered through their common faith in Jesus Christ for the purpose of worship, spiritual growth, building community, and sharing the Gospel with unbelievers,
3. To model our commitment to taking bold faith-risk steps. We, at Lifehouse, will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to teach and lead people to being devoted Jesus-followers,
4. To break us out of our routine of Sunday morning "church". Sometimes we need to be shaken out of routine. Even good routines can lose their effectiveness if we forget why we're doing them. So, Lifehouse's leadership takes bold, God-led steps to mix things up, surprise you with creativity, and catch you off guard with how powerful the Christian life is everyday,
5. To empower our life groups and leaders that they can effectively lead a life- transforming worship experience in their home,
6. To tease our community and Lifehouse with fresh ideas. I don't know if we'll lead a "Don't Go to Church" Sunday again, but I do know that we'll continue encouraging people to meet in homes for life groups. Who knows? We may even develop an idea of launching video church campuses in homes all around this region... Who knows?

Thanks for understanding the "why" behind the "what".

are you ready?

The other day I decided to swim again as part of my work out routine. I was excited, because I love swimming and missed being in the water. Since I'd been training for the marathon, I put all my focus into running instead.

Enthusiastically, I got to the gym and through on my shorts only to discover that I had no goggles with me. In fast, my goggles broke over the summer. But, undeterred I jump in the pool and swam in the highly- chlorinated water for a mile. Then, I spent the rest of the day rubbing my eyes and explaining to everyone I met with that I wasn't, as it may appear, hungover.

Fortunately, I'm a fast learner. Today, I remembered my new pair of goggles when I left for the pool!

Like I shared yesterday in my sermon, we must ready ourselves for battle before we get into the thick of it. Put on the armor before you need it, not after the bullets are zipping by your head.

Life is a battle, the enemy of our souls is out to destroy us.

Are you ready for the battle today? Or are you jumping in the deep end without goggles? Are you racing into the week ready for battle?

My challenge to all of us: SOLDIER UP!

"Be the Church" Sunday

We don't want anyone at Lifehouse to show up at the theater on Sunday, October 31st and be caught off guard, so we're spreading the word now- DON'T GO to Church!! That's right, we're inviting you to BE the Church!

On October 31st, instead of collectively meeting at the theater, we're meeting in 25 groups across the entire region. We're asking YOU and everyone connecting with Lifehouse to find a group and Be the Church by going to a life group that Sunday morning.

It's FRIEND DAY too, so invite your neighbors, friends, family out to the life group you'll be joining, and let's pack out 25 homes across this region! We'll have invite cards available on this Sunday, October 24th.

Most groups will meet at 10:30 in homes and various locations, a few will meet at 9 and 9:30am. Some will have childcare, most will have a live worship leaders, all will take communion, and YES! I will be preaching a message that morning!

We'll be kicking off a new sermon series that morning called "BIG: if you feed it, it will grow".

Don't GO to Church...

That's right, as a conclusion to our Bare-Naked Faith series, we're asking ever everyone at Lifehouse and all your friends to NOT go to church on October 31st, 2010.

Why would Lifehouse be making such a crazy request?

We don't want you to GO to church but BE the church. So, we're doing something very DIFFERENT on 10/31. Please mark your calendars, start telling your friends, and invite your neighbors to join us for "Don't GO to church Sunday"! You are NOT going to want to miss this Sunday morning experience, and you may never be the same.

We're asking everyone to get involved! It's going to be a FRIEND DAY, so we want you to start inviting your friends out soon.

We'll tell you more about what's happening in our next post... (can't wait, it's crazy, and just downright biblical!!)

Unexpected Encouragement

Last night, we sat and did our family devotion (thanks Pastor Lori and Jamie for the study guide from Sunday). The key verse to memorize was 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (NIV). Good thought! So, we went to the passage to read and discuss: Psalm 112. As I'm reading it to my girls, I had a moment where I realized it was more for me than for them. About halfway through I paused and said, "I really needed this tonight."

Here's it is. Love how God looks out for those who love, fear, and trust Him.

Praise the LORD! How joyful are those who fear the LORD and delight in obeying his commands. 2 Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. 3 They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever. 4 Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. 5 Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. 6 Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. 7 They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them. 8 They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. 9 They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. 10 The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted. (New Living Translation)

Invite your friends, enemies, neighbors, family THIS Sunday!

Friend Day is a great opportunity to invite your friends to Lifehouse. We go all out for our guests and do everything we can to make them feel at home. We, as a leadership team, will make sure we give this our best effort. That’s our part.

TAG, YOU’RE IT!!

Your part is to INVITE! So, make it a point to get busy- emailing, calling, asking friends, neighbors, whomever to join us at Lifehouse THIS Sunday, September 12th at either 9 or 10:30am.

We’re also kicking off life groups (all 25 of them) this Sunday and introducing you to the Bare-Naked Faith study guide. It’s going to be incredible.

See you and your guests on Sunday!!

THE TOP TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM LIFEHOUSE CHURCH EAST

Written and originally posted by Melody Belotte Here's some inside jokes for your Lifehouse regulars....

"THE TOP TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM LIFEHOUSE CHURCH EAST"

1.) How to fold a circular table cloth

2.) Cheese-ITs & Pepperoni are a perfectly acceptable breakfast food.

3.) When someone tells you to "go love on someone," don't worry-- it's not a sexual reference.

4.) If you see a man walking around kids ministry dressed in drag, he was probably actually going for more of the "old testament character" look.

5.) Those cups full of pens on the "endcaps of the aisles" are actually booby traps for new guests to knock over during a quiet part of the sermon.

6.) When we talk about St. Patrick- we're not referring to an actual historical figure, but our Pastor's Evil Alter-Ego.

7.) Lifesaver mints are like Lay's Potato Chips. I bet you can't just eat one.

8.) "FRIEND DAY" is actually code for "HOT BREAKFAST IN CAFE DAY." (God bless gravy.)

9.) Patrick Grach is "FIRED UP." When we figure out what "FIRED DOWN" is, we'll let you know.

10.) Church is a family of friends. It doesn't have to be uptight, boring, or detatched from reality. It can actually be an exciting experience...mostly because I'm pretty sure God drinks caffeine too...

Great to be back and kicking off week of fasting and prayer

It's great to be back from vacation and sabbatical. We thoroughly enjoyed our time away and feel refreshed. It was also so valuable to have a week of sabbatical to pray, get training (I went to a leadership coaching training seminar for 2 days), and write 9 chapters for a book I'm working on.

Today, we kicked off a week of fasting and prayer. Join us from 6-7am at Leitersburg Cinema for prayer. Why fasting and prayer? Honestly, I've never seen anything substantive or lasting happen for God's Kingdom outside of prayer and fasting. They key is intimate connection with Christ, humility of our own agenda and attitudes, and complete surrender. When we use our appetites as a tool to remind us to pray and seek God, wow!

Focus today is on personal repentance and allowing God to clean out sin and clean up our attitudes. We must allow God to do a great work in us before He will do a great work through us!

What are we building in leadership and Church?

Thought this was a great blog post by Steve Furtick of Elevation Church:

The house you have to live in

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 03:01 AM PDT

I once asked a group of fifteen pastors if they would attend the churches they were leading if they were not on staff. In other words, if they were just random people in the community working in different fields and they didn’t have to be there, would they actually want to be a part of their church? Would the programs impress them? Would the culture entice them? Would the vision inspire them?

Only two raised their hands.

Only two wanted to be a part of the church and the culture they themselves were trying to build.

It reminds me of an old illustration about a contractor who had been building houses for a friend. Eventually the friend gave the contractor one last house to build. He provided him with all the dimensions and told him to use the best material. But since it was his last house, the contractor decided to cut some corners thinking he could cover it up and save money. After the house was built, to his surprise his friend tossed him the keys to the house and told him it was his reward for his hard work.

We’re all building something.

Everyone is building their reputation. Their legacy. Their character. Parents are building marriages and families. Business leaders are building corporations. Pastors are building churches.

Whatever you’re building, make sure that it’s something you would actually want to live in yourself. Because you’re going to have to.

The reputation you’re building is the reputation you have to live with. The family you’re building is the family you have to come home to every day. The organization you’re building, whether it’s a business or a church, is the organization you’re going to have to lead.

So build something you would live in, even if you didn’t have to.