Ed Young Responds to News Reports

I appreciated Pastor Young's response to recent news stories that have questioned his spending and luxurious lifestyle. Whether or not you agree with how he lives, I do think we must be willing to listen, and pray for Ed and Fellowship Church in Dallas. It is easy sometimes to get out our snipers or baseball bats and almost rejoice when a "mega-church" pastor gets in trouble, let's fight that sin and repent of that.

From Ed's Blog:

This was an awesome weekend at Fellowship Church! I am humbled by the outpouring of love, encouragement and support from so many people. Before I spoke, I took the opportunity to thank the church and address some recent news coverage. And now, we will continue to move forward and follow God in the work He is doing here.

Advice for Young Preachers

CCWblog has some great tips for those of us early in the game of preaching.

1. Take advantage of less formal teaching opportunities.
2. Meditate on your text far longer than on commentaries
3. Teach one thing, not a bunch of things
4. Amplify your comments with colorful words and helpful illustrations
5. Practice out loud what you will say, as you will say it
6. If you use notes, don't constantly look at them
7. Avoid imitating your favorite preacher's style
8. Care for the people you will teach before you teach them something
9. Pray
10. Try Again

Click here for a more in depth look at each point.



I also really agree with this last statement given to the older, more seasoned preachers.

If you are an aspiring preacher, and the opportunity arrives to open up the Bible and tell people what it says and why it matters for their lives, go for it! If you are a pastor, let me encourage you to give other men in your church the opportunity to teach the Bible. Your willingness to subject the congregation to a beginner may give wings to a life of faithful ministry. Even men who have preached thousands of sermons were given their first opportunity. Pour on the encouragement and see what God does.

Props: DashHouse

Are You As Passionate Before God as Before People?

Francis Chan wrestles with that in the latest article from Catalyst. This is something all pastors have to wrestle with, because they are called to lead, not just guide.

He starts off:

I wonder if the inconsistency in my walk with God has anything to do with the fact that I can lead a “successful” church in America without being in love with Jesus. I’m sure I could blame American church culture, my position, or a busy schedule for my lack of reverent intimacy. The truth, however, is that my sin and hypocrisy is a result of me.

To read the rest CLICK HERE.

Why Leaders FAIL.

From Scott Williams:

Below is a list of 4 memorable reasons leaders FAIL in an easy to remember acronym FAIL.

1. Fake- A leader who attempts to be someone they’re not instead of simply being themselves has a difficult time succeeding, at some point it just catches up to them. This also applies to the leader that has a different face, different persona, different tone, different everything… when certain people are around. In other-words when the big boss comes around they put their fake-face on. Not to say a leader might not make some adjustments when company comes around; however the super-fake-face comes from insecurity of how they act normally. Remember: Don’t be fake, be yourself… “Do You! It’s A Statement… Not A Question!” Fake Leaders Fail!
2. Attitude- One of the primary reasons that a leader fails is because of a poor, negative or a no-can-do attitude. If a leader thinks he can fly and has a positive can-do attitude; even though they may not be able to fly they will come darn close. The reason why attitude is important is because that leader’s attitude will rub off on their team members and their followers. Remember: “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” ~Julius in Remember The Titans
3. Integrity- If a leader doesn’t exhibit a high degree of integrity they will fail. The integrity issues will either catch up to them (what’s done in the dark, will come to light) or those that follow them won’t respect them. If team members or followers don’t respect the a leader, it puts the leader in the place of pushing a snowball up hill… it’s a difficult task. These integrity issues run the gamete: profanity, lying, cheating, stealing, affairs, flirting, yelling, substance abuse, pride-filled decisions etc. I have worked with many high capacity leaders in both the secular world and ministry that have failed because they allowed their integrity to get off track. Remember: Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.
4. Lacking- Although I believe that everyone has potential for some degree of leadership in them; the bottom line is that some leaders fail because they are either: a.) Not the leader they think they are, or b.) Promoted above their leadership capacity/leadership role has outgrown them, or c.) Not a visionary, or d.) Not a leader at all! They are lacking what it takes! Remember: Just because someone has an office, role, title or responsibility doesn’t mean they are a leader. Leadership is an art, a skill, a craft, a gift… and it must be developed!

What do you think? Are there others you would add to the list?

Taking the 1st Step

This post from Seth Godin has been on my mind for the past week. I wonder how many of us are "ok" with keeping the status quo, of being careful not to "rock the boat". And I wonder, is that a sign of fear? If it is, then is keeping the status quo sinful? The answer to that changes everything.

One of the most common things I hear is, "I'd like to do something remarkable like that, but my xyz won't let me." Where xyz = my boss, my publisher, my partner, my licensor, my franchisor, etc.

Well, you can fail by going along with that and not doing it, or you can do it, cause a ruckus and work things out later.

In my experience, once it's clear you're willing (not just willing, but itching, moving, and yes, implementing) without them, things start to happen. People are rarely willing to step up and stop you, and often just waiting to follow someone crazy enough to actually do something.

I'm going. Come along if you like.

Props: Seth Godin

Keeping The End In Mind

This was incredibly refreshing to my soul today.

From The Redemption Blog:

My wife and I ran a half marathon a couple of years ago. Among many things, it was extremely difficult. About half way through the race I became separated from most of the other runners and for about 7 miles I ran alone.

With every step the desire to quit and keel over became stronger and thought of sitting down sounded heavenly. But the thing that kept me going was thinking about the moment of crossing the finish line.

This same thought does great good for my faith.

We (human beings) are all headed to the same end. Death. After we die, we will stand before Jesus and we will give an account for the life we lived on earth and nothing gets me more excited than thinking of hearing "Well done good and faithful servant," from my Savior.

Imagine this with me. All of our lives we live (hopefully) to worship Jesus and to please and honor him, then finally we see him face to face and he says "well done". Friends, there is nothing sweeter to live for!

This is what I think of when life is difficult or when I feel pride creeping up or when I have a chance to share the gospel. This is the thought that carries me through and motivates me to stay humble, keep the faith, and finish well.

I hope that it does the same for you and I hope we can spend eternity together enjoying God.