ChurchPlanters.com "Giving You Permission"

Coaching Network

I thought this was really cool.  Chuck Lewis is the lead pastor of Anchor Church which is south of Atlanta.  Chuck is in our Best Practice Coaching Network.  This is his fourth kid, first boy.  This past week we talked about Nurturing Vitality.  God is doing some amazing things in all of our lives when it comes to our spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational vitality.  I'm convinced that this little guy is going to get more of his proud dad, love God and the church more, and care more about the mission of reaching disconnected people because his dad is championing the idea of nurturing vitality.  Over the last two networks we all have played, celebrated, cried, and prayed together.  I love the guys in our network and they are fighting the fight and winning at life.   

Chuck is doing a great job as pastor of Anchor.  Check out his blog www.re-thinkchurch.blogspot.com

Also check out our next Best Practice Coaching Network.  I promise you it is worth your price of admission. 
 

Humility

I had a great conversation with my publisher the other day.  It's really neat to have the opportunity to get my second book out and to be working on my third. 

However, what really puts it in perspective is what happen while I worked on the marketing plan with them.  As my wife left for work she reminded me that the trash needed to be rolled out to the curb.  In typical fashion I found myself getting caught up in more important matters. 

About midway into my conversation with the guys from B&H I heard the garbage truck coming down the road.  At that point I went into an all out panic.  I jump up, ran out of the house, grab the trash, and cashed the truck up the street, never missing a beat with my conversation.  Obviously the folks on the other end of the phone wanted to know what I was doing.  Need I say they got a big kick out of the fact that I still chase garbage trucks...

However, more importantly I still do what my wife tells me to do.

Unleash

Yesterday I had the opportunity to travel with six of our MLC Team to the Unleash Conference at New Springs in Anderson.  Here are my highlights:

1) Eating 21 chickfila sandwiches...just kidding, but they were great.
2) My two stops at Starbucks...no I'm not a consumer.
3) Hanging out with our team.
4) Attending a conference I wasn't in the middle of leading or putting on...someone said it was good to see that we were still learning...you have no idea how good it was.
5) Connecting with a lot of friends in the ministry world and meeting a few new people. 
6) Laying out in the sun on the lawn at New Springs.  I actually got a little burn on my bald head.
7) Listening to Perry as he opened the Bible and preached.  It was so refreshing.
8) Getting home in time to connect with my beautiful wife at the fitness club and getting in a good workout. 
9) Falling asleep in my bed and sleeping like a baby.
10) Waking up and realizing that in eight days my son will be leaving Afghanistan after a fifteen month deployment. 

Thank you God...

Giving Permission to Do What It Takes

CHURCH PLANTING
The past week or two has really been a neat time hanging out with church planters and ministry leaders.  Last week Shawn Lovejoy and I spent a week in Hawaii doing a number of teachings on Breaking the Missional Code and our Best Practices.  It was really cool there were pastors, church leaders, and missionaries from all over the Pacific Islands.  We happen to be stuck in Kona where each morning we would walk past the official starting point of the Ironman Triathlon.  Did I say we walked by it.  We also got head up to the Volcanoes National Park on our way out.  That was really weird cool. 

Today I got to hang out with our Best Practice Coaching Network where we spent 6 hours in a peer learning environment  talking about team.  God spoke really loud about preserving the team and the need to begin that process with preserving ourselves.  It really hit home for all of us.  Since I crashed and burned this past  December I have been working out regularly and riding my motorcycle every chance I get.  All of us leaders are a little or a lot high strung and need to learn how to unplug. 

In 11 day we will have over 600 people gather at Mountain Lake Church for our annual ChurchPlanters.com Conference where our theme will be EVOLVE and focus on our best practice of nurture vitality.  It is going to rock.  We have some amazing guys coming like, Bil Cornelius, Mark Batterson, Darin Patrick, Gabe Lyons, Devin Hudson, Gary Lamb, Eric Bramlett just to name a few. 

After that we will head off to Exponential on April 21-24, 2008 where we will be hosting the post launch track.  Once again we will have a over the top line up of guys. 

WELCOME HOME KIDS
On the home front some time around the end of March I will be heading to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to welcome my son and my hero back home from Fort Bragg.  It is going to be amazing.  In June he will be on leave and we are going to spend a week at a friend beach front home in Destin and take a number of rides on our motorcycles.  It is going to be awesome.  I'm not sure what he will do after that, but right now he is looking at heading off to Ranger School.  I spoke with him yesterday from Afghanistan and he said didn't want to sit around and do nothing over the next year or so.  He is schedule to go back to Afghanistan in September 09. 

Also my daughter will be returning home from attending school out of state.  She is going to finish up in GA.  She is planning on switch her major to nursing and get a RN and work with children who have cancer.  It will be great to have her home.  I can't wait to hang out with all my family.  It will have been 15 months since we have been together with the exception of 18 days when Dave was on leave. 

More later

Evolve Conference 2008

Things that fire me up about our February 18-19, 2008 Evolve Conference!!!!

1.  Our main sessions and our theme...Shawn Lovejoy, Darrin Patrick, Mark Batterson, Steven Furtick, and Bil Cornelius all talking about there own vitality.  I believe this is the number one difference between those who make it and have have impact and those that don't.  You don't want to miss these main sessions they are going to be life changing.

2.  Our breakouts...all of our main session guys will be speaking during a breakout, plus Gabe Lyons, Eric Bramlett, Devin, Hudson, Gary Lamb, Casey Graham, Chad Ward, Mel McGowen...Just to name a few.

3.  Our Pre-Conference sessions...we are offering two session on Monday Morning February 18 from 9:00 to 12:00.  They both are over the top practical and they are going to be awesome.  How do I know? I'm doing one on Launching Large: Milestones for planting healthy churches and Casey Graham and Louie Lovoy are doing one on Connecting People Quickly:  Moving disconnected people into a spiritual process. 

4)  Our partners...we have some incredible partners that love helping church planters...some of them are  Equip, Catalyst, Leadership Network, Portable Church, StrongTower Financial, Injoy Stewardship..just to name a few.   

5) Our planters...last year we sold out at by the end of January and this year we are on track to do the same thing.  We can't wait to come together with a room full of church planters.

6) Our Worship Team...Todd Nichols and crew are going to rock the house down.  Each year one of my high points is  our five worship sets.  It is going to be amazing.

7) Our volunteers...Mountain Lake volunteers are the best.  We will have about 100 of our people serving their socks off...modeling the way...they always do.

8) Our outcome...hundreds of church planters are going to be inspired...encouraged...and helped. 

9) Our new relationships...we will have dozens of teams  join us later for one of our Best Practices Practicums and dozens of guys get involved in one of our Coaching Networks.  It will make a difference.

10) Our Mission...at the end of the day we will have accomplished our mission...giving you permission to do what it takes to reach those who are disconnected from Christ and the Church. 

One Decision At A Time!

I had the opportunity this week to ride up to B & H Publishers to meet with them about the marketing of my new book Breaking the Discipleship Code and about a couple of future books.  It was an encouraging experience.  My hat's off to Robin, Tom, Lisa, Debra, and David for making my time there so worthwhile.

One of the highlights of my trip was traveling with Casey Graham.  Casey is one of the best young leaders I know and he is one of our pastors at MLC and serves as our Chief Financial Officer.  Casey is great with discipline when it comes to things like finances, exercise, diet, time, etc.  You get the picture. 

As we traveled every time we had to make a decision about what we were going to eat he would remind me that it was "one decision at a time".  I can still hear that nagging voice as I step up to McDonald's with every intent of ordering a Mac Rib Value Meal complete with super sizing it, one decision at a time. I changed my order.  "Could you change that please to a grill chicken club?  Please substitute the fries for a side salad.  No, just give me water."  You get the point!  ONE DECISION AT A TIME. 

I love it...that is the idea of one decision at a time.  I can do this and so can you.  I love it because I am beginning a new journey toward a more discipline life.  After a bout in the hospital I'm working toward a healthier lifestyle.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed.  My goals seem so far out there.  On certain day and certain times I feel weak.  At time when I get ready to order I want to say, "Give me one of everything".  At other times I want to blow off the exercise thing.  But I can do this...ONE DECISION AT A TIME!

The good new is so can you.  Life is a collection of decisions we make one at a time.  Today I am what I am because of those millions and millions of decision I've made one at a time. 

When it comes to church planting one of the Best Practices that Shawn and I talk about all the time is Nurture Vitality.  As we have talked with and related to successful leaders and church planters all over North America we have discovered over and over again that are serious about their vitality.  Sure there exceptions.  Sure you can cheat for a while.  The reality is you, like me will end up in the hospital if you don't take care of yourself. 

As church planters we are consumed with our mission.  It is a worthy cause. A friend once told me, "Dave this thing is going to consume you."  I thought he had lost his mind.  He was right. 

nurturing vitality means paying attention to your spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and financial health.  It means making one decision at a time.  It means saying no to the good stuff in order to say yes to the best stuff. 

Make plans now to join us for our February 18th - 19th ChurchPlanters.com Evolve Conference.  All of our main sessions will focus on the leader and the leader's vitality.  As the church planter goes so does the church plant.  Sign up today at www.churchplanters.com

No Shortcuts....it's about those darn best practices

I am constantly amazed....it always comes back to those Best Practices (Nurture Vitality, Be Mean About the Vision, Finance the Mission, Think Team, and Redefine Discipleship).  It is amazing. 

Yesterday proved it once again.  Shawn Lovejoy and I went up to New Springs to meet with Perry Noble.  While I've read his blog, had him speak at our churchplanters.com conference, and generally kept up with him this was the first time I've hung out with him.  When we walked away I couldn't help but look and Shawn and say it is aways the same...it is about the best practices.  Shawn and I have had the opportunity to connect with dozen of great leaders and we always have that same reaction.  That is why we are so persistent about living out the best practices in our own leadership and coaching others in those best practices.   

I was impressed with his humility in the midst of great success...his commitment to emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual health...his heart for his team and their heart for him and New Springs...his attention to the details of what he is gifted at and his willingness to let go of the other stuff to his team. 

Thanks Perry and Jason for your time...and by the way it was cool just slowing down enough so that Shawn and I could hang out.  It is amazing how much we got done on our ride up to Anderson, while really getting a chance to catch up and enjoy one another.  I'm telling you it always comes down to the best practices. 

ONE!!!!

If you follow my blog, you are aware that I have been in a reflective mood over the past few weeks...I'm not sure Why...maybe because of where I am living with my family and especially my son.  He left last Thursday to return to Afghanistan...

He called yesterday to let me know he had arrived and would Black Hawk in to his place of operations in a couple of days.  Once he arrives he will rejoin his platoon and they will immediately deploy on another mission...he carries with him a set of dog tags with Psalm 91 engraved in them and I assured him of my prayers...I know you will join me in praying for all of our troops...by the way he found his Harley...I'm still looking for mine!  I think they grow under cabbage patches.

(Dave's Harley...sweet!!!)   

Back to my point...I was reading Reggie McNeal's new book, Get A Life!  Actually I was reading at it and mostly reflecting...in it he talked about keeping a scorecard for our lives...Once again I found myself reflecting on what i want to accomplish and stand for in my life...referring back to a journal entry on 092306 here is what I want to see with my life...

 

    1,000,000 people connected to Jesus
    100,000 pastors and planters equipped to reach the 1 mil
    10,000 people connected to Christ and the Church through MLC
    1,000 churches planted through churchplanters
    10 books written in my spare time
    1 life well spent

All while I cruise on my Harley with my son...

PS I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the missing "100" but I wanted to leave a little room for vision...maybe a hundred wells in Africa...we are doing our first this year. 

My Mission

My Mission is to help the North American Church Rediscover the centrality and simplicity of the Jesus way!

That's why I exist...that's why I get up every morning...that's why I write books, coach church planters, serve as a pastor in a church...that's why I do what I do. 

What a gift to have the honor to serve out ones purpose regardless of how humble or noble the cause may seem. 

God give me the strength, resolve, clarity, focus, passion, gifts, resources, and power to live my life with laser focus for that which you have created me for...finding the Jesus way!  Amen!

Part 5 of 5: Why Am I Here?

A little review....

4) Family...I love my family...right now I kicking back with my son and daughter...in a few short days my son will back in Afghanistan for his last five months of deployment as a combat soldier...and my daughter will be back at school.  For now it is great to hang. 

3) Missionary...God has called me to be a missionary to the North American Church...Jesus came preaching "Repent for the Kingdom of God is near".  Repent...rethink...relook...rediscover...

2) Writer...I love to write...writing allows me to connect the dots...

1) Pastor...I love being a pastor and speaking into peoples lives...I love creating and giving away ministry...I love multiplying myself through others...I love being part of the team...I love seeing the local church succeed. 

That's why I am here....david