This coming year we have committed as a church family to grow together as disciples of Christ. We are embarking on a year long endeavor to read through the Bible. We are using the ESV Daily Bible Reading plan and I am encouraging every one to journal their daily devotionals using the R.E.A.P. (Read, Examine, Apply, Pray) Bible study method. Both of those items can be found on a special micro-site we have rolled out here.

Tony Morgan posted Phil Cooke and Brad Abare’s “5 Warning Signs of a Personality-Driven Church” in his blog today. The full article they wrote is in the current issue of Outreach Magazine.

Here is a summary of the 5 warning signs they identify:
1. The pastor doesn’t go on a vacation for any significant length of time. And, when he does, it isn’t announced.
2. When the pastor doesn’t preach, the attendance drops.
3. Unspoken fear that if something happened to the pastor, the church would be in trouble.
4. The pastor is unwilling to listen to and consult …

Lord Save Us From Your Followers, Dan Merchant’s much anticipated documentary about Christianity’s PR problem, opens today in select theaters. It will no doubt spark tremendous controversy and hopefully, much conversation. Go to the website and watch some of the clips and follow the story.
Here’s the movie trailer:

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Did that get your attention? ChurchCrunch had a post yesterday on how we oversell things in ministry by the big words we use and how that has spilled over into the technological front. He showed a mashup of Apple’s keynote and their excessive use of these words.
I have grown tired by the over promotion, hyped up marketing, that many pastors and churches use to promote their next series, program, worship or whatever it is. “Don’t miss my next series it will change your life.” “Hear never before heard revelation …

Yesterday marked a very important milestone in my life. Pastor Sam announced to our congregation that at the end of the summer, I would be transitioning out from my role as executive pastor at The Gathering Place, to launch out on a business endeavor and to pursue the call of God on my life.
I am overwhelmed by the support of friends, family, the staff at TGP, Pastor Sam and our wonderful church family to the news of this transition. It did not come without much prayer, confirmation, soul-searching and the …

It’s hard to put in to words the closing session of Exponential. I felt like I was part of UCF smackdown. Francis Chan brought the sledgehammer to this session. He pastors Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. He is the author of Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
I first heard Francis at Catalyst ‘07 and his message there rocked my world. Francis has a unique way to call you back to the simplicity of the Gospel and following Christ passionately, radically and intensely.
Some notable points:
“When was the …

What can I say, Craig Groeschel, lead pastor of LifeChurch.tv, has got to be one of my favorite speakers. LifeChurch.tv has been on my radar for about 6 years now and I have been following their multi-site strategy for some time now. We had two back to back sessions with Craig and it was like drinking from a fire hydrant. I’ll outline both messages here:
Reflections on Movements
What I believe about church will determine how I do church.
Remix of Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to the pattern of the …

Erwin McManus has been a big influence in my life. His writings and teachings have expanded my understanding of God, life, culture and what it means to be a Christ follower. His church, Mosaic, is largely considered one of the most innovative churches in America. Erwin is a futurist, I would dare say, a modern day prophet. He is articulate and has a unique gift of communication.
His message at Exponential was taken from his Wide Awake series at Mosaic and is based on Acts 17:16-34. I had heard the …

This was my fourth year attending the Exponential Conference here in Orlando. I spent the last two weeks reflecting on what was unpacked during those three days so I thought I would get some of the main highlights down. Each year I get a renewed reconfirmation on my calling as a minister and further clarity as to my future. This year was no exception. Almost three thousand attended this year’s event and it is the premier conference for church planters around. It is wonderful to see all of these kingdom …

Continuing with the previous conversation on Michael Spencer’s article on The Coming Evangelical Collapse, I will share some of my observations. Refer to the previous post for links to the article.
Michael makes 7 points as to why he believes the collapse is inevitable – read those here and come back for my take – go ahead – I’ll wait.
1) The love affair that evangelicals have had with a one party affiliation is over. Jesus resisted the politicization of the good news of the Kingdom why do we think …

The blogosphere was set ablaze over the past week with the publishing of InternetMonk’s article on “The Coming Evangelical Collapse” in the Christian Science Monitor.
You can read the CSM article here.
The original post from Michael Spencer, a.k.a. Internet Monk, can be found here, here, and here.
Michael postulates about the demise of evangelicalism and the rapid onset of a post-Christian western world. He declares that the party’s almost over for evangelicals. The collapse will be heralded by the ending of thousands of ministries, the decline and influence of Christian media, …

Phil Cooke had a post, here, about his predictions for ministries and non-profits over the coming year in light of our current economic climate. I’ll post his observations and my comments.
1) The “easy way out” will be big. Prosperity and gimmick guys will do well. It’s because too many people look for easy answers in a tough economy.
ME–How true this is with the superficial gospel we present in the U.S. Christians have learned to despise the process and the journey of becoming a disciple and …

Steven Furtick had a great post here about a topic I unfortunately know about and have seen often. He has a very sobering quote that someone shared with him that is quite true:
There is very little that we do in the Spirit that we cannot fake in the flesh!
Being part of the Charismatic movement, I have been exposed to the genuine moves of the Spirit and unfortunately all of the fleshly displays of what some have passed off as a move of the “Spirit”. When much of what we do …

What a great opportunity I had yesterday to meet with Dr. Ron McManus of Kingdom Financial Services. Dr. Ron served as President of the Center for Church Leadership of the General Council of the Assemblies of God and was also a former President of EQUIP under John Maxwell. A humble man with great wisdom. We have been speaking with him to assist us in the clarifying of our vision as a church and to help us strategize in a faith based financing project. I am excited to continue dialoguing with …

Yesterday was Human Trafficking Awareness day. Over the last several months it’s as if the Lord has been placing the travesty of human trafficking and the sex slave trade on my radar. This has got to be one of the main things that the Church of Jesus needs to lead the charge in — ending this horrific modern day slavery.
I have been praying about how I can do my part in raising awareness and getting involved. It is estimated that there are 1.8 million children exploited in the commercial …

Excited about the direction of our young adults ministry for the new year. It was great sitting with our core leaders and in a matter of 30 minutes of conversation, some of the haze I was encountering about the future of that ministry cleared up. This is the power of collaboration. No one person has all of the answers. In fact, the Bible is clear that we “know in part”. 1 Corinthians 13:9 This past year I learned a lot about harnessing the brainpower of those on my team and …

Great article in the current issue of FastCompany on how Cisco is thriving even in today’s time of corporate upheaval. 26 billion in cash in the coffers and they are poised to enter new markets and gobble up rivals. CEO John Chambers has led a revolution of sorts through a massive reorganization effort over the last few years.
This portion from the article sums some of this up:
And Chambers has greater ambitions, even now, in the midst of turmoil. Or, perhaps, especially now. He has been taking Cisco through …

This is definitely one of my goals this year, to read through the entire Bible as a personal devotion, that on top of regular Bible study for sermons and teaching opportunities. YouVersion from LifeChurch.tv is a fantastic online resource and they have a great reading plan that I can take advantage of from my web-enabled G1 phone. We need a “steady stream from God’s mouth” to survive in our current spiritual climate. Matthew 4:4

Last night was our New Year Celebration Service at The Gathering Place. It was a great night of thanking God for His blessings on this past year and declaring the Greater (Gr8R) things He has for us in the new. May this new season bring you Gr8R peace, Gr8R joy, Gr8r clarity, Gr8R direction, Gr8R sense of purpose than you have ever experienced. I want to personally thank our staff who pulled the night off. You guys are the best!

Rick Warren certainly has had his share of detractors with the announcement of his invitation to pray at the Inauguration , both from the gay community as well as from Bible thumpers. I guess those two parties can agree on one thing. The LA Times released a story about Rick’s Christmas eve sermon at Saddleback.
Here is a great quote from Rick’s sermon that was cited in the article:
“I happen to love Democrats and Republicans,” he told the gathering. “And for the media’s purpose, I happen to love gays …