I'd rather have 1 God Idea than a 1000 good ideas.
That is one of my core convictions. And that is what I talked about in Miami. Thought I'd blog about it.
II Corinthians 10: 5 says, "Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We tend to think of that verse in negative terms: take sinful thoughts captive. And that's true. But I think we ignore the flip side. We need to capture God ideas. And by God idea, I simply mean those ideas that are conceived by the Spirit of God. They are not the byproduct of human logic. They are the byproduct of divine revelation. Yes, it's tough to discern between a good idea and a God idea. But let me give you an example.
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, my first book, has gone to seven printings and there are well north of 100,000 copies floating around. By the way, my original goal was 25,000 copies given the fact that 97% of books don't sell 5,000 copies. Two years later, I'm believing God for a quarter-million copies. I think we'll get there. And I couldn't be more humbled or more thrilled about the way God is using it. But let me share the backstory.
Everything traces back to a single-cell idea or mustard-seed passion. Everything has a genesis moment when the God idea is conceived. And In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is no exception. It was probably seventeen years ago that I was listening to a friend and one of my favorite preachers, Sam Farina. Sam preached a message on an obscure passage of Scripture about a guy that chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day. I don't know how. I don't know why. But that passage captured my imagination. Something was conceived in my spirit. It was a mustard-seed thought, but I thought if I was to ever write a book, it'd make a great text. I think it was more than a good idea. I think it was a God idea. And nearly two decades later, that God idea became reality in the form of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.
What I'm getting at is this: everything was once an idea. A bad idea. A good idea. A God idea. And it's what we do with those ideas that determines our destiny. How many God ideas end up as a spiritual miscarriage because we don't capture it? Or better stated, it doesn't capture us. Like the parable of the sower and the seed, the God idea doesn't take root. Listen, that is poor stewardship. When a God-idea is conceived you've got to identify it, protect it, fight for it, nurture it, cherish it, believe in it, pray about it, and sacrifice for it. I feel like I could blog about this all day. This is one of the soft skills of spiritual leadership that is tough to teach. But the art of capturing God ideas will make you or break you.
Everything we do at NCC traces back to a genesis moment when a God idea was conceived. Here are a few examples:
Free market system of small groups? I remember reading Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century at Bagels and Baguettes. Read it cover-to-cover in one sitting. That book led to a complete overhaul of our small group system.
Our mission catalog that raised $51,885 over Christmas? Dinner at Cheesecake Factory with our missions team. By the way, I was eating spicy cashew chicken when we had the idea! I highly recommend it.
Our Annual Ministry Report that looks like a popcorn box? I was at the Catalyst Conference walking through the booths. I spotted an annual report that gave me an idea! Not only do we give that AMR to our entire congregation. It doubles as our welcome packet for guests.
Ebenezers coffeehouse? It traces back to a prayer walk when God put the idea in my mind. I have no other way of expressing it. The idea of a church building a coffeehouse wasn't even on my radar. I knew it was either a crazy idea or a God idea.
I could go on and on! But suffice to say, when God conceives something in your spirit, a God idea, you need to take it captive. You need to pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you until the dream becomes reality!
Let me finish where I started. I would rather have one God idea than a thousand good ideas! And I believe there is a God idea in each of us that could change our lives and change our world. Some of them are small. Some of them are big. Some of them need to happen tomorrow. Some of them might not become reality for seventeen years! But one way or the other, you need to take it captive!
That is one of my core convictions. And that is what I talked about in Miami. Thought I'd blog about it.
II Corinthians 10: 5 says, "Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We tend to think of that verse in negative terms: take sinful thoughts captive. And that's true. But I think we ignore the flip side. We need to capture God ideas. And by God idea, I simply mean those ideas that are conceived by the Spirit of God. They are not the byproduct of human logic. They are the byproduct of divine revelation. Yes, it's tough to discern between a good idea and a God idea. But let me give you an example.
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, my first book, has gone to seven printings and there are well north of 100,000 copies floating around. By the way, my original goal was 25,000 copies given the fact that 97% of books don't sell 5,000 copies. Two years later, I'm believing God for a quarter-million copies. I think we'll get there. And I couldn't be more humbled or more thrilled about the way God is using it. But let me share the backstory.
Everything traces back to a single-cell idea or mustard-seed passion. Everything has a genesis moment when the God idea is conceived. And In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is no exception. It was probably seventeen years ago that I was listening to a friend and one of my favorite preachers, Sam Farina. Sam preached a message on an obscure passage of Scripture about a guy that chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day. I don't know how. I don't know why. But that passage captured my imagination. Something was conceived in my spirit. It was a mustard-seed thought, but I thought if I was to ever write a book, it'd make a great text. I think it was more than a good idea. I think it was a God idea. And nearly two decades later, that God idea became reality in the form of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.
What I'm getting at is this: everything was once an idea. A bad idea. A good idea. A God idea. And it's what we do with those ideas that determines our destiny. How many God ideas end up as a spiritual miscarriage because we don't capture it? Or better stated, it doesn't capture us. Like the parable of the sower and the seed, the God idea doesn't take root. Listen, that is poor stewardship. When a God-idea is conceived you've got to identify it, protect it, fight for it, nurture it, cherish it, believe in it, pray about it, and sacrifice for it. I feel like I could blog about this all day. This is one of the soft skills of spiritual leadership that is tough to teach. But the art of capturing God ideas will make you or break you.
Everything we do at NCC traces back to a genesis moment when a God idea was conceived. Here are a few examples:
Free market system of small groups? I remember reading Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century at Bagels and Baguettes. Read it cover-to-cover in one sitting. That book led to a complete overhaul of our small group system.
Our mission catalog that raised $51,885 over Christmas? Dinner at Cheesecake Factory with our missions team. By the way, I was eating spicy cashew chicken when we had the idea! I highly recommend it.
Our Annual Ministry Report that looks like a popcorn box? I was at the Catalyst Conference walking through the booths. I spotted an annual report that gave me an idea! Not only do we give that AMR to our entire congregation. It doubles as our welcome packet for guests.
Ebenezers coffeehouse? It traces back to a prayer walk when God put the idea in my mind. I have no other way of expressing it. The idea of a church building a coffeehouse wasn't even on my radar. I knew it was either a crazy idea or a God idea.
I could go on and on! But suffice to say, when God conceives something in your spirit, a God idea, you need to take it captive. You need to pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you until the dream becomes reality!
Let me finish where I started. I would rather have one God idea than a thousand good ideas! And I believe there is a God idea in each of us that could change our lives and change our world. Some of them are small. Some of them are big. Some of them need to happen tomorrow. Some of them might not become reality for seventeen years! But one way or the other, you need to take it captive!
9 Comments:
Thanks Mark!
I was invited to the Miami gathering by Rich but was unable to attend. I'm grateful for you sharing the notes here. I was told your session was awesome!
Totally been preaching this at our church plant. Now we are trying to live it. Gave In a Pit to all our leaders.
Wow, this is a really challenging post. Thank you. I have to read this book of yours soon.
Hey there - I'm in England - bought both the Lion and Wild Goose books - loving the challenge you set. Found this 'God Idea' blog really challenging and timely. Love that you're sharing your heart and just being real and not religious! I will be munching over this for a while - especially your challenge about spiritual miscarriages and good vs. bad stewardship of our God ideas. Really appreciate the communication gift God has given you and the fact that you're using it for Him.
WOW...that was exactly what I needed...God bless you and NCC!!!...best of luck with the 5th launch.
Pastor Mark, As always, I was encouraged by and challenged to think deeply because of your post. I do have one question for clarification. Your illustration of the sales of your book might seem to imply that every God idea leads to "success" in numbers. We all know missionaries who minister for years based upon a God idea/calling, and yet the "numbers" do not come. We all know of pastors who minister according to God's calling, yet the "numbers" do not come. Could you clarify how "results" relate or do not relate to whether we eventually evaluate an idea as having been good, bad, or God-given? Thanks. Bob
Great post Mark! Working on a mustard seed thought that is growing..
I loved this post. I pray daily that God would give me His creative mind. I love to have "thinking days" when I can shut myself off from everything for a few hours and just let God inspire me.
I always wondered if you got the idea from Ray Stedman's sermon, "How to Kill a Lion on a Snowy Day".
http://www.raystedman.org/misc/3136.html
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