Evotional.com - Originality, Authenticity, Creativity

Easter Eggstravaganza

We're gearing up for our 6th annual Easter Eggstravaganza.

The Eggstravaganza is one way we try to show the love of Christ in practical ways. It has really helped us establish our identity and our credibility in our Capitol Hill community. We've got carnival games, a petting zoo, and egg hunt.

The event is held at Lincoln Park On Saturday, April 7th @ 1 PM.

Father/Son Run

Parker and I went jogging together for the first time last night. I thought he'd have a tough time keeping up. Ah, the delusions of man! Are you kidding me? He was jogging and talking in a normal voice. I was jogging and talking and huffing and puffing. But I can still take him in a sprint :)

My parenting is really in transition right now as our kids get older. I'm really trying to find challenges that we can take on & things we can do together. Builds a great bond--one-on-one time is priceless! I have a feeling we'll do lots of snowboarding in the years to come after our one outing this year. And you'll probably see me huffing & puffing all over Capitol Hill trying to keep up with my son :)

Snow Prayer

Just got an an email from Jason Condon from Artisan Church in Rochester, NY. He did a message on "chasing lions" and had a totally cool prayer application at the end. I think one of our central tasks as leaders is to keep what is sacred from becoming routine. You've got to find ways to change it up and keep it fresh.

They challenged people not to cower in fear but run to the roar. They challenged people not to stay comfortable but to plunge into the snow. So they brought in buckets of snow; had people plunge their hands into the snow; and pray about the lions in their life until they were uncomfortable. And then pray a little longer.

Guarantee people won't forget that prayer experience! Just thought that idea was so creative and so cool. Love the way people are taking the book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, and the series, www.chasethelion.com, and making it their own!

Next Stop

I've got a little breather in my speaking schedule over the next few weeks. Staying close to home over the Easter season. And then our family goes on a little spring break getaway right after Easter.

My next trip is to Orlando for the National New Church Conference, April 23-26. Can't wait to hear some of the other speakers--Bill Hybels, Wayne Cordiero, Dave Ferguson, Ed Stetzer...

I'll speak in a couple sessions. And I'm also doing a pre-conference seminar on creative communication. Really excited about tag-teaming with my friend, Brad Abare. Brad is the founder of churchmarketingsucks.com.

Love to connect in Orlando!

Godspell

Our entire family went to the final dress rehearsal for Godspell last night. So proud of the cast and crew. They did an amazing job. And the real test is that Parker and Summer kept saying how much they loved it. And Josiah was hilarious. There was a recorded "voice of God" at the beginning of the show that threw Josiah for a loop. He leaned over, looked up at me, and said: "Hey, that's God." He literally thought it was the voice of God :)

You can tickets here.

Hanging Out

Just spent two hours with a group of students from Valley Forge Christian College. Really enjoyed talking about life and leadership.

Kind of cool the way Ebenezers has turned into a field trip destination. Just about every week, we've got a groups of students or pastors or church planters that swing by Ebz doing a little recon. If only I had a nickel for every nickel tour I've given :)

Back to DC

I hop a flight back to DC in a few minutes. By the way, I love airports with free wi-fi. Props to Pittsburgh!

All I can say is that yesterday was an amazing non-stop day! Started with a pastors gathering in the AM and ended with a "chase the lion" event in the PM. Definitely running on adrenaline by days' end!

So cool to connect with so many pastors and finally meet Jeff Leake. Jeff took some great notes at the pastors gathering if you want to check them out. I think his notes are better than my original notes :)

It was also great to connect with Jay Passavant from North Way Community Church and see their new campus right by the University of Pittsburgh. So great to see what God is doing in Pittsburgh! And make some new friends.

One observation.

Typically, the more often I preach a message the less passionate I become about it. I start preaching it from memory intead of imagination. But the more I talk about chasing lions the more passionate I become about it. Can't wait for the next event.

One of the highlights of going on the road is hearing stories about the way God is using the book to inspire people to chase lions. Sometimes it's a little scary. And it's really sobering! But I really believe that most people are only one lion chase away from stepping into their destiny. I just continue to pray that God uses the book for His purposes.

Manifesto

As promised, here is a copy of the lion chaser's manifesto that I shared last night.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

Off to Pittsburgh

Hopping a flight to Pittsburgh in the early AM. So grateful I can get to National Airport in less than ten minutes! Really excited about this trip. The day starts with a pastor's gathering at 10 AM at Allison Park Church. Doing a variety of meetings in the afternoon. And then we've got a Chase the Lion event at 7 PM @ North Way Community Church.

Gonna be a long day, but it's gonna be a fun day!

Praying the Calendar

Absolutely beautimus day in DC--I think we hit 80's and lots of sunshine! Spring fever! Once the weather gets nice my prayer life takes off :) I love praying on the rooftop of Ebenezers. Gives me perspective. I spent some time up there this afternoon.

Just thought I'd share a prayer technique. I'm going in so many directions these days that sometimes I feel like I'm in reactive mode rather than proactive mode. But one of the ways I recapture a sense of destiny about what I'm doing is by praying the calendar. I scroll through my calendar and pray for everyone and everything I find.

FYI--the nicer it is the longer I pray :)

4th Printing

About a month ago, I got 84 cases of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day off the 3rd Printing. Just shipped the last box today! I'm out of books, but God's timing is impeccable :) The 4th Printing comes off the press tomorrow! Should be restocked by the end of the week.

If you want to order a case of 24, email amanda@theaterchurch.com.

We'll hook you up with a bulk discount!

WAVA interview

Just a heads up.

I'm doing a radio interview with David Stokes in the 5 o'clock hour tonight. David pastors Fair Oaks Church in Fairfax, VA. And he doubles as radio host for WAVA--105.1 FM.

Feel free to tune in or tune out :)

Radical Transparency

Just read the cover article in this month's issue of Wired magazine. It's titled Get Naked: Why Exposing Yourself is the Future of Business.

In my opinion, authenticity is the postmodern apologetic. Its one key to reaching emerging generations. People care less about how much you know than how real you are. I just think it's interesting that the business world is talking about it. Thought I'd share a few excerpts and a few thoughts on radical transparency.

"Smart companies are sharing secrets with rivals, blogging about products in their pipeline, even admitting their failures. The name of this new game is radical transparency and it's sweeping boardrooms across the nation."

I don't want to overuse the word--but sounds like open-source business. The church doesn't just need to follow-suit. We ought to lead the way!

"Transparency is a judo move."

Ever notice that people stop making fun of people who laugh at themselves? It's judo. Ever notice that people stop criticizing people who admit their failures? It's judo. Ever notice that people believe people who admit their doubts? It's judo.

One of the interesting observations in the article was a cultural shift between what's private and what's public.

"A generation has grown up on blogging, posting a daily phonecam picture on Flickr and listing its geographic position in real time on Dodgeball and Google Maps. For them, authenticity comes from online exposure."

Chief Reputation Strategist for PR firm Weber Shandwick, Leslie Gaine Ross, says, "Online is where reputations are made now." She says that a single Google search determines more about how you are perceived than a multi-million-dollar ad campaign. "Google is not a search engine. Google is a reputation-management system. Online, your rep is quantifiable, findable, and totally unavoidable."

Honestly, I think part of the magnetism of Jesus was his authenticity. He was touchable and approachable. He was holy, but he wasn't holier-than-thou. He was down to earth. He even cried in public! And that radical transparency is what drew people to him.

We could definitely use a dose of radical transparency in our churches. Isn't that part of what confessing our sins to each other is about? The enemy loves it when we keep secrets! The greatest freedom is having nothing to prove!

Radical Transparency!

Writing is Hard

I think 10% of writing is inspiration. The other 90% is perspiration. I'm definitely sweating my next book!

One of the reasons I blog is to remember the struggle. About a year ago I blogged about the decision to totally rewrite In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. It was such a tough decision, but it totally transformed the book. I'm grateful for the struggle. In fact, the greater the struggle the more you tend to believe in something.

I'm really struggling with the title and organizing metaphor for this next book. Part of the challenge is that I'm trying to write a book in a totally different genre for a totally different audience. My next book is for leaders--primarily pastors. I want to share the lessons I've learned during ten trips around the leadership block. Part of the challenge is that I feel like I've got two or three leadership books I want to write. I'm just trying to figure out my niche.

Definitely learning some lessons with book #2 that will really help with book #3.

I'd really covet your prayers on this one!

Washington Times

Every Monday the Washington Times features an area church on page 2--it's called The Capital Pulpit. Pretty cool that a major newspaper promotes churches that way! I think this is our fourth feature in the past six years.

Free advertising is the best advertising! And I've learned that you never know the way God is going to use a media impression. Got a call today from someone at the Whitehouse saying thanks for the article. No, it wasn't GWB.

Jogging in DC

Did a little two-mile jog around the Capitol tonight.

About a month ago I got back into a workout routine. And now that the weather is getting nice, I'm getting back into a running routine. Yeah, I'm a fair-weather runner :) I'm not really a runner, but I've learned to love jogging. Nothing like a day jog or night jog on the Mall. Pretty cool running by all the DC monuments and memorials.

Gtown

My adrenaline is still pumping.

What an amazing comeback victory for the Hoyas! Parker and I picked Gtown to go all the way, but I was doubting our pick most of the game :) Clutch trifecta! And domination in OT. Going to the Final Four!

Did you know that researchers have done studies of fans measuring testosterone after wins and loses? They found a 20% dip in testosterone in fans of losing teams. They found a 20% spike in fans of winning teams. I guess that means there is lots of testosterone in DC tonight.

Just in case you care :)

Fully Alive

I'll send out an email version of my message later this week, but I thought I'd share one reflection blog-style. You can sign-up for the evotional here. It's free!

I preached from John 10:10 today. Jesus said:

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.

Jesus came to bring life. And I love the adjective used to descirbe the kind of life Jesus came to bring. The word "abundantly" is the Greek word perissos and it's two-dimensional.

It means 1) super abundant in quantity and 2) superior in quality.

Fully Alive

This past weekend I took Parker snowboarding at a Ski resort in the Shenandoah Valley. It was an incredible experience on lots of levels. Great father/son time. Loved snowboarding down the hill at break-neck speeds. And it was a blast doing something I'd never done before. I'm not sure to how to describe it, but I had this thought on the ski lift: part of me comes alive when I do something I've never done before. That is part of living life to the fullest--experiencing new things.

For what it's worth, I've also found that part of me comes alive when I go somewhere I've never gone before. That is how I felt when we went to the Galapagos this past year. Part of me came alive--especially when we went swimming with sea lions!

We're all familiar with the Great Commission, but we tend to neglect the Genesis Commission in Genesis 1:28. God tells Adam to fill the earth and subdue it. I think it was an invitation to explore!

Can I share my theology of travel?

When you travel with this sense that you are exploring what God has created it turns travel into a spiritual experience. And adding stamps to your passport is good stewardship! I just happen to believe that God loves it when we enjoy the beauty of what He's created. And part of us comes alive in the process.

And I think what I'm describing is a microcosm of what we'll experience when we cross the spacetime continuum. When we step foot in heaven, we will come alive in ways that we never imagined as we do things and go places that are literally out of this world.

And the good news is that we don't have to wait till then!

I love what Saint Ireneus said: "The glory of God is a person fully alive."

Weekend Reflections

I think we're starting to adjust to the three service rhythm at Union. Really challenging to stay in that 30-35 minute window for my message, but I'm adjusting. We added a countdown clock at Ebenezers that helps :) In some ways, the shortened service doesn't really short-change the experience. It just forces us to streamline things. We have to be very prioritized every weekend.

We kicked off the He Came. He Died. He Conquered. series today! The trailer was awesome on the big screen with subwoofers! I was fired up before I started preaching!

I think one of the most challenging and most important dimensions of pastoring is choosing the diet of sermons. We're coming off what I'd call a "where we live" series--The Battle of the Sexes. This series is what I'd call a "Back to Basics" series. We're really focusing on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. And it just feels right. Really praying that a lot of people cross the line of faith during this series. We'll actually end the series with a baptism service--the Saturday night before Easter Sunday. Cool way to celebrate Easter!

Had a little incident in the first service where we had to call security. Won't go into all the details, but we kindly tried to tell a guy who has been a disruption in recent weeks that he couldn't do some of the things he was doing in service and he didn't want to hear it. FYI--how people react says a lot about the spirit of a person. He didn't take it well. In fact, he did a little yelling and screaming. But I had this thought after he left--I'm so glad we attract such a wide variety of people. And while we won't let one person compromise the experience of others, that is exactly who we're trying to reach. Bummed it turned out the way it did. But we need to keep reaching people who wouldn't darken a church door!

He Came Trailer

Just thought I'd share our trailer for our next series. Props to Dave Clark--our pastor of trailers.

Church is a Tag-Team Sport

We kick off our Easter series this weekend. It's what I'd call a back to basics series. Really want to encourage NCCers to invite a friend. This is one of those seasons where people who are unchurched or dechurched are more open to an invitation.

Church is a tag-team sport.

When you walk in, you tag me and say "go for it." And with the help of our creative team, I try to preach what God has put in my heart with as much creativity and authenticity as I can.

When you walk out, I tag you and say "go for it." And every NCCer is responsible for sharing their faith with everyone in their unique circle of influence. By the way, I read somewhere that the average person has 68 people in their circle of influence--family, friends, colleagues, roomates, etc. Not sure who came up with that number or how! But when I think about our potential impact as a church I don't think in terms of the people who actually attend. I think of our collective circles of influence!

Average Attendance x Circle of Influence = Potential Impact

We can turn this city upside down!

25% Off

Just noticed that amazon.com has a 25% off deal on In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. Not sure why there was a price drop, but that is a pretty sweet deal.

Or if you want a bulk discount on a case of books, email amanda@theaterchurch.com. We'll hook you up!

Pittsburgh, PA

Just wanted to put the next chase the lion event on the radar.

I'll be in Pittsburgh, PA on Wednesday, March 28 @ 7 PM. The event will be at North Way Community Church. Here are some directions. You don't have to RSVP. You just have to show up :)

I'm also doing a pastors gathering at Allison Park Church @ 10 AM.

Huge thanks to Jeff Leake, pastor of Allison Park Church, and Jay Passavant, pastor of North Way Community Church, for co-hosting the event.

Recon in Northwest DC

Did some recon in NW DC today. I feel like one of the spies in Numbers 13 who scope out the Promised land. We put some things on the prayer radar. We visited a few movie theaters. Did a little opportunity analysis. And began laying out our launch strategy.

A little deja vu because we had a meeting at the National Cathedral in 2003 before our first launch. So cool to see everything God has done in the past few years!

Praying that God would order our footsteps--Proverbs 16:9.

Let The Games Begin

Our team has an offsite meeting today at the National Cathedral. One of my favorite DC hangouts. We're beginning to brainstorm about launching our next location. Starting to get that adrenaline rush! I feel like one of the twelve spies that did recon in the Promised Land. We'll do some praying and planning--get the lay of the land. And eventually we'll figure out our fourth location.

Gotta admit--I love multi-site.

I'm a big believer in leadership longevity--I want to pastor one church for life. But I love multi-site because once a church planter always a church planter. It scratches my entreprenurial itch.

Let the games begin!

Que Bueno!

Just launched our spanish version of theaterchurch.com. Props to our digital pastor, David Russell. Check out www.cineiglesia.com.

Es una fiesta en mi corazon :)

Buzz 07

Buzz 07 is filling up fast.

We decided to keep our conference at Union Station--more authentic and more organic to who we are. That means we have to cut off registration when we hit capacity. We did extend our early bird deadline because our conference is later this year--June 28-29.

I sense in my spirit that Buzz needs to push the creative envelope. But it also needs to push the authenticity envelope. We need some more honest conversations about the challenges we face in ministry. In one of my two sessions, I'm thinking about talking about the five greatest challenges we face in ministry.

FYI--we're mailing a copy of Confessions of a Pastor by Craig Groeschel to everyone who registers before the Early Bird deadline! Craig will be doing two sessions at Buzz.

Half-Brain Preaching

I did an article for the last issue of Leadership Journal on Half-Brain Preaching.

Here's an online version @ preachingtoday.com.

Eikon

Had a cool trans-atlantic phone conference via skype with a church plant in Scotland called Eikon. Great to connect with my cousin-in-law--Dave Schmidgall. Love what they are doing. Launched things with a Scottish party! Too cool. I keep hearing about really innovative approaches to church on the other side of the Atlantic.

A Gut Check for Growing Churches

Just thought I'd share the ten reminders I shared at Healing Place in their staff meeting. Think of them as a gut check for growing churches. These are personal reflections on our journey @ NCC.

The more we grow...

1) ...the greater the PRIVILEGE

I never want myself or anyone on our staff to have a sense of entitlement. We're only servants--I Cor. 3:5.

2) ...the more COMPLICATED things get

Sin complicates your life in negative ways. Growth complicates your life in positive ways. Learn to thank God for complications!

3) ...the harder it is to maintain UNITY

Vision is the key to unity! The larger you get the more frequently you need to cast vision. Unity doesn't happen by default--Eph 4:3.

4) ...the better STEWARDS we need to be

Growth raises the stakes. With greater responsibility comes greater accountability.

5) ...the more ABOVE REPROACH we need to be

I Corinthians 10:23 says, "Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial." As our leadership expands, there can be an unhealthy and unholy tendency toward the permissible end of the spectrum! Guard against it. As our influence expands, leaders need to move toward the beneficial end of that spectrum!

6) ...the easier it is to exist for those who ALREADY BELONG

As a church grows it is very easy to give in to centripetal force--we become inward-focused and ingrown. The Great Commission is centrifugal--go into all the world.

7) ...the easier it is to do ministry out of MEMORY instead of ministry out of IMAGINATION

The beginning of the end for every entreprenurial organization is the moment they stop doing what got them to where they are! You need to keep making mistakes. You need to keeping experimenting. Don't repeat the past. Create the future!

8) ...the more we have to remind ourselves of WHY we're doing what we're doing and WHO we're doing it for

There is a fine line between building Thy Kingdom and My Kingdom. As your circle of influence grows, you need to stay Christ-centered.

9) ...the more you have to guard your heart

As you grow, so does the target on your back. Leaders need to keep a pure heart in the midst of criticism and temptation. The blessings of God backfire when they produce pride. Stay humble.

10) ...the bigger our DREAMS need to get

The size of our dreams is one of the best barometers of spiritual maturity. People with a big God have big dreams!

The Greatest Day of the Year

Parker officially deemed yesterday "the greatest day of the year." I seconded it so I guess that makes it unanimous! We had a blast at the men's retreat--enjoyed connecting with the guys from New Hope Church. And it was so cool having Parker with me. A God-ordained father/son time! All I can say is that it was sacred.

I decided to have Dick Foth pinch hit for me this weekend so I didn't have to hustle back to DC. So I took Parker to Massanutten Ski Resort and we went snowboarding for the first time. Every part of my body is sore today!

As I was riding the chair lift to the top I had a thought: when I go new places or try new things I come alive. I felt like Parker and I added a layer to our relationship. So cool to take on a challenge together! One of the retreat themes was accumulate experiences. It's part of the lion chasing manifesto. Parker and I accumulated an unforgettable experience this weekend.

Friday Night

We drove through a blizzard to get to the retreat I'm speaking at. Pretty crazy considering it was in the 70's in DC this week! Had a good opening session--especially since it was the end of a work week and a pretty stressful drive for most of the guys.

Talked about playing offense with our lives. I think it is so easy to shift into defensive mode relationally and spiritually. We become passive. We think running away from what's wrong is enough and it's not. God wants us to play offense with our lives!

So great having Parker with me! Helps me understand why Jesus sent his disciples out in twos. Wonder twin powers activate. Had a great talk by the fire in the lodge last night. He even set some life goals. Very cool to dream with my son. That is the most important vision casting I can do! Parker is definitely an adventurer. I want to feed that spirit of adventure.

Home Sweet Home

Made it home! Stopped be Ebenezers for a little anniversary cake. Watched a little tournament action. And called it a long day.

Headed back out this afternoon to do a men's retreat in the Shenadoah Valley of Virginia. Excited about taking Parker with me. Great opportunity to chase lions together. I think we might even try to hit a ski slope and try our feet at snowboarding.

Headed Home

I'm sitting in the New Orleans airport reflecting on the last 24 hours. I shared in the HPC staff meeting today--their staff is larger than most churches. What a team! Shared ten reminders that I'll post once I get a window of time.

So encouraged and challenged by what God is doing at Healing Place--stretched my faith. Got a tour of their Dream Center in Davidsonville--one of the poorest communities. 40% unemployment. But they are living out James 1. They take care of 62 widows every week! Love the way their presence in that community is bringing God's favor and blessing to everyone who lives there! That is the way it should be. The blessings ought to overflow into our communities!

Saw a cool example of doing church in the marketplace too. Dino was telling me about seeing baseball fields at Disney and it inspired him to build first-class fields for the community on their church campus. As a result, they have a touch point with thousands of people who play baseball on their fields. What a creative way to meet people on their turf.

Definitely walking away feeling blessed.

What a trip!

Ode to Ebenezers

We celebrate our one-year anniversary at Ebz today! What a ride! So grateful for the leadership of Christina Borja, our coffeehouse manager. And what a team of managers and staff! They make Ebz what it is!

About eight years ago we started praying a ridiculous prayer. And God delivered big-time! Sometimes we need to step back and stand in awe. That's what I'm doing today! Everytime I walk into Ebenezers it is a reminder to dream God-sized dreams!

HPC

Flew into New Orleans and drove to Baton Rouge this afternoon. Spoke at Healing Place Church tonight. Their hospitality is off the hook! I've admired HPC from a distance for a long time so it was great to see it in person! One of the first things you notice when you visit a church for the first time is the spirit of the Church. Love the spirit of HPC. It's a reflection of their pastor and staff. Great to finally connect with Dino Rizzo! HPC and Dino are the real deal.

The only negative was a positive--we ran out of books. We're shipping some copies to HPC for the weekend.

Georgetown

I just wanted to go on record so I get a little credit when Georgetown wins the National Championship. Parker and I filled out our bracket earlier this week and we've got G-town going all the way. Not that we have any DC bias or anything.

I'll sure all of you will agree with our choice :)

Early Bird

Just a reminder that Buzz 07 is quickly approaching. Register for Buzz before the early bird deadline and receive a free copy of Confessions of a Pastor, the newest book from Craig Groeschel. We'll actually mail it to you pre-conference.

For what it's worth, along with our sessions on decoding culture, cultivating creativity, and creating buzz we'll have some straight-up conversations about the greatest challenges we face in ministry.

Don't come by yourself. Really encourage you to bring your creative team. And if you don't have a creative team, bring some people you want to step up and step into that role!

I'll blog about some other upgrades and additions to Buzz 07 in the weeks to come. For example, we're going to add a coffeehouse forum to complement our theaterchurch forum. We've had a ton of churches express interest in opening a coffeehouse. We'll share some best practices and lessons learned.

We really want Buzz to be more of a conversation and less of a conference. That's one reason why we're limiting attendance and holding it at Union Station. We want it to be as organic as possible.

Check out the conference @ www.buzzconference.com.

Register for Buzz

The Preaching Forest

Just thought I'd share some random reflections on preaching.

I used to study about 20-30 hours per message early on in ministry. I don't study quite as much now. I'm reading strategically weeks in advance. But my sermon prep is usually closer to fifteen hours per week. I honestly think one hour of prayer is worth two hours of sermon prep.

I feel like I'm preaching a little bit more out of experience than out of study these days. This is going to sound heretical, but I think you can over-study. Sometimes I go into what I call the preaching forest and if I venture too far I can't see the forest through the trees. I lose my perspective. I lose my point. My message can actually become muddled.

I'm more and more convinced that the best messages have one organizing metaphor. It is the law of scope--more is less and less is more. That is a huge challenge when I talk about chasing lions. I want to preach all 200 pages, but I really need to limit it to one dimension of lion chasing.

I think of it as the bed of nails principle. If you lay down on a bed of nails they won't penetrate your skin because the pressure is diffused. That is what happens when we try to say too much. But one nail penetrates! That is why I believe in one-point preaching.

One more thought. I typically preach from a manuscript. The upside to a manuscript is that your words are measured. But it can come across as scripted. I think I'm continuing to grow in my sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Really trying to discern what the Spirit wants to say.

I always hope that what I say is timeless--based on the eternal truth. But I also want it to be timely--the right word at the right time. Nothing like someone coming up after a message with tears in their eyes saying, "That was for me."

By the way, one of our staff members asked me today if I get nervous when I speak. All the time! I don't get nervous at NCC, but I get serious butterflies everytime I speak someplace new. I think that nervousness keeps me relying on God.

One more thought. I still believe content is king. You've got to preach every sermon like it's the last sermon you'll ever preach!