This is where I will be…

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Everyday! So many distractions. It’s so easy in our culture to chase after so many things we forget the ONE thing…
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All day yesterday my blog was down. Server crashed and lost some of my posts! O well. Working hard today to get things back in order. Just a friendly reminder..

Back up your own CRAP! Nobody cares for your crap like YOU!

“If the horse you’re riding is dead, dismount.” This is an old saying, which means, “if what you are using is not moving…dismount.”  Sometimes even the best laid, thought out & mind mapped ideas and systems just don’t work!  They simply don’t produce the results we need. To often, these programs or systems stay in place because a lot of resources an energy have been invested. However, what if… what you are doing just aint working? So what do you do…? What do you do…?

Well, don’t do this… Continue Reading…

I was reading this blog the other day and love this quote…

Understand your stance in the world, understand your true values, what you’re actually up to and the why, your reason to get up in the morning — get that right, pursue that mission with full force and fury — and all the attributes you desire will surely follow. Dan Burrier ~ Harvard Business Review

As a Christian leader it is vital to… UNDERSTAND (to know and be convinced) that what you’re doing is from God. When you open your eyes, when your mouth speaks & your mind dreams that all of those are driven by a passion and fire that have been ignited by a spark generated by your very soul striking repeatedly against the heart of God!

In that context, in that place of knowing your destiny, only will you find your true self, that “being” that God has created for a purpose and mission that far exceeds anything you could have ever dreamed on your own.  With an obedient walk in that mission you will find such power and strength, that no earthly force or figure from hell could deter you from accomplishing the very thing God has placed in your heart!

What is your mission? Tell me… if you can!

A guest post by our Cornerstone campus pastor Ja Cook. Awesome! Love this dude!

There are a lot of great thoughts out there about what it takes to be a great leader. What I have found to be the most important truth of leadership is that you cannot lead someone you cannot love. You may be able to throw your weight around if you have a level of authority over someone…or, you may be able to manipulate someone for a time…but, in the end, people will follow someone who they know loves them.

So as leaders, remember:

• You cannot lead who you cannot love
• You cannot love who you cannot give respect and  honor to
• You cannot give respect and honor to someone you do not know
• You cannot know someone unless you invest time with them.
• You cannot invest time with someone until you can accept them for who they are
• You cannot accept someone for who they are until you can look past your differences
• You cannot look past your differences until you view people through God’s eyes
• You cannot view people with God’s eyes without spending intimate time with God
• You will not spend intimate time with God until you love Him.

So it starts and ends with…LOVE.

As a believer and a lover of the most high God, my heart cry is to know God more intimately. Not just know more “about” Him, but “know” Him!

So this is the question… When we spend time with God, should the cry of our heart be to have an Intellectual encounter or a Supernatural encounter? I believe the answer to that question will drive your expectations with your time with God, and will also shape the way you view God.

I see a disturbing trend with some that have put so much emphasis on learning and knowledge of Scripture, it has diminished or destroyed their ability to live passionately in love with God. In some way, more knowledge of God has replaced a passion for God.

When your passion with God is RELATIONAL your experience with God will be SUPERNATURAL! However, when your relationship with God is INTELLECTUAL your experience with God will be Natural.

I don’t know about you, but my heart longs to be passionate with God and walk in a part of God’s very nature… the SUPERNATURAL!

How about you…?

If you are a leader, that means you have people following you! And when you have a team of followers around you it is vital the team knows what behaviors will be rewarded and which ones will be met with… displeasure (spanking).

It is unfair and unjust for a leader to to have expectations that are not clearly communicated, but punished when not met. So if you communicate vision distinctly, and each team members’ responsibilities clearly… you have a great foundation for accountability. It’s that environment where you can really help those on your team soar to new heights!

Some will rise to the top! The ones who are sold out to the vision. They go the extra mile, they give sacrificially and never complain. These are your true warriors! Honor them at every opportunity. Praise them publicly, reward them openly, lavish them honestly!

But for the others… the ones that refuse to see the bigger picture. Whose minds and eyes are stuck in the “now.” They only see their inconvenience, their hurt, their pride and feelings of being over looked! Those are the ones you take to the side and SPANK! If you don’t it will spread like leaven! Others need to see… you do not reward Whiners!

If you ever make the mistake, and reward a whiner, or over look them because of the fear of what might happen, you are feeding your vision poison, and it will die a slow death! Whiners breed whiners!

It’s far better to honor and multiply your Warriors, than not spanking your whiners and let them breed!

I don’t know about you, but I have never known a great leader that didn’t know how to mange their greatest asset well… Their time. As you grow as a leader, your time becomes the most valued gift you can invest in others. If you don’t manage this asset well, your true ability and potential will never be known. Here are just three essentials I have found when it comes to managing my time…

1. System- You have to have a system! You have to have a system! Say it with me…”I have to have a system!” You can’t manage what you can’t measure. That is an old school business axiom but it is so true in the context of time management. I have used many systems over the years through being in sales to being a business owner and now a pastor and organizational leader. My systems have gone from paper (Daytimer 1-page/day) to electronic (the old Shark system) back to paper (Franklin planner 2-page/day) to now all tech with Mac, Iphone, Ipad, Things program, Ical & Evernote.

Whatever you use, it doesn’t matter as long as it works for YOU! And you use it at LEAST 2X/day!

2. Self-Control- This is the balloon buster right here. You could be dying from a disease, have the cure in your pocket and still die! Just because you have a system it does you no good unless you USE it! So don’t brag on the fact that you have a system if you aren’t using it, you may still be dying a slow death.

3. Sight- A good time management system will help keep your sights on the most important, not the most urgent. It will help you balance appointments, projects, family, relationships and God time. If there isn’t a written plan to keep these in balance and bring the important things to the front, only the “fires” will be addressed, and that is a sure fire recipe for burn out & failure.

These are just the three that I know need to be in place. I have you found another that would be helpful to me and someone else?

Leaders often find themselves in places where they aren’t sure what do to do next. What is the next step that needs to be taken. Strong leaders will have a pull in a certain direction because they “feel” that is the right thing to do, but what is the God thing to do? I have found that process evolves around 4 steps…

1. Confusion- God is not the author of this, but none the less we find ourselves here often. Many times it’s because we haven’t invested the necessary time to be quiet and listen to God, reading and praying. It takes time to drown out the distracting voices.

2.Conversation- If we are willing to not settle with walking in our own wisdom, we will have many conversations  with God, in many contexts and with other wise counselors as well. Talking through the options with others and listening and at times crying out to God is necessary.

3.Conviction- When you become convinced what God has next for you , that becomes a conviction. It becomes a part of you, it burns deep into your soul, and plants deep roots of faith and courage that will propel you forward knowing… “what God has called, God will complete!”

4. Construction- This is when you stop waiting and start building! You construct the very vision God has given. You put each block in place, with the Spirit by your side to guide. You flow in the power of God and not in your own strength. Suddenly the vision becomes a reality in ways you never thought imaginable! It will be completed in a way you cannot take credit for!

Can you think of another step you have had to take to discover the “next step?”