Do Not Be a Christmas Goober

Most of us have certain songs, movies, locations, functions, clothes, etc. that we have come to intertwine with the Christmas season over the years. Many of us have looked with great expectation to those things to bring us warmth, memories, and/or happiness at this time of year.

While these things can lead to great and wonderful reflection (which they should), they can quickly become harmful when they become our hope for future joy. Future meaning tomorrow, the next day, or the next day. They will certainly be found wanting in the end.

Do not be a Christmas goober. A Christmas goober is someone who wants and wants and wants and wants all for themselves. Not just presents, but feelings. This year, do something that is for the interest of someone else that you normally would not do. Something supernatural. Not just a nice present, but something that may make you feel uncomfortable, but needs to be said or done.

Pslam 23 says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

Mark Batterson and Going Primal

I just received Mark Batterson's new book "Primal" as a free gift from him to lead pastors. First of all, that is an admirable thing to do. I believe he gave out thousands; all as a way of saying thanks to pastors. I plan/hope to remain focused enough as we launch Clarity not to loose the roots of personal generosity and kindness. It may sound funny to say that in planting a church you are in danger of losing those core qualities, but I believe it to be true. It's not hard to slip into being a full time minister and a part time follower of Christ... something I NEVER want to be.

"I couldn't help but wonder if we have diluted the truths of Christianity and settled for superficialities... The quest for the lost soul of Christianity begins with rediscovering what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strenth... Think of it as love to the fourth power." - Mark Batterson

Get the book at evotional.com.

Marriage Matters

It has been said, "It is easiest to be a phony follower of Christ at church and it is hardest to be a true follower of Christ at home." This rings very true for me, especially as my family expands now to a wife and little baby girl. As pressure and responsibility increase, it is so important for me to humble myself before my wife and commit to grow. Charisma (not that I have that much) won't get me by in my home life. I am learning that it is essential to put just as much (probably more) energy and effort into my marriage and family as it is any church plant, message, or job.

So if this applies to you too, lets put our focus where our focus ought to be... on the ones that God has entrusted to us and to whom we have made a beautiful covenant in love.

My beautiful wife, Jessica... now the most wonderful mother to our daughter, November.

Some of My Notes

...some of my notes from the last web series video in the "Dead Without You" series called "Rubber Meets Road." View the full message at claritylife.org. (sorry for the wrong lettering and numbering)

1. Religion is the enemy of the gospel....
2. Religion says I obey, therefore I am accepted. Gospel says I am accepted, therefore I obey. Both are trying to conform to the life of Christ, but for two utterly different reasons. They can look very similar.
3. Four distinct differences...

1. How they react to suffering

1. Religion- I must have messed up. Or God owes me, After all, I’m a good tax payer.
2. Gospel- God is allowing this, but I trust Him to work it for good. This is not my home.

1. How they react to criticism

1. Religion- As a religious person I must think of myself as a good person, because after all, I am earning salvation. So criticism hits me hard and personally attacks my effort.
2. Gospel- I am imperfect yet made perfect through Christ. Yes, I stink, but in him, I don’t, and neither do you so lets go.

1. Who’s in control

1. Religion- I am earning this through hard work therefore I have my rights. God can only ask so much of me, after all, this is my life.
2. Gospel- If this gospel is really true, I lose all my rights in him, while gaining a kingly inheritance at the same time, and God can ask anything of me at all!

1. How they view others

1. Religion- Acceptance is based solely on how hard I work, therefore, I must look down on the those I perceive as lazy and/or ineffective. There is an identity factor I’m looking for, maybe rich, maybe good looking, maybe having perfect doctrine or the perfect ideas, maybe being the best, etc. I scoff at all those beneath me.
2. Gospel- Since this is acceptance is a free gift I could never earn, I offer it to others freely without disdain or disapproval.

1. Accept that you are accepted and then work as one who has been given all things freely unto the one who gave it to you!
(Thankful for ideas borrowed from Tim Keller)

Rubber Meets Road

“You’re better off backing a mediocre idea that is brilliantly implemented than a brilliant idea that is badly executed.”

-Georges Doriot (Harvard Business School Director)

In other words.... you could have the best idea in the world, but without good execution, it is worthless. I have been thinking a lot about this truth as we are about to embark on a cross country move in the pursuit of an idea... that is, the Kingdom of God, the love of Jesus, the launch of a new church community, and the shifting of a culture. We could have all the best intentions and still end up accomplishing nothing if we are lazy or lukewarm. We must be obsessed with doing all things with excellence as unto the Lord of the heavens and the earth.

You can view the new video "Rubber Meets Road" and watch the full teaching at claritylife.org.

Check it!

The Humanity of It All

I have heard it said, "Ministry would be great without all the people."

I have also heard that after a long day of dealing with the human condition, one pastor said with a sigh, "I have been peopled."

These statements are very funny and soberingly true. When it comes to reality, we always have to deal with people. Sometimes we have a great vision that seems to only include faceless individuals that have no opinions, do not get offended, always tithe, always have a heart of service, do not stink, are not eccentric, and always have the greater good in mind. That's a church I want to be a part of!

In reality, the closer you get to people, the more you can smell their bad odors.

This does not mean we should throw the whole vision away! It means we must understand that no matter how much we try to be spiritual and Christ-like, there is still a humanity to this thing. The key is that love covers over a multitude of sins. The key is that our salvation is not a product of perfect religious living, but the gospel of grace. The key is that the beauty is in what God raises up from the ashes.

So learn to see past the humanity of it all into the potential of it all!

Dedication and Much More...

Today we dedicated Novi at the Lighthouse with lots of family and most of the Clarity team present! It was so much fun and she was adorable. We also got her on video seriously laughing for the first time.

My wife, my daughter, and I spent a week in LA recently and saw God open huge doors in the SoCal AG District, with some possible housing, with some possible students, with a radio station, and just in general as new Jesus followers in the area. Thanking Him for laying out the steps before us. Also got to hang with Nik Petrakis which was sweet...

Then Ryan Connell and I spent a day with Elevation at the Impart event in Charlotte, NC and loved every minute of it... learned a lot, got a lot of ideas together, and spoke a lot of vision.

Pray for us as we head to Florida this week for meetings and services regarding Clarity. It will be a long and FUN drive with my wife, my baby, my brother, and my sister in law.

Anticipation

When we live according to God's principles with a heart of humility backing it up, we can anticipate God-sized opportunity and provision. Jessica and I, along with the whole Clarity church plant team, are getting dangerously close to the big cross country move to LA. We have many possibilities, with zero certainties... other than the absolute assurance of God's Word.

We often long for a life of risk, adventure, and total trust... but don't want the difficult realities we face when actually taking steps forward. There will be worry that has to be taken captive and turned to trust, there will be fear that has to be taken captive and turned to expectation, and there will be anger that has to be taken captive and turned to compassion.

Jessica, Novi, and I are heading to LA this Saturday to meet with various community leaders that we will be working with. We are also presenting CLARITY to all the SoCal AG pastors... crazy opportunity. Lastly, we are connecting with possible students and networks for the new "Nathan Kollar School of Music."

Pray.

Thank you.

Opportunity Creators

Seth Godin posted this blog about qualities/skills that make us most desirable for employment and or opportunity.

You will never be out of work if you can demonstrably offer one of the following:

• Sales
• Additive effort
• Initiation

Sales speaks for itself. If you can sell enough to cover what you cost and then some, there will always be someone waiting to hire you.

Additive effort is distinguished from bureaucracy or feel-good showing up. Additive effort generates productivity far greater than the overhead you add to the organization. If your skills make the assembly line go twice as fast, or the sales force becomes more effective, or the travel office cuts its costs, then you've produced genuine value. That surly receptionist at the doctor's office--she's just filling a chair.

The third skill is the most difficult to value, but is ultimately the most valuable. If you're the person who can initiate useful action, if you're the one who makes something productive or transformative happen, then smart organizations will treasure you.

Top Ten

From Mark Batterson's Evotional Blog. Worth sharing...

I absolutely loved Chuck Swindoll. Pure wisdom! He shared ten life and leadership lessons.

1. It's lonely to lead
2. It's dangerous to succeed
3. It's hardest at home
4. It's essential to be real
5. It's painful to obey
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary
7. My attitude is more important than my actions
8. Integrity eclipses image
9. God's way is always better than my way
10. Christlikeness begins and ends with humility

Miracles

Wow. Jessica and I keep getting amazed by the things God is doing. I'm not hyper-super-overly-spiritual... meaning I don't just automatically sum everything up as "God did it," but it's hard to argue with some of these recent events.

One month ago I got a call from the National AG Children's Ministry Director, Jason Noble. They needed a worship team for their regional conference in Baltimore because the team they had cancelled last minute. They offered to cover everything, a great honorarium, and we were able to make it happen.

Well, the event happened this past week. Each band member I brought was also a part of the Clarity church plant team. After our last worship session, Jason, out of nowhere, challenged the attendees to give an offering to send five of our team members to the National Children's Ministry 5 day Conference in March of 2010 in St. Louis. As a result, they gave enough for flights, hotels, and registrations for five of our team members and several thousand extra that will go towards the launch of Clarity kids!!

I think God is getting our attention... and he wants to use us to reach some kids!

Less Crap, More Jesus

Jessica and I had the privilege of leading worship and sharing about Clarity at Ridgewood this past weekend. It was such a great time that was born from a brief meeting five months ago. They have a great vibe and we loved being a part of it. I look forward to a growing relationship with them! Also, while driving, we saw a great billboard that really summed it up... less crap, more Jesus.

Muscle

The human skeleton is perfect for performing the necessary human functions. Walking, lifting, running, pushing, balance, jumping, sitting, pulling, grabbing, hitting, etc. We then build muscle on that skeleton in order to do these things with proper efficiency. Imagine how tragic it would be to build all that muscle on a badly designed skeleton that could not perform the necessary functions. It would be like building your whole life (finances, relationships, career, dreams, priorities, etc.) on a foundation not designed by God. He’s the only one who foresees enough to design the perfect framework for your life to be built on. Without His foundation, you are like a bunch of good muscle being overworked with no results because the skeleton is faulty. Learn his way and go with it.

Surely Goodness

Did music and led worship at Family Life today. They are a community in Penns Valley that just went through a local homicide of a friend and a serious car accident involving their pastor and his family... he broke his collar bone and several ribs.

The song "Surely Goodness" from our Freemont album seemed to mean a lot. It is based on Psalm 23. This is also the song that has been picked up and recorded by Sarah Kelly and will be featured on her 2010 release. Just thought I'd share it with you...

Pastor KR and the congregation were a HUGE blessing to us... even in the midst of all their pain. We were honored to be there and seek God with them in tears.

Soooo Close... Updates

Oh boy... claritylife.org is so close to beginning our new clarity staff blog!!! My brother Josh is kickin butt and getting it all set up right now. This will be a non stop source of great new content, the latest happenings with us in LA, and life changing teaching.

A couple of recent happenings...

JR Mahon came and helped develop our team at Clarity Dev Take 1! We BBQ'd, prayed, worshipped, laughed, and learned tons about life, ministry, and rock and roll in LA! Check him out at www.hollywoodpastor.com.

Jessica and I did music and shared the vision at Mill City AG this morning and had a GREAT response and received wonderful support! Huge thanks to them!

We now have nine committed clarity staff members all moving together in January! What a team! Pray for us and send us cash :) ...for real.

More coming soon...

New Life

Well, I am thrilled that my new baby was born this past Tuesday at 8:01 PM! Her name is November Loren Kollar and we call her Novi for short! She was 7 lbs 14.6 oz 19.5 in long.

I was very involved in the birthing process and was my wife's coach. I have never seen such RESOLVE, DETERMINATION, FOCUS, TOLERANCE of PAIN, and FOLLOW THROUGH than what I saw in my wife, Jessica, who I now call the warrior princess! She was in a battle.

When the contractions got VERY severe and she felt like she was panicking, I would lean in close and coach her... "Stay in control, stay in control, breath in, breath out, you can do it." Every time this happened she would look up with such focus, get in control, and push through it. According to her, it would not have been possible without the coaching.

Today, maybe you feel like the pain and trials of life are just getting too strong and you are panicking. Pause and hear the voice of your heavenly coach saying, "Get in control, I created you on purpose, I have prepared a way for you, I have given you all the tools and power you need in the Word, breath in, breath out, get in control, I love you, You can do it!"

Leadership

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 15:22

Leadership is not about making decisions on your own. It’s about owning decisions once they are made. Learn from those who have been where you are going. Listen to those whom God has placed around you. Hear the counsel of many. Decide and follow through with integrity and perseverance.

Twitter baby...

I just signed up for a twitter account to better keep in touch and for a free giveaway for attendees of Impart at Elevation Church!

Check it out at twitter.com/nathankollar!

Soon...

The new site is soon coming and still being set up... we will get back into daily updates shortly... check back.

Countdown...

The reason for my absence is a soon-coming surprise. The countdown is set... it will be fresh, daily, and content-driven! It incorporates our whole CLARITY team. Check back soon.

Duck

I'll be taking this next week off from blogging as I will be on a family vacation in Duck, North Carolina... I'm hoping to see some wild horses and to grow closer with my family and Jesus.

I hate it when people think that being on vacation think it means they aren't responsible to still offer each day completely to the Lord. Anyone who thinks they need a vacation from God does not understand what it is to know Him.

In fact, vacations are the perfect opportunity to spend a lot of time relaxing, reflecting, seeking, and receiving.

NOW

"Because God lives in an everlasting now, He has no past and no future."

A.W. Tozer

Interesting that He who we were made to be like only has now (according to Tozer) . Often we either store up all our hope or fear in the future or live in the highs and lows of the past, missing here and now. 

Tomorrow will never come because when it does it will be today... so if you do not do, say, change, love, forgive, or defeat whatever it is you need to today, you never will. 

Now thankfully God offers us seemingly never ending second chances so we need not despair... rather, choose now to live here and now, making the MOST of every opportunity given you. You CAN walk in the direction you desire to... do it NOW! 

I Hope You are Being Disciplined!

Today I read in Hebrews chapter 12, verses 7-8...

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

I hope that you are in the process of being disciplined in some way by your heavenly Father. If not, you may not be His child. We often become angry, bitter, or full of accusation, and run away from God when enduring this discipline... when in fact, it should cause us to RECOGNIZE we are His children, REJOICE in it, and RUN even MORE into His arms! 

The real danger is if you feel no discipline from Him at all and begin to justify your sinful actions. If this is the case for you, then you need another shift from your thoughts about sin to His thoughts about sin... a true repentance that leads to an altered heart and altered actions. 

REJOICE in His discipline... child of God! 

MORE MORE MORE

Hebrews 2:1 reads "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."

We do not drift towards God, we drift away from Him. We do not drift towards holiness, but selfishness. We do not drift towards passion, but apathy. We not drift towards humility, but pride. We do not drift towards righteousness, but sinfulness.

This is why we are warned, pay MORE attention to what you have heard or you WILL drift away. Take notice of the word, "more." At first this closeness to Christ comes easy because it is brand new and revolutionary, but as normalcy creeps in (it is still brand new every day and revolutionary) but we must pay more attention to see it. 

How do we practically pay more attention to what we have heard... look at it, study it, read it, listen to it, memorize it, apply it, obey it, teach it, write it, hold it, speak it, more often and longer! 

Write it Down Sluggard

We had our second CLARITY meeting tonight and it was full of great surprises from the gifted and passionate team members! 

One such idea I have heard, but haven't practiced for years... Kyle said we should hand write chapters of the bible verse for verse like the scribes used to... and in doing so, we just may notice, learn, and retain more. I agree.

I say... anything that helps us deal with, handle, and fill ourselves more with the word is a good thing and worth the effort! We'll be starting with the book of mark...  

Weekend Mobile Shots

Some fun mobile shots I thought you may enjoy from our weekend in Ohio (In No Particular Order) Mama and Baby Elephant / JR Mahon and Family (Plus Personal Chef Ben :) / Talli MacDonald the Princess / ...a bonus of Josh's Half Hair Cut (not from Ohio)  

Wonderful Wonder

This a great article that I wanted to pass along from Graham Cooke's website...

Wonderful Wonder 

Jesus’ own sense of wonder surfaced whenever He saw others who walked in innocence and purity. One of the few times Jesus said “behold”—or, as we would term it, “wow”—was when He first met Nathanael, a man who later became one of His disciples. “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Jesus exclaimed in John 1:47 (King James Version).

What did Jesus see in Nathanael? He saw a man without deceit. The Message version of the Bible translates Jesus as saying, “There's a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.” Jesus saw his innocence and loved it.

Innocence is a quality we are born with and then slowly lose through the experiences of our life. Every time we have one of those bitter experiences, as we call them, a part of our purity erodes away. The way we think and perceive things in the spirit withers as we become guarded, wary, mistrustful, and suspicious. When another bitter experience occurs in our life, another layer of grime is placed on our sense of wonder. Given enough time, we become unsure that we were ever innocent. Meanwhile, we look at everyone around us and see the worst.

Read the rest of this article at grahamcooke.com under the May Newsletter 2009.  

Celebrate... don't Compete

We ought to always celebrate the gifts of our brothers and sisters in Christ. There can be no room for feeling threatened or in competition with them. If you can't sincerely rejoice in the success of others for the sake of the Kingdom than you actually have no part in the Kingdom at all... you only have the APPEARANCE of being a part of it, but lack the true power therein (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

I am determined that CLARITY will be a... "I am happy to see my brother or sister rise up to be so blessed, so talented, and truly successful far beyond me for the sake of the Kingdom and the glory of my Father kind of place!" 

That being said... here's a beautiful lyric that one of our team members wrote while in prayer about CLARITY...  

VERSE

Father, Holy Father, 

We’re learning to  trust in all your ways 

Jesus, precious Jesus, 

May we forget not, the price that you’ve paid

PRE-CHORUS

We’re coming back, Coming back to you

CHORUS

We’re running after you, In everything we do

Jesus take our lives, Make us new

We’re falling in your arms, We’re falling in your heart

Touching the Father, The spirit and the son

VERSE 2

Spirit, Holy Spirit, We’re learning again 

To follow after you, People, holy people 

Make loud the heart of the kingdom

Don't Come Out Until You Have Won

My wife and I just chased a huge fly around our bedroom for about 10 minutes trying to swat it with a newspaper and a maternity magazine. It was a crafty one that knew it was fighting for its life. At one point it flew into our walk-in closet, so I jumped in after it and shut the door behind me. I was determined not to come out until I had killed it. It took some time, demanded my best effort, and I walked out victorious. 

This is how we have to treat the nasty flies of offense, bitterness, and addiction. Lock yourself in the prayer closet and don't come out until you have won. Those pests are determined NOT to die and it comes down to either you... or them. Or should I say, the Spirit of God in you... or your sinful flesh. 

This is where the BATTLE of the spiritual realm is fought; in the ditches where you are wrongfully accused, on the grounds where you are cursed because of Christ, and in the caves where the pride of life, the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the flesh rear their seductive ugly head at you. DON'T COME OUT UNTIL YOU HAVE WON. Denounce all things that hold you back from Christ. 

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Matthew 6:6 

Sound and Image

There are people in my life that greatly influenced me in very spiritually formative years... I will never forget them. Even their look and sound trigger my spiritual radar. 

If I happen to see a picture of them or hear their voice on a phone call, it reminds me that God is here, His Word is true, I can seek Him, I can find Him, and I can be found vibrant in His Spirit. Even their memory encourages me to be more disciplined, to want to turn away from every hint of sin, and to give my all in this very moment for the cause of the Kingdom. 

THANK GOD FOR THOSE PEOPLE AND THEIR PASSION...

So this leads me to the question... What are those around me walking away with? How will they be effected when they see me, hear me, and remember me? HOW ABOUT YOU... TODAY? 

WE CAN DO THIS BY BEING UMIXED IN OUR PASSION and OVERFLOWING WITH THE WORD OF GOD. 

In the Bathroom and on Stage

You never know where or how the preparation for effective ministry takes place... this is "Creative Team Building" at its best... more coming soon... thanks to Nick VanScoten for these shots... 

First Clarity Meeting and the Need for Discipline

Had our first Clarity meeting today with thirteen possible launch team members... it was ridiculously good! Details, pics, and vids coming soon... 

One of the more memorable things that arose (for me) was the need to heed the warning of Proverbs 13:4... "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." 

EVERYONE craves, but ONLY the diligent are fully satisfied. It's not as much about you needing great DESIRE, it's more about you needing great DISCIPLINE. All those who are effective in life and in the Kingdom are those of great discipline. So decide right now, will you be one of those? Only your actions can answer that question...

Last Sunday at Lighthouse

Preached three services this morning, lead worship for three services this morning, spoke my final words to LWPC, hugged about 10,000 people, almost lost my voice, watched the hilarious kidnapped video of Josh and I, the slideshow montage of Jessica and I, Tara and Patty the Puppet, listened to "California Preaching," Heather and Matt's "Nathan's Life Story" song, Double Trouble's original Hip Hop masterpiece just for us, received awesome prayer for the L.A. team, and ate my face on a chocolate cake... it's conclusive, I couldn't have had a better last day on staff at Lighthouse...

Photos and videos coming shortly... too tired right now. 

Thank you everyone for an absolutely AMAZING time!

Last Saturday Night Before a Sunday Morning at Lighthouse

Late Saturday nights have been habitually amazing times of prayer, revelation, and expectation as I prepare to minister the following Sunday morning at LWPC. I can recall many songs that were written and many tears that were shed. 

One of the most memorable was about three and a half years ago when I was at the church at 1 AM and had just finished my last minute preparations to the stage and the Song Show Plus presentation. I took great pleasure in everything being in order and ready for the morning, and then sat at the baby grand piano and just began singing "O that someone like You would love someone like me, O that someone like you would die to set me free, O that someone like You is there so faithfully, You're a selfless savior, and You're exactly what I need." Then the verses began to pour out just as fast. They were a desperate cry from a low place that I wasn't necessarily experiencing in that moment, but I felt it all the same. Turns out, when I sang it the next morning in service (just 8 hours later), God used it to FREE someone from serious suicidal thoughts and intentions! How amazing... they approached me weeping and felt the song was directly from God for them... which it was. 

I went on to record it, sing it to minister in many churches and services, and perform it at GMA's Music in the Rockies as a top three finalist for worship song of the year. 

... just one of the memories that is now bitter sweet as this season comes to a close. 

A Day of Miracles and How to Get the Right Perspective

Today I rested well, breathed in divine life before my feet hit the ground, awoke to my beautiful wife, spoke to my soon-to-be-born daughter, relaxed with my family, spent time with my heavenly Father, had a birthday dinner for my Mom's fiftieth (Happy Birthday Mom... you are sooo loved), had to do some work even though it was my day off, by God's grace was able to to allow the Spirit of God to bear fruit through me despite myself, was tempted but overcame it as God provided a way out (as He ALWAYS does), hung out with my mother-in-law and my twin sister's-in-law, and took in the beauty of sunshine and a rain storm within three hours of each other!

THIS DAY WAS FAR FROM SPECTACULAR TO MOST, BUT WITH THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE IT WAS NOTHING BUT MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE THAT COULD ONLY BE ORCHESTRATED AND DELIVERED BY GOD. 

I believe that life should be lived with eyes wide open to the wonder and adventure of following Jesus. It's so sad when I meet people who live with eyes sealed shut to anything and everything God has placed before them. You may need to BREAK THROUGH the things that are blocking your view. 

If you feel stale and blocked, here are three self-examination questions to help you break through to the right perspective (borrowed from Jeff Leake)...

1.  Is there a SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE that I need to renew or launch?  Maybe a fast?  Tackle a memorization challenge?  Commit to a Bible reading plan?  Establish a more consistent devotional time and place?

2.  Is there an EXPERIENCE I could pursue?  Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?  Have you participated in a Missions Trip?  Have you been prayed over lately?  Have you prayed for someone else?  Maybe you need to have an extended time of solitude?  A day to seek God?  

3.  Is there a RISK - a STEP OF FAITH that I need to take?  What has God asked you to do and you have not yet obeyed?  What promise do you need to declare in spite of what you see?  Where is Jesus calling you to follow?  A new adventure?  Sharing your faith?  Praying for the sick?  Stepping out as a Small Group Leader or a Volunteer?