Monday, November 30, 2009

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!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

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.