Connection Point Recap...Four Weeks 'Til Preview

It was great connecting over the weekend with the fired up gang set to launch our new Elkhart Campus. In case you missed the meeting, here's the info you need to know:

• First Preview Service - September 14th, 9:30am (at Encore Theater).
  

• Volunteer Team Opportunities: If you haven't committed to a Volunteer Team yet, we have a place for you! (Go here and click on 'Wanna Volunteer' for sign up and orientation schedules) Biggest Opportunities:

• Children's Ministry - Small Group Teachers, workers for 2-4 year olds class
  
• Guest Services - Traffic Team, Children's Check-In

• Second Saturday - September 13th, 9am-12pm. Second Saturday is GCC's monthly service project. We'll invade the Encore Theater campus for a huge makeover. Come make an impression by helping trim bushes, clean sidewalks, spread mulch, clean windows - and much more.

Anyone else excited? :)

Orange T-shirt People - Unite!

Hey "Granger-Community-Church-Elkhart-Campus-Impact-People" (wow…try putting that on a business card!)

Two big things to participate in this weekend at GCC:

• Wear Your Shirt. If you have an orange “Got a Seat Yet?” t-shirt, wear it this weekend! Our Granger Campus will be encouraged by the Elkhart Campus presence!

• Attend a Connection Point Meeting. These will be 30 minute information meetings with launch updates & opportunities to connect with our team leaders. We’ll meet in the Great Room:
• Saturday evening – 6:45-7:15pm (between the services)
• Sunday morning – 10-10:30am (after the 9:00 service, before the 10:30 service)

So be here. and be ORANGE.

Do you realize that FOUR weeks from this Sunday we’ll be meeting as a church campus?! Are you fired up?! I am – I can’t wait to experience what God has planned for us in Elkhart!

The Biggest News Coming Out of China

Oh this is much bigger than the Olympics.

Leslee's sister Denise (pictured) and her husband Dave returned from China last week with far more than any Olympic athlete will come home with. They came home with they're newly adopted princess, Gracelyn.

We helped celebrate baby Gracelyn's first birthday in Indy last week, just one day after her arrival in the states. And I can tell you - she is absolutely beautiful and absolutely loved.

Dave and Denise are determined to shower their new daughter with love and joy, and to give her a wonderful home where Jesus is the center.

Good for them.

And good for Gracelyn.

I Just Registered...

For the Multi-site Exposed Conference next Month in Chicago. I'll invest two days away from my family and my routine for this training.

Why?

• We're just weeks away from launching our new campus - and the stakes are high. We want to get it right...this is kingdom work.

• We refuse to be unprepared or haphazard with the responsibility God's given us.

• As the Campus Pastor responsible for shaping the culture of GCC-Elkhart, I'm determined to access every tool and every resource I can for training. And this is a great lineup of men I can learn from with vast experience in church leadership and multi-campus ministries.
  

I'm looking forward to receiving advice and instruction on how to be more effective and more impacting in the role God has placed me in.

Proverbs 19:20 - Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.

What I'm Praying For

The clock is ticking, the launch is getting closer. Here's where we stand today:

September 14 (5 weeks) - Preview Service #1 ('dress rehearsal')
September 21 (6 weeks) - Preview Service #2
September 28 (7 weeks) - Commissioning Celebration at Granger Campus
October 5 (8 weeks) - Elkhart Campus Official Launch

I can't wait.

For obvious reasons, I find myself on my knees frequently these days. I get asked occasionally what my hope or prayer is for the Elkhart Campus. As we prepare to birth this new faith community, here's what I've been praying for:

• For the families and individuals who are enthusiastically answering the call to join the launch team - that we will experience rich unity, that our current enthusiasm will be contagious, and that we will be people of expectation.
• For our leadership team - for us to have wisdom, courage, protection, influence, health, balance, and joy.
• For the children of our leadership team - that they will be blessed and love Jesus because of what they see in their parents.
• For God's favor to be displayed in ways we can't describe and only He could claim.
• For increased resources (read: money) to effectively reach increased people.
  
• For key relationships to be forged in the community that leads to holistic impact.
• For people to be transformed by Jesus on DAY ONE.
• For us to keep a laser focus as to why we're launching this campus. It isn't about convenience or luxury...it's about impact and transformation.
• For us to be passionate about the things that Jesus is passionate about.

Will you pray this with me?

The list will no doubt grow. What else would you add?

Apparently, The kids next door...

Thought I needed help mowing my lawn.

Either that or it's a new form of alien communication.


Click on the pics to make 'em bigger - that way you can fully appreciate it. No idea what was going on (or where their mom and dad were), but they zig-zagged a good 15 feet into my yard.

Yep, the mow lines are real. And they're spectacular.

Summit Notes - Gary Haugen: "Just Courage"

Gary Haugen – Just Courage: Charging the Darkness (CEO & Founder, International Justice Mission)

Note: I had never heard of Gary Haugen before. But this session was powerful. This one and Craig Groeschel's were the most impacting sessions for me personally. (Find Groeschel's notes here.)

Focus on Leadership that matters to God. The Bible is full of leadership that means nothing to God (ie. Pharisees, Saul)

Just because I’m leading, and just because people are following, doesn’t mean I’m leading them in something that matters to their Maker. Ask:

• Are Jesus and I really interested in the same things?
  
• What is God most passionate about?

1.The World.
Most difficult thing for the world to believe about God? That He is good….they’re in so much pain.

God’s plan for making it believable? Us – we are the instrument, the solution. And He doesn’t have another plan. (Matt. 5:16)

2. Injustice.
I’m trained as an American to always think I’m a victim of Injustice. But in the Bible, Injustice refers to an abuse of power. Taking from the weaker, neglecting the needs of the oppressed.

27 million in the world live in literal slavery. (starved, raped, beaten). How do they ever believe that God is good?

2 million children worldwide held in prostitution (source: Unicef)

Psalm 11 – The Lord is righteous. He loves justice. If He’s so passionate about it, why isn’t He doing anything about it? The Bible teaches a surprise – we’re the plan. And again, He has no other plan. (Micah 6:8; Isaiah 1:17)

If you want your leadership to matter, lead in the things that matter to God.

I would rather lead people in things that feel cheerful, and safe and easy. But is that where real leadership takes place? Leadership that matters to God? How do we lead when the work of God feels discouraging, frightening and difficult?

• What have we learned about leading when the task seems HOPELESS?

• When the task seems hopeless, we lead by re-centering the basis of our hope.
  
• We remember this – if God is passionate about getting it done, then He is also responsible for getting it done. (Jesus feeding 5000 – “I love how the disciples are so patient to explain to Jesus when He doesn’t understand the size of the problem”)
• Sit in the paralysis of despair? No. Jesus asks, ‘what do you have? Give it to me’. He didn’t ask them for what was NEEDED, he asked them for what they HAD, all they had.
• Hopelessness doesn’t give us an escape route…we lead with courage
  

• What have we learned about leading when the task seems FRIGHTENING?
• Jesus did not come to make us safe, He came to make us brave.
  
• If what I’m doing feels safe, I might actually check to make sure that it’s Jesus I’m following. (Like football – if there aren’t hits, I’m not on the field)
• Don’t ‘go on the trip without experiencing the adventure’.
• People don’t get hurt looking at the pictures, there is no risk. But they also don’t feel the rush of discovery and the adventure of reaching the summit. They don’t have stories.
• Jesus tells us to follow beyond our control, beyond our competencies and power. And there we’ll experience HIM, and His love and power.
• Does this mean to abandon what I do well? No – they’re gifts from God. But he wants us to take these gifts on a more demanding climb. A climb where we need Him, where we experience Him.
  

• What have we learned about leading when the task seems HARD?
• Choose Not to be Safe – take our gifts, passions and strengths beyond safety and control to a place where we clearly and desperately need God.
• Is this evident in my prayer life?
• Is this evident in my decision making?
  
• My investments of time, treasure?

• Do I believe that Jesus really knows where the Joy is, and I’m willing to trust Him?
• Seek Deep Spiritual Health – the transformational power of the demanding climb is that it requires deep spiritual health. Millions of Jesus followers follow an easy, routine ‘walk’. My spiritual life becomes a list of things I do to get them done. Contrast – devotional exercises on ‘the climb’ have a different feel. It’s one of desperation. ("I’m not going to survive this climb without these exercises!") Want to ignite passion in those you lead? Lead them on a journey that will absolutely require them to depend on God.
  

Prayer and Study in your life: We’ve realized that there isn’t much that is going to get done, unless we spend an hour a day doing nothing.

Choose to Pursue Excellence – Christ followers should be the hardest thinking, most creative, biggest pursuers of excellence. We’ve exchanged excellence for ‘loving’ and ‘godliness’, and they are not mutually exclusive. Doing is about motivation as well as execution. Reset the bar – study, evaluate. All the while pursuing deep spiritual health and choosing not to be safe.

Choose to Seize the Joy – Dallas Willard: “the first thing to disappear when spiritual health departs is laughter.” Recognize God’s extraordinary humor of employing such flawed humans as us as the means of transforming the world.

Something is wrong if Jesus’ yoke is light and my burden is heavy.

Leaders should lead in celebration, laughter, play, hilarious generosity…the joy of the Lord is our strength. Willard: “Holy delight and joy is the great antidote to despair.” Jesus: "these things I say that your JOY may be full."

Freedom and deliverance is being found around the world because the church is showing up. The church is being God’s plan. The plan He desired. His only plan.

“My prayer for us is that in a world of so much suffering and need, that God won’t leave us just opening jam jars. He’ll lead us from all things petty and lead us the change a world because of the goodness that they see in us.”

Summit Notes - Bill Hybels, High Drama of Decision Making

We teach leadership unapologetically from a Christian perspective.

How many decisions do I make on a daily basis? So much of leadership is decision making, and those decisions often have high stakes. This is part of what leaders do. They make tough, tough decisions.

Traditionally, Christian leaders go through four questions:

• Does the Bible say anything about this? (I am never embarrassed to admit how critical the Bible is in my decision making.)

• What would smart advisers advise me to do? (Prov. 11:14) – doesn’t mean you always follow it; at the end of the day you must make the decision, but it’s wise to seek and listen to wisdom. (wise council + wise decision…both crucial)

• What have I learned from the Pain, Gain, Experience of previous decisions? (reflecting on previous choices - the pain I brought to the organization gives me pause) Huge fan of journaling – not just God’s work/movement, but your decision making process.

• Is the Spirit prompting me in a way I need to pay attention to? (Rom. 8:6) When you’re heading in the right direction, even when it’s busy/overwhelming - there will be life and peace, serenity. (Test a ‘trial’ decision…is peace the result? Anxiety?)

Leaders cannot be decision averse. They can’t be passive. And they must take responsibility for the decision made.

The next level?
Develop leadership proverbs and axioms to create trigger responses in your decision making. They will shape you and your leadership.

• Example: Abraham Lincoln - “The best way to destroy my enemy is to turn him into my friend.”

• Example: Bob Galvin – “Create motion for motions sake.” Get moving! Action is better than inaction…it leads to something, somewhere new. Energy will dissipate over time unless a leader continues to propel motion in the organization.

• Colin Powell axioms: Check your ego at the door. Promote a clash of ideas. Reward your best performers, get rid of your non-performers.

Borrow axioms from others? Sure. But they will never be as powerful as the ones you identify and develop yourself.

Some of Hybels' axioms:

• Vision Leaks.

• Get the right people around the table and we’ll be fine. (ask: as a leader, do I still believe this?
• Have a Faith Injection. “The people we lead will feed off your courage, your faith, your belief that what we do as a church is a world changing force”.

• Facts are your friends.

• When something feels funky, engage. (when something’s festering…don’t believe it will go away. It will grow fangs…)
  

• Leaders call fouls. (offer a mulligan) They need to call fouls on themselves. When you do, when you take responsibility - grace is extended. Everything flips over. Patience is extended, trust and hope are restored.

• Take a flier. Means ‘take a calculated risk’.

Every church needs an action plan that takes your breath away, that rocks your churches world. The leader casts that, and people will respond.

If you cast the vision, and go in with prayer and belief – it can/will happen.

• (axiom) This IS church. (the meetings and tasks vs. the interruptions and people)

Growing Christians say: “God bless my program”
Christ Centered Christians say: “I no longer count my life as dear to myself; it’s not my program, it’s all Him, all His.”

Does criticism hurt? Yes. Does decision making come with being misunderstood? Yes.

In Closing Prayer - “Rain down that encouragement that our future can be different from our past.”

Leadership Summit: Interview with Brad Anderson

Session: An Uncompromising Focus on People
(Bill Hybels Interview of Brad Anderson, CEO of Best Buy)

I wasn't prepared for leadership, wasn't 'trained'. I stumbled into it - was given an opportunity. So I realized that I was either I was a lucky genius, or there are actually LOTS of people out there with leadership ability that is untapped.

Employee Engagement - the level of engagement of an employee in his or her work directly affects their quality of work.

True leaders enjoy the achievement of those they lead more than their own achievement.

Geek Squad has grown from 16 employees to over 16,ooo. Why? Because we saw what was previously a liability (repair service) and saw it as an opportunity.

One of the hypothesis I have about the church is that we try to separate things that aren't inseparable. For example, when we have an employee who is hurt or frustrated, we're going to have a production problem. It's directly related.

I've never thought I was born to do this. I identify with Moses; he could give a long list of why he couldn't do the job, but in the end he was called to do it.

How do you fire up someone who's lost motivation? Go back to their base. Does he/she truly believe in the core significance of their work?

Money is a powerful incentive...but thin.

A key company value we have - family comes before work.

ROWE - Results Oriented Work Environment. Many people occupy a position but aren't producing any results.

Why your commitment to reading? (he has a reputation of being a rigorous reader)

• To learn why things happen.
  
• To constantly refresh myself as a leader.
  
• To cause me to reflect on my story and my life, my contribution

Does everyone at Best Buy know Brad Anderson is a Christ-follower? I believe alot of people can tell I'm a Christian by what they see. But I move forward in engaging my faith based on permission from the other party.

Four Core Values at Best Buy:

• have fun while being the best
• unquestioned integrity
• learn through challenge and change
• unleash the power of your people

(Hybels to Anderson) Much of the success I see in you is your relational connectivity with your employees. you're genuine, and they know it.

When you go to church on Sunday morning, what do you hope to experience? To get touched by something I didn't expect, to experience the Holy Spirit.

Leadership Summit - Bill Hybels: "Relentless"

Bill Hybels - Closing Session: Relentless

quick note: he hasn't even started into his session yet, but man - Hybels BLEEDS passion. Is he perfect? No. But he leads in a way of passion and courage that inspires. He takes this very serious and wants each of us to as well.

II Chronicles 6:9 - Am I the kind of person who is lighting up the radar screen of heaven by my yieldedness.

Too many leaders want to lead a 'bigger deal' than they want to fulfill the desires of God

If you were God for a day, would you pick you to be his instrument for changing the world?

The issue - carte blanche yieldedness to God.

Mother Theresa: "God has spoken; I will refuse Him nothing."

What do I do when God taps me on the shoulder and tells me to step up?

There is a direct corrilation between carte blanche yieldedness and receiving a fresh assignment from God. Refuse God nothing...you will never regret it.

Callings are precious commodities. They are Holy things.

Mother Theresa in seasons of desert, not feeling God's presence: "Even though I don't feel His presence, I will seek to love Him as He has never been loved."

Leadership Summit Notes - Craig Groeschel

Gotta post this one right away. Wow - Great session...lots of notes - I know the temptation to skip this but don't. Take 5 minutes to be challenged.

(Session from Craig Groeschel - Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, 13 campuses nationwide)

• Ever walk into a church that is dead? Didn't have IT? Ever been to the opposite...a church that has IT?
• IT isn't about size, building, location, budget. When we started, we didn't have anything that people think they need to 'do church' today. But we had IT. There was an overwhelming sense of the presence and the spirit of God in an incredible way.
• What is IT? Don't know. :) But here are my theories and observations:
• IT is God's alone to give. we can't make IT or manufacture IT - but we can kill IT.
• IT can't be taught, IT is often caught.
• IT is not a system, IT is not a model. IT can be found in any church, any where.
• Where you see IT - you will see transformed lives.
• If you have IT, you will likely be criticized, misunderstood.
  
• Bad news - if you have IT, doesn't mean you'll keep IT.
  
• Good news - if you don't have IT, doesn't mean you won't or can't get IT.
• Acts 2 - the early church had IT.
  

Four qualities of organizations that have IT:

• Laser Focus. what can our church be the very best at? In order to reach people who are not being reached, you'll have to do things that you aren't currently doing. And you can't do what everyone is doing. We don't need 287 average ministries at our church. We need ministries that PRODUCE mature disciples. So ask - what are we doing that we need to stop doing?
• See Opportunities where others see Obstacles. Those who have IT realize that they have everything they need to do everything God wants them to do. The old saying, God guides by what he provides. True? Yes. But he also guides by what he doesn't provide. So - ask what is God trying to show me through my greatest limitation?
• Willing to Fail. Failure is not an option? wrong. Failure is a necessity. It's often the first step in seeing God. Peter could tell you. Failure on the water, failure denying Christ, then 3000 saved...shake off the failure. Shake it off and step up!! Just because you fail at something does not mean that you are a failure. Get out of the boat. So ask - what has God called you to do that you're afraid to attempt? When are you going to do it?
  
• Led by People who have IT. The leader needs to have IT for the ministry to get IT. A leader who doesn't focus on what brings people in, or focus on what's comfortable, but has a focus on what honors God.
  

For a season I didn't have it...I realized I had become a full-time pastor and a part-time Christian.

If you don't have IT, what will you do to get IT? Will you wrestle with God? Will you give up sleep? Will you fast and pray?

My thoughts...Craig just nailed it. God give me IT. Give us IT. Give us focus. Give us power. Give us increased influence and the courage to use that influence. Give us transformation. Give us failures (gulp), and the faith to push through and learn from those failures. Forgive my lack of faith, forgive moments of complacency...make me a leader who passionately pursues after you! God, for your fame and yours alone...give us IT.

Leadership Summit

Leslee and I are attending Willow's Leadership Summit (yesterday and today). Great stuff - great equipping. Day two starts in about 12 minutes, but wanted to pass on five of the biggest take aways for me from yesterday's sessions:

• Leaders cannot be decision averse. They can't be passive. And they must take responsibility for the decisions made. (Bill Hybels)

• Just because I’m leading, and just because people are following, doesn’t mean I’m leading them in something that matters to their Maker. Are Jesus and I really interested in the same things? (Gary Haugen)
  

• The biggest leadership mistakes leaders make is not in how they lead others, but in how they lead themselves. (Bill George)

• If I truly believe in the cause, it becomes easy to ask others and lead others to sacrifice for the cause, to believe in it with me. (Wendy Kopp)

• When Jesus comes back, that’s ultimate justice. Until then, it’s just-us. We ARE God’s plan to bring transforming justice and love to this world. (Efrem Smith)
  

Great stuff. Looking forward to day two.

Want a huge summary of notes? Go to Mark Beeson's blog - he's posting his entire collection of notes from each session.

Big take away #6 from yesterday: I love following a pastor who has experienced God's favor on the level Mark has but is still taking notes. Always a student. Always.

Worth Repeating

While riding in the car with Lauren last week, she started singing (she loves the arts - music, dance). I told her she has such a beautiful voice.

She smiled and said - "Daddy, everyone has a beautiful voice."

That's a Hoot

Saw this on our trip last week. In Nashville, Indiana - a little town in the southern part of the state...apparently the Lord has a parking lot:

Back from Vacation

Had a great time away with my wife on vacation. We've decided Louisville is a cool city - especially when you don't have the kids along.

We celebrated our 14th anniversary during our trip. I took Leslee to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse...I figure if she's put up with me for 14 years she deserves a great steak, right? (we had to sell our car and two children to pay for dinner - but man is that good food). The place was AWESOME - it was on the 16th floor, gorgeous view. And I'm not just talking about my wife. :)

Great time in Louisville...excited to be back home.

Renee Stroud - Our Children's Ministry Rock Star

Children's programming is a huge deal to us at GCC. Huge. A large amount of time and resources go into making our children's hour one of the best hours of any kids' week!

At GCC-Elkhart, our All Stars program will be crucial to the impact and success of our campus. That's why I'm so thrilled that Renee Stroud has stepped up to lead this ministry! Leslee and I have loved connecting with Renee over the last couple of months. She's a person who loves Jesus, learns systems super fast, is a great leader, and is a blast to work with.

I'm so proud of her. I'm so glad she's on our team.

Interested in helping Renee in the All Stars? Great! Go here to sign up for her volunteer team (click on the 'Wanna Volunteer' in the top right corner). Do it now! We have some crucial areas of leadership that we still need help in. And not only will you get to work with some amazing kids, but you'll get to work with Renee!

I have a seven year old daughter and a nine month old son. I'm so glad they'll get to experience Renee's love for Jesus and love for children through our All Stars ministry.

Let Me Introduce You to a GREAT Reason

This is Matt, Brian, and Deb. We had a big picnic Sunday in Elkhart, and here's the cool news - Matt gave his life to Jesus at the picnic!

In the middle of all the activity going on, Matt approached Brian with questions about prayer and faith. At a picnic. Next thing I knew, Brian and his wife Vicki were in a circle praying with Matt and Deb. As word spread, I got to be one of the guys giving Matt a big bear hug in celebration - he's become a new follower and lover of Jesus!

Mark Beeson, GCC's Senior Pastor, was approached this week by someone asking this question: "Give me one Biblical reason for your decision to launch a new site in Elkhart. Just one."

This was Mark's response. It was a great one.

My response?

Matt.

And there are thousands of other reasons all around Elkhart that I pray will know soon just how much they matter to God.

Welcome to the family, Matt.

Ahh...Vacation with my baby

Leslee and I are heading out tomorrow for a few days of rest (and to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary). We're heading to the vacation hot-spot of America.

Louisville, of course.

Ok, maybe it's not the vacation hot-spot. But it's two hours from Bloomington, where Leslee's parents have graciously offered to keep Lauren and Garrett for us. So it may as well be the Bahama's to us! :)

There's a couple of blog posts coming out in the next few days that I've prepared, but other than that I'll be taking a 'blog break' through next week. As much as I love you guys, I love my wife even more. Looking forward to sharing a bunch of moments like this with my bride.

Only without the orange shirts. That would just be weird.

Now This is a Good Match

Jason and Trace...on the BIG Screen

In their spare time Jason Miller and Trace Rorie have been in Hollywood shooting some footage. It's for a soon-to-be-released blockbuster called "GCC in Elkhart".

I give it two thumbs up. :)

Just returned from a tech visit at Encore. Listen, this thing is going to be amazing! Powerful seeing and hearing our team lead worship. You're going to love the worship experience at the theater.