Church leaders, let's make sure our vision doesn't omit giants.

There were giants in the Israelites' promised land. We often paint vivid pictures of our vision that are all glorious and easy, but the reality is that a bigger vision means bigger responsibilities and bigger battles. Let's make sure our vision for ministry considers the giants and demonstrates how we will fight them from a position of strength. A vision for our future that does not take into consideration giants to be fought, is just a dream. A vision that ensures battle-readiness, is part of God's equipping for living out His plans on earth.

I just want to give a huge thanks to all who have been praying. Michele is doing great after her surgery. She has had years of issues that are now behind us. We are very excited! Thank you, Lord!

Hey guys, asking for your help in prayer as my wife goes in for intestinal and gallbladder removal surgery in the morning. Huge thanks!!!

I know, it has been a long time. It has been a great season though. A few things of note...

MinistryCom.org: Terrell Sanders, you rock! Thank you so much for allowing me to share my heart with a great group of church leaders at MinistryCom. Church communicators and leaders need to make this an annual trek.

As well, same for NACBA.net and Rob Leacock. It is such a pleasure to sit down with people who have lived their whole lives advancing the Kingdom and yet have the drive of someone who is just getting started—true inspirations!

COMING UP...

Excited about speaking this next week (Nov 11-12) at En-Thuse in Liverpool, England. If you can make it, it is going to be a great time. I'm excited about what God is doing with this team of savvy business giants who have a passion for Him.

Pardon my deep, verbose interjection. I know this post seems about 5 years too late, but I am feeling quite pensive and need to brain dump... If you know me, you will see this as my need to analyze everything... well?

As a former Windows PC user (I am still one via Parallels on my MacBook), I recently began to identify the roots of MY previous Mac hatred. I do not suggest that these are the roots of other Mac-haters—but they rang true for me. When I was a PC user (6+ years ago), I was the answer man. Problems came—I fixed them. Confusing and troubling things took place—I was the one they called. Build a network, or upgrade a video card—I was your man. I had adapted my logic to flow with PC logic—stair-stepped, regimented, process-based logic. I had the “If this, then that” flow chart embedded in my brain. The longer I used PC’s the more I knew advanced levels of PC logic that I used to impress others and prove my (perceived) superior intellect.

I realize now that I had developed a large amount of my self worth from the problem solving that came as a result of my PC mastery. What is fascinating, is that now that I use Mac, I do not ever get those calls. I am not the “go-to” guy anymore. I cannot begin to describe how liberated I am from that grind—the grind that used to define my self worth. As a Mac user, the problem solving I do and the building I do is in using the computer as a tool and mastering the end result. The tool has become a solid instrument, like a vice grip in my hand. PC used to be the thing I worked "on". Mac is what I work "with". This helps me to understand the PC IT person dilemma. When no one needs to fix the computer, how am I still important? 

Now if you read that as a shot aimed at PC IT people, please rethink. What made me write this is that I (for some random reason) was thinking about PC's and realized how much of my previous self worth came from my knowledge of them. It is a shot at how we find our value in anything that is subject to change.

Have you ever placed your value in something that was changing on you? Do you know the feeling of having your job be replaced by a computer, or of your industry becoming obsolete—or maybe—just maybe—of being a pastor who sees his church dwindling while all these "new" churches are now thriving in your community. There is only one thing that we can find our value in that does not change. It is in Christ alone—not in what we do and not in how we do it. He will never be obsolete. He alone makes us valuable. All the jobs might be moved offshore to another country, the worship style you lead might be replaced, but He will never leave you and thus you will never lose your value.

Our true value is in the person He has made us. How we use that should always be a work in progress. And for all the Mac-lovers out there—one day, even Apple will be outsmarted and outsimplified.

p.s. Funny thing. While I was typing this, my Mac crashed. True story. Go figure.

My wife, Michele, will be going in for surgery Monday morning to have what they feel is a tumor removed from her appendix. Please be praying. Our thanks to you all! Blessings, R

About twelve years ago God called my wife and I out of our comfortable, upwardly mobile lives in corporate marketing into a full-time pursuit of serving churches. At the time, to say that it was an uphill battle was an understatement. We left two executive level salaries and a new house that we had just built in Scottsdale, to sell our house and a car and move in with relatives just to make it. We saw our financial livelihood drop by 90%, while we were working hours and hours for churches that sometimes asked for everything for free. I did not blame them nor resent them, it was all they knew. We were a challenge to their status quo in every way. We were broke, passionate and completely insistent in our pursuit to help the church—who often times mistook us as an agent of hypocrisy.

So why did we do it? On a volunteer mission trip, in 1996, I received a calling. A soft, inaudible, still, small voice that I can only describe to church leaders as the voice that spoke to them the moment when they first knew—when they first knew their lives would never be the same—that they were being called out by God to do a work for Him. There I was, sitting on a smelly bus in West Mexico, receiving a life’s calling. At the same time, my girlfriend (soon to be wife) was thousands of miles away receiving similar words. We had both volunteered in church and worked in marketing for some time before the week that we began to see these worlds collide—yet we had never imagined what God was bringing together.

Since that time, we have been honored to work with thousands of churches of every shape, size, background and denomination. We have seen struggling churches grow again, plateaued churches reach new heights and growing churches strategically manage their climb while assimilating more people into a deeper walk with Christ. To the church out there that is looking to find your way, I would like to offer you some thoughts on marketing that might just change your perspective on… well… everything.

What every church needs to know about marketing…

Check back in a few days for Part 2: Marketing is Everything.

(edited)

Just want to say "Huge thanks!!!!!" for all those who have been prayng for us as my wife has had a recent stroke. We are out of the hospital now and back at home. She is recovering well and they are saying that there should be no long term damage as a result of the recent episode. Thanks again for being the Body of Christ and rallying around us through this time. It is a beautiful thing when we come together. To God be the glory for the things He has done! I'll get back in the swing of things here shortly. Thanks again for all. God is good... :)  Blessings, R

Sorry for my delay in posting. My wife has had a small stroke and we are in the hospital. Thank you so much for your prayers. Things are progressing well and we are hoping to be home soon without any long term damage. Thanks for all!!