Today is June 1, and as for me, summer has started! This weekend our 6 summer interns arrived; the weather outside is very warm and it’s staying daylight way past 8:00pm. I know summer doesn’t ‘officially’ begin until later this month, but June 1 is close enough. Summer is my favorite season. As I look forward to the next few … Read More
Vacation Reads – A Little Fiction is a Good Thing
I’ve been on vacation most of this past week (I interrupted my vacation for one day on Wednesday to kick-off a new Tampa Coaching network but more on that later). One of the ways I relax on vacation is through reading. This time, in addition to my usual non-fiction list, I decided to throw in some fiction books – particularly … Read More
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren – Lesson #4
Lesson #4 – Don’t Be Afraid To Fail Rick used to tell us, “If you aren’t failing at least once a day, you aren’t trying hard enough.” I’ve heard Woody Allen put it like this, “If you don’t fail now and again, it’s a sign you are playing it safe.” Notice that the difference between Rick and Woody comes in … Read More
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren – Lesson #3
Lesson #3 – You Are Blessed To Be A Blessing Rick taught me The Principle of Generosity. This principle states that you are blessed to be a blessing. God wants to work through you. He wants the blessings He pours into your life and ministry to flow out of you and bless others. Picture a living river, being fed … Read More
How to Overcome the Barriers to Baptism
Did you know that there are barriers to people being baptized? It’s true and that’s the topic of this months free Church Leader Insights Podcast. I’m particularly proud of this podcast. And I can say that without one once of arrogance as….I’m not even on this month’s podcast! Instead, Roy hosts Bob Franquiz for this insightful and practical podcast. LISTEN … Read More
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren – Lesson #2
Lesson #2: Evangelism Must Always Be Our Priority When I was working at Saddleback Church with Rick Warren, I heard him say time and time again, “As long as there is one unchurched person in the Saddleback Valley, we must keep reaching out as a church.” Rick understands the importance of making evangelism a priority, or as I like to … Read More
Lessons Learned From Rick Warren
Last week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my friend and former boss, Rick Warren. Being back in the zone with Rick made me start reflecting on some of the key things that he has taught me over the years– both when I was at Saddleback and since starting The Journey. This week, I’m going to pass … Read More
Free Report – How to Maximize Summer
A few days ago I wrote about the Myth of the Summer Slump and argued that summer is the perfect time to reach new people and to creatively connect people to your church. I proposed that you have to learn to do one of two things: Plant in the summer or beg in the fall! The response to this post … Read More
Happy Memorial Day
On this day when we pause to honor the men and women who have given their lives in military service, take a few minutes to think about this quote: “THERE ARE RISKS AND COSTS TO A PLAN OF ACTION, BUT THEY ARE FAR LESS THAN THE LONG-RANGE RISKS AND COSTS OF COMFORTABLE INACTION.” — John F. Kennedy, 35th President of … Read More
Bring Everyone Together on Occassion
Today we are doing one big combined worship service at The Journey. When you have multiple services and especially when you have multiple locations, I think its important 2 or 3 times a year to bring everyone together for one big service. This does several things: – It allows you to communicate vision to everyone at once – It allows … Read More