3 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Snow Day!

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We finally got our first big snow of the year. The girls have been begging for it, and to be honest… So have I!

Why… It’s not because I enjoy shoveling snow. It’s not even that I enjoy playing in snow.

It’s just a nice change of pace!

And sometimes that’s exactly what we need in life. A change of pace.

Here are 3 reasons why everyone needs a Snow Day.

1. It forces you to slow down!
We all live life at a break neck pace. Going from one appointment to the next. We try to figure out how to pick up kid #1 and get her to soccer practice and just 15 minutes before kid #2 had to be at band practice. We made it happen only to realize we forgot to feed them dinner!

Snow days force you to slow down! You can’t get out and go anywhere. Neither can anyone else for that matter. So it’s a really good change of pace for everyone!

2. It helps your body and mind recover!
Living at such a fast pace causes so much stress and anxiety on our bodies and minds. But who has time to stop and think about that. There are still so many things to do!

But just like anything else… It you don’t take the proper time to let your body rest and your mind to restore… It can break down.

Snow days force you to stop… It’s in those moments when you can truly rest. And rest is what most of our bodies and minds need.

3. It’s manufactured “you” time!
You spend so much of your time thinking about everyone else. You have abandoned you! You can’t remember the last time you had free time to just sit down and read a book. Take a nap. Go hiking…. Etc…

I don’t know what you like to do…
The only thing I know is you need to do more of it!

And that’s what snow days give you. Time for you to do things YOU enjoy!

Now… The flip side to this…

You can spend a snow day trying to work ahead. Get caught up on laundry. Clean out your closets. And if that’s what you truly enjoy… Go for it.

But working on other things besides work is hardly a break from anything!

So… Enjoy a day or two just being with family. Relaxing. Restoring your body and mind. And taking time out for yourself.

You deserve it!

What do you enjoy doing on snow days?

Put the Camera down!

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Our society is obsessed with capturing the moment. Myself included. So we walk around with our phones out ready to take a picture so we can put it up for all to see.

We go outside to ride bikes with our kids. We take pictures.

We go to the park and take pictures of our kids on swings.

We go to dinner and take pictures of the food we are eating.

There have been so many moments that we really missed because we were trying to capture them with a picture!

Pictures are great. They are fun to have to remember good times.

But don’t just be an observer of good times. Be a participant!

Put the camera down and just live life!

Life is an Adventure that simple can’t be captured.

Craziest Valentines Day Ever!

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Hope everyone had a great Valentines Day! We had a blast with our girls. Tiff and I celebrated last night, so we spent the day today with the girls.

Lunch with a kid who stared at us the entire time.

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Watched SpongeBob! One of the stupidest movies ever!

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And then home to watch this entertainment!
https://vimeo.com/119658130

One of the funniest Valentines Day ever! Never a dull moment with these girls.

What did you do today!

Facebook and Your Legacy

Facebook has created a new way for people to log in to your account well after you are 6 feet under. They call it the legacy contact. Apparently you an appoint someone to manage your account after you die. They are the one who controls your content to make sure your legacy lives on…

ON FACEBOOK…

What kind of legacy is that? Do I really care if people remember that I had Indian food on Feb. 3rd 2014? Do I want to be remembered as a guy who took selfies are weird places? And to have proof that they actually happened?

Do I tell my wife on my deathbed…  “Whatever you do… Don’t let anyone forget that I took a picture with Nick Saban! Make that my profile picture every September!”

Thats just crazy! But let’s talk about Legacy for a few moments?

What do you really want to be remembered for when you’re gone?

And by who? People with an icon on your screen who we really just spend our lives comparing ourselves to? Are you really trying to forever remember that your Disney Trip in 2011 was better than everyone else… So please repost that about a month after Im gone!

Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc…  I truly love seeing everyone. It’s a fun way to stay connected with people… But it’s hardly my legacy!

I want to be known by my wife as a loving, caring husband. Who would do anything for her.

I want to be know as a great Dad who loved his girls unconditionally, never missed big event, and kissed them goodnight as long as they would let him!

I want to start churches all over the world where people that I will never meet will always have a place to go worship! I just got word that we have started new churches in Peru, Tanzania, and Nicaragua today!!!

And Most importantly as a Christ follower who was always grateful for a grace that I didn’t deserve. And in return I showed as many people the same grace in which I received!

And those moments will never be captured on Social Media! Those are behind the scene moments. And those are really the moments that leave a legacy!

All this other stuff is just that… stuff!

You want to leave a real legacy?!?! Get off your computer. Go out an make a difference in someone’s life!

Let’s preserve that legacy!

10 Lessons I Have Learned in My First 2 Years as Lead Pastor!

This Sunday will be 2 years since I took over as the Lead Pastor of Glad Tidings Church. It has been an incredible journey of transitioning an older church into a new generation! There is a rich 80 year old history here that we indeed honor… But if the church wants to be around for another 80 years, a lot had to change. So the church did something they had never done before… Hired a 31 year old Pastor… Give him 500 people and said lets move forward… And that is indeed what we have done!

I have learned a lot of lessons the past few years… Some are good. Some I learned the hard way. There are many… But here are 10 you need to know if you are starting on this journey as well!

1. It doesn’t matter how talented to are… You can’t do it alone. 

You can’t spend all day long strategizing on how to move the church you lead forward… And thats not a bad thing. But are you  spending JUST AS LONG in prayer? You may be good at a lot of things, Communicating, Strategizing, Planning, etc… But you will never take the church to a place that you haven’t gone to yourself. You need God. HE is the one who makes his church grow! If you try it alone, it will certainly lead to burnout.

2. Your Spouse is the single greatest asset you have. 

I would not be in Ministry today if it weren’t for my wife. I would have quit a long time ago. It’s tough. But she has been by my side the entire time. Encouraging me. Supporting me. Laughing and Crying with me. And most importantly Praying for me. She knows more than anyone else the emotional turmoil I go through and silently spends time with God on my behalf. Thats huge! You must have that support system at home.

3. You’re going to feel like giving up… Don’t!

I have felt like throwing in the towel many times within the past two years. Wondering if people are even paying attention to what I am saying. Dealing with the same battles over and over. People trying to point out what they think is wrong with everything. It wears on you. You want to quit… But for every person that is hard to deal with… There is someone else who comes to the knowledge of Christ for the first time… And that makes it worth it.  When times are tough… Don’t quit. Look around. There is good everywhere!

4. Nothing is more important than the people you serve.

Nothing! They are the reason you are where you are. You have been given an assignment to lead people. And its hard to lead people who don’t know you! Get to know the people you serve. Take them to lunch. Hear their story. Take off your mask and allow people to know you. The real you. That is the very reason I started blogging. There is no way I will able to personally take everyone out in our congregation. But this is a platform for them to see me. Get to know me. And it has already made a huge difference in my relationships with others.

5. Don’t hire anyone who you wouldn’t want to spend time with on the weekend. No matter their talent level. 

You spend an insane amount of time at the church. Hosting events, setting up for big weekends, and not to mention the work week. If you don’t like the people you work with, it can be miserable. You need to find people that you gel with. And sometimes that means hiring someone a little less qualified. If they are teachable and likable… Grab them… They won’t be on the job market very long!

6. It’s not enough to be a great communicator… You must have business sense. 

You may be an incredible preacher, a loving pastor, and a great leader… But if you can’t read an Aging Report, Profit/Loss sheet, and run a proper Business Meeting… You are in trouble. And these aren’t the classes they teach you in seminary! You are expected to have a good idea of the way EVERYTHING is going in the organization. The buck stops with you. And yes… I have a Financial Admin. on staff, but I get reports every Wednesday so I am prepared to give an answer at any time.

7. People love the idea of change… until you change. 

People will stand with you as long as you don’t change the things that they want. The problem… People all want different things. So when you do change a schedule, or stop a program, or paint a room, its evidentable that someone is going to get mad. Yet you can’t let fear stop you from what you know needs to be done! I keep a quote in my office from Henry Ford… He said “If I would have asked everyone what they wanted… they would have said a faster horse!” He gave them a car. Something they didn’t even know existed. And that’s your job… To take people into a place they had no idea even existed.

8. You will be hurt by people who are hurting. Hold lightly to comments and forgive quickly. 

People will say mean things about you and your family. They will say hurtful things about your ministry and the way you lead. They will even make things up about you that are so far from the truth that is comical… But the fact is they ALL STING. No matter how you try to laugh them off… It hurts. And I had a hard time with this, and I am still working on it constantly.  The truth behind it all is they are hurt as well. Whether it’s by family, friends, job, or life circumstances… Their is something deeper going on within these people and it really has nothing to do with you. So I am on a journey to hold lightly to comments. Both good and bad! And to forgive quickly the hurt that I have experienced through the hurt of others!

9. You need a Mentor or 2 or 3. People who have been around longer and can keep you from making the same mistakes they did. 

This has been awesome for me. I find myself in the room with people that I never thought I would. A 2 time CNO of the U.S. Navy, A New York Times Best Selling Author, A guy who has successfully transitioned a church and is now sought out after all over the U.S. for help! I am truly blessed to be able to sit with these guys and learn so much about life and leadership. They have kept me from making many mistakes in this first 2 years. They have encouraged me to take risks. And they are quick to call me out on stupid things…  And for that I am grateful. You HAVE to have guys like this to walk with you.

10. You’ll never arrive! There will always be something to learn.

Leaders are learners. You will never fully arrive. The more you do… the more you realize you are clueless. You must be on a journey to grow. You just be willing to learn from anything and anyone. Keep your eyes open. There are lessons everywhere. 

This has been a wild 2 years. I am thankful for everyone I have met and all I have learned so far on this journey. But I realize now more than ever… I can’t do this alone… I desperately need God to walk with me. And I still have so much to learn.

What have you learned through leading others? I’d love to hear from you!

Kanye is what’s wrong with America

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Did you watch the Grammys last night? Did you need an anti-depressant afterwards? It seems like most of the performances were all slow and boring. There were a few good ones, but nothing like years past.

There was one moment that did in fact have everyone talking again this year. It was the moment Beck won “Album of the Year” and Kanye West came running up on stage (like he did when he made a fool of himself) only to turn around and walk off. I actually thought it was a joke. I laughed. Until I woke up this morning and every news cast was talking about his comments.

Kanye was reported as saying “Beck should not have won the award. He should have given it to Beyoncé. And Beck should respect artistry!”

What?!?!?! Respect Artistry?!?!?!

That may be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.

The fact: Kanye has no respect for anyone who doesn’t do what he does or sound the way he thinks you should sound.

It’s intolerance at its finest. And this… Is what’s killing America.

Whether it’s race, economic status, religious preference, sexual preference, and yes now even music preference… If you don’t think like I think, or do like exactly what I think you should do… Then you are wrong.

And it’s you that’s the one with the problem. Because there is no way I could be wrong.

So you must change!

Or in Kanye’s words… You must give the award away because obviously you are not an artist like the rest of us.

Kanye is intolerant. But so am I. And so are you.

That’s the problem here.

But what if….

What if we seek to understand instead of being understood.

What if we stopped and listened instead of always talking.

What if I put your needs ahead of my own.

What if we all just agreed to disagree on certain issues but respect each other as people.

What would that world look like?

That’s a world I want to live in. And also a world I must work hard to create.

What about you?

Sunday Night Mind Dump

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Going to start doing a mind dump at the end of every Sunday night. These are just thoughts I have coming out of Sunday going into the following week. Sometimes they may be pointless. Sometimes you may find things interesting. These are MY thoughts and DO NOT reflect the opinions of Glad Tidings Church.

  • Great day today at GTC. 5 more people gave their lives to Christ. That’s 38 for 2015 so far.

  • 2 months from today Tiff and I head to Peru to meet the Pastor and Congregation of the first church we helped build in our 80/20 Experience.

  • If you’d like more info on what the 80/20 Experience is and how to help support… Email me! Let’s leave a legacy that will outlast us!

  • It was 70 degrees today and really made me miss summer. I hate winter.

  • We’re spending the week as a staff working on the new GTC website ideas as well as the new media suite. Big things are ahead.

  • Our Guest Services Director has been asked to judge a Guest Services competition coming up for hotels. That’s awesome.

  • I think my oldest daughter Karsyn is coming down with the flu… Pray for her!

  • The GTC Business meeting is coming up in a few weeks and I am beside myself excited to share what the future hold. Vision so big it scares me!

  • Monday’s are my off day and I’m looking forward to playing Golf!

  • If you ever have something you need me to pray for… Never hesitate to email me.

Have a great week!