Time to go to the DMV

I looked at my driver's license yesterday and discovered that it had expired! So, I'm heading down to the Department of Motor Vehicles. We'll find out if the stereotype of a slow-moving government agency is accurate or just a myth.

My only question is this: If my license is expired can I drive there legally to get a new one?

Hmmm?

Reconnecting to God

As part of our i/e series, where we're focusing on intimacy with God and effectiveness with life. Those are the two greatest goals for every believer. Last Sunday, we talked about how to reconnect with God after we've blown. David's experience with Bathsheba served as the model. There are four steps on the road back:

1. Humility--We've got to realize that there is no negotiating with God. We come to the table with nothing. There is no reason for God to forgive us other than his grace and mercy.

2. Honesty--We've got to come completely clean with God. Most of us share as little as possible to get the forgiveness we need. We can't do that if we want to reconnect with God--we've got to get everything out in the open.

3. Heart Change--David needed a new heart so he didn't do what he did before! He asked God for a pure heart, a steadfast spirit, God's Spirit, and the joy of salvation. Those were the weapons he needed to face the challenges ahead.

4. Hope--We aren't marked by our mistakes, we're marked by the promises of the future.

Mom Cow

My five-year old is learning so much in kindergarten. In fact, there are two words he can written in addition to his name: mom and cow. Today is his mother's birthday, so he signed his card for her. Then, he addressed the front.

Amberly was very impressed when he pointed out that he had written mom on the front by himself. Then he said, "I was going to write mom cow. But then I thought that would just be silly." It was great. We died laughing.

Relevant Tour

I'm excited to be working with Central Bible College on the 2007 Relevant Tour. It's a series of one-day leadership events to be held at 15 cities across the country. We're lining up some of the most effective Assemblies of God ministry leaders to be a part of these one day events--guys like Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, DC and Randal Ross, pastor of of Calvary Church in Naperville, Illinois. I think they are going to be cool. I'm honored to be the chairman of the team putting it all together.

Smartest States

According to new studies, Iowa ranks as the ninth smartest state--ahead of neighbors in Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Illinois. Interestingly, Kentucky ranked 31st, moving up four notches from 35th last year, while Texas ranked 24th, dropping one spot from last year.

Who was number 1? Vermont.

Who was number 50? Arizona. (Too much heat bakes the brain.)

For a complete listing, here's the link:

http://www.local6.com/education/10097048/detail.html

What's Your Starting Point

Where you start has a great deal of bearing on where you finish.

Goliath started his day at the point of defiance. He came to defy God and his army. He ended his day, lying on the ground with David looking down on him. Defiance destroyed him.

Saul started his day in fear. He was dismayed by the giant. By the end of the day, he was no longer afraid of the giant; instead, he was afraid of David. He lost his future to fear.

David started his day in faith. He believed God could help him defeat the giant. And, he was right. He ended his day with the giant's sword in one hand and the giant's head in the other.

Where you start has a great deal of bearing on where you finish.

Happy Boss' Day

So, here's the front of the Boss' Day Card from our team:

Bosses are such important peopel that we have a special day for them...

So, here's the isnide of the card:

Don't get too excited though--we also have a special day for groundhogs!

They are assuring me that I am better than a groundhg, however. I may just go underground for the winter.

Happy Birthday at La Hacienda

I was sitting there eating my fajitas while talking with a couple about their upcoming wedding. We were having a great meal. Then, it happened.

The wait staff turned into a group of mariachi singers, placed a sombrero on my head and a dessert in front of me, and began to sing. It was great. I turned four shades of red. It wouldn't have been too bad, but it wasn't my birthday.

I looked around the restaurant. There were five other families from our church there! I have my suspicions!

1000 Turkeys

In team meeting yesterday, we talked about this year's Great Turkey Give Away. The tendency is for events like this to grow stale over the years. Here's what we're doing to make sure that doesn't happen this year:

• Give away more turkeys than every in three services 8.30 AM, 10 AM, and 6 PM
• Emphasize people in our church family inviting those who have made a difference in their lives to come to the 10 AM service to receive a free turkey as a way of saying thanks at Thanksgiving.
• Connect our guests at the 8.30 AM and 6 PM service to the KidsCount Bus Ministry in a significant way. We want to leave that day with 250 new prospects for our bus ministry.
• Involve more people than ever in the event throughout he 40-Hour Famine to raise funds for the event and in the event itself.
• Promote the event to various media outlets before the event happens to see if we can't leverage a little publicity for the Kingdom.

I'm excited and looking forward to the greatest Great Turkey Give Away ever.

How Many TV's are in Your House

The average American home now has more television sets than people--a threshold crossed within the past two years, according to Nielsen Media Research. There are 2.73 TV sets in the typical home and 2.55 people, the researchers said.

In the average home, a television set is turned on for more than a third of the day--eight hours, 14 minutes, Nielsen said. That's an hour more than it was a decade ago. Most of that extra TV viewing is coming outside of prime time, where TVs are on only four minutes more than they were 10 years ago. The average person watches four hours, 35 minutes of television each day, Nielsen said.

I'm all for a good show, but I wonder what could be accomplished with part of those four hours, 35 minutes?

New Website

Christian Life Assembly has a new website, designed by Rich Greene, our church planter at Life Church in Iowa City. Rich is so gifted at the tech stuff, plus he's doing a great job leading that new church to life. Here's the site: www.lifenow.org. Go take a look!

Micro-manager vs. micro-auditor

In his book Never Again, former Attorney General John Ashcroft says that President George W. Bush is not a micro-manager, but a micro-auditor. That means that he asks questions that probe whether the priorities are being accomplished, but doesn't micro-manage those strategies.

Here are some questions for leaders to ask to help see if all the priorities we agreed upon are being accomplished:

• What decisions do you need from me?
• What problems are keeping you from reaching your goals?
• What plans are you making that we haven't discussed?
• What progress have you made?
• On a scale of 1-10, how are you personally? Why?
• How can I be praying for you?

Next 90 Days

My goal is to continue to move the ball down the field--in a Kingdom mindset of course. With that in mind, I constantly ask the question, "What can I do in the next 90 days that will make the greatest impact for Christian Life Assembly?" Here's what's on my 90 day priority list:

1) Select a Reach Champion to advance our reach agenda.
2) Develop the third phase of the Edge leadership training course.
3) Lead our Fall/Winter outreach events (Great Turkey Give Away, Christmas Eve service, etc.)
4) Develop priorities and budget for 2007.
5) Distribute 100 yard signs with revamped website (www.lifenow.org)
6) recruit 20 people for the Tommy Barnett Pastor's and Leader's School
7) Develop Edge retreat idea.
8) Re-vision our CLASS Night approach
9) Hire acoustical engineer to review our sanctuary and train our AV team
10) Re-invigorate First Impressions team

Can I Have the Interpretation, Please?

Here's a little recap of Sunday message.

If we want to live life well, we must interpret life correctly. Much of our ineffectiveness in life is the result of misinterpreting life. We talked about four guiding principles to help us interpret life correctly:

• God is good...no matter what!
• Eternity is the measuring stick.
• Give people the benefit of the doubt, instead of doubting their benefit.
• It's always too early to quit!

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

I just finished reading the first chapter of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by my friend, Mark Batterson. All I can say is "Wow!" This book could not have come at a better time for me. I'm ready to unleash the lion-chaser within.

Here's the scoop on the book. Your greatest regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn't chase. You will regret the risks not taken, the opportunities not seized, and the dreams not pursued. Stopping running away from what scares you most and start chasing the God-ordained opportunities that cross your path.

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture (II Samuel 23:20-21): Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.

Unleash the lion chaser within!

Mark Batterson graduated a year after me from Central Bible College. Mark turned down a full-ride scholarship to the University of Chicago to attend CBC. He and his wife Lora planted National Community Church in Washington, DC. He is a good friend and a great writer. You can order the book at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590527151/ref=pd_rvi_gw_1/102-0829645-4497768?ie=UTF8