Dream Team Summit

Our Dream Team Summit was tremendous last Saturday. We discovered 12 core values of Bethel Temple as nearly 100 people completed a core values discovery tool. Then, each table had to work through their lists of 12. Finally, all 14 tables put their lists on the board and narrowed to 12 core values.

It was an exciting exercise. We are working to put the twelve values into 12 memorable phrases or sentences as we move toward our Vision Sunday in February.

There are three more summits left where we will complete a community analysis, ministry analysis, and dream discovery. Everyone is invited.

Wild Goose Chase

Just finished Mark Batterson's latest book--Wild Goose Chase. I loved it and recommend it to everyone. It's full of challenging and inspiring stories and ideas. One of the concepts he talks about is setting life goals.

I'm going to make that one of my 90 day goals--to take a day or two and start a list of 101 things I want to do in life. Mark, has a guide to help you do that on his blog http://www.markbatterson.com/.

On my 26-book plan, I'm still reading American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis. It's good, but not has good as Founding Brothers or His Excellency (George Washington). I read two or three at a time, so this week I start on Primal Leadership and It.

Congratulations to Pastor Dobie Weasel and Christian Life Assembly

Congratulations to Dobie and Jamie Weasel on their election as the new senior pastor at Christian Life Assembly.

I pray God's best on you and the congregation as you work to advance the agenda of the Kingdom of God in Des Moines and across Iowa. CLA is a great church. I know they will love you and you will love them. Exciting days are ahead!

Dream Again Follow Up

This morning we put together an outline for a great plan to follow up on the Dream Again series that utlizes dream coaches and dream groups to help people turn the dreams into realities. Right now, the coaches will help the groups walk through the following eight steps:

1. Open Your Mind to God (Inspiration)
2. Do Some Research (Investigation)
3. Ask for Advice (Consultation)
4. Establish Priorities (Prioritization)
5. Evaluate the Cost (Evaluation)
6. Anticipate Challenges (Preoparation)
7. Face Your Fears (Confrontation)
8. Get Started (Initiation)

Sundays, we're trying to inspire for the dream. Through these coaches and groups, we will practically equip for the dream.

Dream Again Message 2

Yesterday, we had a great day at Bethel as we continued the Dream Again message series with the message Uncage Your Dream. Here is the outline:

Five Cages for Our Dreams
1. The Cage of Friends and Family
2. The Cage of Fatigue
3. The Cage of Formulas
4. The Cage of Fear
5. The Cage of Forgetfulness

Keys to Uncage the Dream

1. D ecide Who Your Friends Are
2. R enew Your Spirit
3. E xpand Your Thinking
4. A ccept and Act on the Word of Jesus
5. M editate on God's Goodness

Note from Sunday

Here's a note from Sunday:

This is my first time for myself and son at Bethel and I feel at home. This is a beautiful church, friendly, and full of love for the Lord. Thank you for having us. My nephew invited us and I am glad he did. We will be back.

She and her son were one of nearly 50 new families who worshipped with us Sunday. Amazing!

Dare to Dream...Again

Here are the notes from Sunday:

The Curse of the Dreamless
1. Frustration
2. Boredom
3. Regret

The Chorus of the Dreamers
1. It's never too late.
2. It's never too early.
3. It's never too much.

Three Steps to Dreaming Again
1. Look Out--Exposure creates the climate for the dream.
2. Look Up--God is the dream giver.
3. Look Beyond--You have to look beyond your current condition to see the dream become a reality in your life.

Thank you to everyone for making our installation celebration so special. We are excited about what God is doing at Bethel!

LifeGiver: He's Coming Back

Thank you to everyone involved in LifeGiver: He's Coming Back. It exceeded all of our goals. We saw scores of people make decisions for Christ, believers were able to use their talents for a worthy goal, and nearly $6,000 was raised for Bethel College scholarships. Big props to everyone involved in LifeGiver!

Dream Again

I'm wrapping up the first message in the Dream Again series this morning. I am so excited about the launch of the new series this Sunday at 9 and 11 AM. Here are the messages for the next five weeks:

• Dare to Dream...Again
• Uncage Your Dream
• The Five Principles of Dreamers
• When the Dream is Dim
• Dream On!

This Sunday is also our Installation Celebration at Bethel. I want to say thank you to everyone at Bethel for their warm and open welcome. Our family has been embraced by your love. And, to everyone at CLA in Des Moines. We continue to love you and miss you. You should all move to Virginia, though your next pastor might not like that too much.

See you Sunday!

Great Day in DC

Amberly, the kids, and I had a great day in DC yesterday. We decided to head out on a home school field trip about 10 AM. We arrived in Springfield, VA and took the Metro into the city where we took a tour through the International Spy Museum, walked past the White House, and had dinner at Union Station. Then, we drove back. Got to bed at 1 AM. But it was fun!

Retro--Evangelism

We finished up week three of Retro! with one more week to go. Sunday, we highlighed the Matthew 9, where Jesus instructed us about the harvest. There were three key ideas:

1. See as Jesus Sees

Jesus saw the crowd as sheep without a shepherd and a harvest without harvesters.

2. Feel as Jesus Feels

He was moved with compassion. He didn't just have sympathy or mercy--he was moved with compassion and did something about their plight.

3. Do as Jesus Says

He gave them two instructions regarding the multitude--pray and go!

The people of Bethel stepped up and committed to invite nearly 4,000 people to the Dream Again message series. Incredible!

Wild Goose Chase

I just started the next book in my reading plan--Wild Goose Chase by my friend Mark Batterson. So far, it is phenomenal. I recommend it. It's about the pursuit of God and his purpose for our life. Wild goose is a term Celtic Christians used for the Holy Spirit. He has a thesis that most Christians are bored because we ask God to bless what we are doing, instead of going on the chase to see where he wants to lead our lives! Pretty inspiring.

What a Day!

Yesterday was an awesome Sunday. We baptized over 50 people, received 15 new members, and dedicated two babies. In addition to all of that, 30 people made decisions for Christ during the two services. Then, we went to the All Church Picnic at 3 PM. My daughter loved the face painting. Corbin loved the tug of war. And, Grant loved hanging out with his friends. Amberly and I loved the shade. It was a great day!

Speed of Trust

I just completed the first book from my new reading list--The Speed of Trust. While the 13 steps to improving trust form the core of the book, Covey's discussion on the economics of trust was insightful. Here are the main ideas:

• When trust is low, everything costs more and takes more time.



• When trust is high, everything costs less and takes less time.

The perfect example of this corollary is the airline industry. After 9/11, trust took a giant hit--that is an understatement. Now, because of low trust, it costs more time and money to make it through security.

He also talked about the trust tax and the trust dividend. The trust tax is the amount people automatically discount what we say because they don't trust us. Think a used car salesman.

The trust dividend is the amount of credit people give to what we say. Think Billy Graham.

Powerful thought. I recommend the book.

The Hardy Group Podcast

I want to put a plug in for The Hardy Group podcst. Each week, The Hardy Group podcasts a new message from one of nine pastors across the country:

• Mark Batterson (Naitonal Community Church, Washington, DC)
• Dary Northrop (Timberline Church, Fort Collins, CO)
• Jim Bradford (Central Assembly, Springfield, MO)
• Bryan Jarret (Northplace Church, Sachse, Texas)
• Gary Brothers (Cape First, Cape Girardeau, MO)
• John Lindell (James River Assembly, Ozark, MO)
• Maury Davis (Cornerstone Church, Madison, TN)
• Randy Valimont (Grifin First Assembly, Griffin, GA)

Dick was kind enough to ask if I would be the ninth one on the list. I'm subscribing to the podcast through itunes and I hope you will, too. At least 8/9 should be some really good preaching and teaching

Retro-Word

Here's the outline from Sunday's message in the Retro series from Matthew 13.10.

Three Ingredients in the Parable
1. Seed
2. Sower
3. Soil

Four Types of Soil (Hearts)
1. Hard Hearts
2. Shallow Hearts
3. Cluttered Hearts
4. Receptive Hearts

How to Prepare Your Heart
1. Break it Up
2. Dig it Out
3. Clear it Out
4. Get Ready for Increase

Facebook

After months of being encouraged to get into Facebook, I took the plunge yesterday. I am amazed and how connected you can get overnight! Amberly set up her Facebook last night. It's so cool to reconnect with people all around the world.

Hanna....Hanna...Hanna

So, we go from winter storms to tropical storms. Hanna is on her way and we may have to deal with some of the remnants this weekend. So, I'm going to make sure my laptop and phone are charged, double-check my insurance, and make sure there are batteries in the flashlight.

Before a winter storm, we always went to the store for milk and bread--not sure why--we never ate bread and drank milk during the storm, but it seemed like the thing to do. I wonder if you run to the store for anything during a tropical storm? Ice? Batteries?

Of all weather events, do you know which are the most deadly in the US? If you guessed winter storms you would be right. So, at least, we can mark that off the docket.

Reading List

Since we started the transition from Iowa to Bethel, my reading schedule has been thrown off kilter. I am preparing a new reading list for the next several months:

Biographies
American Sphinx (Thomas Jefferson)
Passionate Sage (John Adams)
The Narnian (C.S. Lewis)
Testament of Hope (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Christian Thought
Escape from Reason (Francis Shaffer)
The Universe Next Door (James Sire)
The Victory of Reason (Rodney Stark)
A Primer on Postmadernism (Stanley Grenz)

Church Health
Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church (Mark DeYmaz)
It (Craig Groeschel)

Education
How to Read a Book (Mortimer Adler)

Leadership
Tyranny of the Urgent (Charles Hummell)
Organizational Culture and Leadership (Ed Schein)
Primal Leadership (Daniel Goleman)
Masterplanning (Bobb Biehl)
The Speed of Trust (Stephen M. R. Covey)
Tribes (Seth Godin)
Building the Bridge as You Walk on It (Robert Quinn)

Spiritual Life
Introduction to the Devout Life (Francis de Sales)
The Sunflower (Simon Wiesenthal)
Search for the Spiritual (James Emery White
Life Together (Dietrich Bonhoffer)
Wild Goose Chase (Mark Batterson)
Hearing God (Dallas Willard)
Living the Cross Centered Life (CJ Mahaney)
Renovation of Heart (Dallas Willard)

Well, there you go. If you've read any of them, leave a post and let me know what you think.

Accountability

I heard a great definition for accountability at lunch today:

Accountablity is giving the necessary information before it is required!

That's a great thought.