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

Designed to Be Innovative

Of the five ideas I shared a couple of weeks ago, the one that got the least "amens" was the thought about being designed to be innovative--that we not grudgingly accept change, but we look for opportunities to change. Why is it that people don't like change. Here's what I think.

• Growth means change.
• Change means loss.
• Loss means grief.
• Grief means pain.

So, for most people, change equals pain. So, I think that's why most people resist change. I try to look at the first sentence more than the last. To grow, I've got to change. I remember the year we changed locations, changed to small groups, and changed the entire staff. There was some loss. We lost some staff. We lost some people. There was grief and there was pain. But, there was growth in our purpose and vision. Let's commit to be designed to be innovative.

Honor to Whom Honor is Due

We were excited to have John, Debbie, and Bethany Palmer with us at church yesterday. We wanted to honor them for their 21 years of service to Des Moines First Assembly and all of Central Iowa. John was an incredible encourager and mentor to me as we started Christian Life Assembly 12 years ago. I was thrilled to see the great reception our church gave them. Way to go in honoring those to whom honor is due!

Driven by Eternity

Every church is driven by something. In fact, everybody and every organization are driven by something. The question is, "What's driving you?" Some churches are driven by tradition. Some people are driven by money. Some organizations are driven to make life better for people. In our talk about what kind of church we want to be in the next 12 years, I talked about becoming a church driven by eternity.
What does that mean? It means that our decisions are driven by eternity, not time. It means our priorities are driven by things that last forever, not just for a moment. It really means that we still believe that heaven is real and hell is real, and that people still live in one of those places for an eternity after they die.

Difficult to Ignore

One of the ideas I talked about Sunday was developing a church that is difficult to ignore. The greatest fear of every pastor who desires to make a difference is this: Would anyone notice if our church did not exist?

My goal is for Christian Life Assembly to be a church that is difficult to ignore. How do we do that? Here are some ideas for the next 3-5 years?

• A complete media/technology outreach through podcasting, revamped website, TV commercials, etc.
• A greater commitment to invest and invite people to church, equipping each member to invite a guest a week.
• Events that extend our influence into more and more people's lives--such as our Great Turkey Give Away.
• A multi-site ministry with campuses in the inner city and the western suburbs.
• Servant evangelism strategies like repainting schools, distributing soda at intersections, etc.

Let's be a church difficult to ignore.

A Constant State of Improvement

Leaders are learners and leading organizations are learning organizations. My goal is for our church to be in a constant state of improvement. We need to always be looking for the next step in our journey. How do you do that? By asking this question often: What one thing could I do in the next 90 days that would have the greatest impact on my life or organization? At CLA, we apply that to all of our five purposes:
Reach
Grow
Connect
Serve
Worship
We also seek to be constantly improving through our relationships with each other and on the team and ministry champions, as well as ministry colleagues. After all, the Bible says, "As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another." Let's develop a constant state of improvement in our lives.

In Oklahoma

Amberly, the kids, and I are in Oklahoma for Amberly's grandfather's funeral. I am assisting Pastor Don Barnes of Lawton First Assembly of God in the funeral. Currently, I'm working on my message. I'm going to read out of PaPaw's Bible. The cover is worn with his own thumbprint and inside is a picture of family. That's what his life was about: faith and family. Thank you for praying for us.

My 5-Year-Old Goes to Kindergarten

Corbin has ventured off to all-day kindergarten. These pics were at www.desmoinesregister.com. He's a man of many faces!

Veni, Vedi, Velcro

That's Latin for I came, I saw, I stuck around. As we approach our 12-year anniversary at Christian Life Assembly, I am so glad I stuck around. I'm glad I stuck around to see:

• The miracle of 40 acres on the Highway 5 Bypass
• The launch of elevate youth ministry and KidsCount Bus Ministry
• Over 1,200 people at last year's Toys for Tots Distribution
• Scores of people involved in life giving small groups
• Worship services that break through to God's presence
• People giving their hearts to Christ every Sunday

We've come a long way from Lakewood Elementary. I'm glad I stuck around. More than that, I'm glad you stuck around, too!

Defining Leadership

In his book Masterplanning, Bobb Biehl defines leadership as

Knowing what to do next,

knowing why that's important,

and knowing how to bring the appropriate

resources to bear on the need at hand.

As a leader, the question is simple, "What do we do next?" That question cuts through the fog and enables us to establish our priorities. Priorities, according to Biehl, are either the problems we need to solve or the goals we need to accomplish.

I'm working to create my priorities for the next four years. Why four years? Because in four years, I'll be 40! I want to reach some goals and solve some probelms by that time. What about you? Do you have priorities for the next 90 days? The next 2-3 years? The next 20 years?

Hooter's

Here's a great blog from www.perrynoble.com about men, women, and Hooter's.

"For those who do not attend NewSpring–let me explain what happened this Sunday…
We are currently doing a series on finances called Deal or No Deal; however, towards the end of the message I threw in a relationship nugget. I made the comment that I do not go to Hooters because in doing so I would dishonor my wife…and I challenged the married men in the room to ask their wives if this was dishonoring.

When I made the comment I just moved on…but since Sunday I have had several women tell me how much they appreciated me making that comment. One woman actually told me that three other women called her on Sunday night and said, “Did you hear what Perry said about Hooters?”

Guys–I know, you go for the food, right? WRONG! I am a man…I know how men think…I know what a man wants to look at…and so if you are a regular customer at Hooters…I KNOW why you go…and it’s not for the food but rather to feed lustful desires. Come on men…you can’t argue here…you know it’s the truth.

What I have discovered about my wife is this–she wants to know that she is beautiful to me. She makes an effort to take care of herself and, when we go out, to take a little extra time for me…she wants me to check her out–to tell her she is beautiful…and when she goes through this effort and I check out another woman or feel the need to go somewhere that puts women on parade to fuel my incredibly weak male ego–this hurts her. Once again men…if you don’t believe me–ask!

Men…I know we all live in a tough world. Sex sells…and beautiful women are used to sell everything from a new car to a cure for hemorroids. (Where does that logic make sense? “Hey–can I have the hemorroid medicine that the beautiful people on television use?”)
Maybe that is why Scripture tell us in Job 31:1 that he made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a woman…and we need to do the same.
It’s tough…I know–especially in the gym. I remember once a lady getting in front of me with some shorts that were so short that her rear end was literally hanging out! Later that day I was having lunch with a dude who held me accountable and I was telling him about it. He said, “Well…as soon as you saw her on the machine in front of you you moved didn’t you?”

“Uh, no,” I replied.

“Well Perry, how long did you stay there?”

“Uh–about thirty minutes…” I was busted–he called me out…and I never will forget that day that I taught myself the phrase when an attractive woman walks by, “That’s not my wife.” I have had to say that out loud!!! (It really freaks people who are with me out!)
Men–we need to be pure with our eyes…it matters to the woman we are married to. Single dude–it matters to your future spouse. Fathers–it matters to your sons and daughters. You are modeling for you sons how to treat women…and for your daughters how they should allow men to treat them. So…a family trip down to Hooters shows them nothing more than women being treated as objects of lust…and remember when they go down that road in the future–you discipled them.

One more thing and I will let up on this…and this is a challenge to women…the way you dress can greatly affect how a man thinks about you–or what he thinks about you. And I am not talking about those “women in Hollywood.” I am talking about women who claim they love Jesus…but also feel the need to reveal their cleavage to the world.

Ladies–if that offends you–check yourself…you don’t want to be treated as a piece of meat…then you can help yourself out by ot putting so much of yourself on display! I know this is a challenge for many of you–where is the line between being beautiful and dressing like you are for sale? My advice–ask a man who is in love with Jesus…and give him permission to be honest…and he will let you know. What might be “cute” to a group of women can be “seductive” to a group of men.

Men have a responsibility to control themselves…but you have a responsibility to help us do so…it is a partnership…and as we work together God will be honored in this.

From the Ponderosa to the Pigpen

We're gearing up for Round Up Sunday, September 10. It's going to be a great day of rounding everyone up after such a busy summer. Round Up Sunday will feature:

• The Illustrated Message From the Ponderosa to the Pigpen
• The Launch of our Fall Small Group schedule
• Horseback Rides for all children

This is one of the most powerful illustrated messages we've ever presented. Start inviting your friends and family. There are going to be some great surprises during the service that you won't want to miss.

You don't need priorities...

Here's the idea. You don't need priorities...if you don't have any dreams. If you have dreams and no priorities then all you have is despair. What are your dreams? Let those dreams determine your priorities for this day, month, and year.

Back to School Rally

Thank you to all of the volunteers for this year's Back to School Rally. We gave out more backpacks than ever. Plus, our attendance for the rally was the highest-ever at 828 people across the two service.

Again, thank you to everyon who helped out!

Back to School Rally Sunday

We're getting ready for our annual Back to School Rally this Sunday. We've had over 400 people sign up for our free backpacks. Gary Lydic of America's Family Coaches is going to be our special guest. I'm going to present the illustrated message, The Three Chairs. It's going to be great.

Don't forget there are two services: 8:30 and 10:30. The 8:30 is primarily for our guests receiving backpacks, though anyone can attend. We're encouraging you to bring guests to the 10:30 service.

If I'm not as excited about Back to School as I should be--it's because Corbin heads to Kindergarten! We moved Morgan out of her baby bed last weekend and now this! Our kids are growing up! In a year, Grant goes into the elevate student ministries. We're to young to be parents of a near-youth!

Soda, Pop, or Coke!

My dad worked for the Coca-Cola company while I was growing up so we never had any other product in the house. In fact, we called all soft drinks coke. In fact, most people were we lived would say, "Do you want to get a coke?", but that could mean Coke, Dr. Pepper, or any other soft drink.

Here in Iowa, it seems that pop is the name of choice. Somebody actually did research to find out the prevailing name across the country. Here's the link. Interesting!

http://www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html

Pull Up Your Stakes

What a great weekend we had at Christian Life Assembly. It was so great to be back after vacation. We had a powerful service where we discovered the need to pull up some stakes in our lives.

I am convinced that God wants to do more in our hearts and lives that what our current tents can contain. So, we've got to pull up the stakes that hold us in. Stakes like other people's opinions, our past, our bad habits, our lack of knowledge. Israel had to pull of the stakes of a shameful past and a barren present in Isaiah 54. We've got our on stakes to pull up so we can expand our tent.

Let's pull up some stakes this week. Next Sunday, we're going to continue in this Breaking Free series with a look at Running through Troops and Leaping Over Walls. It's going to be great.

Call the DOCTOR

While I was at Cape First, Gary Brothers gave me the book Masterplanning by Bobb Biehl. I've not read the book yet, but he uses an interesting acronym to describe the planning process:

D Direction
O Organization
C Cash
T Tracking
O Overall Evaluation
R Refinement

It looks a like a great way to develop a simple, but effective masterplanning process in a church or any organization.

It's Great to Be Back

What a wonderful two-week vacation Amberly, the kids, and I had. We visited our family in Kentucky, spent a week in the Smoky Mountains, and preached at Cape First with Gary Brothers in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It was awesome.

But, it's good to be back in the saddle again. When I got back, the team had "Welcome Back" posters with pictures of my favorite things: Tommy Barnett, Elvis, Dr. Pepper, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Mickey Mouse! There was also a life size, stand up picture of George Bush in my office welcoming me home. What a team.