Greg Atkinson

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:30 (NASB) Warren Wiersbe in his commentary on John 3 tells the story of a Presbyterian pastor in Melbourne, Australia who introduced J. Hudson Taylor by using many superlatives, especially the word great. Taylor stepped to the pulpit and quietly said, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.” If John the Baptist in heaven heard that statement, he must have shouted “Hallelujah!”

Wiersbe points out that the word must is used in three significant ways in this chapter. There is the “must” of the sinner (John 3:7), the “must” of the Savior (John 3:14), and the “must” of the servant (John 3:30). We, as servants, have our “must” – it’s the profound and passionate statement of John 3:30 – “He must increase. I must decrease.”

How do these words hit you? I struggle with them frequently. This is the cry of my heart. I want more of Jesus and less of me. When I serve, minister, share, write, speak, consult – I have nothing of myself to offer. What I can do is point people to Jesus and encourage them to be led by the Holy Spirit. This is my calling and my ministry and something I live to do. I hope you sense that I point you to Jesus and not man’s wisdom or answers. What Scripture verse rings your bell?

Yesterday I mentioned how pastor Ray Johnston brought the book of Philemon alive to me. Did you read it again? If not, go and read and come back. Basically, Philemon was a wealthy slave owner who had a slave (Onesimus) rip him off and run away. Onesimus met Paul and became a Christ-follower. Paul wrote a letter to Philemon (his old slave master) asking him to accept Onesimus back as a “son” and member of his family. Not only was he a slave (which were killed and treated as unhuman), but he had ripped Philemon off and ran away.

So, after reading Paul’s words to Philemon, do you think Philemon did it? Did he accept Onesimus back and not kill him for running off? For the answer we look to ancient Church history and letters written 50 years later by an early Christian leader (St. Ignatius of Antioch) to the Church at Ephesus. In the very first chapter of St. Ignatius’ letter he praises their “their wonderful bishop” (pastor) Onesimus. Think it’s a coincidence? Ignatius uses the identical phrase that Paul uses in verse 11 – “who formerly was useless, but now is useful.”

Say what? Onesimus – a slave, became one of the great leaders of the Christian church and most likely was the pastor of the Church of Ephesus. Many scholars point out that Ephesus was the center of where they met to choose the letters to be included in the Biblical canon and Onesimus might have had a hand in encouraging them to include his story (the book of Philemon) in our Bible. Have you ever wondered why such a strange and short book was included in the Bible? Maybe God wanted us to see the amazing story of a slave who became a pastor and leader in the early Church. What are your thoughts?

Continuing on with the theme of God can use anybody. I’d like you to take the time to read the short book of Philemon in your Bible. I had the privilege of secret shopping Bayside Church this past Sunday in Sacramento, CA. Their worship pastor, Lincoln Brewster, lead worship and it was awesome.

BONUS: I also got to see the Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit which they were hosting! I’ll blog about that in the future.

Bayside’s senior pastor, Ray Johnston, taught on the book of Philemon and the amazing story of Onesimus – a slave. I’ll share more about what he said later. Read Philemon and share your thoughts on this book that is quickly becoming one of my favorite books in the Bible.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

I was reflecting the other day on people who had committed an unthinkable sin (murder), yet were used mightily by God. Moses murdered. David had a man sent to the front lines and killed (not to mention committed adultery). Saul (Paul) was a famous murderer of Christ-followers.

My pastor preached on God loving homosexuals this past week and how we tend to rank different types of sin. I was thinking how many people I know think there are “little sins” and “big sins”. I instantly thought of murder and how that is such a painful sin with horrible consequences, but God was able to use people that sinned greatly – even murderers.

Are there consequences for sins? Absolutely. Make no mistake: there are consequences for people that have an abortion, practice homosexuality, adultery and murder, but God can reach, redeem, restore and use you no matter where you’ve been. What are your thoughts?

Remember the SNL sketch? Well, I’ve been thinking about certain stories and passages of Scripture lately. Things that amaze me. Things that challenge me. Things that encourage me. I’m going to share them with you over the next few blog posts. What stories in the Bible leave you thinking about them long after you’ve read them?

The following is a guest blog by Tom Harper, Publisher of ChurchCentral.com and President of the Society for Church Consulting.

Every leader needs to ask introspective questions. Several of the ones on the checklist below have caused me to reevaluate not just where I am, but who I am. They are in no particular order.

As this year unfolds, now is a great time to recalibrate yourself.

1.  Is narcissism 90% of Twitter?
I mean come on. How can I really follow and read what 1,736 people have to say? Isn’t it really all about having an audience of my own? So then, what is my motivation for doing it?

2.  Is social media your newest time-waster?
In a recent blog post, Seth Godin wrote, “I’d like to posit that for idea workers, misusing Twitter, Facebook and various forms of digital networking are the ultimate expression of procrastination. You can be busy, very busy, forever. The more you do, the longer the queue gets. The bigger your circle, the more connections are available.”

3.  Are we insulting Jesus with all the books and blogs denigrating his church?
I’m reading a thought-provoking book called “Why We Love the Church.” The authors ask this same question.

4.  Do you lead your organization too softly?
Humility is honorable, but is it time to shake things up and perhaps lose a few friends for the sake of the vision? Why not be bolder?

5.  Are you blinded by your own vision?
Is it time to get a new one, even if the old one was unique – though not yet achieved?

6.  Is it time for you to make a personal leadership change?
Maybe you’ve done your best and the ride has come to an end. Leaving may be exactly what you and your organization need for rejuvenation.

7.  If you were hired to replace yourself, what would you do differently in your job?
Zero-base your position. What would you do if you started from scratch? Why aren’t you doing it now?

8.  What excites you these days?
Why aren’t you doing more of it? Maybe your followers would be more enthused if you were.

9.  Do you need to be more accountable to someone?
Someone needs to know what’s going on in the world of your heart. God often speaks to me frankly through my wife and close friends.

10.  What do you pray about?
Is it the same thing all the time? Is it always about yourself?

11.  Is your near-term future one big question mark, or do you have a plan?
Our God is a God of plans. Think two or three years out – what’s your next destination?

12.  Who was the last person you witnessed to that accepted Christ?
We are called to make disciples. Is it time to hone your skills or simply step out of your comfort zone?

13.  Do you read enough books?
It’s hard to grow without putting new ideas into your head. I get inspired by books on leadership and management. They encourage me to try new things.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the variety of guest posts lately. I’ve enjoyed them and they’ve really freed me up to write. My book has 40 chapters. I’ve written 37 of them and will hope to finish the book this week.

I’ve also been traveling. Last weekend I did a secret shopper in Kansas City and last week I spoke at the National Church Music Conference in Indianapolis. This weekend I’ll be doing another secret shopper in Sacramento, CA.

The church in KC was a medium size church of 300 people. The church in Sacramento is a church of over 10,000. Large or small – the secret shopper is a wise investment. You can always do what you do better and be more sensitive and effective to reaching lost people. If you’re interested, contact me – I’d love to help your church.

Tomorrow, I’ll be writing (today, too) and I’ll let you enjoy another guest post.

The following is a guest blog by Blaine Hogan, Experience Engineer at Willow Creek Community Church where he creates contexts and spaces for people to experience God using video, multimedia, movement, and performance art.

A few months ago I got a call from a friend of mine asking if I’d consider applying for a creative leadership position at his church. The excitement of the opportunity was quickly overshadowed with a cloud questions.

Is this the right thing? Should we leave Chicago? What does my story have to say about all this?

I left home at 18 in search of risk and adventure. As such, I spent most of my life running around the country from one thing to the next. Some of it was circumstantial. Some you can chalk up to the “actor’s life.” But much of it was simply because I was afraid. Afraid that if I stayed anywhere too long people would find me out. And who wants that?

As Margaret and I contemplated the idea of leaving it became very clear we weren’t supposed to pursue the opportunity. At my most smug I triumphantly declared the reason for staying as: “I’m not done with this place!” And while some of that may be true, my smugness was wiped quickly from my face as the actual reality set in: this place isn’t done with me.

Something in me realized that staying would be far harder than going somewhere new where I could start over. Something in me realized that doing the harder thing would be the very best thing. Something in me realized I was to do a new thing that seemingly was not a new thing at all – stay.

Leaving is no longer the risky thing for me. The risky thing now is staying.

It is submitting to the painfully transforming process of community. It is doing a dumb thing at work and then having to show back up the next day to face those you’ve disappointed. It is telling the truth instead of protecting yourself. It is letting people love you in spite of your ugly and broken bits and then letting them gently guide you into the light. It is showing up to dinners instead of going home and feeling sorry for yourself. It is letting yourself go – in a good way.

For you the risky thing might be leaving. It might mean getting the hell out of dodge – and fast. But for others of you it might mean staying put…breathing…letting yourself go…and letting your community have its way with you.

Esther De Wall wrote about St. Benedict and his life as a monk. I’ll end with her words on staying put as she says it much better than I could:

“Instead of this bewildering and exhausting rushing from one thing to another, monastic stability means accepting this particular community, this place and these people, this and no other, as the way to God. The man or woman who voluntarily limits himself or herself to one building and a few acres of ground for the rest of life is saying that contentment and fulfillment do not consist in constant change, that true happiness cannot necessarily be found anywhere other than in the place and this time.” - Esther De Wall | Seeking God, The Way of St. Benedict

The following is a guest blog by Barton Damer, a freelance digital artist designing for new media, interactive, print and broadcast design. He operates under the studio name AlreadyBeenChewed.tv

#2-4 are not logo designs. They are variations of a logo design. A logo should stand strong in solid black and white. If it falls apart when reduced to those 2 solid colors, it is not a strong logo design. The strength of a logo should not rely on full color, gradients, grunge effects, 3d effects, or shading & highlights. A logo in it’s basic form needs to work for print, web and video. There are many times when a logo may need to be reproduced on a vinyl banner, fax machine, gobo for lighting, tee shirt printing, embroidered, embossed/engraved or extruded in a 3d program. None of those will work if your logo is not replicable in solid black & white. Even the grunge effect is technically replicable in solid black & white; but at it’s core, it is an effect applied to a logo. The logo should stand alone without that effect applied to it. Logo designs that are too ornate should be avoided as well. You will run into a lot of the same issues if your logo is too intricate. Less is more.

The following is a guest blog from Michael Buckingham, founder of Holy Cow! Creative and Creative Director for the Center for Church Communication

I’m a people watcher. I love to watch people interact, explore the world around them…my wife and I even try to guess people’s relationships when we’re out to dinner. When I had the chance to check out Hollywood Blvd…wow. For those of you who have been there you’ll remember the street performers in front of the Chinese Theater where you will see all the characters SpongeBob, Jack Sparrow, Elvis, Optimus Prime, Spider Man…you name it someone is there dressed up trying to make a living in Hollywood.

The difference between those who do well and draw a crowd and those who are wasting their time is all about their commitment to what they are doing. I saw it last time I was there.

Spider Man did okay, he got up on the light poles and did his thing, but his outfit looked like children’s pajamas…he found a shortcut, and it spoiled the experience. SpongeBob and Optimus Prime had the outfit, the costumes were hand crafted and very nice, but just stood there and waved. The best they got was a kid pointing and waving…from across the street.

Then there was Jack Sparrow. He went all in. He didn’t just put on a costume, he threw himself into the part. It was as if Jack Sparrow himself had jumped out of the movie and everyone wanted in on the action. I don’t have any doubt that this isn’t his ultimate dream, I don’t think he came to Hollywood to street perform on the strip…but he was committed to the craft and threw himself into the role.

Which are you? Who are your ministries, communications, preaching? Are you Spider Man who has the passion but has taken the shortcuts? The Transformer who has the flash but has no passion?

Will you be Jack Sparrow? Will you fully commit to what you do and how you do it? Will you push against the ‘just get it done’ attitude and the acceptance of ‘good enough’? We’ve all done it, I’ve done it. In the busyness of our days mixed with limited resources we’ve turned ministry into a list of to do items, trying to get each of them checked off with the least amount of effort. It’s not a lack of passion, it’s a lack of focus on our passion.

It often will mean avoiding the path of least resistance and will likely require sacrifice, but the good news is that you don’t have to go it alone. Look at Greg as an example, reaching out to friends to guest post (thank you, truly an honor) so that he can be fully committed to the book, fully engaged in his passion. Who has God set in your path to help you pursue your calling?

The great news is that when we are committed and fully engaged in that which God has called us to do, lives are changed, marriages are saved, people find hope…our light shines bright.