Greg Atkinson

If you could only grab five items from your house before you had to leave it behind what would they be? (I’m hoping everyone would grab their family – so for this list don’t count them.)

Today we have so much “stuff” that if we had to pick up and move quickly it would be very difficult to do. I wonder it “stuff” sometimes holds us back from moving forward to where God wants us to be? I was challenged by the instructions of Joshua to the Israelites when it was time to crossover to the promised land.

“Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In THREE DAYS you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Joshua 1:11 NLT)

I think the lesson we need to learn is to travel light in this life. We need to be willing to let go things we don’t need. What are some of the things that we need let go of in our lives so that we can move forward when God calls?

• personal control … (Galatians 2:20)

It’s easy to say Jesus is Lord of my life, but it is hard to let go of that control. I think this is something I have to continue to learn on a daily basis.

• mistakes in my past … (Psalms 51:3, 17)

It is easy to let my past rob my future. I need to remember that if a perfect, righteous, holy God can forgive me, then I (rotten, no good, sinner) should forgive myself as well.

• hurts and disappointments … (Luke 6:35-38)

When I’m holding on to a grudge, I can’t hold on to the things Jesus wants me to.

Travel light and cross your Jordan River into the promised land!

***The following was  a guest post by Jay Thompson, Pastor of Community and Connections at Lakeside Church in Greensboro, GA.

Survivor, Survivorman, Man vs Wild, Dual Survival, Man Woman Wild … the list of survival shows today goes on and on. I love every one of them. If you watch any of these shows, they all agree on the basic needs of a person in a survival situation … FOOD, WATER, SHELTER, FIRE.

Lately I have been reading in the book of Joshua. The Israelites have wondered in the wilderness for 40 years and now it is finally time to go into the promised land. Before they cross over the Jordan, Joshua says to only pack the necessities.

“Go through the camp and tell the people to get their PROVISIONS ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Joshua 1:11 NLT)

As I read this passage I asked myself, “What are the provisions I need as I follow Jesus?” (Alright I know this list is not going to surprise anyone, but the know the things to do and doing them are extremely different.)

• time alone … (Psalms 46:10, Mark 1:35, 6:45-46, Luke 4:42, 5:16))

Life can get so busy that we never have time to sit, think, or rest. Jesus took time to be alone. I need to slow down.

• time alone with God’s word … (Ephesians 3:14-19, 1 Timothy 4:6-7, Hebrews 5:11-14, 2 Peter 1:2)

Reading, studying, journaling God’s word for ourselves is what enables us to live out God’s word in our lives. I need to make sure I take time to fill up.

• time with God’s people … (Acts 2:44-47, Ephesians 2:19-22, Philippians 1:27,  Hebrews 10:24-25)

Accepting Jesus is a personal decision that was never intended to be lived alone. God wants to use others to encourage and challenge me and wants  me to encourage and challenge others.

Life … it’s a jungle out there. Make sure you have your survival provisions.

*** The following was  a guest post by Jay Thompson, Pastor of Community and Connections at Lakeside Church in Greensboro, GA.

More and more, churches are turning to staffing specialists to get the right people on the bus. Last month, two of the leading search firms in the church world united. The Vanderbloemen Search Group (specializing in large church executive searches) and Help Staff Me (specializing in mid-level staff) have combined their resources and expanded their networks of relationships.

I recently asked the head of the firm, William Vanderbloemen, “What’s the best way to get promoted?” Here’s his answer:

“The single best piece of advice I’ve heard for succeeding in work didn’t come from a textbook or an expert; – it came from a most unlikely place….a job interview.

I was conducting an interview a while back for a search. The candidate, who had a good job, and had no reason to leave his secure setting sat in front of me, and I asked him why we were meeting. His response:

“I love my job. This is a good church. But I want to be somewhere where my ideas and vision are celebrated, not just tolerated.”

That’s a great lens for thinking about how to succeed in your work environment. Do you celebrate your work, or just tolerate it?

The best employees I see, and also the ones who get the most promotions, are the ones who don’t just tolerate, they celebrate. They celebrate their boss, even when that boss is imperfect. They celebrate their job, even if it isn’t the dream post for their life. They celebrate their church members, even when they act like they really, really need a Savior.

Think of Joseph serving while in prison. Think of David serving as a shepherd. Think of this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.

“God doesn’t just tolerate you. He celebrates you.”

Try the same attitude at your work, and I bet you’ll be more productive, more appreciated, and likely promoted.

Follow William (@wvanderbloemen) and Justin Lathrop, founder of Helpstaff (@justinlathrop) on Twitter to receive regular pointers and insights on trends they see in the church world.

Today is Valentine’s Day. Happy Valentines Day to you all. I thought I’d share what’s on my heart lately. I’ve been on a prayer journey of seeking God daily and falling more in love with Him. As I go deeper and deeper on this journey, I’ve also fallen more in love with my awesome wife.

We’ve been married for 15 years and she is the mother of my three amazing kids: Grace, Tommy and Katie. Here we are on Christmas Eve of this past Christmas.

On this Valentine’s Day I officially announce that I’m more in love with my Savior, Christ than ever before and I’m more in love with my Valentine, my wife Chrissy. I’m also grateful to God for our beautiful family and the joy of raising three precious kids.

Chrissy and I have been through tough times, difficult times, stressful times, deaths, sickness, financial pains, brokenness, good and bad, up and down, lean and well, we’ve never been rich. We’ve been through a lot and we’re still together and in love. That’s my story. Happy Valentine’s Day.

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” – Joel 2:12 (NIV)

This past Sunday at my church, the message was on worship and people were encouraged to text in questions at the end of the sermon for discussion. Here’s my question I texted in:

If worship is a lifestyle and the Bible encourages us to fast and pray, then why don’t we hear more about fasting in the American Church?

The answer I got didn’t satisfy. It was a “safe” answer and basically said that fasting was only something personal and not something that the church should talk about or do together. This disturbed me as I know some of the greatest churches in the country take fasting very seriously and have times of corporate prayer and fasting.

As a matter of fact, the last 2 churches listed as Outreach magazine’s “Fastest-growing Church in the US” (Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, AL and New Life in Conway, AR) both have annual times of fasting and prayer as a congregation.

I worked for a season with ARC (Association of Related Churches) and know how important prayer is to the foundation of a church planter. Prayer and fasting are drilled into the ARC church planters in their basic training and ARC (by no coincidence) has some of the fastest-growing churches in the country – including the two I listed above.

Throughout Scripture fasting plays a critical role in many God ordained events:

- Moses fasted for intimate fellowship with God (Exodus 34:28)
- David fasted for his sick child (2 Samuel 12:16)
- Ezra called a fast for humility and to ask for God’s provisions (Ezra 8:21-23)
- Daniel fasted to discern God’s will & seek God’s counsel (Daniel 10:2-3)
- Jesus fasted before beginning his public ministry (Matthew 4:2)
- Church leaders in Antioch fasted for God’s divine help (Acts 13:3)
- Paul fasted as servant of God for those he served (2 Corinthians 6:5)

If you’re interested in fasting, here are some resources I use HERE.

I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world. —Bill Bright

So, if you invited your church to text in questions and I texted in my question you see above, how would you respond? Should the church as a whole fast and pray? Does your church participate in any kid of annual fast? Do you personally fast? Is this as one worship pastor friend of mine called a “lost art” in the Church?

I came across this great management and leadership post and it resonated with me because I’ve experienced each of the four roadblocks personally in my ministry career. Nothing is worse than meaningless tasks and meetings that keep you from getting done the things that you need to get done and also hamper creativity and innovation. The following is a great post from Dan Rockwell:

“Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.” Peter Drucker

Four ways managers roadblock productivity:

1. Talking – Managers that roadblock work talk too much. Your people want you to leave them alone.
2. Meetings – Too many meetings that include too many people that share too much detail. Here’s some motivation to abbreviate or cancel meetings. They are expensive. A one hour meeting with 8 people in attendance costs their combined salaries plus lost productivity. Remember, you don’t get anything done in a meeting. Things get done after meetings.
3. Reporting – Requesting too many reports that include too much irrelevant detail that takes up too much space in file cabinets. One reason you ask for all the detail is to cover your butt. It’s a business culture issue. People expect you to know the details of all the projects you manage. Sadly, if you know all the details of all the projects you manage, you aren’t managing to your highest potential. I realize this is an organizational-culture issue.
4. Projects rather than people – It’s instinctive to focus on projects and deliverables. However, it’s more effective and efficient to give clear direction, encouragement, and motivation to your people than it is to get directly involved in long-term projects.

Enhancing productivity may not be about doing more and working harder. It may be about doing less.

*****

How do managers make it difficult to get work done? Please leave a comment of something you’ve experienced that decreased your productivity and effectiveness as a leader.

Last night during the amazing Super Bowl commercials, Apple introduced the world to The Daily. I’ve already stated that I think this changes the game. It’s no secret that I’ve never been a fan of traditional newspapers. What say you?

Yesterday was the beginning of Chinese New Year. Many of you may have already broken your New Year’s resolutions. Why not start over with the Chinese New Year holiday and give your resolutions another shot?

I decided to finally do something about my health and started eating right, including living gluten-free. As of today, I’ve been gluten-free for almost 4 weeks. I have a good mental resolve and commitment to make this my lifestyle and don’t plan on turning back.

On the negative, I haven’t started back exercising like I hoped to do in January. So, I’ll start exercising this weekend and get on a regular routine next week. That’s me being Chinese and giving my resolutions another shot.

What can you start doing now that you’re not already doing?

The following story was shared in my small group last night. I thought it was worth sharing: Paderewski was one of Poland’s world renowned pianists and composers during the early 1900′s. Here is a story about one of his concerts.

A mom wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “No Admittance.”

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy was sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized they couldn’t recall what else the great master played. Only the classic “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” remained burned in their brain and on their hearts.

From my friend, Jay Thompson: That’s the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful, flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life’s work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You might just hear the voice of the Master whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

My prayer for you who serve in ministry is that you will take this story to heart and reflect on Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.”). And as it says all throughout the Old Testament, “Be strong and take courage.”

As you know, I (Greg) consult with and secret shop for churches across the country. My friend, Will Mancini does the same thing with his company. Recently he wrote a great blog post on why he thinks this service for churches is vital and I loved it. I thought I’d share it with you here today:

Every month for the last decade, the Auxano team has conducted ministry observations during weekend services. They call it the Guest Perspective Evaluation. Here is why they keep this strategic component in Auxano’s toolbox. Okay, each reality by itself may not be mind blowing, but when you put them all together, the case is staggering and couldn’t be more compelling.

#1  You will have more guests in one year than you think. Our “information gathering” in churches doesn’t even capture the majority of guests. Auxano research shows that five to eight percent of your worshipping community will self-identify as guests. Therefore the number of guests in one year is:

[(Ave. weekly worship attendance) x (.05) x (52)]

#2 Many of your guests are going through situations that make them more responsive to God. These are the folks that are most likely to be moving, changing jobs, getting divorced, having kids, etc.

#3  Your guests are assessing very quickly whether or not they are coming back. This happens much faster than we think. For example, read The 11-Minute Difference.

#4  Your guests represent step one of accomplishing the Great Commission- these are the people coming to you! How much does your church spend on foreign missions? Compare that to how much we invest into the fish that swim to the boat before we cast a net.

#5  A guest who is attending may represent years of prayer, service, and invitation by a church member. My mom and I attended church without my father for 12 years. The first time my Dad came to church with us, imagine how I felt about the church and the hospitality of the people. All I could think was “Don’t screw up!”

#6  Studies show that guests will talk about their initial experiences 8-15 times with other people. Serve guests well and multiply your message.

#7  A welcoming ministry is a great “shallow end of the pool” to get people involved in service for the first time.Yes, you have plenty of intimidating places to serve like worship, small groups, and children’s ministry. So why not leverage an easy place to start?

#8  Building a great ministry to guests nourishes a culture of hospitality because of the concrete reminders to the entire congregation that guests matter.

#9 Investment in a welcoming ministry is an investment into every other ministry your church offers. I ask churches to dream about what ministry they might start. I then tell them to get it done by first having great guest services. Do you want an amazing prison ministry? Maybe the next Chuck Colson is visiting next week.

#10 We are commanded in Scripture to be hospitable. The Greek word philoxenia literally means to “love strangers” and is used in Romans 12:13 and Hebrews 13:2.

***The following was a guest post from Will Mancini. You can visit Will at www.willmancini.com/