Toluu : THINK DIFFERENTLY

THINK DIFFERENTLY

I’ve been on a Craig Groeschel kick lately.

Maybe it’s due to the fact that we have similar backgrounds (out-of-control frat guys, partying our brains out any chance we got who were radically changed by the Spirit of Christ). Or maybe it’s the fact that he has a knack for saying semi-inappropriate things that most people think pastors should not be saying (besides incredibly profound insight in his book, “It”, he’s also generous with “poo” and “pee” stories from his children). Either way, I think Craig has some really good stuff to say.

Below is a list he compiled for Outreach Magazine, a list of advice containing bits of wisdom he wishes someone would have given him 20 years ago (he’s now 40). Here are a few of my favorites from “Advice For Young Pastors”:

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint.

Jesus cares more about the church than you do.

You can’t please everyone…so why try?

People will criticize you. Qui

An Interesting Perspective On Church.September 3

The following is an excerpt from a Rob Bell interview I found on Neue Ministry’s website. You can find the full interview here, but take a read of this snippet when Rob talks about the difference between “going to” church and “being” the church:

“On Sundays at Mars Hill, we would simply say this is just a gathering of the church, or churches. We gather throughout all the days of the week as communities, but we actually journey together in smaller networks of people. So, if you come here on Sunday, you come for an hour and a half for whatever teaching and singing, and get some information, but please don’t say you’re a part of this church. You went to a service this church put on. So to me, God can use all these different ways. The issue is whether we’re honest about what things are, and we call them what they are, and we don’t place expectations on things that can’t deliver.”

This is something that I try and breathe into reality at Immersion, the ministry that I help lead. We make a mistake in the church when we say, “I’ve gone to church today” without realizing that that identity as the church follows us into our everyday lives - whether we like it or not.

Have you noticed this? This awaren

Pastoral Tips On Ending Boring Meetings.September 2

The following comes from LifeChurch.tv’s Craig Groeschel:

“For some reason, when someone schedules an appointment with a pastor, they generally assume it will be a one hour appointment. Most one hour appointments could be handled in much less time. Years ago, I shortened my appointments to 45 minutes. We’d explain ahead of time that I have 45 minutes allotted for the meeting. No one complained. We got to the important stuff a lot faster. After some time, I shortened most meetings to 30 minutes and some to 10 or 15. It is amazing how much important ground you can cover when both parties understand how much time you have to work with and you get right to the important issues.”

Can anyone relate? Seems as though those of us in ministry (and even those not in ministry: Anyone ever had a corporate staff meeting that went forever? Yeah, you feel my pain.) like to have meetings about meetings, meetings to schedule meetings, and meetings to meet about when we last met about meeting! Can I get an “Amen”?

Point being, very few things any more require more than 30-45 minutes of my time. I am really not that important.

What about you? What strategies do you have for cutting down your “non-productive” time? One tip I’ve implemented lately is the “Always-On Away Message”. I keep my away message on and tell people when I�

Offended by the F.B.I.August 26

I’m turning into an old man.

This past weekend, my wife and I were out making returns and doing some shopping. We stopped by a dress store (”It’s 40% off,” my wife exclaimed, “we’d be silly not to take a look!”) so Kerry could take a look.

She went to try on some clothes and I did what all men do when their ladies are trying on apparel: Fidget and look awkward.

As I was sitting there, I noticed a young woman go into one of the dressing rooms next to my wife. She went in with a few things and emerged every now and again to hail an unseen boyfriend who was sitting (I assume fidgeting and looking awkward as well) around the corner.

I heard him say a few unintelligible words until finally, after multiple attempts by this young woman (presumably his girlfriend) to get his attention, he lumbered around the corner.

What I saw next, I was not quite prepared for. This guy, maybe 19 years old, was wearing a T-shirt that said the following, “F.B.I.: Female Body Inspector”. Get it? “FBI” - like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but instead his shirt just switched around what the letters meant. Switched to “Female Body Inspector”. Isn’t that just so clever? Forget clever, it was the epitome of good taste!

I was appal

No More Sundays.August 20

Below is a post off of my blog on dmJuice.com. I included it here because I think it could prove valuable for discussion.

I have been thinking about writing a book lately. I would call the book, “No More Sundays” (a play off of the hugely popular “No More Mondays” by Dan Miller).

“What’s behind the title?” you ask. Well, it seems that in my life I tend to segregate what happens on Sunday mornings as “church” and the rest of the week is “not church.” I don’t make these distinctions intentionally, but years of cultural conditioning have programmed compartments in my brain to better categorize this experience called “life”:

Work = Monday - Friday; 9-5pm.
Drive = Right side of the road.
Eat = Three meals per day.
Church = Sometime on Sunday morning.

I have been really challenged lately by some words I read regarding what “going to church” should look like. The author I’m reading says this to some of his friends about what “church” is all about, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—an