Superbowl XLIII

In honor of tomorrows Superbowl, check out this video.  GO Cards!!!

15 Things I Wished I Would Have Known

This is a post taken from Perry Noble‘s blog today, pastor at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC

“The top 15 things he wishes he would have known going into planning NewSpring 

#1 – Don’t say “we will never do BLANK.”  BECAUSE…you probably will!

#2 – The more your church grows the bigger the target gets on your back.  People who don’t even know you will form opinions of you based on something that they heard you said…and bloggers and such will make it their daily habit to read what you say/listen to you preach just so they can tear you down.
#3 – There is not a formula for growing a church.

#4 – God love HIS church WAY more than I do.

#5 – I should spend way less time focusing on being “right” and way more time on being faithful.

#6 – Comparing NewSpring to other churches will either lead to pride or feeling like a failure…I need to desperately seek Jesus consistently to see who HE has called us to be.

#7 – I should learn from everyone…despite theological differences.

#8 – Don’t yell at the entire church just because 10 or less people are mad at you.

#9 – Those who you think will always be with you won’t always be with you.

#10 – I don’t always have the best ideas.

#11 – Excellence can never be compromised just because you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.

#12 – Only a pastor can really understand a pastor.  (I blogged about that in an article entitled, “The Pastor’s Pain!)

#13 – People will always misunderstand you…don’t waste a lot of time trying to explain yourself.

#14 – Leadership is as easy as listening to God.

#15 – One day the “traditional ideas” that I do not like will be the ones I actually developed…and that is when my motivations as a leader will be tested.

BONUS = The fights, the sleepless nights, the critics, the spiritual warfare, the long meetings, the frustration…IT’S ALL WORTH IT!  When lives get changed…it’s worth it.  When hell becomes less crowded…it’s worth it.  When repentance takes place…it’s worth it!  When marriages are restored…it’s worth it.  IT IS SO WORTH everything we go through!!!  SO…don’t EVER give up–EVER!!!

Those are some of the things I wished I would have known.

Challenging and encouraging thoughts that I will always keep in mind as I lead myself and others.  Don’t ever give up – EVER!!!  

What do you think?  Thoughts?

LoveMercy09 – Baltimore

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

  http://mywycon.com

What is Love Mercy ’09?

The 2009 Area Wesleyan Youth Convention “Love Mercy” sees the dignity of every child of God, and compels us to respond to make a difference, even at a cost to ourselves. It is to proclaim the Good News of God’s compassion in Christ, to love our neighbor as ourselves, to work for justice and peace, respecting the dignity of every human person.  You’re invited to be a key player in seeing a generation become all that God desires and empowers them to be.

Our exectutive team is onsite, in Baltimore, planning and meeting with the facility coordinators of the venue we are using, networking with local vendures, and researching future partnerships with ministries that exist in Baltimore.  Be praying for our team as we meet over the next few days.

GOOD or evil

I firmly believe that everything can be used for good or evil.  Whether its TV, drugs, technology or the Internet.  Yet, it is up to each one of us to decide for ourselves how we use the resources accessible to us.  This past year, God has really reminded me of this fact.  He wants us to use everything we can get our hands on/around to further His kingdom and claim back what is often misused for evil to spread His goodness and love.

God has spoken to me specifically about getting the word out concerning what we do at The Hub each week.  I believe that the Internet is a powerful tool that can be used for great good, to spread the Good News of God’s Kingdom.  So this year our student ministry team has decided to be more intentional about using the Internet to not only better communicate and minister to students, but also parents/grandparents/friends and anyone else who wants to be in on and engage with the ministry of The Hub.

With that, there are 3 new initiatives we are using this year so you can better interact with the ministry of the Hub via the Internet. 

1) Student Ministry Blogs – each one of our student ministry pastors and staff have starting to blog (web log) this year.  It is a chance for you to hear what God is teaching us, hear more info about upcoming messages, expand on past messages, catch the vision God is planting in each of our hearts, see how weird and normal we are just like you, by viewing our status (up to the minute), etc.  It is also a place were we want to encourage you to comment and interact with your thoughts and insight about what we have written and posted. – Go to www.thehubsite.com and click on our blog links on the bottom left hand corner now.

2) Live-Stream our Sunday Morning FUEL Services – every Sunday from 9:30am-10:40am EST.  It is as easy as clicking and bookmarking this link – http://www.mogulus.com/thehubfuel and  joining in every Sunday at 9:30am. You can see and hear exactly what is going on in the “garage” just as if you were there yourself.  As well as interacting with other in the chatroom provided who are watching the service just like you.  And, you can invite your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc to join you as well with the click of a button.  Inviting people to Fuel has never been this easy.  

3) A New Simple Website Layout (www.thehubsite.com) – Coming In February ’09.  This new site will make it easier for you to navigate through our calender, podcasts of each program, information about programs, upcoming events, photos of the facility and anything else you want to discover about the ministries of The Hub.

I look forward to interacting with you more than just face to face, as we claim back lives for Christ, for the good, using the Internet.

What Do You Think?

Had a conversation with  friend in the ministry today about the dynamics of Large Group/Small Group environments.  And in that discussion the following came to my mind:

The primary purposes for:

Large Groups – Casting Vision/Challenge/Celebrate

Small Groups – personal growth/application/imitate

Its in the large group gathering times (sunday worship services, summits, retreats, camps, conferences) that we truly get to celebrate together – by looking back & looking forward.  But its in the small group gathering times we are called to look within – apply and live out with accountability what God is teaching you and speaking to you about personally.  Both environments are needed for sustained personal growth and I believe these venues are essential for us to fully engage in the life that God wants us to live.

What do you think?  Agree or Disagee?

History In The Making

Today marks a historic day, as the exchange of leadership for our country took place at the Washington Capital.  President Barack Obama is now our new commander and chief.  I’m reminded of the quote from Spiderman2 which stated, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”  I’m optimistic about the Presidents leadership and plan for reform and change in our nation.  Although, it is God who is ultimately in control of everything that has taken place, is taking place and will take place in our nations past, present and future.  

So what is our part to play in making/keeping America the great country that it is? 1 Timothy 2:1-3 (The Message) says, “The first thing I want you to do is pray.  Pray every way you know how, and for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.  This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.”  Lets start with prayer and do our part to hear God’s voice and have the courage to do what He says to make our country the best it can be.

Pastor Rick Warren did an incredible job in praying for President Obama this afternoon. Here’s a transcript:

Let us pray.
Almighty God — our Father. Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory. History is your story. The Scripture tells us, ‘Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.’ And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge-point of history with the inauguration of our first African-American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King, and a great cloud of witnesses, are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice-President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom, and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us.

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes — even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation, and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day, all nations and all people will stand accountable before you.

We now commit our new president, and his wife Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life — Yeshua, Isa, Jesús, Jesus — who taught us to pray:

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.

Are you Twittering?

What is twitter?  Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS, or email, or through applications such as Tweetie, Twinkle, TwitterFox, Twitterrific, Feedalizr, and Facebook.

 Twitter had by one measure over 3 million accounts and, by another, well over 5 million visitors in September 2008, a fivefold increase in a month.  Twitter, a social networking tool that combines the ease of the web, cell phone text messaging with the power of email.

Twitter’s tag line is “What are you doing?”  This question is answered, literally, by millions of users throughout the day, every day.   Churches can easily provide timely, helpful information and resources to their communities; from small groups to volunteer leaders to ministry participants, Twitter is a very straightforward tool that even the non-technical people in your church can start using in literally a matter of minutes, right from their cell phones. – see more at http://twitterforchurches.com/

Still not sold on twitter… watch this video

Join the conversation and stay informed with what is going on in the lives of people you care about – look me up www.twitter.com/kevinbeers

Habitudes – Leadership Habits and Attitudes

This coming year, I have felt God leading me to be more intentional in how I approach, teach and disciple College Students. I do not just want to just give these students “more information” about God, but instead “teaching them to obey everything I (Jesus) have commanded you” – Matthew 28:20 (The Great Commission).

So what does that look like?  Ultimately, I would love to see/hear about these same College Students (a year from now and 20 years from now) leading themselves and influencing their friends/family members in the ways of Jesus.  To me, it was if God was screaming, teach on leadership – “Teach them how to live their lives in obedience to how I designed them to live… so they can in turn influence those around them in the same manner.”

Starting this week, my leadership team and I will be focusing on presenting one “Habitude – Images that Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes.”  We live in time when most people are visual learners.  By enabling students to grasp a spiritual truth through a word picture/parable, supported by story, God’s word and application, students will be equipped to better know how to lead themselves according to God’s will, which will ultimately affect them (how they live their everyday life) and those around them.

Tomorrow and in the weeks to come, I’ll show you a preview of what Habitude will be shared at College Nite that coming Thursday and what each word picture principle teaches concerning leading ourselves the way God intended.

Building Community vs. Playing Church

This past weekend I had an opportunity to go on a weekend retreat with a number of guys who seek to “Love God, Love Others and Prove It.”  It has been amazing to see how God has worked in our lives individually and collectively over the last year and a half.  Our times together have been some of the most powerful and meaningful times in my entire life.  The opportunity to “spur one another on”, “fan the flame of the Holy Spirit” in our lives with encouragement and accountability and serving together have been the results of our times together.

I believe that we are experiencing  ”community” – simply a network of relationships that are birthed from working together to reflect Jesus and His message so strongly that it compels those we encounter to ask us why we are so unique.  Its been amazing how our times individually on our own with God, have impacted our times together encouraging and serving together, to then influence those around us who do not know God, to draw near to God.  It is a humbling reality to think, that this is really what “CHURCH” is all about.  And to think that I’m experiencing it every day, every week, with these guys.  

Too many people confuse “CHURCH” with “playing church.”  Maybe if we were to “grow small together” in groups each day and influence those around us in community, then we would stop “playing church” for an hour on Sunday and “celebrate BIG” what God is doing as a “CHURCH” on the weekends.   It’s on those Sundays that we could share stories of what God is doing in us and through us all throughout the week.  Imagine what those gatherings/services would be like.  But its up to me and you… wanna build (church) or do you want to play (church)?

David Crowder Meets Kanye West

Check out yet another reason why David Crowder is the man.