⊗ Stop growing and learning.
Cruise control is great for the car but terrible for leadership.  When the leader stops developing, his/her organization will soon follow.  The summary for the book of Proverbs could be “get wisdom, you’ll need it!”  (Proverbs 1:5)

⊗ Take your eye off the ball.
It is very easy to lose the focus on your mission, especially if you are experiencing some ‘success.’

⊗ Think you can make everyone happy.
I don’t mean to act arrogant and obnoxious.  Just realize as a leader you will always have some detractors.  (Galatians 1:10)

⊗ Ignore a problem.
If you ignore the problem it will simply grow and hurt the trust people have in you as a leader.  Pray and take godly action.  David had to go fight Goliath, not talk about it.

⊗ Be careless who you take counsel from.
See (1 Kings 12:1-16)

⊗ Do it all yourself.
You must equip others. (Ephesians 4:11-12)  As has been said, “Good leaders have a lot of followers.  Great leaders build a lot of leaders.”

⊗ Ignore the “inside work” of character development in pursuit of the necessary outside work.

⊗ Think too highly of yourself.
(2 Corinthians 4:7)

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time.  It is a book I would give to a spiritual skeptic or to an established Christian student.  The book addresses the frequent questions that skeptics, and even strong believers, have about religion.  To the skeptic he explains how the belief in the Christian God of the Bible is a rational and reasoned one.  To the believer he gives a concise, yet well-researched platform on which to stand their ground against a skeptical audience.

Keller addresses such dominant questions like ‘How could a good God allow suffering?’; ‘How can a loving God send people to Hell?’; ‘Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?’; and many more.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us to be able to give a reasonable answer to a reasonable question.  This book is helpful in doing just that!

We were not sure what to expect but were incredibly happy when the room was completely full before the 11:00 service began. I was proud of our people as they gave up their seats for our first time guests. All in all, 987 people were at our East launch, with over 6,300 total at both campuses. The vast majority at the East launch were from the Eastern communities we were trying to reach with the launch. Although we are new to the multi-site model, here are five quick things I like about the strategy.

1. It takes the church to the people, rather than asking them to drive long distances to the church. When our East small groups launch in a few weeks, they will be in homes in that area. As my friend J.D. Greear says, “Stay where you are; serve where you live; be the church in your community.”

2. It helps focus on the Great Commission of making disciples of all nations beginning in your backyard of “Jerusalem.” (Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8)

3. It can help change your community with the gospel. (Acts 5:42, Matthew 21:10)

4. It is a lot less expensive than building a bigger building and often more successful than a church plant. (90% success rate of multi-site)

5. It raises up new leaders. Four out of five multi-sites report an increase in lay leadership development. Sending out leaders – we sent 170 from our Arden campus to East Camps to be a volunteer army. It was also cool to se e the rapid leadership development of the three pastors who have been preparing for the launch and are now out at East.

Just a few thoughts. Below are a couple of pictures from East. Thanks for the prayers, and can’t wait till this Sunday!

Bruce

Can’t wait to look at God’s Word in the weeks ahead in the teaching series The 5, starting this Sunday at Biltmore.

• What do you think are your top 5 relationships?
• What is the biggest relational challenge?
• What is your # 1 relational question?

All that being said, I feel great and look forward to settling on a treatment plan soon.  Please continue to pray for the details that go along with this type of journey.  Thanks again and have a great week!

Why Should I?
Most believers have heard about the importance of having a ‘quiet time’ with the Lord. You see this practice in the life of David (Psalm 5:3); of Daniel (6:10); and of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:35). This daily time for prayer and meditation on the Word of God is indispensable to the growing healthy Christian.

There are also examples of extended times with God. Jesus spent whole nights praying. Nehemiah prayed “certain days” upon hearing the plight of Jerusalem.  Three times Moses spent 40 days and nights alone with God.

While an hour is not necessarily an ‘extended time,’ it is longer than most Christians in the West are used to.  As you will see, an occasional extended time can be one of the most refreshing times in your spiritual pilgrimage.

What Do I Need?
Set up a time when you are least likely to be disturbed.  Minimize distractions by turning off your cell phone, etc.  Many find it helpful to do this early in the morning before the day kicks off. (I also like a great cup of coffee by my side. )

Have a Bible and a notebook, and maybe a few worship songs on an iPod.

What Do I Do For an Hour?
Below is just a suggestion. Divide up however you feel works best for you.

• Spend first 10 minutes (or longer) waiting on the Lord quietly.  Quiet your heart and ask Him to teach you.  Ask Him to search your heart like Psalm 139:23-24 suggests.  When the Holy Spirit brings things to your attention, confess and forsake them and begin to sense God’s mercy (Proverbs 28:13).  If you’ve realized you’ve sinned against a brother, make a note of it so you won’t forget to set it right.  Psalm 51 and Psalm 32, David’s songs of confession, will help you.

• Spend 10-15 minutes or so in worship.  Psalms 103, 111 and 145 are wonderful portions to follow as you praise God for His greatness. Incorporate a song here if you like. This will naturally lead to thanksgiving.  Spend some time thanking God for the things He has done for you – your basic stuff (air, food, shelter, etc.), to big things (salvation, grace, family, friends).

• Spend 15 minutes or so and read a chapter in the New Testament Gospels or Epistles.  Pray Psalm 119:18as you begin.  Read slowly and deliberately.  As with any Bible study, ask:
  • What did this mean then? (Original recipients)
  • What does it mean now?  (Explanation)
  • What does this mean to me personally?  (Application)

• Spend the rest of your time
  • Praying for yourself (big decisions you have, the upcoming day, to apply the Scriptures you just read, etc.)
  • Praying for others
    • Pray specifically for your family, friends, people at work or school, your church and her pastors, people in your life who are lost without Jesus, etc.

• End your time telling God you love Him and you commit the day to Him.

Time flies when you are having fun!

They have nine core values that drives all that they do.  This Christian owned and operated company was founded by Truett Cathy years ago.  But these values have allowed it to be a consistently God-honoring way to run an organization.  Here are five of them, and some things I think most churches could learn from.

1.     Second Mile Is Second Nature

This value is so noticeable in their service & truly sets them apart.  The idea of a second mile is that you go above and beyond.  Chick-fil-A wants the extraordinary experience to be the norm.

So many churches do not go the second mile when it comes to things like greeters and children’s ministries.  Often the lack of going the second mile is couched in Jesus juke-talk like ‘We are just depending on God, etc.’  But the church’s founder is the one who said to go the second mile (Matthew 5:41).  He is the one who modeled what servanthood looked like.

2.     Remember Your Roots

Cathy believes that growing up in poverty was a blessing in his life because he did not forget his roots and it helped him to relate to people.

Regardless of your church ‘model,’ the roots are to be grounded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).  However you parse it, it means to make more disciples and make better disciples.

3.     Hard Work

*Self-explanatory

4.     Learning Ability

Chick-fil-A wants to hire leaders who have a mindset of continually learning.  They are all about continual improvement (new technology, new trends, processes, etc.)

While churches and church leaders are not to change an unchanging message, we have to be about learning ways to communicate and minister in our culture.

5.     Discipline

Discipline has been defined as “saying ‘no’ to something today so I can say ‘yes’ to something better later.”  That value is why Chick-fil-A started serving semi-healthy food before anybody else did.  That is one reason (the other being Cathy’s faith) they are only open six days a week.

Be sure to check out the video below for a good Chick-fil-A laugh.

Let’s do a quick history lesson first. Halloween is indeed rooted in the ancient Celtic feast of Samhain (sah-ween). The Druids believed that on the eve of Samhain the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pieced, releasing demons, witches, goblins, etc to harass the living. In order to make themselves safe from attack, people would disguise themselves as witches, ghouls, and devils. They also attempted to ward off evil spirits by carving faces on gourds illuminated with candles (hence the jack-o-lantern); and placated the spirits with a variety of treats(candy). We can also learn a lot from how the early Christians responded to Halloween. October 31st, the eve prior to All Saints Day was designated as a spiritually edifying holiday (holy day) in which to proclaim the supremacy of the gospel over the superstition of ghosts. Thus, “all hallows Eve” was an attempt on the part of Christianity to overwhelm the tradition of ghouls with the truth of the gospel.

You might say, “well what does the Bible say about Halloween?” Well, obviously the Bible does not mention Halloween since it started well after the Bible was completed. However, there are numerous Biblical principles that can give guidance to Christian families today. Here are a few that I see:

1. Don’t be legalistic! Some Christians will piously quote Deuteronomy 18:10-12 which reads “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord…” Well, these verses are pretty clear on what a Christian should not do. (Warning- sarcasm ahead!) But how many Christians are sacrificing their sons and daughters as a burnt offering on Halloween? How many are calling forth the spirits from the dead? The verse does not say that “trick or treating” disgusts the Lord.

2. Don’t go against your conscience. In matters not specifically commanded/forbidden in Scripture, it is always wrong to go against your conscience. Romans 14:5 says, “One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” James 4:17 says, ” Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.” What the Bible condemns is always wrong-what the Bible condones is always right-what the Bible neither condemns or condones is a matter of conscience. Don’t judge other Christians for observing or not observing Halloween.

3. Use Halloween as an opportunity. As Christians, why are we in this world? Are we here to live in a safe and protected environment, guarded against the evils in the world? Or are we called to reach out into a world filled with dangers and be the light of Christ? (I hope you know that answer!) Halloween brings people of the world literally to our doorstep. Halloween brings our neighbors out into the streets (and to our “church alternatives” if we invite them:)). (Note: this is also a great teaching opportunity for parents to teach their children about the supremacy of Christ) Go to www.biltmorebaptist.org for more information about HOOPLA on Saturday October 29th.

Right now, Lori and I are getting educated on the different treatment options and will make a decision soon. Your prayers about this decision are greatly appreciated.

We are already experiencing a nearness to the Lord and a sense of His wisdom in appointing this season of adversity for us. God promises that His grace will be sufficient as His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10). I am not particularly anxious and can already see the way God is using this to ‘prune’ my life. The expressions of love and encouragement from the people at Biltmore Baptist remind me I am blessed to pastor the best church in the
world.

God is good. I am going to get through this in God’s way and in His time. Thanks for your prayers.