got me thinking
Thursday, February 26th, 2009WOW. This blog post by Pastor Steven Furtick hit the bullseye for me on some things/people I am dealing with right now. I thought it was worth sharing.
"Selective sowing/Good ground
You need to check the soil you’re sowing in regularly and make sure it’s yielding a good return. If not, stop wasting your seed and find some better ground.
I’ve spent disproportionate time trying to develop certain people only to eventually discover that they didn’t really desire to grow. I’ve bent over backwards to bless some people, only to find… Read More
make
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 says "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Typically believers and churches are good at producing decisions. Meaning we lead someone to that point of praying a prayer to receive Christ. They make a decision. Then we leave them hanging there. There is no follow up, no discipleship. And hopefully you know that discipleship is not a class that happens on Sunday night from 5 - 7. Discipleship… Read More
fade away
Monday, February 23rd, 2009
A lady was in my office today talking about missions. She is going deep into Mexico this summer with her son-in-law and granddaughter. WOW. Families serving the Lord together!!! I love it. She was telling me about the conversation with the mission team leader. He was informing her that they would be staying in a hotel that was built in the 1950's. She laughed about it. Last year she went to the Dominican Republic with us and the "hotel" the ladies stayed in was quite a rough experience. There was rarely any running water because the generators could not keep up with the electricity and the water pumps at the same time. So on the off chance they… Read More
tasty treats
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
This one is for pastors... We have all had people leave our churches claiming that they "just aren't getting fed." And, wow, does that ever hurt our pride and cause us to get defensive in a hurry. And while I agree that a Christ-follower has a responsibililty to get into the Word himself and is responsible for disciplining himself for growth (read my post called "same-ol' same-ol'), maybe we shouldn't be so quick to just cut people off. I have used the cliche "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." And though we may say this as if it came straight out of the mouth of Jesus, it did not. What… Read More
Stop the Slide
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009I read this on another pastor's daily blog yesterday and thought it was well worth sharing. Better said than I could ever say it! Enjoy
"When you notice something in your life or organization starting to slip and slide, address it immediately. The sooner you confront it, the less inertia you’ll have to deal with in order to regulate and reposition.
If one of your team members shows up late to a meeting for an invalid reason, address it the first time it happens. Stop the slide before the other people in your meeting start to follow… Read More
the price is right
Monday, February 16th, 2009
I was speaking to a group of college students last week about obedience and being a doer of the word and not merely a hearer. (James 1:22) I recently learned that the Greek word used to describe this "doer of the word" is "poietes" which carries with it the connotation of creativity. So we are to be creative in our carrying out of the commands and lessons of the Word. I love that. But after my talk with these students, as I was driving home, I realized that when I gave an example of this from my own life, I used an example from 3 years ago where I served one of my neighbors creatively. Three years ago? Is that the best I've got? Sure, that was… Read More
interrupted
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
I am a very busy man. I am a husband, father of 2 (with another on the way), worship leader, youth pastor, small groups pastor, etc... I preach regularly on Sundays, lead worship for a Sunday night ministry, preach and lead worship for various events and services such as FCA, Collegiate ministries, etc... I teach in our public high school a full day each week. I meet with several people regularly for discipleship and friendship. I lead a small group in my home every Monday night. I counsel people, have meetings with staff and leadership teams and volunteers and others. I am sure I am leaving some things out but you get the idea. All of these… Read More
squeezed
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
Continuing from yesterdays post... (if you haven't read it, go back now and read it). My small group Bible study last night was on suffering. We watched a teaching done by Louie Giglio, founder of Passion. What he said went right on with what I posted yesterday. The statement that stuck out to me last night was this "Your life is broadcasting a message. What is it? Suffering and hardship are an amplifier of what is in our heart." I usually say, you really find out what is really in you when you are squeezed. People can appear to have it all together and can appear godly, but then they are squeezed. Something tragic happens in their family. Something… Read More
hurt
Monday, February 9th, 2009
"I hurt myself today. To see if I still feel. I focus on the pain. The only thing that's real." - trent reznor Focus. That's what makes it real. Perception often is reality. My best friend was sharing about a conversation he had with a godly man last week. This man said "You can't hurt a grateful man." What a great truth. When your focus is not on the pain, but on the provision, you are unshakeable. When you find a way to be thankful in all circumstances, you find reality. My aunt used to say "Be thankful for dirty dishes because that means you have had food to eat and have not gone hungry. Be thankful for a flat tire because that means… Read More
awake
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
I can go to sleep at the drop of a hat. My wife hates it. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I can be out. So if we are having a conversation and she asks me a question, I can answer and then be asleep before she even responds. It's a blessing and a curse. It is not too often that I cannot go to sleep if I stop long enough to be still and quiet. No matter where I am, I can sleep. Except yesterday morning. I had set my alarm for 6:30 a.m. to which I planned to most likely keep hitting snooze until about 7... or maybe later. But at 5:30 a.m. I woke up. Just woke up. I looked at my phone to check the time. I was thinking "why in the world did I… Read More
About
Rusty Gunn is a pastor in Sand Springs, Oklahoma
