I Pitty da Group!

Don't miss the amazing race - sign up your group today (or convince your group leader) to compete against other VCC Groups. Pastor Josh - I mean Mr. T - means business!

Texas Spring Break

I was sitting outside last week in Buffalo, NY. I was preparing to officiate my sister's wedding - which was awesome by the way! It was 25 degrees. I was drinking a cup of Tim Horton's coffee (which is the Canadian version of Dunkin Donuts and even better). And I had this thought...

Spring break in Texas is a bad thing! 

When spring break ends it means the Texas summer has just begun - enough said! With that thought, I almost stayed in Buffalo. 

"Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew HOT, it melted away."  (Exodus 16:21)

Small Changes - Big Impacts

Small changes have big impacts. It's the little things in life that lead to our success or failure. A few degrees of compromise here and there - a few degrees of drift here and there - a few degrees of subtle shift here and there - a few degrees of directional change and before you know it you can find yourself way off coarse. A compass one degree off at one hundred yards is no big deal but at 3000 miles it will lead to a place you never wanted to be.

No one ever goes from following hard after God to a moral failure, a numb existence, or a dead faith overnight. It's a slow fade. One compromise at a time. It's the little things, the things that we say "are no big deal," that can highjack our spiritual journey and shipwreck us. Jimmy Baker, Ted Haggard, Todd Bentley didn't crash a burn overnight. It was a series of small changes that led to a big impact in their lives.

The first thing that often goes when we begin to fade is accountability. When we begin to drift we cut people out of our lives so they don't see the compromises we have begun to make. So they can't call us out and challenge us to get back on track. We all need people in our lives to carry us closer to Jesus. Preaching about this this past weekend reminded me once again how important biblical community is.  So, let me ask you, who are your MAT CARRIERS? Who is keeping you on the right path?  God uses the friends in our lives to help us coarse correct and get back on track following hard after him!

"The prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."  (Proverbs 22:3)

In case you missed it!

You can comment now!

Since I am technologically challenged my blog has not been able to receive comments. Well we finally fixed it - thanks Brandi! You can now comment by simply clicking on the comment tab. Then choose the right "comment as" option for you. For those of you who need techy help like I would, simply choose either anonymous or name/url (you only have to fill in your name, nothing under url).

I hope to hear your thoughts and read your comments. This will lead me in to tomorrow's post - What makes a blog? #6 - Conversational.

T.O. & 2nd Chances

So T.O. was signed by my Buffalo Bills last week. Wow can't believe it. The blue-collar hard working Bills are not the first team you would think of going after a guy like T.O. Everywhere T.O. has played controversy has surrounded not only him but the entire team. While he is a specimen of an athlete his character, integrity, and personality are less than desirable for any team.

And yet, Ralph Wilson, the owner of the Bills took a chance on T.O. He took a chance on signing a multi-million dollar deal on someone who has been nothing but trouble his whole career. He took a chance on someone who other teams wanted nothing to do with. He took a chance on someone who was seemingly out of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th chances. 

Maybe we could learn from Ralph Wilson? Maybe he knows something about people most of us don't know? Maybe we should believe the best in those around us even though they have run out of 2nd chances?  Maybe we should go ahead and take a chance on someone - someone who has already been given a 2nd chance by God!

"But God demonstrated his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8)

e-Paralysis

Since Thursday our web server has been down. I know, I know - it's a big deal. This means no internet, no intranet, and no EMAIL. Almost an entire week without those 100's of emails a day flying in and flying out. Walking around our offices today I laughed because many of our team members were almost paralyzed without their email access. Could you make it an entire week without checking your email? 

This "set back" or "frustration" (as we called it this week) was really a glimpse into reality. Technology has no doubt helped us become more efficient and effective but has it inhibited what life is really all about? Has it prevented us from focusing on what is really important? When did we get to the place where people expect to have a reply to their email within 5 min of sending it?

I have to be honest, it has been freeing this week to not be controlled and consumed by responding to emails. I have been able to just BE with people. I have been able to focus on RELATIONSHIPS! Our email should be up and running again tomorrow and I dread the hundred's of emails that are demanding a response. But I think I really dread going back to being at the mercy of my email account. Maybe it is time to take back control of my day and not live by that looming reality - You got mail!

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."  (1 Peter 3:8)

World Class Service

Tonight I dragged my family to my favorite store - Cabela's! Trey loves to go but Colleen - not so much.  For those of you who need to be enlightened, Cabela's is the world's foremost outfitter of hunting and fishing gear. It is literally a wonderland for the avid outdoorsman. Anything you could ever want is somewhere within the 230,000 square foot store.

The only thing better than being at Cabela's is their world class service. Cabela's is known as the Nordstrom's of the outdoor world. They take all returns, have a genuine satisfaction guarantee, and have a staff that lives to serve. Every visit to Cabela's results in a world class experience for anyone who goes.

That had been my personal experience, that is until tonight. Tonight at the gun counter, as I was looking to purchase a Thompson Center Pro Hunter .300 Win Mag (for those of you who care), I had a disappointing encounter. I was poorly served, to put it politely, by not one but two employees. As Colleen and I walked out we both commented on how out of character and disappointing the service was for what we had come to expect from Cabela's.

The reality is that vision leaks. One of Cabela's core values is customer service - to create a world class experience for their guests. However, over time the staff and employees begin to lose sight of that vision and it leaks. They begin to settle for a second class experience and less than excellent service. I wonder how many times vision leaks in our churches and ministries? While we may know the values and vision it often leaks from our hearts over time and we begin to settle for providing a subpar experience for those who encounter our ministries. It's the small group who no longer welcomes new members, the church member who doesn't stop to say 'hi' to the first time guest, the volunteer who says to a guest "sorry that's not my job."

Since I know the heart behind Cabela's I can quickly look past my experience from tonight. But I wonder how many people would be willing to give our churches and ministries a second chance after a poor encounter or experience?

May you embrace the vision that Jesus sets for His Church and help create a world class experience for everyone who encounters you - His Church!

"A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."  (John 13:34-35)

What makes a blog? #7 - Consistency

As I shared last week, there are 7 commitments that I am going to make to this blog and its readers in my attempt to make it a blog worth reading. 

#7 is Consistency.

I would like to say that in order to prove my point I purposely haven't written anything in 5 days. That would have been a great intentional idea to show the importance of consistent blogging but alas I am not that creative. I haven't blogged much this week because to be totally honest - I just haven't felt like it. 

Doesn't that line up well with our lives? We don't do a lot of things because we just don't feel like it. We have all said those words at some time in our lives. I don't feel like getting up early today. I don't feel like serving my spouse. I don't feel like working out. I don't feel like making commitments or sacrifices. I don't feel like forgiving. I just don't feel like it!

Unfortunately, life isn't always about what we feel or don't feel like doing. 

Much of what we don't do can be attributed to one thing - lack of Discipline! It has been well proven that successful CEO's, athletes, entrepreneurs, parents, etc. are disciplined. They have the ability to force themselves to do the important things even when they don't feel like. That is what separates the vast majority of us from the extremely successful. And while we all want to be successful, few of us are willing to pay the costly price of discipline.

So...my commitment to you is that I will begin blogging consistently. The only way I know how to make that happen is by embracing and paying the price of discipline. I will post at least 3 quality (quality is a relative term. Let's define it as good as this wanna be writer can write) a week to make it worth your time to come back.

Commitment #7 - Consistent not Random

So let me ask you - what don't you feel like doing right now?  Why not pay the price of discipline so you can reap the reward at harvest time?

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."  (Proverbs 14:23)

Only God Stories

Life is about story! Everything we do, everything we watch, everything we hear, everything we share is about story. Life's communication is really just sharing stories. While we may not always realize it, when we talk to others we are telling them a story. A story about our lives. A story about what we have learned. A story about our attitude. A story about God. The people we are most drawn to are the best story tellers.

One of the things we have begun in our monthly all staff meetings is to take some time to organically share Only God Stories. Only God Stories are stories that only God could have written. Stories that are touched by the hand of God. Stories that are bigger than ourselves. Stories that inspire us. 

Only God stories are stories of God working in us, through us, and among us.

Paul says "I long to...impart to you some spiritual gift...that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." When we share the stories of what God is doing in our lives we impart something into those who hear our story. We encourage them with our faith as they encourage us. Today our team shared some great Only God Stories of what God has been doing amongst us. Life was imparted and faith was built.

What story are you sharing when you communicate? What is your current Only God Story? We all have them - sometimes you just have to look a bit to find them!

"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong - that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith."  (Romans 1:11-12)

God is...

In the world of ministry it can be all to easy to base our measure of success on the tangible results. How many people attend our services? How many people did I lead to Christ last year? How many people regularly attend my small group? In our performance orientated, approval addict society we want tangible results.

And yet, God always operates in ways we cannot see. He moves behind the scenes connecting people, touching hearts, planting seeds, moving people one step forward on their spiritual journeys even when it looks like we are failing from a "worldly" standpoint. God is the one who shows up on those days when most of your small group doesn't. God is revealing himself to the lonely person in the back of an empty worship service. God is whispering into the heart of the single mom who seems 'checked out - unengaged' at the gathering. God is always at work. 

God is always at work. 

Imagine the confidence and encouragement that truth could bring us if we just stopped looking at what we can see - at what we think we have accomplished - and started believing that God is...

"Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders."  (Exodus 15:11)

What makes a blog?

Blogging is an interesting thing - isn't it? Someone posts random thoughts on the internet for other people to read. Hmmm...where did that idea come from in the first place? Anyways, blogs can be designed to share family stories, personal insights, educational tidbits, spiritual encouragement and a host of other things. 

But what makes a blog?

Why do some bloggers have thousands of readers and other bloggers struggle to get even their own family members to visit their posts? As I have thought about this blog (about a year in the making - someday I will write a post about the journey of this blog getting started) - Mat Carriers - I have been researching other blogs to see what sets them apart. I have come to find that there are a handful of things that makes a blog.

So over the next few weeks I will share with you the top 7 things that make a blog. Or in other words, the 7 commitments that I will make to you to make this blog a blog worth reading!

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."  (Proverbs 14:23)

Amazing Race

Coming Friday, April 3rd from 6:30-9:30 pm VCC Groups will be having the Amazing Race. This is your opportunity to rally your group to compete against other VCC Groups. We will be racing around our city on a scavenger hunt and obstacle coarse. So get your group ready - start working out - maybe even take a practice run because you are going to need your best effort to win the first VCC Amazing Race.