Archive - Personal thoughts RSS Feed

A ‘Personal’ Conversation

April 24, 2012 in Personal thoughts with 0 Comments

The last couple of weeks I’ve had the opportunity to read my Pastor, Brian Bloye, and his wife Amy’s first book; “It’s Personal.”

Brian and Amy tell the story of planting a church in a very candid way. After over 14 years of Pastoring the same church, and one that has grown to nearly 5,000 people every week, it would be easy to share all the highs and victories that come with a startup. Brian is too honest to do that. I’ve been around a lot of leaders in my life both in business and in church. Brian remains the most humble and authentic leader I’ve ever encountered. In this book he remains that by sharing many of the ministry challenges he has encountered. Beyond that, Brian and Amy go to the next level by sharing how planting a church has impacted their marriage, their finances, their parenting, and general sanity.

If you are praying about starting a church, reading this book is a MUST! I’d like to tell you this is just a book about Church Planting, but I can’t do that. Because Brian and Amy are willing to weave in the behind the scenes, real world challenges, the book becomes about anyone who is striving to lead, to entrepreneur, to Parent, to love their spouse, and still keep your character intact.

My wife and I were a part of Brian and Amy’s launch team in 1997. I am three months shy of my own 15 year journey of being a part of this church and their leadership. I knew most of the stories, and have heard a lot of the advice and insights in my years hanging out with these guys. Even for someone like me this was a great book to read. I love the format. From the moment you start reading you feel like you are sitting down and just having a ‘Personal’ conversation. One moment they are talking to each other, and the next they are talking to the reader with interactive ease.

When you get the opportunity to sit down with someone who has been where you want to go in life and leadership you do that. You’d be crazy not to! This book gives you the opportunity to do that very thing.

You can download it on Kindle by going here; It’s Personal: Surviving and Thriving on the Journey of Church Planting (Exponential Series)

If you live in Northwest Atlanta and attend West Ridge Church you can pick one up at one of our locations this Sunday, April 29th. All the proceeds from sales go to fund wells in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

It’s still personal,

Paul

Finding Your Triangle

April 23, 2012 in Leadership, Personal thoughts with 0 Comments

For many people its easy to put the focus on making themselves really busy to try and expand influence or feel like they are adding value. They jump from thing to thing without any rhyme or reason hoping to make a difference. You gotta love the heart and sincerity  of these folks, but there’s a better way to go.

Long before Marcus Buckingham wrote about finding your strengths and even before the Apostle Paul wrote about spiritual gifts Jesus kept things simple and focused on one particular area. A majority of Jesus activity and ministry was done in a simple 7 square mile triangle (can you say square mile when referring to a triangle?) on the north edge of the Sea of Galilee. Three little towns get the majority of his attention and teaching. They are where he called out to his disciples, found other followers like Mary Magdala,  and where he did seemingly more miracles than we have recorded.

Standing on the hill above Capernaum it dominated my thoughts to consider how small and insignificant this place is to the majority of the world. Each of these town had their own role and place and value. But because Jesus invested so deeply into that community it became a launching pad from which the whole world would be transformed.

It’s easy to think you are not doing enough, or that your small slice of the pie doesn’t really matter that much. But if you invest deeply into your little corner of the world there is no telling what a difference you might make or how many lives you might touch.

Everyone Belongs,

Paul

Keep Pressing Play

April 16, 2012 in Leadership, Personal thoughts with 0 Comments

One of the things that become pretty obvious when you look at me is that you can tell I have at least watched a full episode of P90x. It may not be obvious whether or not I have actually participated in this deal a few times, but something inside of you is bound to whisper, “I’ll bet he’s watched one.”

Just to remove the awkwardness and intimidation I just want to confirm I have watched P90x. I love listening to the trainer, Tony Horton, give advice to help keep the workout going. One of the things that has really taken hold is his phrase, ‘Keep Pressing Play’. I guess a lot of people, while doing a P90x workout, decide to hit the pause button at different points in their workout. I don’t know any of these people personally. Tony Horton doesn’t condemn people. He doesn’t beat them up. He just gives the encouragement to ‘Keep Pressing Play’.
Strange though it may seem that phrase causes me to think of other areas where people might need to keep pressing play. For instance, right now we are in a series on prayer at West Ridge Church. A lot of people might feel guilty because they haven’t prayed in a while. At some point they hit the pause button on their prayer life and feel like they can’t get started again.
Guilt can create fear and prevent us from getting started again. Guilt holds us back and stops us from making progress. It stops us from asking for forgiveness and can prevent relationships from being restored. Stress and fatigue take us out and we can’t figure out how to get started again. Being worried about the judgments and thoughts of others can paralyze someone.
It takes a great mixture of humility and courage to hit that play button again. If you ever hope to see meaningful change, keep pressing play. If an area is worth growing in or a relationship is worth working on you have to keep pressing play.
No matter what area you feel stalled out in today, or how many times you have hit the pause button, just keep pressing play!
Everyone Belongs,
Paul

Chick-Fil-A Leadercast

March 26, 2012 in Leadership, Personal thoughts, West Ridge Church with 0 Comments

 I am thrilled to announce that we are bringing one of the best Leadership events in the country to West Ridge Church. We will be a host site for Chick-Fil-A Leadercast, and we would love to have you join us.

This one day leadership event full of challenge, inspiration and encouragement is being made available via simulcast on Friday, May 4th. You can go here to sign up!

Chick-Fil-A not only has a vision to deliver great food in excellent environments, but also to help enrich and build the communities where their restaurants are located. One of the ways they do that is by investing in leaders through this event.

So here’s the deal! THIS IS IMPORTANT! This event is sold out to attend live. The only way you can attend is through this simulcast event. Thanks to Chick-Fil-A and their partners Giant Impact we can make this event available for around a 1/4th of the cost of attending live. You will hear talks from Marcus Buckingham, Patrick Lencioni, Urban Meyer, John Maxwell, Soledad O’Brien, Andy Stanley, and Tim ‘the Jet’ Tebow! This is going to be a great day! You can go here to sign up!

Just a little bonus…all of the proceeds from the attendance at West Ridge Church will go to Global Missions.

I hope you, your friends, your small group, your co-workers, and more will join us for this incredible and unique event!

Everyone Belongs,

Paul

How Are You Doing?

February 13, 2012 in Personal thoughts, West Ridge Church with 1 Comment

I have a friend and mentor that sends me a text every once in a while with this simple question, ‘How Are You Doing?’

I’m sure you get asked this question a lot. It’s a quick greeting on the phone, or a ‘Hi, how are ya?’ in the hallway at school or in the office. Most of the time you know it’s just a greeting. Many times people don’t really want an answer, and that’s ok.

Sometimes you answer this question based on your mood, or current circumstances, or based on your recent conversations. How do you answer the question when you know the person who is asking actually wants an answer? How do you answer the question in a way that communicates more than just one moment?

For me I’ve tried to start hearing a different question when I am asked this. The question is ‘How are you doing?’, I’m hearing, “Are you following Jesus today?”

  • Following Jesus trumps how I am feeling at any given moment. It’s not dependent on my emotions.
  • Following Jesus means I can trust the motivations of my heart when I am making decisions.
  • Following Jesus means I am daily becoming God’s will, not just seeking God’s will. (There’s an Oswald Chambers quote worked into that one)
  • Following Jesus means I am learning to love others, even those that don’t love me.
  • Following Jesus means I am putting the desires and needs of my spouse, my kids, my family and friends, ahead of my own.
  • Following Jesus means I am willing to endure ‘light and momentary trials’ without reacting negatively.
  • Following Jesus means this day does not belong to me, it belongs to Him, and He is welcome to interrupt me at any time.

So, how are you doing today?  What does following Jesus mean to you?

Everyone Belongs,

Paul

From Back To Front

November 9, 2011 in Leadership, Personal thoughts with 0 Comments

Of the four major sports in the US, (I’m being really generous to hockey. It’s probably time for that to go away.) David Stern is the only commissioner to make the statement, “The name on the back is more important than the name on the front.” In other words names like Bryant, James, and Anthony, are more important than Laker, Heat, or Knick. Roger Goodell has pundits from every angle criticize the way the NFL protects its brand even down to off the field, off-season player behavior. I think the difference in philosophy and culture speaks for itself.
David Stern will get Christmas cards from all his favorite players, but he is probably not going to get to watch any basketball on Christmas Day, 2011. He will get to watch some NFL Football along with the rest of the US. Players from the NBA can scatter all over the world and still grow the brand on the back of the jersey, make a ton of money, and have no regard for the name on the front.
The same kind of culture can kill a church. If a single staff member’s name and influence, including the Senior Pastor, are highlighted more than the mission and vision of the church, when that person goes away so does all of their followers. The work of leaders focused on their own names have no staying power.
I once heard John Maxwell say (and he has probably written it down somewhere) that the measure of a leader is what happens when that leader leaves. In a leader’s absence, if things fall apart, chaos ensues, if followers migrate on, it’s quite probable that leader made too many decisions flow through and about themselves. If the mission and vision carries on in the hands of someone else who has been prepared to take the baton forward the mission will not only sustain, it will thrive and grow.
The mission and vision that God has given you is bigger than you. God forgive us when we make it about us.
Everyone Belongs,
Paul

Dad, Where Do Volunteers Come From

November 7, 2011 in Community Outreach, Engage Atlanta, Partnership, Personal thoughts, West Ridge Church with 0 Comments

A couple of months ago during the Engage Atlanta Community Makeover (12,000+ volunteers served from 110 churches) my then 8 year old asked me a question; “Dad, where do volunteers come from?” He is not the first one to ask this question. In fact, several church or non-profit leaders over the years have asked me the same question. People who have a passion to start an organization or serve a need that has been laid on their heart have asked that.

I realize this is an important question. If God lays a vision on your heart that is bigger than you can accomplish on your own, you have to answer the question, ‘How am I going to get others involved?’ It’s really very simple, but the first step can be the biggest!

The #1 way to bring volunteers to your ministry or cause is recruiting one on one. You have to make the ask to that first person. When you find someone who believes in you and what you are doing tell them to keep it going. Then you will find yourself being able to ask the second and the third and so on. It just happens, life on life, one on one. I sat down with someone recently who just drips wisdom when he speaks, and he told me, ‘No revolution begins apart from relationships.’

If you think your dream will come true if your company sends an official email, or if your Pastor will announce your ministry/cause from the stage, or if it makes the church bulletin, that’s just not the case. If you need more Children’s Ministry volunteers, parking lot team members, it begins with the existing volunteers believing in what they are doing enough to make the ask. If you are finding fulfillment meeting a need or serving a cause, give others that same opportunity.

Are you engaged in something bigger than yourself? Who are you asking to join you?

Everyone Belongs,

Paul

Do Me A Flavor

September 30, 2011 in Personal thoughts, West Ridge Church with 0 Comments

I love this time of year and where I live. I love heading to North Georgia to pick pumpkins, attend festivals, and eat things like apple dumplings that create in me an echo of another, better world still to come. :)

There are a lot of great events this time of year. I’ll probably tweet pictures when my family is somewhere fun, but if you live in Northwest Atlanta I want to invite you to an event with tremendous personal meaning.

The little man above is Jax Foust. His parents Chris and Kristen are great, personal friends. Chris is a drummer and part of the Creative Arts team at West Ridge Church. Their lives were rocked when Jax was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) at eight months old. LCH occurs when the body accumulates too many immature Langerhans cells, a type of white blood cell. This disease can affect many body systems such as skin, bone, lymph nodes, liver, lung, spleen, brain and the pituitary gland.

It’s not exactly something you hear about every day. Jax is still battling this disease, but his family would like to take action, raise awareness, and give back to the community in the meantime.

On Saturday, October 8, 2011, from 1 pm to 5 pm, the first annual, “Hope for Histio” fundraiser, influenced by two year old Jax Foust, will be held at Earl Duncan Park (click the link for directions) off of Hwy 61 to aid in the efforts to help raise funds and awareness for a rare blood disorder called histiocytosis.

All families are invited to help support the cure for histiocytosis. For $20 a family, you can enjoy fun-filled activities, such as face painting, food, and entertainment. Enter the raffle drawing to win a chance at a free round of golf at Cannon Gate and other prizes. Funds raised through this event will go to the Histiocytosis Association to be used for research, raising awareness, and education. Since this disease is very rare, funding for research is severely limited.

The Foust Family receives no personal benefit from this, but I know they would appreciate your ongoing prayers for Jax.

Everyone Belongs,

Paul

Re:Creation

August 9, 2011 in Amazon, Personal thoughts with 0 Comments

When I saw this album was coming out today it made me very happy. Steven Curtis Chapman seems to write and sing from a place of honesty and humility as much as any other artist that I know of. I have been encouraged by his music since I was in High School.

I normally go to iTunes to find new music, but I have learned that Amazon runs new releases at least a couple dollars cheaper if not more. This album has a great collection of ‘Re-Created’ Songs and a few new ones as well.

Click on the picture below and download your copy.

Innovation: The Sequel

August 8, 2011 in Leadership, Personal thoughts with 0 Comments

I love going to the movies. I love watching a good movie at home with my wife and boys. We watched Soul Surfer at my house the other night. It has some great themes, but for my 8 year old and 5 year old boys all they wanted to see was a shark and some blood.

I love a unique story line that is not predictable. But my favorite movies are ones where the story is being built on and more of the story will be revealed later. I love when there is a larger story taking place that gives you something to look forward to, like Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter.

What gets annoying are sequels. A sequel typically comes along after a movie has made a lot of money and now a duplicate can be made to capitalize on the success. Sequels are typically not very creative. Normally there will be a repeat of several jokes, or action scenes, or relational tension. The formula for success has supposedly already been determined because of how much money was made the last time, so why mess with it?

One of the most creative, visionary minds to walk the planet was Walt Disney. Disney didn’t believe in making sequels. He said he didn’t want to waste creative talent and money on old ideas. Yet for many people the goal is to find something that they feel secure in, and repeat it.

For many organizations, (I operate in the world of a local church) if there is a successful event (most often judged by attendance #’s) a common practice is to do that event over and over again. You only try to refine the formula ever so slightly because of the belief that you have already found what works, why change it?

Often the same people work on the event over and over. They have truly married themselves to it, and if the church or organization threatens to stop doing the event they threaten to leave…

…money and creative talent on old ideas.

From a spiritual perspective I don’t find God making sequels. In the scriptures, God loves to make things new and unique. Anyone or anything created in His image should be able to do the same.

As I work on my own ability to innovate and create new things I’ve jotted down several steps to making that happen, and some things I should stop doing because they are preventing me from doing anything new.

I’ll share them in the days to come.

Everyone Belongs,

Paul

 

Page 1 of 512345»