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LRC Email – You’re Needed

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Here’s the email I sent to Leadership Reno County Alumni on 6/3/13:

I recognize that many of you have plenty on your plate.  Having said that, though, I also realize that some of you are looking for the right opportunity in which to engage.  The Alumni Association was recently approached by the city for help in dealing with board vacancies.  Here’s the low-down:
The City has many advisory boards, commissions and committee, and we are constantly seeking out volunteers who can give the time to participate in their local government.  The City’s web link below provides access to a description of each board, a listing of current board members and upcoming vacancies, an Application for Board Appointment, an Applicant Bank form, and information about our appointment policies.  [They] respectfully request that [we] share the City’s web link with [you].
So, consider if this might be for you and follow up accordingly.  If we really believe that engaging in acts of leadership helps us make progress on our most daunting challenges, joining a board might be a way to engage in an act of leadership and pursue change, while seeking to work for the good of our community. 

With you in this…

Weekend Recap – Bold Trust

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My 6/2/13AM sermon, Bold Trust, overviewing Revelation 6-16 is now online.  In this sermon, I sought to show some application for what these chapters might mean for the 1st century reader, and, as a result, for our lives as well.  Specifically, these chapters encourage a bold trust in God, who will accomplish His plan.  Along with this bold trust, we can expect resistance as well as a calling to be bold witnesses for Him.  I hope it encourages you as well.

LRC Email – Negatives Can Be Positives

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Here’s the email I wrote Leadership Reno County alums today:

We’ve been thinking this month about the temperature and raising the heat, using KLC’s Raising the Heat resource.  Today, the simple reminder I have gets at something we often fail to remember.  We tend to think of raising heat as negative and risky (and, at times, it is).  However, sometimes apparent negative things can actually be positive. 
Consider: WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES OF RAISING THE HEAT?
■ You provide an example for others and create a culture that raises the heat when necessary.
■ The result is always better than you imagine. It’s always easier than you imagined, too.
■ It can reveal what is on people’s minds and put others things to rest.
■ It creates new energy and the opportunity for alliances.
■ It can catalyze self-discovery
So there are many benefits to be found in raising the heat.  What are you waiting for?

Have a great day…

Weekend Recap – Slain Lamb Standing

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My 5/26/13AM sermon, Slain Lamb Standing, from Revelation 5:1-14 is now online.  In this sermon, I seek to show how Jesus Christ is uniquely worthy of worship and praise.  While we may rightly remember those loved ones who are no longer with us and those who have sacrificed to give us our freedom, let’s not neglect worshipping the only One who is eternally worthy of praise this holiday weekend.  I hope this sermon helps you get there.

LRC Email — LRCPlexVipr3D Radar

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Here’s the email I sent out to Leadership Reno County alums on 5/20/13:

Don’t you love those snazzy names that meteorologists have for their radar systems?  The subject line of this email is my attempt at coming up with something for our group.  We need some sort of radar that helps us in diagnosing the situation when raising the heat, or, as KLC’s Raise the Heat resource asks, “How do you know when to raise the heat?”
Some answers:
■ If you are the only one doing the work and things are going slowly.
■ When time pressures are requiring action.
■ When people are bringing “elephant in the room” type issues to your attention outside the main group meeting time.
■ When you aren’t feeling satisfied with the amount of progress.
■ If you aren’t doing any of the work.
■ When you feel burning questions inside of you that aren’t being addressed.
(It was noted that it may NOT be time to raise the heat when you have severely entrenched opposing views.)
So, again, as the weather warms, let it be a reminder to you that you may very well need to engage in an act of leadership and raise the heat.  And see if it doesn’t help us make progress on issues in our community we care about deeply.  To that end…

Weekend Recap – The Creator’s Throne

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My sermon from 5/19/13 entitled The Creator’s Throne from Revelation 4:1-11 is now online.  This sermon continues our church’s work through the book of Revelation and really helps us get a glimpse into this God we serve.  Specifically, in this text, we see that He’s Holy, He’s Worthy of Praise and He’s the Creator of all things.  He’s pictured in this chapter as sitting on a throne.

I hope you’re drawn in to worship and awe Him through this picture of Him in His Word.

Dangerous Calling Email – Mediocrity

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Here’s the email I wrote to elders and deacons at Crestview today:

Today, the final chapter of Dangerous Calling that was recommended for us to study after our last video session was chapter 10 entitled Mediocrity.  I resonate with much in this chapter on mediocrity because I knew what was required of me when I worked in the secular world.  I worked for a fast food restaurant that was awarded #1 in the nation for customer service in 1991 (and we received a $50,000 bonus as a store).  I worked for Sam’s Club during seminary and found their standards for serving the customer were very high.  Even when I did marketing work for IBM, I achieved awards for my work not by slacking, but by being efficient and excellent in all that I tried to do.  So, in the church, serving the King of kings and Lord of lords, how does my service line up.
Here’s Tripp’s way of exposing the issue: “Mediocrity is not a time, personnel, resource, or location problem. Mediocrity is a heart problem. We have lost our commitment to the highest levels of excellence because we have lost our awe. Awe amnesia is the open door that admits mediocrity. Awe of God is fear-producing, inspiring, motivating, convicting, and commitment producing. There is no replacement for this in the leadership of the church of Jesus Christ.” 
Today, then, maybe you’ve watched yourself grow slack in service.  The remedy for this heart issue is to return to your awe of the Savior.  Specifically, think about the picture we saw Sunday in Revelation 4-5 of the One seated on the Throne.  Awe Him.  And, let that translate to your service with the highest levels of excellence.  

LRC Email – Hopin’ for a Heat Wave

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Here’s the email I wrote to leaders in Reno County this AM:

Yup, we’re back on the weather again.  While last week, I spoke of taking the temperature as a way to diagnose the situation, today, I want to encourage you to raise the heat.  Now, raising the heat affects things (even here in KS where we bemoan the cold weather and hope for warmer temperatures knowing that it will inevitably produce those tornadic May storm cells).  Raising the heat in our civic environs may be a risky adventure.  That’s why our raising of the heat must be purposeful and skillful.
Here’s one installment and simply a portion of the KLC’s Raise The Heat resource which gets at how we can raise the heat:
■ Use silence. Don’t jump in and answer the question for others. Let them do the work.
■ Allow more time. Tough issues will surface and progress will be made if you allocate enough time to let a group stew.
■ Grab the bull by the horns and declare a way forward after receiving input from others. Movement often raises the heat and gets people to engage more fully.
■ Lay out the consequences of inaction.
■ Define the roles of individuals and organizations, thus formally placing responsibility where it is needed most.
■ Use humor.
■ Provide an external reality check on the situation.
■ Identify the elephant in the room.
■ Ask open-ended questions.
So, as you consider how you might engage in an act of leadership by raising the heat, do it skillfully, purposefully and creatively so that we can make progress on those areas we care about deeply.
Hopin’ for a heat wave…

Weekend Recap – Worship God

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My 5/12/13AM sermon is online.  Entitled Worship God, this sermon was an overview of Revelation 4-5 showcasing some reasons why the One seated on the throne and the Lamb are worthy of worship.  This is our eternal pole, our north star.  Here’s how Spurgeon put it (a quote I used in my introduction from The Immutability of God):

“…plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea—be lost in His immensity. And you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul, so calm the swelling billows of grief and sorrow—so speak peace to the winds of trial—as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.”

Hope you had a great Mother’s Day worshipping God as you honor families.