#639 - RENO DAY 1

Took Merritt to doggy day care in Reno. 
So glad she's with us, and glad to be reunited with my pup!
OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED MY PASSION PROJECT - CALLEDTOPLANT! 
Attended Acts 29 US West Area Leads meeting.
Still can't believe I get to sit around the same table as such great pastors and leaders!
Attended Acts 29 US West Lead Pastor's Meeting. 
So blessed to be a part of such a great network!
Was recognized as one of the 15 church plants our network is supporting this year. GRATEFUL.
Session 1 - Ryan Kwon on Holiness and Humility. So good.
Had to miss Session 2 (Art Azurdia) to pick up Merritt from day care.
Definitely have to listen to audio. Heard it was FIRE.
So proud of my wife who has done an absolutely fantastic job coordinating all the logistics for this conference. Watching her thrive is a great joy!
Subway for dinner.
Finished up workshop handout and slides.
Tomorrow is going to be a good day. I'm nervous, but excited.

#637 - OKLAHOMA DAY 5

Slept in.
Pizza hunt for lunch.
Thought through message for wedding.
Privileged to officiate Brook and Stephen's wedding.
Beautiful day. Gorgeous backyard location. Sweet presence of the Holy Spirit throughout the entire occasion.
So cool to have a bunch of Movement folks celebrating this day together. I love the church family that I get to be a part of.
I am so BLESSED to be right in the middle of a move of God!
Enjoyed watching the Warriors absolutely demolish the Pelicans in Game 1 of the 2nd round of the playoffs.
My mind must now shift to thinking through and preparing for the workshop I'll lead in Reno in a few days. Definitely a bit nervous and in over my head. 
GREAT DAY OVERALL. GOD IS WORTHY OF MY HIGHEST PRAISE!

#636 - OKLAHOMA DAY 4

Slept in.
Requested late checkout. Packed.
Picked up from my hotel.
Took a 2-hour drive from OKC to Fairview, Oklahoma.
A town of 2,000 people with 2 stoplights.
Nothing like home!
Ate a gas station burger. Delicious.
Checked into a pretty old inn. They didn't have a computer!
Wedding rehearsal. Rehearsal dinner.
SHOT A GUN FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Pretty surreal experience.
Definitely miss my wife. Can't wait to see her on Sunday night.

#635 - OKLAHOMA DAY 3

Though I went to bed at 8:30a, I only slept till about 1:00p.
Continued work on "special project."
Introduced "special project" to a few close friends to get their input on it before I go public with it. 
Got some pretty good feedback on it so far. Very pleased with the progress.
Began thinking through Acts 29 West Conference Breakout Session I'll be leading.
Conference call with Johnson Ferry to discuss missions team coming out to serve and my future preaching assignment in Atlanta.
Showered.
Treated myself to Brazilian Steakhouse for dinner.
Watched The Quiet Place and Avengers. By myself. 
About half-way through this trip! 
Thankful for what has been. Looking forward to what will be!

#634 - OKLAHOMA DAY 2

Slept in. Past noon. Felt so good.
Spent some extended time journaling and read through the book of John. So thankful for Christ.
Handled some work stuff. 
Worked on my “special project.” 
Ate dinner at McDonald’s. Don’t judge me. First time this whole trip. 
Had the NBA playoff games on in the background while I worked on my “special project.” 
Lebron James is INCREDIBLE. So is Russell Westbrook. So is James Harden. Can’t wait till Steph gets back. 
Got a phone call from someone at the church who needed encouragement. So honored to be an extension of Christ’s love in circumstances like that. 
Worked on “special project” THROUGH. THE. NIGHT! 
When I’m inspired, I’m inspired! 
Went straight down to breakfast at 7am.  
Went to bed at 8:30am.  Haven’t done that in a long time!

#633 - OKLAHOMA DAY 1

Up bright and early. Flight out to OKC.
Slept my entire flight. 
Decided to take a taxi to my hotel from the airport instead of an Uber. Bad idea! 
13 miles cost $40! 
Thankfully, at the end of my ride, the driver only charged me $20 because of my sticker shock. I gave him $30 for the gesture. He really didn’t have to do that.  
Was able to check in to my hotel early. 
Slept.  
Walked to Chili’s. Ate dinner. 
Walked to the mall. Didn’t spend any money. Proud. 
Walked to Wal-Mart to pick up drinks for myself. Water. Gatorade. Peach Ice Tea. Vanilla Frappuchino. Dr. Pepper. Just a few of my favorites. 
Enjoyed watching the Warriors take care of the Spurs. The next round against the Pelicans is going to be good. (My wife actually alluded to getting me tickets!) 
Worked on my “special project!” 
I praise God for this much needed time to myself. 

#632 - TEXAS DAY 4

Slept in.
Hung out in the hotel by myself for much of the day.
Rested.
Ate Japanese food for a late lunch. (Spicy tuna is growing on me!)
Began reading Making Sense of God by Tim Keller. 
Went for a walk around the river by the hotel. 
Rested.
Went out to one last dinner with Rebekah's family. Dessert.
Enjoyed watching the Jazz absolutely handle the Thunder.
Packed.
Time in Houston with Rebekah's family was great. Looking forward to three days of silence and solitude in Oklahoma City. 

#631 - TEXAS DAY 3

Woke up early. 
Fruit for breakfast.
Got on the road for the nearly 3 hour drive to San Antonio!
Stopped at Bucc-ees! Great beef jerky. A bomb sausage on a stick wrapped in a tortilla. Super clean bathrooms. Quite the gas station experience!
Made it to San Antonio by about 1.
Let in to AT&T arena at 1:30.
3rd row seats from the floor by the Warriors bench - INCREDIBLE!
Lotta turnovers. Klay was off. Spurs hit shots. Sat next to KD's personal security guard. Manu came up huge in the 4th Quarter. Crowd was going berserk for him! DUBS LOST. Great memory made with my wife. 
Drove to outlets. Returned a pair of shoes. (Proud of myself for doing this!)
Long drive home.
Heard service at theMOVEMENT went great. I am so BLESSED to serve with such a talented and reliable team!
Worked on my "special project" for several hours. Kind of hesitant about going public with it, but we'll see...
Another great day. 

#630 - TEXAS DAY 2

Slept in.
Checked out of our hotel in Galveston.
Went to the outlets.
Bought a Warriors cap for tomorrow's game! Can't wait!
Had lunch at Rudy's BBQ. SO GOOD! The cream style corn was DELICIOUS!
Checked into our hotel in Sugarland.
Napped.
Watched the Houston Rockets lose with my in-laws. (Sad for them. Good for me!)
As my wife and I were having lunch at Rudy's today, I couldn't help but reflect on how blessed we are. To travel. To eat good food. To have jobs we enjoy. 
Definitely undeserved. Truly unmerited. We are BLESSED.
I am, once again, convicted to steward these blessings well for the good of others and for the glory of God. 

#629 - TEXAS DAY 1

Didn't get to sleep in today.
Dante's Pinning Ceremony.
So proud of and inspired by his diligence and hard work!
Chick-Fil-A.
Found a great deal on Ticketmaster for tickets to this Sunday's Warriors vs. Spurs playoff game in San Antonio. 3rd Row from the floor! Right next to the Warrior's bench!
Dante's Graduation Ceremony.
Long. Really long.
Got a bit of buyer's remorse about the Warriors tickets. Put them back up for sale on Ticketmaster to see if I can turn a profit. If they sell, I'll come up close to $600! If they don't sell, my wife and I will get to see a great game up close!
Dinner. Mexican Food.
Cavs lost. (Happy about this.)
As I prepare to go to sleep tonight, I seriously wonder how much I could accomplish if I worked as hard as Dante had to over the last several years to graduate from his nursing program?!?
Thanks Dante for pushing me to be better.
 

#628 - CANCUN DAY 4

Slept in. Again.
Checked out at 1pm.
Ate one last buffet lunch.
Almost missed our ride to the airport. We thought we were leaving at 2:45. It was 2:25!
Driver sped us over. He educated us on Cancun. It's a city that's only been in existence for 50 years! I had no idea!
Flight was delayed.
Boarded at 6:30ish.
Final thought about Cancun - MUCH BETTER than Cabo. Cleaner and classier. 
Arrived in Houston at 8:30ish.
Just in time to watch the Dubs beat the Spurs on my TNT app!
Was picked up by my mother-in-law and nephew and drove to Galveston.
First meal in Houston - WHATABURGER! (The gravy is off tha' chain!)
Looking forward to celebrating my nephew's graduation from nursing school tomorrow.
Second leg of trip starts now!

#627 - CANCUN DAY 3

Slept in.
Ate lunch at all-inclusive resort next door - Secrets.
Their lunch buffet was better than the one at our resort.
Went to the beach and swam in the Caribbean!
Showered and prepped for wedding.
Officiated wedding ceremony for JR and Elsie. I am so BLESSED to be a part of people's lives in this way! I am not entitled to these experiences. It's all GRACE!
Ate. Danced. Celebrated.
Was still hungry after the wedding so...ordered room service.
Jaccuzzi'd.
Continuing to think through and plan my next "special project."
Soaking it all in. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. 

 

#626 - CANCUN DAY 2

Slept in.
Late Lunch at the Buffet. (It was so-so.)
Walked down to the beach.
Began working on a project I'm super excited about.
Attended and helped to facilitate the wedding rehearsal.
Enjoyed a great wedding rehearsal dinner at Tres Colores (Mexican Food).
Re-conneted with friends from college.
Enjoyed dinner (part two) at the Gaucho Grill Brazilian Steakhouse. (Not as good as Espetus though!)
Watched The Hundred-Foot Journey with my wife -  great film!
God is good to me!

#625 - CANCUN DAY 1

Airplanes. Two. Oak to Hou. Hou to Can. 
Beautiful all-inclusive resort. 
First meal. Dinner at Fusion. (Nikkei cuisine, Japanese-style cooking influenced by Peruvian ingredients, served a la carte with Hibachi tables and a Formal dress code.)
IT WAS DELICIOUS.
Miso soup had carne asada in it! 
Watched Dubs win. Klay is incredible.
About to soak in jacuzzi tub.
BLESSED.

#624 - THE 6TH DAY

Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to experience a much-anticipated and needed change of pace and rhythm to my schedule that will take me to Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and then Nevada over the next 20 days.

But before I could experience the beauty of tomorrow, I had to embrace the responsibilities of today!

And I'm so glad I did.

I preached, and I gave it everything I had. I led a meeting encouraging our church community to engage in one-on-one discipleship relationships. After that meeting, I even met briefly with a church planter planning to plant a church in Oakland to encourage him in God's call on his life. 

I also accomplished nearly all of the tasks that I set out to do at the beginning of the week in order to finish well. And after a pretty intense several days I can say with deep conviction,

I FINISHED WELL.

And in light of doing so, I am convinced...

It's worth it to finish well. It's responsible to finish well. It's God-honoring to finish well. It's satisfying to finish well. It's relieving to finish well.

I am so thankful the 6th day is through! The 7th day is tomorrow, and I am unashamedly going to follow God's lead and do exactly what He did after 6 days of work...

REST.

#623 - THE WARRIORS TAUGHT ME THIS

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Today, the 2018 NBA Playoffs began. Though the Golden State Warriorsare the defending champions, unfortunately, in the month leading up to the playoffs, they have been playing "uninspired" to say the least. So much so that many people, me included, have been concerned with whether or not they have what it takes to repeat as champs.

But how I feel about their chances of winning the championship drastically changed after watching them beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 today.

They played hard. They played inspired. They played together. They played enthusiastically. They played intensely. They played aggressively. And they won...convincingly.

And I couldn't help but think as I watched them play,

HAVING SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR, CHANGES THE WAY YOU PLAY.

Because the Warriors are now playing playoff games. Because if they lose this series their season will be over. Because a chance to win 3 championships in 4 years doesn't come around often. Because they know that making it to the playoffs the next year is never guaranteed. Because they realize that every team and every player's "window" to be great is very small, It is changing everything about their approach to the game. For the first time in a long time, it looks like they are actually trying to play to their potential. 

And this got me thinking about what I think is a very important leadership lesson:

CLARITY OF PURPOSE IMPACTS INTENSITY OF PERFORMANCE.

The more clear a leader can be on what is "at stake" in their leadership, the more likely they are to lead with passion and commitment. The more clear a leader is on what can be "lost" if they don't perform well, the more likely they will perform well. The more clear a leader can be on what they can possibly "win" if they lead with everything they have, the more likely they will lead accordingly. 

The Scriptures teach us that, "For the joy set before Him, Christ endured the cross."

Christ was "playing" for our salvation. Christ was "playing" for obedience to His Father. Christ was "playing" for completing the very last detail what He was sent here to do. And that type of crystal clear clarity led Him to commit the most selfless act in the history of mankind. 

Motivations matter. 

WHAT ARE YOU "PLAYING" FOR? 

#622 - WHAT DO PASTOR'S TALK ABOUT?

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The other day, I wrote about what pastor's do. Today, because I have a pastoral team meeting with the group of pastors I am privileged to serve with at theMOVEMENT, I want to share a little bit of insight in regards to what pastor's talk about.

The following is the agenda for tonight's bi-monthly pastoral team meeting. All leadership team meetings at theMOVEMENT (including pastoral team meetings) are outlined using the five values of the church as a guide.  

RESOLUTE GRATITUDE (Thanksgiving > Entitlement)

  • How do you see God moving powerfully in your life?

  • Where do you see God moving in a personal weakness or struggle?

  • How do you see God moving in specific people in the church who you are pastoring?

  • What else do we see God doing at theMOVEMENT that we are grateful for?

  • Financial Update. 

SELFLESS TRANSPARENCY (Truth-Telling > Image-Protecting)

  • My emotional and spiritual health

  • My marriage

  • Sexology Series Debrief

LIFELONG LEARNING (Growth > Complacency)

  • Baptism & Membership Discussion

EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP (Development > Excellence)

  • Pastoral Candidate Process Conversation

  • Current/Future Pastoral Candidates

  • Summer Pastoral Team Retreat 

  • Music Ministry Leadership Team Update

  • Vote on New Member Candidates

AUDACIOUS FAITH (Courage > Comfort)

  • Where the teaching is headed

  • Creating a Culture of Invitation Evaluation

  • Our next Thematic Goal

  • Enlarge Territory Corporate Prayer

#621 - WHERE I NEED TO GET BETTER

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I wish it dawned on me earlier. I wish I would've had the humility to take this seriously sooner. Unfortunately, I didn't. It was not a priority of mine to get better in this area of my life.

And I think it wasn't a priority because it was and is an area that I believe I do well in. It is an area of my life that I take a lot of pride in. Actually, it is probably the thing that others would say I'm best at. And therein lies the problem. 

VERY RARELY DO WE CONSIDER STRENGTHENING OUR STRENGTHS.

I need to become a better preacher of God's Word. I need to become much better. More skilled. More proficient. More effective.

I need to interpret the text more deeply. I need to speak to the implications of the text more thoroughly. I need to apply the text more broadly. I need to do a better job of speaking both to the head, the heart, and the hands.  

I need to read more books about preaching. I need to watch and listen to effective preachers preach. I need to solicit more constructive feedback for my preaching. I need to, once again, make effective preaching a study.

Plainly stated: I need to become a better preacher.

I need to do this because I am convinced (and so was Marcus Buckingham!):

WE HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO GET BETTER IN THE THING WE DO BEST.

Or stated another way,

WE CAN GROW MOST EXPONENTIALLY IN THE AREA WHERE WE ARE GIFTED MOST SUPERNATURALLY. 

Sure, there are certain weaknesses that deserve our attention. Yes, there are certain weaknesses in which we have to grow. 

But, I think we are missing out on experiencing our full potential in our areas of gifting if we "coast." The embarrassing truth is, that because I have been gifted to preach and communicate, it is also the area that I have placed the least amount of energy and effort into developing. That's poor stewardship. That's not stewardship.

The parable of the talents was all about stewarding what you have been given. It wasn't about maximizing what you haven't been given. The person who had one talent wasn't responsible for multiplying five talents. He was responsible for multiplying one. 

With that in mind, there are gifts that you and I have been given to steward. The question that we have to answer is, how are we maximizing and multiplying our gifts for the glory of God?

Grow your giftedness.
Strengthen your strengths. 

Don't you want to see how much you can develop what God has divinely placed in your hands?

I know I do!

#620 - 100 DAYS IN A ROW

For the first time in my life, I have done something for 100 days in a row! (Other than eating and going to the restroom!)

Unfortunately, I have not read my Bible for 100 days in a row, I have not brushed my teeth for 100 days in a row, I have not told my wife I love her for 100 days in a row, I have not exercised for 100 days in a row, and I have not done many other things which I probably should have done, by this point in my life, for 100 days in a row. But, I have done this:

I HAVE PUBLISHED A BLOG POST FOR 100 DAYS STRAIGHT.

Being that my "word of the year" is routine, this is a very big deal. But, instead of just celebrating the accomplishment, I want to reflect upon it as well. Here are 10 things I've learned as I have published a blog post to this website, everyday, for the last 100 days.

  1. Doing something for 100 days straight is possible.

  2. Writing everyday is a possibility when learning everyday is a priority.

  3. Writing to be responsible is a stronger motivation than writing to be read.

  4. Quality comes from quantity.

  5. To become prolific I must abandon perfection.

  6. Having written is 100x more fulfilling than thinking about writing. 

  7. Everyday, either my resolve muscle or my neglect muscle is being exercised. There are no neutral days.  

  8. My pacesetter (Seth Godin) set the bar for my potential. 

  9. Thinking critically precedes writing clearly. 

  10. Milestones motivate.

I hope you have been served well over these last 100 days!

On to the next 100!