Are you burning the candle at both ends? You need to read this. For real ... you need to read this.

Something was off and I knew it. We were visiting family in Indiana, so I set up an appointment with my mentor Pastor Dave Engbrecht from Nappanee Missionary Church. 

As I sat in Pastors office several months ago, I started to talk about my life. How I was pushing so hard but not seeming to move forward. At least not at the pace that I wanted.  I expressed the frustration of wanting to do more. I wanted to reach more people. I felt called to disciple more believers and train more leaders. However, I just couldn't seem to get the traction I was looking for or the contentment in the journey. My marriage was great, my family was awesome, and I loved the people in my church, but I guess I just felt like I was burning the candle at both ends. 

Pastor Dave, poured out a lot of sage advice. He talked about pacing myself. The importance of family time, as well as resting and that he felt like the season of introspection that I was in was extremely helpful not just for now, but if I could truly change things up a bit, this season would set me on a great course for the future. (I love Pastor Dave!)

At the end of our conversation he started talking to me about a Pastor from Aida, Michigan named Jeff Manion and his book Dream Big, Think Small. He walked me through the premises of the book, and I knew it was one that I needed to read and apply. 

So I took the book home, and started going through each chapter, journalling all along the way. The principles Jeff wrote about and the questions that he asked in the book were so challenging, that I could not help but change. 

Now I can't say that since ready the book, my church has grown by 40% but what I can say is that I am walking out daily routines that bring health to my body, my mind, and my life. 

Dream Big, Think Small is an absolute must read for anyone who wants to accomplish extraordinary things and not lose themselves along the way. 

Please note, neither Jeff or Dave have asked me to promote this book. I just feel so strongly about it that I wanted to share it with you. Below is the link to Jeffs website. Check it out. Pick up the book. Read it. Journal your thoughts. And start to change. 

DREAM BIG THINK SMALL WEBSITE

How McDonalds helped me do better messages.

I love sharing Gods word. Every week I want to share the narrative of scripture in a way that is understandable and applicable to the everyday average person, not just to the weekly church goer, or someone who has a steady personal study time with God. 

I don't know about you, but I've found that where I prepare my messages has a big effect on how I write and deliver them.  So through the years I have been very step by step oriented in my message preparation. Here is what I do and where I do it. 

Study time at Home Office. 

About six months ago I moved my office to my house. My message preparation begins here. I do the big rock lifting of foundational scriptures, theming, and commentary study in this first phase. Blocking off the overall direction on my whiteboard. 

Team Teaching Meeting. 

Every Wednesday I get with a small group of people to go over my big thoughts and direction of the message. Critiquing it and coming up with better ways to deliver the thoughts not only for that week but for the entire series we are working on. I really love this meeting. 

Writing Time at Home Office. 

After the team teaching meeting, is when I start the doing the detail work of the message. Prayer, study, writing out the points, illustrations, and thinking through the actual pacing and timing of delivery. 

Panera Bread, Coffee Shop, McDonalds

Most weeks, at the end of my message prep, I will go to a public place, get out my notes and just read over the message about 5 to 6 times. As I sit there, seeing the people around me, and hearing there conversations, I begin to run the points of my message through the filter of "if this person beside me at the coffee shop is at my church on Sunday, would they be able understand and apply what I've written so far". 

I've found that getting out of the house and going to a public place helps me bring the message to a much more applicable place for the people who are at our weekend gatherings or watching online. 

I would love to hear what you do for your message prep. Feel free to comment below or email me at growmoore@gmail.com 

If you are a Youth Pastor find out about message prep and more at YOUTH MINISTRY UNIVERSITY. 

17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork - Chapter 2 - Law of the Big Picture

One of the most difficult but also most empowering things to understand is that ... It's now about me. 

Chapter two of John Maxwells book lets us understand that law of the big picture is understanding that, it’s not about me, it’s not about you, it’s about us working together to accomplish the goal. 

A team isn’t supposed to be a bunch of people being used as a tool so that one person can accomplish their personal goal. Members of a team must have mutually beneficial shared goals. They must be motivated to work together because of a common goal, not because of manipulation. Dictators make people do what they want them to do, but leaders gather people with mutual goals and inspire them to accomplish something greater together then they could have ever done alone. 

I love these two quotes from the book. 

"To really win we must remember that the goal is more important than our personal role" - John Maxwell 

“I think an player will tell you that individual accomplishments help grow your ego, but if you don't win, it makes for very very long season” - David Robinson 

Six things we need to do to win as a team. 

1 - Look up at the Big Picture. 

As the leader of the team, my role is to do what only I can do. Paint the big picture for my people. Without the vision they will not find the desire inside of the to achieve the goal. 

2 - Size up the situation.

As the leader of the team, I need to gather the team and time to size up the situation. Knowing where we want to go is great, but we will never get there if we don’t first know where we currently are. Where are we as a team? Where are we with our weekend momentum, spiritual maturity, or financial stability? What areas are we strong? What areas are we struggling? These are questions that need to be answered honestly as a team. 

3 - Line up the needed resources.

Hawley R Everhart, once said, “It’s all right to aim high if you have plenty of ammunition”. Resources are the ammunition to help hit the goal. It doesn't really matter how talented the basketball team is, they need a basketball to play. The same is true for my team. We can be goal oriented, and gifted, but if we don't have the right equipment, facilities, and funds we are not going to get the job done. The better resourced the team is, the better equipped the players will be to play the game. 

4 - Call up the right players. 

What is the win? What do we need to play? Who needs to be on the team to win? I can lose with good players, but I can never win with bad ones. 

5 - Give up personal agendas.

Ray Kroc said, “No one of us is more important than the rest of us”.  I want to be a leader that models a vision first mentality to those around me. 

6 - Step up to a higher level.

When we see the big picture clearly, size up the situation we are in, get the right resources, surround ourselves with the right people, and give up our personal agendas for the good of completion of the cause …. we will go to a higher level than we ever dreamed. 

Questions I am asking myself and our team. 

What is the goal?

Why do I want to accomplish it?

Is it a goal that others have and will want to be a part of?

How well do I cast the vision, helping others clearly see the big picture?

Where are we now? 

What resources do have and what resources do we need?

Who is on the team and who needs to be added?

On a scale of 1 to 10 how much of a true team are we right now?

What is the game plan to walk out the six steps to win?

Today I learned first hand why Life Church is making such a big impact.

I am in Norman, Oklahoma today. I have the honor of speaking at the Synergy Conference for the Assemblies of God. While sitting in my hotel room this morning I realized that I was only 30 minutes away from the Life Church Campus in Edmond. So I found the address and took off to see what I could see. 

The facility was very nice from the outside. Directional signs made it very easy to know where to go. I drove past the Edmond Campus Office, then saw a sign on the building for the Central Offices. I parked my car and walked inside. 

This was a total cold call. I did not have an appointment. 

When I walked in I was greeted by the receptionist named Dana. She shook my hand and asked how she could help. I let her why I was in town visiting and was just driving by to see if there was anyway I could see anything at the campus, auditorium, lobby, etc.  

Dana was so apologetic that this was the campus and office folks official day off, so there was really no way for me to see anything. But then she proceeded to ask about my history in ministry, getting more info on why I was in town, and where I was staying. She then got on the phone and called her husband to ask what would be good places to visit, restaurants to eat at, or places to enjoy while I was in town. She was so incredibly friendly and welcoming. Dana went above and beyond to help someone that just walked in from the street with no appointment and wanting to see things he really could not see.

Today I saw first hand one of the reasons why Life Church is making such a big impact.  They actually care about people. Dana was sorry that I took the time to visit the church and could not see anything. She cared about my story and went out of her way to help me find something that I could do while I was in town. She cared. My guess is, she is not the only one at Life Church that has this "go above and beyond" attitude about people. 

I listen to Craigs leadership podcast several times each month. It was so inspiring to see the excellence that is talked about be lived out as well.

A journey through "17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" by John Maxwell. Chapter One - The Law of Significance.

I read at least one to two books every month. However, by the end of the book two things normally happen. I don't always retain as much from the book as I would have liked and I don't apply near as much I should from each book that I've read. So instead of going out and buying yet another book.  I've decided to go back and read a book that I read a few years ago. 

The book I'm reading and journaling on is "17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" by John Maxwell. As I read this book, taking notes, asking myself questions and applying what I'm learning, I will also be posting my notes from each chapter.  I hope you'll pick up a copy of John's book for yourself, journey along with me on this blog, and maybe we can grow together. 

Chapter One - The Law of Significance  

Nothing great or significant can or will ever be done alone. 

It takes a team. I know this. I think everyone knows this. However, the truth is when I read this chapter I was once again reminded that, I need to utilize the people around me more effectively. 

In the book, Maxwell talks about four things that keep leaders from fully engaging and releasing team members, ego, insecurity, naivete, and temperament.

Out of the four these four things the one that gets in the way of me effectively empowering team members around me is my ego. 

Ego: 

We do have an incredible team and I do delegate a lot. However, If I’m brutally honest, in all of the areas that I oversee, there are some that I have not completely released to others, because I think I can do it better in some way. Truth is, I have an inflated sense of who I am and how many things I am able to do with excellence. 

When something comes up that needs to be done, launched, or fixed, my first inclination is … I’ll do it. This not only keeps me overworked and others from finding their place; it makes mediocrity more prevalent because I have my hands on far too many things. 

In order to accomplish the tasked that God has called us to do, this has to change. 

Five questions I'm working through to help me live by the law of significance. 

1. What are the three things that only I can do for my organization?

2. What three goals am I working toward this year 2018?

3. Who do I currently have around me that has the desire and ability to be a part?

4. What am I currently doing that someone around me could do at least 75% as good as I can?

5. What is my game plan to empower and release these initiatives / ministries to them?