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Favor Promo 1…

What have you done to try to get God’s favor?

 

Favor comes through relationship not by behavior!

Stay tuned this Sunday for part 2 of this video series…

Becoming a Creative Leader…

I laughed out loud today when I noticed that someone had added me to a Twitter list they had created called “Creative Leaders.”  The fact that any human being considered me for that category still astounds me! However, to be honest, I DO consider myself to be a highly creative person!  It hasn’t always been this way.

When I started Mountain Lake Church almost ten years ago, I would’ve told you that I didn’t have a creative muscle in my body! OK, maybe one.   However, hundreds of hours of creative and brainstorming meetings later,  I’m proud to say that God has helped me become a highly creative leader! EVERY week, God uses me  these days to bring fresh, creative  ideas to our church, our Ministry Team, and our Worship Services.  I’m still not the most creative leader in the world, but my growth in this area gives me confidence about what God can do in this area of my life in the future!

So the other day I asked myself the question: “How? How have I become a more creative leader over time?  Here are a few things I put down that  that have fueled my passion and growth in this area:

• Creative muscle is just like any muscle: It doesn’t grow unless its stretched!
• Creativity is hard work for just about anyone! that’s why most people aren’t creative!
• Creativity often requires time alone.
• Creativity often simply requires staying in the room long enough.
• Change of place + Change of pace = Change.
• Creativity is strengthened by a team. 
• Creativity is  a spiritual pursuit. Creativity is expressing part of the image and personality of God in and through my life! God is a creative God!
• Creativity breeds creativity. If you want to be creative, get around other creative people as often as possible.
• The creative PROCESS can be draining. The product is always better because of it.
• For tenured leaders, creativity is the fuel that keeps the passion for the mission alive!

How are you growing as a creative leader?

By the way, my friend Ed Young, Jr. will be speaking on “Creative Velocity” at our upcoming churchplanters.com conference , Feb 22-23, at our church!  Ed understands the important of a creative, redemptive imagination when it comes to the weekend, but also the weekday! Get registered now!

Sunday Reflex 11-1-09…

• Yesterday we kicked off our new series called “Favor” based on the life of Noah.
• If you missed the message , or want to share it, you can watch  it here. 
• I’m willing to bet no one in the room had ever heard this story told through these lenses, but I really believe it’s the POINT of the story!
• The word FAVOR is actually the first occurrence of the Hebrew word for GRACE!  Ever heard that God is a God of wrath in the OT and grace in the NT? Not!
• Noah proves to us once again, that: “Favor comes through relationship, not by behavior.”
• Noah found grace because He pursued a personal relationship with God!
• Noah walked with God. This is significant, because in may of our relationships with God we want God, but we want Him to walk with us! Be in step with us! Bless our plans! Whoa.
• Everything about our lives: The quality of our lives and relationships, or joy and peace; everything about knowing God’s will for our lives…flows out of our relationship with God!
• If you relationship with God is not right, nothing else will be!
• “How would you characterize your relationship with God?  By where and how often you go to church? Where and how you volunteer? What small group you’re in? Or by the amount of time you’ve spent with God lately?
• God always takes the initiative in our relationship with Him. He invites us to walk with Him!
• The band did another awesome job leading us in worship!
• We continue to baptize people every week in our services at Mountain Lake!
• One of my favorite songs right now is “Let Me Sing.” It allows me to respond to the favor God has shown on MY life. Here are some of the lyrics:

“Let me sing louder than creation to you, for the pain your bore in your body, to bring me back to you, Let me sing.”

• Newcomer’s Lunch yesterday. John Shepherd has done a GREAT job in helping us step up that environment! Tons of new people joined our church today. The mission is happening!
• Yesterday we announced that we have connected 435 new people into Growth Groups this Fall! WOW!!!!
• Still astounded at God’s favor on my life in allowing me to preach His word. Thank You, LORD….

Favor…pt. 2…

Starting this Sunday, we’re going to be talking about one of the most well known, 1st learned, hard to believe, controversial stories in the Bible, about a huge boat filled w/ 1 family, & 2 of every animal on the earth; a devastating flood; and the world’s first rainbow!

All of these things make Noah and the ark a remarkable story! However,  to me, the most remarkable part of the story is one that’s never talked about! Here’s God getting ready to mark the end of the world as we know it; basically wipe humanity from the earth…but ONE man on the entire earth finds “favor” in God’s eyes;

Enough favor to spare him, his family, and ultimately all of humanity from extinction!

So the real question is…WHAT was it about Noah that enabled HIM to find FAVOR in God’s eyes? HOW did HE get FAVOR?

But the bigger question is: “Can WE find favor from favor from God?

If so, HOW do WE get it? 

That’s what we’re talking about over the next 3 wks!

Get here!!!

Don’t forget to set your clocks BACK an hour!!!

Favor…

 

Many have tried everything to obtain it.

Everyone would like to think they could get it.

Noah did. We can.

We’ll talk about HOW beginning this Sunday! Get here!

Sunday Reflex 10-25-09

Yesterday, once again, God showed up BIG TIME at Mountain Lake!  Here are a few reflex:

• I LOVE making our church better by NOT Teaching every week! I gain such a fresh perspective of God’s work in and though my church, when I;m NOT teaching but still IN attendance! MORE pastors need to release their “pulpits” more often and attend their own churches! Novel thought…
• I swear October is busier than December around here because of all the kids’ activities going on! Attendance always dips! But crowds were UP yesterday! 
• We continue to be up in attendance by 20-25% every week this Fall! God is growing His church!
• Baptized 3 more people yesterday! One lady who had attended our church for over 8 yrs! 
• Do you realize we are baptizing  people every week in our worship services?!
• Todd, the Worship Team, and the band did a GREAT job yesterday moving people to worship yesterday. The last song: “Let me Sing” moved me to tears in light of the message.
• Speaking of the message, I thought Rodney Anderson gave one of the best messages I’ve EVER HEARD yesterday! God really used it in my life, and I know yours, as well!  We’ll have it uploaded by noon today on our website.
• When I truly realize the  extent God went to, to create me the just the way I am, I’ll stop trying to be someone else!
• Traffic continues to be an issue getting off campus. We’re doing EVERYTHING we can! It was compounded yesterday by all of the Fall leaf lookers from ATL!
• I got to to personally talk with two members of our BAND yesterday about going public with their faith thru baptism! They’d better not chicken out on me!  
• I’m so glad to lead a church where the Creative Arts ministry can be a pathway to belonging and becoming!
• I also stopped in my neighborhood to talk w/ my neighbor  wh0’s been attending our church since our Grand Opening, and he said to me: “Shawn, we need to get together and talk about how I can become a Christian. I have no idea how to do it.” 
• Would you say it was a good Sunday for me?  Hope it was for you.