We become what we think about – Heard from Earl Nightengale’s “the Strangest Secret”
Act as if it’s impossible for you to fail – Dorothea Brande
Ultimate Freedom is man’s right to choose his attitude – Viktor Frankl
Pablo Picasso felt that the urge to create would conquer any attempts to suppress it, that even if locked in a prison he would still be an artist, “even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell,” he said.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Eagles and Turkeys
I am tired of the ho-hum-hum-drum.
I don’t want to go to any more dinners with freinds where all we do is Kvetch about what we don’t like about our work and our lives.
Why don’t we go to dinners and parties and talk about our potential?
Let’s get the 50,000 foot view.
The view that is at the top of the mountain.
The BIG PICTURE!!!!!
->VISION of what Life CAN BE
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.
We have to make the circumstances we want.
If all we do is talk about, act like and be around the turkeys, we can never soar with the eagles.
Shouldn’t we act, and talk about, and be around the eagles? Model them, and try to be like them.
What are the eagles doing?
What makes them eagles?
How did they get to be eagles?
What does it take to be an eagle?
Lets talk bout this stuff – the HUGE POTENTIAL of our LIVES, instead of negative stuff that gets us down.
I don’t want to go to any more dinners with freinds where all we do is Kvetch about what we don’t like about our work and our lives.
Why don’t we go to dinners and parties and talk about our potential?
Let’s get the 50,000 foot view.
The view that is at the top of the mountain.
The BIG PICTURE!!!!!
->VISION of what Life CAN BE
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.
- George Bernard Shaw
We have to make the circumstances we want.
If all we do is talk about, act like and be around the turkeys, we can never soar with the eagles.
Shouldn’t we act, and talk about, and be around the eagles? Model them, and try to be like them.
What are the eagles doing?
What makes them eagles?
How did they get to be eagles?
What does it take to be an eagle?
Lets talk bout this stuff – the HUGE POTENTIAL of our LIVES, instead of negative stuff that gets us down.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Reading right now....
The Pursuit of WOW - Tom Peters
The Brand You 50 - Tom Peters
Joshua - The Bible
Just finished...
Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi
How to Wake up and Live! - Brande and Carty
The Generosity Factor - Blanchard and Cathy
Purple Cow - Godin
The Gifts of the Jews - Cahill
The Brand You 50 - Tom Peters
Joshua - The Bible
Just finished...
Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi
How to Wake up and Live! - Brande and Carty
The Generosity Factor - Blanchard and Cathy
Purple Cow - Godin
The Gifts of the Jews - Cahill
Sunday, May 07, 2006
:::EXPERIMENT:::
Experimenting with AudioBlogger - The link below is a liner I put together for a demo for my Voice work...just trying it out!
not bad actually. I just wish it wasnt' over a phone line!!!
not bad actually. I just wish it wasnt' over a phone line!!!
Friday, May 05, 2006
IN SEARCH OF...
My...
...USP (unique selling proposition)
...Distinctives
...Unique Voice
...slant
...Schtick
...unique selling point
... voice
...take on the world, and how its different from everyone elses.
...USP (unique selling proposition)
...Distinctives
...Unique Voice
...slant
...Schtick
...unique selling point
... voice
...take on the world, and how its different from everyone elses.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
IN NEED OF A REPRIEVE...
The past couple weeks have been crazy around our household... during one of the three storms that dropped tons of hail on us, a tree was blown over onto both of our cars. (I'll have to post more pics of that)
It took us a week to get over it - we felt pressured to find cars, because we had no means of transportation, and felt like we were burdening folks by using their cars.
This week, we found a car to replace one vehicle, and were very happy with it. Today, we took it to our mechanic, and he said there were a couple things wrong with it, that make it not a great buy. We had to call the previous owner, and tell him the whole story - needless to say we are taking the car back to him.
Then when my wife made it home finally this afternoon, one of our cats was laying hard as a rock dead on the floor. That was pleasant I am sure. I didn't get to fully enjoy it until I came home. (she had decided to leave it there for me to clean up.)
Poor cat needed to be buried, so I did it...
Man, we are really looking for the end of this 'down' season to come around!!!
It took us a week to get over it - we felt pressured to find cars, because we had no means of transportation, and felt like we were burdening folks by using their cars.
This week, we found a car to replace one vehicle, and were very happy with it. Today, we took it to our mechanic, and he said there were a couple things wrong with it, that make it not a great buy. We had to call the previous owner, and tell him the whole story - needless to say we are taking the car back to him.
Then when my wife made it home finally this afternoon, one of our cats was laying hard as a rock dead on the floor. That was pleasant I am sure. I didn't get to fully enjoy it until I came home. (she had decided to leave it there for me to clean up.)
Poor cat needed to be buried, so I did it...
Man, we are really looking for the end of this 'down' season to come around!!!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Breakfast with Fred
Been stumbling around the Breakfast with Fred Website – I found it a couple years ago, and have always enjoyed the weekly thought.
Here are some great quotes from Fred Smith about communication
Here are some great quotes from Fred Smith about communication
- From the joy of learning comes the joy of sharing.
- Only you can share your memories.
- Clarify your thoughts so that others may use them.
- Better to be a participant in life than a reporter.
- A perpetual learner is the best teacher.
- Speak to people about a subject, not on a subject to people.
- In 20 languages "be" and "do" are the same word.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Interviewing by a PD as witnessed by... me!
I have been reading The Pursuit of WOW! By Tom Peters, and it has got me thinking about different experiences that I have encountered in my life.
Being in radio for 13 years, I have had many opportunities to interview with several different program directors. One experience that stands out was when I interview for Scott Sands who is Program Director for WZPL in Indianapolis.
I had to do the normal stuff – Send a tape and resume, which got me in the door, then I had to do an air shift (which was a blast – because I had always admired the station). The funny thing was that there wasn’t that much of what would be called a ‘FORMAL’ Interview. Most of our conversations were in Scott’s car as we drove to and from Dinner, and to and from the hotel to the station.
When my Sunday evening shift was over, he took me to a local place to grab a bite to eat. He had mentioned that maybe some of the staff would come by. Well, it was pretty much the whole staff – give or take a few. I remember that Dave Decker the Midday guy/APD/MD was there – great guy – the promotions team, a couple sales folks, I think there were more, and a couple came late to hang out as well. It was good dinner, drinks and conversation.
Little did I know that that was the majority of the interview.
I did meet with Scott briefly in his office the following morning. But nothing really in depth – just the semantics of what the job would be if I was hired.
Needless to say, I wasn’t hired for that job. Perhaps because he was good friends with my Program Director at that time, Jimmy Steele, and they apparently had had a conversation about me. (which came up at an inopportune time a couple months later)(that’s another story)
But, that is one experience of Interviewing that I will always remember. I really enjoyed it.
He obviously was looking to see how I would Gel with the staff that was already assembled. (You gellin’? Like a felon)
He was seeing if I could think on my feet.
He was looking to see how I would relate, and his folks would relate to me.
Tom Peters in a “rant” in his book Pursuit of Wow – talks of his displeasure with drug testing. (this book was written several years ago – so I wonder is he still has the same ‘distaste’ for it today as he did then – I bet so!)
He says that the interviewing process should be like a courting process, setting up times for Coffee, for lunch for interviews with the whole staff, for dinners, for mingling with everyone on all levels within the company.
That the process should take several weeks of time. That way, you truly know who you are getting, and the need for a drug test is non existent. (pgs 88-89 if you want to read it)
Scott Sands was doing a mini version of this when I visited him and his station and staff in Indy those couple days.
Cool stuff. And I will remember it for a long time to come.
Thanks Scott!
Being in radio for 13 years, I have had many opportunities to interview with several different program directors. One experience that stands out was when I interview for Scott Sands who is Program Director for WZPL in Indianapolis.
I had to do the normal stuff – Send a tape and resume, which got me in the door, then I had to do an air shift (which was a blast – because I had always admired the station). The funny thing was that there wasn’t that much of what would be called a ‘FORMAL’ Interview. Most of our conversations were in Scott’s car as we drove to and from Dinner, and to and from the hotel to the station.
When my Sunday evening shift was over, he took me to a local place to grab a bite to eat. He had mentioned that maybe some of the staff would come by. Well, it was pretty much the whole staff – give or take a few. I remember that Dave Decker the Midday guy/APD/MD was there – great guy – the promotions team, a couple sales folks, I think there were more, and a couple came late to hang out as well. It was good dinner, drinks and conversation.
Little did I know that that was the majority of the interview.
I did meet with Scott briefly in his office the following morning. But nothing really in depth – just the semantics of what the job would be if I was hired.
Needless to say, I wasn’t hired for that job. Perhaps because he was good friends with my Program Director at that time, Jimmy Steele, and they apparently had had a conversation about me. (which came up at an inopportune time a couple months later)(that’s another story)
But, that is one experience of Interviewing that I will always remember. I really enjoyed it.
He obviously was looking to see how I would Gel with the staff that was already assembled. (You gellin’? Like a felon)
He was seeing if I could think on my feet.
He was looking to see how I would relate, and his folks would relate to me.
Tom Peters in a “rant” in his book Pursuit of Wow – talks of his displeasure with drug testing. (this book was written several years ago – so I wonder is he still has the same ‘distaste’ for it today as he did then – I bet so!)
He says that the interviewing process should be like a courting process, setting up times for Coffee, for lunch for interviews with the whole staff, for dinners, for mingling with everyone on all levels within the company.
That the process should take several weeks of time. That way, you truly know who you are getting, and the need for a drug test is non existent. (pgs 88-89 if you want to read it)
Scott Sands was doing a mini version of this when I visited him and his station and staff in Indy those couple days.
Cool stuff. And I will remember it for a long time to come.
Thanks Scott!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Bridges and Thumbnails
Reading The Pursuit Of Wow! by Tom Peters. An older book, but still some great thoughts.
One of his points is:
“Build bridges with friends, instead of burning them with enemies.
Forget your enemies. Work around them. Work instead on developing friends, turning people who agree with you (a little bit or a lot) into passionate advocates and adherents.”
It made me think of my cousin who was working on the roof of his house. He slammed the hammer down on his thumb. Thumbnail – Popped off. (gross) Blood and thumbnail on the ground. Purple thumb. That’s what I remember.
It made no difference though. Swollen and busted up thumb, he still had to finish the roof. 4 fingers were fine. 1 that was busted. Yet, he still had to complete the project.
This example is not quite related to the point above – but in a way it is. How easy is it to let one sore thumb totally screw up the project you are working on. What if there is one sore thumb in your organization?
Are we going to let that one sore thumb torpedo the project? Or are we going to gather the four fingers (plus the other five on the other hand) that can still do the job and get it done?
Hmm. Maybe it’s completely two different points. But still. It made me think.
Thinking is good.
One of his points is:
“Build bridges with friends, instead of burning them with enemies.
Forget your enemies. Work around them. Work instead on developing friends, turning people who agree with you (a little bit or a lot) into passionate advocates and adherents.”
It made me think of my cousin who was working on the roof of his house. He slammed the hammer down on his thumb. Thumbnail – Popped off. (gross) Blood and thumbnail on the ground. Purple thumb. That’s what I remember.
It made no difference though. Swollen and busted up thumb, he still had to finish the roof. 4 fingers were fine. 1 that was busted. Yet, he still had to complete the project.
This example is not quite related to the point above – but in a way it is. How easy is it to let one sore thumb totally screw up the project you are working on. What if there is one sore thumb in your organization?
Are we going to let that one sore thumb torpedo the project? Or are we going to gather the four fingers (plus the other five on the other hand) that can still do the job and get it done?
Hmm. Maybe it’s completely two different points. But still. It made me think.
Thinking is good.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
OBSERVATION OF SERVICE 1
A fast moving storm blew thru our city on Sunday afternoon. Straightline winds knocked down one of the trees that line our back yard. That would have been fine and dandy, if our cars had not been under the tree. Go Figure.
Our next door neighbor offered to grab his chainsaw and cut the tree off our cars. We weren't sure if we needed to leave them there for the insurace guy to see or not. Yet, they still needed to cut some limbs off, because they woudn't be albe to get into their driveway if we just left it there. He started cutting, and we started dragging some limbs.
Out of no where, (well, I am sure they came from somewhere) these two folks from down the road - not anyone we had had a conversation with, showed up and just started helping to move the limbs out of the way. We didn't cut the whole tree apart, just enough to get thru to the neighbors drive.
They were walking the neighborhood after the storm, and were glad to help.
Then they just walked on.
Our next door neighbor offered to grab his chainsaw and cut the tree off our cars. We weren't sure if we needed to leave them there for the insurace guy to see or not. Yet, they still needed to cut some limbs off, because they woudn't be albe to get into their driveway if we just left it there. He started cutting, and we started dragging some limbs.
Out of no where, (well, I am sure they came from somewhere) these two folks from down the road - not anyone we had had a conversation with, showed up and just started helping to move the limbs out of the way. We didn't cut the whole tree apart, just enough to get thru to the neighbors drive.
They were walking the neighborhood after the storm, and were glad to help.
Then they just walked on.
FOSTERINGHOPE.COM
What a great Site.
This week Dave Foster has been talking about Serving. GREAT STUFF
We attended Bellevue Christian Church for about a year, and loved Dave to death!
This week Dave Foster has been talking about Serving. GREAT STUFF
We attended Bellevue Christian Church for about a year, and loved Dave to death!
...BEEN AWHILE...
I haven't had time to blog for a while, but I am going to do my best to pick this back up, dust it off, and begin again...
Fall down six, Get up seven.
Right?
Fall down six, Get up seven.
Right?
Monday, October 24, 2005
Outward Focused: Winning Cities for Christ
Steve Sjogren: Session 3 Notes on "Winning Cities for Christ"
We are more than just a 'church' - more than winning a neighborhood - we are winning Cities for Christ!
- When you are winning a city - planting a church - you have to engage in conversation. Tell your story - sell it everyday to 5 different people.
When planting the Vineyard in Cincinnati, God spoke to Steve and told him - "You are Small irrelevant and boring"...and he spent many months figureing out how to not be small irrelevant and boring.
Many churches have a 'Come and See mentality'. Until Christ returns, no church should be come and see. Because nothing we invite people to come and see is relevant, big, or exciting.
Churches should be "GOING and DOING"...Going and doing acts of love is what makes church exciting and relelvant. We are in danger every week of being small irrelevant and boring, unless we go and do.
LOVE PEOPLE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
We are more than just a 'church' - more than winning a neighborhood - we are winning Cities for Christ!
- When you are winning a city - planting a church - you have to engage in conversation. Tell your story - sell it everyday to 5 different people.
When planting the Vineyard in Cincinnati, God spoke to Steve and told him - "You are Small irrelevant and boring"...and he spent many months figureing out how to not be small irrelevant and boring.
Many churches have a 'Come and See mentality'. Until Christ returns, no church should be come and see. Because nothing we invite people to come and see is relevant, big, or exciting.
Churches should be "GOING and DOING"...Going and doing acts of love is what makes church exciting and relelvant. We are in danger every week of being small irrelevant and boring, unless we go and do.
LOVE PEOPLE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
Outward Focused: Equipped for Outreach
Steve Sjogren: Notes on "Equipped for Outreach"
Most evangelism programs are "linear" - trying to win an argument. Evangelism is about creating an 'atmosphere'. An atmosphere of Love - enabling the Holy Spirit to work in peoples lives.
Create a Buzz in your city! - Read Seth Godin's All Marketers Are Liars...
If we give away love, we (church) become associated with what we DO, not by what we say, write, or where our building is.
The best way to figure out how to love people, is to talk to the people God has given you. It's how you figure out what type of outreach might work.
Practice!
DO outreach for several months. (doing it willy-nilly does not work)
We should be all about Acts 10:38 - doing good to all kinds of people!
We should be about acceptance, and not approval (we accept - God approves)
People were accepted by Christ - yet, Jesus did not approve all of them.
We are all in Process!
We can accept people, even if they don't change. The rest is between them and God.
We can't put a dealine on our love - we have to love continually - not just for a set amount of time, then give up.
We should love until God gives up on loving.
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More :Outward Focused: HERE
Most evangelism programs are "linear" - trying to win an argument. Evangelism is about creating an 'atmosphere'. An atmosphere of Love - enabling the Holy Spirit to work in peoples lives.
Create a Buzz in your city! - Read Seth Godin's All Marketers Are Liars...
If we give away love, we (church) become associated with what we DO, not by what we say, write, or where our building is.
The best way to figure out how to love people, is to talk to the people God has given you. It's how you figure out what type of outreach might work.
Practice!
DO outreach for several months. (doing it willy-nilly does not work)
We should be all about Acts 10:38 - doing good to all kinds of people!
We should be about acceptance, and not approval (we accept - God approves)
People were accepted by Christ - yet, Jesus did not approve all of them.
We are all in Process!
We can accept people, even if they don't change. The rest is between them and God.
We can't put a dealine on our love - we have to love continually - not just for a set amount of time, then give up.
We should love until God gives up on loving.
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More :Outward Focused: HERE
Outward Focused: Horizontally and Vertically Smart
Steve Sjogren: Session 2 Notes on "Vineyard Leader Meeting"
Read Re-imagine! by Tom Peters!
Big Churches have 3 things that small churches don't - Power, Heart for Service, and Marketing.
If you are small - look for artists in church to provide art for marketing...don't always go with the pre produced piece...(you can't always do that)
--------------------------------------------------------------
On Teaching...
Plug your listeners into something that is Practical in their lives.
Practical Applications should be the speaking points of your teaching...they should be the beginning points to teach biblically from...
--------------------------------------------------------------
On Worship...
Israel Houghton Worship...Good stuff!
...When we gather the people at our churches on the Weekends...are we having a celebration/party or are we having a funeral?...
---------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More Outward Focused: HERE
Read Re-imagine! by Tom Peters!
Big Churches have 3 things that small churches don't - Power, Heart for Service, and Marketing.
If you are small - look for artists in church to provide art for marketing...don't always go with the pre produced piece...(you can't always do that)
--------------------------------------------------------------
On Teaching...
Plug your listeners into something that is Practical in their lives.
Practical Applications should be the speaking points of your teaching...they should be the beginning points to teach biblically from...
--------------------------------------------------------------
On Worship...
Israel Houghton Worship...Good stuff!
...When we gather the people at our churches on the Weekends...are we having a celebration/party or are we having a funeral?...
---------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More Outward Focused: HERE
Outward Focused: Stories about the day I died
Steve Sjogren: Session 2 Notes on "The Day I Died"
Steve has a new book arriving early next year talking about the day that he actually died. ON the operating table, his heart completely stopped, and was dead for 7 minutes.
During that time, he had an encounter with God.
Steve explaings it as abook that will more than likely 'piss Christians off'! The book is actually not intended for a Christian audience, but for the Not yet Christians - as a tool to lead them to a better understanding of who God is.
There were many things that God spoke to Steve that day, and I can't do justice to the whole encounter ( you'll have to buy the book!), but he did give two specifics of things God wanted him to change. He did say that he was rebuked,and knew he had to change, yet felt encouraged and loved by a Holy God.
A couple things he heard that day:
1. Stop moving like a rabbit. Move like a turtle.
As a church planter, Steve was working over 100 hours a week. Several lunches a day, several meetings a day. God clearly told him to slow down. The Rabbit life doesn't pay off in the end. He lives that out since that day, and in his next church planting experience, hopes to continue a more turtle pace. Slow And Steady!
2. What are the names of your kids friends?
God spoke to him about getting to know his kids friends. During that time, they would be over at the house, but Steve never took the time to get to know them, to love on them, and be a good father figure, and Godly influence in their lives.
From his experience that day, Steve wanted to encourage people that there should be no fear in death. Many have fears of death, and from his 7 minutes (which to him felt like much longer) he knew he was in the presence of a loving God who cared for him.
After his experience, he spent many hours finding our what went wrong, what doctors did and didn't do. He has gained much wisdom about the experience. He encouraged all the men at the conference to take care of themselves, and be wise about their helathcare, adn ask many questions. Live with the Wisdom of Solomon!
Steve said he read a chapter of Proverbs a day for the past thirty years and Prays that "God would let him live out that wisdom is his life".
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More :Outward Focused: HERE
Steve has a new book arriving early next year talking about the day that he actually died. ON the operating table, his heart completely stopped, and was dead for 7 minutes.
During that time, he had an encounter with God.
Steve explaings it as abook that will more than likely 'piss Christians off'! The book is actually not intended for a Christian audience, but for the Not yet Christians - as a tool to lead them to a better understanding of who God is.
There were many things that God spoke to Steve that day, and I can't do justice to the whole encounter ( you'll have to buy the book!), but he did give two specifics of things God wanted him to change. He did say that he was rebuked,and knew he had to change, yet felt encouraged and loved by a Holy God.
A couple things he heard that day:
1. Stop moving like a rabbit. Move like a turtle.
As a church planter, Steve was working over 100 hours a week. Several lunches a day, several meetings a day. God clearly told him to slow down. The Rabbit life doesn't pay off in the end. He lives that out since that day, and in his next church planting experience, hopes to continue a more turtle pace. Slow And Steady!
2. What are the names of your kids friends?
God spoke to him about getting to know his kids friends. During that time, they would be over at the house, but Steve never took the time to get to know them, to love on them, and be a good father figure, and Godly influence in their lives.
From his experience that day, Steve wanted to encourage people that there should be no fear in death. Many have fears of death, and from his 7 minutes (which to him felt like much longer) he knew he was in the presence of a loving God who cared for him.
After his experience, he spent many hours finding our what went wrong, what doctors did and didn't do. He has gained much wisdom about the experience. He encouraged all the men at the conference to take care of themselves, and be wise about their helathcare, adn ask many questions. Live with the Wisdom of Solomon!
Steve said he read a chapter of Proverbs a day for the past thirty years and Prays that "God would let him live out that wisdom is his life".
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More :Outward Focused: HERE
Outward Focused: Putting a dent in the world
Steve Sjogren: Session 1
Notes on What Steve has learned as a Church Planter/Pastor/Writer/Speaker/Teacher
1. People have a desire to Change the World. Sometimes, their desire to change the world is even more deeply rooted than their desire to get to know God.
- We should be World Changers! We should be radical ALL of our days. Not just until we are 35.
We should always focus on loving the untouchables, the outsiders, the nobodies, the hurt and broken - the people no one wants! Thats what Jesus did. And He is our model.
2. To do the Stuff that Jesus Did - You have to have to engage people.
- Doing the stuff is as easy as leaving an above average tip (30 percent instead of fifteen!). Compliment your server at a restaurant, then call the manager over and compliment your server again!( I saw Steve do this personally - and it blows people away - because the manager expects you to complain. He didn't know what to say when Steve kept lavishing on the compliments of this server)
Buy someone Coffee behind you at Starbucks. Buy the next person in line behind you at Taco Bell lunch. Buy Tic Tacs and give them away!
Each of these is simple and easy, and gives an opportunity for the Kingdom of God to show up right there - in that moment.
Mat. 13:1-23 The SCATTERING of the seeds.
Jesus told the parable of Scattering - Not Planting- seeds. Of course, the seed fell on all types of ground. But the point is not the ground, the point is the abundance of seed that was thrown. We can constanly look for opportunities to scatter the seed of kindness and let the Holy Spirit do the work of 'plowing' in peoples hearts.
- God will grow you into an extrovert. Spending 25 hours preparing your message behind the computer is a cop out. There are better things to do with our time. (There is ENOUGH TALK about God...Let's DO SOMETHING to show His Love to People!)
How do we get people "OUT THERE" -> "IN HERE"?
Many churches can't anwser that question.
We have to BRING and INCLUDE.
Watch our Vocabulary - not "Visitor" - "Guest" is better - "Newcomer" is best...
We make people feel like there is a great chasm between "all of us who are already in the church" and those who are "Not Yet Christians". Yet, if we don't watch our vocabulary,if we don't include, we'll never bridge that huge gap.
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More of :Outward Focused: HERE
Notes on What Steve has learned as a Church Planter/Pastor/Writer/Speaker/Teacher
1. People have a desire to Change the World. Sometimes, their desire to change the world is even more deeply rooted than their desire to get to know God.
- We should be World Changers! We should be radical ALL of our days. Not just until we are 35.
We should always focus on loving the untouchables, the outsiders, the nobodies, the hurt and broken - the people no one wants! Thats what Jesus did. And He is our model.
2. To do the Stuff that Jesus Did - You have to have to engage people.
- Doing the stuff is as easy as leaving an above average tip (30 percent instead of fifteen!). Compliment your server at a restaurant, then call the manager over and compliment your server again!( I saw Steve do this personally - and it blows people away - because the manager expects you to complain. He didn't know what to say when Steve kept lavishing on the compliments of this server)
Buy someone Coffee behind you at Starbucks. Buy the next person in line behind you at Taco Bell lunch. Buy Tic Tacs and give them away!
Each of these is simple and easy, and gives an opportunity for the Kingdom of God to show up right there - in that moment.
Mat. 13:1-23 The SCATTERING of the seeds.
Jesus told the parable of Scattering - Not Planting- seeds. Of course, the seed fell on all types of ground. But the point is not the ground, the point is the abundance of seed that was thrown. We can constanly look for opportunities to scatter the seed of kindness and let the Holy Spirit do the work of 'plowing' in peoples hearts.
- God will grow you into an extrovert. Spending 25 hours preparing your message behind the computer is a cop out. There are better things to do with our time. (There is ENOUGH TALK about God...Let's DO SOMETHING to show His Love to People!)
How do we get people "OUT THERE" -> "IN HERE"?
Many churches can't anwser that question.
We have to BRING and INCLUDE.
Watch our Vocabulary - not "Visitor" - "Guest" is better - "Newcomer" is best...
We make people feel like there is a great chasm between "all of us who are already in the church" and those who are "Not Yet Christians". Yet, if we don't watch our vocabulary,if we don't include, we'll never bridge that huge gap.
Steve Sjogren is the founding Pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, and loves servant evangelism.
More of :Outward Focused: HERE
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Outward Focused: A week with Steve Sjogren
What a great weekend at Camp Garner Creek! The Tennessee men's retreat was a blast, then this morning, Steve Sjogren spoke again at Franklin Vineyard.
This week, I am going to go thru my notes and post some of the best, and most thought provoking things for me from this weekend retreat.
This week, I am going to go thru my notes and post some of the best, and most thought provoking things for me from this weekend retreat.
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