Daryl Strickland

Congratulations!

I watched my boss like a young kid in a candy store, stand in line on opening day and get the toy phone that he has been dreaming drooling over for months now. We picked it up on the way back from DC so we had to find somewhere with wireless so we could activate it.

Jeff then (like a salesman) began to show me all that it could do. I have to admit, I am amazed. There is nothing like this out there right now, I don’t care what anyone says. He have full web access and even blogged while we were driving. You can put your thumb and index finger together on the screen and if you spread them apart the image enlarges, if you squeeze them together it shrinks. Within a few moments, all of his appointment, contacts were sinked up. They thought of every convenient nuance for this phone.

As for the price. Before you rib Jeff about how much he spent on this thing let me tell you a little about this guy. He does buy expensive jeans and gadgets, I will give him that but I get to be around him all the time and he is a penny pincher everywhere else. He drinks water and not sodas, he shares meals, he drives an 93 Honda that is paid for, he doesn’t subscribe cable and there is no Big Bertha in his golf bag.

So Jeff, enjoy your toy new productivity device, you deserve it!

Jeff and I spent the last couple of days in the DC area for the Buzz Conference. I have a lot of stuff that I want to post about the conference, DC, our trip and more, so stay tuned over the next few days.

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I am sooooooo embarrassed to say that I just read this book but I am so glad that I read it. If you were brought up in the church, have strong opinions of what church should look like, think Christians are all Republicans or you are breathing, then this is a must read.

This book so challenges me in areas that I need to be challenged, especially in rituals of the church and unconditional loved that is not so unconditional. Whether you agree with everything in the book or not, you will have to wrestle some ideas to the ground and you will have a stronger foundation when you are done with it.

I can’t do this book justice on a review but here is the one thing for me. People have been turned off by churches, crusades, rules, prejudice, conditional love (you have to look, act, fit a certain mold to be accepted) and religious systems, these have nothing to do with the message of Jesus. We have to be sensitive to what has turned people off, even to the point of apologizing for the misrepresentation of Jesus and let people know the real deal and how much God loves them.

“Common sense is genius dressed in working clothes”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am a big John Maxwell fan and I spit out some of his quotes like I came up with them, things like: “Leaders are Learners, Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership, When You Quit Learning You Quit Leading, Teamwork Makes The Dream Work”. I feel like he is one of the best if not the best Leadership principle guys out there. I also feel like when you think that you have it all figured out and you are done learning then you are in trouble.

But, I have been wrestling with this thought lately; Can constant input negatively affect you? Or for most of the readers of this blog, your church?

I have all the best business books, all the best leadership books, the best audio’s from conferences over the last 5 years. I subscribe to the best blogs and I am constantly keeping up with the latest things that are working.

I have some phenomenal resources at my fingertips and to be honest two thoughts that I am wrestling with right now are:

1. Information Overload
2. What about my unique footprint

Hear me out before you write me off. I think that networking is extremely important. I think you have to be teachable. I think you have to look at what’s working and don’t reinvent the wheel, but I think there has to be seasons where you take what you have learned, combine that with the dreams and gifts that God has given you and blaze a trail. In other words, constant input and no output or the wrong output can leave you pretty backed up and off track.

This is probably the most important part of this that I have been wrestling with. Sometimes we spend so much time reading, listening and watching that we miss what God wants us to do. Or we do something that he told someone else to do because we are taking our cues from them not Him.

Please don’t misunderstand or misuse what I am saying. Learning is important but if you don’t wrestle to the ground how do I use this, then you didn’t learn anything. And if you stay so busy consuming resources that you don’t know what direction your heading or how to lead the troops, then you are in trouble.

And it was awesome.

My wife and I where in upstate SC this weekend and made the trip to NewSpring yesterday. We have been tracking what God is doing there but have never been to a service. Let me tell you why they are growing so fast.

It’s Jesus!!! He is there. Here is where I saw him:

• He was in the parking lot (I turned my hazard lights on because they have a sign that says first time guest should do this. I then parked and thought, what was up with the hazard deal, when out of the corner of my eye, I see this guy running from the front of the church. He approached us and ask if we had our hazards on and we said yes, he then welcomed us and escorted us all the way in the building and ask if we needed any help with anything). I felt loved and cared for by this man Jesus.
• He was a greeter. I have never seen so many greeters in my life. There where youth greeters, regular greeters, door greeters. They where everywhere and they were over the top helpful and nice. I felt loved and cared for by these people Jesus.
• He was a children’s worker. Each age group had their area, with dedicated, prepared and excited worker’s. Each area had worship. Each had stories, each had small groups. These kids were loved by these workers Jesus.
• He was the Fussy Bus Driver. This was so cool. They have a huge plastic (for lack of better words) stroller that seats 6 and a person dedicated to pushing it all service. She goes by each class and picks up the fussy kids and pushes them in the fussy bus. I saw Jesus pushing that bus.
• He was counseling couples on finances during the service. They have this guy Joe that is burdened to help people live free from financial bondage. He was counseling people in his office on Sunday morning. This guy was using his gift to be Jesus whether it’s convenient or not.
• He was in the control room. I saw 6-8 people in a room that looks like something at NASA busting their tails so that people knew the words to the songs, so they could read scripture, so thousand of people could watch God’s message on the web and everyone of them where volunteers. Jesus was everywhere in that room.
• I saw Jesus in Perry as he explained God’s truth’s in language that the audience understood.
• I saw Jesus in Jason and Kelly as they hosted us for lunch.
• I saw Jesus in the whole staff as they are so humble about what God is doing in their church and they are so passionate about going after those who don’t know Jesus.
• He was in my favorite volunteer Leslie that I met at Unleash (she was working the nursery yesterday, and she was there when this lady was about to pass out, I think she runs the place or she’s got a twin or something).
• He was everywhere I looked yesterday and that made me happy!

Thanks NewSpring!

Week SEVEN (I can almost guarantee you you will not see a 7 again) of “Ready To Rumble”

Attendance: 256 - same week last year 99 (158% increase)

Songs:

• All Because Of Jesus
• The Stand
• I Am Free
• Inside Out

Moment/s to remember:

• Backdrop collapsing on Chad
• Skittles Everywhere

Bottom Line: God honors those who honor him.
Next Week: Week one of God At The Billboard: If Everyone Cared .

If you haven’t seen this movie don’t. It is actually a great movie with a horrible ending but the point of the movie is to pass along a good deed to someone in need and the chain goes on forever (kind of like the golden rule).

Earlier this week, Jeff (my boss) wrote a positive post about me and I thought I would take a second to pay it forward.

I have had 17 bosses in my life, each very different. I have had micro-managers, absentees, control freaks, organized, disorganized, fun-loving, practical jokers, losers and winners.

This may sound like I am sucking up but my current boss is the best that I have ever had and here is why.

• He is an encourager.
• He is the most optimistic person I have ever met (if you hit him in the face, he would find someway to give you the benefit of the doubt).
• He is a learner (I have never seen anyone read as much as this guy).
• He is growing daily (It has been cool to watch this guy over the last four years).
• He loves his wife (this is huge for lead pastors and he sets the tone).
• He hangs out at the feet of Jesus (that’s the reason that I made the trip down).
• He worships his face off each week (whether or not anyone else is).
• He trust me.
• He equips me.
• He unleashes me.
• He can come up with some pretty sweet graphics (for a pastor).
• He is a fellow conference junkie.
• He is not afraid to take risk.

I can go on and on but the point here is that it is pretty sweet to serve God for a living and have a boss that matches the list above.

I know I don’t say it enough but I appreciate you man!

Sorry that I am posting this on Thursday night but I had to get it our here for the records.

Week five of “Ready To Rumble”

Attendance: 266 - same week last year 111 (140% increase)

Songs:

• Forever
• You Never Let Go
• Hungry

Moment/s to remember:

• Realizing that we all cheat somewhere. We either cheat our families or our jobs. Which one are you cheating?

Next Week: Week seven Ready To Rumble (yes that is a seven)

This is from Craig Groeschel, pastor of Lifechurch.tv:

“In the past, I occasionally tried to be edgy just for the sake of being edgy. I thought there was some value in shocking people. While I still agree that it is important to grab and hold people’s attention, I think passion for Christ is more appealing than “edginess for edginess’ sake.” Today, my goal is not to be edgy, but effective…”