Cheers

I saw this story on Jon Acuff’s blog and just couldn’t stop laughing. It’s hilarious.  Jon writes:

You probably shouldn’t have a list of “favorite pastors,” but I do, and Pete Wilson is on it.

He’s one of the pastors of Cross Point Church in Nashville and is perhaps the nicest person I have ever met. In addition, he’s also one of the funniest and recently told me a story I wanted to share with you.

One Sunday night, Pete was headed back to church to preach the 6:00 service. On his way there he stopped at Blockbuster to rent a movie. As he walked through the door, the guy behind the counter recognized him and told him how much he loved Cross Point. They chatted for a minute and then Pete walked down an aisle. Twenty feet into the store and another shopper stopped him to talk about church. Turns out that guy went to Cross Point as well. It seemed as if everyone in that Blockbuster attended Pete’s church.

After a few minutes of conversation, Pete made it to the wall of New Releases. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder, and heard a woman say, “Excuse me.” Believing that this was perhaps another member of Cross Point church, Pete turned, gave the woman a warm side hug and said, “Hey, what’s going on?”

Looking a little startled, the woman, paused, raised the movie in her hand, and said, “I wanted to ask if you had seen this movie.”

She didn’t know Pete. She didn’t attend his church. She wanted a movie recommendation. What she got was a side hug.

Huge congratulations to Jon Acuff uber-blogger of STUFF CHRISTIANS LIKE Blog (a Christian satirical humor blog poking fun at the weird things Christians do) who challenged his readers to band together and do something really cool – they all pitched in and donated enough money to can build a kindergarten in Vietnam (through Samaritan’s Purse).  They raised $30,000 in 18 hours. That’s crazy.

Here’s the school they funded completely.

They did that in 18 hours. I still can’t believe it. That’s mind-blowing. 18 hours.

And guess what his blog post for today was titled ?

“LET’S BUILD A 2ND KINDERGARTEN” !!!

Speaking at Catalyst One Day recently Andy Stanley introduced a great axiom that says,

“whatever gets celebrated, gets repeated”

And then he added something along the lines of “think potty training . . .” to which the audience burst out laughing. But bathroom humor aside, to me this is a truly brilliant statement, because of the great lifestyle wisdom it contains in a few words.  And here’s why: in our lives as people we can never grow if we do not change.  Which means that in order for us to grow in any area of our lives we need to change.  And there in lies the dark and dreaded challenge. Why?  Because as people we hate change – and we’ll often go to great lengths to resist it or put it off.  But it gets even more challenging than that (and here’s the real kicker): sometimes as people whether in marriage, parenting, friendship, as co-workers and even as leaders, we are often called upon to be an important part of helping those around us change and grow.  And so then the next big question becomes, “how can I as a spouse, father/mother, friend, co-worker, or leader help or inspire those around me to change when I know they hate change and resist it at every turn?” And it’s here that Andy’s statement offers us hope :

“whatever gets celebrated, gets repeated”

In other words, one of the best and non-pushy ways we can encourage and even assist people in changing is to celebrate the things we want them to continue doing or the areas we want them to keep growing in.  This seemly simple axiom can spare us hours of awkward confrontations and conversations.  So that instead of awkward direct talk moments you just celebrate the little things those people are doing in the direction that they need to keep growing in.

Now back to the potty training analogy for a second, imagine a mom standing over her little toddler telling her what to do and how to do it and getting frustrated, and then compare that with a couple who gently shows their toddler how to use the potty and then erupting in celebration and adulation when their baby angel gets it even partially right.  Who would you want as a parent ? In the same way we can assist those around us to change and grow if we just celebrated their little improvements and attempts. Because not only is it true that ‘what gets celebrated, gets repeated,’ but the converse is also true: what gets ignored, does not get repeated. And your response will determine which one they choose to do.

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Willow Creek presents a FREE webcast.  This Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 12:00 – 12:45 CST Jim Mellado, President of the Willow Creek Association will interview John Ortberg, Senior Pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, about his 2009 Leadership Summit experience.

Ortberg attended the Summit at a satellite location with a large group of his staff and volunteer leaders. During this webcast, he will share how he’s using Gary Hamel’s content in his own church. Together Mellado and Ortberg will discuss key insights from the 2009 Leadership Summit, with time available for your questions.

You can get more details and information here.

You can also keep up with Louie’s own Passion City Church Blog here.

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But as anyone who’s experienced the pain of bad decisions will tell you  - Stupid . . . hurts.

“The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”

- Proverbs 18: 15 NKJV

acquires: (verb) to gain for oneself through one’s actions or efforts: to acquire learning.

seeks: (verb) to go in search or quest of. 2. to try to find or discover by searching or questioning. 3. to try to obtain. 4. to go to.

In this verse Solomon is saying to readers: You want to know whether you are wise? You want to know how you can tell if those around you are wise? Look at how they live.

He says here’s how you can tell: the prudent (or wise) man acquires knowledge – meaning they gain knowledge through effort. And secondly, the wise person seeks knowledge – which means they go in search of knowledge, they discover knowledge by actively looking for it, they go after it.

My question to you is . . . Are you wise?

The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory (Hardcover)

~ David Plouffe (Author)

I saw this hilarious story that Donald Miller tells about the day he received a box of copies of his first book from his publisher. Hilarity ensues.

I’d spent a year or so writing my first book, and it was coming out early in 2000. I had the first copies sent to Texas where I’d be spending Christmas. My family knew I had a book coming out, but they didn’t think they’d see it for months. I received a box Federal Express and hid it in the trunk of the car I was using. I was dying to take a look at it, but there were too many people around. Finally, I ran an errand (my Mother sent me to Wal Mart to return something) and when I got there I opened the trunk, and the box, and reached in for a copy of my book. It looked great. I’d helped design the cover and I was proud of it. Anyway, I went into the store, flipping through pages and smelling the ink. Then I got in line to return whatever it was I was returning and I started reading. My favorite lines in the book were in the last few paragraphs, a scene in which my friend Paul and I walk into the meadow at Black Butte Ranch to watch sunrise one last time before we head different directions for the summer. And that’s when I saw the type-o.

The line was supposed to read:

“We were walking into the meadow. I was walking with my hands in my pockets.”

And instead said:

“We were walking into the meadow. I was walking with my hands in his pockets.”

I actually laughed it was so funny. It’s even funnier if you try to imagine the scene playing out that way.

you can check out the original post here.

Congratulations to Speaker and Pastor extraordinaire Francis Chan. According to publisher David Cook, Chan’s debut book “CRAZY LOVE” has sold more than 500,000 in just over 12 months.

There are some successes that are simply the result of God’s favor and orchestration and I truly believe the success of Chan’s book is one of those instances.  And I am convinced that this book is only getting started, I predict it’s going to follow “The Shack” as a mega bestseller with eventual sales that will top millions of copies sold.

Here’s the official press release:

“Since its release in May 2008, Crazy Love, by author and pastor Francis Chan, has sold well over 500,000 copies.

Crazy Love is Chan’s first book published by David C. Cook. “We have received so much positive feedback about Crazy Love. This is a book that readers can’t wait to share with their friends, whether in the structured environment of a small group study, through social networks, or over coffee,” says Ryan Dunham, senior VP of sales and marketing for David C. Cook. “At David C. Cook, our ultimate mission is to transform the lives of people around the world, and this book is a perfect example of that transformation. Crazy Love readers are making radical changes in their lifestyles, their giving, and their approach to God. We are thankful and proud to have Francis Chan as a Cook author and of the way Crazy Lovecontinues to minister to the body of Christ.””