Kings Go To War
Watching the Bible Series has really been interesting for me. I try to watch it slow by pausing and rewinding so that I can read the Bible while I do it. And during the David and Bathsheba scene, this was the first verse I began to read.
It just challenged my leadership on two levels:
1.) To be where I’m suppose to be… when I’m suppose to be there. As the author sets up this story, is he telling us that David had a lust issue, or a placement issue? Or did he feel entitled to Kingship so much that he didn’t need to go to war? Had he killed enough and had so much confidence in his army that he thought they didn’t need him? I have no idea, but I simply can’t be afraid to ask myself hard questions about my own leadership and placement. The lack thereof only leads to disaster.
2.) To fight more. There’s a season where kings go to war. There’s times where, as a leader, it’s not about giving the most eloquent, clear, and concise orders that make your followers melt in loyalty to your vision and instructions. At some point, people need to see a sword in your hand to keep them believing in the vision. Sometimes when we achieve great success, we live under the notion that our success merits more money, stature, fame, and… less grunt work, less fighting. Kings go to war.
That’s what I had to preach to myself after verse 1. What do you guys think about the Bible series? I loved the black Samson with dreads.
Good People, February Edition
What impresses me the most about the two guys I’m bragging on this month is that they aren’t just good in their own circles. When your gift begins to become universal is what I believe is next level leadership. These dudes flow in so many diverse settings and I love it.
1. Normandy Ortiz. 
Normandy is the founder of TOM Central. TOM is The One Movement. It is a five step process to help people love one person toward Christ at a time. One thing that is underrated in our culture today is being bilingual. The impact that you can have just by learning another language is huge. Normandy’s ability to be an effective communicator in the latin world and english world is sick! He’s somebody you want to keep your eye on.
2. Travis Simons. Travis is the Young Adults Pastor at the Potter’s House. (Bishop TD Jakes’ Church) Like I said before, Travis has an ability to bounce between different cultures and remain effective. The man can preach in any setting. The more I’ve gotten to know Travis, the more I feel inspired to learn. He’s extremely educated, but never feels like he’s learned so much that he can take a break. He’s always looking for ways to get better and get smarter. He’s good people.
Should You Start A Business or Not?
When I graduated with a business degree, I always wondered what exactly would I do. Most people still don’t know what I do, but I have a couple businesses. One helps churches and another creates marketing materials for organizations all over the place. God has really blessed them, but people always wonder whether or not they have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. I’d say most entrepreneurs didn’t have what you think they had before they owned these large companies.
Most of them simply had an idea that had these attributes:
- The idea met a significant need of people. Apple figured out that people didn’t want to buy whole cds. They thought, “What if people could go online and buy just the songs they wanted?” Boom. Soon we’ll see an Apple Television where that same concept will be applied to cable tv. I only watch 8 channels and pay for hundreds.
- The idea drove them to action. Thomas Edison said that electricity was 1% idea and 99% sweat. You have to take some risk or some action to move the ball forward. You can find yourself in exceptional placement with ordinary actions and thinking.
- The idea inspired people around them. I don’t care how awesome your business idea is, someone has to love it so much that they would be willing to invest their time or money into it. I didn’t need any financial investment to start my businesses, but I had several people donate their time to give me advise and even work.
If you have an idea that does the above, I’d say go for it. =) There’s a lot more, but that’s a good start.
What To Do With Black History Month
It’s easy to make Black History month a time where we get creative with our latest black jokes because if we were to really take it seriously, there might actually be some tension. We like to stay away from sticky topics because we don’t like offending people, but I think there’s tremendous value in really taking a few moments to research what some of the Black History is.
When you look at the strides that we’ve taken in our country to give black people an opportunity to do anything any people can do, it really is remarkable. I had the opportunity to see pre screenings of a couple of movies that addressed the tension involved in Black History: DJango Unchained and 42 (movie about major league’s first ball player, Jackie Robinson.) They really made me realize how truly privileged I am in today’s society, but I think there’s a lot of work to still be done.
When I look at Black History, I don’t see black and white. I see division. And even though a lot of racial issues are in our rearview, division amongst churches could be at an all-time high. And I believe if we can dive into what allowed people of all colors to come together to even the playing field for everyone, I wonder what strategies we could pull from to blur some denominational lines to make a bigger impact for the kingdom of God.
That’s what I’m doing with Black History Month. What about you?
Good People, January Edition: A Photographer & An Entrepreneur
At this stage of my life I get exposed to a lot of different people, leaders, & organizations. I walk away from so many meetings with one of many thoughts, “Man, they’re good people.” They have unique stories and abilities that some people aren’t always aware of, and so I thought I’d share a short list of “Good People” once a month on here. To get us started, I’d like to tell you about a photographer and an entrepreneur.
1.) Meet Meshali Mitchell. Hey, when you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding or special event, there’s a few things you look for: Someone with decent equipment and most importantly, a great portfolio. 
But Meshali brings something else to the table: an energetic personality. Any person I know that has done a shoot with her has HAD FUN doing it. Part of getting great photos is the process in which you got them. All in all, Meshali… is good people. Here’s a sample of some of her stuff.
To see more photos and learn a little more about Meshali, go here.
2.) Meet Taylor Scheer. Taylor and I became friends this summer and I’ve been Impressed with him from day one. He’s the son of mega church pastor, Bill Scheer, who pastors Guts Church in Tulsa, OK. 
Taylor was working at the church up until a couple of months ago when he decided to resign from his position to start his own clothing store. Taylor’s desire is to start multiple businesses over the next decade and then come back to work for the church and be less of a financial burden for the organization. I admire his heart for the church and for business. I visited the store last month and this dude is crushing it. I love the look and feel of the whole place. It was a total God thing as to how he acquired the space and how he was able to open so fast. He designed everything you see himself. Taylor Scheer: Incredibly talented, creative, Godly, and Good people. To find out more about the store, check out http://stylelabtulsa.com/. 
The Tension Between Being Spiritual & Being Practical
There 2 schools of thought when it comes to measuring spiritual growth. One school sums up a person’s spiritual expansion by: 1.) The quantity & quality of their time in prayer and reading the Bible. (the longer you pray, and the more you read, the better) 2.) The level of commitment they give to their to church. (the more involved and the more you serve, the better) This school is very inward focused. If you can spend 3 hours on your face before God, then that’s a big W in this circle.
The second school of thought grades one’s spiritual improvement by: 1.) Their community. (small groups or life groups are key here. “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”) 2.) Their philanthropy. (how much of their money & time they give to causes, responding to natural disasters, involvement in city programs and community engagement is critical here)
It’s a shame that these schools of thought have opposed each other for years, but I’m beginning to see a new school that has a balance of both. I don’t think you can make your bed in either school and boast about anything you’ve done. “Pentecostals” have way too often found themselves inside the doors of the church expecting lost people to want to come in. And “non-denoms” have way too long found themselves outside the doors of the church at ground zero of some lost people’s hurt and pain with no spiritual potency to actually do anything about their hurt and their pain. It’s almost become bragging rights to simply be around lost people.
You could provide scriptures to support whatever it is you want to do, but no matter who you are, we all could use a little balance one way or the other.
Customer Engagement
Starting a business or a church can be tough. They both often run into the same organizational issues, but simply use different terminology to describe them. Businesses use words like “products” and “customers”. Churches use words like “first-time visitors” and “ministries”. Once a church or a business has had a particularly successful amount traction, the way they connect with their congregants or customers changes drastically.
The need for new products/ministries and services challenges a staff to adapt systems that were put in place during simpler times. Although people are creatures of habit, thriving organizations need flexibility to remain alert to the people who are coming through their doors and market trends.
One system that we all need to be aware of is how we continually engage our customers. We have to be able to stand in their shoes, or better yet, have them tell you about the experience they have had with your church or business. Bringing in church members into the organizational design process allows you to re-think how you engage with them. Whether it is transactional or consultative, you know you are engaging effectively with your customer when they echo back the things that make you special to them.
Here’s 4 indicators you have a healthy organizational culture that engages “customers” well:
- When people know where to turn for help when they need it. (user-friendly website and customer service at the office)
- When the experience people have with your organization reflects the values your organization
- When the service (or product) delivery is consistent and meets (or beats) people’s expectations
- When people understand the value proposition of what you provide
Like Mike
When I was a kid, on the court is where I lived. We all had one goal, and one dream… “to be like Mike.” I’d drink Gatorade when I wasn’t thirsty. I’d stick out my tongue on lay-ups (felt like dunks in my mind). I’d even pump the tongue of my shoes as if I, too, could fly from free throw lines… all trying to be like… Michael Jordan.
From adolescence to adulthood, there’s a dream to be chased, and a someone who’s living it. Whether the dream gets bigger or smaller, over time, the dream becomes more realistic. And the person living that “dream”… you see yourself being like that someday.
You see yourself…
Leading Worship like Joel Houston. Thinking like C.S. Lewis. Multiplying like Craig Groeschell. Leading like John Maxwell. Writing like Erwin McManus. Preaching the word like Judah Smith. Giving like Oprah. Winning the battlefield of your mind like Joyce Meyer. Breaking down the word like Mark Driscoll. Reaching young adults like Matt Chandler. Speaking to 2 million kids a year in schools like Reggie Dabbs. Having church in movie theatres like Mark Batterson. Being Practical like Andy Stanley. Being Purpose driven like Rick Warren. Being anointed like Kim Walker. Being Radical like David Platt. Inspiring people like TD Jakes. Creating like Ed Young. Smiling like Joel Osteen. Organizing like Bill Hybels. Singing ridiculous notes like Israel Houghton. Writing world-renown songs like Chris Tomlin. Dreaming like Matthew Barnett. Relating like Rob Bell. Going against the grain like Francis Chan… Or Writing blogs like Jon Acuff.
Perhaps we go even further in reading the scriptures. We see ourselves reaching “Paul” or “Peter” status. But on the contrary, Jesus wanted what they did to be foundational, not the end goal. What’s fascinating about all of the above individuals is they are all like Mike in their one thing they’re known for. And they‘ve paved the way for you to be like Mike in yours, not to simply catch up. We think of Jesus as a comedian when he said we’d do greater things than he did, but maybe he wasn’t joking. The best is yet to come.
Save The Best For Now
“What’s new?”
It’s a two word question that gets us out of bed everyday to search for the answer. Back in the day… before I was a live… NOTHING WAS NEW. Everybody had their same job for 30 years. There wasn’t much to chase. I’m not intending to discourage a dream, or forecast despair upon the go-getter, the entrepreneur, or someone who aspires to be remembered, but rather, I’d like to encourage all of the above (which I’m in) in their current season.
It’s as if we’re all saving our best for a later engagement, a future event, or a fast-forwarded version of ourselves where we are really doing what God called us to do. We are saving our best for the dream job we’ll have where we feel all of our gifts and talents are being utilized. We feel the gravity and pressure of having something “new” to share, but I would propose that we take inventory of our current season and give it everything we have. For who we are in this season, is but a preview and practice for our next season.
I would even go as far to say this: There may not be a next season. We ought to give this season what we would give if it was our last. Save the best for now.