Family Exercise

Last night was Chase's final soccer practice of the season.

A favorite last-practice tradition is for the kids (6 & 7 years old) to scrimmage against the parents.

It was hilarious, actually, as the kids skillfully dribbled the ball right past much bigger and faster adults. We lost track of the score, but I think the kids beat us 8-7.

Getting the parents in the game was a brilliant move on the coach's part, for one important reason:

One hour of soccer practice each week isn't enough.

In order for kids to really develop their soccer skills, they need to be playing every day. They need to be playing with their siblings and neighbors and, ideally, their parents. When mom and dad get involved, a child's enjoyment and skill level both increase.

This same principle is at work when it comes to teaching our children about God. One hour of church isn't going to properly equip a child for all that life is going throw at them. They need for mom and dad to get involved in their spiritual life. They need to have daily conversations about spiritual things.

And, just like they need to see mom and dad having fun and laughing while playing soccer, they need to witness their parents enjoying a vibrant relationship with God.

We believe this so strongly at Access Church that we make "Virtue Packs" available for families to spend time together focusing on each month's virtue. This month our virtue is Joy, and virtue packs are available at the Resource Center. Each virtue pack includes an audio CD with a radio drama for the kids that teaches the virtue, and a roundtable of real-life parents discussing how to teach the virtue at home. There are also notecards you can use to encourage your children, and great discussion questions for talking about the virtue with your kids at various times through the day.

Don't just sit on the sidelines and hope your kids will learn to love the game. Get in there and play it with them! They'll learn a lot more, and you might even get a little exercise.

Never Too Late

If my dad were still alive, yesterday would have been his 93rd birthday.

That surprises a lot of people. When I first tell them, I can see them trying to do the math in their head. I'll save you the trouble: My dad was 53 years old when I was born. Yeah. "Surprise!"

The point is, it's never too late to do something great with your life. :-)

Moses was eighty years old when I AM told him to lead his people out of 400 years of slavery. He thought he'd blown his chance 40 years before. But God wanted to use an eighty-year-old guy for something amazing.

Some of us, as we age, begin to grow more and more fond of the past. We've got some great stories to tell. But what about the future? What might God have out in front of you? How might God want to use you for His glory?

Andy shared a quote last week at DRIVE that he heard while serving at Crown Financial, "When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near."

Put that in the context of a conference where some attendees were from a 250-year-old church. They came to DRIVE because they aren't focused on the past—they want to transition their church to have tremendous impact in the future!

How's your future? What might God do with your life if you let him?

And if you're a 53-year-old guy, well... Be careful out there.

A Few Quotes

This last session of DRIVE was pretty unreal. Andy scrapped his "Making Vision Stick" talk and just spoke from his heart. He was ON FIRE! Here are a few quotes I grabbed:

"To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing" —Craig Groshel

300,000 unchurched people within a 10 mile radius of Buckhead Church (170,000 North Point, 35,000 Browns Bridge). I don't want this to ever stop bothering me. The more successful you are, the more you'll feel good about who IS coming instead of who is NOT coming.

"Become preoccupied with who you haven't reached as opposed to those you are trying to keep." —Reggie Joiner

"The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation." —Al Reis
This is why what some of you are doing is far more important than what we are doing. You have already figured out what the next generation of ministry will look like.
If you are 40-60 you shouldn't have to understand it to fund it.

"Be a student, not a critic."

"What do I believe is impossible to do in my field, but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business?" —Future Edge
_The revolution that video preaching has created, allowing leaders to be separate from communicators.
_Existing (but dying) churches that own real estate need to give it up to new churches that are reaching a new generation

"You have to have both hands up and a blindfold on if we're taking over" (Andy on converting existing churches to our model.)

Pay attention to the people who are breaking the rules. Who has the biggest church in America? Oprah. 3 million people and no parking problems.

"If your staff got kicked out and the board brought in a new team, what would they do? Go do it!" —Andy Grove

What's in decline? Where are we having to manufacture energy?

What would fresh eyes see? What would they set out to do?

"When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near" —??
This one bothers Andy the most.

Don't let success or momentum overshadow your vision. Keep the vision out in front.

"There has to be something that breaks your heart, that reflects the broken heart of God." —Andy Stanley

And then... this is impossible to convey... you really had to be there. Andy stopped "communicating" and started preaching.

"We could give away free gas (referring to the political issues in the news) all summer long and it wouldn't stop one husband from leaving his family. What we have to offer is the most important answer for life's questions." —rough quote from Andy Stanley

Make your plans now for DRIVE '09!

DRIVE Update - Day 1

The other day I mentioned that it's not our desire to be like North Point. We are North Point. It's our DNA. Just like you might have gotten your bright blue eyes from your dad, the kind of church that Access is becoming is a direct result of our lineage.

So today was a bit of a family reunion. A big one.

325 folks from 13 Strategic Partners. Another 2,025 church leaders from around the world. All here to focus our churches on being Jesus to our communities, reaching people instead of worrying about keeping them, and leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Personally, it was awesome to connect with so many people that helped give birth to Access—men & women that continue to speak wisdom into my life today. It was nice to spend some time with Drew, my best friend of more than 22 years. It was fun to hang out late tonight with a bunch of bloggers like Carlos and Pete.

But I can't begin to describe how significant our worship session was this evening. Communion was incredible—just because of what Jesus was saying to me through it. His love is amazing, and the fact that he knows us so completely and loves us so much is amazing. Do you really believe that God is crazy about you? That is love for you is a wild, untamed desire for relationship with you? Sometimes I think God just tolerates me in spite of my flaws, but in tonight's worship He reminded me that he loves me—and that's pretty amazing!

Here's a little taste:

Caution: Show Horses

This is only going to be funny for you Brian Regan fans. Everyone else should just look away.

Really, this is a very mature group of individuals.

A Lesson from the Derby

Did you know that every horse that ran in today's Kentucky Derby was a descendant of Northern Dancer, a 1964 champion? Did you know that horses from his line have drawn as much as $10 Million at auction?

Why is that? Because DNA matters. Fast horses have fast offspring. My kids are great-looking because their mother rocks the planet. You get the idea.

This week, the Access staff will spend some time swimming in our gene pool. We're proud of our heritage.

We're very clear that we don't want to be like North Point. We are North Point. Our strategy, our mission, our DNA...it's the same.

I'll be posting from Atlanta, hopefully with pics & video of the sessions. Odds are good—it's going to be a great week!

Who Are You?

The other day Scott Magdalein visited our offices. We talked about life in Jacksonville, ministry (he leads worship over here), and blogging.

So, yesterday I checked the visitor log on this site for the first time in months. Turns out there are more of you regularly reading this blog than I thought.

So, fess up! Who are you? What brings you to this blog? Post in the comments, please!

Regrets?

Back in 1997, when Michael Dell was CEO of Dell, he famously told a group of IT big wigs, ""What would I do [if I were in charge of Apple]? I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."

Oh, Michael. That's the kind of statement that waits in a corner for years, thinking, "I'm going to bite him in the backside... Hard."

The time has come. Apple opened on NASDAQ today at $180.31 . Compared to Dell's standing, Apple's market value of $159.95 billion is now four times Dell's $39.56 billion.

What have you said that you wish you could take back?

Canvas, Pt. 3

This week Louie Giglio will deliver part 3 of Canvas.

We live in a world created by God and designed to reflect His glory. Everything, including our lives, are tapestries created by him. He is working on the canvas of our lives so we can bring glory to Him. That is our sole purpose here on earth.

I've included a little teaser video below. Don't miss it! See you Sunday at 9:30 or 11:15am!

Delivering The Gift

The other night Stephanie did something very thoughtful. Again. She brought a friend her favorite dessert from her favorite bakery.

Do you think she just left it on the front porch and ran away quickly before she was noticed? No, she carried it right into the kitchen so she could see the look on Amy's face when she opened the box! It's fun to deliver a gift!

Sharing the truth of Jesus Christ is very similar. And, as Adam and I have discussed, how you go about it largely depends on whether you believe the message is a wonderful gift or terribly bad news. Are you more focused on telling someone they are a sinner bound for hell, or that there is a God who loves them enough to offer new life and hope? Do you believe you have a wonderful gift to deliver?

My post on the million-dollar tract generated a fair number of comments from ya'll. I'm glad to have your voices on this blog! Since I left the original post a little open-ended, I thought I'd circle around and conclude some of my thoughts on tracts:

1. I applaud the urgency with which many are sharing the good news through tracts and street evangelism. These folks believe that eternity is for real and we should all be prepared to meet God. I agree!

2. There are lots of ways to communicate the truth of God's unlimited love and grace. Anything from tracts to blogs are valid tools for sharing the amazing purpose God has for our lives.

3. Our primary message and tone should be that of grace, love, and forgiveness. Maybe I'm running with different folks, but the people I'm hanging with already know they're messed up. They don't need condemnation. They need hope.

4. If you wouldn't hand the tract to a neighbor or family member, you shouldn't be leaving it for a stranger to find. On a related note, if you're not sharing what God has done in your life with those closest to you, why are you so compelled to share with strangers?

5. If you don't know anybody who is far from God, consider personally investing in your neighbors, co-workers, and family before handing tracts to strangers.

5. We should never shy away from the truths of hell, condemnation, and punishment. But how we relate these truths makes all the difference. Paul says our conversation should be "full of grace, seasoned with salt."

7. I need to check my motives every time I share my faith. Is my first concern for the individual with whom I am speaking, or is it with making a point, being right, and convincing someone they should be more like me?

8. Our theology must be careful and true in what we speak and write. It's important to paint an accurate portrait of God.

After the Starbucks incident, Adam summarized the situation best. As he watched the woman leave with her million-dollar bill, he said, "There goes someone who doesn't believe the gospel is really good news."

How about you? Do you believe it's something wonderful to share?

Great Morning with the Church

We weren't really at church today, but we were with the church, and it was awesome!

Stephanie and I love being with Access volunteers, and today was a cool day to work side-by-side with the greatest team of volunteers in the known universe. It was a workday, prepping for our future as an every-Sunday congregation. It was also a worship day, as we sang, prayed, and took communion together. (Great job, Brian!)

I love the way this group of people worships and serves. You can see that they are committed in huge ways to "making much of God" through their time, money, relationships, and prayers.

Thanks for a great day, Access volunteers!

$1,000,000 in Cash Found at Starbucks

Our staff feels very at home at Starbucks. We spend a lot of time having meetings there. But we've never stumbled upon such untold riches!

A little while back, Adam & I arrived a little early for a meeting and were waiting for our coffee to cool and the others to arrive.

Two women who'd been seated near us headed for the door, and a few newcomers headed toward their recently-vacated seats.

"Hey!" called one man after the women, "You left some cash!"

The woman looked oddly sheepish. "Oh, it's okay. You can have it," she replied.

The man backed away from the bill on the seat as if his integrity had been called into question. "Miss! Please take your money."

The woman walked back across the store, seemingly embarrassed at the attention she was receiving, and muttered something to the man as she bent to pick up the cash.

"Oh," he exclaimed as she was leaving. "It's one of those." The disdain in his voice was evident, and Adam and I knew immediately that we was referring to a million-dollar bill. I saw one for the first time a few weeks before when a girl at Panera received one as a "tip." It looks exactly like U.S. currency (except for the ridiculous amount) and on the back it says:

The million dollar question: Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. Jesus took your punishment upon Himself – 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Then read your Bible daily and obey it.

Later, as we were leaving Starbucks, I saw that she'd placed it on one of the outside tables. I picked it up. So... I've got a million bucks for anyone that wants it.

What do you think about these tracts?

Are they effective? Accurate?