We're launching a new spiritual formation initiative at Mountainview called E4U. Organized around four tracks, we're seeking to help people develop and grow spiritually. Over the next week or so I'll be previewing the classes here on the blog. The Firsts of Jesus Course Description: Things that are mentioned first and last in Mideastern cultures have special significance. In this course we look at some important firsts in the life of Jesus. They include His first act, His first public quote, His first miracle and His first parable. We will examine these firsts to discover more about the process of transformation and to learn how each person can apply these discoveries in one's ongoing transformation. Teacher Bio: Brian Cook is a fellow traveler on the path of transformation that Jesus teaches us about. Raised as a Catholic, Brian attended seminary for a year and a half before becoming disillusioned with…
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A few days ago I wrote about how a critical part of developing emerging leaders is to spend time with them. In order for influence to rub off, we must spend time with those we wish to influence. Another important aspect of developing leaders is understanding the importance of questions. Many leaders are good at giving answers. We also need to be good at asking questions. But not just any questions -- the right questions. Here's a short list of good questions to ask an emerging leader: What kind of person do you hope to become? What are you doing to build your relationship with Jesus? How can I help you build a better relationship with Jesus? What are the three most important things in your life right now? Are you spending the right amount of time on them? What new skill do you need to master in order to…
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Soft drink companies are continually researching and developing new ideas. In 1985, to much fanfare and after spending millions of research dollars, Coca Cola release New Coke. The result? It bombed. Fast-forward to 2006. Trying to dip a straw into the coffee market, Coca Cola introduced us to Coca Cola BlaK -- a cola drink infused with coffee. The result? Anderson Cooper tried it on live television and spit it out. It bombed, too. In my own opinion, it's almost sacrilegious to taint the reputation of coffee in such a way. Why did these two products fail even though the company millions of dollars and untold hours testing and refining them? The short answer: they weren't the original Coca Cola. In fact, the company quickly discovered this and tried to market original Coke as "Classic Coke." How often do you still here that phrase? When it comes to finding meaning…
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When it comes to developing the leadership capacity of younger leaders, much of it is simply a matter of spending time with them. No agenda. No curriculum. Just time. Over time, relationships develop. Over time, thoughts and feelings are share. By spending time with a younger leader, you're allowing them to hear your dreams and to voice their own. Did you know that over 50 percent of Jesus' teachings were instigated by someone else?* It was a person asking a question or a father asking Jesus to heal his daughter. In other words, Jesus let other people set the agenda more often than not. When you spend time with a younger leader, you'll find yourself sharing some of your best teaching nuggets in response to a life situation they are facing. * This is from "Inductive Preaching" by Lewis and Lewis.
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Back in 2001, God placed a clear call on my life when he answered my prayer for life goals with three very specific items: To be a part of a church planting church. To help reach my generation for Jesus. To invest myself in the next generation of church leaders. Those three over-arching goals set in motion a series of events and decisions that radically altered the course of my life. We planted LifePoint Christian Church in San Diego in response to the first of those life goals. Since then, we have joined up with Mountainview Church in Denver to help them live out the vision of adding new churches and campuses. But it's the third goal that I've been thinking about lately: to help develop the next generation of church leaders. There was a time in my life when I was the next generation of church leaders (I'd like…
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