Many people have a fear of public speaking. They get nervous, clammy, and dread standing before a group of people. Here's one reason why: they are more concerned about themselves than their audience. Will I say this the right way? How do I look? What if they think I'm boring? As long as your focus is inward instead of outward, you will never excel at public speaking (and this includes preaching). Here's why: audiences are selfish. In simple terms, audiences are asking that age-old question: "What's in it for me?" They are looking for something that adds value to their life, their business, or their marriage. Or, they may be willing to give you thirty minutes of their time in order to leave with a little more hope. This doesn't mean we don't challenge false assumptions or simply give people what they want to hear. Sometimes what is best for…
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Tennis rackets have them. So do baseball bats. On any given swing, you know when you get it right ... and when you don't. I'm talking about the sweet spot -- that place on the racket or bat that produces the best result. Hit it there and the ball takes off; miss by a few inches and you have a squibber (that's baseball talk for a weak hit). God has wired each of us with our own unique sweet spot. It's a mix of gifts, abilities, talents, and experiences. The sweet spot may show up on the job or in areas we love to volunteer in. When we're operating in our sweet spot, time either stands still or flies by. Athletes call this being in the "zone." Operating in our sweet spot energizes us and those around us. When we're outside of our sweet spot, it drains us (and, if…
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In my last post I wrote about how professional teams balance two needs: the need to win and the need to develop talent. The people of God must realize that we are involved in much more than a game. In fact, we are involved in much more than life itself. We are involved in helping write eternity. That's not being dramatic; it's being truthful. Professional teams will invest heavily in coaches, facilities, and more in order to develop young talent. A guy like Aaron Rodgers gets to watch Brett Favre for a few years before becoming a superstar in his own right. Baseball players work their way up through the minor leagues. Does your church have a system for developing the young talent in its midst? All too often, the answer is no. As the church-going population continues to attend a smaller percentage of the churches (mega churches account for…
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Tonight I worshiped at Restoration Community Church near Denver University. Restoration is a new church that is doing a fantastic job of reaching the neighborhood around DU. As I looked around the crowd, it reminded me of those who attended our church plant (LifePoint!) in San Diego -- young people in their 20's and 30's. There is another church here in Denver, Pathways, that runs over 2,000 on weekends. That includes two (2) Sunday night services. In San Diego, Flood Church holds two Sunday night services (they dropped two when they added two Sunday morning services). And I'm sure there are others who are using Sunday nights very effectively to reach people in their 20's and 30's. Tonight made me think: do we (the church) need to rethink Sunday nights if we are going to reach today's younger generation? Many of our churches dropped Sunday nights because attendance was poor…
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The recent kabuki dance between the Broncos, Peyton Manning, and Tim Tebow was interesting to watch. Ultimately, the Broncos decided that a 36-year-old Peyton Manning put them in a better position to win than the younger Tebow did. In professional sports, there are two competing needs: to win and to develop talent. If you can do both at the same time, all the better. If not, a team must decide which they will give up in order to pursue the other. In other words, they may decide to into a rebuilding phase, recognizing that it may mean fewer wins for a season with the hope of more wins in the future. What about in the kingdom of God? First, we must define what a "win" looks like. In my mind, a kingdom win is when an increasing number of people are finding a relationship with Jesus. If that is what…
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