I read a good review of "The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs" over at Leading Blog. Here's the first thing that struck me. I'll share more over the next few days. Put a Dent in the Universe. Think differently about your vision. Jobs attracts like-minded people who share his vision and who help turn his ideas into world-changing innovations. Passion fuels Apple’s rocket, and Job’s vision creates destination. I love the phrase "put a dent in the universe." As pastors, parents, business men and women, teachers, coaches ... are we here to fill up space or put a dent in the universe? Perhaps one reason non-profits, churches included, may struggle to recruit and retain volunteers is that we haven't made the connection between what they are doing and the dent they are making in the universe.
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I've been on Twitter for a few years now (@kenhensley, if you care to join the conversation). Over time, I've come to appreciate a few things regarding Twitter and preaching. Here are just a few observations: Using Twitter forces me to be concise in communicating a thought. With only 140 characters at your disposal -- including spaces -- you have to trim the fat. In some ways, it reminds me of Fred Craddock's approach to preaching: you should be able to summarize every sermon in one sentence. Using Twitter allows me to follow thought leaders in various fields. On any given day, I am getting Tweets from Guy Kawasaki, Max Lucado, Dave Ferguson, Leo Laporte, Ed Stetzer, Don Miller, and many others. These tweets give me a real-time perspective into what they are thinking, reading, and doing. Using Twitter allows me to easily extend my own influence. Granted, I only…
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Below is a list of thirteen ways a church benefits by starting another church. The list is taken from Spin-off Churches: How One Church Successfully Plants Another by Harrison, Cheyney and Overstreet ********** Sponsoring keeps the church fresh and alive to its mission and vision and challenges the church’s faith. Sponsoring reminds the church of the challenge to pray for the lost. Sponsoring enables the church to welcome other people into the kingdom that it would not otherwise have assimilated. Sponsoring creates a climate open to birthing a variety of need-meeting groups within the sending church. Sponsoring provides evangelistic vitality and activity. Sponsoring encourages the discovery and development of new and latent leaders. Sponsoring encourages coaching, mentoring, and apprenticeship in ministry while providing a renewed understanding of how we are all part of a team effort. Sponsoring provides an occasion for church members to get to know missionaries personally. Sponsoring builds on the past and insures the future. Sponsoring…
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In a recent E4U class on the book of Acts, I talked about how the apostle Paul varied his method but stayed true to his message. A good example of this is in Acts 17. While in Thessalonica, he visits the synagogue and uses the Hebrew Scriptures to proclaim Jesus. The Jewish synagogue was a familiar place to Paul, who was raised as a "Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee of Pharisees." With a primarily Jewish audience, Paul uses methods familiar to his audience. Even though his methods/reasoning reflected his audience, his message remained simple: Jesus is the Christ. Later in the same chapter, he stops in Athens and finds himself in the marketplace of ideas. I love how Luke describes the Athenians: "All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas" (Acts 17:21). Sounds like a…
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