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365 Club Makes Local News!

The 365 Club was in the news again!  This time it was local news and it's in a Naperville Sun article titled Little Thing Mean A Lot.  Check in out.

Shawn Wood's 200 Pomegranates Blog Tour Stops Here!

Thanks for stopping by the blog tour for Shawn Wood’s new book, 200 Pomegranates And An Audience Of ONE!  This book is a refreshing reminder of why we serve and worship the Lord with all of our heart, mind and soul whether anyone else ever notices.  I love the way Shawn is humble and authentic and shares the lessons he has learned from Huram, the Old Testament expert craftsman as well as the stories of the everyday worshipers of God in his own life.  Thanks, Shawn!  You’ll definitely want to read this book if you want to use your talent to do something great for God.

Let’s get to know Shawn a little better and why he wrote this book…check out his answers below:

Q. Why do you like Chicago better than Charleston, SC?

A. Dave, what I really hate about Charleston is all the 70 degree weather in the winter, the completely ridiculous three-mile commute that I have to Seacoast and really I mean how many times can you go to the beach a week before it gets old.  I need some below zero arctic blasts in my life.  My blood is just too thin.  But on a serious note I do really like visiting Chicago (especially Naperville) in the fall before all that cold stuff comes.

Q. What prompted you to write this book referencing a little known Bible character, Huram?

A. I actually heard a message in the early 1990’s preached on the “lily work” and “pomegranates” that were carved into the tops of the columns at Solomon’s temple. It was one of those messages that just stuck like a good bowl of cheese grits. I have always had a bent towards the arts through music, design and building and my dad is a metal artisan so it just seemed to resonate with me. Then one day it hit me, this guys carved this stuff not as “art” but as worship. Art is usually viewed by people, but this stuff was thirty something feet in the air and no one would see it. I realized at that moment that we all have something to carve towards an audience of one.  I did think that pomegranates look a little like corn too and I really like corn.

Q. What do you hope readers of your book will get out of it as they read it?

A. I believe that we have been sold a bill of goods that says “we can be anything we want to be”.  That is just not true.  But we can be everything that God wants us to be.  If we will find our purpose right where God has planted us and make our lives worship towards God as an act of carving pomegranates we will change the world.  My hope is that people will realize that God is not waiting on them to become something they are not so they can do things they were never called to do, but that instead they will be the artist God has created them to be and do the things that they were uniquely created to do. This will mean as parents we see the impact we have on our children as a canvas before you, primed to be painted like a the masterpiece God wants them to be. As leaders we will see the people we work with not just as people but pieces of clay that when molded together will create a monument to who God is and as a artist we will see that our gifts, though seemingly distant from the story of God are in fact not just footnotes in his story but cover art for his novel called YOU. If after that happens you do something of great value that can be appreciated by others, I will be a happy author.  But I have to say this quote already made my day:  "I laughed a lot. I cried a lot. Then I laughed and cried some more." --Shawn’s Mom

Thanks and keep up the great work, Shawn!  If you would like to join me in hosting a blog tour with Shawn – just shoot him an e-mail at shawnsblogspot@gmail.com and maybe he will stop by

The Best Book Endorsement Ever!

The following is an e-mail I just got from someone who recently read The BIG IDEA.  This is one of the finest endorsement we have received to date!

Hi Dave,
My name is Mike, a church planter. I was so intrigued by your book The BIG IDEA, that even after my kids caused me to accidentally drop it into a pee-filled toilet, I pulled it out, rinsed it off and read the last 50 pages all wet. Thanks for writing the book!
Mike

Now that is an endorsement!  If you haven't got your bathroom copy of The BIG IDEA, click HERE.

Most Read Blogs In The World

Kent Shaffer of Church Relevance did some research and compiled a list of the most read church blogs.  Kent describes the list this way, "some focus exclusively on ministry, while others are more like theology blogs.  Regardless of how you label them, these are the world's most popular church blogs written by many of today's most influential church leaders, theologians and Christ Followers."

You should check out the list of top blogs.  There are many blogs on there that I was not familiar with and I want to check out.  I'm happy to say that this weblog came in at #43.  I don't know what that really means...except that if next year I move up a place I can pass up #42 Scott Hodge!  :)

I've Never Got So Much Credit For Doing So Little!

One of the things that occurs when you are the Lead Pastor of a large church is that you often get credit for things you with which you have very little to do.  People will tell me, "You have amazing programs in Kids City" or "I love what you are doing with students" or "where do you get all those great musicians" or "what you are doing in under-resourced communities is so inspiring".  I think all those things are true, but I have little to do with why each of those ministries is so terrific.  We have some amazing staff and leaders that make it all happen! 

So, I'm used to getting credit when I don't really deserve it.  But perhaps never before have I received so much credit and done so little, as to when it comes to the 365 CLUB.  If you haven't got the scoop, I basically bought three cups of coffee for some workers in a FedEx Kinko's just to be kind and they really liked it! I put that on my twitter and facebook status and Scott Couchenour read about it and started a facebook group called the 365 CLUB.  The 365 CLUB challenges people to do one act of kindness everyday.  Well, there are already over 9,000 members who have committed to doing more than 3 million acts of kindness in 2009.  That is cool!  The crazy part is that I have done interviews for radio stations all across the country and also in London, England and Auckland, New Zealand.  And today, this article: 365 CLUB Spreading Kindness Across The World Via Facebook ran in the Sunday edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

It's a God-thing.  Only God can take three cups of coffee and turn it into 3 million acts of kindness.

How To Get A Publisher To Say "Yes" To Your Book

For the last couple weeks I have been working on a book proposal for a book that I plan to finish up before summer.  Then today I spent about an hour on a conference call talking to a couple publishers about a new line of books and what they are looking for before they agree to publish a book.  I learned a few things.

Last year Jon, Eric and I were fortunate enough to be able to publish our first book, The BIG IDEA.  We were able to work with a couple of terrific publishers:  Zondervan and Leadership Network.  Coming out of that rookie experience we learned a few things about publishing, what publishers are looking for, etc.

So if you are interested in getting published or you have some ideas that you would like to share with the rest of the world in a book here are three of the things I believe publishers are looking for before they say "yes" to publishing.

CONTENT - The number one thing that a publisher is looking for is great content.  You have to have a big idea that you want to share and the world wants to hear. When it comes to publishing content is still king.  If you don't have good content you will not get published.

INFLUENCE - Publishers are also looking for people who have influence.  If you have a following this is a signal to a publisher that you have a ready-made market for your content. 

DEMAND - If there is a pent up demand for the book you want to publish that is also a factor.  If the publisher believes that the timing is right for the book you want to publish that will be important in the decision to publish your book.

Generosity Conference - Register Online Today!

We are convinced that God has called COMMUNITY to be a generous church!  And that means that just as we help people find their way back to God, we also want to help people grow in generosity.  On Saturday, February 7th we will host the 2nd annual Generosity Conference at the Yellow Box from 9am-1pm.  Our featured keynote speaker will be Rob Wegner, an amazing communicator and Teaching Pastor from Granger Community Church.  Last year this event was sold out!  So register online right now.

This Blagojevich Photo Needs a Caption...

This photo was taken over 30 years ago as Rod Blagojevich winked at a ring side photographer while fighting in the Golden Gloves tourney.  I know what is currently going on is pathetic and sad, but this photo made me laugh and made me wonder what kind of caption goes with this photo.  So, just for fun if you have a second, leave a comment and tell us what caption goes with this photo.

Tim Tebow - A Winner!

If you were watching the BCS Championship Game last night you may have noticed that Tim Tebow had John 3:16 painted underneath his eyes.  Or you may have noticed that the national champion Florida quarterback in his post game interview said "I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  Well, you see this kind of stuff and hear that kind of talk from a lot of professional athletes, but it sounds like Tim Tebow is the real deal.  If you are sports fan, check out this site Beyond the Ultimate, it tells the story of his spiritual journey and has video footage from his spring break trip to serve at an orphange in the Philippines. From what I see, I'm a big fan!

Join Me Tomorrow To Talk About Innovation

If you are interested in what is next, how to discover what God is doing and innovation in the church - join me tomorrow at 3 PM CST (4 pm EST) in an interview sponsored by Leadership Network and their upcoming Innovation 3 Conference.  You can get in on this live web show by clicking HERE.,

Could You Live Like Jesus For A Year? This Guy Tried.

Dr. Ed Dobson who is the Vice President of Spiritual Formation at Cornerstone University (where my daughter Amy attends) in Grand Rapids, Michigan took on the challenge of trying to live like Jesus in 2008.  This challenge meant that Dobson would literally try to do everything Jesus did; this included not shaving, only  eating what he would eat and most of all doing everything that Jesus would do.  You can read the complete interview by USA Today with Dr. Ed Dobson by clicking HERE.  Or you can listen to Dobson on streaming video when he appeared on ABC's Good Morning America by clicking HERE.

365 CLUB - Committed to 365 Acts of Kindness in 2009

Last Friday I was walking into Kinko's to do some work on a book proposal that is due at the end of this month.  I walked in with my Starbucks in hand and was greeted by one of the Kinko's employees, George who joked, "Hey where is mine?"  I immediately said, "What do you want...I'm buying!"  I looked around and there were two other people working in the store that morning and I felt prompted to buy everyone at Kinko's the Starbucks of their choice.  When I got back with their favorite drinks in hand you would have thought they won the lottery!  They were super grateful and it was just a fun and spontaneous random act of kindness.  After I settled in behind my computer I decided to post my experience on twitter and remind the people who follow me how a small act of generosity can make an impact.  That is not where the story ends.  The next thing I know Scott Couchenour took the idea and set up a facebook group 365 Club.  The premise of the 365 Club is simple:  it is a group of people that are committed to doing 365 acts of kindness in 2009.  This all started on Friday.  It is now Sunday night and the 365 Club already has over 240 members who have committed to doing more than 78,000 acts of kindness in 2009. 

Michelle Thomas is one of the first members of the 365 Club and here is what she posted yesterday:  "Yesterday, I waited until around 2:30am and I gathered up a bucket of hot, soapy water and took it down to the parking garage in my condo building. I found the dirtiest car on my floor, washed it, dried it, and left a note card in an envelop on the windshield with the words, MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE, PAY IT FORWARD on it."

If you want to join the 365 Club on facebook, click HERE.

Free Journal for You 2.0 Series

This weekend we start a critical series in the life of COMMUNITY, it is You 2.0.  For a long time we have challenged people at COMMUNITY to become 3C Christ Followers. The 3C's are Celebrate, Connect and Contribute.  During this series we are asking people to move beyond just the doing of the 3C's to the being of the 3C's.  When you move from doing the 3C's to being the 3C's that is when you move from 1.0 to 2.0 - the next best version of You!

To kick off this series we are giving each person that attends a COMMUNITY campus a You 2.0 journal for FREE!  You see a pic of the journal on this post.  It is our hope that as you use this journal to hear from God everyday you will fall more in love with Jesus and become all that He wants you to be - You 2.0.  (Here you can download: You 2.0 Big Idea Journal Cover and You 2.0 Big Idea Journal )

It's one thing to be able to say, "yeah, I go to church every week" and it is entirely something else to be in love with Jesus.  That is the difference between Celebrate 1.0 and Celebrate 2.0.  A lot of us can say, "oh I'm a part of small group", but that is only Connect 1.0.  If you want to move to Connect 2.0 you have a group of people that you do life with and you will get each other through anything.  It's pretty easy to volunteer and be on a team, that's Contribute 1.0.  Contribute 2.0 is when you become a person who lives to serve and is generous in every area of your life.  When you make each of those moves from 1.0 to 2.0 you are becoming the next best version of you - You 2.0

One Stop for the Best Blogs

If you are starting the new year by wanting to beef-up your bloglines or just find some great blogs about church leadership, ministry and all things christian - then I have the place for you!  Alltop does exactly that!  They collect lists of the best internet sources of information on all topics.  One of the lists they have compiled is about church leadership, etc; and you can look at their list by clicking HERE.

And yes this blog is on the list.  Enjoy!

6 Questions That Create A New Future

For the last several years I have used the last week of the year and the first week of the new year to evaluate who I am; who does God want me to be and how I am doing.  The process has continued to evolve over the years, but much of it revolves around prayerfully working through six questions. These six questions help me discern the God-given possibilities for my life. 

There is just something powerful about writing down (or typing on your computer) your goals and having an intention about who you want to become!  I can now look back and remember writing down that I wanted to plant a church; write a book and start a church planting network.  Would those things have happened if I had not written them down?  I don't know for sure.  I do know that writing these down and reviewing them periodically keeps me moving in the direction that I feel God is calling me. I personally think everyone should do it.  So, I would encourage you to get some time alone and prayerfully work through these six questions:

1. What is my PURPOSE?  It starts with a purpose statement.  Just write something down.  Don't let this question intimidate you.  You can always edit your answer later.  Here is how I answer that question now: "To be a Spirit-led leader at home, church, and in new ventures resulting in a movement of people finding their way back to God."  It has taken me a few years of revisions to get that down.  It's a little long, but it includes everything that it is important to me.  So take a shot and write down a purpose statement for your life.
2. What is my PASSION?  Next you should list the things about which you are passionate.  There are four things about which I'm passionate:  Jesus, family, church and new ventures.  So, what are you passionate about?  List them.
3. What are the POSITIONS I hold?  Next I list all the positions I hold in relationship to the things about which I'm passionate.  For example, in relationship to my family I have two positions:  husband and father.  Another example, in relationship to to my church I have at least four positions:  visionary, Lead Pastor, teacher/motivator and intercessor.  List all the positions you hold in relationship to the things about which you are passionate.  You get the idea.
4. What are the POSSIBILITIES for my future?  This is my favorite part - dreaming with God about who He wants me to be in the positions He has put me in.  This is where I begin to dream about all the possibilities for my life.  This is the long view and it answers the question of who I will have been after I have lived on this planet for 75 years. (I'm planning on living to 75 and if I get more time that will be bonus!)
5. What is the PATH for making that future possible?  Now that you have a list of all the possibilities for your life you need to figure out the path to get you there.  I have a path that I break into 5 years chunks of time.  There are markers that I need to meet every five years if I am going to see those possibilities for my life ever happen.  So take a look at your list of God-given possibilities and create a path with markers along the way that show you are progressing towards those possibilities.
6. What is my PLAN for this coming year?  The last question you will want to answer has to do with 2009.  This year is the next step on the path to your future.  So, write down your plan for this year and make sure that it is taking you towards the next markers on your path to your God-given possibilities.