A lot of people land on this blog by searching for “church offering talk.” If that’s you, then I want to direct you to this resource from Giving Rocket. Hands down, it’s one of the most practical things you can do in your church. You’ll learn how to get intentional with the time of giving in your service, and learn how to write “a giving talk.”
But God-given dreams should propel us to action. After all, dreams that are not acted upon will become regrets given enough time.
1. Break it down into chunks. Most dreams are really a sequence of steps. Focusing on the end, without looking at the steps it will take to get there will be overwhelming. Break your dream down into smaller chunks.
2. Start learning. Learning is a key to implementing something. What can you learn about the country, industry, language, etc? Get a book, take a course or do something related to your dream.
3. Tell someone. Accountability in the context of authentic friendships is a powerful thing. It’s time to tell someone about your dream. It doesn’t matter if they think you’re crazy or if they push you forward…the point is that your dream is out there.
Neither Jesus nor Paul were concerned with guilt by association. Jesus wasn’t afraid to eat dinner with a tax collector. He wasn’t afraid to be seen with the woman at the well.
Here’s a short list of stuff I starred in Google reader, favorited on Twitter, or clipped into Evernote this week:
What did you find interesting this week? Leave a comment with a link.
Earlier this week, Michael Hyatt wrote an excellent post entitled Five Reasons You Need to Get Better at Saying No. After letting my schedule get out of control, I implemented many of the principles he discussed in the post. It absolutely made me a more focused leader. Over time, I became intentionally inaccessible to the people I was trying to lead.
While I agree with Michael’s thoughts, based on my own personal experiences and perhaps only for my benefit, I offer this addition.
Sometimes, I need to lead with a Yes, but…
“Yes, but” might not be the best leadership principle, but it might be good for your soul. Automatically defaulting to “no” might be the best for your schedule, but it might not be the default position that God wants you to take. I wonder how many interruptions were really divine appointments that my rigid rules and double-doored office hindered.
I know I want my default answer to be “yes” when God asks. I know I want my default answer to be “yes” when my kids need something. I’m not trying to be super-spiritual, and I’m not suggesting that you use God as an excuse. I AM saying that sometimes, other people priorities SHOULD take precedence over your own.
I suppose the million dollar question is, “Is this a divine appointment or a God-opportunity that doesn’t fit into my mold, or is this legitimately a distraction from what God has called me to do?”
Please understand, I am not talking about taking on extra responsibilities or shunning your family. A stressed leader completely managed or overwhelmed with his or her schedule will not be effective over the long haul.
In my leadership, as my default answer became no, I found myself more and more isolated from the very people I was trying to serve. “Those people over there are really more equipped to handle that need,” really meant that I didn’t want to adjust my schedule to help. For me, leading with a no because a guard door to my soul. This may not be an issue for you, but it was for me.
Unfortunately, while thinking and speaking SHOULD be related, often they are not. But here are two ways you can connect them.
1. Think before you speak. There’s an old New England proverb that says “Don’t speak unless you can improve the silence.” NFL players using twitter, communicators giving a speech, or friends giving advice need to slow down and think about what they are saying before they say it. As one who makes his living communicating, this is a hard lesson to learn, but it’s usually best to slow down and think before you speak (or tweet).
2. You don’t have to say everything you think. I don’t always get it right, but I have begun many a tweet, only to delete it. Just because I thought something, doesn’t mean I needed to say it to the world. It’s not always wise or helpful to verbalize everything that’s going on in your mind. I may think the officer pulling me over for not coming to a complete stop is a jerk, but it’s not helpful or wise to say anything at the moment.
Think before you speak, and even then, don’t say everything you think.
Here are some notes and thoughts from Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me, a great little book by Richard Paul Evans.
1. The wealthy decide to be wealthy. “The most substantial people are the most frugal and make the least show, and live at the least expense.” – Frances Moore
Money makes a good servant but a bad master – Proverb
2. Take responsibility for your money. Know how much money you have. Know where your money comes from. Know where your money is going. Know what your money is doing.
3. Keep a portion of everything you earn. 10% of your income at 10% return over 40 years is $2.4 million.
4. Win in the margins. An extra 10% saved each year is $2.4 million after 40 years.
Millionaire Mindset #1: The millionaire mentality carefully considers each expenditure. Is it really necessary, or is it possible to get the same personal effect without using money or using less of it? Is this expenditure contributing t my wealth or taking from it? Is this an impulse purchase or a planned purchase?
Millionaire Mindset #2: The millionaire mentality believes that freedom and power are better than momentary pleasure.
Millionaire Mindset #3: The millionaire mentality does not equate spending with happiness.
Millionaire Mindset #4: The millionaire mentality protects the nest egg.
5. Give back.
In the June 201 issue of INC, Jason Fried (founder of 37 Signals) discusses the exaggeration phenomenon. This is what happens when a small business, start up or even a church exaggerates in order to impress clients or co-workers. He describes the small business owner who refers to headquarters when it’s really just a desk in his bedroom. Or maybe you need to consult with the executive management team, which in reality is your unpaid best friend working from Starbucks.
“I once met an entrepreneur who told me that Boeing was a client. It turned out the company helped a Boeing executive set up a personal blog.” writes Fried.
I’ve been guilty of this at times, exaggerating size or scope in order to impress other pastors. It’s nothing more than pride. I don’t know why we feel the need to pad the numbers or hype things on Twitter, but we do. And we never round the numbers down; it’s always up.
Being small is no reason for shame, and transparency is a good way to run a business.
Stop acting.
Stop trying to impress.
After a dozen years as a student pastor, and five years a church-starter, I'm the Chief Operating Officer of The Rocket Company, an organization dedicated to helping the church succeed. I also speak, write and help others succeed. I'm married to Jennie and we have three kids. Home is Atlanta.
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