The Art of PREVISION

It can be a lost art, right up there with hieroglyphics, the wooden wheel, and parachute pants. I'm referring to an art that people should put in their repertoire, its called: prevision. It is the art of foreseeing a potential danger. The key is seeing it and then avoiding it. As you race through life, I'm sure you may have had glimpses of it. The cop car going the other way, causing you to slow down before a speed trap. Maybe the premonition to avoid a certain aisle at the supermarket so you don't get stuck in line. In the world we live in I'd like to say I try and live by prevision. We live in a reality were crazy things happen. I am not immune to sin, temptation, and getting caught in the crossfire. The great preacher, Billy Graham lived by prevision. He had a person with him at all times, as he traveled, to make sure that he was never caught in a compromising situation. Good thing, because there were people who tried to stage things to take him out. Prevision is something that is an art. It is something that can be learned and should be. As a leader in whatever you do, people will put you on a pedestal and hope you fall. It is the cut-throat culture of success people aim for of knocking off the person in front of them, however they need too. Sometimes it is to take away their position, prestige, and power-hey this trick of knocking people off is something Satan practices regularly. There are guard rails and concepts to put in your life that will help with your attempt at prevision. As you go through your day, look for things that you can identify as potential danger or trouble, and then avoid them. Now, I am one to take a trip on the adventure side on occasion-I'm not speaking of adventure that brings danger. I'm speaking of stupidity that brings danger to you and your reputation. So guard your heart, mind, family, thoughts, career, name, and in my case relationship with Jesus. Living with prevision will take you farther, will give you more opportunity, and bring you results that put your life on track and help you live above reproach. So forget hunting down a pair of parachute pants, or widdling a wooden wheel out of that tree stump in your back yard, and just work on prevision.

Small Group Life Leadership

What does it take to be a Small Group Leader at ECC? As I think about this question a few things come to mind. However, I want to focus on the why, first. Leadership is important in many facets of life. Why leadership? Well, because if no one steps up to lead then chaos normally follows. You can turn on your television at any moment during the day right now, to have that point proven. The fact is simple: WE NEED LEADERS. Small group life is no different. We need people who can walk alongside others and help lead healthy conversations. Jesus was a Master at this-yes, pun intended. He picked a handful of guys, and fed into them with discipleship discussions, corrective conversations, equipping exchanges, and encouraging encounters. For Jesus, He was a natural, for the rest of us they are learned. Yes, they can be and should be learned. Why leadership? Right now, we need men and women to step up and walk with others through life and help them develop friends who will live life together. It is about growing relationally, spiritually, and journeying together through this things we call life. ECC is at a harvest time in our Small Group Ministry and we are excited to be launching new small groups in the days to come. We need leaders and hosts to step up and step in. We will as a church walk alongside you, give you the tools to lead, and development ops to be a leader in small group life. Some of our current groups have leaders stacked up and shelved, and instead of multiplying as we have done in year's past, we will be activating and launching new groups. The key is leadership and if you are willing to lead, we are willing to help you by walking with you. Lives are being transformed at ECC and a part of our mission is to help connect these transformed lives to others.

People in your LIFE- a case for small groups.

Launching Small Groups at any church can be fun, exciting, challenging, and confusing. Small groups are really about a few key elements: connecting in community, life transformation, and being doers of God's Word. Whether intentional or not, food normally plays into the small group mentality too. That being said, we are about to explode small group life, so that more people can experience community in a way that says, "We don't want you to do life alone." Really as you walk through life, do you really want to live life alone? 1 in 4 Americans live life alone or isolated, and because of this, many of these 'loners' are on meds for depression. So, is there a direct correlation between those who encircle themselves with people? Well, we do know this- the people with friends and support systems live life longer. So, what will it take for you to engage in a small group where you can live life with people who care for you? Life is busy, I get that, as the father of 3 kids who are busy. Life is unpredictable-I get that, as I sat with a friend recently in a hospital, as his daughter had major surgery. I counseled a couple recently, and my walk away challenge to them was they need to get mutual friends in their life, or theirs will become very lonely. When this crazy world shatters the ideals that we thought were solid, you need people to walk with you. The point is this- small group friends should last for life. They will live life with you and in this world, the ups and downs are sometimes too bearable to walk at it alone. Are you connected to a small group? You should be!

Move: Quick thoughts on my last read

MOVE: What 1,00 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth Greg L. Hawkins & Carry Parkinson

Quick Summary: Move is aimed at helping churches get a grasp of what they can do to offer the best impact for spiritual growth. These results challenged the core assumptions from church leadership and helped identify the most effective ways to move people to greater love for God and others. Move offers a challenge to church leaders to not assume people move toward God because they sit in church on Sunday; but rather a challenge to look deeply, and provide the right tools and resources to engage people and build disciples and followers of Christ.

Key Insights:

• Participation in church activities does not necessarily drive spiritual growth. Less is more, not more is better.

• Those in the Growing in Christ category are willing students & active participants in church programs, but are less likely to express their faith outside the church.

• Close to Christ- most want from church leaders, to challenge them to take personal responsibility for their own spiritual growth.

• Between those who are Close to Christ and those who are Christ-Centered-is perhaps the most difficult line to cross.

• We(church) let those who sit in our services remain comfortable having Jesus as their friend, helping them live their lives, but never learning to fully surrender to his leading. We must give them opportunity through invitation to respond.

• Serving is the most catalytic experience offered by the church.

• 3 Key strategies to get people moving: Make destination clear; make the spiritual jump start non-negotiable; make the lead pastor the champion. I think ECC does all these things well.

Personal Application

• We must have measurable goals. Kennedy, King, Lombardi, Jobs, all reached goals each with difficult achievements ahead of them, yet all began with clear, unambiguous goals.

• Scripture is the only catalyst that appears in the top 5 of the three movements. The Bible transcends all other catalysts, when it comes to spiritual growth. I just go back to II Timothy 3:16.

• To create ownership we must: empower people to be the church; equip people to succeed; hold people accountable.

• Pastor the local community- The word pastor is used as a verb instead of the word serve. The culture of church ministry is no longer those who meet inside the walls on Sunday, but we must raise up and engage pastors to pastor their cities. These are the churches that will remain strong.

Meaningful Quotes

• "…not because we came up with another creative program, but because we were willing to face, and act, on the truth; increased church activity does not lead to spiritual growth. p.25

• Those who are interested in Exploring Christ segment are clear interested in Jesus…and we shouldn't shy away from being direct." p. 33

• Coming to faith in Christ isn't just a matter of convincing people of the truth. It's a work of the Holy Spirit. p.37

• "Our work as spiritual leaders in the church is to help catalyze spiritual movement." p39

• "…a crisis or an ordeal of any kind was a triggering experience for spiritual surrender….breaking an emotional wall-are not prerequisites for a Christ-centered life." p.159

• "When the church increasingly promotes all the things people should do, it's easy for them to lose sight of the real goal-which is who they should become." "..away from self centered and toward Christ centered." p 165

• "embed the Bible in everything." p219

• 3 Strategies to Pastor the local community: Set a high bar for serving the church and the community; Build a bridge into your local community; make serving a platform for the gospel. p.240

Safe Place-Small Groups

Being involved in a group of friends that truly care for you can be both beneficial and a must. At the same time, I think people need environments in life where it is a safe place to speak freely and express their opinions. Is your small group a safe place? Here are some thoughts I picked up from an article a while back from a magazine:

Here are 9 ways we can create a safe place environment in small group life:
1. Provide a supportive nonjudgmental space.
We must learn o provide a safe place for people to discuss real issues without fear of rejection.
2. Be genuine
The ability to be real is so important. When we are attentive, respectful, and above all human, people feel comfortable to share real struggles.
3. Show empathy
When we make a sincere effort to understand and identify with another’s pain, we can help in the healing process.
4. Err on the side of grace
It does not do any good to heap condemnation on someone who’s trying to work through their own issues.
5. Communicate acceptance and show love
People need to be loved just because.
6. Be a friend
Friends are a much needed resource.
7. Share from your life
You may not be able to relate exactly, but you have experienced your own personal struggles. You can help put the struggles into perspective and give them hope.
8. Care enough to confront
Love enough to give honest feedback, but speak the truth in love.
9. Instill hope and lead them to resources that will help
It has been said you can live 40 days without food, 4 days, without water, 4 minutes without air, but you can’t live seconds without hope. Be an encourager.

I hope this helps you find a group where you can find these concepts applied. As a small groups pastor, I feel it is important to create this culture and leverage them in your church's small group ministry. For it to be a safe place, you have to be intentional. So, go for it!

In Common

It is sad, but is said that Americans are among the loneliest people in the world. Problem with Americans is they are over committed, too busy, live in these congested environments, and still find no time to build relationship. We live, work, walk by many people daily. However, most conversation is surface, if there is any verbal communication at all. Maybe a head nod, a wave, or a "Hey". Here is the kicker, it is a sad day we live in, when we can have all these people around us, yet we don't have meaningful relationships with most of them. Last year they found a man living alone deep in the jungle of South America. Think with me if you will about the life this man must lived. Conversations with nature, the forest, maybe God(or a spirit he might have talked too), birds of the air, animals....who knows. But all of us have the opportunity to have people speak into our life, or vice-versa, yet we live like this man in concrete jungles, where we only talk to a computer screen, television, a pet, or ourselves. We are relational beings created by a God that digs community. We cannot and must not be isolated. Yes, we may all be wired differently with attitude, temperaments, language, likes and dislikes; however, we were not designed to be isolated.

I have certain friends that I bond with over various things. It could be in common faith, in common family, in common friends, in common sport fans, in common hobbies, in common likes and dislikes. That should be the case for us all. May it never be said, that I died a lonely life. I, Me, You, We have people that we have things IN COMMON with. Find them, talk to them, serve them, love them, and share with them.

What you will find is there are people just like you, looking for people just like you to live life together!

Be A Memory Maker

Every year that passes, does so with a memory that you either want to forget or one that is etched in your mind forever. I have vivid memories throughout my life of people, places, events, and times that made huge impacts in life. There were teachers, pastors, friends, 4 years of high school and college, jobs, a marathon, etc... All which left an impression (or memory) of some impact in my mind. This week, another memory maker took place. On Christmas Eve, my wife and kids surprised me with a ticket to the Rose Bowl to watch the Oregon Ducks play. I had no idea it was coming, and it caught me off guard. When I opened the gift and saw a picture of my ticket, I said, "what?" After all, I asked for underwear and a tattoo. The joy on their face as I opened it, was probably as priceless as mine was receiving it. Thanks to a best friend and a wife, who planned the whole trip behind my back, I now have another memory. It gets better, because my parents surprised my son with a ticket to go with my dad on Christmas Day. So, on January 2, I sat with one of my best friends of 24 years, his son, and dad, to watch the Oregon Ducks beat the Wisconsin Badgers. My dad and son, were 2 sections over, and my son got to spend 1/2 the game watching with me. That was a huge highlight, as we watched the game cheering on our team. After this weekend of memory makers for my fam, I come to the following conclusion:

• Take advantage when opportunities for life's memory makers come your way.
• There is a cost for some memories, and some are worth it, some are not.
• Savor every opportunity to soak in time with your kids, one day they will grow up and be gone.
• Find something you enjoy doing, and go for it.
• Show appreciation for those who give out of generosity.
• There are some people who are professional tailgaters, and they now how to tailgate.
• Having life long friends in your life is important and vital.
• De'Anthony Thomas is lightning quick. (Youtube him)

As for you, what can you do to make a memory for you or someone you love? Do you have any memory makers? Ask yourself these questions this year: What are some of your life memory makers? What can you do in 2012 to create one? What can you do to bring cheer to people around you? Is there a friend that you need to reconnect with?

Make this year one to remember. Here's to 2012, Cheers!