Focus

I've been intrigued with the notion of a "Stop Doing" list ever since I first heard the concept a few years ago. What do I need to stop doing with my precious 1440 minutes per day in order to have time for what is most important?

Add to that Andy Stanley's "Less is more" idea (The secret to concentration is elimination), and there's a huge challenge to me to stop doing many things so I can do the few things that really matter.

As part of my thinking for how we gear the church (and my role) to grow to 600, I came up with the four (only four) things that I am called to do:

1. Hear from God
2. Preach the Word
3. Lead the Staff
4. Cast C4 Vision


Next post: Candidates for my "Stop Doing" list for 2008

One of my heroes of the faith

Here’s one of my heroes of the faith. Every time I’ve ever heard Bill Hybels speak, something wells up in me to go all out for the Kingdom.

Here’s what Bill said recently at a conference to church planters:

Bill said that his greatest horror is “what if I would’ve given my life to a lesser dream?”

Bill finished his talk by telling us that after 31 years this would be his advice to church planters:

1. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A “HANKERING” AND A “HOLY DISCONTENT”. A “hankering” is thinking that you might like to try this someday; but a “holy discontent” is something that if you don’t do it you will implode! Church planting can not be a “hankering” it has to be a “holy discontent” that you have to do.
   


2. KNOW WHO HAS WHAT GIFTS. You need to know not only your gifts, but also the order of your giftings. Most people have 3 or 4 gifts and you need to know which is first, second, third and fourth. You also need to know the gifts of your team and the order of their gifts as well.
   


3. KNOW THE CONNECT BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND FAITH. Faith is what allows you as a leader to continue to move forward even though what you hope for is not yet in sight. Faith is essential for a spiritual leader.
   


4. DECIDE TODAY THAT YOU WILL TAKE THE “HIGH ROAD”. There are too many church planters who have ditched their efforts because they compromised in the area of sexuality or financial impropriety. If you are going to plant a church decide right now that you are going to take the moral high road.
   


5. ASK GOD TO LET YOU FINISH WITH A FEW OF THE PEOPLE YOU STARTED WITH. Don’t start this new adventure on your own; do it with a team. Create a community that feels more like a family than it does like a profession. And then ask God to let you finish with some of the same people with which you started this church.