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I received a free book at the MB Convention in Omaha.  This book is written by Chip Ingram and is called The Genius of Generosity. The MB Foundation provided the book and I can say that the first chapter has been an encouragement to me.  Here are some quotes to get you thinking: "I would learn then that generosity has little or nothing to do with how much money you have or how far along you perceive yourself to be on your spiritual journey.  In fact, I was shocked to learn that being generous has much more to do with being smart, shrewd, wise, and deliriously happy.  In a word, I discovered that generosity is genius!" "Money is the mirror of our hearts before God." "Our stewardship of His resources  isn't just an assignment. It's relational." "We get our greatest treasure by giving and sharing rather than hoarding and accumulating.  When we let go of the temporal and quit focusing on ourselves, and when we embrace instead the eternal ...

This past week, I attended our MB Convention in Omaha.  Our speaker was James Nicodem.  He has written a book called Prayer Coach. In it, he offers practical tips to get you praying.  Here are a few quotes to whet your appetite for more: "One of my major objectives in writing this book is to convince you that praying is not just for the pros." "And the spice of praise is what gives flavor to our praying."  "But Jesus' intention was not to give us an incantation to repeat word for word.  He was providing us with a pattern to follow when we pray."

It's August 1st!  I have not been reading as much as I would like, but picked up two new books at the USMB Convention in Omaha. Here is a list of books I am currently reading: The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler Prayer Coach by James Nicodem Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham The Genius of Generosity by Chip Ingram

Here is an article that I contributed to published in the June/July issue of the Christian Leader.  This article was birthed as a result of a workshop I presented with Jenny Wall, Ken Ediger, & Steve Fast in Oklahoma last summer.  We will be presenting a similar workshop in Omaha this summer.  Hope you enjoy! http://www.usmb.org/parents-hold-key-to-providing-faith-home

This is my final post from the LEAD One event at First MB in Wichita, KS on May 3rd.  It was a great event with tons of great ideas for leaders.  The source for these ideas is Andy Stanley from 2010.  Momentum: Forward motion fueled by a series of wins Tip: You rarely regain momentum by simply doing what you did to create it in the first place Momentum is never triggered by tweaking something old.  It is triggered by introducing something new. Anything new, by definition, generates some kind of momentum The momentum can be positive or negative. The new must be a noticeable improvement over the old. Is this a significant improvement over what we had before? Warning: New does not guarantee sustained momentum. But, new is an essential trigger for momentum Applying "New and Improved" to the World of Ministry New personnel New programming New season New series New look New venues Momentum Killers Disengaged Leader Overactive management in ...

This is my fourth post from the LEAD ONE event sponsored by Mission USA. Jon Wiebe of the MB Foundation shared on the the topic of, "Maximizing Generosity in Tough Times: A Realignment of Faith and Fundraising." Here are my notes: Tough Times Giving Realities General Population <1% Roman Catholics 1.5% Mainline Denominations 2.8% Evangelicals 4% A Crisis Exists Few seminaries teaching on generosity Pastors avoid it Fundraisers at Christian Organizations are competing 4 Biblical Principles Urge those who sit as stewards of storehouses to open them rather than hoard them.          (Genesis 41:56-57) Invite those with a portfolio of assets to sell as asset. (Acts 4:34-37) Direct the church to send aid to those in need. (2 Corinthians 8-9) Ask everyone to give sacrificially. (1 Kings 17; Mark 12:41-44; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7) 4 Tools Evaluative Tool Organizational Tool (see 7 steps below) Discipleship Tool Individual Tool...

This is the third post from the LEAD ONE event held at First MB in Wichita, KS.  Derk Madden's topic was "Leading Change in the Congregational Church Model.  Derk shared about his experience navigating change within his church.  Process Change Is it really necessary? Would it be easier to just add something new? Is the timing right within the body? Do other key leaders agree? How much impact will the change have? Do you have the resources to allow the initiative to succeed? Ripple Model of Implementing Change First Circle-Strategic Planning Team Gather together the best possible team of three or more people to assess the situation and create a clear new desired goal, why the change is necessary using metrics if possible, and how it would be implemented. Understand how new change will be implemented in old system. Discover and put it into the framework of biblical mandate or perspective. Second Circle-Staff Communicate and get feedback from staff abo...

Here is the second post based on the LEAD ONE event held on May 3rd in Wichita, KS.  Ed Boschman, our Executive Director of USMB, shared about vision.  He started by asking some questions about vision in our homes, families and then moved to our churches.  His introduction was to answer these two questions: Philosophically, is vision really a big deal? and Theologically, is vision a God thing?  Before getting into the specifics, he shared several verses to try and answer these two questions.  They were: Matthew 4:17,19; Matthew 10:5; Matthew 16:19,21; Matthew 28:18-20; and Acts 1:8. Four Things About Vision The First Thing-What It is. . . A unique picture of a preferred future condition, envisioned through the lenses of: Lord's Agenda local context faith factor The Second Thing-Who Sees It Called people Praying people Imagining people Transformational people The Third Thing-What It Does Inspires Empowers Stretches Focuses and directs Inv...

On Thursday, May 3rd, the United States Mennonite Brethren hosted a LEAD ONE event at First MB in Wichita, KS.  LEAD stands for Leadership Education and Development.  The purpose is to provide leadership ideas for pastors and leaders.  I will be posting over the next several days information from that event. We started our day with host pastor, Brent Warkentin sharing with us.  He shared eight characteristics of their leadership DNA.  They were: Character Counts Spiritually Strong (2 Peter 1:3) Start with a Yes Be Nice Balance of Discipleship and Evangelism Have a Positive Attitude (Philippians 2) Passion for Your Ministry; Enthusiasm for All Ministries Commitment to Excellence