We Can’t do That!

Being a ‘creative’ is an odd vocation.  My job is to come up with ideas.  Some are good.  Some are not.  But what is the response you get when you throw out ideas.  Lately, for me, they fall into two categories:

It’s either:

‘We can’t do that!’

or

‘How can we do that?’

The difference is subtle, but clear.  The first question is actually an answer – NO.  The second question is actually a question.  Basically the person is asking for more information.  ’What would it take to accomplish what you are proposing?’

So I turn the question back on myself.  When someone comes to me with an idea, what is my first response?  Is it a resounding – NO! We can’t do that!  Or, is it – ‘I don’t quite see it yet, but explain to me how can we do that?’

 

I think this has application for all areas of life, church, job, family, etc.  What if, the next time someone asked for your input on a creative idea, you chose to say, ‘Ok, how can we do that?’  Instead of saying, ‘No.’

 

Food for thought,

 

Matt

Catalyst

I am very excited to be attending the Catalyst conference this year! I have wanted to go for several years and finally get the opportunity to attend. I hope to post about the experience over the next couple days.

Stay tuned…!

Weekend Setlist

Had a different type of service today at Grace. We taught and experienced Spiritual Disciplines during service.

In between Lectio, Examen and other elements we broke it up with muscal worship. Here’s the setlist:

Here – Matt Odegaard
Center – Charlie Hall
Be Thou My Vision – trad
From the Inside Out – Hillsong
The Stand – Hillsong

It was a weekend of reflection on who God is and how we can become more Centered on Him.

Catalyst video with me and Brad Ruggles

Monday I was stoked when the Catalyst Road team, LV and Ryan showed up at Grace and asked me to join them with my friend Brad Ruggles in an interview about what I am learning about ministry.

Check it out!

Leadership Summit Day 2

Day two at the Leadership Summit!  Yesterday was really an epic day of mental gymnastics and challenging, life changing, practical information.  I look forward to this second day!

Unfortunately, I had some work to do (crazy, I know!) So I ended up missing the first session this morning.  However, I’m here now and ready to experience and learn about how to CHANGE THE WORLD!!!

Session 5

Andrew Rugasira

Aid vs Trade

Andrew’s thesis is this:  When we give ‘aid’ to foreign nations it doesn’t actually help their economy. What we really need is to ‘TRADE’ with other nations for real business ventures.

1. Aid comes with strings
2. Aid undermines accountability

How can we; How can YOU help? —>>  Buy goods FROM Africa!  HELP them grow economically.  Stop giving handouts.  Start giving the opportunity to grow their economy.

—

Wess Stafford – Compassion International

Leveraging Your Past

Wess is a survivor of abuse and poverty.  I really cannot summarize his story here I would definitely recommend his book, Too Small To Ignore.

Because of his own abuse he made a determination to go from victim to victor and made a promise to ALWAYS protect children.  He began Compassion International to accomplish this goal.

What is your cause?  What moves you passionately?  What moves you to tears?

Session 6

David Gergen – Eyewitness to Power

Gergen has been an advisor to four Presidents of the United States of America.  He also teaches leadership at Harvard.

To compare leadership to art, no one is going to teach you to be Picasso, but you can learn principles to be applied.

Reflective Practice – you really learn leadership in the ‘doing’ of it, but you also have to have to continue ‘learning.’  Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader.

Take time to THINK and REFLECT.

Most admirable quality of the four Presidents Gergen served with:

Nixon: The best strategist he ever met.  ‘Someone who can look farther back can look farther ahead.’ -Nixon

Ford: The most decent man he ever met.

Reagan: He was the best leader in the White House since FDR.  He was a principled man and he had a contagious OPTIMISM.  No matter what the issue ‘we can make it!’

Clinton: He had a great tactical and quick mind, but his greatest quality is resilience.

Do great leaders carry great flaws?

We all are flawed but our growth to maturity is recognizing these flaws.

Session 7

Chip and Dan Heath interviewed by Craig Groeschel

They are the authors of “Made to Stick” and “Switch.”

Change is filled with conflict. Part of us wants to diet and part of us wants a cookie.

Successful change begins with emotional appeal.

To facilitate change, ignore the weak, ignore the middle, focus on the BRIGHT SPOTS and see what is working.  Study it and clone it!

Avoid TBU – True But Useless Information

THIS IS KEY:  Stop trying to fix the weaknesses and focus on what is working.  Find the bright spots and figure out what is working.

Big problems are rarely solved with Big Solutions.  They are more often solved with a series of small solutions.

Failure is a NECESSITY for change.

Failure may even be an early warning sign for success.

You need to empower people to FAIL.

Session 8

BONO

Question from Bill Hybels to Bono: Have you seen any change in the “church’s” engagement since you challenged us 3 years ago?

This video begins with a clip from their song, Magnificent.

Quotes from Bono:

• As a person who enjoys railing on the church, you have completely ruined it for me!
• I thought the church was a sleeping Giant, but I didn’t know the giant could run that fast!
• There’s no doubt in my mind that had the church not met the challenge we would not have two million people in Africa on ARV drugs.

WOAH!  The professor who taught my preaching class at Bethel Seminary is on this video!  His name is Bob Merritt and he is the Senior Pastor of Eaglebrook church in Minneapolis, MN.

Bono wrote the lyrics for Streets Have No Name in Ethopia in the midst of poverty and now realizes the song is just as powerful now as it was 20 years ago.

More quotes from Bono:

• As smart as someone can be, intuition is greater than intellect.
• Not only should the church make a difference, but the church CAN make a difference.
• [I have a] fear of denominationalism.  I’m suspicious of denominations.  I’m equally uncomfortable in all churches.   I go where the life is.
• What I really find hard to take is lifeless ceremony.  If I feel that there is life and honesty there in a place where everybody’s welcome…then I feel comfortable.
• People don’t buy songs that are well crafted, but they want a part of you.
• People don’t need all the stuff in the services, they want you [pastors] to be honest.
• The church tends to separate people and says let’s pick the divisive issues, but that’s not grace.  Grace is defining the thing that we have in common and leveraging it.
• You shouldn’t be surprised if it’s hard because there’s a lot of resistance to the journey of equality.

We would be much better served if we stood for things than if we keep standing against things.  -Unk person on the video, but a good quote non the less.

FINAL SESSION!

Tony Blair

• Your ultimate duty is to do what is right and let the people respond as they will.
• Your job is to say what you think and to fall by it.

Q: How do you handle doubt?

A: Doubt is best expressed as a consideration of what you’re doing and what’s right.

Q: What role has faith played?

A: Faith and its role in the world is potent for good or for bad and secondly that Faith plays a constructive role in the 21st century.

Leadership is a blessing and a gift.  You can use it to help others.  However difficult and painful it is, it’s worth doing.  In the place you are in, without the leader you can’t get anything done.

Wrap Up:

This has been a life changing conference and I have learned a ton of great information.  I have been challenged by much of the content and will be both processing and hopefully implementing throughout the course of the next few weeks and months to come.

Blessings to you and your ministry!

Now go DO SOMETHING!

~Matt

The Leadership Summit

I’m super excited about experiencing this year’s Leadership Summit through the satellite campus at my church, Grace!

We just started and had a rousing time of worship including ‘The Time Has Come” by Hillsong.  As we continue I’ll be posting highlights throughout the conference that I think are worthy of repeating.

Day 1

Session 1:

Bill Hybels

All Killer, No Filler.

He discussed how they have made different changes to the organization including how they have revamped their services.  What stood out to me is the All Killer, No Filler statement about the content of their services.  That seems like a 180 from their previous ’seeker’ focus.  He said that no one comes to church for ‘mild dose’ of God.  That really resonates with me!  Gospel ‘Lite’ is so frustrating for me and others who I have met looking for real relationships at church.  I just like that he called it out specifically.  Let’s strive to make our services All Killer and No Filler.

Session 2:

Hiring:

Cultural Fit is super important when hiring a new staff person. Oh, and tattoos are cool!

Ask the important questions more than once in different ways.

Explain the cultural context in great detail.  Say, ‘This is what it’s like to work here…’

Church Boards:

When you lose the TEAM functionality, you lose an IMMUNITY.

Firing:

The church considers it compassion NOT to tell the truth in a firing, but that is the opposite of compassion.  Honest, constructive feedback is crucial to a healthy work environment and especially a lay off.

Three step process of communicating lack of performance:

1. Retrain the person
2. Reposition the person
3. Retire the person

Session 3:

Gary Hamel

• Are you changing as fast as the world around you?
• Are you in the Vanguard or the Old Guard?
• Is the Gospel failing us, or our Institutions?

• Church has become a weekly convocation for the converted and content.
• We’re losing market share out of apathy.

• Our materialistic culture has left so many people hungry for the authentic, but our Lord was the most authentic person who ever lived.

• If your church is growing at the moment you still have to be a bit humble.  Change is coming…

Normal steps of Conflict:

1. Deny
2. Rationalize
3. Mitigate
4. Confront

A BETTER way to GROW:

1. Face the Facts – even if they’re ugly
2. Question your beliefs – ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION
3. Listen to the renegades, the dissidents – They may see things you don’t!

Don’t spend all your energy on ONE GIANT acorn.  Come up with THOUSANDS of ideas and boil them down into one Incredible Idea.

The longer you’re down in the trenches, the easier it is to mistake the edge of your rut for the horizon!

Are you more committed to redemption and renewal or more committed to the programs and policies of your church?

The true test would be to sacrifice some of those programs and policies for the good of the church.

Session 4

Tim Keller

The parable of the Prodigal Son is not only about the prodigal, younger brother, but about both brothers and directed toward the religious leaders.  Both are concerned only about the father’s money, not about the father.  The prodigal, younger son is very bad, but wants the money.  The elder son tries to be very good, but wants the father’s money.  The prodigal brother is saved because he returns, but the elder brother is LOST!  Not in spite of his goodness, but because of it.

Spiritual Deadness diagnosis – Elder brothers, by trying to be good, are self righteous and insecure.

You’ve got to get to a new level of repentance and a new level of rejoicing.

Don’t repent only for your wrongdoings, but for the reasons of your right doings!

Session 5

Jessica Jackley

Jackley founded kiva.org a micro-lending organization.  For as little as $25 dollars you can help an entrepreneurs in a third world countries start a small business and you can help fight poverty.

Go DO SOMETHING!!!

Session 6

Harvey Carey

Carey started a church in the poorest zip code, in the poorest city, in the poorest state in the country.

Ephesians 4:11-13 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

When you are attacked for the cause of Christ you know you are on the right track and must be doing something right!

How many binders [from conferences!] do you need?  Its time to DO the WORK of the Kingdom!

The church spends so much time in a ‘huddle’ we NEVER go OUT and PLAY THE GAME.

Get out of your huddle and CHANGE THE WORLD!!!

WOW! Harvey Carey took his church and ‘camped’ out in front of 8 drug houses and SHUT THEM DOWN!!!

‘Some Leaders have the paralysis of analysis.  They think too much.’

We have not seen the breadth of God’s power because we don’t create a context for it to work.

It is not about your budget, or your programs, or your staffing.  It is about YOU!  It is about your dependence on God!  It is about GOD!

See You Tomorrow for Day Two!

Free Audio Book – Crazy Love – Francis Chan

If you haven’t bought this book already, I highly recommend it!  Crazy Love, by Francis Chan looks at WHY God loves us.  It is full of solid Biblical teaching and insightful theological perspective.  Francis Chan is the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley California and also speaks around the country at different events.

For the month of July, you can download the audio book for free HERE!
This audio book even has Francis himself narrating!
You need to use discount code JUL2009 to get the book for free.

Bored? Do Something!

If you are wondering what to do with all of your free time, a few fantastic peeps at Grace have collected a bunch of opportunities all together in one place for you to peruse and pick what you can do.  There are places as far away as Guatemala and as close [to Indy] as downtown.

Go there now and

Bible Stories Told by Action Figures

My friend Craig who works with me at Grace made this video to explain to some of the Youts (that’s youthes) the beginning of the story of Ruth.  Enjoy!

Rescue the Invisible Children

I spent the beginning of my life in San Diego before moving to Indiana last year.  Part of my childhood included Christian Youth Theater (CYT) with the Russells.  A few years ago Jason Russell along with some of his friends went to Uganda to make a documentary and what came out is making history.  The documentary is all about the child soldiers in Uganda and it is heart wrenching.  From this film, the Invisible Children (IC) became a focus, and quickly grew into a movement.

Yesterday they have again made history through a peaceful rally outside the Oprah studios where 500+ people sung and danced to get Oprah to speak out against the Invisible Children on her show.  Today she is doing just that!

But this is only a small part of the larger picture.  IC has freed 100 cities in the US and many more across the globe to raise awareness of the Invisible Children.  The final stop is Washington DC in June.

You can get updates at www.invisiblechildren.com

You can follow them on twitter at icTRI or TheRescue

[Update:  due to the National Media Attention, parts of the IC website appear to be overloaded right now.  Please keep trying]