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Archive for August, 2007

A recent question that’s been lobbed out to me by a friend of mine, that I can’t stop thinking about and I still don’t have the answer for, is this…

THE SOLOMON QUESTION
If God could do ANYTHING for you Buddy…just ONE thing, what would you ask for?

I still don’t have my answer, but if someone asked you THE SOLOMON QUESTION, what would your answer be?

Word on the street was that it was impossible to SURPRISE the Tamburellos. Heather Tamburello was my assistant for 4 years and this past weekend was their last weekend before transitioning to Georgia.

I love challenges…I think by David Tamburello’s reaction, we pulled it off! Ciao!

I miss these guys already!

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I’ve had this reoccurring question…bouncing around in my brain.

What would it look like if…

I really LOVED GOD with ALL my HEART…with ALL my MIND…with ALL my STRENGTH?

I don’t believe I have ever experienced ALL of what this verse (Matthew 22:37) means and has to offer.

I’m chasing this verse…

I want to experience what it is like to LOVE GOD with the totality of my being.

Great staff meeting today! Talked about…Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni. I am reevaluating ALL meetings. Here are some of the highlights:

• If your meetings are boring, your business is boring.

• Think about your meetings like movies…What would the critics say?

• If you are facilitating a meeting, you need to lead with energy and passion!

• Find the tension in your topic and give permission for different opinions.

• Quit trying to make your meeting all-inclusive, all-purposeful…be strategic and specific.

• Before they attend the meeting, give your team the topic(s) so they can be fully prepared to engage.

Special shout out to Mark Batterson and Gary Lamb for plugging Cremeans Couch on their blogs. I’m honored these guys are watching!

I’ve been asking myself this question a lot lately if you’ve been tracking my blog. For the last six months…I’ve been in a slump and a funk…everything has felt forced. I’m so grateful that God is bringing me into a new season, and I’m rediscovering how to have fun again.

Sounds simplistic, but if you’ve ever been base line, you don’t think you can ever get back. Frankly, I used to be a blog hater. Now I’m a blog believer. I’ve journaled for years, but blogging has helped me through this season. My prayer is that God uses CREMEANS COUCH to encourage you and show you the REAL FACE of ministry and leadership.

I’m confident that if I had the wisdom and feedback of the ones sitting on CREMEANS COUCH, my funk maybe could have been avoided or at least it wouldn’t have lasted as long. Enjoy this edition of CREMEANS COUCH and the genuine, humble manner of Mark Batterson as he encourages all of us to ask this HEART question…Am I still having fun?

Are you having fun or are you in a funk? I would love to hear back from you! Share with me how you’re intentional about having fun in your life.

Next Monday on CC, you’ll hear from my friend Ed Young, one of my favorite leaders and mentors, as he shares his experience on how he deals with the adrenaline drain of public speaking.

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2 days until the first official CREMEANS COUCH! Every Monday I’ll be featuring CREMEANS COUCH…I’ll be interviewing leaders from all different backgrounds via video blog to encourage leaders and pastors from all different backgrounds. If you’re anything like me, you could use a jolt to get your week going in the right direction. After speaking multiple times on a weekend…I’m spent on Mondays typically suffering from a holy hangover.

This Monday I’ll be talking to Mark Batterson about a question that many leaders hydroplane over…Is it still fun?

cul·ture \kuhl-cher\: a way of life…knowledge and values shared by society

shock \shok\: dazed, surprised, a reflex response…to knock someone’s socks off

What happens when these two words, worlds, and realms collide? 
I’ll be talking about this more this weekend as I kick off a new 4 week message series called Culture Shock!

Last night was one of the high water ministry marks of my entire life! It is one of those moments I will burn into my brain and relive over and over again! Debbie and I had the honor of having our staff over to honor the Tamburellos in our new home.

David and Heather moved to New York from Georgia four years ago so David could further his education and receive his PhD. Heather, with a management background, started volunteering at Northway and then became my assistant. Fast forward, four years and priceless memories, now they are ready to turn a page and begin a new chapter in their lives. The Tamburellos will be moving back to Georgia for David to start his career, be close to their family, and eventually have little Tamburellos.

Something resonated in the deepest part of my soul as my mind replayed highlights of the past four years of this AMAZING COUPLE. Something also resonated as I watched our AMAZING STAFF that I have the privilege of working with every day…and we just have FUN. I couldn’t help but think…Jesus, this is exactly what you envisioned a community should be!

I don’t want to sound over the top, but it was holy. There wasn’t any music or preaching, but I’m telling you, it was divine. We talked, laughed, cried, played hoops (I’m still undefeated), and ate Chick-fil-A (Heather’s favorite food which you can’t get in NY). It was just simply the best! The whole night I couldn’t stop thinking about the goodness and generosity of God.

The best part of the evening was…we went around the horn and the staff spoke the blessing over David and Heather. Did you ever have people in your life that you wish you would have told what they meant to you? How they changed your life? How you really felt about them? That’s what the blessing is all about. A blessing is not a blessing until it is spoken. Here are the some of the top ten reoccurring words to describe David and Heather that became their Top Ten Blessing List:

The Tamburellos are a dream team…high capacity players for God…some unknowing people in GA are about to be blessed when the Tamburellos step into their lives.

Let me encourage you today…who needs to be encouraged by YOU? Who do you need to speak the blessing over? Your bride? Your husband? Your kids? Your staff? Your parents? Your coworker? Your friends?

What would happen if everyone who read this blog today sent a Top Ten Blessing List to the people in their lives?

Let me challenge you today to do that! I would love for you to share with me the people that have blessed your life and your Top Ten Blessing List for them.

I hate that after 18 years of ministry…I still get scared. The fear of failure can sometimes cause me to play defense. I don’t know about you, but I hate to lose. I’m a pretty competitive person… even when it comes to horse. Just ask Mark. In fact, IF I don’t KNOW that I can win…in whatever…. you name it….I procrastinate and hesitate.

You would think that after all that God has done in my life, it would be a “no brainer� to lose the whole “fear thing.� What’s so encouraging to me is that I’m not the only one who struggles with this. I was shocked to hear that even Ed Young still gets scared! Are you kidding me? But, Ed challenges himself and others to create an environment of failure and leverage their fears. Check out this excerpt from CREMEANS COUCH and ask yourself these questions…

• What are you scared of?
• Where are you playing defense?
• Where is your team playing defense?
• What are you procrastinating about that you know God wants you to do?

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MONDAYS on my blog I’ll be featuring CREMEANS COUCH.

CREMEANS COUCH will feature video blog interviews where I’ll go one on one with leaders and movers and shakers, both large and small from all backgrounds!

CREMEANS COUCH will focus on COACHING and CREATIVITY to launch your week! I’ll ask leaders questions that you’ve always wanted to know the answers to…questions they don’t ask at conferences. Now stop reading this and go play OFFENSE! Fail BOLDLY!