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A pastor friend of mine and I were talking about the season the LOCAL CHURCH finds herself in right now. After our conversation he put this little slide together which is so true. Just remember this isnt burning on other GREAT MINISTRIES and PASTORS but those ministries need to be more like a 5 hour energy drink and not your main meal. Everyone needs THE LOCAL CHURCH and YOUR LOCAL CHURCH needs you. And more importantly THE LOCAL CHURCH is GODS PLAN for every Christians life. STAY CONNECTED...

Last night in a CP meeting we discussed THE POWER OF STORIES - as I was reading this morning I was also reminded how important “pictures” that create conversation is to THE LORD.  Check these verse out… Joshua 4:6-7, “ 6  We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’  7  Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”  NLT A few things about capturing picture and videos on weekends…  They capture the moment They create conversation They intrigue the next generation They EXHALT GOD They remind us of GODS POWER They remind us of GODS FAITHFULNESS They encourage us in FUTURE OBEDIENCE They remind us that GOD always keeps HIS PROMISES They give us a reference to LOOK BACK on for FUTURE FAITH They encourage us to STAY FAITHFUL even in ...

COM·MU·NI·CA·TION   - 1. the imparting or exchanging of information or news.   synonyms:       transmission, conveyance, divulgence, disclosure; More   2. means of connection between people or places, in particular.  (dictionary.com) Sounds simple and yet it's one of the major reasons why RELATIONSHIPS BREAK DOWN - whether those relationships are personal or professional.  But the opposite is also true when there is a commitment to COMMUNICATION the results can be OUTSTANDING!  Dictionary.com says COMMUNICATION is the MEANS OF CONNECTION BETWEEN PEOPLE.   What does that have to do with MINISTRY?  Answer...EVERYTHING!  There is NO, let me repeat, NO real, meaningful or lasting ministry without COMMUNICATION.  By the way COMMUNICATION is not PREACHING AT PEOPLE its CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE.   Remember the old saying, People don't care how much you know until they know ...

Had a great talk today with a young pastor who asked how after 33 years of ministry have I stayed so positive and engaged. GREAT QUESTION! He wondered if I have dealt with the stuff on the picture listed in a previous post and for the most part I HAVE NOT. That doesn't mean Christy and I don't tired or a tad bit stressed at times (just ask the GU TEAM, lol) but what it does mean we have built things into our lives that keep us focused and moving forward. So he asked what  are some of those things? I'll list a couple for your reading pleasure, lol! 1. A CLEAR CALL FROM GOD - Nothing trumps GODS CALLING in our lives. 2. CELEBRATING THE WINS - Even though there are tough things about ministry T HE WINS/LIFE CHANGE always rules our passion. 3. MY WIFE/KIDS - Seeing our kids grow up to serve GOD and then to serve THE LORD together is one of our dreams come true! 4. OUR CHURCH - I ENJOY OUR CHURCH ! Church is not a chore or something I "have to do"...

We just finished a weekend teaching our church about the importance of PRAYER.  A couple of the take aways were... Your prayer life unlocks your POTENTIAL LIFE ASK and it will be given unto you, SEEK and you shall find, KNOCK and the door shall be OPENED unto you - Matt 7:7 Your prayer life reveals the PRIORITIES in your life In order to be prepared we need to be PRAY-PARED Our CAMPUS PASTORS did such an amazing job speaking this past weekend they spoke with conviction and compassion as they usually do.  Now that the church family has been taught the importance of PRAYER my take away is WHAT DO WE NOW DO AS AN ORGANIZATION to elevate PRAYERS PRIORITY on our campuses? Well here's a few tings I want to challenge our CAMPUS PASTORS, SERVICE COORDINATORS and MINISTRY TEAMS with... Since PRAYER MATTERS lets be sure to attend the next GRANITE ALL CAMPUS PRAYER MEETING Since PRAYER MATTERS lets have healthy PRAYER TEAMS ready to engage following each service....

DEAR NEGATRON - NO you will not steal our JOY and NO you will not take up SPACE IN OUR BRAIN and NO you will not distract us from our mission. See we know that birds of a feather flock together to wallow in CHURCH GOSSIP and NEGATIVITY and that HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE. We get it! By we want you to know that TEAM GRANITE is committed to staying faithful in leading your family and friends to JESUS. While you've been gone, or been to distracted to notice here's something you should know that after this weekend, which will be the 15th week of 2017, we will have seen close to 150 ADULT PROFESSIONS OF FAITH and 50 plus BAPTISMS!  Take time to re-read that last sentence. REMEMBER when you were part of the STORY, remember the JOY that radiated from your smile, remember the SATISFACTION you had knowing your life was being used to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Remember how you couldn't wait to SERVE, to WORSHIP, to watch NEW LIFE happen before your eyes!   Well you still have ti...

At GRANITE moving the ball down the court means we are moving people into BIBLICAL DISCIPLESHIP.  And since we know PROGRAMS DON'T MORE PEOPLE but that PEOPLE MOVE PEOPLE we have FOUR BIG QUESTIONS we constantly ask in regards to those who are either NEW TO GRANITE or CALL GRANITE HOME.  What are those questions?  Well I'm glad you asked! Who are they? Where are they? What's their next step? Who's leading them? The bigger question is what do each of these questions men?  Well I'm not going to tell you that right now!  HA!  Sorry not sorry.  I'll post about each question separately in the next few days!   Until then...

I am so PUMPED UP about what THE LORD is going to do in and through HIS CHURCH in 2016! In case you haven't heard heres four of the things we will be stepping up and doing in 2016. GRANITE WILL BE... Launching our GREAT LOWELL CAMPUS in February.  Launching our iCampus by EASTER.  Opening up our CHAMPIONS CLUB - Ministry to the special needs and medically fragile community. Planting a NEW CHURCH - Paradox Church  Thats just four of the many things we will see GOD do in and through us this year! I'm glad Christy and I can say "I KNOW"!  We also know that nothing comes easy and its going to take a lot of prayer, work, and sacrifice to do what we are called to do. But at GRANITE we are ALL IN for JESUS and others! Lets keep the main thing the main thing, LOVE JESUS, LOVE OTHERS, COMPLETE OUR MISSION all the while PROTECTING and GUARDING THE VISION. Theres to much at stake! Im so glad we get to do this together.  Im reminded of what PAUL told his pa...

GRANITE CHURCH FAMILY - We don't exsist to go through religious motions. We come together for a GREAT PURPOSE and MISSION. Our mission is not to fish in other churches ponds, our misison isn't to swap fish from one aquarium to another, our MISSION SIMPLY is to GLORIFY GOD by the lives we live with a focus on depopulating hell and populating heaven.  Study the BIBLE and there are two things a CHRISTIAN can do here that we cant do on eternity. 1 - SIN, and thats not a good  thing to do, but we can do it here. 2 - BRING PEOPLE TO JESUS - and that my family is a GREAT THING to do and purpose to live for.  GRANITE is a church family that is focused WITHOUT APOLOGY on following the example of JESUS who came to seek and to save the lost. Our mission is not to sit and "be fed", we are on a rescue mission. We ahve been saved on purpose and for a purpose.  The churches responsibility is not "to feed" it is to equip (eph. 4). Don't take that the wrong wa...

CHURCH - Its not a building iITS A FAMILY. Families are about commitment, truthfulness, growth, they stick together through the good and the bad, the thick and the thin. Their enduring, intentional relational and they believe the best and want the best for each other. Family is about putting the needs of others first despite the personal sacrifice, being faithful to promises made, holding one another accountable, cheering each other along, and dig in because there's too much  at stake.  There's a number of reason I take my church family seriously. See "I KNOW" the stories of the people who sit in the chairs, I know the struggles they face, I know the victories they've expereinced, the pain they bear and the healing they've found.  My church has a name and its not only granite UNITED church, its THE NAME of every child, every teenager, and every adult who calls GRANITE HOME.  So if you wondering why I'm so passionate about the church its really ...

WHAT GOT US HERE WON'T GET US THERE!  There are some word you will often hear around the GRANITE UNIVERSE.  We are always pushing to grow forward, tweaking things, and trying to crack the code on making more disciples of GODS GLORY! Recently we transitioned from being "TOTALLY" LOCAL LED to having a CENTRALLY LED TEAM there are THREE C's that are a MUST for us to GROW FORWARD.  Three C's that must be paid attention to in this new season at GRANITE UNITED CHURCH. 1.   COLLABORATION - As CENTRAL gives direction to their LOCAL LOCATION TEAM MEMBERS one of the important questions a CAMPUS PASTOR can ask during his CAMPUS TEAM MEETING is, "What's "THE THING" CENTRAL is pushing forward so as a team we can be on the same page to PRAY FOR and CHEER YOU ON LOCALLY?"  The COLLABORATION aligns the other ministries to do what they need to do in order to achieve the goal. 2.   COOPERATION - As CENTRAL gives direction to their LOCAL LOCATION TEAM...

Through the years as GRANITE has GROWN NUMERICALLY it has been imperative that we as an organization work to stay in front of the growth so that we can S USTAIN OUR GROWTH and keep pace with what THE LORD IS DOING IN HIS CHURCH .  What we've discovered through the years is whenever we allowed our church to HIT ATTENDANCE LIDS we usually experienced A DECLINE IN ATTENDANCE. Why THE SHIFT ?  One of the things we have said for years at GRANITE has been WHAT GOT US HERE WONT GET US THERE .  So up until recently we have been a LOCALLY DRIVEN STAFF and now we have SHIFTED to a CENTRALLY LED STAFF .   Believing that THE SHIFT in our STRUCTURE will enable us BREAK BARRIERS , SUSTAIN GROWTH and REPRODUCE MORE CAMPUSES .  Let me give one of the biggest advantages THE SHIFT  in our leadership structure brings to the table. Instead of everything resting on the shoulders of our CAMPUS PASTORS we now have a CENTRAL LEADERSHIP TEAM to give FOCUS and...

In GROWING and MULTISITE CHURCHES one of the challenges that has to be addressed and revisited constantly is the issue of MINISTRY PRIORITIES.  In a GROWING and MULTIPLYING CHURCH we have to be careful of jumping into ALL WE CAN DO at the neglect of WHAT WE MUST DO!  Take a second and read that again. One of the things we have said for years at GRANITE is WHAT GOT US HERE WON'T GET US THERE and its true.  HOWEVER the constant tension is working to KEEP THE MAIN THINGS THE MAIN THINGS!  With every thing we COULD DO there are certain things we MUST DO as LEADERS. As leaders we MUST stay focused on TEACHING THE WORD, FELLOWSHIP, BREAKING OF BREAD and PRAYER.  This was and continues to BE GODS HEART according to ACTS 2:42.  As point leaders we must stay focused on making sure these continue to be the priority of the church and the MINISTRY WE LEAD. But what about all the other things that HAVE TO GET DONE in order to continue GROWING and STAYING HEALTHY? ...

Yep, thats right EVERY CHURCH despite its size has ISSUES!  Being part of a GROWING CHURCH brings with it some unique challenges.  Think about the early church in the BOOK OF ACTS.  They were experiencing EXPLOSIVE GROWTH which led to CHURCH COMPLAINTS! Acts 6:1-4, “6 But as the believers rapidly multiplied , there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.   2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time t eaching the word of God , not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word .”   NLT Don't miss what's actually going on here.  The APOSTLES w...

One of the privileges of ministry is that we get to do ministry with others!  We get to invite people on to our teams to see THE DREAM OF JESUS COME ALIVE!   So what is LEADING and COACHING all about? First let me tell what LEADING and COACHING are not.  They are not the opportunity to to USE PEOPLE, MANIPULATE PEOPLE, or to GET THINGS DONE on your TO-DO LIST.  Way to many LEADERS and COACHES lose their teams due to SELFISHNESS and SELF-CENTEREDNESS.  To many LEADERS and COACHES are consumed with "ME" instead of "WE". So what do LEADERS and COACHES do?  Its not complicated really.  LEADERS and COACHES help CALL OUT and DEVELOP the potential and gifts of an individual.  In other words LEADERS and COACHES step into people's lives and call out of them what GOD has placed inside of them. In the book UNLOCKING POTENTIAL that our pastoral team is presently reading COACHING is defined as " unleashing or unlocking the potential of another human bein...

I recently had a GREAT meeting with the  CONNECTION LEADERS from all of our campuses and wanted to share a thought that I shared with them.   CONNECTIONS is about CONNECTING people to JESUS , GRANITE and their PURPOSE .  The BIBLE calls this MAKING DISCIPLES . Its EASTER WEEKEND 2015 and we will have about 2,000 plus people attending our worship services.  Many of them will be FIRST TIME GUESTS which is very exciting.  But our goal each weekend is not to fill up our database with names its about REACHING and KEEPING PEOPLE .  Its about seeing people lives TRANSFORMED , STORIES REWRITTEN , and people receiving CLEAN HEARTS and BRAND NEW STARTS because they have MET JESUS ! Truth is EVERYONE who calls GRANITE HOME is a part of our CONNECTIONS TEAM .   EVERYONE has the opportunity each and every weekend to extend the LOVE OF CHRIST to those who attend our services.  So lets ALL be thinking CONNECTIONS ! Never forget that...

If you read my first blog about the HOLY UTILITY BELT you had to figure I would add a picture of BATMAN somewhere along the line!  Honestly how cool is this picture, lol! So we are talking through what every  KINGDOM IMPACT LEADER needs to have on the HOLY UTILITY BELT !  The truth is we have to constantly look at what we are carrying around because over time we pick up a lot of things that CLUTTER UP and GET IN THE WAY of the things we really need to be EFFECTIVE in ministry.   The first was THE MATRIX !  Every leader needs to have in their possession   THEIR MATRIX and they need to know how to use it.  For more information on the power and purpose of THE MATRIX refer to the previous blog. So lets talk about the second tool that  GAME CHANGING LEADERS need.  Its what we call THE BLACK BOOK !  Sounds mysterious doesn't it, but make no mistake about it there is no mystery about THE BLACK BOOK .  Before I tell...