Big Is The New Small

RANDOM BULLETS

LifeChurch.tv Northwest Oklahoma City Campus: “N-dub”

• We had a huge night in our student ministry this past Wed.; nearly 700 students, 110 leaders and 39 students gave their lives to Christ.

• We are kicking off a brand new series this week “Hostage.” Check out a sneak peak of Craig’s opening video here.

• My wife and I are teaching a “Prep for Marriage” class tonight and tomorrow at our campus. (12 couples) I always enjoy connecting w/ new couples.

Featured Blogger, Frequent Commenter:  Anna Meadows is the featured blogger this week.  Anna is my Associate Youth Pastor.   She is on fire for Jesus, an amazing person and a gifted leader.  This week on her blog she has been sharing some neat stuff about her life, insecurity and losing 75lbs.  Go check her blog out at: www.annameadows.com  

Comment of the Week: Pastor Potter on post “Obama and Abortion”: “THAT IS CHANGE, BUT NOT HOPE.  I call it the Audacity of Ridiculousness.”   

Link Me and I’ll Link You Back:  If you have linked or added BigIsTheNewSmall to your blogroll let me know and I’ll link you back. 

American Idol: I am thinking this 16 year old kid David Archuleta as one of the favorites. 

Have we met?  If you didn’t get a chance, introduce yourself by commenting on yesterday’s post.  “I Want To Hear From You!” 

Guest Bloggers: If anyone is interested in guest blogging on BigIsTheNewSmall.com, post a comment and let me know; I will e-mail you later. 

Got Questions:  What irritates you more: stop and go traffic, long check-out lines, getting your car washed and it rains the next day, phones ringing during church…?  Share some things that really irritate you?

Today’s post is very light and easy to digest; however it does require the participation of all BigIsTheNewSmall readers.  Each day there are readers from locations including, but not limited to: Michigan, Texas, Tennessee, New Hampshire, D.C., Peru, California, Dubai, Vietnam, China, Korea, Phillipines, South Africa, Morocco, Florida, Mexico, Uganda……. 

I would love to meet each and every one of you; maybe not in person, but at least through the blogsphere.

Please answer these few questions:

1. What’s your name?
2. Where do you live?
3. What is your occupation?
4. What is one of your favorite blogs and why? Excluding BigIsTheNewSmall! (smile)
5. Anything else that you want to share, or any questions you have for me?

I would really like to hear from everyone, even those silent readers.  I will go first, so check the comments and I look forward to hearing from you.

Several months ago, I posted a posted a blog entitled “Abortion is Murder.”  This post had some great discussion; even though it is one of those topics that many people don’t want to talk about.  I thought that I would share 5 of Barack Obama’s positions on abortion:

1. Voted against banning partial birth abortion. (Oct. 2007)

2. Voted to trust women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion. (Apr. 2007)

3. Voted to protect a woman’s right to choose. (May 2004)

4. Planned Parenthood gives Obama 100% Pro-choice Voting Record

5. Voted NO on (S.403) notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions (Jul. 2006) This bill deals with young girls being secretly taken across state lines for the purposes of abortion.

Does a candidates position on abortion play a role in your voting?

Any thoughts on Obama’s voting record as it pertains to abortion?

I am going to make this story very short and very sweet so that we can get straight to the questions.  There was an openly gay couple that attended my campus; as a matter of fact one of the girlfriends had invited the other.  According to these ladies; after weeks and weeks of attending church together they both began to realize that this lifestyle was not who God had created them to be. 

They decided to end their relationship, they gave their lives to Christ and they are now contributing volunteers at our campus.  God is Good!

QUESTIONS:

1. What are your thoughts about openly gay couples or individuals volunteering in the church?  Any ministry areas: Youth, Kids, Host Team, Hospitality….. 
2. What are your thoughts about openly gay couples/individuals leading small groups? 
3. What are your thoughts about the phrase “Openly Gay and In the Church?”

Many years back LifeChurch.tv did a series dealing with difficult people; if you want to see the series in its entirety click here.  One of the difficult people types was the Manipulator.  I have worked for bosses who were extreme manipulators; I have couples come in my office for counseling routinely dealing with some form of manipulation….  The sad thing is that many of us are manipulators and don’t even realize it.  I am going to share some of the Manipulator’s greatest weapons:   

Threats: 

• If you want to work here, you’ll do this. 

• If you don’t do this, I’m leaving you. 

• If you don’t tell me, I’m hanging up.   

• If you don’t do this, I’m taking you out of my will.

• If you don’t do this, you are not getting any of that.

Guilt:          

• If you love me, you’d do what I ask. 

• After all I’ve done for you; you won’t do this one thing.

• Silent treatment: I’m not talking to you right now. 

• Thought we were close; obviously I can’t count on you.

• If you don’t meet my needs, I’ll find another way to get them met. 

Signs that you are being Manipulated:

• You can’t say “no” to a certain person.

• You always feel guilty.

• You feel ultimately responsible.

• You compromise your values to please others.

If you are reading this post, you should comment; that’s what you are supposed to do… don’t be a silent reader.   I thought that I would try some manipulation.

How do you handle the Manipulator, or are you the Manipulator?  Do you have any additional thoughts?  Discuss! 

Yesterday, I was sitting at a round table haveing a discussion during lunch, after our all-staff meeting.  I was chatting with some of the other pastors and staff members.  The conversation was great until one of the other pastors made the conversation take a wide left turn.  That’s right what was a great time of dialogue turned into a conversation about penis’ and vaginas. 

Somehow we began talking about that line of inappropriateness, television, media….  One of the pastors who has a son in the same grade as my 8 year old son Wesley mentioned that he had already talked with his on about Sex.  Not only had they talked about Sex, they talked about penis’ and vaginas; “Are you freakin’ kidding me, am I supposed to be having that conversation with my son?”  Several other parents chimed in and said they have had similar conversations with their children; a few had not. 

I try to make sure that I am not that naïve and oblivious parent; however I’m not talking about sex with my third grader.  Maybe I’ll have this conversation in a couple of years, but not now.  The irony of that conversation is that Wesley and the kid, who now knows about the birds and the bees, penis and vagina style, attend the same school.  The other pastor chuckled and said that he will just have his son tell Wesley about the “Birds and the Bees” during recess.  I think I’m going to home-school, (grin) not really but it sure crossed my mind. 

What age do you talk about Sex with your children?  Did your parents sit you down and talk about sex or did you learn about the “Birds and the Bees” during recess?  Thoughts, discuss!

Do you read blog comments?  Why or Why Not?  Discuss! 

Are there any particular blogs, who’s comments you enjoy reading?

This post is actually a comment from Author and my mentor Marvin Wiebener; on the blog post from Monday, entitled “You Will Never Be Ready.”  I thought it made for a great post rather than a comment; Marvin writes: 

When writing fiction there is a saying that I think applies to the “You aren’t ready” topic being discussed here. In describing a scene, a plot, a character, or the weather, you, the author, must SHOW not TELL. In other words don’t write “It was a stormy night.” or “He was a tall man.” In these examples the writer is telling the reader NOT showing the reader. Instead a writer should say “The top of my neighbors car port folded back in the wind and hail pummeled by truck leaving deep dents.” And, “The man stooped slightly to get through the front door, his shoulders blocking the afternoon sun.” In both these examples you see the weather as it’s happening and you have no doubts that the man is tall. Telling someone is the easy way out and it leaves the one being told unsure and in some cases empty, void of helpful information.

The example I used here exemplifies the “show” concept I’m leading up to. Being ready for a pay raise, a supervisor position, a pastorate, a ministry, a CEO position requires that you first SHOW you are ready; telling someone you are ready isn’t enough, YOU MUST SHOW.

I can’t think of one time that Scott Williams ever told me what he could do. He just did it, sometimes he was off key, but when corrected he quickly made necessary adjustments and continued forward. Most of the time he did what was right, and how’d he do that? By educating himself, asking advice, correcting his mistakes.  

For all of you seeking validation, or a promotion, or even a girl/boyfriend, or a better relationship with family, friends, colleagues then SHOW you are serious, don’t tell me you’re the best and should be the next xyz, SHOW me.  Scott Williams SHOW’d me and others and it’s paid off for him.  One thing Scott forgot to say in his remarks above is that I learned as much, maybe more from him as he learned from me. 

Do you generally SHOW or TELL; how about those you work with, supervisors…?  What areas of your life is God saying “Show Me?”  Thoughts, Discuss!

It is Super Dooper Tuesday and it’s time for our nation to speak loud and clear on the direction for our country.  I am going to the polls bright and early this morning; I always enjoy chatting with the elderly crew that operates my polling place. There are so many unknown questions that will be answered today; here are just a few:

• Will the Kennedy’s endorsement help or hurt Obama?
• Will the $35 million of Romney’s own money spent on his campaign pay off?
• Will the South jump-start Huckabee?
• Will the Rush Limbaugh train against McCain work?
• Will theClinton’s follow another Bush to the White House?
• Will the Oprah train in California steal the women voters from Billary?
• Will Romney even win his home state of Mass.?
• Will McCain’s record of partnering with Democrats help or hurt? 

There are so many questions to be answered and so many questions to be asked.   

What are some of the unknown questions that you have regarding the elections?  Will you go to the polls today, if so what state?  Any predictions? I already made my prediction about a month ago, you can read it here.  

Share your thoughts on Super Dooper Tuesday!

I have always dreaded hearing people utter the phrase “You aren’t ready”when referring to an individuals preparedness for a job, leadership role, business undertaking, church plant…   I remember when I was twenty-five years old and up for the promotion to the Superintendent/Warden of a juvenile correctional facility and I was told several different reasons why “I wasn’t ready.”  Generally, those reasons boil down to the fact that you are not a proven commodity and you are:

• Too young

• Lack experience

• Not enough time in a developmental role

• Too many questionable areas, not the norm, too much risk

To make a long story short, I had one person in my corner that fought for me to get that promotion; he eventually became my mentor.  His name was Marvin Wiebener, you can check out his recent fiction Novel “The Margin.”  Because of Marvin’s willingness to take a risk, I was named the youngest ever Juvenile Correctional Superintendent/Warden in the State of Oklahoma, and thus began my leadership journey.  BTW- we put together a great team that out-performed all of the other Oklahoma Juvenile Institutions. 

I am prone to hire the underdog, that risk-hire in which I see the potential for greatness.  For those of you who are considering taking that step “Out of the boat,” but in the back of your mind you are saying “I’m not ready.”   Stop cheating yourself; “You Will Never be Ready,” you just have to be willing.  For when you are weak “HE” is strong.  Some people told me that I wasn’t ready for my leadership role in ministry, who cares what they think; “I was willing.”   For those of you who are not giving someone a chance because they aren’t ready; remember there was a time when someone said that you weren’t ready. 

Have you been on either the giving, thinking, or receiving end of the ”Not Ready” conversation?  Thoughts, discuss!