Big Is The New Small

I remember having a conversation with a pastor friend of mine who happens to be a female.  She was sharing the various unique things that women in the church struggle with and things they have confided in her.  One of the things that she shared made me have one of those “hmm” moments.  She stated that women that she’s talked w/ in various churches struggle with the fact that They Think Their Pastor’s Sexy!  Not to be confused with the popular country music song “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” Not only do they think their Pastor’s Sexy, but they struggle with their mind and eyes wandering into inappropriate places.  It becomes a challenge because they will have these lustful thoughts as their pastor is speaking. The same can be true for men with a female pastors or lust in general.

Many pastors teach the concept out of the book Every Mans Battle called “Bouncing Your Eyes.” In other words, don’t keep your eyes focused on someone of the opposite sex for too long.   Keeping your eyes moving can keep you out of trouble.  This is something that is stereotypically geared towards guys… but what about the ladies?  There is a book called Every Womans Battle, although I have not heard anything about the content.

After my conversation with my female pastor friend, it’s probably fair for me to make the assumption that there are women sitting in pews and seats of churches all around the country that may be struggling with the inability to “Bounce Their Eyes;”  especially as their eyes are having to be fixated on their “Sexy Pastor,” who happens to be in front of them for relatively lengthy periods of time each and every week.  The fact that their pastor is a man of God, tells great stories and seems to be rather put together only increases the the sexiness factor.

The thoughts running through their head might be something like this: He’s Hot, I like that suit, Are those True Religion Jeans, He’s so spiritual, I wish my husband treated me like that, He’s so Handsome, Nice Hair, He dresses so fly, I can tell he’s been working out, He’s so considerate, I know he’s married but, I would, I wonder if I can share that with him, I bet he… After thinking these thoughts, their mind wanders for a moment or two or three or four and unfortunately, this cycle can repeat itself on a weekly basis.  The Bible says this: ”But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28  Ladies this passage applies to you as well, so please Stop Lusting After Your Pastor!

God created us with a unique ability to train and control our eyes, actions and mind.  Exercise your ability and gain control.

Do women get a pass? Is this a problem? How does play into the overall adultery scheme of things? Share your thoughts.

I have lots of thoughts each and every day, as a matter of fact all of us do.  There is varying research that suggests how many thoughts a day the average human has.  Some research indicates that 100 years ago the average number of thoughts was 5,000 a day and today humans think around 55,000 thoughts per day.  I guess we have a lot more to think about in this overly stimulating age and time.

I’m not sure what the accurate number of thoughts per day is, however I’d be inclined to think that I’m more aligned with the 55,000 thoughts a day number.  I would also say that many of the thoughts that I have are ideas, dreams, visions and more ideas.

As a consultant the general deliverables for my clients primarily deal with ideas, connecting those ideas to strategy and moving that strategy into reality.  The “always on” thinking works perfect for the way that I’m wired, because I’m a thinker and thinking is how I orient my world.  I literally had 10 different business ideas, strategies, thoughts and aha’s on my drive home today.  I got home did some research and realized that a couple of them didn’t make sense and I will pursue the others further.

That’s the beauty of having many thoughts is the fact that you weed out the ones that need to be weeded out and you act on the others.  The more ideas you have the greater opportunity for some of those ideas to be great ones.

The beauty an idea is the fact that it forces you to wrestle the question of, “Is this idea good, bad or indifferent?”  Often times a bad idea has as much value and opportunities for learning as a good one.  Ideas all have potential, it’s what you do with those ideas that determines whether or not the potential of a particular idea is realized.  Potential unrealized is just potential.

What Is An Idea Worth?  The idea itself is not worth much.  The strategy, thoughts, wrestling and process of massaging that idea into something special is worth lots, maybe even million$ or gazillion$.

There are tons of success stories that simply began with an idea that was developed into something very special.   What Is An Idea Worth?  It depends on what the person that has the idea is willing to do with it?

Got Ideas?  Share your thoughts.

Nearly 50 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must face the sad fact that at the 11 o’clock hour on Sunday Morning, when we stand to sing, we stand in the most segregated hour in America.” Unfortunately, Dr. King’s quote still rings true today.

One of the many efforts to elevate the conversation of the lack of ethnic diversity in the church and to promote a more unified Body Of Christ is “Church Diversity Week.”  Again, as we seek to continue this conversation and begin to truly see the sign on the doors of our churches read, “Everyone Welcome,” we wanted to provide a platform for churches to become a part of the movement.  Church Diversity Week is a globally recognized week to encourage and promote unity within the local church.

This week happens to fall on the calendar beginning the Friday prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) and lasts the entire week. There are many different ways to celebrate Church Diversity Week; however, at its core it’s about encouraging and promoting unity and diversity in the church.  You can go to ChurchDiversity.com and check out some of the ides or you can grab a copy of my book, “Church Diversity – Sunday The Most Segregated Say Of The Week” which outlines various strategies including Church Diversity Week.

Without any promotion and simply word of mouth, we have well over 100 churches representing half of the U.S. States, in addition to Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Peru, Australia and the Czech Republic who have identified themselves as participants.  You can add your church here:

I am happy to announce that last week the Governor of Oklahoma, Mary Fallin signed a proclamation which officially recognizes January 13 – January 20 as “Church Diversity Week” in the State Of Oklahoma. I’m proud of our State leadership and I’m looking forward to continued momentum around the country.  At it’s core Church Diversity is about reaching more people for Christ.

It’s important that our churches have a genuine heart to do as Jesus calls us to in the Great Commission and that’s to make disciples of “all nations.”  It’s also important in the U.S. to be aware of the fact that minorities make up nearly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which minorities are expected to become the U.S. majority over the next 40 years. A great reminder of Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The “tipping point” is imminent when the number of babies born to minorities outnumbers that of babies born to whites.  ”Census projections suggest America may become a minority-majority country by the middle of the century. For America’s children, the future is now,” said Kenneth Johnson, a sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire who researched many of the racial trends.  These trends are representative of our zip codes, our communities, our city, our nation, the world and the church.

There are already plans in the works for next year to possibly implement an entire Church Diversity Month, with a month long small group/Bible study curriculum for the entire church. Some of these materials are available this year, with more to come (click here).  Check out ChurchDiversity.com for more info. or follow @ChurchDiversity on Twitter.

Again, I want to thank Governor Fallin for her leadership and signing the “Church Diversity Week” proclamation.  If you or your church is not involved, jump in and be a part of changing the future of the church.

Is your church participating in Church Diversity Week?  Share any thoughts or ideas that you may have.

Prayer Donor from Matthew Sloop on Vimeo.

I wanted to share this video with you about an organization, whose sole purpose is to unite and connect the world and the church in prayer.  The organization is Prayer Donor, you can check out their site at PrayerDonor.org.  I personally know the founder @MatthewSloop who is the real deal and they have been great supporters of BigIsTheNewSmall.com.

They have developed a site where you can basically share prayers and pray for others, all around the globe. It’s a great daily reminder and opportunity for us to pray for others and tool to remind us the power of prayer.  Check out the site, post a prayer, donate some prayers (pray for others.)

“Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God’s work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God’s work. Prayer succeeds when all else fails.” ~E.M. Bounds

Do you take the time to pray for others?  Are you guilty of saying I’ll pray for you and moving right along without even taking a second to pray?

LC Stories | Author of Life from Jonathan Meisner on Vimeo.

For those of you that have been around BigIsTheNewSmall.com or have connected with me on one of my Social Media Channels; you know that I go to the barbershop every Friday.  As a matter of fact I have went to the barbershop every week for as long as I can remember and it’s now a tradition for my boys and I. Every Friday after school we hit Sonic Happy Hour and then hit the Barbershop.

In my world the traditional “Black Barbershop” is one of those great places to debate, to learn, to connect, to develop relationship, to gain wisdom, to talk sports, to talk noise and to minister.  I remember several years ago I began developing a relationship with a guy named Adam who also got his haircut every Friday.  Week after week Adam and I would talk, and I could tell this guy really had some amazing potential.  I would invite him to church all the time, but in the barbershop it would generally take a lot of work to get people to church because in most people’s eyes, I went to “The White Church.”

I kept inviting Adam for probably about a year and one weekend when I was preaching he took me up on my invitation. The cool thing is that he began attending frequently. Next thing I know he was plugged in, serving, giving, attending a small group and growing in his relationship with Christ.  He is one of the guys that I personally mentor and I can’t wait to see what God does through his life and his witness.

I remember talking with Adam one day and he said that before he ever knew that I was a pastor he watched how I carried myself in the barbershop and how I interacted with my boys for a long time.  He said that was more of a reason to check out my church than the fact that I was a Pastor.

The reality is that our lives are our biggest outreach tool.  Who are you inviting, remember people are watching and they are looking for a reason to follow God or an excuse to follow the world.

God uses all stories to shape His story.  The above video is a piece that @Jmeisner14 from Lifechurch.tv put together and it features three stories and reminds of God’s hand on our lives. One of those stories is Adam’s story.  Parts are shot in my barbershop and yes that’s by barber. I keep saying “my” because the title of this post is “My Barbershop Ministry.”  It’s amazing how The Author Of Life uses our story and even weekly conversations in the barbershop to tell his story. It’s awesome to be a part of watching Adam help shape the stories of others and especially the next generation of World Changers.

The barbershop is one of my ministries…  What daily or weekly places are you ministering in that you didn’t even realize that it was a ministry.

It wasn’t long ago that I was having a conversation with a leader of a major Christian organization. Somewhere in our conversation the statement was made about a particular pastor truly being a “Good Guy.” We both kind of paused for a minute and I had this moment of realization that there seems to be this presupposition that maybe most are not “Good Guys.” This doesn’t only apply to pastors, but Christians in general.

I will hear people describe certain pastors, Christians, leaders etc. as seriously one of the “Good Guys.”  This doesn’t imply that everyone else is bad; however there is something to the pre-determined distinction of being one of the “Good Guys.”

Maybe you have never thought about it, but you have probably found yourself in a conversation or thought process of referring to some as: “A really good dude,” “The Real Deal,” “Seriously a good guy,” or “One of the good guys in ministry.”

Am I reading too much into this, or is there something a little off base when the assumption would be that christian leaders, leaders who are Christians and pastors are not the “Good Guys?” Or the fact that only a small percent seem to get the “Good Guy” disclaimer?

What happened to the Good Guys?

Have you ever thought about this?  Do you have an opinion as to why?  Share your thoughts.

This is the christian version of a drive by shooting, I think innocent bystanders may have been injured. Watch this video and share your thoughts!

I found this link from my man @holycowcreative and he got it form @jesusneedsnewpr. (HT: to those guys for the name and link)

It’s been nothing less than amazing to see, hear and feel the response to God’s message of seeing His church more unified.  As I travel around the country and hear stories from around the globe about what God is doing as it relates to diversity in His church, I get really excited for the future of the church.  I truly believe that this a move of God that leaders and the Body of Christ are responding to.  In recent times, it seems to be more prevalent to see stories of “Church Diversity” in the headlines.  Here are some examples of the stories: Southern Baptist Eyes On Black New Orleans Pastor, Assemblies Of God Growing Faster Than U.S. Population (attributes increase to ethnic diversity), Time Magazine: Can Mega Churches Bridge The Racial Divide?, Am I Too White To Be Your Pastor…

Over 45 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must face the sad fact that at the eleven o’ clock hour on Sunday morning when we stand to sing, we stand in the most segregated hour in America.” My prayer has been that we don’t look up 45 years from mow and find Dr. King’s quote to still remaining true.

I receive e-mails, notes and calls on a regular basis from either ChurchDiversity.com or through social media about what God is doing in their church and personally in the Spirit Of Diversity. Below is a simple message that a pastor sent me yesterday.  I love the heart of this message: God Is Moving… Leaders Are Responding!

I was talking with a buddy of mine not long ago who was considering going through the process of obtaining his concealed handgun carry license.  I had informed him that I’ve had my concealed carry license for quite some time… that was the beginning of a pontificatory (I think I just made up a word) conversation about pastors and Christians packin’ and owning guns.

There are a wide range of opinions about whether or not pastors should own guns and definitely on whether or not pastors should carry handguns.  When the concealed carry law came into existence there were several states in which pastors of rural and urban churches lobbied lawmakers to change the law to add clergy to the list of those who could carry guns.  Some pastors were fearful of armed robbers stealing the offering… Wha? that’s an entirely different blog-post within itself.  I know the State of Kentucky was successful in making Pistol Packin’ Pastors a reality.

I personally had my concealed carry license prior to being a pastor (back in my Warden days); however I am totally okay with pastors owning and packin’ pistols.  I don’t make a big deal of it, I pray that I will never have to use it and it simply remains in a safe place.  The right to bear arms under the Second Amendment of the Constitution does not exclude pastors.

Again, it’s perfectly fine for a pastor to be a Pistol Packin’ Pastor and to own a gun, not only for the purposes of hunting; but for personal and family protection as well.  I know many pastor’s that agree with me and others that totally disagree; it’s simply a matter of personal choice.  I don’t carry my handgun on me concealed anymore; however I’m fully armed at home.  Not in some crazy weird way, I simply just own a handgun that stays in a safe place and I’ve taken my wife to shooting lessons in the past.

Some of you are probably reading this and saying what about Love & Faith and More Love & More Faith.  I love my family and that’s why I own a gun; in case I need to use it to protect my house, my family and my stuff.   “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.” Luke 11:21

Should pastors own or pack guns?  Overall thoughts on Pistol Packin’ Pastors & Christians?

 
Pastor Charles Jenkins of Fellowship Church in Chicago gives an amazing and inspirational speech asking God for wisdom and guidance for the City Of Chicago. This speech was delivered at the Mayoral Inauguration for Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel.

This speech was well crafted, well delivered and well needed for the City Of Chicago. The even better thing about the speech is the fact that it was delivered by a great man of God, gifted leader and visionary with a true passion for the City Of Chicago.  Charles is a great friend of mine and Chicago is blessed to have this young visionary leader in Windy City.

The speech is the 1st 5:13 of the video segment.

Share your thoughts on the speech.