Monday, December 31, 2007

Tomorrow!!

For those that are curious, tomorrow I will reveal my Big Announcement. I will post the announcement at 1:00PM if you care to know what it is.

I hope you all have a great evening tonight, but please be careful. Tonight is one of the most dangerous nights of the year, especially on the roads!

See you in '08!

A Pakistani and Power

This weekend we had Christopher Alam speak in our services and wow, he did a great job!! He is a former Muslim who grew up in Pakistan. For the last 30 years he has traveled all over the world doing crusades and has planted over 1,000 churches! Not only does he have a powerful testimony, but a powerful ministry.

It really struck me that some Christians experience this powerful moment of conversion but that's where the power stops. Today be a person of power. Not humanistic power, but of spiritual power. Allow God to use you in a supernatural way! His power is not only for the transformation of your life, but also of the lives of those around you.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Hot Topic: Innovation

This past week, for whatever reason, Innovation's been a popular topic in the blogosphere. Here's a few posts and articles that I came across this week that are pretty good:

>Dave Ferguson talks about the link between Church Planting & Innovation here.

>Ben Arment talks about the connection between Innovation & Failure here.

>Innovation Lessons from Apple here.

>A great post by Tony Morgan about Innovation & The Three Little Pigs here.

Also, on a side note, only 3 days until the Big Announcement...I can't wait!!

Friday, December 28, 2007

Great Marketing



Yesterday I had the chance to go to New York City with a couple of my cousins and had a lot fun! While there I saw one of the best marketing ideas I think I've ever seen. The best marketing scheme accomplishe two things:

1. They meet a perceived need.
2. They go so over the top you cannot help but notice the product.


Charmin has done just that at Times Square. If you've ever visited NYC, you would know that after a long day of walking around it's tough to find a nice clean bathroom to use. Well, Charmin now has the coolest bathrooms I've ever seen and they're right on Times Square. As you wait in line for the bathrooms indoors, there is music playing, people dancing and an MC hyping up the crowd...to go to the bathroom! Pretty amazing. Plus they clean the bathrooms after each use. They even have a merchandise area where you can buy Charmin jackets, scarves, and hats. A toilet paper company is selling jackets!!

If they can get people that excited about toilet paper, how much more should we with the greatest product ever? How does that happen? We just need to be creative. Charmin didn't create that excitement by just doing things as they've always been done. They were creative and went over the top! Can we do the same with the gospel? I think we can!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

What a Christmas!


Well, I was met with a pleasant surprise when we arrived at my cousins' house in Scranton: Turns out they now have wireless internet!! Merry Christmas to me! Here's my two favorite moments of the day:

When my mom came downstairs in the Santa outfit she made back when I was in high school.

My dad driving to my cousins' house trying to lower the arrival time on my mom's new GPS Navigator. Every time he would knock off another minute he'd notify us all in the car by yelling out the new arrival time! It was hilarious!!


I hope you all had a great day with your family as well. We're going into downtown Scranton today - I'm going to be on the lookout for Dwight! Have a great day!!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas

We had three great Christmas Eve services tonight at APC. It is so awesome to work at a church that is packed on Christmas Eve!! I love it! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and get all you asked Santa for! :)

On a side note, just wanted to share the last and final hint leading up to my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT next Tuesday, January 1. Many of you have had some great guesses but here's your next hint:

It will require you to do something.

I'll be without internet access for the next few days so I'll catch you guys on the flip side!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Christmas Outfits


Christmas time brings a lot of good out in people: joy, a spirit of giving, love. But it also brings out some of the worst in people, and by worst I mean Christmas outfits. Well, for those of you that attend APC, tomorrow morning we are unofficially calling it "Crazy Christmas Sweater Day". There is a group of us that hit the Thrift Stores today and picked up some 'crazy sweaters'. I would invite anyone attending one of the services tomorrow morning to join in. It will be a fun way to celebrate all that is good and bad with Christmas!! :) Hope to see you there in that sweater from 1980 with Rudolph and the blinking nose on the front!!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Presence

At this time of the year as a child you live for the presents. I remember growing up, I was always the first one up Christmas morning. I would be so excited to see what presents were under the tree that morning. I'm sure many of you could relate, but as I've aged (yes, I'm an ancient 26 now!), I've realized a shift for me. The joy no longer is in the presents, but rather the presence of those I love. As all my cousins have grown and some are now married and spread all over the country, this is the one time each year I get to see most of them. I value that presence with family.

Maybe you're not blessed with a supporting family that you're looking forward to seeing this Christmas, but make it a point surround yourself with people who's presence improve your life. Whether that's at Christmas or just everyday. Those we surround ourselves with will greatly affect who we are and what we do. If you want to be more positive, be in the presence of positive people. If you want to eat better, make it a point to be in the presence of physically healthy people. As kids we learn this principle, but I think we forget it as adults: You will become like those you are around. This Christmas and in this new year, make it a priority to be in the presence of those that improve your life.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

14 More Days

I know many of you probably could care less about this 'Big Announcement', but just indulge me!! :) Only 14 days until the Big Announcement. Next week I'll reveal another hint.

Here's your first hint:
It will change the way you view me.

Monday, December 17, 2007

A Great Day at BridgePoint

We had another great monthly service at BridgePoint Church yesterday in Tarentum. The threat of ice and snow affected our attendance, but we still had 59! You can read more about it here.

One cool thing that I'm watching take place is the launch team is beginning to really take ownership of what is taking place. It's not just a church they're coming to, it's their church. Let me give you an example: For our first two monthly services I've been bringing a box of donuts for those that come early to set up. Well, this month I didn't bring them because no one had really been eating them. At around 8:15 as the team starts to show up in walks one of the lady's on the launch team to set-up and she has a box of donuts in her hands! It's just cool to see this ownership taking place.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Reaching People By Whatever Means Necessary

"The sacred page is not meant to be the end, but only the means toward the end, which is knowing God himself."
-A.W. Tozer


As I read this quote, it made me think what means are we using to help people know God himself - to know the person of Jesus Christ? Are there means we haven't even thought of yet? I think so.

A few weeks ago, I was walking through the mall past Hollister and then Abercrombie and Fitch and if you've ever walked by either of those stores there is one thing that will always hit you as you pass by...the smell. It's not a bad smell, but actually a very welcoming, almost cool fragrance. It got me to thinking, which can be dangerous. In the church world, we use three and often four of our senses very well to communicate the love of Christ:

>Sound: We regularly proclaim the Truths of Scripture and proclaim God's goodness in worship.
>Sight: We use lights, screens and other tools to help those within the church engage in worship and the message.
>Touch: Depending on your church, the love of Christ is communicated through a firm handshake or a loving hug from a greeter or friend.
>Taste: Many churches actually excel at this one more than any other. Two words: Pot-Luck. Enough said.

The one sense I have never heard of a church using is the sense of smell. Yes, I said smell. You might think this to be crazy, but if God desires we worship Him with all our being (that being all of our senses), how could a church use the sense of smell to direct people to Christ? Would it be pumping a fragrance into their sanctuary or foyer?

Tell me what you think. What are some creative ways we could use the sense of smell in the church? Or what are other creative ways to use the other four senses?

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Bringing Value as a Leader

Today I was listening to a podcast with John Maxwell and he brought up a good point (as he often does!) for a leader. Often as leaders we can become so focused on furthering our cause or motivating those we're leading to do something, but one of our responsibilities as leaders is to bring value to those around you. A good leader motivates others to action, but a great leader not only motivates but brings value to those they lead.

Here's your action point: What value are you bringing to those you're leading?

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Centrality of Community

I came across this quote and have this question for you: Can the gospel truly be experienced outside community?

“The centrality of the community to the gospel means that the message is never disembodied. The word must always become flesh, embodied in the life of the called community. The gospel cannot be captured adequately in propositions, or creeds, or theological systems, as crucial as all of these exercises are. The gospel dwells in and shapes the people who are called to be its witness. …If there is good news for the world, then it is demonstrably good in the way that it is lived out by the community called into its service… The lived out testimony of the Christian community is to become a witness, visible and audible, given in and to the world, so that the gospel will spread.” — Darrell Guder

Big Announcement

In a few weeks, on January 1, I have a big announcement. Stay tuned for more info.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Great Service Today

This morning I spoke at Bethel Assembly in Pittsburgh and had a great time! I had been there a few times as a teenager for Pittsburgh Invasion and it was cool to be back there speaking. Here's some brief notes:

Nehemiah 1:1-4

>Nehemiah would not settle for where his city was, but he wanted to see his city transformed.
>He walked this journey towards transformation in four ways: (Sorry for the alliteration, I just had to!)

1. He walked this journey with PASSION.
-We need to weep for our city. Seeing our city changed by the gospel needs to be more than just a good idea, we should be passionate about it.

2. He walked this journey in PRAYER.
-As Christians we need to spend this valuable time in prayer to offer ourselves in humility to God to allow Him to empower us to change our city.

3. He walked this journey with PURPOSE.
-This is where we must learn to listen as we spend time in prayer. What is God wanting you to do? What part does He want you to play in transforming your city?

4. He walked this journey with PERSEVERANCE.
-If you're walking in God's will and being obedient you can guarantee you'll face opposition. Will you back down, or is your heart so broken for your city that you know deep within nothing is going to stop you from being used by God?

When we walk those steps we become God's agents of change in our world and our city and we'll see lives rebuilt and life restored in our city.

One small testimony: I met three people after the service that had already started a small prayer group in their office complex and really felt God calling them to reach this complex for Christ. They saw their workplace as their mission field! Praise God!!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Home Sweet Home

I have really enjoyed and felt blessed to be able to travel for most of this past month, but it sure is great to be home!! Today I spent most of the day doing laundry and cleaning things up. In a little while I get to have dinner with my parents for my dad's birthday and then teach a class at the local Teen Challenge Center. It's a good day!!

Friday, November 30, 2007

Sponge Week Continues

This week I have labeled it Sponge Week. No, I'm not at some SpongeBob Conference, but I've just been blessed to have opportunities to soak in wisdom from so many different people.

Earlier this week I got to hang out with a good friend of mine, Brad Leach, a church planter in Detroit, MI at a small group gathering he leads of future church planters. They were discussing a fascinating book that I'm going to pick up called, The Celtic Way of Evangelism.

Then the next day, I had lunch with Pastor Bruce Van Hal. He is the church planting pastor at Mount Hope Church where they've planted 20 churches in the state of Michigan in the last 19 years. They're goal is to plant another 10-15 in the next 3 years! That's big time vision!! Just had a blast soaking up this guy's wisdom and learning from his experiences.

Now I'm in Surprise, AZ at the Multiplicity Church Planting Conference. The speakers have been good, but by far my favorite moment was last night sitting in the Green Room in the back listening to Dr. Ed Stetzer and Alan Hirsch going back and forth discussing everything from being Missional to Calvinism. These guys are brilliant! That moment right there was worth the whole trip out here!

So that's the wrap up of Sponge Week so far - now back to soaking it in!!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Ten Habits of Incompetent Managers (or Pastors)

I came across this article on FastCompany.com about incompetent leaders. Read through it and do your best not to be this.

Things I'm Thankful For

At the ripe old age of 26 (I know, I'm ancient!), I feel so blessed by God to have the life I do. It's a life I definitely don't deserve, but boy do I enjoy living it! As I've reflected on this day of thanksgiving, here's a few things I'm thankful for:

>A Great Family
: It is so awesome to be a part of a family with such a rich godly heritage! I had a great time today enjoying that heritage...and their good cooking!!

>A Great Church: The question I have is what did I ever do right to be able to serve in such an incredible church? This really is one of the great churches in our nation!

>Great Friends: Through high school, college and in ministry, I feel so blessed by the people God has surrounded me with. They are people I truly love and admire. Even though I am a bit of a geek, thanks for at least acting like my friend!! :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Saying NO to Say YES

There is a disease that I suffer from. I think it is something I inherited from my mother. It often keeps me from being able to do what I really should be doing. And the worst part of this disease is I actually have the antidote. It is the disease of 'The Yes.'

We are all guilty of always saying 'Yes'. For some reason, it's easier to take on more responsibility and more work than to simply offer the counter...No. In the craziness of life, though, we don't realize that in saying 'Yes' to one thing, we're actually saying 'No' to something else.

Our ability to lead will be based on our ability to 'Yes' to the right things and delegating or saying 'No' to the rest. My question for you is what are you saying 'Yes' to that you should be saying 'No'?

Great Day at BridgePoint


This past Sunday we had a great service at our new church plant, BridgePoint Church! We are utilizing a new approach with this plant - we are having monthly preview services leading up to the launch into weekly services on March 16. This month's attendance of 73 puts us right on track for a very healthy launch. Continue to keep this church in your prayers as God is on the move in Tarentum! You can read more about the service here.

Monday, November 19, 2007

5 Marketing Mistakes Churches Make

Marketing can often be seen as an 'unspiritual' thing and is taboo for some churches. But I would say we have the greatest product this world has ever known to promote. With that said, check out this article by Tony Morgan on Outreach.com. It's fascinating to see what churches often do wrong in marketing themselves.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Reflections on Today


I've been in Minneapolis the last couple days at North Central University interviewing students. Today I had the opportunity to go to chapel and it was a great time! One Accord led worship (they were at APC in September) and I saw one of the coolest things I've seen in a while: A couple rows of deaf students worshipping God in sign language! It was pretty cool!

Then this evening I had a little time so I did what is obligated for anyone visiting the Twin Cities, I went to Mall of America. Miraculously, I didn't buy anything but they do have any store you could think of! It's basically it's only little city. They have their own police force and they even have a church! Well, off to bed (I fly out at 5:20 tomorrow morning-I know, I'm crazy!).

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Mentors

I want to try something here. Mentors are a valuable component to the health and success of any person. We all need to be 'following someone as they follow Christ.' Last week I told you about a mentor in my life, Otto Wegner. I'm curious to see what qualities are being invested into many of you. Leave a comment below and let us know who is a mentor in your life and what's the most valuable thing you've learned from that mentor?

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Being a Decisive Leader

Despite what some employees or staff might say, most leaders or senior pastors are well-intentioned people. They really do want their organization/company to grow and be the best it can be. Too often, however, that desire gets lost in the confusion of being an indecisive leader.

If there is one thing that can drive staff and even the most committed from your ranks it's being indecisive as a leader. An indecisive leader usually falls into one of the following categories:

> A leader that lacks vision for his/her organization. Without clear direction, it becomes incredibly difficult to lead others. As a mentor in my life once said, "It's really tough to steer a parked car." You will find leaders guilty of this often complaining about the lack of passion or misdirected in their congregations or employees. What's ironic, is that lack of passion is actually their fault. Without vision, there can be no unified passion or even passion at all in some people. The best advice I would give for this leader is get on your face before God and get that God-sized vision. Once you get, sell it to your staff. People will follow you to the ends of the earth for a vision they believe in.

> A leader that has vision, but lacks conviction. This leader at least has established vision, but their certainty in the validity of that vision is waining. This leader needs to clarify and confirm their vision. If you have a vague idea or direction, clarify it. Clarity brings confidence. Even more importantly, though, this leader needs to gain more confidence in who God is made them and where He's placed them.

> A leader is trying to please everybody. As the popular saying goes, "When you're trying to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody." If you are in a church setting, this is even more evident. In any organization, if you have 100 people, you will have 100 different opinions on how things should be run. You need to know what environment and direction you feel led to create and just do it. Most people will actually respect you more for moving forward with conviction rather than trying to please. Now I understand you don't want to be so 'task-oriented' that you forget people. You need to remember your reason for being is people, but move forward with your vision.

So on behalf of the many frustrated employees and staff, please don't pull a John Kerry impersonation. Move forward with what you feel led to do and stick to your guns.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Making a Spiritual Pilgrimage

Mark Batterson often talks about the importance of making a spiritual pilgrimage to places of significance in our spiritual journey. This morning I was able to do just that.

During spring break of my sophomore year in college I went on a missions trip to Highway Tabernacle in Philadelphia. This trip changed my life. During my week there I felt God specifically direct me towards urban ministry. That trip is a big reason why I am doing what I am today. I still remember sitting in the nursery of that church one morning feeling stretched out of what was normal that I couldn't help but surrender. It was a transformational moment in my life.

In addition to having the opportunity to see Highway Tabernacle again, I also was able to have breakfast with a hero of mine, Otto Wegner (the pastor of Highway Tabernacle). Otto has planted churches all over the Northeast and I love spending time with him because of his years of experience and wealth of wisdom. I just listened for a couple hours to him sharing about everything from church planting to CBC. It was awesome!! So needless to say, it was a good day!!

Friday, November 9, 2007

The City of Brotherly Love...and Cheese Steaks!!

For those of you that don't know, I am in the middle of a little recruiting tour. I was out in Springfield, MO last week and am now in Philadelphia at VFCC. I have had a great time interviewing students and had the opportunity to share what God is doing in Pittsburgh in an urban ministry class yesterday. It's awesome to see college students who have a passion for inner city ministry! Then last night with a friend of mine (Rich Jones), I got to do what any sane person should do when in Philly...eat a Cheese Steak!! It was delicious!

On a side note, one thing I have been sharing with students at CBC and now VFCC that have a passion for church planting is something that we can often all be guilty of. In our human nature, and especially innate in church planters, we have this tendency to want to be independent and go it alone. To be the pioneer that blazes the trail. But God has not created us as independent pods working to establish His kingdom. He has created us as His own. We are adopted into His family - meaning we a part of something bigger. We should always have that connection to something bigger. As I mentioned in a previous post, it provides accountability. So today, ask yourself what am I connected to that is larger than myself?

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

APC Church Plant in Springfield, MO


Well, I had a great week interviewing and talking to students about church planting out in Springfield, MO, the 'Mecca' of the Assemblies of God. While I was out there, I couldn't help but wonder what an APC Church Plant would look like in Springfield. While I was driving down Commercial St. I think found it. We could call it RidgePoint!!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Church This Morning


This morning I attendend James River Assembly here in Springfield. It is the 2nd largest Assemblies of God church in the nation. They have over 7,000 in attendance every Sunday morning. Yeah, it's pretty big! I sat in my car for 15 minutes after church just to get out of the parking lot! We heard a great message by Dr. Mark Rutland, the president of Southeastern University. As much as I enjoyed the service, though, I did miss APC. I'll be back soon everybody!

...Yet I will rejoice.

This morning I read through the book of Habakkuk. The book transposes the conversations between the prophet Habakkuk and God. Throughout the book Habakkuk is pleading with God for justice and healing in his land. My favorite part of the book, though, is Habakkuk's final response:

"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Habakkuk 3:17-18

In the midst of your circumstances and whatever life has thrown your way, know that there is still joy for you. There is still joy in the mundane, in the place of no return. When we see destruction, take joy, God is at work.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

My Name is Earl

This morning we had Earl Creps speak at our monthly Catalyst Meeting. What a guy!! Below are some notes from his talk:

>"Being innovative is not about doing right differently."
>"There is no such thing as Emerging culture, just cultures emerging."

Acts 17:13-15
>Just because things aren't working out doesn't mean you're on the wrong trip, just that along
the journey sometimes things just don't work out.

1. You are the right person.
>In your setting right now, Jesus has put stuff in your path that He will use to pull things
out of you.
2. You are in the right place.
>Wherever you are is a place of influence, big or small.
3. You are earning the right to be heard.
>In our communities we are earning the right to be heard.
>Without the right to be heard, we're just another e-mail in the inbox and we're just going
to be deleted.

If you are wanting to subscribe to Earl's monthly e-newsletter, you can e-mail him at earlcreps@gmail.com.

On a side note, the one thing I appreciate so much about this guy is he is so approachable and easy to talk to! Well, now I'm off to Springfield!! Look out Fazoli's here I come!!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

What a Weekend!


This weekend was exhausting but pretty incredible! It started Friday night as I went to a coffeehouse outreach at South Butler Assembly of God, one of the churches I work with through MCM. In a church that averages about 50 on Sunday mornings, they had over 40 people come out for this outreach, and most were teenagers! That's more than 80% of their Sunday morning attendance!!

Then Saturday I had my first APC Fall Fest experience and all I can say is: Wow!! Hundreds of people came out to enjoy a great day of games, crafts, food and prizes, but that wasn't the most impressive part of the whole day. The coolest thing I saw was watching a team of volunteers completely turn our facility over after Fall Fest. In only an hour and a half you couldn't even tell Fall Fest had taken place!!

Saturday night and this morning at APC we had Stephen Sebayala, a pastor from Uganda. His God-sized vision was challenging to me personally. He's set the goal of reaching 1 billion people for Christ in his lifetime. (Yeah, that's 'billion' with a 'B') He gave a spirit-filled word where we saw a mass of people come forward in each of the services.

Also, this weekend Pittsburgh City Outreach had a fall outreach and Steeler's Party. Their service attendance maxed out this weekend at 190! If you've ever been down to PCO you would know how packed that really is! Praise God!!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

BridgePoint's First Preview Service

Today BridgePoint Church began a new chapter in the history of their existence - they began their monthly preview services leading up to their March 16 launch into weekly services. It was an exciting service - we had an incredible 50 people come out, which is an amazing start for a church plant. There were a number of new people from the community as Greg shared his message entitled "How to Know God's Real." The big advantage of having these preview services is we're able to work out the kinks before we launch. But I must say, this was a good first step. Stay tuned for more to come on this in the coming months.

Also, check out this post about an exciting day at one of our other church plants, Ambridge Christian Center.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Join a Movement!!

Eleven years ago Allison Park Church began stepping into their destiny as a reproducing church. Today this vision has become a movement. More specifically, MultiChurch Movements. As we are preparing to plant our 7th church this spring, we are excited to unveil our new MCM-Pittsburgh website as apart of our new APC website. On it you can check out the ministry openings we have within the network, find links to our church plants and other partnership churches, and see what's happening within the network.

If you are a college student or looking for a ministry opportunity, you can visit here or check out the list of opportunities within MCM-Pitt below:

>Worship Leader: Ambridge Christian Center
>Church Launch Team Member: BridgePoint Church (Launching March'08)
>Lead Pastor: CrossWay Church
>Children's Ministry Leader: New Life Center (Ford City)
>Youth Leader: Pitcairn Assembly of God
>Youth/Children's Pastor: Sharpsburg Family Worship Center
>Ministry Associate: South Butler Assembly of God
>Associate Pastor/Network of Hope Coordinator: Three Rivers Assembly

If you're interested in any of these opportunities or have questions, you can contact me at nickp@allisonparkchurch.com

Monday, October 8, 2007

Living the Bible Literally

Check out this video of a segment that was on the Today Show this morning. Tell me what you think!
Living biblically in the modern age
Living biblically in the modern age

Saturday, October 6, 2007

The Formula for Innovation

I believe it was Andy Stanley that once said 'Innovation is at it's greatest point when resources are in greatest need.' I would agree with that but have one small adjustment to make. I came up with this formula that describes the environment in which innovation explodes:

A Big Vision + Lack of Resources + Great Urgency = Innovation


Although a lack of resources does set the table for innovation, I have known a number of people in my life that have had a lack of resources and have never been innovative. Some might call that lazy, but I would call it a lack of vision and urgency. This week I have been watching a Ken Burns documentary on PBS called "The War". (I know - I'm boring, but please no mean comments!) I love history and have really enjoyed this documentary depicting the stories of those that fought for our nation in World War II. The one thing that fascinates me about the story of World War II is D-Day.

On June 6, 1944 our troops invaded the beaches of Western France, most notably Normandy. As I heard the stories of what took place in that invasion, I was still amazed at how they were victorious in this invasion. They had everything working against them. The water was choppy. The US Soldiers were young and inexperienced. Many of the German soldiers had better weapons. The Germans had bunkers in the hillsides bombarding them with morters. The US soldiers were sitting ducks. But somehow our troops still won. This is where innovation comes in to play. The US Soldiers had a lack of resources, but that's not necessarily the reason they won.

A lack of resources presents the need for innovation, but a big vision and great urgency is the engine that drives innovation. The US Soldiers defeated the Germans on D-Day because they saw the big picture of what was taking place in WWII and the urgency needed to fight for freedom.

If you never have a big vision and great urgency to accomplish that vision, innovation will be nothing more than something you read about on Craig Groeschel's next blog post. If you are a leader today and are desiring to see your team walk in innovation, here's a few suggested steps to see that become a reality:

1. Go before God and get a big vision: A true God-Vision is one you cannot accomplish in your own power
2. Communicate and impart the heart of that vision to your leadership: Vision without communication is simply a Day-Dream.
3. Evaluate your resources: Sure God owns the 'cattle on a thousand hills, but that doesn't mean he's given them all to you right now! Show Him you can be a steward of what you have.
4. Create the urgency for your vision: Urgency can be summed up in a quote I read from this week's Catalyst Conference - “If the Gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you.” —Curry R. Blake

Friday, October 5, 2007

Thanks!

Thank you all for your prayers and support yesterday. My mom's surgery went very smooth. I would ask that you continue to keep her in prayer. When they were removing the cancer they did realize they will need to do an additional surgery in November to remove some more cancerous cells. Thanks again everybody!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Please Pray


Last week I found out that my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I know she has appreciated all the prayers, but tomorrow afternoon she is going in for surgery at 1:30PM. Please be in prayer tomorrow during this time. I believe God has a purpose behind this, and I would appreciate your prayers!!


"But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Yo Quiero Appreciation!

One of the keys to leadership I have always been taught is showing appreciation to those you are leading. I believe this is so very important to leadership, but appreciation for appreciation's sake can actually cause more harm than good.

Last week I was driving past one of my favorite restaurants, Taco Bell, and on the sign I read, "Home of the World's Best Employees". What a bold statement! The World's Best Employees? Then I thought, was this an affirmation of something these employees have heard before or was this is a sad attempt to attract new employees. Knowing the reputation Taco Bell employees have, I would venture to say the latter. But this brings up a valid point. Do we simply affirm those we're leading just because we want them to feel appreciated to get something out of them? I would say no. When we only affirm or appreciate individuals in those moments we have something to gain, we have just used our followers as pawns in a very selfish game of chess. In our attempts to move things forward we actually lose credibility and take steps backwards. I know when that's happened to me personally, rather than feeling appreciated, I experience a very shallow form of flattery. People won't follow leaders that flatter them, but they will give everything they have for leaders that appreciate them. I have two questions I want to leave you with: 1. Are you properly appreciating those your leading? 2. When you appreciate others, do you only do so when you have something to gain?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Defining Moments


In light of this week's awesome message from Pastor Jeff and Melodie on Marriage, I found this list of pick-up lines NOT to use. Check it out here. And for all you APCers don't forget to send an e-vite for the next few weeks of this series.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

What Makes You Angry?

Tonight I attended our Young Adult Group Nite at APC and we talked about anger. What a great topic!! Yeah, I know it doesn't bring up warm, happy memories, but it is something that we should talk about. So many Christians get frustrated and angry about the most irrelevant things. They exert so much energy over what color the carpet in their church is or what ministries their church does or doesn't offer and the whole time they don't even realize that they've completely missed the point. Is anger wrong or ungodly? By no means!! God has created us a beings of emotion. We possess every emotion for a reason. Anger isn't wrong. What's wrong is the battles we fight with our anger.

How often have we blown up on someone that, in retrospect, was really pointless? We do it all the time. We fight irrelevant battles. God didn't give us the emotion of anger to throw it at little pet peeves. He have gave us anger to well up passion and fury to advance the kingdom of God. A soldier on the front lines isn't concerned with the petty aspects of life. They don't care if they're having a 'bad hair day' or that someone's talking about them behind their back. They're in battle - their goal is to advance and stay alive! When we engage our energies and anger towards something that really matters, towards a cause that will truly impact others, it's amazing how quickly things fall into perspective. The question I have for you then is "What Makes You Angry?" Or more specifically, "What Cause stirs passion deep within your spirit?" When you discover what that is - PLAY OFFENSE. Put your energy and attention into it. Quit being a person so concerned with the petty things of this world that you've lost your perspective on the truly eternal causes we have been called to fight for.

New Blog


Two good friends of mine have entered the blogosphere - Greg and Francie Krowitz. They are pastors for our next church plant - BridgePoint Church in Tarentum, PA. You may have read about them here before, but they will be meeting in a boxing gym! God is already doing some amazing things, and I know there are great things in store for the Greg and Francie! You can check out their blog here.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

9/11 Remembered

As many of you know, six years ago this morning our country was forever changed with the events that took place in New York City, Washington D.C. and here in Somerset, PA. I still remember like it was yesterday what took place in my own life. I was a sophomore at Central Bible College and had a 9:25 class with Dr. Wootton. I walked into the class to find out it was surprisingly canceled. Little did I know the reason was far worse than I could have imagined. I walked across campus to the student union to check my mail. As I came down the stairs I saw close to 200 students standing around the television watching everything unfold. This was the first I had heard of what was happening. I was in shock. I had never seen our great nation attacked like this. We spent our chapel service that day and the next praying for those involved. It was a fearful time. An uncertain time.

Going to school in Missouri, we never really had any kind of terror threats or even a fear of such a thing. But I was amazed at how much something 20 hours away could still have a major effect on Springfield, MO. The phone lines were overloaded, there was a line of cars at least half a mile in length at the gas station down the street. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. We all knew that everything had changed at that moment. I can still remember the flood of emotion and uncertainty as to what was happening.

Well, today - September 11, 2007 we ARE in a new world. No longer can you meet your loved ones at the gate in an airport, no longer can you bring liquids onto a plane, no longer can you walk through an airport without seeing security, military and police personell everywhere. We live in a post-9/11 world. But in some ways everything's still the same. We still live in a fallen world that needs Jesus. It's just that in today's world the evidence of that is much clearer. Today, allow the memories of 9/11 and the images of the Twin Towers collapsing to burn within you such a passion, not to destroy those that follow some false religion, but to reach this fallen world with a compassion that can only come from the Almighty God.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

God is Our Navigator

In Matthew 6 we read that there is no need to worry because God will always provide when we are in need. I know I've heard this many times growing up in church, but it is always so refreshing to hear testimonies where God has not only met a need but exceeded it. That's exactly what happened today for a friend of mine.

Mike works at a church plant just outside Phoenix, AZ. Recently he has been having some car troubles and couldn't quite afford the repairs that were needed, let alone purchasing a new car. Well, today a couple in his church gave him a car. And not just any car, a 2001 Lincoln Navigator! Praise God!!

So today whatever you are in need of, just know God hasn't forgotten you. He is working behind the scenes to make sure your needs are met.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt. 6:33)

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

The Good News in the News

As Mark Batterson says, "The Good News should be in the news." Yesterday that's what happened. New Life Center in Ford City was featured in the Valley News Dispatch for their recent trip to Kenya. You can read about it here. We should all be challenged to live lives as Christians where we are more known for what we're for than what we're against. (Yes, another Batterson quote!)

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Taking Off Those Shades

Last Thursday I posted this about cynicism and wanted to not just present a problem, but bring a solution. So here's some steps to overcoming cynicism and taking off the shades!

1. First Step: Look in the mirror. The first mistake so many cynical people make is that they think their opinion matters.The truth is it doesn't. Now for those that just flipped out and are throwing things at the screen right now - calm down, let me explain. In matters of how to do ministry and what church should look like, scripture is farely vague. Scripture does not give practical insight (how to's), but rather it gives principles (why to's). So with scripture giving principles and not specifics on how we do church, who decides that? That's where we flash back to the Old Testament. As God leads the people of Israel through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, God ordained an individual to lead them - Moses. Moses was the Lord's anointed - he was the individual God gave direction to (the how to's) for the nation of Israel. So back to your opinion not mattering. Maybe a better way to say that would be your opinion does matter, but ultimately it's what God shares with the Lord's Anointed (Your Pastor) that matters. Now that you've looked in the mirror, we'll move onto the next step...soon. :)

Sunday, September 2, 2007

No Man is an Island

Today I attended the Sunday Service at South Butler Assembly of God. This is one of the 12 churches I work with in our network. It is a church in a rural community that is beginning to see some momentum move them forward. It was so exciting to hear their reports of a youth outreach they had this past Friday night where they had close to 60 people come out!
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This morning's message was equally exciting. Pastor Don Larva delivered a message entitled, "No Man is An Island." It was a challenging and well communicated message from Judges 18. His closing three points were:

A: Acknowledge your position
B: Believe and Trust in God
C: Cast Vision for the Next Generation


Every time I have the chance to visit one of these churches it is always refreshing to see 'church' done in so many different ways. Whether I'm at PCO, Ambridge, or South Butler, God is still moving. It really reminds me that the Church truly is the body of Christ. And although the hand and foot have different purposes they are equally valuable!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Presidential Election

I haven't really been following the candidates for President lately...mostly because the election's not for over a year!!! But, if I was to vote right now - this guy would get my vote in a second. Check out this video of Mike Huckabee in a recent debate. I can't believe a candidate for President said what he said. It's powerful!

Shades in Church

Have you ever walked in from the outside with a pair of sunglasses on? Even in a well lit room it can be difficult to see. Then if, for whatever reason, you leave the sunglasses on your eyes eventually adjust. What you see over time becomes the norm. The longer you leave the sunglasses on, the more normal your perspective appears. Before long, you don’t even notice you’re wearing sunglasses.

In today’s church, I believe there are many individuals wearing sunglasses (hypothetically of course-no one really wears sunglasses in church...unless you're these guys!). What might those hypothetical sunglasses be? Cynicism. Cynicism robs a person from seeing things clearly from Christ’s perspective. Cynicism in it's origin is positive. A person becomes cynical because they imagine a 'better way' of doing things. The problem occurs when that opinion begins to dominate their perspective and they miss all the 'good' going on around them - all they see is bad. I don’t believe someone just wakes up one morning and is a cynic. Of course we all have our cynical moments, but I’m talking about a life pattern of cynicism - that develops over time. I think there are distinct steps a person takes before they get to the point where they’re rocking those shades! Here’s 3 steps leading up to cynicism:

1. Optimism: Positive Perspective – Positive Attitude.
2. Sarcasm: Negative Perspective – Positive Attitude.
3. Cynicism: Negative Perspective – Negative Attitude.

Once you've reached the point of cynicism, you're not too far from the next logical step: apathy. Tomorrow, we'll talk about how to overcome cynicism.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Creator vs. Forecaster

In Genesis 1:26, we see that God created man in His image. Much can be made of this, but when it comes to leadership, I believe we see a principle here.

We see that God works as a creator, not a forcaster. So many leaders spend more time forecasting direction or culture rather than creating it. A forecasting leader will say things like, “We’ve done everything else, this has to work.” Or “This is the direction I see churches going today.” The two problems with a forecasting leader is:

1. They lack vision. According to scripture, that’s a death sentence for an organization.
2. They are spending more time looking around then looking up. Our inspiration should not come from where we see others going, but where we sense God is going.

This is one place I believe many churches/pastors today are really missing the mark. With the increase in open-sourcing and the sharing of resources, many pastors have replaced seeking God for creativity and direction, with searching the internet for the latest fad or idea. Now don’t get me wrong, open-sourcing and the sharing of ideas is how we become what Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-21. The problem is when our dependence on others' resources supersedes our dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Today I want to challenge you to allow the fullness of the Holy Spirit to work through you. Become the incarnation of Christ. Create. Create something new. Create something innovative. Create something that will draw others to Christ. Today be a CREATOR not a FORECASTER.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Our Life on the Potter's Wheel

This morning I spoke at our last 7:30AM Service and thought I would share some of my main thoughts:

Text: Jeremiah 18:1-6

3 Characteristics of Clay in Our Spiritual Walk

1. A piece of clay’s value is not in how it’s seen, but in whose hands it was formed.
>God created you, He formed you, with a specific purpose. He has a specific path for you to walk in life.
>You are not an accident, but your a specifically gifted for the life God has for you.


2. Even the most pliable clay can become hard over time.
>2 Corinthians 5:17
>When the newness of something wears off it often loses its enticing luster.
>Our life of Christian living is not about an elevator ride to a point of destination, it’s about a journey.
>When being a Christian stops being about a process or journey, our life becomes hardened towards the things of God.


3. Clay is able to be restored.
>The exciting thing about living for God is that we are never at a point where God is not willing to restore us.
>Romans 8:38-39
>If our lives have become hardened towards the things of God, we must allow the rivers of His Spirit to flow over us and breath new life into our hearts.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Bill Gates and Napoleon Dynamite

I'm not a big Microsoft fan (Go Mac!), but I am a big Napoleon Dynamite fan. Check out this video I saw - it's pretty funny!!

Bill Gates Goes to College

The Microsoft bigwig teamed up with Napoleon Dynamite in this spoof video from PDC 2005. The camera's a little shaky, but you get the idea.

Spiritual Breakthrough Weekend


This weekend I have been going through our Spiritual Breakthrough Process. For those of you that don't go to APC, this is a powerful weekend of surrender to God. Aside from the incredible material that is shared, one of the things that is so impressive about it is that it's required for membership at the church. Where so many churches have membership classes where there is nothing more than information shared, APC requires individuals to go through a process that is life-transforming to become a member. How powerful is that?

One God has been reminding me of over and over again is how blessed I am. I am blessed to be a child of God. I am blessed with great parents and a great sister. I am blessed to be living out a dream. I am blessed to be apart of one of the most incredible churches I've ever seen. (And I'm not just saying that to be a 'yes man') I feel so honored and blessed to be where I am right now in my life. This is a testimony of what it means to live in the center of God's will. Sure I don't have everything I WANT, but I sure do have everything I could ever need.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Pray for India

For those of you that don't know, my mom works with the Penn-Del District Girls Ministries, which is a ministry through the Assemblies of God that of course ministers to girls. Yesterday she arrived in India! She's there for Girl's Ministries seeing different ministries and orphanages. This next year the Penn-Del District Girls Ministries and Women's Ministries' missions project is going to be India. She took a 14 hour plane flight over there and hasn't gotten much sleep, but please be in prayer for her this week. Here's a picture of her from today.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

CityReach Wrap Up

God did some awesome things this week!! Thanks to all the volunteers and everyone who made this week possible! We finished the week with over 250 people committing their lives to Christ! Here's some pics from throughout the week:



















CityReach - BridgePoint Church


Last night we had our block party at BridgePoint Church, which is the new church plant we are launching this spring. The church will be meeting in a boxing gym in Tarentum called the James 5:16 Center. They have about 25 adutls meeting weekly right now and after last night, there's no doubt that God is ready to do something awesome in this community!! We had over 140 people there enjoying the free food, the band, a few rounds of sparring, giveaways and of course the pastors, Greg and Francie Krowitz! It was so cool seeing people just pouring down the hill towards the James 5:!6 Center throughout the night. There is such a huge need in this community for Bible-believing Church. As I was walking the community the couple days before inviting people I saw three different church buildings closed, boarded up and for sale! If that doesn't show the need, I don't know what does! If you don't know Greg and Francie, here's a little pamphlet we made up to let people know a little about them!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Free Food. New Life.


Last night was the first night of CityReach and what a night!! I was at Sharpsburg Family Worship Center with our guest speaker, Seth Franco, and God did some awesome things!! The kids were hopping and God did some incredible miracles in individuals lives!

I met a teenage girl there who as a young child went to church and was living for God despite the fact that her mother was a drug addict. She's always felt God calling her to use her voice to glorify Him, but as she grew up she started to find herself getting into trouble. Through a number of circumstances she was expelled from her high school and ostracized from the church she attended.

The bad taste in her mouth has kept her out of church ever since. That is until last night. Last night God drew her back. Not only did this now high school senior give her life to Christ, but her passion to sing for Him came back. You could just see the emotion as she talked about what God was doing in her life. Seeing peoples lives reborn never gets old!! I asked her what made her come last night and she said, "I saw there was free food and figured I'd check it out!" Isn't it awesome how something as small as 'free food' can be an instrument in the hand of God to transform a person's life?

Please continue to be in prayer for these outreaches this week. I truly believe that this morning there are people that are waking up only to go to sleep tonight completely different people!! If you want to see more of what happened at other sites last night, you can read about it here.

Monday, August 13, 2007

CityReach

Tonight I drove around to all the sites for CityReach this week, and all I can say is Wow!! I just want to give a shout out to four of my heroes - our site coordinators: Mary, Sheila, Linda & Carey!! It is amazing how God blesses hard work. There are already testimonies coming in of how God is bringing things together.

At PCO there was some concern about what to do with the garbage each night. Just last week we got word from the City of Pittsburgh that they will be picking up the trash each night at our lot (which we got for free by the way!) for no charge!

Then in Ambridge, a neighboring church is shutting down their Thursday night service bringing there congregation over to the CityReach service at ACC! The Kingdom of God is bigger than one church!

Here's one final testimony: In Tarentum, we are only having a block party on Friday night. There was some concern if we were going to be able to find good giveaways for that location. But praise God, we were given a basket of goodies from Starbucks worth $130!!

Well, that's just a taste of what God is doing already. I can't wait to hear the even more incredible praise reports of lives changed this week!!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

GC Leadership Seminar

This year at General Council they are starting things off with a Leadership Seminar. I attended a session tonight entitled "Carpe Digital" with Mark Batterson. It was a great session - here are some of the high points:

"As ministers, we need to be not just practicing biblical exegesis, but also cultural exegesis."
If you don't know what exegesis means, you can read about it here.

"We live in a completely different world today – does that affect how we do church? It should!"

One of my favorite mainstay Batterson quotes, “There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.”

Five Distribution Channels for the Church
1. Podcasting
2. Digital Discipleship (Blogging)
3. Postmodern Stain glass (Video)
4. Websites
5. Word of Mouse (Online Invites/Evotionals)

Tomorrow I'm attending a session with Ed Stetzer on the current church planting culture in America and then a church planting round table with none other then Pastor Jeff, Brad Leach, and a few others. Now it's off to bed, so I can actually be awake to remember half the stuff these guys have to say!!

Monday, August 6, 2007

Relationship, Relationship, Relationship

Tomorrow I am heading to Indianapolis for the Assemblies of God's biennial General Council. It's going to be a big week! We're voting on a number of resolutions, but even more importantly we're electing a General Superintendent and Assistant General Superintendent. That might not mean a ton to you, but those are the two highest positions in our fellowship. Please be in prayer this week that God leads the minsters of this fellowship through this election process.

One thing I love about General Council is the opportunity for networking. Networking is something I enjoy doing - mostly because it is how I'm wired. One thing that's cool about networking, though, is that it takes something so precious to God (relationships) and builds the Kingdom through those relationships. One unfortunate thing about networking is most individuals don't really understand the concept.

Let me first explain what networking is not. Networking is not about being political, earning good favor with 'big wigs', or even schmoozing your way to some position of status. Although General Council is unfortunately a place where those things happen, that's not what I'm talking about. Networking is about connecting with like minded people for support, encouragement, resourcing, and often partnerships in ministry. It's connecting with others relationally, and then through those relationships building the Kingdom. One major difference between being political and networking is in being political, the relationship is the means to the end. The relationship does not exist apart from a particular project, position, or perception of status.

In networking, the relationship is the goal. It is not a means, but the end. Any blessing that comes out of that relationship is only an added bonus. Not only do I believe God blesses those who see life in this way, but life is more enjoyable. You don't have to worry about who do I need to 'get-to-know' next? Or what big name can I drop in this conversation? It's not about trying to 'use' people to get somewhere or see individuals as 'tools' in your tool belt, but rather it's about building the Kingdom of God one relationship at a time!

Friday, August 3, 2007

Jurassic Park Is Here!


This is my friend, Andy Estrella, doing his famous 'Raptor' impression when he was in town last week. It's hilarious, but he hates doing it. Now I can show you all why it's so funny without having to ask him to keep doing it!!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Turn Down That Music!

Growing up in church I have become accustomed to the statement that is said in many churches across the country. It often comes from the mouth of an old, grumpy pew sitter, but none-the-less they let their voice be heard. The statement is, "This music is too loud!" It just makes me cringe writing it. I know this isn't right to say, but I always wanted to say back, "Then turn down your hearing aid." Well, a church in Charlotte, NC found another. less offensive option. You can check it out here.

Be Connected


There's a new blog that I've been following these last few weeks that has provided some great interaction on a number of topics within the Assemblies of God fellowship leading up to our biennial General Council next week. On that blog, a few people have posted comments eluding to their dissatisfaction with the A/G and desire to possibly step away from the fellowship. With that in mind, I wanted to do a few posts on a core value I hold to - Always being connected with something greater than myself.

When I was in college I began a collecting license plates. It's kind of a cool thing to collect because now I have all these old plates from 19 different states and 2 countries. One thing that is pretty cool about this collection, though, is that I've never paid for a single one. (And no I haven't stolen them either!) They have all been given to me. I displayed them in my dorm room in college and now in my office. As people walk in and see them they often say, "Hey I have a license plate from such and such. Do you want it?" That's how the collection has grown. What I'm getting at is all these license plates were once in the hands of individuals. Whatever value they had, it is now greater. Why? Because they are apart of a collection. The grouping of them together adds value to them.

In our lives our natural tendency is to be independent - a renegade winning this world for Christ on our own. But to be truly effective we need to be connected with something greater. Yeah, of course we need to have a connection with God, but I'm talking about being connected to a church, organization, or something of that sort. Because when we are connected to something greater it does four things. It provides value, support, accountability and momentum.

Our talents and abilities grouped together with others will do far more for the kingdom of God than we could ever do on our own.

We will all face stretching moments and experience failure at some point in our lives. At these moments we need encouragement, advice and support.

To go through life apart from accountability is not only stupid, but destined for destruction. We will only live up to the standards we are held accountable for!

Momentum is something that is difficult to get started, but even more difficult to sustain. Being connected to something greater enables us the resources, but also the affirmation to keep going.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Praise God!

The last two days I've had the opportunity to hang out with a few different guys that are on the front lines of ministry. I feel so priveleged and honored to be apart of what God is doing through the network of pastors that have developed here on the north side of Pittsburgh! In the next few days I'm going to do a few posts about a personal core value I have: Always being connected to something greater. Doing this provides support, accountability and momentum. But more on that later.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Yet Another Reason I Hate Cats!


Many of you have probably already heard or read about this. But you know you're having a bad day when this little fella curls up next to you.

That's one cat you don't want to pet!

I See Jesus

I walk through life. I walk through pain. I walk through darkness. I walk through disappointment. I walk through a world filled with all that is wrong. And as I take my steps through this world I feel no reason to go on. I sense every fault of mankind. I know that the road I am walking is not one of ease or comfort. I know others have gone before and have not endured. But as I walk, I look up. I am looking for a reason to take my next step. For some beacon of light in the midst of the darkness. And then at the moment I feel I have nothing left to give, I see a faint figure off in the distance. As I continue to struggle on, it becomes clear that what I see is not of this world. There is no pain, no darkness, no disappointment. There standing before me is the reason I live. The reason I walk. There standing before me, beckoning me on, is my Savior. My reason to walk on. My light in the midst of darkness and pain. My crowning jewel of achievement. The symbol of all that can be right in this world. Why do I walk? Because I see Jesus.