What's on my mp3 player?

I've had an mp3 player for about a year and I'm lovin it!  It really helps recapture those "dead" moments in pastoral ministry: driving in the car, waiting at a restaurant for a meeting, etc.  You would be surprised how much you can listen to just driving for 15 minutes to and from work!

So without any further ado, here's what on my mp3 player:

*** FOR LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS, I LISTEN TO:

ANDY STANLEY - LEADERSHIP, BEST OF AND WEEKLY PODCASTS: I'm really glad Andy Stanley put his thoughts on leadership in a podcast.  It's an easy way to share his insights with my staff.  And of course, listening to his sermons are great too!

CATALYST PODCAST: Each month, these guys interview leaders and gurus in different fields of culture change.  Awesome insights here!

CHURCH LEADER INSIGHTS: Nelson Searcy, pastor in New York City, offers his insights on connecting the dots between the unchurched and the church world.

WORSHIP LEADER INSIGHTS: Jason Hatley is the worship leader at The Journey Church of the City in New York.  Working with Nelson Searcy, Jason offers practical insights on leading worship.

FERMI PROJECT: offers insights from a broad collection of innovators, artists, social entrepreneurs and other leaders who experiment with ways to advance the good in culture.  This jump started with the book they did called "UnChristian".  A powerful read that should open any Christian leader's eyes.

*** FOR CREATIVE INSIGHTS, I LISTEN TO:

CREATIVEPASTORS BLOG AND PODCAST: Ed Young Jr. is a master at creativity and connecting the dots from the Bible to the people in a creative way.  In a recent series, he brought in a full toilet to illustrate the difference between lust and desire.  In one of my sermons, I brought on a seat from a toilet and it didn't go over well.  I'm definately no Ed Young Jr, but I think the way he does!

*** FOR SERMON IDEAS AND STORIES, I LISTEN TO:

NAPKIN SCRIBBLES: These are short daily life insights from author and futurist Leonard Sweet.  I eat up (not literally) all of his books.  Great author and Tweeter.

KERRYING ON: Kerry Patterson offers illustrations from moments in his life that apply to the leadership world. Author of a simple but powerful book called Influencer.

FOREFRONT CHURCH: Vince Antonucci is the pastor but is transitioning to launch a church on the Las Vegas strip.  Hilariously funny with a Junior High school boyish humor, Vince captures people's hearts in a style that I aspire to.

LIFECHURCH.TV WITH CRAIG GROESCHEL: This guy wears me out!  Full of energy and passion, Craig Groeschel delivers and keeps my attention.

MARS HILL: Mark Driscoll is the pastor in Seattle who is a passionate Bible teacher.  He just finished a series on Doctrine which I plan to adapt and walk my congregation through.

MAURY HILLS: It's always good to explore the culture you are in.  This podcast is from a colleague in ministry, Russ Adcox.  He is leading his church here in Columbia to do some awesome things!

*** TO INSPIRE MY LIFE, I LISTEN TO:

CORNERSTONE SIMI: Francis Chan, pastor at Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California brings a thoughtful message that captures my heart.  

THE VILLAGE CHURCH: What can I say but 'wow'!  This young pastor, Matt Chandler, walks through a book of the Bible verse-by-verse from start to finish.  Impressive, knowledgeable and fast-paced, Matt offers a relevant message to my generation.

What if the Church was like Starbucks?

The church is so out of touch that outsiders looking in view the church as weird, unfriendly and irrelevant.  For that reason, I try to think of ways to tap into the culture around us and use culture as a bridge into the church world.

This is a hilarious parable that shows how out of touch the church can be.

Check it out:

What if the Church marketed like Starbucks?

Finding my Strengths

I took this assesment by www.strengthfinders.com to find my strengths.  The idea is that once we know our strengths, we should live our lives out of our strengths instead of strengthening our weaknesses.  It's a concept I totally agree with.  I would much rather spend time living out of my strengths instead of being constantly frustrated by my weaknesses.

Here are my strengths in order of importance:

FUTURISTIC: I think about future possibilities and ask "What if..." a lot.

INPUT: I collect ideas and information.  I am very inquisitive.

LEARNER: I like learning new ideas and subjects.  I enjoy the journey from ignorance to expert.

FOCUS: I always have a goal ahead of me.  I filter every decision and action on the basis of whether it will help me achieve my goals.  When there's tangents, I want to get back on course.

RELATOR: I seek to develop deeper relationships with people I meet.  I'm not satisfied with a "surface level" relationships.  I want to know how the other person is wired; what their likes and dislikes are; their personal history.

Any comments?  Is it right on or totally off-base?

Building Relationships

I was listening to someone talk about building relationships with people.  They outlined an intriguing way to build relationships:

Level 1: HISTORY SHARING (sharing experiences from the past)

Level 2: AFFIRMATION (words to God about you, words to you about you, and actions to impact your world)

Level 3: COVENANT ("I can tell you what I think, feel and know and I can trust you with it.")

Level 4: DREAMING ("If I can trust you with my past [Level 1] and my present [Level 2 and 3], then I can trust you to help me with my future [Level 4].")

When you think about your relationships with other people, what level are they at?

Pick one relationship you want to cultivate and grow: What might you do to take your relationship to the next level?

Struggling to Find out What Your Kids Learned At School?

Instead of asking: "What did you learn today at school?",

I've been asking:

"What questions did you ask at school?"

It's cool to see the conversation shift.