Daniel LucasYou don’t plan the future you make it…

• Reading through the entire Bible in a year!
• Two Year Anniversary coming up on Jan. 24th.  Don’t forget we are only having one service that morning at 11:30AM.
• February 2nd we will be having church on Tuesday night at 6:30PM.  We will kick off a new series that is going to be awesome! Big surprise that night…you do not want to miss it!
• February 2nd starts the final season of LOST.  Can’t wait.
• Moving into our new house!
• Unleash Conference in March.  We have 50 tickets and can’t wait to take a whole bunch Crosspointers to Anderson, SC!  That’s how we roll.
• My personal growth plan for 2010.
• Getting back in the gym this week. You gotta start the New Year right.
• I am excited for JR who launched Freedom Church the same day we launched Crosspoint Church.  God is really using this guy in GA.
• The future of Crosspoint Church…the best is yet to come!

I received this email yesterday and I want to share it with you.

“Pastor Daniel, I have so much to say so this may not be very organized, but it will be candid and honest. I have a great marriage, a great wife, and son.  When we met, we both attended church regularly and God was a big part of both of our lives. Since moving from home that has not been the case, and we both have said there is something missing compared to how it once was…Recently, (his wife) rededicated herself and has urged me to do the same. I didn’t want to do it just do to it, so I didn’t rush it.  I suppose I should tell you where I am coming from. I did not grow up in church, as a matter of fact my family is known around our hometown as being the anti-church. All of the men in the generation before me, my uncles, are alcoholics. Not only that, they will, and have, used every drugs imaginable. Two have spent time in prison, the other is the town drunk. He has been drunk, literally, everyday of his life since he was 12 years old. He hid a bottle of whiskey and took it to school. I have seen violence my entire life. Only two of my aunts and uncles have graduated high school…Growing up I had no money, my mother and I were dirt poor. I had salvation army Christmas’s until I was about 12. I, however, used my family as an example of what not to do with your life. They have been my sole inspiration for as long as I can remember…I was saved on November 1, 2001. It did not take me long to screw that up. I have examined my heart, I know who sits at the center, and for that longest time it was not God. I have sinned, and I am ashamed, but I did not care. However, every Sunday that we have come to church I have felt like you are speaking directly to me. I have faught so hard not to let myself believe again because I didn’t want to put myself out there, to be judged by everyone. Looking back, though, I don’t know that November 1, 2001 was really me being saved because I never turned my life over to God. But I can tell you with 100% conviction that January 3, 2010 my heart was changed…I cannot thank you enough for your honest, openness, and challenges you lay before us on Sunday mornings…Pastor thank you for restoring my faith in God and the Church…”

Now that’s the way to start the New Year off.  This is the reason why we planted Crosspoint Church.  Looking forward to see many more lives changed this year!

I cannot believe that it is 2010.  Wow!  It just kinda hit me this morning.  The turning of a new year is a great time to start over or start something new.  This year I am strategically focusing on a personal growth plan.  I want to be a better husband, father, pastor, communicator and leader.  So I have put together a plan to accomplish my goals.  Lets see how it goes!

What are your goals for this year?  What would you like to start or start over?

My 5 year old hijacked my computer yesterday while I was in a meeting.  He went into my office and shut the door to lead my Mac in a time of worship.  Check him out…

Worship Leader in the Making from Daniel Lucas on Vimeo.

If you do not see the video click HERE.

People don’t become successful over night.  In fact, most successful people I know have worked hard to get to their destination.  Have you ever wonder how they became successful?  I am definitely no expert on this subject but there seems to be some common character traits among successful people. They know where they are going and what it takes today to get there.  Two things: They have a vision of where they are going and they work on their vision everyday.  Successful people have utilized the power of today.  Why?  Because today matters and it determines how quickly you will reach your destination.

Recently I challenged the staff to work on a personal growth plan for 2010.  Where would you like to see yourself a year from now?  What are you going to start doing today to get there? Now map it out and do it.

“What you do today determines where you will be tomorrow.”

Where is your destination?  What are your plans to get there?  Today matters and you must work towards your vision everyday.

Example:

• You want to be a better writer…write everyday.
• You want to be a better guitarist…play everyday.
• You want to be a better ball player…practice everyday.
• You want to be a better husband…do the dishes every day.
• You want to be a better father…spend time with your kids everyday.
• You want to know the Bible better…read everyday.

The other day during my quite time I read this by Henry Blackaby and thought it was worth posting for you to read!

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)

It is never a minor thing to know God’s will and not do it. God calls this sin. We can make excuses for our lack of obedience: “I’m just not ready yet” or “I’ll do it later!” or “I don’t think it will make a difference” or “I can’t afford to!” We rationalize, we procrastinatate; yet, in God’s eyes, rationalization and procrastination are nothing more than disobedience. At times we deceive ourselves into thinking that good intentions equal obedient actions. They do not. A good intention without corresponding activity is disobedience. When we encounter God and He gives us a direction, it is not enough to write down the date in our spiritual journal, or even to tell our friends and church of our “decision.” God’s call is not to “make a decision” but to obey! Deciding to obey is not equal to obeying! (Matt. 21:28–31). Loudly affirming the necessity of obedience is not the same as obeying (Luke 6:46). Making commitments, even publicly, is not the same as obeying our Lord. Substituting our own good works is not the same as obeying.

God told King Saul to wait until the prophet Samuel arrived. Instead of waiting, Saul took matters into his own hands and offered a sacrifice. Saul discovered, to his deep dismay, that other acts of supposed piety do not take the place of obeying a clear command from God (1 Sam. 15:22). As with Saul, God expects you to obey everything exactly as He tells you. Only obedience satisfies God’s desire for obedience!

Here are the cliff notes from my quite time this morning.

Text: Colossians 1:9-11

INFORMATION v.9 - Knowledge
+
APPLICATION v.9 - Wisdom (Applying knowledge)
=
TRANSFORMATION v. 10- Live a life that honors and pleases the Lord; Your life will produce godly fruit; You will GROW!

Results:
1. God will strengthen us with His power.
2. He will produces godly fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23)
3. God will become more real to us.
The problem is that most Christians skip the APPLICATION part and they wonder why they don’t grow.  People think if they had more information that God will transform their lives.  It’s not how much you know but how much you APPLY.  Most Christians say they want to go deeper in the Word of God.  But what they really are saying is, I just want to know more about the Bible and not do nothing with it.  You want to go deep?  This is deep…

• Love your wife the way Christ loves the Church.
• Tithe.
• Forgive those who wrong you.
• Love your neighbor as yourself.
• Pray for your enemies.

Are you growing as a Christian?  Why not?

I came across this post by Tony Morgan and I thought it was worth sharing.

Here’s what Tony said…

I’ve experienced failures. I’ve watched others fail. I’m guessing you’ve seen plenty as well. This morning I tried to think through some common reasons why failure happens. I’m looking forward to some healthy conversation on this one. With that, here are:

10 Reasons Why You’re Probably Going to Fail

1. It’s not your passion. If it doesn’t make your heart beat fast or cause your mind to race when you’re trying to sleep, you’re probably doing the wrong thing.
   
2. You don’t have a plan. You need a vision, and you need to identify specific steps to make that vision become reality. That includes a financial plan. (I happen to believe you need direction from God on this.)
   
3. You’re waiting for it to be perfect. Test-drive it. Beta-test that new idea. You’ll fall into the trap of inaction if you think it has to be absolutely right from day one.
   
4. You’re not willing to work hard. Everything worth pursuing in my life has involved discipline and perseverance.
   
5. It’ll outgrow you. Keep learning. Keep growing. But more importantly, build a team of people including leaders that can be who you’re not.
   
6. You’ve had success in the past. I’ve watched organizations hang on to a good idea for too long. Time passes. Momentum fades. It’s risky to let go of the past and jump on the next wave.
   
7. You’re unwilling to stop doing something else. Complexity is easy. Simplicity takes discipline. You can’t build a healthy marriage if you’re unwilling to give up dating other women. Who/what do you need to stop dating?
   
8. You won’t build a team of friends. Anyone can hire from a resume. You need to find people you want to share life with. In the long run, great relationships will get you out of bed in the morning.
   
9. You won’t have the tough conversations. When breakdown happens (and it always does), someone needs to put on their big-boy pants and initiate the difficult conversation that leads to relational healing.
   
10. You’re afraid of failure. When fear consumes you, it will cause you to do stupid things. You’ll let negativity distract you. You’ll embrace the known, and grow comfortable with mediocrity. The more often you fail, though, the more often you’ll find success.

Here’s the deal. I don’t think this list is just about personal failure. This is about organizational failure (your ministry, your church plant, etc.). This is about business failure (your start up, your turnaround effort, etc.). This is about relational failure (your marriage, your dating relationship, etc.). The same principles apply.

Now it’s your turn. What else should be on the list? What are some other ingredients for failure you’ve experienced or witnessed? What would you add/delete from the list?

Thanks Tony for the great post…