Resonance and Dissonance

Disclaimer: I am learning this lesson through my own immaturity and folly!

Question: What if you could double your impact by learning to communicate effectively?

Wise leaders know when to create resonance and when to create dissonance through interpersonal and corporate communication. Foolish leaders create a façade of resonance through “happy talk” and unnecessary dissonance by dying on all the wrong hills.

Great leadership discerns which hills are worth dying on and communicates vision in a life giving way. I have at times foolishly cast vision without thinking through differing points of dissension and then blamed the listener for their lack of support of the vision. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!!

I am learning… a great leader gets input from key team members and wrestles through change before pulling the trigger. This leader then connects change back to vision, makes vision personal and asks people to sacrifice for the vision.

I’ve noticed in my own leadership, dissonance is unnecessarily created when I am defensive or lead out of paranoia with the assumption that every person is out to get me. Dissonance is also imminent I make foolish changes just for the sake of change.

I am learning… wise leaders allow people to disagree privately without instilling a fear of being axed.

On the opposite side of the coin… I’ve witnessed spineless leaders who create a façade of resonance through happy talk and never address issues of misalignment or ungodly attitudes. This too is foolish. This person is no longer a leader, but a puppet.

Wise leaders are willing to create dissonance around the vision and big decisions… after processing through the decision in the context of a highly competent team and hearing from the LORD!

These leaders are still gracious in their communication and are not threatened by people who disagree. Team members who disagree privately and support publically can continue to function on the team at high levels. Those who gossip or betray in a destructive way must be dealt with swiftly and biblically in order to maintain alignment to the vision and organizational health.

All of this to say… let’s create healthy resonance by communicating with emotional intelligence. Let’s not blame people for our poor communication. And… let’s be willing to wisely create dissonance. Let’s protect the vision and deal with toxic heart attitudes quickly in a biblical matter.


PS, this principle rings true in marriage as well!! ☺

Happiness Is!!!

Don't miss the launch of our new "Happiness Is" series at South Bay Church beginning this Sunday, February 12. Join us as we unpack what it looks like to experience true Happiness.

The Power of A Personal Invite

Check out this video that describes the power of a personal invitation to church. God can use you as a link in the chain to transform someone else's eternity this week!! Invite!!



Invite somebody to church with you this Sunday!!!

www.southbaychurch.org

Coaching Network For Church Planters

I believe that church planters and pastors are some of the greatest change agents in the world. Over the last couple of years I've had the great privilege of investing in dozens of pastors in church planters. I want to take it to a whole new level and invest in pastors through an online coaching network.

Here is why I believe in coaching networks... My life has been changed through them. Through rubbing shoulders with other leaders like Bil Cornelius, Perry Noble, Nelson Searcy, Steve Stroope and Ron Sylvia... my leadership has gone to a whole new level. The thousands of dollars invested in my leadership through coaching networks has reaped a harvest thousands of changed lives and every dollar invested has been worth it!!

There will be 8 sessions. All of them will be online once a month for 90 minutes. We will deal with some pretty raw stuff like- Getting your personal life in order (marriage & family), leading a focused organization, creating and sustaining momentum, breaking through growth barriers shifting your paradigm and much more.

If you are hungry to learn and grow this is for you. If you are ready to invest in your leadership at a whole new level- this is for you.

Here is what you should do... Download the application by clicking here. Email it to Laura@southbaychurch.org in the next two days and if you qualify you will be a part of the network.

All of the details are in the application including dates, cost, etc... If you have any questions please feel free to email her.

Finally, here is the deal... It starts this Thursday, February 9 so you need to get your application in quickly. I am pretty close to capacity for the call, but wanted to open it up to a few more leaders. We'd love to have you on the line with us!!

PS, Last week I hosted a webinar. You can download that by clicking here.

Advanced Problem Solving

"Great Leaders see a problem and solve it before anyone else knows the problem exists." My mentor Steve Stroope said this on a call last week and it rocked my world.

So here are a couple of follow up questions to ponder...
Organizationally:
* If you continue to grow in your organization at your same rate of growth what problems will exist in 6 months, one year, or 18 months? Space, staff, structures, systems, etc..
* What's your next big hurdle as an organization? What is after what's after next?
* If you began to double in growth over the next year what problems would you have?

Personally:
* What areas of your life if left unchanged will derail you at some point in the future?
* What areas of your life need greater attention in order to help you finish strong? (finances, purity, health)


Listen, so many of us spend our time dealing with the tyranny of the urgent. Great leaders equip their teams and build their lives in such a way that systems make ongoing decisions, and the bulk of their attention to higher level strategic initiatives. This doesn't mean that great leaders are aloof to the micro components of their organization or their lives. It just means that their attention is always on driving things forward and eliminating any obstacle that could potentially stand in the way of the vision.

PS, Steve just wrote a great book called "Tribal Church." You can pick it up on Amazon.

Giving and Receiving Forgiveness

Hurt and pain is just a part of life. Before there is any progress there will always first be pain. Before strength comes tearing and breaking. I get this when it comes to working out, but it is much more difficult when it comes to leadership and relationships.

Recently as I was reflecting on my previous 12 months of ministry I realized I had stored up some hurt. Many of the hurts were minor infractions that come in the flow of life and ministry. Instead of dealing with the hurts I tried to bottle them up and be a tough guy. Then one point a few weeks ago I realized I had unknowingly built up unforgiveness in my heart towards several people I love dearly. I immediately confessed my sin to God and went to that person and let them know they were forgiven from my heart. I know this sounds really trivial, but I did have a big learning through all of this.

Hurt is a part of every meaningful relationship and every fast paced organization. The people you love the most have the greatest capacity to wound you. The people that respect you the most are those you have the greatest capacity to wound. I have a major responsibility before God as a leader is to keep my heart pure and my relationships clear. This means I must make it a discipline to walk through the tunnel of difficult conversations often and extend forgiveness where I've been hurt while seeking forgiveness where I've hurt another person.

I believe with all my heart that when I'm seeking to stay right with the people who I interact with the most, my leadership credibility goes up to a whole new level. This doesn't mean I'm unwilling to have difficult conversations, call people out who need to be disciplined, and offend people in order to pursue the vision God has set in front of us. It just means that as a follower of Christ I am called to keep my relationships with others clear even if these means slowing down at times to keep it real.

If there is bitterness in your life or in your organization it will become a toxic root and pollute your team. We must fight to keep our relationships clear.

PS, Some people want to pick a fight no matter what you do. The bible says this person is foolish and cannot be reasoned with. Act like a matador the first time by taking the high road and then stay as far away as possible from the crazy bull. If this person is your spouse, get counseling!

Top 15 Books for Church Planters/Leaders

I usually get 2-3 requests for appointments from church planters each week. Because my life is becoming increasingly full I needed to create a list of books for planters. This list is the books which have most influenced the way I think about church and leadership. Aside from Good to Great and EntreLeadership all of these books are written by leaders who have started their own churches or lead growing churches. I put a one sentence description next to each book to help you. Enjoy!!

1. Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren. Story of Saddleback and Rick's strategy for church leadership.
2. Rediscovering Church, Bill & Lynn Hybels. Story of Willow Creek and Hybel's strategy for church leadership.
3. It, Craig Groeschel. Book about the importance of depending on God and His favor.
4. Launch, Nelson Searcy. Best book on a system for getting a church off the ground.
5. Exponential, Dave & Jon Ferguson. Great book on multiplying disciples and leaders from day 1.
6. Visioneering, Andy Stanley. Great book on getting and communicating vision.
7. Holy Discontent, Bill Hybels. Great book on how vision is birthed in our hearts.
8. Sun Stand Still, Steven Furtick. Great book on the faith you will need to plant a church.
9. Axiom, Bill Hybels. Pure leadership wisdom that is needed for every planter.
10. Go Big! Bil Cornelius. Story of Bay Area Fellowship and Cornelius' strategy for church leadership.
11. EntreLeadership, Dave Ramsey. Great nuts and bolts of the organizational side of leadership.
12. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Jim Cymbala. Story of Brookyn Tabernacle and the power of prayer.
13. Next Generation Leader, Andy Stanley, Great principles for leadership.
14. Good to Great, Jim Collins, Great book with solid leadership principles.
15. Tribal Church, Steve Stroope. Story of LakePointe Church and Stroope's strategy for church leadership.

PS, On Feb. 2 @ 10am I will host a FREE one hour seminar to share my top 10 learnings from 2011. I'd love to have you on the line. Just click here to register.

Leading and Lagging Indicators

There are two types of health indicators both in your life and organization - Leading and Lagging.

When you look at a fruit tree that is no longer producing fruit, obviously its fruitlessness is a lagging indicator that the tree is dying. Long before the tree died... it was receiving no water, missing sunshine, and being neglected by some aloof gardener... all of which are lagging indicators.

This principle holds true in your marriage- before you want to call it quits and give up on your spouse... there are a series of decisions & moments of neglect which have produced disease in your relationship. Before you find yourself $60,000 in credit card debt there were many of leading indicators (poor spending and no saving) that something was wrong. Before you get fired at work, there are (or should be) a series of indicators that something is not right. Before a church starts to decline, there are a series of attitudes and poor decisions which lead to its demise.

I often find myself giving too much attention to lagging indicators of health and not enough attention to the leading indicators that influence health. I find that in my marriage if I will focus on keeping things clear, loving my wife sacrificially, investing in her by going on dates, etc... the results will take care of themselves. I find that when I lead the charge with our church by focusing on reaching people who are not currently experiencing God's love, structure to receive growth as God sends, keep a pulse on our culture and stay ahead of the curve with major decisions... The results take care of themselves.

Don't get me wrong, lagging indicators are important. God will hold you responsible for the fruitfulness or fruitlessness of your life, but you don't get more fruit by spending all your time counting the number of apples on your tree. You get more fruit by planting more seeds, watering, pruning and then harvesting.

This principle is taking me to a higher level of leading and living... And resulting in a greater level of fruitfulness in my life.

PS, There is an addendum to this principle. If something is diseased you won't get fruit before you get rid of the sickness. Give all your energy to getting rid of the disease whatever that means.

Getting Ahead of the Curve

Recently I noticed that the difference between success and failure is not always work ethic. I often find that people who are losing in life are working harder than those who are winning. Those succeeding are riding the wave of momentum, while others are spending the majority of their energy just trying to keep up.

It takes more energy for a dude with 50% body fat to get to 15% body fat than it takes for Tony Horton to maintain his rock solid abs.

It takes more energy for a person making $40,000/year to knock out $20,000 of debt than it takes for Warren Buffet to maintain his portfolio.

I noticed myself getting tired towards the end of 2011 and slacking in several areas. I had stopped working ahead on sermons and got behind on calendaring. I found myself working harder just to keep up. When I made this observation I decided that I didn’t like living like this way and it needed to change.

I gave 3-4 weeks to intensely focus on getting ahead. I spent time with our team planning out our preaching calendar for the year including the key passages of scripture for my 2012 messages. I ordered and started reading a handful of books for future series. I started studying passages I will teach from over the next several months. I created series snapshots for our creative team and I asked my assistant to schedule every creative planning meeting for the year. This all helped me get ahead of the curve! I am now working to study the following week’s passage the week prior and to preach through the coming Sunday’s sermon by the end of the day Thursday.

I’m feeling better about life.

When you notice an area where you are behind the curve you will need to give an inordinate amount of attention for a season to get ahead of the curve. Sometimes a few months, other times a few years. It depends on how long the area has been neglected. The principle holds true physically, spiritually, financially, with your job, your business, your church and in your marriage.

Get wisdom from people who are succeeding in an area where you are struggling. Create a clear goal and write out 5-7 action steps you can take over the next couple of weeks to jump-start the process. You will begin living ahead of the curve and you will start to reap the benefits of wise living.

What areas of your life or work are you behind the curve? What can you do today to jump start a change?

The Illusion of Control

By nature I am a control freak. I like things to be in order. It’s difficult for me when I have mess on my desk, in my office, in my car or in our home. When a chair in a row is out of place, my eyes notice it. When one wire is not taped down at South Bay, it drives me crazy. My OCD is not noble and my words are merely a confession.

To be honest, I’m learning how little I actually do control. When I try to control situations I end up frustrating myself and those around me. I end up with headaches, anxiety, stress and serious stomach problems. I can’t control people and I can’t control outcomes. I can't control how many people come to church, I can't control how many people decide to follow Christ, I can't control my kids or my wife. God knows I can't control my kids. :-)

I’m finding that there is a better solution, which leads to a life of joy and fruitfulness. Step one, release control to The One who is ultimately in control. Let him dictate outcomes and do His job. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Let Him work on people’s hearts, let Him change peoples minds, let Him determine increase and blessing. Let Him lead and guide decisions. Let Him be God. Now, you can't stop here. There is a second part to this principle.

After releasing control, I must accept responsibility. I am not in control, but I am responsible.

I’m responsible for how I lead, how I pray, how I interact with people, how I love my family, how often I share the message of God’s love, how I discipline and train my kids and how I serve others. I am responsible for communicating truth, creating pathways for people to respond, and removing mental and physical barriers that stand in the way of people obeying Christ. When I choose responsibility over control I am still able to influence outcomes, but without all the anxiety and stress that comes with control.

I cannot control how many people will decide to follow Christ through South Bay this year, but I can influence many lives by accepting responsibility to communicate the gospel clearly and boldly. I cannot control how my spouse or kids will respond when I interact with them, but I can influence their responses by accepting responsibility to love sacrificially. You cannot control if and when you get the promotion at work, but you can find favor with your boss by accepting responsibility to work diligently. You cannot control the rate of growth in your business, but you can influence profit by accepting responsibility to lead wisely. You cannot control how fast you will lose weight and be healthy, but you can influence the scale by eating well and exercising. You cannot control your portfolio, but you can influence your economic state by trusting God with the tithe, living below your means and investing wisely. Release control, accept responsibility, influence outcomes.

Control is an illusion. Responsibility is real and outcomes really can be influenced (in a healthy life giving way). Choose today to release control and accept responsibility. Watch God use you and change your life, then give Him the credit for all He does.

Because of the Cloud

2 Chronicles 5:13-14
"The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:
'He is good: his love endures forever'
Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God."


The people of God had long awaited this moment. David wished he could see it, the people sacrificed for it, Solomon was the mastermind commissioned to build it. However, something happened that no man could contrive or conspire on his own accord. The glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. Everything was in place, the temple furnishing were brought in, glorious colors and precious gems decorated this moment. The Ark had been brought to its place. Everything was ready and prepared. Then IT happened. God showed up, the manifest presence of God Almighty in a cloud!

The scripture uses this powerful phrase, “Because of the Cloud…” Because of the Cloud. Because of the presence of God. Because His presence was so thick the bible says that not even the priests could perform their duty. Everything stopped. Their world stopped spinning, their praises became a whisper and everything became still before the LORD Almighty.

This Cloud, His presence changed everything. He was now with them. He would be amongst them, He would lead them, He would guide them and instruct them. He would protect them and provide for them. His love would become real to them. His presence changed everything.

Because of the Cloud... today His presence still changes everything. His presence heals marriages, restores brokenness, brings the prodigal home, convicts the sinner, brings the power to change, and infuses jubilation beyond description.

Are we seeking His presence? Is there evidence of The Cloud? Could people look at your life today or your church today and say, “Because of the Cloud”?

I want to lead a life, a family, a church, and a movement that can only be described by saying, “Because of The Cloud, Because of the manifest presence of God.” Let’s seek Him like we never have before. Let’s trust Him and beg Him to show up!

Because of the Cloud.

This Never Gets Old!!

A few extra days in Addis

Last night (Monday night) we arrived at the airport in Addis, Ethiopia to make the trip back to the states. Over the last eight days we’ve had a wonderful time here with Compassion International and our church partners in Nazaret, ET: Nazaret Emmanual United Church. God answered our prayers to put vision in our hearts for our partnership with Emmanuel and for our work with Compassion. It was a wonderful trip. Which leads me to the trip home…

As we walked into the airport I noticed that the first leg of our trip to Frankfurt was not showing up on the monitors. My suspicion was brought to confirmation as we walked up to the Lufthansa Airlines desk and discovered that an earthquake caused a volcano to erupt and spread ash over east Africa. We aggressively tried to reconnect with the Compassion staff in Colorado Springs. We were unable to get the Internet in the airport to work and the local payphone would not recognize an American credit card or an American phone number. Finally we were able to borrow the cell phone of a local person and get in touch with the Country Director for Compassion. For the sake of brevity I will spare all of the details, but it took about two hours to get a hotel voucher and confirmation for a flight the following night (which is now cancelled).  In order to get all this arranged we walked back through customs, out of customs, through security, out of security and waited in a few lines to say the least. By the grace of God we were able to get vouchers for an “Ethiopian Four Star Hotel.” By the time we walked out of the airport the Compassion Int. drivers were waiting for us. They transported thirty minutes across Addis to the Four Start Hotel, the Riviera. When we walked up the hotel lobby was filled with smoke from all of our German friends who had also been displaced and replaced into this hotel. We were the last group to arrive.  Unfortunately, there was no room in the inn for our team.

We were then shuttled to another hotel, The Panorama Hotel. So after traveling over an hour in Addis we reached our destination. They had anticipated our arrival and arranged individual rooms for each of the eight of us traveling in the group. We have two different churches, South Bay Church and Rockbridge Church from Dalton, GA.  I located my room, dropped off my bags then headed back to the lobby to try and make connection with Stacie. It took me almost two hours to get connected, send her an email and get a reply. I finally retired for sleep at 2:30am.

After watching the news I’ve discovered that there are thousands of other displaced people all over the world. Many of them are stuck in airports, sleeping on suitcases. While I’m very disappointed that it may be a couple of extra days before I see Stacie and the boys… I have so much to be grateful for.  A warm shower, a great bed, clean water, electronics that can be charged (ipad, iphone and laptop), books, journal, the bible, and friends here to connect with.  

As I finish this post it’s Tuesday at 4:00pm in Addis, 6:00am back home in California. Our flight for tonight has been cancelled. I don’t know when we will be rescheduled. Compassion has a staff back home working to try and reroute us through other cities. Personally, I’m praying that we get to go through Dubai, but I am left at the mercy of God, the volcano and the airlines. In the midst of my circumstances today, I have a great opportunity to choose gratitude and live in joy.

Please pray that God would help me keep proper perspective and that he would strengthen my wife as she is on day 8 of caring for the boys by herself! Pray that God would protect her and the boys physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

PS, tomorrow is my 30^th birthday. This has the potential to be the most exotic birthday of my life!

Increasing Radiance

Psalm 92:12-15, The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh & green, proclaiming, 'The LORD is upright, He is my rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

Proverbs 4:18, "The path of righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shinning ever brighter till the full light of day."


I turn 30 years old in less than a month. I know I am still barely an adult, but I'm almost the age Jesus was when He started His public ministry. It's kind of interesting to notice how people change as they get older. I promise you I have a few new gray hairs every week. I'm on my way to a white head of hair by the age of 40. I'm cool with that. It's much better than going bald. I've also noticed that it gets harder to stay in shape and things start to sag. Maybe not at 30, but you get the idea.

Here is the other thing I'm evaluating with my life as I turn into a new decade. People don't always age well when it comes to their character. Many people flame out or have a moral failing in their 30's. They live with passion in their 20's, but then they lose heart. The trials, disappointments, and failures of life begin to produce bitterness and selfishness. Ahh, I hate that.

Increasing love for God is not guaranteed. I deeply desire to live a life that is marked with increasing radiance. I want to live a life that grows in impact and fruitfulness. I'm committed to finishing this next decade strong. I want to be running harder after Christ on the day I turn 40. I want to be more holy, a better leader, a more intentional father, and a more selfless husband as the days, years and decades turn. I want to stay fresh and green, I wanted be planted in the house of the Lord and flourish with Him as my source of life.

You have to fight for the life God is asking you to live my friend. You will not drift to His best for your life. It's going to require lots of repentance, lots of soul searching, and hard running after Him. You will fall at times, but the beauty is that God has His eye on you. He sees your heart. If you make Him the passion of your soul, He will make you live with increasing favor, increasing radiance and increasing fruitfulness.

When God Looks at You!

Judges 6:12, "When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The LORD is with you, might warrior."

Why does God call Gideon a mighty warrior? Gideon is everything but a warrior. He is hiding in a winepress and living in fear of the Midianites. I know God goes on to use this man in great ways, but at this juncture in chapter 6... Gideon is a coward! Immediately following this interaction Gideon seems to question everything God asks Him to do until Gideon's only option is to obey.

Packed in this verse is a very powerful principle that applies to our lives in the 21st century. When God looks at you, He sees who you are becoming and calls out your potential! God is the master of taking us from where we are to where He wants us to be.

When God looks at you He sees: a courageous husband, a wise leader, a humble servant, a selfless wife, a focused student, a strategic business man, and a loving co-worker, a disciplined person. He sees where you are going and who you are becoming.

Not only does God see where you are going but He speaks to you as though you are already there. God is calling you out today to challenge you and encourage you to step into who you will one day become.

Let Him speak to you and walk in who He has called you to be. Let your head be held high with confidence. Walk in your freedom. You are a child of the King, you are forgiven, you are loved, you are His.

Oh, one more thing... God is with you. If you are in relationship with Him, He places His Spirit upon you to help you become the person He is calling you to become.

If that doesn't make your day, go get back in bed and roll out on the other side!

I Need 2 Change

Recently I've been reading through Howard Schultz's new book titled, "Onward." I'm about 1/3 of the way through with the book and it's a fascinating read. Basically the book is the story of the decline of Starbucks, his return to CEO and the turn around of the company.

There is one key learning I'm gleaning from the book.

One primary job of a leader is to determine the strategic changes that need to happen at any one given time and then empower a team to see these changes through.

Great leaders are able to discern the changes that need to happen and then execute no matter what the cost.

Here are some of the challenges I feel when it comes to making this happen...

* At any one given time there usually about 10-12 major changes that need to happen in my life and in our organization. How do I determine the most important change?

* The day to day demands of leading an organization can really cloud my ability to get "above the fray" and see what changes need to happen.

* Major changes do not automatically and require a great deal of organizational energy.

So here are some keys I think to help ensure that I'm leading properly when it comes to organizational change...

* I need to make sure that my time alone with God... prayer/bible study is guarded so that I'm hearing from God about the vision for our church.

* I need to make sure that there is time in my schedule (at least one day away away from the office each month with no operational agenda) to think creatively.

* I must engage the key leaders of our organization into this process because they see things I don't see and in most cases will be the ones to execute the changes.

* I must have the courage to make the change when I believe God is leading us to make them... no matter what the cost.

Here are a couple questions for you to consider:

* If time and energy was not a limiting factor what changes would you make in your life/organization?

* What are the things that you are currently doing/responsibilities that you have/relationships you are in, that if given the chance you would not start up again?

* What is the change you know you need to make, but you lack the courage to execute it?

* What are the key habits in your life that are contributing to the momentum and success you are currently experiencing? How can you maximize these habits for greater impact?

Regret Free Risk!

Addition From Sunday

Yesterday I did a message titled, "Regret Free Risk." I taught from the story found in Joshua 3 where Joshua leads the nation of Israel across the Jordan. My main point was this... A life of extraordinary faith begins with a small step of courage.

Here are four areas where God leads us to have courage-

1. The courage to step out.

2. The courage to hold back.

3. The courage to prioritize.

4. The courage to surrender.

There is one addendum that I wanted to add on to my message. I only have 30 minutes to communicate the message so there is stuff I have to leave out...

I wanted to give you a few questions to assess risk and determine if God is leading you to take the steps...

* Do I have a clear leading from God in this direction?

* Are there biblical principles that I would violate in taking this step?

* What do godly men and women advise in this instance?

* Is this the right season to take this step?

* Am I being motivated by fear or faith?

After running a decision through this grid, I usually get about 70% of the way on big decisions and then I take the the next step I believe God is leading me to take. This includes decisions like: starting a 2nd/3rd service at South Bay, beginning a capital campaign, hiring a new employee, family decision to adopt, etc....

I hope this helps!

Guest Blogger: Stacie Wood

OH. MY. GOSH! You have got to try that! Skydiving was perhaps the most fun and exhilarating thing I have ever done. SO worth it. Even if you are scared, just have someone push you out of that plane, and I promise you that you will not regret it once your feet land back on the ground. It is crazy exciting!

Here's the video I took of Andy as he discovered that we were going skydiving yesterday:

Andy's 30th Birthday Surprise! from Stacie Wood on Vimeo.

He seems pretty calm in the video, right? What you don't see is after the camera stops rolling he immediately started checking his pulse and telling me that his heartrate was through the roof! He sat in a chair in our living room with his iPhone and didn't move for about 20 minutes. I asked him if he was okay and found out that he was reading articles about the risks factors in skydiving! He found out that you're more likely to die in a car accident over the course of a years time than you are by skydiving. That helped a little. :-)

It was so great that Jennalene, Jack, and Archie went with us. That really relieved a lot of the stress and made the day more lighthearted and fun.

Andy was scared, but not so scared that he couldn't even enjoy it. By the time I landed on the beach, he and Archie were already talking about when they could come back to do it again! I knew he would love it!! :-)

We have so many good pictures...I think there's close to 500 total. So it's hard to find my absolute favorites. But I'll share a few really cool ones.

We live and risk all for the King and His Kingdom

Guest Blogger: David Hibiske, Family Pastor, South Bay Church.

One of our core values at South Bay Church is, “We live and risk all for the King and His Kingdom.” We strongly believe that we are to live with a sense of complete abandonment for Jesus. This simply means that we are willing to abandon our comfort, will, and even desires to obediently follow Him. We are willing to lay it all out on the line for Jesus and we seek to expand His Kingdom not just our organization.

This past week I was reading in Luke 9 when I was struck with a verse that immediately brought this value to mind. In Luke 9:23-27, Jesus is describing the cost of being one of His followers. He just told the disciples He will one day be killed and if they want to follow after Him they must even be willing to face death. Jesus literally tells them you must deny yourself and take up your cross daily. In case you don’t know when someone took up their cross it meant they were carrying it to the place where they would be nailed to it and crucified! Can you imagine the weight the disciples must have felt at the words of Jesus?

However, Jesus continues by saying, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.” Wow! Think about this… Jesus is saying if you try to save your life you will ultimately lose it! What He is saying is this: If you are trying to save your earthly life by denying Him or seeking to be comfortable then you will end up losing both your earthly life and your eternal life. By seeking to save your life here on earth you forfeit eternal life with Christ in heaven for eternal condemnation in hell! We know this because Jesus goes on to say, “What good is it to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self (soul)? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and in the glory of the holy angels.”

We live and risk all for the King and His Kingdom because that is what Jesus demands from us as His followers. We must not be ashamed or afraid to follow Him, but we must be willing to follow Him even to the point of death. Obeying Jesus, the King, and seeking to advance His Kingdom is so much more important than anything else we could ever give our lives for.

Are you trying to save your life, or are you laying it all out on the line for the King and His Kingdom?