the reluctant leader

If I Do Nothing Else in 2011, I Will…

My friend Rice Broocks tweeted the following on January 1:

“Finish this sentence, ‘If I do nothing else in 2011 I’m going to...’”

Not sure how others completed that sentence, but here’s my response to Rice’s tweet: If I do nothing else in 2011, I’m going to HONOR GOD AND MAKE DISCIPLES.

I also hope to read more, study more, pray more, give more, exercise more, laugh more, sleep more (5 or 6 hrs just doesn’t cut it any more).

And, I want to eat less and complain less.

What about you? If you do nothing else, what do you want to do in 2011?

Inside Steve’s Brain

Here's what is going on inside my brain right now: 

1. Manila to Tokyo to Detroit to Nashville early tomorrow AM.

2. Early morning flights are just wrong. I believe all pre-noon international flights should be banned immediately and permanently.

3. Celebrated the 50th birthday of my good friend Bishop Manny Carlos. He is not only a great leader, he is a good friend and one of the most humble men I know. 

4. I love my job. 

5. I get to work with the best team in the world.

6. Ado Bernardo is the best Mac doctor in Manila. Being tech-challenged, I’m not sure what I would do without Ado always fixing my iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air.

7. My tech philosophy: Don’t teach me to fish, just give me a fish (cleaned, filleted & fried and with Heinz Ketchup on the side).

8. Congressman Manny Pacquiao!

9. Our 11AM worship service at Victory-Fort was down 30% Sunday. Happens every time the congressman from Sarangani has a Saturday night fight in the States.

10. I hate packing.

11. Stephen Mansfield wrote another great blog on leadership. All pastors and business leaders should read this one. While the blog is about Presidents Bush and Obama, the point is about leadership not politics.

12. I am sorry I will miss the last 2 sermons in our OVERFLOW series. I'll watch and listen via the Victory live stream. 

Top 5 Life Lessons (for now)

After church in KL last Sunday, one of the Malaysian pastors asked me: "After so many years in ministry what is THE TOP LIFE LESSON you have learned?"

I can't remember how I answered that question on the spot, but I thought about it the rest of the day, and while I was unable to come up with one top life lesson, I did think of five:

1. Live a CHRIST-CENTERED life not church-centered life.

2. Our job is to MAKE DISCIPLES (build people) not build a church or ministry.

3. Priorities should be FAMILY FIRST then ministry.

4. BE GENEROUS all the time - especially to staff, missionaries and the poor.

5. FORGIVE everyone - especially friends, family and enemies.

 

Inside Steve's Brain - Celebrities, Questions & Quotes

Here are some random thoughts, questions and quotes bouncing around my brain...

1. I don't get our culture's obsession with celebrities. Why do people want a picture with someone they don't really know? And why do we care about the personal details of people we will never meet? Why not build a real friendship instead?

2. Why do so preachers and many worship leaders feel compelled to shout and yell at us? Someone needs to explain to them that the mic, amp and speakers actually make the voice louder, so they don't have to yell and scream. A normal talking voice will do just fine, no matter how large the crowd. 

3. Whatever happened to eternal judgment and hell? No one seems to talk, write or preach about it anymore, but last time I checked, it's still in the Bible.

4. QUOTE: "The Bible considers our relationships more important than our accomplishments." -- Ted Engstrom

5. QUOTE: "I don't like fishing, but I love catching fish." -- Wayne Alcorn

6. QUOTE: "They only put you out front so they have a better shot at you." -- Bishop to newly ordained pastor

7. I love to travel almost as much as I hate to pack. But the empty suitcase is calling me. We fly to Innsbruck, Austria tomorrow for a leadership gathering with our Every Nation Europe pastors and missionaries. Then we get to visit William in Bernay, France.

Inside Steve's Brain - Escaping the State of Bloglessness

- I'm back online, after being off the grid for 9 days - the longest I've been in a state of bloglessness since i started this nasty habit June 9, 2005. 

- In DC last week for our Every Nation North American Conference. I get to work with some really smart, cool, talented and hard-working people. Conf messages by Brett Fuller, Stephen Mansfield, Jim Laffoon, Rice Broocks, Russ Austin, Lynette Lewis, Cynthia Fuller, me and Morgan Stephens are being edited and will be available anytime now on Every Nation's main site and on the Every Nation Podcast site.

- Teaching at Every Nation Campus Ministry's School of Campus Ministry in Nashville this week. My topic? You guessed it - DISCIPLESHIP.

- Trying desperately to finish an article on discipleship for Ministry Today Magazine. Missed my deadline last week - hope to finish sometime this decade. Good thing Marcus Yoars is such a patient editor. Check out his blog - good stuff for spiritual leaders.

- Just 23 days til our Victory@25 celebration - fastest 25 years in the history of the world. Time sure flies when you are having fun! Really looking forward to the "Victory's Got Talent" part. Don't let me down!

- Check out the new and improved stevemurrell.com. Special thx to master web guru, Danny VanOmmen.

- I'm now on twitter - i'm not always going anywhere - but you are welcome to follow.

Inside Steve's Brain - Even the Best Lose Sometimes

SPORTS
- the King of Clay, Rafa Nadal, lost to some random Swede in Paris. "un-balib-abull" (as rafa always says in his interviews)
- the Labron Cavs lost - who cares? Maybe the Labron Nicks will do better nxt year. Or maybe Barangay Labron.

CHURCH
- loving our Nehemiah series - one more mssg to go - "national transformation"
- 900 &1100 at Victory-Fort actually had a little elbow room - not as many people as usual sitting in the lobby during the sermon - ahh, the last weekend of Philippine summer before classes resume
- my 9:00 sermon was disjointed - got some btw service advice from Pastor P that really helped the 11, 4 & 530 sorry to all who had to endure my 900 rambling
- 4:00 & 5:30 services at the movie theater in Robinson's Metro East Mall. Marc & team are doing a great job - time to add a 7pm service

TRAVEL
- Nashville, here we come...
- Every Nation North America Conference in DC - if you are in the States the 3rd week of June you don't want to miss this one!
- back to Manila in June - the event of the decade - Victory @ 25

inside steve's brain - "2 Kinds of People in the World"

- cant believe I missed THE FIGHT - but some of you missed a great worship service!

- got surprised by a surprise b’day party 3 days ago - really surprised since it was not my b’day - pix coming soon.
 
- helped feed some hungry kids saturday @ the Real Life Community Center in Pasig because, "helping others never goes out of style"

- go back and click "Real Life" link above and check out our new & improved RLF website

- all the world is divided into 2 groups – old (over 50) and young (those of us under 50) wonder what it feels like to be on the other side? 3 more days and i'll tell you

- still cant believe I missed THE FIGHT - Manny! Manny! Manny! Manny! Manny!

- early flight to Nashvegas tomorrow to see william's grad - how did he (I) get so old so fast?

- they should outlaw all pre-noon flights - not sure who 'they' is - but early flights are  wrong

- i hate packing... but pacman is amazing! Manny-mania is out of control in Manila...

- click HERE if you missed the fight for a 2 min recap and commentary by some Brits who are not real happy with their man

Inside Steve's Brain - On the Road Again

- Great weekend. Nothing like watching my sons on the tennis court. Got sunburned. Sunscreen is for women and children. Men don't use it. We burn and peel. Lipscomb played Kennesaw State on Fri and Mercer on Sat. Lost both, but James played good tennis, so all is well.

- Rice preached this AM about the absurdity of Jesus being judged by humans. Luke 23. The accusers, the mockers, the curious, the uncommitted are all still judging Jesus and his followers today. Rice ended his sermon exhorting the congregation to go after CEO's this week. ("Christmas & Easter Only" people.)

- My Ugandan friend, Martin Ssempa, is preaching at Bethel's U-Nite tonight in Nashville. When Martin preaches students laugh til they cry, and cry as they repent.

- March Madness. Final Four. I'm totally uninterested and absolutely don't care. Didn't watch one minute of one game. (And i didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express either.) But I did watch the finals of the Sony-Erickson Open.

- William's b'day today. 23. Wow. Couldn't be prouder. Couldn't ask for more. God is good. I love my fam!

- Fly to Yokohama tomorrow for our Every Nation Asia regional International Ministry Team meeting. Can't wait to see my friends in that part of the world. Scott is always a great host.

- After Yoko, we fly to Manila, then Australia, then New Zealand, then Manila, then Nashville. Will be at Mark Conner's church in Melbourne then at the Every Nation South Pacific conf in NZ. 

- I love my job!

Maybe I Need a Hobby

Seems like i was in church all weekend...

-- Saturday PM @ Victory-Fort. Our next generation leaders - Joe, Rich & the gang - are doing a great job. I pity the people who had to endure my preaching when i was their age.

-- Sunday AM @  Victory-Fort 9&11. Ushers set up chairs in the lobby and still couldn't seat everyone. Who are all these people? Where did they come from? Where will we put them in the future? The joy of growing pains.

-- Sunday PM @ Victory-Greenhills.  "Clueless Church Planter" and his team are doing great job, even if they are clueless. Worship was passionate, energetic, powerful. Sermon needed help. No one laughed at my jokes.

-- Monday. Day off. I need to rest. Not just b/c of a long Sunday, but b/c the Bible says to work 6 and rest 1. I'm afraid i've been violating that one lately. So, prompted by my wife, my son and my friends - i took Monday off and went scuba diving for the 1st time in 9 years.

-- I was never a DIVER, but i did dive occasionally. There's a big difference in someone who  occasionally dives, and a DIVER. 

 
-- Divers  buy lots of cool dive stuff - maybe they never use it - but they own it. People who dive just rent or borrow cool dive stuff. Maybe I'll be a diver some day and buy my own cool stuff.  Then I'll put one of those red & white stickers on my car. And on my phone. And on my Mac. And on my house. And on my kids. And maybe i'll get a really cool dive tat - a great white or a clownfish. No, that might hurt. In the mean time, i'll just rent or borrow dive stuff like fins, tanks and dive yachts.

-- Not sure why i quit diving 9 years ago. Probably got too busy. Being a recovering workaholic, i tend to live busy. 

-- Maybe i need a hobby. But which one? Under the water or on the open road. Scuba or Fat Bob (or 1200GS)? Anyone got a prophetic suggestion?

-- After three dives with the Philippine's best dive master yesterday in Anilao - i'm leaning towards the sea for my new hobby.

-- Dive pix here

***my pix posted on the accidental missionary eventually***

Inside Steve's Brain - 24 & Fasting

FASTING
- I love fasting! (now that it's over)
- Really, we had a great week of prayer & fasting. So great that Morgan suggested we do it quarterly. That suggestion was met with an underwhelming response.

24 - DAY 7...
- I think I'd rather work at CTU than at the FBI office.
- Jack is back, and he went 2 whole hours last night without torturing 1 person - and only killed 2. Gotta be a record. A kinder gentler Jack this season?
- Tony Almeida is back (from the dead), and he's a terrorist.
- They gotta bring Cloe back.
- While they're at it, might as well bring President Palmer back from the dead.
- if they bring Jack's idiot daughter back, i'll quit watching, forever.

MANILA TOMORROW
- fly to Manila tomorrow morning - my own version of 24 (actually 22 hours door to door, with plane changes in Detroit and Tokyo)
- i plan to read "The Forgotten Man: a New History of the Great Depression" by Amity Shlaes on the plane. Recommended by Stephen Mansfield's blog.
- will get to Manila on day 6 of the annual 7 day fast.
- i get to be in the last few Manila prayer meetings. Can't wait! Nothing like praying with 1000's of hungry (for God) Filipinos.  

BETHEL-CLARKSVILLE
- Mike and team are doing a great job in Clarksville.
- Enjoyed the worship and fellowship.
- Love that church!