My brother and I have always been incredibly close, despite the more than a few years that separate the days of our birth. But after ending our phone call last night, that lasted over two hours (which I'm trying to recall the last time we were on the phone that long), I couldn't help but wonder the odds.

What are the odds, that on same day, I would hear a radio broadcast of a sermon and a phone conversation on the topic of measuring success was discussed, as it relates to our faith in God and the Christian life; and specifically, that the only outward measurement that matters is discipleship.

I mention outward measurement, though, because on a personal level, my wise brother submitted this thought for my consideration, which I now pass on to you.

"Success is based on one's submission to the Holy Spirit."

How often and all too easily, do we get caught up in numbers. Personally, our emotions rise and fall based on numbers. Jobs held, dollars in savings, relationships or marriages gone bad, screw-ups  of both the royally and the stupid nature. Likewise in ministry, attendance quantity and size of staff, bank accounts and event turn-outs.

We have all these different parameters, and yet for the immediate and finite period of time in our lives, while they may be important and a worthwhile, ultimately they are worthless. For the good that comes from knowing them and learning from them, they can create stress and wreak havoc in both life and soul as they move us away from what really matters.

What is God working in my life and what He is wanting to accomplish through it? If our perspective is off and our focus in wrong, then let the spiritual battle ensue.

On this #deaconThursday, pray for church leadership, as well as the individual within the body of Christ; whose perspective and focus has perhaps be distracted and redirected to the temporal and carnal definitions and measurements of success. May their be a realignment to see with God's eyes and understandings, of our purpose and calling. Pray for faith unwavering and strength to endure; that the struggle would subside as submission to the Holy Spirit is revisited. May we be about what God cares about first and foremost, the lost souls of humanity and in whatever we do, doing so as unto the Lord.

For His glory and by His grace.
For the cause of Jesus Christ.

- PNC

Delays.
Detours.
Derailment.
Disaster.

They have a number of things in common, but I would submit that chief among them, is that they come with little, if any, advance warning. In addition, the explanation for their occurrence may take longer than we anticipate and hope. They vary in their degrees of disruption and frustration; some may be no big deal, while others feel like the end of the world.

They happen regardless of person and schedule. In the most ordinary moments as well as the most extraordinary of times, delays and detours and worse can truly mess with our emotions, mindset and attitude. They skew our perspective and disrupt our thinking in ways that we aren't even aware. This is the power they hold and they capacity they have to mess with our spirits; whether it be repeatedly for a few seconds or minutes at time or consistently making larger impacts resulting in us being thrown of our game for days and weeks and longer.

Meanwhile though, stands the perseverance of our faith and the remembrance of the sovereignty of God. And on that train of thought, it's important to remember that positive disruption exists. Delays, detours and more do serve important tasks and critical reminders; that not only is God in control but that He does use everything for His glory and purpose. Even if it does come at the expense of frustration, inconvenience and monetary loss.

Such lessons are hard even for kids in life... and equally so, for adults in the faith.

Well, on that note... shall we pray?

Thanks for joining us for another #youthPastorWednesday and let's pray for pastors who are being thrown off by delays, detours and worse disruptions. May they not be dismayed, nor disheartened, but strengthened and encouraged by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray their faith would be fortified and their resolve unwavering, as they continue to place their hope and trust in the Hand of God and His Sovereignty. May that which was meant to derail and destroy their lives and ministries serve God's design purposes to advance the kingdom of God and testify to the grace and goodness of the power of the Cross of Christ.

For He knows the plans He has,
For a hope and to future.
To prosper.
Not just life, but life abundant.
For the glory of God
And the cause of Jesus Christ.

- PNC

Author Cameron Morrissey posted a cartoon on social media yesterday morning that I thought was brilliant. The cartoon depicts three business men sporting suits and ties sitting at a conference table. One speaks to the others "I used to lead by example, but it was too much work."

Mr. Morrissey goes on in his blog post to shed light on the 10 daily habits of great leaders, based on this premise. "Great leaders don't just show up in a crisis, they're there day in and day out..."

The with routines and the mundane... well, they are routine. And mundane. While we don't look forward or desire crisis, there is a weird phenomena that comes with them, as if their is an opportunity to shine; to be the hero, the fixer and whatever accolades or opportunities that make come as a result.

While some may be remembered for "being there" when things or life was on the line, whether literally or figuratively, more often than not, it's one's presence in the every day moments of life that consistent make an impact. And that impact is made by anyone who "leads", not simply by position of title or authority.

Is it too much work? Well, it certainly feels like.

But showing up everyday, with the possibility that a memorable, life-changing impact may exist at any moment... is absolutely worth it.

Let's pray this #associatePastorTuesday, for pastors perhaps tired of the routine and daily-nesss of leadership. Pray for those who feel as though they are not leading as they should or are as effective as they should or could lead. May God grant to them wisdom in the days to come. May they seek and find, tools, resources and people that would speak into their lives and encourage and even lead them, to greater depth and maturity of leadership and influence. Pray pastors would be every mindful that leadership begins and ends with service, regardless of what level of authority they may achieve along the way.

For the first shall be last
And the last shall be first.
For the glory of God.
In His Kingdom.

- PNC

I stood slightly in awe yesterday, as during praise and worship, the band played So Will I, from Hillsong. In the third chorus, the lyrics talk about how as God speaks, a hundred billion failures disappear.

A hundred billion failures.

Pastor talked yesterday of the healing of the man who sat by the pool for 38 years. 38 years. And while he didn't have a hundred billion failures, he had the starting point of a long list of reasons and excuses as to why he was by the pool for such a long period of time. But that didn't then, nor does it for people today, hinder Christ from seeing past all of that and asking the basic question that he asked in Scripture.

Do you want to be well?

Those in ministry aren't any better than everyday people. Sometimes are plight and misery are worth hanging on to longer than we should. It buys sympathy. It buys time. It provides reason to procrastinate and prolong doing what we know we should, going where we know to go and living as we are called to live. I've done it. You've done. And perhaps pastor has as well.

We can be defined by the mat that sit upon, rather than taking power over our mat and responding to what Christ has called us to. In spite of a hundred billion failures. Despite, perhaps, our hundred billion excuses.

On this #seniorPastorMonday, pray that God would strength and encourage pastors through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the miraculous; that God would help them get past the failures and excuses that may exist in their lives and ministries. May they rise up as God speaks into their lives; that a new day would dawn in their faith, heart and mind. Pray they would find freedom and peace, as they are released from the past and the mat that has perhaps defined any arena of their life for far too long. May the truth of God outweigh any criticism from the mouth of the man or the enemy of the soul.

Freedom.
By the word of God.
And the work of the Holy Spirit.
To the life Christ has called us to lead
When He gave up His for ours.
For the glory of God.

- PNC

Daydreaming.

We've all done it.  I'm sure we'd love to do it more often if we could. And the reason I'm certain both of those are true, is because we've all looked at the clock at some point in the day and realized, "Um, I/We had best get a move on!"

Daydreaming is a refreshing break in the short term and may even bring about an inspirational and transformational change to a situation or circumstance.

A break in one's day is understandable. A break in one's life is problematic.

I don't know about you, but I've always wondered about people, who when asked how they are doing respond with "I'm living the dream!" Really? Although, I have one friend in particular, who when he says that, I think, "I feel like you're living mine". And parts of my life don't seem like a dream I'd dream... but that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't take it if it was offered to them.

So, to that end, we discover that there needs to be a contentment within our lives while simultaneously possessing a drive towards the life of which we dream.

A vision is like fishing.

What good comes from casting it if one is unwilling to invest the time and effort to reel it in?

Thanks for joining us for another #effectiveSunday and as we go forth, let's pray that today would be an effective and productive day, not only for our lives, but for the ministries that advance the kingdom of God. May we not get caught endlessly daydreaming, but casting meaningful and purposed vision. Pray that we would continue to seek first the kingdom of God and encourage others to do the same, followed by His plan and purpose that He has placed in our hearts. May envy and jealousy be far from us; that the spirit of comparison would not dominate our frame of mind. Pray that we would live and lead the life and faith to which God has called us; not someone else's dream, but His dream for our lives.

That our lives would point to none other
Than the person of Jesus Christ
And the work of the Holy Spirit within us
For the glory of God
And the cause of Jesus Christ.

- PNC

So I happened to catch a radio interview with a pastor by the name of Ted Cunningham, who has authored several books, including one title "Fun Loving You". He has also co-authored books with marriage/relationship guru, Dr. Gary Smalley.

Pastor Cunningham made a statement though, that is both incredibly true and profound that I thought would be great to expound upon, on this #communitySaturday.

"Character trumps compatibility."

Granted, this certainly applies to marriages and relationships of that nature and intent. But I think there's a bigger application when it comes to friends and business and who we surround ourselves with on any given day. We should certainly be the people of character when we find ourselves in scenarios and surroundings where there are those with whom we disagree or don't get along.

That said, we shouldn't become so enthralled with the compatibility element of any relationship, regardless of it's nature, when the evidence of character is lacking.

Yet sadly, we see it all too often. People begin and continue in all nature of relationships in the name of compatibility while we wonder what could exist and be accomplished if we placed greater emphasis on being and developing people of character.

So, a very simple prayer, this #communitySaturday. Pray that as we engage community, may we be people of character. Pray that we would help encourage those around us to be and live as people of character as well. May we lead our homes and families with that focus and teach our children the same. Pray that we would not be so focused on issues of compatibility, and being a right fit or match, but being people of righteousness.

For life gets real
And it is hard
May our focus be on doing right
Rather than living from a place of ease.
For the glory of God.

- PNC

"Fruitfulness follows faithfulness." - Pastor Steven Furtick.

Taken from the opening verses of Psalm 1, these three profound, but simple words were posted as a meme last night on his church's social media page. Isn't it funny how we know this principle is true, and yet we continually find ourselves hoping that our breakthrough of fruitfulness is always a few days, weeks, months or years closer than what it is.

Notice the statement doesn't come with a timeline, yet as we look at circumstances and situations in our lives, it's the first thing we add. Whether in our own lives or the scenario of someone else's... the comments are the same.

This should have happened by now.
That doesn't seems right.
Something is amiss.
You would have thought after all this time...

And this is a hard battle to resolve. Scripture is replete with stories of people who remained faithful for decades before they witnessed results that people would call "fruitful". Yet we have difficulty with much shorter time-frames. Knowing what to do is a struggle.

Even as I write this, I'm thinking of the lady who called in to the Dave Ramsey show yesterday regarding her families finances. She and her husband started a church plant 6 years ago and the church is still not in a position to support them financially by any means. Objectively speaking, it's easy to agree with Dave on this... you'd think after a year or two, enough would be happening to support them to some degree. Six years is a long time to be barely getting by as a church plant.

But who knows how close they are to fruitfulness because of their faithfulness? Only God.

And many more stories like this are too many to count.

So, on this #missionsFriday, let's pray for missionaries who are facing similar challenges regarding ministry. Pray that God would continue to encourage and strengthen them as they remain faithful, even if the resulting fruit seems lacking. Pray for wisdom and insight, if something truly is amiss or needs to be changed. May God bring revelation as to how best proceed in the days and months to come. Pray for a fortification of their faith and resolve to continue to trust and rely upon God, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances.

May they not quit,
But press on towards the price
Of the high calling.
For the glory of God
And the cause of Jesus Christ.

- PNC

What an interesting week of news to start of the New Year?! And somehow yesterday afternoon, something started coming together, as I reflected on recent events, that have made national news, some political in nature, others in the sports world...

Sometimes relationships break. To be more specific, profession, work-related relationships. A parting of ways between employer and employee. The dissolution of business partners. Whether it be a "timing" issue, or a matter of productivity and results or differences in ideology and beliefs as it pertains to the direction and goals of an organization, these can be difficult and delicate matters.

Certain circumstances, such a break may be necessary, obvious and a clear and clean decision. Other matters are complicated and complex on numerous levels and the decision may not be to obvious nor clear. Plus, details can be weighed and balanced on what is truly necessary and what can be managed and corrected.

Such calls are strenuous and stressful for both parties involved. The decision may seem to be an easier one if personality differences exist or there's simply an element where friendship and comradery is lacking or amiss. But where such a bond does happen to exist and yet a professional partying of ways is in order can be a process we wouldn't wish on anyone.

Thus, on this #deaconThursday, pray for church leadership members, who are facing such decisions, even this day. Pray for a clarity of wisdom and direction as to how the matter and the specifics of their situation should be managed. Pray for discernment and understanding. May their be a grace over the conversation and communication that takes place during this time. Pray for truth to prevail and may God work the miraculous in whatever outcome takes place. May God grant strength and perseverance in the aftermath, to continue to move forward in the direction and plans that God has ordained for them to go.

That even the parting of ways between people
Would not lead to parting of faith between people and God.
May He continue to work all things.
For His glory and for His purpose.
For He makes all things beautiful
In His time.

- PNC

One truly has to laugh at times, at the parallel's between the earthly relationship of a parent and child and that of the spiritual relationship between the believer and God. There are so many instances and conversations that come to mind in which this conversation can go. But one topic stands above the rest.

While the details aren't important, there is a major change on the horizon in our household. As we get closer to it becoming a reality the kids are nearly non-stop excitement mode. When is the day? When does it happen? Tomorrow? This weekend? Two weeks?

We're thinking.
We're planning.
We're praying.
We're dreaming.

And yet, daily life continues with it tasks and struggles and responsibilities. And it's a balancing act, to be sure, of what needs to be done and what needs to be done in advance. But the barrage of questions of excitement from the kiddos continue...

...until there is but one response:

Kids, when it's time, you'll know!!

And isn't that how it feels with God? Whether within the life of faith and church, whether in the pew or behind the pulpit, so many conversations with God involve the favorite questions of kids everywhere.

When?
Why?
What?
How?
Where?
Now??... now?... now?

Yet all too often we don't care for God's response any more than the kids don't care for mine.

"Not yet. Not here. Don't worry about it. You'll find out when we get there."

On this #youthPastorWednesday, pray for those struggling with the balance of current life against the exciting prospect of what lies ahead for the new year. Pray for a spirit of peace and calm; that would wait and rely on God rather than rush ahead without caution or consideration. Pray for an inner strength, that would not be overrun, nor overtaken by fear, anxiety or stress. May God help to find and live in the balance of daily duties as well as preparation for the coming days. Pray a continual aligning and realigning with the hand of God and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

That there would be a strengthened trust in God
And a fortified resolve in His provision
For we have all that we need today.
As we look to Him
Who holds tomorrow in His hands.
God will. On Earth. As in Heaven.

- PNC

I had to laugh just a little bit last night as yesterday's post played out in real life, albeit on a very small scale. We talked about life changing in just a moment as such grand events occur, such as entering a new year and my kids, moments before getting ready for bed, went from laughing and carrying on like teens (which they are not) to the opening seconds of an emotion 180 spin akin to a 2-year old (which they are also, not!)

Well, that happened fast.

Then, while watching an episode of Fuller House on Netflix, there's a scene where nearly every cast member steps into the room, ready to share their bed news. And just like that, everyone was having an "oh-no" moment.

Real life returned again this morning, as a friend posted on social media, the past two days of their life... further inundated with bad news and a rough start to the new year. Friends posted that at least all the bad things were happening at the beginning, but as we're barely one day in to the new year, it's hard not to consider... no, we're not getting all the bad out at the beginning.

It's highly likely and probable that there will be many more in the 364 remaining days of 2018.

But, perhaps as a part 2 continuation of yesterday's thoughts, it's one thing when we can control our attitudes and responses to the circumstances and situations that happen to us directly; but it's somewhat hard when we watching it happen to others and we are faced with how to encourage and help them respond, whether they be our child of a few years or a friend of many years.

We all have "stuff" going on in our lives and the moments that serve to remind us that others have their struggles as well and need us, give us opportunity to set ourselves aside and share life with those around us. It's hard to do at times, even for those in ministry. Having to do it more often because of their position doesn't make the process any easier.

Thus, on this #associatePastorTuesday, pray for pastors, as they continue to serve others and play aside their own challenges and difficulties to help others. May God grant them strength and insight as they help others through their struggles. Pray they would be refreshed as they refresh others. May God move in their hearts and lives as they take time to invest in helping meet the needs and concerns of others. Pray they would not grow weary in well-doing, but that the Holy Spirit would be their sustenance throughout this entire year and whatever may come there way.

That we would live to serve.
God. And Others.
In humility and honesty,
In spirit and truth.
For we are never alone.
Thanks be unto God.

- PNC

Happy New Year!!

I'm not sure that there are many who are not among those balancing the joys of 2017 along with the insurmountable challenges as 2018 begins and those circumstance carry over. And while a new day and a new year certainly usher in a sense of excitement and enthusiasm to one's life, circumstances and realizations can quickly induce a sense of concern and worry which quickly puts a damper on one's spirits.

Personal matters, relational struggles and ministry problems...such moments and more can turn a glorious New Year's Day into just another manic Monday.

And yet social media posts have been flooded with the verse from Isaiah 43.

Behold, I am doing a new thing...

While I hadn't planned on inserting that verse in this post, I can attest that the sentiment certainly resonates. The battles and struggles may carry over and that's okay, for God is still in control, still leading the way and still protecting by His strong right hand.

Whatever the challenges, whatever the resolutions, whatever is being carried over or starting afresh, the first and best step that can be taken is a renewed trust in God's will and His ways.

Though we are tested daily regardless of the calendar, He can be trusted daily, regardless of circumstance.

On this New Year's #seniorPastorMonday, pray for those struggling with the ongoing challenges that have entered into 2018. May God give them insight to handle them, strength to endure and provision rise to above. Pray for those facing defeat and desperation, rather than excitement and enthusiasm. May their be a spiritual shift in their perspective and outlook; transformed by the God's Word and their mind renewed by His truth.

May 2018 indeed by a year of new beginnings.
That God would continue the miraculous
In the lives of those dedicated and devoted to His call.
A testament to His glory and faithfulness.
Even when the prospect of both today and tomorrow is dim.
May we see life through eyes of His grace and glory

- PNC