Month: April 2013

Today Can Be A Fresh Start

/ John / Leave a comment

I love big moments that signify fresh starts.  New Year’s really is one of my favorite holidays.  Baptisms are one of the best things we do in church.  New socks are amazing and I’m a total sucker for a new journal.  I love fresh starts.

But you don’t need a big moment for a fresh start.  Most of the time, you just need a sunrise.  Each day brings new mercy and each day brings new potential.  Today can be the day you start a workout plan, call the friend you’ve been meaning to, get your finances under control, read the Bible or go back to a long neglected hobby.

So often I’ll wait to make a change in my life until the next big moment.  Or I’ll try to manufacture a big moment.  I don’t need the moment, I need the change!  Same is true for you – don’t put it off.  Start today.  The sun coming up is all the permission you need to start living life differently.

Thank You, Frontline

/ John / Leave a comment

This past weekend was an incredible gift to me and I want to say thank you.  Lon, Will, Mike and Nate were so gracious in asking me to be a part of the worship service this past weekend.  I really appreciate all that Lon said and I’m even more grateful for your kind response as a community.

I honestly feel like I’m the one who should be saying thank you and not the one who should be thanked.  It’s been my privilege to be Frontline’s Teaching Pastor for the last 2.5 years.  I’m grateful for all of your encouragement and grace over that time.  I’m grateful for the faith and courage you have shown in reaching this city for Jesus.  I’m grateful for the ways God has worked in your lives and the changes I’ve seen in so many of you.  I’m grateful for the ways you have loved and cared for one another.  I’m grateful to serve alongside an incredible team.  I’m grateful to call so many of you friends.

As we head into a new chapter as a church, I believe God is going to use all of this for His glory.  Yes, I’ll miss being with you every Sunday and Monday night but I’m confident that God isn’t done using each of us for His purposes in this city.  I’m hopeful for the future and I’m looking forward to all God is going to do.

But for today, I’m grateful to each of you.

Much love,

John

Environment Matters

/ John / Leave a comment

Where I am determines how well I work.

There are certain places that inspire productivity in me and certain places that kill it.  To be more specific, there are certain places that inspire certain kinds of productivity.  I know where I’m most effective at writing a sermon (home office), making phone calls (backyard), answering emails (coffee shop) and meeting with people (office at church).  But I get all kinds of messed up when I try to do the wrong thing in the wrong place.  I can’t write a sermon at church to save my life and I find all kinds of excuses to get distracted if I try to answer emails at home.  Please don’t even get me started on the people who return phone calls from the coffee shop!

Getting in the right environment to get things done may sound silly to you or it might sound like a luxury available only to those who don’t work in the “real world.”  But it’s neither, I promise you.  It’s something worth thinking through so you can get as much out of each day as possible no matter where you work.