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I want you to come to the pastor’s leadership roundtable that I am hosting August 19, 2010 at Avalon Church. At the last roundtable we discussed How To Grow Your Church In A Bad Economy. We had around 30 pastors and it was very helpful. Many of the pastors asked if we could discuss Church Systems this time, so I would really like for you to come and be my guest. Once again, this event is absolutely free and is a part of the Avalon HOPE Pastor’s Coaching Network. I really believe that you will be encouraged by the fellowship and the roundtable discussions. We will start at 10:00 AM and will end at 12:00 PM. Pastors, staff, and business people are invited.
Here are a few reasons you should plan to attend:

• You will be encouraged and challenged
• You will learn how to set up effective church systems
• You will learn systems that will help break through growth barriers
• You will grow personally in pastoral leadership skills
• You will learn systems to help reach your community more effectively
• You will learn systems that will help maximize your finances and increase giving
• You will learn systems that will take your church to the next level
• You will learn systems to increase evangelism and baptisms in your church
• You will meet new pastors
• Your staff will be challenged and stretched
• You will learn ways to beat the summer slump
• You will love the small group learning environment

I hope to encourage you on August 19th. I know I need some encouraging words! If you plan to attend just send me an e-mail @ ritchie@avalonchurch.net or call my office at (770) 320-7008 and let me know. Please respond and let us know if you are coming. By the way, bring your staff and if you know of any other pastor who could benefit from this please invite them too.

Have a great day!

Ritchie

Have you ever asked, “Where did the time go?” Have you or someone you know ever said, “It seems like it was just yesterday…” I know. Time flies. The older I get the faster it seems to go.

Here is the point. Your most precious commodity is time. You only have so many ticks of the clock before you run out. Make the most of your time. Manage it well. Live for a purpose – for God’s purpose. Do not procrastinate. Don’t wait. Do it now. Pursue the degree. Start the project. Go out with your spouse. Take your kids to the game. Go to church. Serve. Give. Get involved now. Surrender your life to God today. Receive Christ now.

If you wait it could be too late.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16-17 (ESV)

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Hebrews 9:27 (MES)

Ritchie

“D” Gets You A Run

In pick-up basketball, when a man says “give me a run” he is asking you if you will allow him to play on your team for that game. “Give me a run” or “can I get a run?” has nothing to do a digestive disorder or panty hose. It simply means that you want to get in the game.

Pick-up games are not known for their defensive intensity. With the exception of trying to embarrass a man by blocking his shot or fouling a man to try and steal the ball from him defense is way down on the list of priorities in a pick-up game. For most guys getting a prostate exam would rank higher than playing actual defense.

Defense boils down to effort. It is a lot of hard work and is not nearly as sexy as offense. But make no mistake; “D” will get you a run in pick-up games. If you play defense you bring something to the table. A good defensive player is a rarity in playground basketball.

Often the difference between success and failure is pure effort. Work hard. Do not give up or give in. Stay with it. Get there early and stay late. Go the extra mile. If you want to be more successful than anyone else then work harder and smarter than anyone else.

“D” will get you a run.

Ritchie

Ghetto

Recently I went to a fairly ghetto neighborhood to play on an outdoor court. I love playing basketball outdoors. After about an hour lots of people were there and we started playing some games. I was the last guy picked because nobody knew me. I am sure that was the reason. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was the only old white guy there.

After the first game I was no longer referred to by my name but I was called “Dirk.” Actually, it was accompanied by an expletive, but I will not include that. (For those of you unfamiliar with playground basketball etiquette most people are given a nickname. If a curse word can be included it is even better. I was given the name “Dirk” not because they mistook me for a porn star but because Dirk Nowitzki is a white guy who plays in the NBA.)

My point? Looks are not everything. You can’t judge a book by its cover. OK, ignore that last sentence because if you are looking for a book on auto mechanics you probably can make a judgment call on a book that has a picture of Rachel Ray cooking on the front cover. My leadership lesson is that you need to value substance over style. Many pastors make the mistake of thinking that if a church has a cool music program with lights, sparkles, and dancing pandas that your church will automatically grow. Or they think that putting the words “contemporary music” or “relevant teaching” on their website means that they will explode in growth even though their idea of “contemporary” means singing choruses from the 80’s or “relevant teaching” somehow involves a fat dude in jeans sitting on a stool.

Even playground basketball has to have fundamentals to win: shooting, passing, dribbling, rebounding, and defense. Church growth and making disciples still involves the fundamentals. No matter what your “style” is you still have to do the fundamentals well. Nobody ever won a game just because they looked good.

“Dirk.”

Trash Talk

Recently I walked into the gym and I was the 10th guy there. This allowed us to play a real game of full court basketball. Most everybody was already sweaty and smelly.

The guy that got stuck guarding me was in his early twenties and he was very verbal about how he felt about his defensive assignment. He kept saying that he did not want to guard me because “he wanted a workout.” I got the message. Through his trash talk he was telling me that he was so much better than I was that he would not even break a sweat, even though he smelled disgusting already. Years ago I would have joined in on the trash talk but at my age it is better to keep your mouth shut because you could be embarrassed.

Imagine my delight as scored on him the first five times I touched the ball. I scored inside twice, midrange twice, and capped it with a three-pointer. I also got several rebounds. He never scored during the three games in a row that my team won. Each time I scored I said nothing. He got the message loud and clear. By the third game when I came off a screen and caught the ball for an open shot he yelled, “Don’t leave that old man open. He can shoot!”

I know you can’t see me but I am smiling as I write this. It gives me a warm feeling to know that I crushed and humiliated my opponent, which is probably getting off the point I am actually trying to make but still…I just saying.

I think many pastors and leaders have the trash talk syndrome. I understand it because I have done my share of trash talking. It seems to me that pastors struggle with self-worth and value more than any group I know. My actual point (all blustering and bragging aside) is that trash talk has no place in the life of a Christian leader or pastor. Posturing, lying about numbers, and pretending to be something you are not has never won a single game (or soul in this case).

In Proverbs 27:2 Solomon said, “Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips.

See, God does not like trash talkers either.

Ritchie

One On One

One of the frustrating things about playing pick-up basketball is that a lot of guys totally ignore their teammates and try to go “one-on-one” all the time. They are Lone Rangers. They think they do not need anybody else. Either that or they have no concept of actual basketball. Simply put, you can’t win by yourself. The game of basketball is designed as a team sport.

A lot of Christians try this approach to Christianity. They think they don’t need the Church or other Christians. Wrong! It does not work that way. God designed the Christian life as a team sport. You need others no matter how good you are. Michael Jordan would never have won a single championship by himself.

Many leaders (especially pastors) also make this mistake. They try to do it all by themselves. If you study the Bible you will learn that God did not call pastors to do that. We must lead by equipping, delegating, training, and giving away. Whether or not you can afford full-time staff you have to live this way.

God does not like “one-on-one” players either.

Ritchie

If you have heard me speak more than a few times then you know that I love basketball. In my opinion it is the greatest game ever. You probably also know that I played in high school and also in college (at a small Bible college). In other words, even though I was never really very good, I thought I was. The older I get the better I was. I am a legend in my own mind. You get the picture.

I played in leagues up until about 8 or 9 years ago. I quit playing for several years mainly because I got too fat to play. Fortunately I have lost about 60 pounds so about three months ago I decided to start playing again. It took a while but I am starting to get back the rhythm and love for the game.

I only play pick-up games. I am not in a league. Being 45 years old, I am normally the oldest guy on the court. Most of the guys I play with are between 18 and 25 years old. Over the next few days I will give some leadership lessons from my observations on the court.

Ball Hogs.

In pick-up or playground basketball there are not many people who like to share the ball. It is normally a free-for-all where the man with the ball dribbles around for a while and then launches up a three-point shot that is completely out of his range. One of the reasons I am able to play with some of these young guys is that I am willing to share the ball. I actually pass the ball to the open man, use the pick-and-roll, make assists, drop a dime, etc. (That last reference actually proves beyond a reasonable doubt that I have played basketball…or at least watched ESPN)

My point is that nobody likes a ball hog. If you are going to be an effective leader you have to learn to share the ball, share the glory, and heap copious (fancy word proving beyond a reasonable doubt that I have an advanced education…or at least that I have watched the O’Reilly Factor) amounts of praise.

Don’t be a ball hog. Share the glory. Give an assist occasionally and it will prolong your ability to stay in the game.

Ritchie

Leadership Lesson # 5 - He left a legacy

In Joshua 14 it tells us that Caleb built something that lasted for many generations. His character and legacy affected his descendants for a long, long time. He left a legacy.

Each day you and I are creating a legacy with our faith, actions, and obedience. What will your legacy be? How will it affect those who come after you? Are you helping people follow Jesus?

Ritchie

Lesson # 4 - He had a God-sized goal

Caleb was 85 when he said, “I want that mountain.” If you read Joshua 14 you find out that he was ready to take on the giants of the land. He was ready for a fight! I love this guy! He had a big, hairy, audacious, God-sized goal when most people were thinking about pudding, stool softeners, and getting to bed at 4:00 in the afternoon. Not this man. He was s stud. He said that he could fight as well at 85 as he could at 40. Do I believe that he could? No! But the point is that this man had a big-time vision. It infected everyone around him. Vision, boldness, and faith are contagious.

God, please give me that kind of vision!

Ritchie

Leadership Lesson # 3 - He fanned the fires of his passion

Caleb was 85 when he finally got the promise fulfilled that he had been waiting for since he was 40. Think about that. He was a victim of circumstances beyond his control. If they had listened to him they would never have had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. He was ready and chomping at the bit, but because of someone else’s decision he had to wait.

Can you imagine how difficult that was? I know people who have been victims of someone else’s bad choices: divorce, affairs, abuse, lay-offs, bad economy, cutbacks, hurts. We must not give us hope! We must continue on and encourage ourselves in the Lord. Keep fanning the flames of passion!

Here are a few ideas how to do that:

• Stay in church.

• Prepare your heart to worship every week.

• Serve somewhere no matter what else you may have to give up.

• Get in a small group.

• Live generously.

• Forgive every time.

• Read the Bible and pray every day.

• Share your faith and invite someone to church.

• Read books that inspire you.

• Feed your soul with conferences, books, podcasts, etc.

• Limit your time with negative people.

• Remember the law of sowing and reaping: if you sow love, joy, kindness, generosity, and helpfulness you will reap that. If you sow stinginess, hate, anger, abuse, crankiness, and venom then you will reap that too.

Ritchie