The Ticket - An "Open for Business" Tool

It's time to "reach out" with a ticket and invite people to the upcoming Saturday Night LIVE (Dad's Edition).

I got the idea recently while praying. Something as simple as a "free" ticket can be an "Open for Business" tool.

Get from the HUB or Connect Table on a Sunday.

I am really looking forward to this opportunity to honour the men and dads this Father's Day Weekend.

Just Walk Across the Road... or Room ... or Street

I have been blogging in recent days about this week's REACH and Just Walk Across the Room focus ... and getting us ready for a new season of inviting. Spring is coming!


If you missed the post I did on Saturday with Steve Penny it's worth catching up on here.


It's as simple as Just Walking Across the Road... or Room ... or Street... or picking up the phone.


Off you go!

A Meeting in Hell

Janet S sent this through by email recently.

Very interesting.

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,
"We can't keep Christians from going to church."
"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."
"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Saviour."
"Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.."
"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:
"Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."
"Keep them from spending time with their children."
"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."
"Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive."
"To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."
"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."
"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
"Invade their driving moments with billboards."
"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.."
"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives..."
"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."
"Give them headaches too! "
"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."
"That will fragment their families quickly!"
"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."
"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."
"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."
"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead."
"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. "
"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus."

"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."
"It will work!"
"It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there, having little time for their God or their families.

Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?
You be the judge!!!!!

Thoughts??

Crossing the Witness Line - Steve Penny

We have been speaking recently about being "Open for Business."

We did some intense training, preaching and inspiring about reaching out to others in our Just Walk Across the Room series in February 2009.

I read this great post this week from Steve Penny. Here it is... and it's work checking out... all the way to the end.

Enjoy!!!!

Some time ago Marion and I had the privilege of visiting Israel. I was fascinated with the Holy Land as place after place gave new meaning to the scriptures I have read since a child.
One of the most fascinating scenes was the valley in which David fought the Philistine giant – Goliath. It was so interesting to see the size of the valley and the distance David had to run to actually engage the giant in battle.

Contrast this to earlier that day when David arrived at the battle scene, only to watch his brothers and Sauls’s army flee from the fight whenever Goliath roared in defiance.

I have been very challenged of late in regard to giving in – on the witness front.
I can identify with David’s brothers who had been in the battle fray for some time. They knew the strength of opposition and the defiant nature of the brutal giant opposing them.
In other words they had been intimidated by their enemy.

David arrives and suggests that God can break through and give them a huge victory. When challenged he responds with the classic line, ” Is there not a cause worth fighting for?”

I suggest that the witness line must be crossed in absolute boldness – with a do or die attitude – to see great results.

To back away every time someone says they are not interested in religious matters, is to run from the battle at the first sound of defiance.

David was not concerned about protecting his reputation or his standing in the community. He knew that the armies of God were being challenged and that this position had to be reversed.
Sometimes when the situation regarding your witness seems to be going against you – it is time to raise the stakes and cross the line and go on all out attack.

In the book I read – God wins, and so I suggest we raise the stakes and start to run toward some of these arrogant opposers who so easily belittle our Christian faith. Not in an angry or violent physical manner but with the most lethal of all spiritual weapons – the love of God.

There is no force created that can withstand the power of God’s love. Go for it. Invade someone’s space with unqualified love and watch them melt before the presence of God. Talk to them with genuine God kind of love – and it will stop them in their tracks – like a stone to the forehead.

However in order to get close enough to unleash God’s love, you must boldly cross the witness line to engage those still lost on the battlefront of life.

What are you doing this public holiday Wednesday?

Are You Open For Business?

Are You Open For Business?

Here is a reminder about this great day could be for you … and for us as a church.
It next Wednesday 12 August. It's a public holiday!

Next Wednesday 12 August can be all about being “open for business,” and “Brian” and “being led by God’s Spirit,” and “just walking across the street,” and “just picking up the phone. ”

I am inspired by this quote:

“What if redirecting a person’s forever really is as simple as walking across a room”
Bill Hybels, JWAR [p.22]

"Are You Going to Be OK?" - Easter Sunday 2009

Just signed off on our Easter 2009 artwork with the printers.

This concept was a stretch for the planning team.... we really had to dig deep to think like newcomers and people we are wanting to reach with some stinkin' awesome great news!

I am very excited about this new "Are You Going to Be OK?" series - 4 impacting presentations that will be so easy to invite your friends to.

Just Walk Across the Room - Grander Vision Living

Tracy showed us this picture recently as part of the Grander Vision Living message of the JWAR series. Funny as!!


Big Idea - You Can't Take it With You!


You can read the message summary posts here and here.


Well worth a read.


I like this bit....


Developing friends, sharing your story, sharing God’s story aren’t just another thing on your to-do list.. Grander vision living infiltrates your entire to-do list.

Cocoon-Buster!

The under 9 Redbacks are another cocoon-busting strategy!

We have been made aware recently in our JWAR journey that we must develop strategies to move from being "cocooners" to "connectors."

I joined up our son last week for a season of football ("the world game" version) - and this decision will be a mix of fitness, social development, quality time, living his dad's legacy... and a whole lot of JWAR activity.

Can't wait to meet all these boys - and their families - and their networks!

I am about to make some new friends!

The Power of Story... Shhhhh

Nick and Wayne used this clip this morning to great effect.

They were illustrating a great point as part of the Just Walk Across the Room series.

Just Walk Across the Room - Living in 3D

I really enjoyed preaching the message Living in 3D on Sunday. Kind of like my approach to life....... 3D's

And then last night at our campaign small group we watched Bill and then the closing video summary clip - powerful stuff. Something clicked in our group.

Here is the media clip below.



What happened in your campaign small group?

Here are the 3 main points about Living in 3D....

Just Walk Across the Room - Robbery Reflection

I received a police report about a robbery in my suburb last weekend. It is a bit scary… but more about that in a moment.

My mind and spirit have been impacted by the following statements that I have heard and read during this JWAR campaign. Check out some of these.

The key is this: fundamentally, being walk-across-the-room people means that we walk when the Spirit tells us to walk and we don’t walk when the Spirit says not to walk. That’s what makes this thing dynamic and mystical and out of your control … and out of mine.

“If we would all do just the small thing that we can do, we would touch a lot more lives!”

If you’ve submitted your life to Christ but wonder why you’re not just rocketing ahead in your spiritual development or your spiritual maturity, could it be that, for too long now, you have clung to your Circles of Comfort, refusing even to glance toward that Zone of the Unknown, let alone take a walk into it?

Now… back to the police report I was talking about. Here it is.


14.02.09
Armed robbery, Springfield: Police are seeking public assistance regarding a robbery at the Something Fishy shop on Spingfield Lakes Boulevard last evening. Around 8.40pm two men dressed in high visibility jackets and with white towels covering their heads and faces approached four staff from the car park of the take-away shop. The two disguised men produced large knives and demanded cash. One staff member produced a bag of money which one of the men grabbed and the money from the bag fell to the ground. The men ran away with only a small amount of money. One staff member received a minor injury as a result. Police continue to investigate this matter.


This fish shop is where I get my favourite potato scallops from. Noela lets me put Westlife events brochures on her counter. I saw Noela in my street recently. Her daughter goes to daycare in a house in my street. She is a very cheerful person – and she knows my name too.

Noela’s shop was robbed.

On Monday I had to get some ice from the IGA. I was in a hurry and there was a storm bucketing rain down. As I ran I saw Noela fixing a sign in her shop. I kept running towards the car… and then in a split second I thought of the police report and then I thought of Noela and her staff.

“It won’t take long!”

So I turned around and ran to the fish shop.

I had an interaction with Noela where I acknowledged the robbery, she told me some of the scary details…. I talked about trauma counselling and talking to someone. She agreed that it would be a good thing to do. She was very teary… it was quite moving. And then I told her that I would be praying for her. It must be tough in her situation.

All up 2 minutes…. Priceless!!!

And I feel alive!!

Back to the teaching……..

“….being walk-across-the-room people means that we walk when the Spirit tells us to walk and we don’t walk when the Spirit says not to walk. That’s what makes this thing dynamic and mystical and out of your control … and out of mine.”

If you are "open for business" today I am sure God will use you.

Priceless!!!

Just Walk Across the Room - Reflections

The JWAR 4-week campaign has just started - and so has the reflection - and the action!


Tracy has started on her blog with this great post called, "I’m nothing like a pyramid scheme salesman." Check it out here! And I love the picture she put with the post!


And we are starting to compile reflections for a weekly JWAR email reflection - so watch your email inbox.


I have been reflecting on this journey.... and it started with me in 2008. I was looking back and reflecting on my JWAR and "reach" journey.


I did this post with a video in Dec 2009 called, "How much do you have to hate somebody not to tell them about Jesus?" You can read it here.


A bit heavy - but gee, it gets to the point!

Man Fell in a Hole

We showed this clip at the end of the first JWAR message today.

What a powerful media message!!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ..........
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:1,4,5 (NIV)

Just Walk Across the Room - Single Greatest Gift

I am really looking forward to the Celebration this morning. We start a new series called Just Walk Across the Room.

I have mentioned it before here.

Here is the opening slide if you you want to "get the heads up" now.

See you at 9.58am - or 9.20am if you are "an investor!"

PS - a new series always means new people visiting the House - yes!!!

Just a Walk Across the Room

Seriously, something very powerful is brewing in our lives
- and it is about to be unleashed!

We are raising the risk in the ministry at Westlife in quarter 1.

Better keep watching this space!