By the time my kids begin to venture away from home (which isn’t too far off) I hope I’ve laid a foundation for them to:

1. Stay connected to God moment by moment – if they know how to listen to God and respond to what he tells them, they will be living a life that bears much fruit (John 15) and one filled with peace (John 14:25-27).

2. Stay connected to God’s words – they live in a world that is full of brokenness and hurt.  But, God’s words are true and he will protect them (John 17:15-17)

3. Stay connected to God’s family – they need brothers and sisters (outside of our home) who they can talk to and who bring health and healing into their lives (James 5:16)

Gallop did a survey of 80,000 managers in hundreds of companies to find out that really there are 12 questions that determine the strength of your working environment.  And really out of those 12, there are really 2 pivotal questions :

1. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

2. Do I have a best friend at work?

When you think about it, working in the zone of your strengths and having a strong friendship while you’re ‘in the zone’ really does make a huge difference. 

Here’s the link to the 12 questions.

Someone at Gateway had the great idea that as the professional football season winds down and sports bars are looking for patrons, why not host church in a bar on Sunday morning? We’re combining the streaming technology of Gateway’s internet campus with the relational connection of our Network Teams and the plasma screens of sports bars in downtown Austin and Round Rock. Who would have thought about that combination?

Just realized that life passed me by this month and I didn’t take time to do any posts. I guess that’s what happens when you go away for 2 months during the Summer and have to catch back up. I must slow down next month and process what I’m learning.

Even though God was giving David a land for Israel, he had to fight for it. At one point, even David “became exhausted.” He had to rely on those around him to be in the battle with him. “Abishai came to David’s rescue.” (2 Sam. 21:15-17).

Lately, it seems I’ve been fighting a lot of spiritual battles. Satan’s having a field-day attacking at multiple fronts. In the midst of the battles, I’ve been reminded that I’m not alone. There are others fighting right along side me. Together we’re going to win!

In Ken Blanchard’s book Raving Fans, he talks about setting the realistic goal of improving 1% per week. So if you’re trying to help people connect into your organization, how can you connect 1% more people this week than last week? If you’re focused on improving quality, improve it 1% this week, 1% the next week, and 1% the week after that…

If you improve 1% a week for an entire year, you’ll have improved 50% over the next 12 months!

Today I flew from Dallas to Colorado Springs and sat next to Will who was just returning from 6 month Army deployment in Afghanistan.  Basically, he’s been living in a hole in the ground in the mountains while manning an artillery post.  It was great to see the respect and thanks people directed toward him as they walked past him on the plane.  As we talked, our conversation turned to spiritual things.  He talked about whatever he and his troops do for church is pretty much what they put together on their own.  Since Gateway’s launching an internet venue next month, he’s going to try to connect from Afghanistan when he returns in 2 weeks so we can interact online.  Gateway Afghanistan??? Pretty cool how small the world is getting.  He can be on the front-lines of battle and connect to church out of Austin, Texas.

On a different note, he’d been travelling for 6 days to get home to see his fiancé who he hadn’t seen in 6 months.  When we arrived in Colorado Springs, he wouldn’t let me get a taxi, but drove me to my hotel.  Not only does he protect our freedom, but continues to serve people even when back home.  Thanks Will!

There is something about looking thru old pictures that ministers to my soul.  Recently while on a long trip to Korea, I let my MacBook cycle thru pictures I’d taken with my iPhone. I was reminded of the weekend my son and I had together when he traded in his pacifier for a Tonka truck.  That weekend was filled with sadness and joy.  I saw the picture of my daughter graduating from kindergarten.  A reminder that she’s growing up.  There were photos of the date-nights my wife and I shared at many of Austin’s fine eating establishments.  What fun it is to enjoy great food with your best friend.

Thank you God for creating our minds in an incredible way to allow pictures to trigger memories, feelings, and emotions that we can carry with us wherever we go.