We can all learn a lot.

So I got this from a friend of mine.

I normally don’t do these kinda things, but I figured I might as well this time around.  It’s on my Facebook wall, and I figured I’d also put it on my blog.  So here goes.

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 16 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

1. Three years ago, I almost went to North Carolina School for the Arts and majored in Film. Thank God they are a fancy art school that wouldn’t accept me. I would’ve missed out on the extremely valuable experiences I’ve had in the last three years and I wouldn’t be blessed with the life-long friendships I’ve developed.

2. I have an unhealthy love for Texas Holdem.

3. I love big cities. I hope to live in many over the course of my life.

4. When I was little, I dreamed of having many simultaneous professions when I grew up. But living in the now, I’ve realized that it is difficult to be very effective when you’re spreading yourself thin. I’m passionate about many aspects of life and living, but choosing the areas to focus my passion in order to be most effective is something I’ve had to come to terms with. I’m getting there .

5. I’m a nerd. I watch Star Wars. I have a huge tub of Star Wars action figures under my bed at home. I was made fun of on the Voice of Truth trip for buying Star Wars action figures from FAO Schwarz in New York City.

6. One passion I’ve focused is Real Estate. For almost two years I have been a licensed Real Estate Agent (or the fancier title is REALTOR ®……. yes, with the “R” for registered beside the title, crazy I know) with Jason Free Realty in Rome. I can sell any property that is currently on the market in Georgia.

7. Another passion I’ve focused is bridging my Creative Passions for Art, Film and Music with Ministry. I am a part of a team of people planting a new church in Rome Georgia called Connect Rome. Our mission is to Make it Simple for People to Connect to God and Each Other. Our goal is to be a organization that engages people who are far from God. We desire for the environments we create to be so irresistible that people WANT to come back. We want people to know it’s about a Relationship with a Father who will love them no matter what and not some rigorous religion filled with pasty traditions. We want to love on the people who are at the end of their rope and show them the love of a Father that can catch them when they fall. We will always preach Jesus, Jesus and more Jesus and we will never water anything down.

8. I love U2. They might be my favorite band of all time.

9. I believe transparency is very important in many aspects of life – Work, Finances and Relationships just to name a few. Think about it…. would we be in half the messes both individually and as a society if we were completely honest with everyone?

10. I use X3 Watch to keep me from looking at things on the internet I shouldn’t. Pornography is a real addiction with real consequences that too many men write off. X3 Watch is an accountability program put out by XXX Church in California. XXX Church targets Porn Stars with the Love of Christ. Visit www.XXXChurch.com for more info.

11. There is a book called “Good to Great” written by a man named Jim Collins. In this book, he discusses how to go from being a good leader to a Great Leader. There is a quote from the book that I have made a conscience effort to try to live by. The quote is simply this – “Spend more time being Interested and less time being Interesting.”

12. I’m in the process of looking for a mentor who is over the age of 40. If you know any potential candidates, let me know.

13. It is sad I know and I am working on it I promise, but Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta Georgia and anything that is related to them is like a drug to me.

14. I have love handles and a huge forehead, both of which piss me off and won’t go away. But, I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that God created me this way for a reason.

15. My family has ties to Jesse James and Donald Trump…. just throwing that out there.

16. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t live in Rome Georgia the rest of my life. There are too many other fascinating locations to experience.

BONUS!
17. Filmmaking (writing, directing and editing) is one of my passions, yet I haven’t seen as many films as most other people. Everyone always asks how I can be a filmmaker if I haven’t seen………………….

……………

18. In the last 10 years, my family and I have driven through 42 of the 50 states. We’re crazy, I know.

19. I was homeschooled from K-12. Try not to hold that against me.

1000 People giving $25 to Transform a City!

Connect Rome is a movement of people trying to Make it Simple for People to Connect to God and Each Other.  We have a desire to see Rome Georgia transformed for good!

People deserve to eat.
Children deserve school supplies and clothes.
Families deserve the opportunity to have a great Christmas.
Marriages deserve to be restored.
And every man, woman and child deserves multiple opportunities to make an informed decision about Jesus Christ.
This takes money.
That’s where you and your friends fit in…

We’re going to raise $25,000 dollars before 2008 ends.  We’re not looking for a few people to give 1000’s of dollars. We are looking for one thousand people to give $25.  God is doing incredible things in Rome, GA.  Would you consider helping play a part?

I need you to do three things.

1) Go Here

2) Consider giving $25.  I know the economy is rough.  Just eat cheap a few days.  Or brew coffee at your house rather than making your morning trip to Starbucks. Make a sacrifice. Invest in the Kingdom. Your donations are tax deductible.  You will get a receipt for your gift.

3) Ask your friends to give.  Send your friends an email or give them a call.  Tell them what we are doing and ask them to consider being a part.  You can post a link to our cause page by copying this link -

https://www.causes.com/fb/donations/new?cause_id=115215&fundraiser_id=18187177&m=e006ddf7

Feel free to post this on your blog, as well.

Thanks friends.  With your support, encouragement, and participation we can show our city how great and awesome our God is!  I am so excited about what he is doing in Rome, GA!!

Updated Website

So we’ve updated the Connect Rome website.  Check it out! It’s not the final website, but it is filled with more information to get everyone up to speed on what we believe God has called us to do in Rome Georgia.

www.ConnectRome.com

Manipulation, no breathing

ma•nip•u•late |məˈnipyəˌlāt|

verb [ trans. ]

1. handle or control (a tool, mechanism, etc.), typically in a skillful manner : he manipulated the dials of the set.• alter, edit, or move (text or data) on a computer.• examine or treat (a part of the body) by feeling or moving it with the hand : a system of healing based on manipulating the ligaments of the spine.

2. control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously : the masses were deceived and manipulated by a tiny group.• alter (data) or present (statistics) so as to mislead.

Have you ever found yourself knowing someone who was good at manipulating people or situations? Maybe they like to make up lies about a person or situation. Maybe it’s a co-worker or boss who sees it is much easier to get what they want and advance quicker if they bend the truth a little or slightly influence someone in a direction they’ve decided is right.  Maybe it’s a potential relationship and you’re tired of waiting for Mr. or Mrs. Right to come along, so you settle for who is Mr. or Mrs. Right Now.  You take control and manipulate someone into potentially liking what they see of you on the outside only to deceive them in the end because you aren’t who they thought you were.  

I feel like my life has encompassed all of these aspects at some point or another.  I Have lied; I Have manipulated people, situations, and family; I have been dishonest about my intentions.  And it’s only in the last 6 months that I’ve really started realizing the gravity of my actions.  Every Single Time I try to selfishly control or manipulate a person or situation, it backfires on me.  Every Time.  

PHILIPPIANS 2:3 says ”Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (emphasis is mine)  

What is the take away from this verse?  What can I learn?  Is simple ambition a bad thing?  Not in any way.  Selfish Ambition is when I try to achieve or accomplish something without first considering others around me.  Do I really know the best way?  Am I being true to both myself and others about my intentions?  Or am I just being selfish by trying to do things the way I want.  That’s what I’ve been trying to chew on and digest over the last couple months.  Am I manipulating relationships, aspects of my work, my family, and other areas I’m unaware of for my own benefit?  

Why is it so hard to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in everything we do? If we would just breathe in the fullness and greatness of God and give him the chance to blow our minds, he’ll prove that he DOES know best in EVERYTHING.  All it takes is that first step. Relinquishing control of our lives.  Unfortunately, that first step is usually the hardest.  

 

P.S.  Connect Rome’s next meeting is August 24th.  We’d love to see you there!  If you’re curious about how the Buy a little more program went, check out Josh’s blog.

Soooo, my last 2 weeks?

They have been CRAZY.  I’ve had two relatives die – a grandmother and great-grandmonther, both whom I’ve been pretty close to growing up. I worked ALL last week at a kids conference in Fort Walton Beach Florida called Breakaway.  I learned a valuable life lesson about grace and I got to experience first hand why it’s SO incredible.  The mere fact that when we screw up beyond all thought of redemption, we are offered the compassion, love and acceptance that we don’t deserve makes me wanna go hug someone or something. 

Then yesterday, we had our first launch team meeting for Connect Rome.  We had about 25 people show up, and others that wanted to but couldn’t.  God has really showed up in the whole launch process, even now when we’re still 6 months out from launching, he makes himself look super huge.  I look forward to the coming months to see what else he might do.  You can follow the whole process on Josh’s blog better than you probably could on mine.  

I’d like to share something that I read on Kristian’s blog this morning.  He was applying this to worship leaders, but it’s applicable to anyone who wants to be a part of adding to the kingdom that Jesus has called us to.  It is John 15:1-8 which says:

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 

If you are actively pursuing God’s calling in your life, these few verses should be your home.  We are called to not only build others up in the Lord, but also to feed our spirit with the principles that are Holy and Righteous.  We are called to be his hands and feet, but how can we when we have trouble walking on our own?  Hmmmmm.  

Visionary Leadership

I am a part of a church plant movement that is launching here in Rome Georgia in January of 2009 called Connect Rome.  Our mission and vision is to create opportunities where it is simple for people to connect to God and each other.  Josh Roberts is our lead pastor.  

I just finished reading an Article at Motivation-tools.com about Visionary Leadership.  One good part I’ll share is the definition of Visionary Leadership vs. Standard Leadership.  

Below are the definitions taken from the website. 

Visionary Leadership increases efficiency by moving decision-making responsibility to the frontline. Efficiency is achieved with limited supervision. To make frontline responsibility effective, leadership must give workers opportunity to develop quality decision-making skills and learn to trust them. Wal-Mart stores use visionary leadership.

Standard leadership assumes employees to be robots and do as they are told. This is based on man’s natural instinct that only leadership is capable of making quality decisions. This is known as command-and-control leadership. Low efficiency is caused by the disconnect between management and the frontline. Management is busy dealing with problems that affect them while ignoring problems that affect the frontline. Front line problems are only dealt with when they explode into a major problem. K-Mart stores use standard leadership.

We have all been a part of an organization that falls under the Standard Leadership umbrella.  It is easy to get worn out or burned out quickly when you are not allowed the freedom to lead in the areas you excel. I tend to think that is the reason why Visionary Leadership has gained so much ground in the last few years. People in leadership positions are starting to catch on to the fact that they can be more efficient in leading their organization by stepping back and allowing the leaders they have raised up to actually lead. 

One thing we hope to do and do well at Connect Rome is to constantly be developing new Visionary Leaders who can be making decisions for the kingdom right on the frontline.  From our Children’s Ministry, our Sunday Morning Programming Team, our Creative Teams, or even our Parking Teams, we hope to raise up men and women who are keenly aware that they are able to and capable of leading people effectively for the kingdom.

Keep a steady eye out on the Connect Rome website.  It is pretty plain right now, but it should develop a new look in the next month or two and it will be jammed packed with all the information you’ll need about who we are, our vision, where we’ll be meeting and when, etc.  You can also check back HERE at my blog or Josh Roberts’ Blog to stay updated.