Join us for a free conference!

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NinesCome and join us at FP Carthage for a really cool conference on September 9th…in our auditorium. ?We will be gathering around the computer/video screens for this FREE online leadership conference sponsored by Leadership Network and Catalyst.

Here is the details from the website…

What if you could sit down across your desk with some of the best leaders in today’s church and hear what they would say to you? That’s the idea behind THE NINES.

THE NINES is a free one-day event that will take place totally on-line. It is designed for all church staff members who want to be motivated and stretched in their leadership.

Leadership Network asked some of the church’s greatest communicators: “If
you had nine minutes to talk one-on-one with thousands of church leaders, what is the one thing that you would tell them? The result is a series of passionate and personal messages that will help you and your church navigate into the future.

The format is simple: Nine minute video leadership lessons that can help
multiply your church’s impact. You will be stretched as a leader, and motivated as a church. And you’ll hear a personal word from many of the leaders you know and trust (along with some great new leaders we’ll introduce you to). It all starts at 9:00 a.m. Central time on 09/09/09. We’ll make a day of it. The conference will probably last around nine hours! You can come and go as you please, but hope that you’ll be with us the whole day!

We are encouraging every church staff member in America to attend THE
NINES. Watch it alone, or with your entire staff. It’s free.

Here is the trailer that explains the idea behind the conference…

Sunday Night “Sum Up”–8.23.2009

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Each Sunday night I will be summing up the previous week’s events in a “numbered” list, along with the “sum total” of our attendance for the week…even though “I’m not very good with numbers.”

  1. Yes, I realize it is Monday night…but that’s the kind of speed things seem to be going these days! Can’t seem to catch up!
  2. Taylor had his first two days of 3rd grade on Thursday and Friday…dude, I feel old!
  3. Had a very crazy week trying to get ready for our rollout of our new children’s ministry check-in system. ?Boy, technology is awesome…when it is all set up correctly and working properly!
  4. Jenny’s mom, Gwen, had hip replacement surgery on Thursday and is recovering VERY nicely!
  5. Jenny and Tucker went to be with Grandma Gwen on Thursday and Jenny directed the Children’s Choirs rehearsal on Thursday night…Taylor and I took the opportunity to play some golf (celebrating the first day of school).
  6. Worked pretty much all day until picked Taylor up from school on Friday on our check-in system…thought we were ready. ?Not quite.
  7. Hustled to SGF to see Grandma Gwen and then head to the SGF Cardinals Baseball game with the FP staff.
  8. The boys and I came home on Friday night after the game…so we could be here with the dogs.
  9. We were lazy bums on Saturday morning…pancake breakfast at the crack of noon!
  10. Taylor wanted to go to the new skatepart here in Carthage…it is really pretty suit!
  11. Met some pretty cool kids there that were skating…they were very willing to give me some advise on how to help Taylor learn. ?I was quite surprised, honestly. ?I usually have the exact opposite reaction with “skaters.”
  12. Tucker rode his little bike as well.
  13. Smoked some ribs on the BBQ grill. ?Smoked them with hickory. ?They turned out really well. ?Got my info. from amazingribs.com
  14. Went to church to set up for the check-in on Sunday morning.
  15. Sunday morning check-in was pretty crazy…but I think we had a really good day and it is going to be REALLY nice when we a few weeks under our belt.
  16. We had really good attendence at FPCarthage…297!
  17. Hung out with one of our LifeGroups after church for a pool party/BBQ.
  18. Went back to the skate park and met a guy that is a couple of years younger than I am. ?He is a former skater and was there with his two boys and “knocking the rust off” of the ol’ board. ?The guy was really good…and again, very helpful with Taylor learning to “ollie,” the building block for many tricks, etc.
  19. Busy week, but really good!

Need to keep going?

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Today was William Carey’s birthday. ?He would have been 284. ?He is often called the “father” of the modern missions movement. ?Ran across this info. on Sam Shaw’s blog this evening on my google reader. ?Check out his post here.

I am often reminded of William Carey and the Serampore Mission that he founded in India. ?When I get to feeling pretty low and inadequate in my ministry, I always remember what I learned about him in seminary. ?He must have had the same feelings–only exponentially stronger! What is amazing is that he had no converts for the first 7 years in India! He lost two wives to death. And he lost 19 years of translation work due to a fire. ?After the fire, he wrote “In one short evening the labours of years are consumed. How unsearchable are the ways of God! . . . The Lord has laid me low that I may look more simply to him.” Are you kidding me? That is amazing! Sure wish I could have that kind of faith in the midst of the storms of life. ?He was so convinced that God had called him to reach lost souls that he was never going to give up!

God, give me that same kind of tenacity and drive for the lost in my world!

Louie Giglio Twitter Press Conference

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I really love Louie Giglio’s sense of humor! ?I am a huge fan of Louie…just ask any student that was in my student ministries. ?We seemed to always “luck into” have him be the camp pastor wherever we went–ETBU, Baylor, La Tech, Covenant, and the list goes on. ?I did, however, later on in my youth ministry leadership days decide that I needed to give my students a little more varied diet of communicators at camp and conferences. ?I still loved to go and take students to the Passion conferences over the years as well.

Here is a “very serious” press conference regarding Passion and Twitter. ?Enjoy!