Video of the Week
Excuses. from ruivo! on Vimeo.
So Your Dead, Now What?
I am so pumped about this Sunday as I get to teach on a subject that is so important and carries so much weight but is also so hard to articulate and affects so many. What happens after you die? This week we are tackeling the tough subject of Hell. Join us as we take this two week journey together.
Check out the video on Facebook.
It Came From Within
Our life group started going through It Came From Within by Andy Stanley last night and I was challenged by the verse in Matthew 12:34 that says, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Really? That’s not good to hear because if I’m honest I have become a master at using “filters” in my life and I have become a master of behavior modification. When something happens that comes out of my mouth and I correct it, do I do so because I honestly feel true remorse for it or do I correct it out of fear of my reputation and image? See if I was to be honest I think it would be more out of fear of what others think than what God thinks. Sad isn’t it? Can you relate? How do we change that? I think part of the journey is simply being aware that we do that. I grew up in church most of my life being taught that if I did this or that, I would be looked at as a good “Christian” but the truth is I was never taught to find out what was at the root of the issues, Jesus would say that it is a heart issue. No matter how hard I try to blame my environment or upbring, I must come to the realization that I have sin in my life and my heart is dirty and wicked.
I would love feedback on this as I am on this journey that I didn’t know that I was all of a sudden. I really do want my heart changed instead of adding filters and modifying my behavior.
I love my life group and the journey we take together. I love being challenged by them. As someone who spends a majority of their life pouring into others it is great to be poured into and challenged by my life group. If your not in a life group, you are missing out!
UNITED Promotion
UNITED Promotion from Ryan Geiger on Vimeo.
Dysfunctional Families
While at Catalyst I had the privilege of hearing Reggie Joyner speak about the family and there was a ton of great stuff but there was one quote that stuck in my head more than anything. He said “There are no good pictures of the family in the Bible.” I thought surely he has to be wrong. If the family is so important to God then how in the world does He not give us a picture of a what a good family looks like or at least a somewhat normal one look like?
- Adam’s Family. Started with blame and ended with murder. Adam blamed Eve for eating the apple which I’m sure went over well every night at dinner as Adam got home from work. [Well I wouldn't have had to go to work today if you hadn't eaten the apple...I could be playing with the zebra's naked] Bickering went on which I am sure affected their relationship with their kids. [Mommy why is daddy always naked, he just can't let go of the past.] Eventually the bickering between brothers led to Cain killing his brother Abel.
- Abraham’s family. Abraham pretends that Sarah is his sister and then Abraham gets another woman pregnant. Then one day Abraham says to his son Isaac trust me as he raises a knife to kill him. Serious counseling and trust issues had to occur in that family.
- Jacob’s family. Jacob had 13 kids with 4 different woman. Jerry Springer is looking for Jacob currently for his next episode.
I have looked through the scriptures and found nothing. Not one picture of what the family is supposed to look like. I wonder if it’s because the family is not supposed to look like a specific image? As individuals who make up families we are to look like Christ. That is our ultimate goal. Go ahead and read the Bible and look for a normal family. Trust me when I say it will make your dysfunctional family feel a little bit more normal. Strive to look like Jesus and maybe your family will as well.
Video Of The Week
Hirzberger Events – Digital Wallpaper from Gregor Hofbauer on Vimeo.
Make Your Mark
Everybody has a story and yet not everybody makes a mark. All of us want to be significant and all of us want to make a difference. Sometimes what separates us from being significant and leaving our mark is simply the faith to take a leap.
Doctor Splash at the Catalyst conference did just that by taking a leap of faith and leaving his mark on history in the record books. By jumping 35ft. 9in. into 12 inches of water he left his mark on history.
Captain Splash at Catalyst ’09 from Greg Davis on Vimeo.
Catalyst Day 2 Session #4
- 3:09 PM ryangeiger - First up is an interview with Josh Hamilton who is center fielder for the Texas Rangers…
- 3:11 PM ryangeiger - Baseball phenom…#1 draft pick in 1999
- 3:12 PM ryangeiger - He knew what needed to be first in his life but didn’t know how to do it
- 3:13 PM ryangeiger - Not having Jesus in his life made it easy for him to turn to drugs and alcohol
- 3:16 PM ryangeiger - The verse that he read that changed his live was James 4:7
- 3:18 PM ryangeiger - No matter how many chances you need, God’s grace is enough
- 3:23 PM ryangeiger - Josh Hamilton said he would never change what has happened in his life.
- 3:29 PM ryangeiger - End of interview…Andy is coming up next
- 3:38 PM ryangeiger - www.xp3students.org is a website for student curriculum
- 3:41 PM ryangeiger - This will all be about church leadership
- 3:41 PM ryangeiger - Your church and your church culture should be the healthiest entity in your community
- 3:42 PM ryangeiger - Business should be coming to our church and asking us for direction on to create a healthy culture
- 3:42 PM ryangeiger - Not Sunday’s but Monday-Friday
- 3:43 PM ryangeiger - Everybody should be crystal clear on the commision and the great commandment that fulfills the vision in our church
- 3:45 PM ryangeiger - Your systems and product should be excellent…instead of showing rudeness, laziness and incompetance
- 3:46 PM ryangeiger - If you want to attract healthy, competent, go getting people than you must get these principles or you will run off the healthy ones.
- 3:47 PM ryangeiger - Occasionally, there are gaps between what we expect people to do and what they actually do
- 3:47 PM ryangeiger - Expectations vs. Experience
- 3:48 PM ryangeiger - In the middle between expectations and experience is a gap…what do we put in that gap. Leaders choose that
- 3:48 PM ryangeiger - We choose what goes in those gaps.
- 3:48 PM ryangeiger - We choose to expect the best or assume the worst
- 3:49 PM ryangeiger - Two things make it difficult for us to belive the best
- 3:49 PM ryangeiger - What I see.
- 3:50 PM ryangeiger - You give second rate so I assume the worst
- 3:50 PM ryangeiger - Who I am. Were all afraid of something. Your fears determine how you will work with your team
- 3:51 PM ryangeiger - II. Developing a culture of trust is critical to the health and success of your organization
- 3:56 PM ryangeiger - A. Trust fuels productivity
- 3:58 PM ryangeiger - B. A culture characterized by trust attracts trustworthy people and quickly surfaces those who aren’t
- 3:59 PM ryangeiger - 1. You will never know who you can’t trust until you trust them
- 4:00 PM ryangeiger - The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you might have made a hiring mistake. -Jim Collins, How the Mighty Fall
- 4:02 PM ryangeiger - 2. You will never know who you can trust until you trust them.
- 4:02 PM ryangeiger - 3. Trusting is risky. Refusing to trust is riskier.
- 4:02 PM ryangeiger - Yeah but you don’t know my staff…then you hired the wrong staff
- 4:03 PM ryangeiger - C. Trust enables an organization to move faster
- 4:03 PM ryangeiger - Trusting people will only make a mistake once and then fix it
- 4:05 PM ryangeiger - Communicate as if you beleive the best
- 4:05 PM ryangeiger - AN organization should feel like a healthy family and you still have an ORG chart and a healthy flow.
- 4:05 PM ryangeiger - Teams use trust as currency. If it is in short supply, then the team is poor. If trust abounds, the members of the team have purchase power with each other to access each other’s gifts, talents, energy, creativity, and love. The development of trust, then, becomes a significant leadership strategy. -Reggie Mcneal
- 4:07 PM ryangeiger - Trust is a leadership strategy. What happened that made you feel successful in why you came here to work?
- 4:08 PM ryangeiger - Don’t create unhealthy silos
- 4:08 PM ryangeiger - Silos are not wrong, silos can work together to accomplish the bigger picture
- 4:08 PM ryangeiger - III. Developing a culture of trust begins with the leader.
- 4:09 PM ryangeiger - A. Trust and suspicion are both telegraphed from the leader throughout an entire department or organization.
- 4:10 PM ryangeiger - B. When you can’t choose to trust, you must choose to confront
- 4:10 PM ryangeiger - 1. Concealed suspicion poisions the entire relationship
- 4:10 PM ryangeiger - The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.-Mahatma Gandhi
- 4:12 PM ryangeiger - When we sit on our assumptions, the energy around our lack of trust gets bigger and uglier
- 4:12 PM ryangeiger - Our hearts are like the nasty side of a rock
- 4:13 PM ryangeiger - Must confront you can’t sit on it. Should have confronted the first time because if it builds up it turns ugly
- 4:14 PM ryangeiger - Confront fairly and quickly and refusing to sit on it and allow it to grow and overcommunicate and hurt people unnessarily
- 4:14 PM ryangeiger - Before I assume the worst, ask for the facts
- 4:15 PM ryangeiger - 2. The consequences of confrontation are far less severe than the consequences of concealment.
- 4:15 PM ryangeiger - C. To develop a culture of trust, leaders must be trustworthy
- 4:16 PM ryangeiger - III. Five commtiments
- 4:16 PM ryangeiger - 1. When there is a gap between what I expected and what I experienced, I will believe the best
- 4:17 PM ryangeiger - 2. When other people assume the worst about you, I will come to your defense.
- 4:17 PM ryangeiger - 3. If what I experience begins to erode my trust, I will come directly to you about it.
- 4:18 PM ryangeiger - 4. When I’m convinced I will not be able to deliver on a promise, I will inform you ahead of time.
- 4:18 PM ryangeiger - 5. When you confront me about the gaps I’ve created, I will tell you the truth.
- 4:19 PM ryangeiger - Personal Evaluation:
- 4:19 PM ryangeiger - 1. Are there people in your organization you have a difficult time trusting?
- 4:19 PM ryangeiger - 2. Is it your issue or theirs?
- 4:19 PM ryangeiger - 3. What can you do about your part?
- 4:19 PM ryangeiger - 4. What do you need to address with them about their part?
- 4:19 PM ryangeiger - 5. Who do you sense has a difficult time trusting you?
- 4:19 PM ryangeiger - 6. Why?
- 4:20 PM ryangeiger - 7. What can you do about it?
- 4:22 PM ryangeiger - What do we put in the gap? The gaps are the opportunities to form your culture on your staff.
- 4:24 PM ryangeiger - We are a group of imperfect people who have been chosen for a very important purpose.
- 4:24 PM ryangeiger - Develop the trust, hold on to the trust, cultivate the trust and teach trust to all those who serve with you
- 4:24 PM ryangeiger - Believe the BEST!
Catalyst Day 2 Session #3
- 2:43 PM ryangeiger - Louie Giglio is an author of The Air I Breathe
- 2:43 PM ryangeiger - www.268generation.com
- 2:44 PM ryangeiger - He challenges students all over the world to sell themselves out to Christ
- 2:44 PM ryangeiger - Leadership is about knowing and following Jesus Christ
- 2:45 PM ryangeiger - Jesus is the central character of all that is
- 2:48 PM ryangeiger - On your mark, get set, go…if you are on your mark, where are you going?
- 2:50 PM ryangeiger - We are all going to a common destination
- 2:51 PM ryangeiger - Thomas Merton- Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.
- 2:51 PM ryangeiger - Whatever you are living for is what will shape your heart
- 2:53 PM ryangeiger - Heaven and Jesus are, are common end.
- 3:00 PM ryangeiger - Jesus has the face that has launched a million churches
- 3:00 PM ryangeiger - One day we will stand before the face of Jesus
- 3:05 PM ryangeiger - Jesus is magnificant
- 3:14 PM ryangeiger - Forget what is behind and strain forward to the end
- 3:15 PM ryangeiger - We need the confidence and courage to be the Christ followers we were called to be
- 3:16 PM ryangeiger - The church does not rest on man it rests on God
- 3:21 PM ryangeiger - Leadership is not about getting ahead it already has one…Jesus
- 3:23 PM ryangeiger - Never embarrass Jesus by saying I don’t know if I can do it. He can do whatever he wants through you
- 3:27 PM ryangeiger - Can people see the magnificance of Jesus on our faces?
- 3:27 PM ryangeiger - When they see it they will say I found God on your face. That’s leadership. It’s knowing Jesus and reflecting His face to the world.
Catalyst Day 2 Session #3
- 9:49 AM ryangeiger - Interview #1 Margaret Feinberg is the author of The Secret Echo and The Organic God.
- 9:50 AM ryangeiger - She is passionate about understanding who God is
- 9:51 AM ryangeiger - She wrote her book over the last 10 years
- 9:52 AM ryangeiger - She has learned a lot about God through her own experience with horticulture
- 9:53 AM ryangeiger - Wine is best made through a rocky soil…because it forces the roots deeper
- 9:55 AM ryangeiger - We need to fall back in love with the scripture that we teach not only out of information but out of a passion for who God is
- 10:13 AM ryangeiger - A gentleman who had been sponsored by Compassion his whole life just met his sponsor and everyone just lost it. Emotional what a difference one person can make. This gentleman who was being sponsored now is a believer, studying to be a pastor to go back to his country and now sponsors another child on his own. WOW!
- 10:14 AM ryangeiger - They are singing a song that says we are free to change the world to bring hope to those who do not know so they may know
- 10:14 AM ryangeiger - We are the hands and feet of God
- 10:16 AM ryangeiger - God’s heart is for orphans and He has put that heart in us
- 10:26 AM ryangeiger - Interview with Mac Powell who is the lead singer of Third Day
- 10:27 AM ryangeiger - He has adopted a child recently and he is sharing the process about how it works and he really enjoyed the process
