Sun Stand Still
There are books that you read that have the power to persuade you or inspire you. There are books that you read that can challenge you and cause you to search within. Then there are books that will flat out reshape who you are as individual and when you read a book like that it becomes an instant favorite or a book that you instantly hate because you realize there is a lot that needs to change. When I read Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick who is the pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina I was blown away this book for me became an instant favorite and one that I have in my top 5 books of all time.
The principle of “Sun Stand Still, Steven Furtick challenges you to believe that the audacious faith that we see in the Bible, the faith that caused a man to pray and see the sun stand still in the sky, is the same faith we can claim for ourselves today. This is more than just another book. It’s a call to all of us to begin living the life of audacity God has created and saved us for.”
If you have not read this book you are missing out on the potential to see God do a movement in your life that can only be explained by Him.
Vacation
I am taking a blog vacation. Working on some new ideas and concepts for the blog. Excited to be back and blogging on June 15th.
It’s All About Me…
I know when you read that title you probably thought I was going to really stick it to those people who think the world revolves around them or I was going to hit some pride issues. Nope. Today really is all about me which is very awkward. I had someone say to me the other day, “I really enjoy reading your blog but I still really don’t know what you like or don’t like.” So today is a few lists of things that I like and most likely I will lose some readers because you may not like what I like and may even be offended that I would like that. (There was a lot of “likes” in that sentence.) However, this is who I am. So, here we go.
Top 5 Artists or Bands:
- Nirvana
- Hillsong
- The Beatles
- Eminem
- U2
Top 5 Movies:
- Braveheart
- The Notebook
- Gladiator
- The Breakfast Club
- Dumb & Dumber
Top 5 Books: (The Bible being the exception)
- Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
- Visioneering by Andy Stanley
- Crazy Love by Francis Chan
- Confessions Of A Pastor by Craig Groeschel
- In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
Top 5 T.V. Shows
- Survivor
- Modern Family
- The Office
- Greys Anatomy
- Sportscenter
Top 5 Favorite Real Foods
- Pizza
- BBQ -Ribs & Brisket
- Seafood
- Mexican
- Chinese
Top 5 Favorite Junk Foods
- Doritos
- Oreos
- Candy
- Beef Jerky
- Ice Cream
Favorite Sports Teams:
- NFL- Philadelphia Eagles
- MLB- Philadelphia Phillies
- NBA- Los Angeles Lakers
- NHL- Philadelphia Flyers (To be honest I only watch hockey in the playoffs)
- College Basketball- University of North Carolina
- College Football- University of Southern California
People I’d Like To Meet: (Alive or Dead)
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Steve Jobs
- Chris Farley
- Francis Chan
- Steven Furtick
- Perry Noble
- Nelson Mandela
- Andy Stanley
- John Maxwell
- Bono
- Kobe Bryant
There it is briefly the things I like.
Philadelphia’s Worst Ten List
Was listening on the radio which is always accurate in reporting the facts, and I heard that Philadelphia has been placed on many lists that most major cities would not want to be on. The lists cover such things as: commute times, corruption, pro sports teams, Superfund sites, taxes (both income and sales), unemployment, violent crime and weather. So far Philadelphia is in the top ten or in the top five on 5 lists…2 of them sadly we are number 1. Still looking for facts to back this up on the other most reliable source, the Internet.
- Philadelphia ranked #1 as the fattest city in the U.S.
- One of the most bitter and angry cities to live in due to our sports teams.
- One of the most miserable cities in the U.S. to live in.
- One of the most dangerous cities in the U.S to live in.
- Philadelphia ranked #1 as the ugliest cities in the U.S. to live in.
With all that being said, it is no coincidence that God has placed Fellowship Church right outside of Philly to reach and connect those who are far from God with Him. Those lists may be true but our God is bigger than all of those lists. Share with people your story and the story that God loves them…it just may make a difference.
Poverty Revolution
There is poverty all around us. It affects us whether we realize it or not because sooner or later we are going to choose to do something about it or ignore it and that very action affects us. Social Justice causes have been on my heart more and more which is ironic because I have never really had a heart of compassion. If you get hurt, get up and quit whining. I know this though, I’m not alone, several of you are the same way. In fact if something bad happened in the world, it is easier to throw money at it than to roll up the sleeves and do something about it.
Are you aware of such issues such as, human trafficking, sex trafficking, clean water acts, homelessness, hunger, poverty and fair trade? Half the battle is knowing what is out there, the other half is figuring out what you can do about it. Put your faith into action and do something about it. Look globally, locally and internally. There is poverty all around us if we are willing to look.
Coaching Network
I have had the privilege to be a part of Backstage Leadership since last September and to be honest I didn’t know what to expect. I had never been a part of anything like this but I knew I was passionate about leadership and developing not only myself but taking what I was learning and applying it to my circles of influence.
I have been blown away by the line up of speakers that I have gotten to interview such as: Chuck Colson, Michael Hyatt, Andy Andrews, Carlos Whitaker, Gabe Lyons and Brad Lomenick. Mark Batterson, Dan Cathy, Catherine Rohr, Mike Foster, Ken Blanchard and Francis Chan. The line up is always incredible and challenges me in such areas as; time management, dream casting, social networking, leadership development and family being a priority.
Backstage was started by Greg Darley and has gone from concept into an idea that is transforming young leaders by giving them opportunities to learn from those who have blazed the path before us. I can honestly say I am a different leader and approach leadership differently because of this program and hopefully one day have the opportunity to pour into others like Greg has poured into me.
If your interested in joining Backstage Leadership, check out their website at www.backstageleadership.org
Break/Fast
Don’t know what you call it but I will be taking a ten day break/fast from blogging. Nothing is wrong, I’m just taking a little time off before I launch in December with a 25 days of Christmas blogging marathon. From December 1st to December 25th I plan on blogging everyday about Christmas. Some days will still have church, leadership, students and family content but the focus will be on 25 days of Christmas. I hope it will be fun and engaging for you as you prepare for the Holidays. Over the next ten days my goal is to prepare for the December 1st launch. I will however continue to tweet and you can follow me at twitter.com/ryangeiger
Berlin Wall Anniversary
Twenty years ago yesterday marked the fall of the Berlin Wall and the freedom for the oppressed East Germans. This holds a special place in my heart because I remember watching 20 years ago on our TV as the news came on this image was shown. I remember seeing my dad with tears in his eyes watching intently.
Geiger is my last name and it is German. My dad was born in East Germany in the 50′s and was smuggled across the Berlin Wall when he was five years old and sponsored by a Lutheran Church to come to America. To see the wall come down for my family who is all from East Germany was a monumental event because they remember what it meant to live under a communistic government.
I beleive anytime somebody can move from being held in bondage to experienceing the freedom they were meant to experience it is a good thing. I would not be here today if it had not been for family who fled from East Germany to America. The link between East Germany and my moms side of the family is a crazy story as well which I will share tomorrow.
You can click on the picture to the left and see the difference between the new Germany vs the old Germany. I found it interesting.
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
Catalyst Day 2 Session #2
- 9:38 AM ryangeiger - Dave Ramsey is a best selling author, has a national radio and TV host.
- 9:38 AM ryangeiger - www.daveramsey.com
- 9:38 AM ryangeiger - 13,000 just sang the Beverly Hillbillies theme song
- 9:39 AM ryangeiger - Momentum is an amazing thing. When you have it you look better than you are. When you don’t have momentum, you are better than you look.
- 9:40 AM ryangeiger - Momentum is created. It does not randomly occur.
- 9:43 AM ryangeiger - Telling a story of how he started at a broke radio station and the difficulties he had where he almost quit. But it was in those moments he had to push through.
- 9:43 AM ryangeiger - Momentum is a must have in every area of your life
- 9:45 AM ryangeiger - What is our part in the play?
- 9:46 AM ryangeiger - Pour yourself into your calling or craft
- 9:47 AM ryangeiger - You have a part to play in God’s script
- 9:47 AM ryangeiger - Sometimes we need reminders about where we have come from when we think we have arrived
- 9:48 AM ryangeiger - Focused Intensity, over Time, multiplied by God, equals Unstoppable Momentum!
- 9:48 AM ryangeiger - Focus is an amazing thing in a culture that has none
- 9:49 AM ryangeiger - Do your deal and let God do His deal
- 9:52 AM ryangeiger - What happens when you lose focus? You hear footsteps.
- 9:53 AM ryangeiger - Focus is lost for two reasons: Fear and Greed
- 9:53 AM ryangeiger - Fear is not a fruit of the spirit
- 9:54 AM ryangeiger - Lose focus because you take your eyes off the ball and look to the goal to soon
- 9:55 AM ryangeiger - You can’t run before you catch it…that’s greed
- 9:55 AM ryangeiger - A double minded man is unstable in all his ways…James 1:8
- 9:56 AM ryangeiger - The definition of focus is I can’t see anything except for what I am looking at
- 9:56 AM ryangeiger - Rick Warren calls focus being intentional.
- 9:57 AM ryangeiger - Stephen Covey calls focus being proactive
- 9:57 AM ryangeiger - Pour intensity into things that really matter
- 9:57 AM ryangeiger - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…Ecclesiastes 9:10
- 9:59 AM ryangeiger - What are you intense about?
- 10:00 AM ryangeiger - Intensity causes things to move
- 10:02 AM ryangeiger - If I persist long enough, I will win -Og Mandino
- 10:02 AM ryangeiger - Lack of righteousness takes the energy away from your life
- 10:03 AM ryangeiger - Run the race in such a way as to win the prize- 1 Corinthians 9:24
- 10:06 AM ryangeiger - Figure out the course and stay with the course
- 10:07 AM ryangeiger - The Tortoise wins the race every time.
- 10:08 AM ryangeiger - You and I are finite. God is infinite
- 10:08 AM ryangeiger - He is in charge he carries you in the palm of His hand
- 10:09 AM ryangeiger - Get plugged in to Him as a power source, and your momentum will become unstoppable!
- 10:11 AM ryangeiger - If you think success will happen overnight it wont. If it does happen be very scared that it will fade quickly because it is built on a weak foundation.
- 10:14 AM ryangeiger - If your not doing anything that matters to the Kingdom, Satan won’t notice
- 10:14 AM ryangeiger - Never, Never Quit
