GlocalNet

My son, Ben, likes to start companies!  Here is his latest.  It’s a brilliant idea.  Wish something like this would have existed when I started out!  It still isn’t too late - I’m going to be signing up.

What I’m curious about is how did he come up with the idea?  DId he forget something for his new wife Ashley - and said “never again?” 
http://www.GivingHusband.com is a free service dedicated to providing the tools husbands need to make their wives feel special. Through the http://www.GivingHusband.com Giving Guide we are able to help husbands pick out gifts, and plan special evenings for their wives so they might feel loved and appreciated.
Here’s how it works:

1. Husband creates a login name and password which includes his wife’s email

2. Wife receives auto email which asks her to finish the profile her husband started

3. Wife finishes profile and an email is sent to the husband so that he can immediately begin buying her gifts, and planning special evenings

http://www.GivingHusband.com is like a registry which stores important information needed to buy a surprise gift for your wife. We make sure a husband doesn’t have to blow his cover to buy his wife a surprise by asking her what her ring size is, or if she prefers blue to orange.

Ed Stetzer blogged about us last night.  You can read it here.

Today is the first day of the blog tour for Real Time Connections.  I’ll post links here when they come available to read what others are saying about Bob and NorthWood.
This is the first link!

I remember a few years ago reading a book that spoke of the top ten churches of the 70’s, then the 80’s, then the 90’s and what was interesting - it was always a different list.  Rarely would a church go from one decade to the next.  The primary indicator obviously was attendance.  NorthWood has never been one of the “top ten” but it has consistently been an innovator and developer of emerging ideas.  I’m often asked why we didn’t get stuck, labeled, or stop along the way.  Here’s why:

1.  We’ve known our uniqueness and our call.  Our uniqueness was not a method, strategy, or style of ministry - but it was our T-life - our concept of personal/corporate worship, community through relationships, and glocal impact or missions.  We’ve always focused our church on those 3 things as being the core.  Tom Wolf helped me understand that.

2.  We took a long-term view of ministry.  We didn’t jump at every fad, trend, or new idea that came along.  We knew who we were, if in a primitive way, and stayed true to that.  I have had lots of friends jump on the different bandwagons or methodologies of church growth.  When you do that, you’re always looking for the next big thing.  Nothing wrong with learning from every church - but you must know who you are.  This may come as a shock, but sometimes the “down” times were the best times.  They caused you to look deep, codify who you were and make hard choices.  Planting churches out of our church did not grow our local church, it cost us in money, members, etc., but what it did do, it caused us to move to a different metric of who we counted - not just the people in our church, but congregations outside our church.  By being a “missionary” or “church planting church” church we actually impacted the kingdom 10x more than we ever could have in a single church - but we had to see all the people reached outside our 4 walls in our metrics to see that.  Rick Warren helped me understand that. 

3.  Read cross-disciplinary.  Most preachers either read church growth books or doctrine books - a few read both.  Even fewer pastors read about history, science, culture, business, education, and literature - on a regular basis.  Reading about electronic networks has had a …

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I had a blast yesterday with this guy!  One of our elders, Ken Schilling, is a CPA and has a client who does hunting and fishing shows all over the world, for many different networks and broadcasts.  You can google him - his name is Colorado Buck.  He was telling Ken something about wanting to go to Vietnam and do some work and Ken told him about what we do there, how our members use their job to do different things there.  He will go into places people never think of to hunt.  He has some really good ideas about what he wants to do.  We are going to help him connect with the different people in Vietnam to help it happen.  What blew him away was the idea that his job was his ministry and could be used to tell the good news of Jesus.  He said, “This is wild, I see how this could be used to spread Christ all over the world!”  Yeah - you bet.  He got his own personal lecture of how all of us are to be disciples engaging society to fulfill the call of Jesus - he had just never thought of it in those terms.  I took him on a tour of our building and was showing him all the art - I told him - “You bring us back some big trophies and we’ll stick ‘em up on these walls with those paintings!”  He replied, “Man, now you’re talkin’, I can get excited about that!”  What a narrow view we have of fulfilling the Great Commission.  I even got excited! Sunday when preaching I shared how I can’t stand golf - it’s just too slow - but that I’d love to have a “hunting” ministry!!!  People were laughing - the next day I meet with Colorado!  Time to dust off the 12 gauge!  What other people, if they just thought about it, could see the kingdom unleashed by using their jobs in ways no one else could ever do?  Release the Church - that is what we are trying to do.

If politically you don’t need to meet with the Dali Lama for various reasons we don’t all know - you have to make that call.  That’s why we have a President.  But to meet with someone, and treat them with disrespect like that - I’m disappointed.  As one who prays for you, and believes in you - though not always agreeing with you - you disappointed many me.

The greatest Christian I ever knew was a man named C.U. Callihan who lived to be 83.  My brothers and sisters grew up thinking he was our grandfather.  He was a single old bachelor and a tank driver during World War II who was a drunk but became a Christian.  His whole life changed.  Though he was of meager means, he had come from a wealthy family and he blew all he had on alcohol.  He lived in a small house and would welcome everyone.  Only, when African Americans came to see him to mow his yard or whatever, they would come to the back door.  One day, he was convicted that this practice was wrong - and told them to start coming to the front door.  As a little, fat, white boy hearing that story had a huge impact on me.  He was teaching me dignity and respect for every human being.  Another time I remember in Beaumont, Texas, a poor old African American lady had gone to the back of the store to get all the rotten produce to take home for her family.  Walking out front she stumbled and fell with all the rotten food spilling out.  People were just staring, and smirking - but my dad looked and me and my brother and said, “Come on boys - let’s help the lady.” 

I pastor a church where many African Americans come - they come through the same door everyone else comes in.  You broke my heart, Mr. President.  Our country has come a long way - we now have an African American President; You.  Many in my congregation helped put you there.  Never in a million years would I expect the indignity of how African Americans were treated in our country to be emulated by our first African American President by showing someone the back door.  When the cameras caught it happening, what was the response of the …

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Moses did what he did because he was balanced and he balanced everything before taking a single step.  True or False

Paul was the most balanced man in the New Testament since he was such an incredible theologian.  True or False

Hosea was the most balanced prophet in the Old Testament that’s why he married a prostitute.  True or False

The reason God made the covenant with Abraham at 75 and then gave him a son at 100 is everything had to be balanced first.  True or false

Effectiveness in the Kingdom of God does not come from balance but from obedience.  And in each of the above narratives there was a sense of extreme behavior that did not match the moment in human terms. 

The greatest stories of the Bible were about people living on the edge of something that humanly was so impossible people often wouldn’t take them seriously. 

Some of the men used by God were impulsive, had tempers, even failed morally, but there was a sense of their ability to read moments and hear God’s voice and they would act and incredible things would happen for them and those to follow them. 

I’m not saying we should ignore things.  You should be a great Dad and Mom and spouse and worker and all of that . . . . You live your life in such a way that you are always growing . . . . But you don’t limit your life by your “strategic plan”.  I do one every year, but I’m ready for whatever God wants to do.  I start each day in prayer and Bible reflection.  When I finish, I generally pray something like, “Father, help me recognize people, circumstances and events that you put in my way to accomplish your will today.  Your life is more than a plan; it’s an adventure, a journey, a response to God at work all around you. 

Soooooo, how do you recognize God in your daily life when he comes crashing in from a distraction?

1.  Start your day in prayer and worship with God.  I open my heart, mind, hands, feet - whatever to glorify God in all that I do.  I pray over the things I have to do in the day and commit them to God.  I look at what’s going on and ask what will give the greatest …

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Where is that?  Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa!  I’m upset though - it never snows in Texas and I’ve missed both snow storms and I’m a little kid when it comes to snow.  I spoke to Nikki on the phone and told her to build a snowman - so she built a snow woman!  I’m so proud of her. 

Valentine’s Day at NorthWood Sunday was a blast - you can go to northwoodchurch.org and listen to the service online or watch it either way.  Glad I was home to preach - but then I crashed! 
My trip was incredible - the man in the green shirt is Dion Rober’ - he’s the pastor of the largest church in the country - and one of the largest in the world.  Last year their goal was 200,000 in cells - they missed it by 10,000 - next year their goal is 300,000!  If only they could be from Texas - what could they do!  This man is an apostle in the fullest sense and meaning of the word.  They plant tons of churches, have thousands of cells, and he is a spiritual Father to so many.  The President of his country came and brought greetings at his event.  He gets domains and society and has merged that with his cells.  They’re biggest project right now is building a hospital that ultimately will cost millions if not billions. 

The other man beside me is Ishmael - and it gets better - that is his “Christian” name given after he became a Christian!  He was an incredible translator.  I preached a message on the Great Commission entitled “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael.”  It went over huge - there are Muslims and Christians in the country and the whole concept of multifaith and spreading the faith in a different way simply went over huge.  I was mobbed by people wanting my email, being asked to speak all over the place.  I met many who had been Muslims and had become Christians and are now pastors.  They told me the multifaith approach is the only way to do it and it allows …

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Get your copy today.  Book signing at NorthWood Church on Sunday, February 21, 10:30 AM & 12:30 PM. 

A few months back, Bob spoke at the LCEF conference about his new book “Real Time Connections” - Now available!

A great interview of one of NorthWood’s members about the Multifaith Weekend.  What a great explanation she gave!

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