AMPED Jr. High Leadership Training Sat. 3/1/08

For those of you who missed the first training on Feb 9 at the church offices here is your next opportunity to attend the required training for all AMPED leaders. This is also for any new leaders joining AMPED. See the details below and email your confirmation of attendance to AMPEDLeaders@gatewaypeople.com. See you Saturday!

Excellent

If you're like me, when you read that word you think of Mr Burns stretching out the sounds as he wrings his bony hands. The meaning of excellent or excellence is something easily forgotten.

I am very excited and more passionate about ministry right now than I have been for a good while. I believe we have been given a huge responsibility with Jr High students and parents trusting us every week when they show up to AMPED. But there have been things that have plagued AMPED ever since I have been a part of it, even as a volunteer.

Have you ever heard the saying that 20% of the people do 80% of the work? Usually the 20% get bitter and burned out and the 80% never think that there is anything to be worried about because they do not operate out of a spirit of excellence; usually because they have never been challenged to have that spirit of excellence.

Let me ask you, Is God excellent? Look at this:

Phil 4:8 Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.NLT

Why do we need to think about these things? I believe one reason is because if we focus on things that are excellent, it will produce a motive and spirit of excellence in us. Operating with a spirit of excellence prevents us from doing it half way, or just "getting by". Ask yourself this, does God do everything with excellence? If He does, why shouldn't we? Especially when it comes to doing His work!

1 Cor 15:58-16:1
58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work , for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
NLT
Gal 6:4-5
4 Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. NLT
Eph 6:6-86 Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. NLT

The only thing we have to worry about is being mediocre. What insures against mediocrity?

Creativity

Excellence

Work ethic

Passion

Commitment

Discipline

If you notice, I put some buzzwords in there. Words that are tossed around so much that they almost lose meaning when they enter our head. Really think about them. Really think about how they affect you and if they have a hold on you. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

I want your life to reflect this, no matter what you do because in all you do, you represent the Almighty. As a pastor, I concern myself with your life and all that it entails. I feel like you have given me that right because you have enlisted yourself and your work in an area of ministry that God has entrusted me with. I want to see you personally live, work, love, minister, everything as if you are doing it directly for the God of the universe. I want to see you soar with eagles and have the blessing of God touch every area of your life. I care about you that much. I really do.

Because I care for you and I also care for Every Jr High student that we have the ability to influence, all of us need to have the same spirit of excellence at AMPED. That means creativity, work ethic, passion, commitment and discipline. If I have been given responsibility for our Jr High students, I have to hear from God concerning this ministry and then be a good steward of what He has told me, what we have been given, and with every leader and student involved. That goes for you too. When you come, I want you to soar with eagles and be challenged by what we do and how we do it. How will we do it? My goal is that we do everything as unto the Lord and with a spirit of excellence.

How does this flesh out? Be committed and responsible. If there is a certain time we need to do something, on time is 5 minutes too late. If there is a task to be carried out, make sure it is done completely. If there is something we can volunteer for, be the first to offer. I really hope you get the picture. We are serving our Lord by serving these students, not Keith and not Kam.

I want you to pray about this and how it affects you. Especially if this makes you upset. If you genuinely seek the heart of God about this and you are still upset with me, maybe AMPED is not the best ministry placement for you. That's okay because I don't want you to get frustrated in ministry. I don't want to keep you from your potential in ministry. But know that AMPED will do all that it does with excellence, because God deserves no less.

I hope that in this blog entry, you have heard my heart. I really want to make an impact for the kingdom when it comes to Jr High students and their families. We cannot operate at our fullest potential without excellence, and if no excellence, we cannot expect God to pick up our slack.

Greatness

It's a great day.

I was praying for you guys this morning. I want to encourage you to "not grow weary in doing good". God has given us a very distinct job, and deep inside we know what it is. I mean personally I know what God wants ME to do. Although I will admit there have been many times I have struggled with that concept. Times in my life, seasons, that I felt I didn't have a clue what my next step was. I felt that when I prayed, He didn't answer me or I could not hear. Now when people tell me that they don't know what they are supposed to do, I can't help but think, "what wakes you up in the morning?" I got that from my good friend Rich. But what are you passionate about? Some of us haven't had passion in our step for a long time. We can remember back when we were passionate about something, but that somehow has been left behind and now we are ironically hungry for passion. We need purpose. I want to be here to help walk you to your passion and purpose and introduce you and see the two of you shake hands and begin down that path that God created for you even before you were born.

That brings me to another thought. Seasons.

You may say, "Keith, I know what I'm passionate about, but this is a weird season for me because the doors I want open are all closed." We all go through seasons where the Lord may have to back us up (insert the beeping noise here) and help us re-evaluate eveything. There is something about the winds of change that can leave us with a cold chill of uncertainty. But if we cover ourselves in the Father's arms and know that he is in charge of ALL of our steps, that faith will keep us warm. Remember, we will always go through seasons, but always keep them in perspective and surrender to the Father to learn what ever we need to, no matter how hard it is or no matter what we have to give up.

Prov 3:11-12
11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,as a father the son he delights in. NIV

All of that leads me to my last thought as I was praying for you this morning. Be sure of the calling He has given you. Don't doubt what you know in your heart. Rest assured God has placed His purpose in you.

2 Peter 1:10
10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. NIV

God is currently doing a great work in all of you. Be prepared for greatness and willing to let it happen to you and through you.

It's a great day.

Boldness: You have it in you!

Each day I come to my office and the enemy tries to fool me into thinking that if I show grace, peace and the Lord's love to others that it makes me soft. WRONG! The Lord wants us to boldly exhibit these traits.
You see, it takes boldness to go into the dark world and illuminate it with what the Lord has deposited in our hearts.
Be transparent.
Be bold.
Be who He designed you to be.

1 Peter 4:10-11, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."