Uncategorized

Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. Seth Godin

This quote is quite convicting.  Am I always willing to experience discomfort to move forward?

One of the things I appreciate about my Pastor is that I have witnessed firsthand the discomfort that he walks through to become the leader that he is.  I have known him for almost 6 years and have always been impressed with the discipline and desire that he has to become a better leader.

Are you willing to pay the price to become the leader that God has designed you to be?

Top 10 reasons to check out Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan.

10.  It has the word ‘musings’ on the cover.

9.  The forward is by Andy Stanley.

8.  Tony admits that he doesn’t know anything about repairing cars and even shares a funny story about his lack of skill.  I identified immediately.

7.  The book challenges you to not get bogged down in the small details but to focus on the big picture and things that will propel you and your organization forward.  I confess that I’ve killed many cockroaches!

6.  The chapters are really short.  Really, really short.

5.  The book covers everything from marketing, web design, staffing, vision, and culture.

4.  There is great insight from other leaders like Pastor Steven Furtick, Craig Groeschel, Mark Batterson, Nelson Searcy, Seth Godin, and Troy Grambling.

3.  You can follow a mid-Western guy’s transition to the dirty south.

2.  You can learn his feelings about country music, sweet tea, and Clemson football.

1.  It challenged me to be a more effective leader and do all that I can so that people far from God can experience life in Christ!

‘There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either in or out. There is no such thing as life in-between.’

Pat Riley

1.  Exciting times… J.R. and Devin should be having a baby any day now.

2.  I had a good time at www.churchplanters.com this week.  It was good to reconnect with some friends and I learned a TON!

3.  I am excited about starting a new workout routine this weekend.

4.  The ‘Let’s Get it On’ series begins this weekend at Freedom.  Trust me when I say you don’t want to miss it!

Since this Sunday will be the end of the ‘We Bare All’ series, this will be the last post in this series of random facts about me.  That doesn’t mean that I won’ share these things periodically, just not in this format.  Enjoy!

1.  I played trumbone for 6 months in 6th grade.  I also bought a guitar in college, which I have never learned to play.

2.  On the 1st day of school in 1st grade, I was embarassed to tell the bus driver to let me off at my stop, which was the first one.  I fell asleep on the bus and was not discovered until the driver was sweeping it out.

3.  My first job was at Ryan’s Steakhouse(Home of the Big Fat Yeast Roll), where I worked in the dishroom.

4.  My first car was a 1983 Chevy Blazer. 

5.  I am the oldest (and wisest!) staff member at Freedom Church.

6.  My mom’s name is Dottie.  Her family calls her Dot.  If you spell Dot backwards, you get Todd.

I can’t believe that I haven’t blogged about this yet.  I guess with Twitter and Facebook, I assumed almost everyone would know.  Here it is:

WE’RE HAVING A GIRL!!!!!

A fool with a plan can outsmart a genius without a plan.  T. Boone Pickens

The reason I love planning is that I feel like I’ve got to do my best to overcome the fact that I’m just an ordinary guy.  However, I know that God desires to use me.  Therefore, I’m willing to work hard to be most effective!  Seems like a simple thought but very true!

This week, Freedom Church begins year 2 of its existence with the kickoff of a series called ‘We Bare All’.

In celebration of this series, I will be sharing random things that you might not know about me every week for the entire series.  Ok…here we go:

1.  I am very OCD.  Things have to be clean and organized.  Otherwise it drives me insane.  I cannot understand how some people can live like they do.

2.  When I was in middle school, I had glasses so thick that my friends called me Kurt Rambis.

3.  I feel unworthy and undeserving of the task of being the Executive Pastor of Freedom Church.

4.  I went to 3 different colleges and had 4 different majors.

5.  My wife is the only woman I have ever kissed.  (Probably because of the glasses!)

The past couple of Sundays at Freedom Church, we have been working our way through Acts 3.  One verse has really caught my attention.  Peter is asking the religious leaders this question, “Why does this surprise you?”

We pray for God to do big things.  Hopefully you pray with boldness and expecting God to do HUGE things.  Yet why are we shocked when God does what we ask. 

Could it be a faith issue? 

What you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you will become by reaching your destination.  Zig Ziglar

Hopefully you have goals, dreams, and aspirations.  Hopefully they are bigger than you are.  Hopefully you are working everyday to accomplish them.

This quote was a reminder to me to enjoy the journey.  I can get so focused on the goal that I lose sight of what is right in front of me.  One of the coolest parts of planting Freedom Church is the opportunity to take this journey with people that I care about.  I am grateful for reminders like this one to enjoy it and not just move on to the next project or big thing.

Tomorrow, I’ll post an additional thought on this quote.