All In! Living the Mission of God

Hey everybody! This week's episode we are continuing our journey with Jonathan and Sarah. If you missed last week's episode, go back and take a listen! Last week when I interviewed them they had not yet announced to their church or their family that they would be relocating to London, England to plant a church. This week, you're getting front row seats on how their announcement went. You'll also get a more in-depth look at how God worked in their hearts and in their lives to get them to this point. It's an awesome testimony of how faithful God truly is.

If you want to connect with Jonathan and Sarah and keep up with them on this journey, check out their website or follow them on Twitter.

Recommended Reading:

• Saturate by Jeff Vanderstelt

If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. I encourage you to send me your feedback or suggestions for an interview. Help me help you. You can email me at [email protected], or direct message me on Facebook. You can also submit any feedback or questions here. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode.

As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund.

Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!

God is a spiritual cyclone. The way you know he’s pulling you in is that you feel yourself being hurled back out. Going into that cyclone often feels destructive. But that’s only God breaking open the shell of your “seed.” Though painful, it’s a good pain, because out of it comes gospel life. - J.D. Greear, Gaining by Losing

On today's episode, we dive in to one couple's journey of going "all in" and responding to God's call. God T-boned them by calling them out of a fruitful ministry in Nampa, Idaho asking them to move to London to become missionaries. When this interview was recorded, they had not yet gone public with their resignation as pastors, nor did their kids know about it. I'm giving you a sneak peek behind the scenes. You'll hear about the struggles and heartbreak that go along with responding to the call to become missionaries, as well as see how God is preparing and comforting them in this time. Next week, they'll be back to walk us through what it was like going public. Make sure and subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss it.

Resources:

• Tim Keller: It Takes A City to Raise a Child
• Gaining by Losing by J.D. Greear

If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. I encourage you to send me your feedback or suggestions for an interview. Help me help you. You can email me at [email protected], or direct message me on Facebook. You can also submit any feedback or questions here. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode.

As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund.

Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!

Hey everybody! This week is the last episode of the summer schedule. September 14th, we will resume with our weekly podcast episodes. You won't want to miss the upcoming episode. You will get a front row seat of one couple's journey of saying yes to the mission of God. God T-boned them out of the blue, asking them to resign from their successful ministry as local church pastors and move to a particular country and become missionaries. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss it.

In this week's podcast, we explore the lessons that I learned from the life of Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Foursquare Church. Last week I read a book called Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America by Matthew Sutton and it got me thinking about the complex life of Aimee Semple McPherson. Aimee is regularly rated as one of the most influential women in American history and in Christian history. There is no doubt that this woman impacted the world. Here is what I have learned from her:

1. Bringing Glory to Jesus Christ is Job Number One
2. Preaching Salvation and Serving Human Needs Go Hand in Hand
3. We are to be Passionately balanced in the Spirit filled life
4. There is power in the Word of God.
5. The Centrality of Local Churches
6. Training and Releasing New Leaders is Essential for long term success
7. Use all means to reach all people
8. The Glory of God is seen in Jars of Clay.
9. Strong Leaders need Strong Leaders.
10. Boundaries are friends.

Enjoy the show!

Recommended Reading:

• Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America by Matthew Sutton
• Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson, Daniel Mark Epstein.
• Aimee Semple McPherson: Everybody’s Sister, Edith Blumhofer
• Aimee Semple McPherson and the Making of Modern Pentecostalism, Chas Barfoot
• This is That. By Aimee Semple McPherson

If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. I encourage you to send me your feedback or suggestions for an interview. Help me help you. You can email me at [email protected], or direct message me on Facebook. You can also submit any feedback or questions here. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode.

As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund.

Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!

Hey everybody! Back in June and July I was looking back at the 6 or 7 goals I had set for myself. I was feeling the pressure when it came to finishing my goals. I heard on a podcast this idea about Kanter's law and the saying "everything can look like failure in the middle." This is exactly how I feel right now. In this episode we'll talk about this "messy middle" we experience in life.

Recommended Reading:

• Philippians 1:6
• Getting Things Done by David Allen

I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund.

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it here.

Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!

Hey everybody! This week I interview the national leader of Foursquare Switzerland, Volker Heitz. Volker and his wife planted the first Foursquare Church in Switzerland about 20 years ago. He is now the National Leader of Foursquare Switzerland, a pastor of a local church and a chairman for Foursquare Europe. Switzerland is a country of about 9 million people and has 5 official languages. The Swiss are known for their tremendous influence politically and culturally. They have a global influence far beyond their size. It is considered a post-Christian nation where only 8% of the population in Switzerland are affiliated with any religious organization. We'll talk about some of the hardships, as well as the strategies to reach the people of Switzerland. Hope you enjoy!

To get in touch with Volker visit Foursquare Europe's Website or email Foursquare Europe's Secretary Helga: [email protected]

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it here.

Hey everybody! This week I have the pleasure of interviewing Professor Karen Tremper. She is a professor and director of Global Life at Life Pacific College in San Dimas, California. She has a bachelors in home economics, a Master's in theology and a PhD in intercultural studies. Karen has a heart for global missions and developing that heart in the younger generations. You'll hear what Karen and her husband have done to reach the students at Life Pacific College, what changes she has seen in the mindset of younger generations, and what Global Life is all about. Enjoy!

If you want to get in touch with Karen, visit the Global Life website or email her at: [email protected].

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it here.

Hey everybody! This week I interview Paul and Fran. They are the Pastors of Destiny Foursquare Church located southwest of London. They have an amazing ministry going on they call Sunday Lunch. Paul and Fran have created a home away from home for international students. In this interview, you will learn how sharing your home and feeding people can touch the world, what it means to be the household of God and what we can learn from the Amish.

Recommended Reading:

• Romans 12:14
• Hebrews 13:2
• 1 Peter 4:9

If you would like to connect with Paul and Fran, you can email them at: [email protected].

I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund.

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

Got a question, comment or some feedback on the podcast? Submit it here.

Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!

This is a Bonus Episode of All In. Be sure to check out the podcast. Subscribe in iTunes. If you find this helpful, please share it with your family and friends.

Time management is a myth. No matter what you do, you will never have more than 24 hours in your day. You cannot stretch it out. You cannot shrink it down. Time is stubborn like that. It is what it is.

Trust me, I know. I have been obsessive about time management ever sense I read Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” back in the 1980s.

After thirty years of trying to manage my time, I have faced the cold, hard truth: Time management is a myth. And this truth is liberating.

Once I exchanged the myth of time management for the realities of time, my life entered a new level of empowerment. Let me share with you 5 Realities of Time.

1. Time is your friend.

By “friend” I mean we should not see time is something we work against, as in “working against the clock.” Time is something we work with to accomplish our goals and to live out our values.

Time is our friend because time supports our need for family, friends, work, restoration, and creativity. Time gives us room for all the things that are valuable to us. Time makes a place for all these.

If we miss out on the people we love and the things we value, it is not because time ran out on us: Time is always there. Your focus may have run out. Your attention may have run out. Your ability to prioritize may have run out. But time did not run out. Time is a true friend; it is always there (at least until Jesus returns).

1. Time is your accountability partner.

Time looks at all the people you love and all the things you value and goals you want to accomplish and asks a simple question, “When?”

When are you going to be with those you love? When are you going to do this task? When are you going to live out this value?

Time management is a myth. I do not manage time: Time manages me.

1. Time is your sponsor.

Sponsors make it possible for people to do what they love and enjoy. It may be Coca-Cola sponsoring your favorite TV shows or Red Bull sponsoring the X Games, sponsors make things happen.

Time says to us, "You have a life to live, a purpose to pursue, and people to love, I will fully sponsor you. I will give you 24 hours every day to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy. Now go for. I am on your side."

What you do with that sponsorship is up to you.

1. Time is your great equalizer.

Some people have more money, friends, connections, opportunities, and talent than you. But no one has more time than you.

Some people have less money, friends, connections, opportunities, and talent than you. But no one has less time than you.

You may measure time with a Rolex or Timex but the time is still the same. Time is no respecter of persons. Kings and queens, peasants and poppers have all been made equal in time.

You can buy friends, cars, homes, watches, and food, but try as you may, you will never buy more time. Each day remains stubbornly entrenched with 24 hours. No more. No less.

Time is the greatest equalizer. You have not been cheated, nor have you been granted more than others. Time is the one resource God has determined all will have in equal portion.

Time management is a myth. You do not manage your time, you manage your life.

1. Time is the canvas upon which you paint the masterpiece of your life.

You are the artist. Your life is your art. Time is your canvas. Your values are the colors you paint with. Your choices are your brush strokes.

“Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Ps 90:12

This life, this one life, is all you have. Make it your masterpiece, your magnum opus.

What are you waiting for? It’s your life. Now, go live it!

[Tweet "Time is the canvas upon which you paint the masterpiece of your life."]

Resources for the Journey

Here are the best resources I have found to help me “number my days.”

• Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen Covey
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Living, by David Allen
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown
• The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, Gary Keller
• Time Management Magic: How To Get More Done Every Day And Move From Surviving To Thriving, Lee Cockerell

The Week Dominator planner. A big shout out to my friend Jonathan Griffiths for recommending this wonderful weekly planner to me.

You may also want to check out www.daytimer.com

This week I interview Marc and Kathy Shaw. Marc and Kathy have been church planters, pastors, missionaries, regional leaders for Europe, and my former boss. Now, they are answering the call of God to return to Europe to plant a church in Vienna, Austria.

But first: I need your help! I want this podcast to be a resource to serve you but I need you help to do it. I'm conducting a 10 question survey that will help me make this podcast helpful to you. I will be running the survey from June 15-30, so head on over and take the survey.

Finding God, hearing the call of God, church planting, burnout, cancer, God's provisions, and saying yes to Jesus to make disciples: It's all here in this week's episode.

Marc and Kathy plan to deploy to Vienna in October of this year.

You can connect with them on FaceBook (for Marc, click HERE, for Kathy, click HERE) or by email: [email protected].

To partner with them to reach Vienna visit their FMI Give Site.

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss an episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends through social media and leaving a review on iTunes. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It's your life, now go live it!

Don't forget about the survey I'm conducting! Fill it out here.

This week I hit the big 50. I know it is hard to believe. But yes, I am 50 years old now. Debbie asked me on the morning of my birthday, “So how do you feel, Old Man?” Well, I feel great!

In the Old Testament the priests would start their ministry at the age of 30 and then retire at the age of 50. After they retired their ministry was to mentor the younger priests. I think this is awesome. When I was young I longed for fathers and mothers in the faith to mentor me.

Now that I have crossed that strange threshold of 50, I am thinking about what advice I would give to young leaders. Here is a list of 10 things I would advise all young leaders. (If you are a “not so young” leader, you may benefit too.)

1. Always connected equals never present.

Go to any public place and you will see it: Dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of people all tethered like slaves to their smart phones.

It may be a gaggle of young people at the mall, sitting together but not being together because they are too busy texting the people who are not there.

It may be a family sitting at a restaurant with their noises in their iPhones.

It may be friends out for a good time and good conversations, constantly being distracted by the notifications on their smart-phone.

In late December of last year I thought to myself, “If I hope to have any down time during Christmas I need to shut off my email and all notifications on my phone.” So I did. It was hard at first. I thought the world would end, or at least I would miss out on something.

It took about a week but I got used to it. Then after another week I feel in love with it. I never turned them back on. I am free.

I still answer every email and message; I just do it on my schedule, not everyone else’s.

I have not missed out and the world has not ended. The best part, I am actually present now. You have a great life. Don’t miss it: Always connected equals never present.

1. Find mentors who see your calling, not just your potential.

It is easy to see potential in people. Seeing potential is not enough.

A mentor who only sees your potential will use you for their purposes. A mentor who sees your calling will help shape you for God’s purposes.

1. Character is destiny.

Our choices shape our habits.

Our habits shape our character.

Our character shapes our destiny.

1. Go slow.

Cherish time with you kids. They will be old much longer than they are young. These are precious days. Don’t miss out because you are in such a hurry to prove and to earn.

Living and loving is a bigger deal than proving and earning.

Slow down to be with the people around you.

Over time I have learned the value of walking slowly through life.

1. Grow deep.

Take time to read.

Take time to reflect.

Take time to celebrate.

Take time before your time is taken.

1. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Recently I heard of someone claiming to be a catalytic leader. It made me think of something Margret Thatcher said, “Power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't.”

If you are something, people will see it. You don’t need to tell them, or prove it. Just be it.

It is not good to think about all the accolades you think you deserve. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

1. Take Jesus seriously.

Jesus is a big deal. He is the one we should take seriously, not ourselves.

We cannot make a big deal about Jesus and ourselves at the same time. So, let’s spend our time making a big deal about Jesus.

1. Details matter.

“It is the little foxes that spoil the vineyard.” Song of Songs 2:15

Rock star and guitarist extraordinaire Eddie Van Halen would include a strange request in all performance contracts: A bowl of M&Ms with absolutely no brown M&Ms. If he found a brown M&M the concert could be canceled without notice.

When I first heard this I thought it was either a silly rumor or one of those quirks of the rich and famous. It ends up there is a very logical explanation. The band was placing its equipment, lives, and reputations into the hands of the people who managed the concert venues. The details mattered. If the management didn’t pay attention to the details the results could be disastrous.

Careers have been destroyed and lives lost because people neglect the details.

1. Prepare yourself for your highest ambition: if you get there you will be prepared, and if you don’t get there, you will still like the person you have become.

Let’s say your highest goal and ambition is to be the leader of some organization you love and respect. Prepare yourself for that role. Learn all the skills, characteristics, and habits a leader at that level must have. Build your network. Cultivate your skills. Develop your habits. Then if you ever get that position you will be ready and if you never get that position you will still like the person you have become.

1. You cannot delegate your personal obedience to Jesus Christ.

You, and you alone, are the only person responsible for your own obedience to Jesus Christ. You cannot delegate that to someone else. They cannot follow Jesus for you.

People make demands on you. But you are still responsible to Jesus for your Sabbath rest. You do not get a pass because people are demanding things of you.

The same goes for the Great Commission, or loving others, or caring for the poor. We are responsible for our own obedience to Jesus Christ.

Dear young leader, it is your life. Now, go live it.