::Leading With A Limp::

The Implosion of the PC(USA)

Hey good news if you want to be a pastor but you want to sleep around.  The PC(USA) will welcome you with open arms.

Oh, and before you read on, I just want to say "hi" to my new subscribers.  A lot of you have come on in the last week. You have subscribed at an odd time, I'm a little hot under the collar right now.  I'm sure my usual cheerful goodness will come back tomorrow, but I just read something that really upsets me. I also recognize that many of you call a Presbyterian Church your home church.  We will see if you stay subscribed after this...

Yesterday my former denomination voted 380 to 325 to change ordination standards.  The new language included will delete the section that requires the ordained to live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between and a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness".  Now this gets sent to the 173 Presbyteries for approval. Sure, some or most may reject this, but for the denomination as a whole to take this stance is just too much.

The debate often centers around the ordination of homosexuals, and while I agree that it is a conversation to be had, I'm afraid it is far deeper than the surface talk of gay or straight. This isn't about ordaining gays, although that often rises to the surfaces of conversations because it's such a hot button.  Now ordained pastors are not required to have any sexual standards.  Marriage?  Doesn't matter.  Monogamy?  Who cares.

I expect higher standards from those that are to shepherd our congregations. I believe that the PC(USA) is apostate, a stench in the nostrils of God.

Don't bother baiting me in the comments with accusations of hatred, unity, phobias, blah blah blah.  This isn't about homosexuality as far as I'm concerned.  This is about asking our leaders to hold a higher standard. Oh, and since you asked, I have several good friends that are gay.  I also have several good friends that are heterosexual and are quite sexually promiscuous.  All of them should be a part of the church, none of them should be pastoring the church.

If you would like to read the official story straight from the horses mouth, you can do so here.

I try to stay fairly positive and upbeat in this little corner of the internet, but this has my skin crawling.  I'm angry. I'm disgusted. I'm sad.

There is still some good happening in the denomination, but my first order of business Monday morning is to write a letter to the church that currently holds my membership within PC(USA) and figure out how to have it revoked.

And now for a bit of good news...I believe that God exists well outside of denominations.  I praise God for His word and His promises, given to me in the form of the Holy Bible. Although man continues to change and to screw up, God is still the same.  He is my rock and my salvation.

Goodnight.

Things I Have Learned About Business & Life

The number of books written just about business philosophy and best practices could fill a large library, so to think that my humble list is the end-all of business advice would be a little silly.  However, there are a few things that I have learned and tried to keep in mind as I advance through the business world.  Not too surprisingly, they do a pretty nice job of getting me through life as well.  Feel free to add to the list in the comments.

1. It's not what you know, it's who you know- This has proved true time and time again.  A lot of people don't like to acknowledge the truth in this statement, or they want to put it into the category of "that's not fair!".  Fair or not, it's true.  All other things equal, if you are better connected than the person you are competing against for a job or consulting position, you will usually get it.  Of course there are some obvious exception, like when your job is very skill specific (brain surgeons, microbiologists), but it probably stands true in those fields as well, if you are better at networking than the other person, you'll probably get the job.  If you can learn a lesson out of this first category it is this: don't burn bridges.  Pretty soon you will have nothing else to burn, and you will always be losing out to the person that is connected.l
2. It's all about timing- I have learned this by doing it very well and very poorly.  Let's say you are going to pitch an idea to somebody and you need them to approve it.  The idea could be a proposal for a job or you could be pitching yourself...a job interview.  It's all about timing.  Try to avoid talking to people when they are tired, hungry or busy.  My favorite time to approach people?  Tuesday or Wednesday between 10am and 2pm.  Yes, I'm serious.  That's when I have my highest success rate, probably because their mind isn't on either weekend (the one they just came from or the one they are about to go to), and generally they have accomplished what they need to do for the week in terms of catch up.  Salespeople, let me give you some free advice: don't pitch your products or services to me anytime after noon on Friday.  You have a 0% chance of success.
3. Live within the integrity of your conscience - I referred to this line when I resigned from my last job.  Simply put, you must be you, and you need to be guided by the moral boundaries that are within you.  Don't compromise.  Don't allow your character to be bent, even a little.  If you start to toe the line of compromise, eventually you will step over it, and then you will no longer be the person that you should be.  You won't be able to sleep, you will look in the mirror with disgust.  Make your decisions with the highest integrity possible.
4. It takes 10 cans of peas to sell a can of green beans-It took me about two years to figure this out after a crusty old grocery store owner shared this gem with me.  He was talking in a very literal sense, and that is he discovered over time that when his shelves are full and stocked, people will buy more.  If your store looks understocked and disheveled people won't buy as much.  At the time I owned a cigar company and we were to keep his humidor stocked with fresh cigars all the time.  When the supply got low he got upset; he wanted a fully stocked, fully faced humidor at all times.  He was right about this sales concept, and I have carried this through every business that I have been a part of, even if we didn't have physical objects to sell. Make sure your service portfolio is stocked.  Make sure your website is stocked.  Make sure your house is in order.
5. Never wrestle with a pig, you'll both get dirty but the pig will like it- I heard this many years ago, but it's come up again recently.  The idea is pretty clear: don't engage with slime balls.  I have worked with plenty of people that are all about themselves...they are more than happy to smear other people with words, with sabotage, with underhanded means.  These are the worst kind of people to be around.  When you come across these people, stay away.  It's not always easy, sometimes you have to work closely with them, but be cautious. It's okay to defend yourself, but don't get caught up in office politics or name calling.  These sorts of people live for this sort of thing, and they are good at getting you to take your eye off the ball.  Don't engage...they will be doing what they love the most, and you're going to come out looking bad.

There you go...15 years of business experience wrapped into one little blog post.  Have you employed any of these philosophies in some form?  Are there things that are glaringly absent from the list?  Let us know!

Young Prophets, Old Prophets

Every Tuesday our staff gets together to read, sing and pray.  Each week somebody from staff will teach something that they have been reading.  This week George shared a passage out of 1 Kings 13 that I don't really remember hearing before.

Here is the long and short of it, and I will invite you to read the verses for yourself and see what it says to you.  A young person (fresh in ministry?) is a man of God and goes into a new place.  There he shares some news with the king that the king doesn't like very much (change can be challenging).  After the young man leaves, he is stopped by an old prophet (late in his ministry years?) and is deceived.  What is interesting to me is that the old prophet uses what appears to be God's words to deceive the young man...he used the word of God against him in a deceptive way!

This is where the young man gets himself into trouble. Even though he was totally blindsided by a deceptive "man of God"...he ended up dying because he disobeyed God!  Wow.  When I heard that I thought, "how unfair!"

After the young man has died, the older man comes to his senses and regrets his actions.  In all of this, God is speaking through both men.

It's a confusing and hard-to-accept story for me.  How can the young man of God do what God has asked of him, and then get deceived by the old prophet, the guy that has been around the block once or twice?  Where is the morality in that? It seems like the veteran gets away with his deception, even though he is mournful.

I have no answers friends, only questions.  This story has been on my mind since Tuesday, so I thought I had better share it.  A lot of the other staff have been talking about it to.  I guess the question that came up the most is this: how does this apply to us today...are there any examples of this in modern church?

Easter At The Bowl Ad

We are putting out a lot external advertising this year for Easter.  I'm hoping to get my hands on our television spots in a format that I can post, but until I do, here is our :30 radio spot.

Music is by JT Taylor.

Recording, mixing and Production by Jerrold Launer.

Voice Over work by this guy.

Go check out the spot, download it and pass it around.  See you at The Bowl!

New Name, New Feel (Part 1 of 2)

Leading with a limp...

Let me explain the title.  It has to do with my philosophy of management as well as ministry, and it has a personal connection to me on a very deep level. For my RSS readers you should pop over to my blog and see the change so you know what I'm talking about.

First the management and ministry stuff.  I have interacted with leaders of all calibers, backgrounds, statures and vocations in my jobs at church as well as with my previous two companies.  There are as many leadership styles as there are leaders, and if you ask any of them the best way to manage people, they always have an opinion.  Welcome to my little corner of the internet, this is my opinion.

I believe that management, when integrated with ministry, should produce fantastic, excellent and wildly transparent leaders.  This goes against many management styles of the latter part of last century which would tell you that you must appear invincible and somewhat removed from your workers.  But of course, since you are reading a blog (something that has not even existed until very recently), you know that the world has changed since this style was born.  In a world of incredible information and reach, transparency is the new invincibility.  Gone are the days of steadfast separation from the staff and instead we live in times where  management must have a new and intimate awareness of the staff which they serve.  Yes, I said that correctly...the staff which they serve.

I believe that with the Next Generation and with the New Media comes an acute awareness between what is genuine and what stinks.  I am not in this generation, I'm afraid I'm too old now, but those that come behind me are amazing with the ability to sense genuine relationships and intentions.

Which brings us to my philosophy of management: I believe that with this acuteness comes acceptance as well.  Although many are quick to separate the wheat from the chaff, when they do determine that somebody (a person or an organization) is true to what they say, not just in word but in action, they will accept a great amount of variation from the traditional leadership role.  In other words, they will not only accept but actually expect vulnerability in their leaders.  Paradoxically, this usually creates a greater sense of loyalty and faithfulness.

That is not to say that leaders should be faulty or incompetent.  No!  Quite the opposite...leaders should be held to very high standards, and should be excellent and what they do.  It would be a big mistake to confuse vulnerability and transparency with incompetence and ineptitude.  This is where many leaders fail to make the leap, they equate sharing their struggles with their staff to weakness.

I'm proud to say that I work for a man that is not afraid to share himself with his staff or his congregation.  The result is a passion for his vision that people want to carry out, they want to be a part of it!  I believe that as we move through these days of social networking, 24/7 information and sometimes scary intrusion by the New Media, we must change the way we interact.  The rules of society and work are quickly changing, and we must be the leaders that carve the path to great things through transparency, brokenness and inspiration.

In part 2 I will discuss why "leading with a limp" means so much to me personally, and describe briefly the pain associated with this phrase.  So for those of you that like to see me in pain, come back soon. ;)

Archive: 7 Big Questions Part 7: Culutural Impact

I am going to finish off my series of old entry re-posts with one of my more popular strings of entries, seven in all. I have a pretty new audience reading my blog now, so many of you probably didn't see these originally.  Feel free to comment away, the comments got pretty interesting last time.  For those of you that did comment before...have your feelings changed at all?

Originally published 1-10-07:

This represent the final post in a seven part series called "7 Big Questions". I pulled these questions out of Relevant Magazine (which you really need to check out if you haven't already), and then I also put down an answer or two from one of the original seven panel members. I then answer the question myself and then open up comments. We've had a lot of diverse opinions in this series, and I'm almost sad that it is coming to an end! I have received dozens of personal emails about this series, and they all have one common element: these are some of the best posts that I've put up over the last year. So agree or disagree, you have to admit these things make you think. Here we go...

Question #7: Where and how do you feel Christians can have the most impact on culture?

Erwin McManus said: We are presently in a cultural tide pool: music, fashion, art, film, church. Culture is in an imitative frenzy. Imitation is good as long as it moves us to emulation, which should move us to innovation, which is where we begin to express and experience our uniqueness. It is time to risk and create the future. This is where we can have the greatest impact on culture. We can choose to create a compelling future...That's how movements start. Someone decides there needs to be a tear in human history. The past as we have known it needs to come to a close, and a new future must be created. And isn't this the ultimate calling of the Church: To create the future?

Mark Driscoll said: The key is to get wise Christians upstream running record labels, TV stations, businesses and other places to be a force for good, like Joseph and Daniel.

Matt Singley said: I agree with Erwin's statement, although I don't think he directly answered the question. However, he is quite a visionary and is very inspiring to listen to...I admire his views greatly.

I guess I find myself being quite a missional thinker as we go through this series of questions, because when I first read "where" my gut reaction was "anywhere but inside the walls of the church". Please don't misunderstand me...I feel that the physical structure of the church continues to be the meeting place for Christians, and probably will be for some time. I personally feel just as complete...and sometimes more so...worshiping outside of the traditional church building, but I know that for now that is where most Christians will choose to gather. However, will we impact culture there? I'm afraid the answer is "no". We may imitate culture, but we will not impact it.

Mark Driscoll touched on this a bit, although I think that his statement is incomplete, IMHO. I don't think the cultural impact is simply left to those "upstream" (in other words, the presidents and CEOs), I think it is just as likely to be in the hands of the downstreamers...the baristas, the cubicle rats and the delivery boys. We most go into the world and influence culture through our actions and ideas. That doesn't mean that we force our ideas down people's throats, because that hasn't worked and will never work. No, instead we are to be lights in the darkness. Go create a beautiful painting, but do so with Christ in your mind and in your heart, and then tell people about it when they ask. Create music that is excellent and creative and beautiful...but doesn't talk about Jesus in every verse. Then maybe it will be played on mainstream radio! And when it is...and when people ask what the song is about and how you were inspired to write it...tell them. This of course also answer the "how". The how is simple: live a life that reflects your passion and new life in Christ Jesus, but do it out there...not in here. Christians that hang out only with other Christians eventually develop a culture of incestuous Christianity, and then their church/movement/gatherings die. (Side note: I've been using the term "incestuous Christianity" for some time...not too surprisingly it doesn't sit well with some folks. However, I think it's quite descriptive and easily understood in context. No, it has nothing to do with sex, yes it has everything to do with refusing to look outside of the "family". BTW...maybe I've coined the phrase. A quick Google search reveals nothing...I thought I had also coined the term "incestuous blogging" about those who only read their friends blogs, but apparently some others beat me to it...and now back to my regular post. And yes, you can comment on how rude you think this phrase is...but you have to admit it is descriptive.)

Then, when people see that you are not an uptight, judgmental, stone-throwing, holier-than-thou Christian they will want to talk to you. They will want to know what makes you tick. They will see that your music is awesome, that your art is incredible, that your passion for your job as a cubicle rat is too good to be true...and they will want to know more. And then culture will shift.

Remember this...always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that lies within you. If you don't step out of your comfort zone nobody will ask. Don't you want people to know? Don't you want to impact culture? Go be a light in the darkness.

Archive: 7 Big Questions Part 6: Social Justice

I am going to finish off my series of old entry re-posts with one of my more popular strings of entries, seven in all. I have a pretty new audience reading my blog now, so many of you probably didn't see these originally.  Feel free to comment away, the comments got pretty interesting last time.  For those of you that did comment before...have your feelings changed at all?  Today's question is interesting because we have had some very famous social justice advocates at Bel Air Pres recently, Shane Claiborne and Os Guinness.

Originally published 1-9-07

An excellent article in this month's Relevant Magazine asks seven prominent church leaders seven big questions.  You may not agree with everything said, but you have to admit, they are thought provoking!  I list the question, then an answer or two from the original seven leaders, then my own answer.  After that the comment section is wide open for YOU to weigh in.

Question #6: How can a Christian fulfill a passion for social justice as a middle-class American?

Frederica Mathewes-Green said: "After the 2005 election I heard a pollster say, 'We Democrats used to be the party of the poor. . Now we're the party that identifies with the poor.' That's worth meditating on. I'd say, choose a cause that is deliberately uncool, just to be on the safe side."

Matt Singley said: Simply put, quit talking about it and do it.  What is it?  I don't care...you choose.  Just start doing it!

I get really frustrated when people talk about social justice...and then talk...and then talk some more.  I'm not talking in the hypothetical here, I know people like this.  A lot of them!  And most of these people are the ones that would judge me as a "Christian conservative snob" that only cares about myself and not really about the poor.

Case in point.  A couple of years ago I was in a hot tub with several people that I know well.   My wife was there too.  We were talking about socio-political problems, and the issue of state welfare came up.  I was pretty well attacked for not wanting to support welfare.  Why was I attacked?  Because I don't care about poor people.  That was their reason, anyway.  My very direct question to them was, "what do you do to take care of the poor?  I mean, personally, what do you do?  When is the last time you interacted with the poor?  When is the last time you personally gave them food or built shelter for them?"  Their answer?  They couldn't come up with a time that they had ever done anything like that.  My answer? I do it all the time, and I wish that I could do it more.  We started talking about my trips to Mexico, building houses for the poor.  They thought that sounded like a good thing to do.  Yet they still just talked about it, never actually doing anything.

That freakin' kills me.  Shut up and do something!  So my answer to how a Christian can do something for social justice is the same answer as to a non-Christian.  Quit talking about it in your groups of friends (that's what the political post from yesterday was for) and start doing.  Words without action are hollow.  We must go into the world.  Can we completely stop the terrible living in Darfur?  Doubtful.  Can we end world hunger?  Probably not.  Can we get potable water to all those that need it?  I don't think we can.  But can I change one life with my actions?  Yes.  Can you?  Yes. Will each of these "one at a time" efforts add up very quickly?  You bet.

Let's quit talking and start doing.

Archive: 7 Big Questions Part 5: Christians and Politics

I am going to finish off my series of old entry re-posts with one of my more popular strings of entries, seven in all. I have a pretty new audience reading my blog now, so many of you probably didn't see these originally.  Feel free to comment away, the comments got pretty interesting last time.  For those of you that did comment before...have your feelings changed at all?

Originally published 1-8-07:

Continuing the series of 7 big questions from Relevant Magazine...

Question #5: How should Christians be involved in the political system?

Rob Bell said: At our church we bring out the fact that the Gospel is obviously political, yet we are aggressively nonpartisan.  We are interested in being a voice for those who have no voice. Too often the party line becomes, "If you're a Christian, then of course you're voting like us," and that's crazy.

Matt Singley said: wow, what a hot button.  This should be interesting. The mere mention of "politics" at church is enough to make some people scream "what would Jesus do...what would Jesus do?!?"  Some people think that you shouldn't even acknowledge a voting cycle within the hallowed walls of church, while others think that the pastor should be practically filling out the ballots for the attendees.

I like Rob Bell's stance on this.  Talk about it but don't force people to vote a certain way.  How can you ignore something that is happening in the "real world"? You can try, but I think it's foolish to ignore the world around you.  I'm going to have to go ahead and say that my view right now is that politics should be discussed from the pulpit.  There, I said it...I put the bullseye on my chest.  Fire away!

What makes me angry, however, is when the politics being discussed start leaning toward, "this is what Jesus would vote for".  How could we possibly know that?!?  In some cases, yes, it's obvious.  But with most it is not.  How do I know?  Well, two totally different views from two totally different pastors on one subject are not uncommon.

However, far more importantly than from the pulpit, I think politics should be discussed in small groups.  The most prevalent issues in society today (politics, money, sex) are the very issues that everybody is so danged afraid to talk about.  Why? We don't want to offend anybody.  Ugh.  One thing I do know about Jesus...he wasn't concerned with offending people.  In fact, he upset just about everybody that he came across.  Except for the truly lost.  Those people loved him, that's for sure.  Those that were so offended, those that felt they had it all together and knew all the answers, those people were always upset.  I would be lying if I said it's a lot different in today's church.

Okay, back to the original question.  The question is NOT "should it be preached from the pulpit", it is "how should Christians be involved?".  I'll quit ranting and just say what I think: we need to talk about issues, candidates and other political activity not only within our small groups, and not only at church, but with our neighbors, friends and co-workers.  This is just like anything else in life, I think it's healthy to talk about it as a Christian, not from a "I'm better than you because I know Jesus" attitude.  How should Christians be involved in politics?  The same way they should be involved in their kid's schools, on sports teams, in neighborhood groups and at parties.  We should be there, and we should be involved.  Only then will people see that we are different, that we are full of light.  We need to be in the world, but not of the world.

Oh, one last thing.  I talk about all kinds of things in my blog.  This particular post is about politics, so please don't get off track by telling me we should be sharing the love of Christ with people UNLESS you can tie it into your point about politics.  For real.  I already know about sharing Christ with people, I do it all the time, I'm sure you do as well.  Stay focused on the objective! 

Now go vote for something.

Archive: 7 Big Questions Part 4: The Greatest Christian Challenge

I am going to finish off my series of old entry re-posts with one of my more popular strings of entries, seven in all. I have a pretty new audience reading my blog now, so many of you probably didn't see these originally.  Feel free to comment away, the comments got pretty interesting last time.  For those of you that did comment before...have your feelings changed at all?

Originally published 1-6-07

Relevant Magazine published a great article this month, asking seven prominent church leaders seven questions.  I'm posting snippets of the replies, then putting up my own reply.  Please...do the same!  I would love to hear your comments, even if you disagree.  Especially if you disagree!

Question #4: What do you see as the greatest challenge for young Christians in the next 10 years?

Rick Warren said: The greatest challenge young Christians will face in the next 10 years will be leading the Church through a new reformation that is being swept through the Spirit of God. The first reformation was about what we believe, but this new reformation will be about behavior. It will be about the Church-individually and congregationally-becoming more than just hearers of the Word; they will become doers of the Word. We will begin to consistently and continually act upon what we believe. (Matt's note: this isn't all that Rick said about it, but it's more than I have pulled out of any of the other comments so far.  You should buy the magazine to read the rest)

Matt Singley said:  this answer really excited me and disturbed me at the same time.  One phrase did this all at once, "new reformation".  I've been thinking about that a lot since I originally read this a few days ago.  New reformation...what does that mean to the church?  To non-believers?  To me?

After a lot of pondering and prayer I think I agree with Rick's answer, and I'm going to add to it a little bit.  First of all, I do think that a new reformation is here...it's just getting started.  See my answer to yesterdays question...the next generation can smell BS a mile away.  This NR is about behavior, not theology.  I think Rick's answer is really an answer to the first three questions as well.  I believe that this new generation will be doing things completely different.  Dare I say that church walls will have far less significance than they used to?  I mean this: we are starting to move out of the traditional church setting and back to an Acts 2 community.  We're hitting the streets, we're going to where others are...we're not waiting for them to come to us.  I like that.

Now, directly answering the question...Rick said the greatest challenge faced for the next generation is to lead the church through the reformation.  I want to expand on that and say that I think the biggest challenge will be for the next generation to wrestle leadership out of the hands of those currently leading.  Simply put, a reformation would imply something radically different, and I don't believe that most of today's leaders are truly ready and trusting of something completely different.  The pastors that are in their 50s and 60s...are they really ready to hand the church over to the younger generation right now?  I sense a great deal of hesitation.  And no, I'm not talking about my own church, Sunset, although it certainly needs to be looked at as well.  I'm talking about most of the churches and most of the leaders that I come into contact with...and that number is great.

So the challenge ahead, I think, is for the young generation to educate the older generation on what this reformation...this shift...looks like and how it is more effective for reaching those that don't know Christ.  I think that last part is important because I do believe it is more effective.  It's genuine, it's authentic and it's the only way the world will ever allow us to talk to them.  It's a new era...and I for one am excited.

By the way, a very close second in my mind as far as a challenge goes (and I'm going to keep this short, I'm already writing too much) is the increasing tolerance for every religious view except Christianity.  Plainly put...you are "cool" if you believe in anything except the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  I think this is only going to get worse over the years.  Within ten years I think it will almost not be tolerated.

Archive: 7 Big Questions Part 3: Positive Generational Attitudes

I am going to finish off my series of old entry re-posts with one of my more popular strings of entries, seven in all. I have a pretty new audience reading my blog now, so many of you probably didn't see these originally.  Feel free to comment away, the comments got pretty interesting last time.  For those of you that did comment before...have your feelings changed at all?

Originally published 1-5-07

Moving right along in my quest to stir up community conversation, based upon the article in this month's Relevant Magazine.  To the scores of lurkers that read...feel free to chime in, even if you never have before.  This is good stuff!

Question #3: What positive tendency do you see in this generation? (Matt's note: this is kind of a follow-up to yesterday's question, go back and read that before answering)

Erwin McManus said: I think we are all trying to figure out what is means to be the Church as opposed to just doing church.

Lauren Winner said: I see people who sense that the Gospel is not a call to compartmentalization, but a call to love that encompasses all of our life.

Matt Singley said: I love this generation.  Why?  They don't put up with pretentious church.  To quote Christian Slater from Pump Up The Volume, this generation can "smell a lie like a fart in a car". What does this mean?  Well, I think a lot of this ties to worship, and now I'm talking the broad sense, all encompassing meaning of worship, not just music style.  When this generation enters a worship service (no matter in a church, on a Mexican mission trip or under a tree) they want authenticity and connection.  They can sense bull  a mile away, and they will steer clear of it.  I love that.  They're bringing it back to the real deal.  I have witnessed more tender moments, more God connections within this generation than I have observed within other age brackets.  Now, that is not to say that other ages don't have their own (and often more subtle) connections with God that are just as powerful...because of course they do.  Otherwise the church would not be around 2,000 years after our savior came to us.  But the question focuses on this next generation, and they can tune in to spiritual authenticity or falsehood faster than anybody else I have seen, including myself.

This of course challenges those that lead them.  There is no time for smoke and mirrors, there is no down time, there is no off day.  How can this be accomplished?  I cannot speak for others, only for myself.  I do this personally by not scripting my talks, I only pray about them, come up with a general idea, and then simply speak to them about what God has done with me in a particular area.  There is no BS, there is not pretension of other knowledge...they want to know about how I live out my faith, and as soon as I start to put on a mask as something that I am not, they're gone.

I love this next generation, and I'm proud to call many within it "friend".