Renovare Conference

by brent on June 20, 2009

logo_homeTomorrow, the Renovare Interanational Conference is kicking off in San Antonio, and I will be there. For those of you that are not familiar with Renovare, they are an organization, started by Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline), that focuses on Spiritual formation.  In other words, they help believers grow in their pursuit of Christ, especially in prayer, meditation of the Scripture, and other spiritual disciplines. These guys have had a huge impact on me in the last year.  In fact, the things I learned at the last Renovare Conference were foundational for the starting of EXAMEN.me.

The keynotes of the conference are Eugene Peterson, Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, John Ortberg and many others.  I am excited to see what God does in my heart.

I will try to update the blog as we move though the conference, but I am assuming I will have limited access to the interwebs.  So, make sure you follow me on twitter to catch the updates.

If you are going, I would love to connect.  You can contact me through the contact page or through twitter.

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I am More Childish than my Children

by brent on June 17, 2009

p2120023When my kids go crazy and decide to challenge everything I say, throw fits, and do things their own way, here is the process I go through.

  1. Oh no you didn’t.
  2. Frustration
  3. Develop a plan to eliminate the negative behavior – still very frustrated.
  4. Realize that I rebel against God just as much or more than they rebel against me. I challenge everything he says, throw fits, and do things my own way.
  5. Humbled and regain patience.

My kids and my wife are gifts from God that constantly reveal that I am broke and in desperate need of a saviour.

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Sweeping the Streets

by brent on June 10, 2009

251294899_f4bb368905_mWorking with Bob Roberts means that you get nuggets of wisdom all the time.

A few years back I remember him saying, “Most people spend all their time and energy trying to find a way to get to the table of influence and power.  Don’t worry about the table.  Sweep the streets and do it with excellence. You will eventually be asked to come to the table.”

Bob’s advice has been true in my life.  It turns out, it is also biblical.

Luke 19:17 -  And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

It is can be difficult while you are sweeping the streets to not get distracted with all those around you are moving up to the table. Keep sweeping.  Our Father, the the most influential person at the table, is looking down to and is eager to reward faithful workers in his kingdom.

[Image: thevortext]

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A Visual Reminder of Proverbs 16:18

by brent on June 9, 2009

Ouch!

Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

[HT: JT]

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Building Obedience Into Our Services

by brent on June 8, 2009

Yesterday was an incredible day at NorthWood. We have been implementing what we are calling the “Time of Obedience” for the last two months.  It finally feels like we are getting close to the sweet spot.

The Time of Obedience is where at the end of the service, we are giving time and space to let people respond to what God has been speaking to them.  We have Alter ministers positioned in 4 places around the room to lead someone to Christ and pray for them, we open the altar for people to  come pray by themselves or as a family, we have cards for people to sit and write what God has been doing in their lives, we sing, and yesterday we took communion. It is controlled chaos, but our people are responding to God, and I could not be happier!

If you go to NorthWood, What do you think of the changes?

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Learning to Trust

by brent on May 26, 2009

I love to receive blessings from the Lord.

But when trials come, most of the time I do not see them as blessings.  I see them as stumbling blocks to what I think God wants for me.

God is teaching me that trials are blessings straight from his hands, and his plans are not thwarted by a set of circumstances on earth.

He is the king, and I am learning to trust him in new ways.

What is God teaching you?

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Choosing Courage Over Fear

by brent on May 13, 2009

There are two areas of my life God has been working on.  The constant message over both of these areas is “Be strong and courageous.”(Joshua 1:9)

istock_000007178358xsmallI am usually a confident person, but in these two areas of my life, I have been scared like a boy at a middle school dance. The problem is my fear is starting to  hinder my obedience to what I KNOW God has called me to do.

Over the last two days, God has given me the grace to step out with courage and faith in both of these areas. I can’t tell you how good it feels to know that even though I have not arrived, or conquered my fears, I have trusted God and stepped when he said to step.

I am thankful for baby steps, and asking for grace to keep going.

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Tribes: Seth Godin TED Talk

by brent on May 11, 2009

One of the best books  I read in 2008 was Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin.  Quite frankly, it was 1 of 3 books that created the perfect storm that helped me gear up to release  EXAMEN.me.

If you haven’t read the book, or don’t intend to, make sure you check out this video, a 20 minute TED talk summarizing the book..

Brilliant!!!

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How Do You Interpret This Passage?

by brent on May 7, 2009

panhandler7_360Do you take Jesus literally when he says “Give to everyone who begs from you…” (Luke 6:30)?

What is your approach when you are sitting at a stop light and someone is begging with a cardboard sign?  What do you you when you are walking downtown and get hit up for some change?

Just Curious of your approach, and how you justify your approach.

What do you do?

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Somebody Testify

by brent on May 6, 2009

A few weeks ago we did Cardboard testimonies at NorthWood.  The impact was massive for the congregation and those who gave their testimonies on cardboard.

God is Good!
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony… Rev 12:11

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