The Gateway to Authentic Influence
Why does anyone walk away from a great job, at an amazing church, with fabulous friends, having just built their dream home in a warm climate? It could only be Insanity. Most days I think its Insanity until I am reminded that it’s something much deeper – Obedience. An obedience that is rooted in Dependence.
We feel so blessed and grateful to have worked at Willow Creek & North Point – Both amazing influential churches that have developed us and prepared us for this great faith adventure that we are on.
I learned a million things from both churches – but honestly – and this is not a commentary on either church – I didn’t really need to depend on Jesus while there. There were always resources and people and buildings and leaders and steady paychecks and benefits – all great things, but at times, I let them keep me from true dependence.
I allowed those things to keep me from the kind of dependence that forces you to your knees regularly wondering if you are insane. Interestingly enough, I am finding that true dependence is an essential gateway to authentic influence.
TRUE DEPENDENCE IS AN ESSENTIAL GATEWAY TO AUTHENTIC INFLUENCE!
No one can have authentic influence, especially an Authentic Cultural Influence, if they are attempting to lead others in a direction that they themselves have not chosen to go towards.
Much like you, I long to have authentic influence with the gospel of Jesus Christ – so God has lovingly afforded me the gateway of doing that through the starting this church. Brilliant.
So what about you? What Is a Gateway of Dependence that God is using in your life that could lead to real Authentic Influence?
Making the Mini-Van Cool…again?
Kudos to Toyota for taking a brake from all the other attention their company has been getting lately. I love what they are doing with the Swagger Wagon campaign. They are not only TRANSFORMING the public perception of the Mini Van / Station Wagon, but in a very real way Transforming if not Distracting the public perception of their company.
By embracing the reality of what their product actually is and having fun with it, they’re kinda making it cool and seemingly important. And…if that’s enough…it’s actually really funny. We could learn something from that.
Here’s to you Toyota! You almost made me want to buy a Mini-Van…Swagger Wagon!
A Gathering, A Building, Soul City Kids…and Jide
Our Brand New May Snapshot is out. It’s a great way for you to get a Quick Snapshot of all that God is doing at Soul City Church. It’s Chock full of Goodies. It’s Free. And all the Cool Kids are reading it.
You can check it out HERE
And subscribe to it HERE
enjoy.
The Art of Becoming YOU…
If you haven’t read John Ortberg’s latest book, “The Me I Want To Be”, I highly recommend that you stop what your doing (’cause I’m about to ruin…) and head to the Soul City Store and grab it right now. It’s that good. It’s that important. In a sense it reads like a Cheat Sheet to the Transformational Mission of Soul City Church….a very very well written Cheat Sheet.
It explores the idea that there is a ME that I not only want to be, but that God has actually created me to be. And one of the questions John asks is, “How would I want the Me I want to Be respond to…” What a brilliantly simple question.
How would I want the Me I want to Be respond to…
- This huge disappointment that just blindsided me.
- The fear I feel that I will always be alone.
- My apparent lack of care for the poor
- This strained or broken relationship.
- The lack of discipline in my life
- The temptation that has been staring me in the face all day
I know it may sound like a Stuart Smalley kind of concept, but I challenge you to practice it today. To Reflect on the fact that there is a YOU that God has made you to be. And to begin Responding to your life from that truth. To actually start living (by God’s grace) into the life he created you for. To being the You that God created you to be and to settle for nothing for less.
Let us know – Have you read the Me I Want To Be? What did you think? How can a church help people become who God created them to be?
