A day in the life of...Mark Williams

What I'm reading, listening to...

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading more and more it seems.  Here are a few things that I have read or am currently reading:

If God Were Real by John Avant.  A no-holds barred look at what Christianity has become....and it's NOT good. 

Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  An absolute must-read.  We'll be going through this book for DT during Jan.-March.  

My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  I've never done a year straight in this.  Not sure I will this time.  I pick it up and it challenges the heck outta me!!  Love this.  Read it online HERE.

Stuff I've been listening to lately.

Hope Rising album by Fee.  He's probably my favorite worship leader.  

Church Music by David Crowder Band. 

I agree

Here is an EXCELLENT POST by Carey Niewhof, pastor of Connexus church in Canada.  He talks about the hardest thing he does....and I agree with him!!

CLICK HERE FOR POST.

Keys to starting a movement

This came from the blog "Ragamuffin Soul".  Excellent stuff on starting a movement.

His observations:

A few things I think we can learn from this video.
A few things I think we can learn from this video.
1. One man can start a movement.
2. A movement need not be started by the most skilled member of the movement.
3. When beginning your movement and you look around and no one else is joining the dance, just keep dancing.
4. When the one guy who joins your movement slowly fades away, keep going.
5. Before you know it, the people joining your movement won’t even know you started it.
6. When your movement takes a life of it’s own, just let go. There will be no stopping it.
7. The very people who are staring at you like your nuts as you movement alone, will be the very same people dancing the hardest in the end.

My observations:

The importance of the first few people of the movement is crucial.

The longer the movement goes, the less crucial the first few people become. 

Once the movement starts, it's almost impossible to stop.  Make sure you're starting the right movement.

Some people just like to dance.  We just need to give them the opportunity to do it!!

What are some of your thoughts?

Moving to the Launch Pad

    I enjoy watching the space shuttle take off.  The sheer amount of thrust and power that it takes to lift that massive spacecraft off the ground is amazing.  And straight up at that.  It is also amazing to me that people in Mississippi are the ones doing a lot of that work!!  Great job for them!! 
    But before the space shuttle takes off, and all the excitement begins...something else has to happen.  Everything has to be prepared away from the launch pad.  System tests, inspections, instrument readings must be perfect or within a certain % of some "number" they are looking for.  There are countless numbers of protocol operations that HAVE to happen in order for the crew of 7-10 astronauts to experience going into space.  We don't see those things happening.  We don't see all of the people working SO hard behind the scenes with meticulous numbers and data to ensure that the mission is a success. 
    However, those people and their jobs are VITAL to the mission.  This is how it is when we are working on a big project, event, or experience.  Right now, I have two of those.  One is getting our new S.S. year kicked off with all people in place.  It's important that our mission of discipling others is as good as we can make it.  We look at dynamics of classes, sizes, teacher personalities and how that will fit with certain classes.  We analyze our space and see where we can be more efficient, and reach more people.  We are constantly evaluating what we are doing, if there is a problem, and what needs to be done about it.  That's how we are moving to the "Launch Pad" for our new S.S. year. 

    Another "mission" that I am leading with my wife is M4 Camps 2009.  We are a week and a half from launch.  It is crunch time.  It's the time where we are checking everything.  Practices have been going on.  Logistics for rooms, meals, worship, worship elements, worship leaders, speakers, staff, churches, and the list goes on.  I've got to tell you that the anticipation for the "launch" is high.  At the same time, we are excited, nervous, and a little on edge.  We want everything to be perfect for liftoff. 
    The launch and mission is the exciting part.  But there is so much more that goes into the actual journey.  It's just nice to know that when you are on that journey, someone was taking the time to make sure everything was "All Systems Go"!!

Statements I like to hear

I got this from another blog I read.  Statements I like to hear:

If you want to win my heart, start a sentence with the following words. You’ll have my full attention:

1. What if we …
2. No one has ever tried something like this …
3. Here’s something that will make us more effective …
4. blah, blah, blah, FREE, blah, blah
5. I had this idea …
6. It doesn’t seem possible, but …
7. I’ve been praying about this a ton …
8. I know this might sound crazy …
9. I think God might be leading us to …
10. I’d like to take you out to lunch …

Church....a marketing problem or an idea problem

This blog post spurs a great question.

Click here

What does a fired basketball coach and a pastor have in common?

I found this blog post VERY interesting. 

Click here to read. 

Ohhhhhh....the expectations of a staff member or pastor. 

Zappos Core Values

The online shoe company, Zappos.com, has an excellent set of core values.  They resonate with creativity and relevancy.  Check these out.  Although not all-inclusive, the church of today sure could learn from these core values.

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

Consensus

Here's a great post on Consensus by Tony Morgan.  Good principles.

What If...

I've got a few "What If?" statements/questions I'm thinking about right now.

• What if the local church, yes, the one I serve at, actually decided to move in the same direction?
• What if we valued the lost as much as we value our own comfort?
• What if we decided to put our actions (not money) where our mouths are?
• What if we recognized that church, the way it's been done for the past 50 years, may not be as effective as it could be if we would be willing to change our method?
• What if people realized that the message wouldn't change regardless of our method?
• What if people actually rooted for the church, the bride of Christ, to succeed, instead of rooting against their so called "own team"?  It amazes me that people in the church love to see the church fail. 

I'm just wondering.  I'm just asking "What If" about things that are on my heart.