“All You Can Eat”. Many restaurants offer this culinary ritual by asking you to pay a flat fee of about $5.99 and then stuffing yourself on an never ending array of options…from fried chicken to egg rolls & salisbury steak to tacos. After 4 trips to the “food bar” it is then time to visit the “dessert bar” where you can pour hot fudge & sprinkles over anything that you can reach before scarfing it down.

What ALL these restaurants have in common is that the food is bad, the quality is cheap, and choices are endless.

The truth is that many of our churches have an “all you can eat” approach to the number of ministries we offer. We think that the if we offer something for everyone then everyone will come.

What actually happens is that the program is bad, the quality is cheap, and a lot of people don’t come. In other words, the variety is impressive but the impact is not.

At 12Stone Church, we have adopted a lean approach to ministry. In our children’s ministry we don’t have a VBS, a Wednesday night program, a sports ministry, a choir program, MOPS, Mother’s Day Out, and a handful of other things we could offer.

In our Children’s Ministry we focus our energy on Sunday large group experiences, small group environments, & partnering with parents. With this lean approach to children’s ministry, it still takes tremendous effort to do them well.

Our Executive Pastor, Dan Reiland, gives some excellent advice to move toward a lean and more robust ministry…

1. Don’t stand at your pulpit, brandish your Colt .45 and declare that you just shut down half the ministries in your church. Please. I don’t have any job openings.

2. Invest weeks or months thinking and praying with key leadership asking God what your focus needs to be.

3. Cast vision and teach the principle of lean ministry. Tell why you are leaning into it. (No pun intended.)

4. Once you know your focus, take six months to a year to s-l-o-w-l-y close down other ministries.

5. Keep casting vision. Tell success stories of primary ministries.

6. Develop relationships with ministries in your community and around the world that you don’t “own and operate” but can support. (Keep this group lean too.)

7. Remind people that they can do any ministry that they want, but that doesn’t obligate your church to do it, support it, advertize it, find a room for it, pay for it, and on the list goes.

8. Don’t feel like this limits you. You can start a new ministry any time you want. But be intentional. And when you do start a new ministry, be tough about considering what ministry you may need to drop.

Share on Facebook

You see on billboards as you drive down the expressway. At ball games written in big letters on small signs and held up in the stands.  The In-N-Out Burger chain prints it on the inside of the bottom rim of their paper cups. Forever 21, a clothing chain, prints it on the bottom of their shopping bags. Football players have it printed on their eye black. And the list goes on & on…

It is the most quoted & most famous verse in the Bible. John 3:16.

But has ‘John 3:16′ become a trite, stereotyped expression; that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse? Has ‘John 3:16′ become a cliche?

Share on Facebook

Good Friday…seems strange to remember the day Jesus died on the Cross by calling it ‘good’.

Why do we call this day “good”?

It is ‘good’ because Jesus died for us. It is the ultimate act of love.

It is ‘good’ because our sin separates us from God and only through Jesus Christ can our sins be forgiven.

It is ‘good’ because His death restores our relationship with God and removes the separation caused by sin.

It is ‘good’ because Jesus’ death sets us free. We are free from the penalty of sin, free from the power of Satan, & free to live a full & meaningful life.

It is ‘good’ because Jesus died so that I might live.

It is ‘good’ because Jesus took the punishment for my sin.

It is ‘good’ because redemption comes through the cross.

It is ‘good’ because I am so bad…and Jesus is so good.

It is ‘good’ because the grave could not hold Jesus. Three days later he rose and is alive today!

Share on Facebook

April 1st is no longer “April Fools Day” in our family; it is our daughters “Gotcha Day”!

One year ago today, Nicole and I met our daughter for the first time. We had traveled to Taipei, Taiwan to adopt Szu Yu Chen (Emma Szu Yu). I remember pulling up to the orphanage, stepping out of the cab, and taking a deep breath. All the anticipation, questions, anxiety…flooded my soul. How will this 4 year old little girl react? What will she think of her new family? How will she get along with her brothers? Will she love us?

We walked up the stairs to the meeting room where Szu Yu and her foster family were waiting for us. When we opened the door…she ran to us and said “ba ba, ma ma” (daddy & mommy in mandarin). Then the reality hit her. She ran back to her foster parents and didn’t want to let go. I know she was scared. I know she had the same questions, anticipation, and anxiety we had. What will my new family be like? Will we get along? Will they love me?

Looking back one year later, I’m SO thankful Nicole and I took the risk to adopt a child into our family. I have a beautiful, precious daughter!

This has been an amazing year & has far exceeded my expectations. She and her brothers DO get along. She DOES love her new family. She KNOWS she is loved! It’s as if Emma has been with our family since birth. My prayer for Emma is that she will never doubt her place in our family, that she will always have a sense of belonging, & that she knows she is deeply loved.

Share on Facebook

In Numbers 13, the Israelites sent spies into the promised land. God promised the land. He told the people it was good. A land flowing with milk and honey. He told them it was their land. When the spies returned they reported that everything was true…the land was good, it was flowing with milk and honey. All they had to do was follow God’s dream for them and take possession of the land. Then one little word changed everything. “But”. “But” was the response of the spies. “But the people were powerful & the cities are fortified.”

“But” – it’s a small word that had a BIG impact on our lives.

“But” precedes all our excuses for not pursing our dreams. How many times have you heard…

• But we’ve never done it that way before.
• But the people we lead won’t go for it.
• But the risk is too big.
• But what happens if we fail.
• But it won’t be popular.
• But (insert your own excuse).

“But” is anchored in fear and doubt. Fear and doubt are the enemies of God’s dreams. They stifle what God wants to accomplish in you. “But” keeps us from leading. It keeps us from pursuing that new venture, taking the leadership risks that could unleash what God has birthed in us. “But” keeps us from our dreams, stops us from reaching our goals, stifles our creativity, and blinds us to new and innovative solutions.

Only two spies actually made it to the promised land. Two spies didn’t let the “but’s” keep them from God’s dream. Only two spies reached their full potential. Maybe we’re not reaching our potential because we have allowed a small word to fill us with fear and doubt.

Share on Facebook

How do you balance a life of quiet contemplation, study, and prayer with a life of activity, service, and productivity with the crowd? Are they mutually exclusive? Many think you can’t balance the sacred and the secular. The truth is that busyness can distract us from contemplation & contemplation can insulate us from reality. So how we do live with an eternal focus & also manage the temporal demands that flood us daily?

Gregory the Great said, “activity precedes contemplation, but contemplation must be expressed in service to one’s neighbor”. In other words, we must move from distraction to spirit AND back from spirit to practical service of others.

The contemplative life & the active life are NOT mutually exclusive.

The Contemplative Life (Prayer/Study) EQUIPS us for the Active Life (Service/Productivity)

The Active Life (Service/Productivity) GROUNDS us for the Contemplative Life (Prayer/Study)

A balance between the crowd & the quiet is necessary to live the life Jesus calls us to live. Much of Jesus’ recorded life was spent with the crowd…serving others, healing the sick, teaching his disciples. He was able do this because He would frequently step away from the crowd, from the busyness and withdraw for prayer and contemplation.

I wish I were better at living this balance. The times that I do, I have a greater awareness that God is speaking to me in my daily experiences.

Share on Facebook

Well it finally snowed in Atlanta yesterday. Emma has been wanting to see snow all winter. Spending her first 4 years in Taiwan…she had never seen snow before. It started snowing after church so the whole way home, she kept telling Nicole …”this is my first time to see the snow”. She was so excited! She loved the snow but kept saying that it’s too cold! Man, does she take after her mommy or what??

One of the fascinating aspects of adoption is that our daughter gets to verbalize all of her FIRSTS…her excitement & wonder is contagious. Too often we take the little things for granted…seeing God’s goodness in the snow, slowing down to actually enjoy a meal, & taking in the beauty that surrounds us. My prayer is that I will take the time to experience life and take it all in, not simply rush through the day and miss out on ALL the beauty that surrounds me.

Share on Facebook

• Headed to IHOP for MLT staff mtg #
• @perrynoble highly recommend a sleep number bed. in reply to perrynoble #
• Dropping the kids off at preschool. Feeling better than yesterday so I’m going to the office. Got a full inbox from being sick yesterday. #
• @nicholaskirk don’t want to know. but you can get a wax, perm, and color. in reply to nicholaskirk #
• Now, this is the way Wii was meant to be played…on a 40 foot screen! http://twitpic.com/1jl3p #
• prepping for my debut as a soccer coach. practice starts tomorrow & I have to figure out how to teach 4&5 year old boys how to play soccer #
• Another Wednesday…another day of meetings. Again, how did I get selected to the ChMS task force? #
• zzzz…death by meeting. i’m sitting in possibly the worst presentation i’ve ever been involved in. #
• @mikeon425 more like torture… in reply to mikeon425 #
• @CWSites yeah. i’m sure they don’t. in reply to CWSites #
• @CWSites heck, we deserve a steak lunch after sitting through this… in reply to CWSites #
• @CWSites ruth chris! in reply to CWSites #
• @natehorton yeah, I seriously doubt they do. in reply to natehorton #
• Note to self…don’t participate in a product demo that is being led by an accountant & an engineer. Luckily the torture ended 2 hrs early. #
• oh well, rain delay for soccer practice. gotta take the kids to blockbuster instead. they were really looking forward to starting tonight. #
• just finished editing audio for the preschool worship experience @12stone this weekend. it’s gonna be a party for preschoolers! #
• working on small group stuff then having dinner with my parents and my out-laws (I meant in-laws). #
• @dmmarrero nice. have a blast!! in reply to dmmarrero #
• @camimiller just throw it in reply to camimiller #
• Just finished a competitive game of wii bowling with the kids where my 4 year old beat his older brother & sister. Man they were upset. #
• RU smarter than a kindergartner? If so, name the presidents on the coins. Penny? Nickel? Dime? Quarter? Samuel taught us 2nite. #
• @toddrhoades last time I was in NYC, late show interns were giving away tickets the morning of the show. They were all around the theater. in reply to toddrhoades #
• Insomnia…guess I’ll try reading. #
• “Activity preceeds contemplation but contemplation must be expressed in service to one’s neighbor” – St. Gregory #
• Looking for a new microwave on my day off…I know you’re jealous! #
• Refreshed after a nap. Getting ready for small group tonight. Gonna talk about how to handle conflict in marriage… #
• Great small group tonight! Great discussion & great friends. #
• Soccer coaches meeting this morning then date with my lovely wife this afternoon. #
• Going to see Grand Torino with Nicole. #
• Amazing date day with my lovely bride! The kids are at the g-parents, so we spent the whole day together. Movie, dinner, hanging out…Nice! #
• It’s gonna be a great day @12stone today! Ready to see what God does. #
• Going to pick up the kids from my parents. Ready to see them and start the grand parents detox treatment. #
• Home from picking up the kids. Now watching the Oscars. #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Share on Facebook

Lobby Day from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

On February 4th, 2009, 40 college students jumped on a bus and rode down to the state capital for Lobby Day, a time when citizens of the city were allow and encouraged to show up and lobby their representatives and inform them of what mattered to them.
The reason these students, and many other advocates gathered was a subject not often talked about in the light of day. The official term is ‘commercial sexual exploitation of children’, the short term is ‘child sex trafficking’.

Talk is cheap, actions are costly, the time has arrived…

Share on Facebook

There’s nothing like spending a sick day at home to force me to think about what I’m doing with my time. Being stuck on the sofa and watching time tick away, I quickly realized that there are only 168 hours in my week…and I’ve just lost an entire day! 

Basically, I’ve come to realization that I will NOT get done all that I set out to do this week. At first thought, this really ticked me off. I don’t have time to be sick. There’s so much to do, so much I want to do and being sick only hinders my accomplishments. So I’ve had to ask myself, “how do I redeem my time”?

The following principles help me to make the most of my week and allow me to see significant change over time:

1. There is a cumulative value in investing small amounts of time in one endeavor over time.

Less can actually mean more. Small investments of time will pay huge dividends over time. Think about it…it’s the consistent investments in your marriage, family, work, and exercise that will pay huge dividends as time goes by. On the contrary, a one time investment has no value. Trying to exercise for 4 hours to “catch-up” doesn’t do you any good. Neglecting your marriage and family week in and week out and then trying to make up for it on vacation is an act in futility. Remember, it’s the regular routine that make the difference. 

2. Neglect has a cumulative effect as well

It’s that lack of small, routine investments over time that causes marriages, families, and personal health to breakdown. This is why married couples wake up one day and realize that no longer know the person they are living with. It didn’t happen over night…it happened because they have neglected their marriage in small ways over time.

3. There are rarely any immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of a regular routine.

Missing one day of exercise or one date night with my spouse doesn’t really have an effect. I don’t feel disconnected from God by skipping my time in prayer for one day. There are no immediate consequences. The problem is that I find it easier to neglect my routine the next day as well. 

4. There is no cumulative value to the urgent things we allow to interfere with things that are important.

So often, I allow the urgent to get in the way of the important. As a pastor, there is always something “urgent” that is calling for my attention. So much so, that there are days that I get home and when my wife asks we what I did that day my only answer is, “I don’t know”. The problems is that there is little value in all the “I don’t know’s”. When I let the “urgent” overtake the “important”…I finish the day with nothing to show for it. When I neglect the “important”, I have regret.

5. In the critical arenas of life you cannot make up for lost time

I cannot make up for missed opportunities. When I miss what’s “important”, I cannot make it up tomorrow. Tomorrow will bring more “urgent” things to take the place of the “important”. When I neglect time with my family or skip exercising or “forget” to pray…the opportunity is lost forever. It can’t be make up. That is why I have to start each day fresh and with a renewed focus on what’s truly important. 

I must remember that God has numbered my days. He wants us to make the most out of each day.

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Redeem the time by establishing regular routines. Redeem the time by making small investments in what’s important. Redeem the time by realizing that it’s not what I’m doing “now” but what I’ve been doing year in and year out…this is what makes the difference!

Share on Facebook