How Teachable Are You

I've been thinking a lot lately about "teachableness" (I just made that word up) I've been thinking so much about it in fact that it was the main point in my monthly article this week in the Kernersville news and will be the topic of my sermon this Sunday. The following a sneak preview of both:

How Teachable Are You?

Last week I had a local business call me for a reference for one of my church members who was applying for a position with the company. After introducing themselves the first thing they asked about the applicant wasn't were they a nice person, easy to work with, or reliable. What they asked was this, "Is this person teachable?" To me there wasn't a better first question to ask. Serving in a church in a full time capacity for almost 14 years, I've come to appreciate someone's "teachableness" more than just about any other trait.

I have discovered that having a teachable spirit is something that most people lack, and I will be the first to admit and put me into the list of "most people." A good way to find out if you have a problem in this area is to ask yourself the following question, "How do I respond to correction?"

Proverbs 15:12 “A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.”
Proverbs 15:32 “He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.”

People that hate taking advice are the kind of people Proverbs 15 is speaking about. They get bent out of shape when they are corrected or when they believe that they are being attacked. Pride tells them that they aren’t good enough and that is why they are being corrected. This ultimately leads to insecurity.

Criteria for insecure people
- They never feel secure about their identity, and are constantly comparing themselves to others
- When someone corrects them they get defensive
- They wont take advice from people not like themselves
- They are the kind of people are constantly trying to prove something
- They may tend to lie to make themselves look good in front of others
- They are ashamed to let others know who they really are
- When they are corrected, they typically feel rejected

Looking at the list, there is no question that I meet some of the criteria. This is something I am not ashamed to admit. I know I’m not perfect, but I’ve also learned that if I’m am going to be the husband, father, son, friend, and Christian God desires for me to be that I can’t stop learning. I have to remain teachable. I can’t allow myself to ever get to a point where I say, “God is done with me. Who I am is who I am and there is no changing that.”

So what does a person with a teachable spirit look like? They are always secure in who they are. Here are three things I’ve found in common with every person I’ve ever considered to be teachable:

Criteria for secure people
- They can be corrected without feeling rejected.
- They are willing to learn even when it's difficult and not what they want to hear
- They listen to constructive advice

We need to stay teachable, and put off our pride no matter what. We need to be critical thinkers; we need to stop blowing off and blowing up with everyone that disagrees with us. I will say it again, I have some work in this area. And so do you. Remember that secure people are teachable and insecure are not. Are you secure enough to be teachable?

My Ikea Experience

Two weekends ago Beth, the kids, and I took our very first trip to the furniture monstrosity of a superstore known as "Ikea". We had been warned by friends about how overwhelming the place is. But really, how imposing can 365,000 sq ft of furniture showrooms be?

We arrive at Ikea around 10:15am. We were on assignment to locate Beth some furniture she wanted for our home. All she wanted was a couple of bookcases and a cabinet. This shouldn't be to stressful or to time consuming, right? Once inside we immediately found our way to Ikea's daycare/play area for kids. There you can drop your kids off for up to an hour while you shop in peace. The place is well staffed and looked like a lot of fun. To bad Jacob didn't think so. HE how a melt down when we tried to get him to go play. Maria was all for it but Jacob wasn't having any of it. I tried reasoning with him, threatening him, bribing him but nothing worked. He was going to stick with mom and dad this day.

After checking Maria in, we made our way up to the the second floor where everyone begins their Ikea adventure. The set up is basically this: there are sections for kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, closets, dinning rooms, dungeons , and whatever other rooms you may have in your home. And when I say they have EVERYTHING you could ever want for any room in your house I am not exaggerating. Once you decide on a piece of furniture, you write it down on a handy order form and save it until the end of your journey. There you will either pick up the boxes yourself for the items that need assembly or the Ikea staff will get the larger items for you.

Oh, did I mention that on the rain Saturday in Charlotte, every person in a three county radius was there? I have never in my life been in a store with more people then this. It was Black Friday at Target times 100.

The following is a sample conversation from our shopping, just multiplied as many times as needed to fill in the two hour time frame we spent there:

Beth: I like this one, write it down.
Mike: Yes dear.
Mike: Jacob, stop climbing on that.
Beth: No, I like this one better, write it down.
Mike: Yes dear.
Mike: Jacob don't touch that.
(Repeat as needed for first hour)

Beth: No, I like this one better, write it down.
Mike: Yes dear.
Mike: Jacob AND Maria don't touch, climb, throw, or break that.
(Repeat as needed for second hour)

By noon we had finished our Ikea shopping adventure and made our way to the warehouse / checkout area. Beth knew exactly what bookcases she wanted and cabinet. Since we had driven the Explorer down I knew there was no way we could buy any of the items that day and I would be making a return trip within the next week. But then on our way out our trip took a very unexpected, and later tragic, turn. The following are not one but many mistakes made by yours truly that could have led to the death of many people.

Mistake # 1: Ikea has a section of as-is furniture. This furniture may have been displayed, returned, or whatever. The bottom line was it is all 50% off the original price. So we walk in expecting to see a bunch of beat up junk but what we find are two of the exact bookcases Beth wanted for half the price. We knew there was no way they'd be there when I came back later in the week so we made an impulsive decision to buy the bookcases then. You know the old saying, "Your eyes are bigger then your stomach."? Well my eyes got bigger then my car. I somehow convinced myself that these two six-foot tall by twenty-eight inch bookcases would fit in my Explorer with all four of us. But wait it gets better.

Mistake # 2: As I went to go find a flatbed cart to put these two bookcases on, I walked past the other two bookcases we had planned on buying and thought to myself, "These aren't even put together yet. I bet I can get the two that are and these two all in my car, Then when I come back all I'll have to get will be the large cabinet. So I get a second cart, one to put the as-is bookcases on and one for the news that needed assembly. Once I get back to Beth and the kids it's obvious the kids have had enough of Ikea and Beth has had enough of the kids. So we hurriedly get in line to check out. It's at that moment that I realize that I forgot the glass doors for the "needs assembly" bookcases.

Mistake #3: I head back with Jacob in tow to get the four glass doors that will fit our "needs assembly" bookcases. Since each door packaged weighed 20+ lbs, I had to make two trips back to the warehouse with a tired cranky son in tow.

Mistake #4: Once we finished checking out I went to get the car to but our bookcases and glass doors in. I backed up the car to the loading dock, popped the back hatch, and realized very quickly there was no way on Earth this was going to fit. Beth's bright idea was to return the "needs assembly" stuff and get it later. I informed her that hell would freeze over before I walked back into that store again. I was going to get everything in our car even if it killed me, or someone else. I was able to move Maria's seat to the middle and lay part of the seat down. The two as-is bookcases fit perfectly with wise and was a few inches to long. So Beth pushed her seat up as far as it would go so we could close the back hatch. He seat was so far forward he belly touched the dash. I then decided to strap the remaining six boxes (2 bookcases and 4 glass doors) to the roof on the Explorer. I luckily had three bungee cords with me. I set the bookcases on the bottom and stacked the doors on top. After making sure all was secure, we headed home.

Mistake #5: As we started home, I drove well under the speed limit for fear of the boxes sliding off. I even pulled over a few miles down the road to make sure they were still secure. And they were. Hurricane Katrina couldn't blow those boxes off my car. As we drove down I-85 at a steady 55mph pace, a sense of confidence over took me. Beth was on the phone with her mom telling her of the wonderful purchases we just made, the kids were happy to finally be heading home, and I was feeling like a man refused to let a few stupid boxes beat him. It was a good time.

At that moment We both heard a loud BANG and looked back to see cars swerving from behind us as a cloud white wood and glass exploded on the highway. Beth started screaming to her mom on the phone that we just killed somebody. I quickly pulled to the side and made sure there was no wreaks behind us. We then both jumped out of the car to inspect the damage. As we made our way around the back of the car to our surprise were all six boxes. I felt them and they were as tight as they had always been. We had no idea what we saw or heard. I just kind of chuckled and said we must have run over something and not realized it. As I made my way back around to the drivers door I looked up and noticed one of the boxes seemed a lot shorter then the rest. As I climbed up on the door frame I realized what had happened. The wind had gotten underneath the top glass door box and lifted it up with such force that it broke the door in half at the bungee cord ripping the box, glass, and wood frame off the roof and into the following traffic. How no one died or at the very least had a wreak was an act of God.

We happened to be at an exit for a rest stop so we pulled off. I through the remaining glass door into the trash there, took the remaining doors off the roof and somehow managed to get them in the car, then we very quietly headed home. I pulled over every 10-15 minutes to make sure the remaining boxes were ok. It took us three hours to get home when it normally takes 90 minutes.

The rest of the story is the book cases are now up. The as-is ones are in the bonus room and the others are in the living room. I'm heading back to Ikea next week to pick up the cabinet...and new glass door. This time I'm taking my truck.

Review Time: Crowder, Redman, Saw VI and more

Music Reviews

David Crowder Band "Church Music"
This album has a very different feel from the David Crowder I'm use to. Granted, every CD has actually changed quite a bit, which I think shows a lot of the bands creative ability, but this one so far has been hard for me to fall in love with. Very electronic almost techno feel then a more pure rock/worship style that I prefer in my Crowder music. I think many people, especially musicians, can appreciate this cd and will love it. If "Remedy" which was my favorite Crowder cd, is more your style then you make want to prepare yourself before making this purchase. 3 out of 5 stars

Matt Redman "We Shall Not be Shaken"
Matt Redman needs no introduction as he as written possibly the majority of worship songs sung in most contemporary churches over the past 10 years. His newest cd, "We Will Not Be Shaken" is full of his congregation-ready, God-exalting songs. At this point, most people have made up their mind about his music. You either enjoy this style of worship or you don't. Some adore the modern hymns Redman produces; some find it shallow and musically uninteresting. Redman is unlikely to win over very many in the second category with this album, but he delivers what we expect: a Christ-centered album, full of praise to God, and U2-flavored music that can be sung corporately and doesn't distract from the biblically-based lyrics. I for one love Matt and have enjoyed just about everything he has ever produced. "We shall not be shaken" is full of songs that churches and individuals will be singing for years to come. 4 out of 5 stars

Fee "Hope Rising"
Fee's second project "Hope Rising" comes after much acclaim from their freshman album "We Shine" which garnered a No. 1 radio smash hit in "All Because of Jesus, and four GMA Dove Award nominations including a nod in the "New Artist of the Year" category.

There is a great mix of upbeat and reflective songs, all of which are perfect for any worship setting, whether personal or with a body of believers. After such a great first album, I wasn't sure if Fee could match the intensity and catchiness of "We Shine", and yet they've actually taken it up a notch with "Hope Rising" in my opinion.

I can't get enough of this album and every song is worshipful, totally catchy and instantly sing-able. For me, the standout songs are "Rise And Sing", "Greatly To Be Praised", "Glory To God Forever", and "Promised Land". I would easily say this is my favorite cd on 2009. 5 out of 5 stars

Movie Reviews

"Paranormal Activity"
Maybe the most over hyped movie this decade. I know I drank the kool-aid and couldn't wait to see it. That being said it was very good. Don't go in expecting it to be in your face horror because it isn't. It's basically "The Blair Witch Project" set in a house versus in the woods. The movie has a huge build-up that will set the stage for one of the most intense final scenes you ever see. If you're scared of things like demons and wiji boards then you will be creeped out. Overall the movie was enjoyable, but definitely not terrifying like everyone is acting like it is. See it for yourself, but don't let the hype fool you into thinking it's something it's not. "TBWP" was a bit better. 3 stars out of 5

"Saw VI"
I'll admit it, I've been a "Saw" fan since that amazing final scene at the end of the original "Saw". The writing and story not only in the original but all the way through the franchise is what has kept me coming back for more. After SAW III, the following films got kinda weak, but SAW VI was a massive improvement in comparison to IV and V. SAW VI provides an intensity level with a mind bending twist similar to the first three films, and some really cool visuals. Although extremely graphic, not really an effective horror movie. It's like a long episode of CSI mixed in with a grisly version of Family Double Dare. Again there is a twist at the end and maybe closre on one of the best horror story arcs ever scene on the big screen. 3 out of 5 stars.

"Run Fatboy Run"
"Run, Fatboy, Run" is a quirky, British film filled with humor, dry or otherwise, and lots of heart, kind of a lighthearted 'Rocky' you might say. It's one of those girl found, girl lost, girl regained story lines that have you initially rooting against the poor smuck (Simon Pegg) who eventually wins you over and has you rooting for him at the end.

The story is neither original nor complicated. At their wedding, Simon Pegg's character gets cold feet and takes off without explanation, leaving his pregnant girlfriend behind. 5 years down the line he, now a fat, pathetic looser without the money to pay the rent, realizes that he actually left the love of his life behind that day. She has found a rich, handsome, athletic American played very well by Hank Azaria, and has no need for her former fiance. So to win her back, Pegg must compete against his American competitor in a marathon race. Chaos and hilarity ensues. Simon Pegg plays the loveable loser perfectly and adds to it his incredible sense of physical comedy. His American rival is in turn played expertly by Mr. Azaria, who somehow manages to portray a character that at the same time is absolutely charming, wonderful, and thoroughly unlikeable. I'll say, that while "Run Fat Boy Run" is not in any way original or spellbinding, it does provide some solid laughs and is never boring. Definitely recommendable. 4 out of 5 stars

Jesus Needs New PR (part 4)

"Maybe you should ask your daughter to help you figure out Internet Explorer." -Jesus

"Okay, so you juggle AND wear a bow tie. Well, I'll clap, but I'm not sure I can help you, son." -Jesus

Giving credit where credit is due - Jesus is always with you

I have long been a critic of the part of Christian society that does more to hurt the image of Jesus and who He is then helps it. Case in point: these ridiculous pictures of Jesus being with everyday folks in everyday situations. First of all Jesus looks more like drug crazed member of the Manson family then any image of Christ I have ever imagined. Then there this notion that Jesus is with you as you drive, work on your computer, or kiss your mom.

That is why I have fallen in love with this new web site sent to me from my good friend Kristie:
http://jesusneedsnewpr.blogspot.com/

It's simply ask the question, "Does Jesus need new PR?" And the answer is an overwhelming YES!!

Jesus Needs new PR (part 3)

"Just a second or two more, Billy. Okay, stop." -Jesus

"Your shoulder hurts? How does that feel? Nice, huh." -Jesus

Jesus needs new PR (part 2)

"So I hear you killed somebody yesterday." -Jesus

Jesus is with you always OR Jesus needs new PR (part 1)

"Open wide, Henry. I could numb the pain if I wanted to, but I think I'll let the doctor do that instead. Darn that Eve, huh?" -Jesus

Catalyst 2009: Chuck Swindoll

Chuck Swindoll
www.insight.org

Top Ten Things Learned During 50 years of Leadership
1) It's lonely to lead
2) It's dangerous to succeed
3) It's hardest at home
4) It's essential to be real
5) It's painful to obey
6) Brokenness and failure are necessary
7) My attitude is more important then my actions
8) Integrity eclipses image
9) God's way is ALWAYS better then my way
10) Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility

Five Statements To Live By In Leadership
1) Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone.
2) Whenever you do it, focus on quality over quantity.
3) Wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you best.
4) Whoever may respond, keep a level head.
5) However long you lead, keep on dripping with gratitude and grace.

Catalyst 2009: Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey
http://www.daveramsey.com/

The Momentum Theorem

- When you have momentum, you look better than you are. Whne you don't have momentum, you are better than you look.
- Momentum is created. It does not randomly occur.
- Fi over T multiplyed by G equals M
- Focused Intensity over Time multiplied by God equals Unstoppable Momentum!

FOCUS
- Focus is lost for two reasons: Fear and Greed
- James 1:8
- Rick Warren calls focus being Intentional
- Stephen Covey calls focus being Proactive

INTENSITY
- Pour intensity into things that really Matter.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10
- Intensity causes things to move.

OVER TIME
- "If I persist long enough, I will win" - Og Mandino
- 1 Cor. 9:24
- The Tortoise wins the race every time!

MULTIPLIED BY GOD
- You and I are finite. God is Infinite
- He is in Charge, and He carries you in the plam of Hid hand.
- Luke 18:27
- Get Plugged in to Him as a power source, and your momentum will become unstoppable!

Catalyst 2009: Priscilla Shirer

Priscilla Shirer
www.goingbeyond.com

Joshua 3:1

Four Attribute / Characteristics of Joshua as a Leader

1) He rose early. Acted immediately in obedience to God
2) He acted fearlessly. The Jordan river was violent, far from the calm river we imagine.
3) He acknowledged the presence of God. Go only when God says so.
4) He anticipated God's miracles and activities. Refused to pray "safe" prayers. Wanted God to blow the top off his box.

Catalyst 2009: Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell
www.gladwell.com

During his time at Catalyst, Malcolm Gladwell brilliantky described the story of the Civil War battle of Chancellorsville.

In 1863 during the Civil War in Virginia, the Union army was in incredibly poor shape. And Lincoln in Washington was becoming increasingly worried. Fighting Joe Hooker came and happened to know more about Confederate General Lee than anyone. Hooker devised a brilliant battle plan by distributing his army in thirds and surrounding Lee’s army. Lee was significantly outnumbered 2 to 1. Hooker said that even God Almighty couldn’t prevent them from victory. What happened next was the Battle of Chancellorsville. Hooker expected Lee to retreat, became trapped by his confidence, and did not plan for anything else. In fact, the Union army lowered their guard; Lee attacked, and Hooker’s army ran away only to suffer one of the worst defeats of the war.

Here are some thoughts / quotes from Gladwell:

• "More information doesn't mean better decisions"
• "Incompetence irritates me, but overconfidence scares me. Incompetent people rarely have the opportunities to make mistakes that greatly affect things. But overconfident leaders and experts have the dangerous ability to create disaster."
• "When we are trapped by overconfidence we close ourselves off to a changing world"
• "In times of crisis we don’t need bold and daring decision making from our leaders we need bold humility!"
• "Overconfident people and leaders stop listening to others."
• "Humility is simply the willingness to listen to others."

Catalyst 2009: Andy Stanley (session one)

Andy Stanley
Lead Pastor, North Point Comunity Church
http://www.northpoint.org/

Key Thought: Every Leader leaves a mark. What kind will I leave?
Key Passage: Joshua 5:13-15

"It’s really not about who’s for you or against you – it’s really about who you are for."

Simply put, are you and I willing to submit our skills, abilities, opportunities, my person to God and His bigger story? God was in effect saying to Joshua, “I have not come to be a part YOUR story. I want YOU to become a part of MY story!”

When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord ’s army.” Joshua 5:13-14

The commander of the Lord’s army answered, “Neither”. Why? Because it’s not about who’s your friend or who’s your foe. It’s about who you are for. Are you for God and His plan? Is He Lord over your life? Are you wanting His mark to be made through you or are you just wanting to make your piddly little mark?

“God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to Him” - Charles Stanley

"You need to settle once and for all why you do what you do and who your doing it for…Living to make my mark is to small a thing to give my life to…so, let’s give our lives to leaving His mark!" - Andy Stanley

Highs and Lows from Catalyst 2009

I attended my first Catalyst Conference ( http://www.catalystspace.com/ ) last week in Duluth, Ga. It's hosted by a group from Andy Stanley's North Point Church in Alpharetta, Ga. Everything I had ever heard about Catalyst was how great is was so my expectations were extremely high. I'm glad to say that my Catalyst experience did not disappoint!

Highs (to many to list so here are just a few)

Speakers: Just check out this lineup, it's a virtual who's who of leadership - Andy Stanley, Malcolm Gladwell, Rob Bell, Tony Dungy, Matt Chandler, Francis Chan, Priscilla Shirer, Dave Ramsey, Chuck Swindoll, and Louie Giglio!! My top three talks/speakers would have been Shirer, Swindoll, and Chandler, although all could have easily been the best at any other conference.

Music: Steve Fee, although not as popular yet, is just as good at worship leading as Crowder, Redman, Tomlin, and Hall. The biggest complement he could have gotten was when my partner in ministry and senior pastor leaned over after the first song and said, "Who is this guy? He's really good!"

Surprise / Unannounced Guest: Most conferences have to play all there cards just to get folks to show up. Not Catalyst. They had enough faith people would come just on past experience and word of mouth that they didn't have to tell all their secrets. So in just about each session, there were 10 in all, they revealed a surprise guest such has Mac Powell from Third Day who after sharing his recent adoption story lead the crowd of 13,000 in the singing of "Mighty to Save", to best selling author Mitch Albom. My favorite spoken word poet Amena Brown was also there at a few of the sessions. If you have never heard her you need to google or youtube her ASAP. She is amazing!

SWAG (Stuff We All Get)
Both levels of Gwinnett Arena were packed with vendors trying to get every pastor there to buy into there product. The best part was all the cool free stuff they gave away just to get you to stop by there booth. I loaded up on tee shirts, cd's, books, and more!

Amazing God Sightings
There were two instances or God sightings that are hard to put into words and if I try I'll just cheapen the experience. But when the worship leader from the Brooklyn shared the story of his wife and then the young man from Kenya who was surprisingly brought into the presence of his long Compassion International donor, you could barely stand from the heaviness of God.

Lows (not to many)

- There were two speakers I did not care for and for the sake of not tearing down other believers I will leave it at that.
- The crowd. It was cool to have 13,000 people/pastors/leaders joining together for worship and learning but that's about all that was good about the crowd. Mike and I were then only ones without an iphone or Blackberry. I know this because the other 12,998 had then out and were playing with them 24/7. It drove me crazy. If I had heard one more of them talk about twitter I would have snatched their phone and smashed it. I've made it no secret how I feel about twittering and these guys just validated every critical concern I had. On top of that all the 50+ year old men dressed like 20 year olds and all the 20 year olds dressed like Rob Bell, glasses and all.
- Length of days. The conference was only two days long but it felt like a week. Thursday ran from 7am-9:30pm and Friday lasted from 8am-5:30pm. I think it would be a bit easier on the attendees, or at least me, if they stretched it out over 3 days. Since it started so early on Thursday, most folks were already down there on Wednesday anyway.

What I learned
I plan on posting some of my notes here over the next few days. The ones that will make the most sense without needing a lot of explanation will get posted.

Fall TV Reviews

So far I've been disappointed in not only the new tv shows for the fall season but also with premieres of the few I do watch. Dexter was the best returning show by far. The Office and Parks & Rec have been average. And when will 30 Rock be back??

As far as new shows, here's my quick thoughts:
Hank: Stars Kelsey Grammer has a rich guy gone broke. Reminds me of a bad 80's sitcom. We didn't make it past the first commercial break. Do not watch.
Glee: Has potential but way to quirky to make it. We decided not to get involved since it will probably not last. Most unique shows like this get canned pretty quickly (see Pushing Daisies and The Unusuals)
Cougar Town: Courtney Cox tries way to hard to be believable as a 40 year old "cougar". Plus it's not funny at all. Turned it off 15 min into first episode.
Flash Forward: No matter what anyone says, this show is no LOST. The story is intriguing enough to keep me hooked but it reminds me of the long canceled ABC show "The Nine" more then anything else. Acting and dialogue could be better too. The story will keep this show going a while.
Community: I made it through a show and a half and didn't laugh once. Same old tired used jokes we've been seeing on tv for 40 years. Nothing original at all about this show. Chevy Chase is wasting his talent here.
Modern Family: Billed as the next "Arrested Development", it's far from that. But it is funny in an awkward kind of way. Worth checking out if you haven't see it.
The Middle: The BEST new show of the Fall!! Stars Patricia Heaton (Raymond) and Neil Flynn (janitor from Scrubs) Extremely funny and original! Go is ABC.com and catch the premiere if you missed it. Must See!!