NEVER allow the pursuit of what’s next to hide the fact you’re running from what’s now.
This guy totally blesses my life … a mentor I’ve never met. Read this blog and grow.
Sadly, I became aware of a person who has been offended at me this morning. For the rest of this post, I’ll simply refer to this person as ‘this person.’ I wasn’t even aware of it. Since this person left our church, I’ve seen them a couple of times out in public and noticed they were really short with me … like really short. Although I’m sensitive, I’m hard to offend, so when people act that way, I usually ignore it. Now, bear in mind that when this person left our church, they reasoned with me that they needed to attend a church that had a worship experience that was more fitting to their schedule, like on a Saturday night - no problem. This was reality … as I understood it at least.
Today when I saw this person, the short, quick, uninterested communication happened again. The odd thing is that twice in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been led to pray for this person and their family. I followed this person outside and asked them what was wrong. This person told me how I had offended and proceeded to tell me how life had dealt some difficult blows since they left our church. I must say I have to fight frustration at people when they don’t communicate more clearly to me how they feel, especially when you do care about them and their well-being … At any rate, here are a few scriptures to consider that have helped me.
Matthew 18:15-17 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
Don’t treat them like a pagan first, try to work it out 
Matthew 5:23-24 23So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.
Everyone involved is responsible to work toward reconciliation when offenses are discovered.
Proverbs 18:19 An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
The battle for your friendship will be difficult and exhausting. Stay prayed up and commit to a process that may not be quick!
There’s more but the post would be too long and probably offend someone.
At the end of the day today, will you be able to say you’ve spent your time well?
So far today, I’ve …
I found some interesting stats here.
If only 8% of people succeed in achieving their resolutions, what about the rest of us? This guy says the vast majority have infrequent success or every other year and that 24% of us NEVER succeed and have fail on every resolution every year. He also said the following …
According to him, success with your resolutions means nothing in regard to your own personal level of happiness. Its scary to think that I could work my rear-end off and still be miserable in life. That’s why I want to set goals that bring true happiness … Goals that help me accomplish God’s will for my life.
Don’t set stupid goals. What I mean by that are goals that have everything to do with SELF and nothing to do with GOD. Set goals that the Holy Spirit is leading you to set, or that scripture clearly outlines for your life. God wants you to be healthy, have a good family, be a better husband, live a prosperous life, give more to hurting people, etc. But more than anything, we should want with specificity what God wants for us. What are your resolutions this year? Is there a chance you might need to alter them a little?
Great day …
Eph. 6:10 - “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
What are you dealing with that’s bigger than that? This can be your best year EVER. Believe that!
Tonight, we had some couples over along with my parents and brother’s family. Papa Gant came over also. We ate chili, chicken salad sandwiches on Raisin Cinnamon Bread and then chocolate cherry cake. I made oreo milkshakes for 3 of my buddies.
After that, we loaded up in the church van and went around to look at Christmas lights. Check out the link below. These exterior lights have got to be the sickest lights in Brevard county. Thanks to Eric Austin for telling me about them.
Jesus overcame His past. Wait a second, Jesus didn’t have a past, He was perfect. Yes, He was perfect and you’re right in believing that He never sinned. That’s why I can’t wait to preach Sunday. I’ll be dealing with His terrible ancestors … the genealogies in Matthew 1. Boring, right? WRONG! There are four women in Jesus’ ancestry that are going to blow your mind if you’ve not read about them. How did they get there? God’s grace. That’s the reason a tax collector named Matthew could write the first of four gospels, not to mention the first book of the New Testament.
There is nothing you can’t overcome, regardless of how ugly or sordid your circumstances are. Don’t believe me yet? Be at www.cinemaworldonline.com on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. for one of our exciting worship experiences and YOU WILL FIND OUT just how awesome God’s grace and power are.
How often have you cried out to God wishing you could accomplish more? Influence more? Have more? If you’re like most people I know who want to do anything for God, you’ve pondered these thoughts, probably often.
I read the following on Monday and haven’t been able to forget it. ” … Life is more than the things we actually accomplish. It also includes the things we set in motion.” We usually look behind us for signs of having made a difference. The problem is that we fail to remember our lives have intersected with countless people on whom we’ve had an impact, often with great significance.
We’re not always as bad as the enemy wants us to believe. He wants us to believe we’re always ‘this or that.’ But truthfully speaking, we don’t always procrastinate, or always miss the opportunity. We don’t always screw up, miss the important appointment and we aren’t always jacking stuff up. That’s right, sometimes we’re actually hitting the nail on the head. Sadly, we are often our own worst enemy pharisee. Remember, there are a vast amount of things that are happening today BECAUSE OF YOU. You have set some things in motion that you may never know about until Heaven. But, this shouldn’t just change how we feel about the past. It should affect how we move into the future. Here are my quick thoughts …
Tonight, I told Silas I loved him. He replied that he loved me too and that he would still love me when he was a teenager ending with, “Dad, I’ll even love you when I’m your age.” He was basically saying, “Dad, I’ll always love you.”
This reminded me of Jeremiah 31:3. The NLT sounds like this … “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” Generally speaking, most people you know only love you until you break their favorite vase or coffee mug. But God’s love is altogether different.
Be encouraged! You could never do anything to make God love you less. However, you could also never do anything to make God love you more. His love is perfect. His love is everlasting. His love is unfailing. His love is drawing you toward Him as you read these words. Beer breath and all. Judgmental finger-pointing as well. He loves you when YOU KNOW NOBODY ELSE WOULD.
In relation to how much God loves us, we have no clue just how unspeakably wonderful His love really is. I’ll sleep soundly tonight after reflecting on Jeremiah’s words.
Although some readers will want to, don’t judge it … just read it here and be blessed!
Rick Warren said earlier this year in a forum of 100 pastors something to the effect of … “Guys, everybody knows the secret to church growth is changed lives.” Well, actually, everybody DOESN’T know. The truth is, we (pastors) are bombarded with material telling us the next new church growth secret all the time. If Rick Warren is right, and I believe he is, it sure changes a lot of what we pastors tend to focus on. No, I don’t mean #’s either. I actually believe we should focus on #’s - like how many were saved this year as a result of us coming together for an hour and a half each week as opposed to how many we had at our quarterly big day. Rick Warren’s statement seems so simple. I know what they say about things that sound too good to be true but I really think he is on to something profound here. What say you?
I’m blogging right now (gotta love AT&T’s air card) from within the Holy Land Experience here in beautiful Orlando, FL. Since my ankle is still hurting from last Sunday’s basketball romp, I have it propped up here in the cafe. I must say its hard not to run over to Cheesecake Factory being this close and all. Anyway, this place is sooooooooo cool. I’ve really enjoyed it thus far as well Cher, my son Silas and the other 20 or so people that are visiting with us today from www.discoverlifechurch.tv. I actually saw Matt Crouch here earlier. I didn’t speak to him, but I do appreciate what TBN is accomplishing with this crazy cool ministry. If you haven’t been yet, you need to come and check this out soon. You’ll be glad you did.
I have a Saturday preaching dilemma. No, I AM NOT looking for a message for tomorrow’s worship experiences. I finished my message Wednesday of this week. However, I have a ton of information I want to share every week and a few hours ago I asked myself a question as I was reviewing my message that has plagued me ever since … How much of tomorrow’s message is for the congregation and how much of it is for me and me alone?
I can’t possibly share everything that God shows me each week, at least not in 35 minutes. I simply want to make sure every word I speak tomorrow is for tomorrow and every listener present.
Not sure how it will play out specifically. I know that God will give me direction. I’ll let you know when I blog Sunday Unravelled.
I’m so thankful for the faithful and generous partners of www.discoverlifechurch.tv. While churches are struggling everywhere to meet budget, God has sovereignly blessed in 2009. Regarding our 2010 budget meeting, all went well … Our treasurer did a lot of work beforehand that helped tremendously - Thank God! After I got home tonight, I read something John Maxwell twittered. ”To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. -Bertrand Russell.”
So true, especially sitting in a budget meeting dealing with various requests from people who genuinely believe what they want will make a tremendous impact on the world they serve. We will never get everything we want here in this life. There will always be something missing … a movie we missed, a game we lost, a promotion on the job, whatever. We simply don’t get it all. Then again, if we did get everything we wanted in life, who’d want to go to Heaven, right?
Lacking isn’t losing. Sometimes lacking something in life makes you understand how truly blessed you are to have what you do. For the 25 year old bachelor sitting at home registering on eharmony.com after a bad breakup, there’s a 65 year old whose never even held a woman’s hand. For the man who didn’t get the promotion this week, there’s a hundred others who haven’t had a steady paycheck in months.
Sometimes, to be truly happy, we’ve got to let go of what we wish we had in order to thank God for what we have. If you lack something today, don’t fret. This is the test of how happy you are with what you have. How happy are you? You’re more blessed than you might recognize.
Sunday Unravelled
I can’t leave this thought alone …
I’m finishing a book this month entitled, Never Eat Alone which has once again made me think about who I spend the bulk of my time with. Today, I had lunch with one of the godliest men I know … Russell Pace. Pastor Chris was also there - Ha! We had a great time hanging out. I was so blessed to spend my lunch with them. Two things I take away from my time with these guys are; 1) Humility and 2) Longevity. Russell Pace has amazing character and integrity. He sincerely looks to hear from God as to what he can change about himself, how he can be more like Christ. He and his amazing wife have attended the church I pastor nearly 3 X’s the length of time I’ve been here. They’ve not only shown that they have a great attitude, but they have exemplified longevity unlike the vast majority. Pastor Chris also has a humble attitude and longevity. He’s been with me for about 7 years or so and continues to take things off of me as we progress as a church. Through the good and bad, these guys have been with me, walking through the fire when necessary. They are not ‘fair weather” friends.
Now let me be clear … There are MANY, MANY more things that I appreciate about them, but for this blog I’ve mentioned just two. My life is better today because of the time I spent with Elder Russell Pace and Pastor Chris. These guys have impacted my life today in an extremely positive way. Don’t let your schedule, other people’s schedules and definitely not other people’s priorities keep you from those who are your strongest supporters and encouragers. I’m smarter, stronger, and more successful today because of their impact on my thinking.
Bottom Line - As we approach Christmas and the new year, protect yourself by spending the right amount of time with ‘right’ people - the ones who love you and are behind you. You need them more than you realize and you need them more often than you realize. Never forget how important the ‘right’ people are to you. Make them a priority and schedule interactions with them often. You will reach more people for Christ as a result!
Okay, so here they are … 10 things I’ll do different in the next decade of ministry here at www.discoverlifechurch.tv …
These are long term goals and more than likely they will need to be tweaked periodically - Please pray for me!
10 Year Anniversary - Those words are difficult to even say … Seriously 10 years … I must be getting old. , Cher and I celebrated with our church family our time together for a decade. Bishop Jimmy Smith participated in the weekend, preaching for us on Sunday morning and speaking to our leadeship on Sunday evening. We were tremendously impacted and and simply want to say thankyou to each and everyone who played a part in making it so very special. Cher and I are so blessed and privileged to be here and serve God and you all as Lead Pastors of www.discoverlifechurch.tv. We love you.
For a list of the things I plan to do different over the next 10 years, go here!
Jim Collins said, “People aren’t your greatest asset, the right people are.” I’ve taken some time this week to really contemplate that. Who are the right people in our lives right now? That will differ between you and I. Its pretty simple for me … Of course, God first and foremost … Then my wife, son and family … After that things get a little difficult …
Next in line for me would have to be the people who are helping me reach those next in line after them (the unchurched). Sound confusing? People who believe in the vision God has set in front of our local congregation are so important to me. Those of you in this category are ministry multipliers and I love you for it. Thanks to all the ‘right people’ in my life. I thank God for you and look forward to all that we can accomplish together as God leads our steps. I never want to neglect those who are a fervent part of all we’re doing here at www.discoverlifechurch.tv.
Make sure you know who the ‘right people’ in your life are. If not, you’re probably neglecting them.
About 8 months ago, my staff informed me that we had overages on our copier … again?! I was ticked. I knew (at least I thought) exactly what I needed to do - I called the copy company and changed the codes so my staff would have to ask me every time they needed to copy and/or print something. Now I know you’ll agree that this was insanely ingenious … a management concept only the brightest of rising star pastors {insert sarcasm here} could compose - yeah, not exactly.
Unfortunately, my plan worked … my staff called me every other minute! I became the copy/print policeman. I feel so lame telling this, but as my newly-saved-bouncer-friend would say, it do what it do (it is what it is).
Check this out. These guys say that culture is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. NEWS FLASH - even the best of systems can’t fully manage human capacity to mess stuff up. In other words, you can’t write a perfect, ‘catch-all’ system. I also have yet to meet anyone smart enough to think up new codes for all the problems they encounter. You have to manage people which heavily involves shaping culture. Left alone, your culture will be shaped by outside influences, fleeting emotional conditions, weariness, frustration, anger-at-the-boss, and a host of other junk. Systems have helped with copier overages. However, the most efficient thing a leader can do is shape the local church/office/staff culture the way he or she senses God leading. I simply have tried to create a culture focused on savings. We’ve consistently been under budget this year. We simply haven’t overspent - Thank God.
3 Ways We’ve Shaped Our Office Culture:
Don’t change the codes, change the culture! Its pretty simple and you’ll be able to get a lot of other stuff done.
Great weekend with Brian Hunter …
Well, this week has been our annual 3P. This is where the staff and I take a week to pray, play and prepare for the upcoming year. The staff and I came over on Monday evening and several leaders followed last evening. We’ve had an amazing week! We are refreshed and super excited to rush back and jump head first into discoverlifechurch.tv.
What have we accomplished this week? While the team (about 20 dl peeps) are in the main lobby eating breakfast - and making a lot of noise - I decided to come in the computer room next door and share some awesome stuff with you all …
This is a quick summary of the week. So much more, though.
I love you guys!
Thanks for being so patient while I’ve experimented with www.twitter.com. If you want to follow me there, go to www.twiter.com, search for “@ken_hitte” and you’re set. Also search for ‘@discoverlife’ as well. I look forward to hearing from you. You can get constant updates on your phone by way of text. You’ll find a place to click ‘live updates.’ Now, you can be one of the @discoverlife ‘tweeps.’
Great day … Period! What made it great?
Today I’ve spent the morning with my wife, Cher at the Sun Shoppe. Tomorrow, I’ll be with David Daniel, our Evangelism director as well as his team of partners at the beach for a Saturday evangelism outreach. Tonight, my family and I will be with Josh, Jesse and Evan Conti for dinner and to chill together. These are just a few people I’m hanging out with. Its hard to believe I’m much of a loner with a schedule like this, right? I’m careful about who I spend time with and that includes myself. Too much me time is not a good thing either. I’ve heard it said that life is a journey. I agree. Who’s taking the journey with you this week? Weekend? Month? Don’t go it alone!
