In today’s episode, we explore the amazing world of social media for the Kingdom of God.

Matt’s guest today is Brandon Cox, who is currently a Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, where he oversees the content and online community of Pastors.com. Brandon helps shape the social communication structure of the church and the Purpose Driven network. He also oversees the team that receives and handles correspondence for Pastor Rick Warren.

Today Matt and Brandon talk about the opportunities the Internet afford the church that wants to reach its world in its generation. This is an exciting discussion

Toward the end of the interview, they will talk about church planting and how God is moving in Brandon’s life at this time. Beginning in July of 2011, Brandon and his wife Angie will be planting Grace Hills Church in Bentonville, Arkansas, a Saddleback Network church.

You can learn more about Brandon’s ministry by clicking this link.

You can also become a prayer partner for Brandon and Angie’s new adventure by using this link.

Matt encourages you to pick up a copy of Brandon’s book, Twitter for Ministry – A Guide to Expanding Your Ministry’s Influence on Twitter, and start working through this great resource. You can order a copy here.

We know you are going to greatly appreciate today’s interview.

Artwork Credit: networkworld.com

The world around us changes approximately every 18 months! Such change brings great challenges to our mission. Eagles In Leadership has designed a weekend to help you energize your congregation or organization to fulfill the Great Commission in your community. You can bring this weekend to your church or organization! (More about that in a moment.) The weekend looks like this …

Reaching Your Community in Your Generation Seminar

Saturday

Breakfast gathering – around tables

Session 1: Help! My Community is Changing!

50 minutes – after breakfast

The community around our facilities has changed so much since we first started this ministry. Our mission has never changed – we are here to reach our community to Christ. So what’s happened and, better yet, what can we do to fix it? This session helps us understand the natural process of decline in a church and how to bring focus afresh on the mission so that we can reach our community in our generation!

Break

15-20 minutes

Enjoy some time with Dr. Smith, peruse the book table and get an autographed copy of one of his books!

Session 2: What’s Your Dream? (And How to Reach It!)

50 minutes

God has placed a specific dream in the heart of every church. That dream involves the mission of Jesus – to make disciples of all nations. In this exciting, informative and inspiring session, Dr. Smith will take you through specific steps to help you discover or rediscover the dream of God for your life as an individual and as a church body. You will come away from this session with fresh energy and hope as you seek to share your story of God’s glory to spread His name and fame!

Session 3: Healthy Churches Grow!

40 minutes

Healthy couples have children; sick ones don’t. The same is true for churches. Bringing people to faith is the birthing process within God’s Church. Understanding what happens that brings decline in American Churches is a key to helping us reach our community in our generation. Once you know what went wrong, you can begin to take steps, as a church, to fix those things! In this powerful session, Dr. Smith walks us through the natural life of a church and shows us how to bring fresh life and vitality to our congregation!

Lunch Break

30 minutes

Enjoy some time with Dr. Smith, peruse the book table and get an autographed copy of one of his books!

Session 4: Reaching Your Community In Your Generation (It’s All About the Mission)!

40 minutes

In order to reach our community in our generation we will need to focus on two key issues, according to Jesus. In this humorous, encouraging and insightful message, Dr. Smith will reinvigorate your faith and center your life on the two keys all growing churches focus upon.

Optional Q & A Session: What are the questions you would like an answer to?

15-30 minutes

In this informal setting, you will have an opportunity to ask any question about church growth, church health and how to reach your community in your generation!

>>>>>>

Of course, you can tailor this weekend to your specific need. Take a moment now and contact Dr. Smith (Admin[at]EaglesInLeadership.org) to bring this weekend to your church or organization and learn more about how you can reach your community in your generation.

We just previewed the film What If and found it to be an excellent choice for your family viewing! We were impressed with the honesty and clarity of the story line: a life without Christ is empty, despite what you may attain.

WHAT IF tells the story of Ben Walker (Kevin Sorbo), fifteen years after leaving his college sweetheart Wendy (Kristy Swanson) and his calling to be a preacher in order to pursue a business opportunity. Now with a high-paying executive gig, a trophy fiancé and a new Mercedes, he hasn’t even considered a family nor felt the need to set foot in a church in fifteen years.

While on a thrill ride outside the city, his new car mysteriously breaks down, and he’s visited by a tow truck driver named Mike (John Ratzenberger) who claims to be an angel sent to show Ben what his life would look like had he followed his true calling. Suddenly Ben wakes up in the middle of domestic chaos as his wife Wendy and daughters (including Debby Ryan) are getting ready for church, where Ben is the new pastor.

Before he can get back to his old life, Ben must first embrace this reality and discover the value of faith and family, and perhaps restore his love for those who were heartbroken fifteen years ago: Wendy and God. In the tradition of Its a Wonderful Life and The Family Man, What If is a story of finding your true purpose in life.

WHAT IF just received the Faith and Values MovieGuide Award for Most Inspiring Performance in a Lead Role (Sorbo/who was also host of the Awards Gala) and was one of the Top Ten Best Family Movies of 2010.

Pure Flix Entertainment announces the release of the film WHAT IF to DVD. WHAT IF stars KEVIN SORBO (Hercules, the Legendary Journeys, Andromeda), DEBBY RYAN (Bailey Pickett on the #1 Disney Channel hit show, The Suite Life on Deck), JOHN RATZENBERGER (Toy Story, Cheers) and KRISTY SWANSON (Buffy the Vampire Slayer ). WHAT IF is directed/produced by Dallas Jenkins (son of famed Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the Left Behind series) and is the sixth film to be released from the father/son duo.

Suitable for all ages, WHAT IF has been featured this week in the The Christian Post, Guideposts ‘Reel Inspiration’, and previously for the theatrical release in the New York Times.

You can learn more about the film at: www.thewhatifmovie.com.

You can purchase a copy of the film here.

• Preorder your very own autographed copy of “Growing Missional Leaders”, signed by the author (Matthew Lee Smith)!

• This special edition will only be available for a short time, so order now!

• Product Description

Growing Missional Leaders is a practical, passionate, Biblical mentoring journey for individuals, small groups, leadership teams and congregations who desire to win their world for Christ. Readers will appreciate the enthusiastic and Spirit-filled hope God provides as Matthew tells stories – of lost opportunities and successes with friends – that give powerful, encouragement of personal and corporate outreach; opens Bible passages – again and again – showing God’s heart is to bring his lost children home; and provides stimulating discussion questions – at the end of each chapter –providing the stepping stones to launching fresh ministry into your community.

Believers hungering to reach their world for Christ will be energized by this passionate call to fulfill Christ’s Gospel and the invigorating manner in which their thought processes will be stretched to God-sized proportions.

Matthew Smith, pastor of multi-ethnic and multi-generational churches in urban, suburban and rural communities from Miami to Los Angeles, presents twenty-four Biblical strategies to invigorate and facilitate Christianity’s marching orders  – the Great Commission – in your community.

• Forward by Dave Ferguson, author of The Big Idea and Exponential: How You & Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement, http://DaveFerguson.org
  

• What Others Are Saying About “Growing Missional Leaders”

Missional has become a buzzword stamped almost everywhere and anywhere but in his most recent book Growing Missional Leaders Dr. Matthew Smith takes us on a journey to rediscover just what it means to be “MISSIONAL”! Dr. Smith helps the reader understand how to BE missional and to LEAD missional with stories that inspire and questions that challenge. I’ve seen first hand that what Dr. Smith espouses with his pen he lives with his life. Growing Missional Leaders is a great place to start for any leader who has a desire and passion to make a kingdom impact!
~ Troy Gramling, Lead Pastor, Flamingo Road Church (Cooper City, FL) http://www.flamingoroadchurch.com
#32 in Outreach’s 100 Largest Churches in America

Practical, biblically centered, and encouraging … Growing Missional Leaders fits the bill on all three. If you want to become better at fulfilling God’s call in your life, then read this book. Dr. Smith packs 24 helpful principles into short, easy-to-read chapters easily used with groups or for personal reading.
~ Charles Stone, Senior Pastor, Ginger Creek Community Church (Aurora, IL) http://www.gingercreek.org
Author, 5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them

“If you are a pastor, youth minister, missionary, parent, teacher, coach…or in general a CHRISTIAN…then you honestly need to read this book by Matthew Smith. It is Biblical, building on leadership principles from scripture. It is practical, offering common-sense ideas and strategies. It is readable, using illustrations, stories, and applications in easy-to-read chapters. Most importantly, it calls us back to living life on mission with God and then tells us how to go about it. Get one for you, and go ahead and get one for all your friends that you love and respect. It really is that good and that helpful.”
~ Clayton King, http://www.claytonking.com/
Founder of Crossroads Ministries (Shelby, NC) http://www.crossroadsworldwide.com/
Teaching Pastor Newspring Church (Anderson, SC) http://www.newspring.cc
Author, Dying to Live, Abandoning Yourself to God’s Bold Paradox

• $15 + $5 Shipping
  Click “add to cart” then scroll down to finish your order through Paypal.
  Please allow up to 4 weeks for shipping.

• If you’d like a special autograph (i.e. signed to you or someone else) please add that to the notes on your PayPal payment. Otherwise you’ll just get a signature.

• SORRY THIS IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SHIPPING WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.

• If you have any problems with this please contact Matthew at pastormatt-at-EaglesInLeadership.org

A follow up to the profound message of Crazy Love, Pastor Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two?

As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit–the Helper–so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today’s church has admired the gift but neglected to open it. Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church’s power–the Holy Spirit. Chan contends that we’ve ignored the Spirit for far too long, and we are reaping the disastrous results. Thorough scriptural support and compelling narrative form Chan’s invitation to stop and remember the One we’ve forgotten, the Spirit of the living God.

christianaudio, Oasis Audio, and David C. Cook have partnered together for the month of June 2010 to bring you the audiobook download of Forgotten God for FREE!

Instructions: Add the download to your cart and use the coupon code JUN2010 when prompted to receive this month’s free download! You must use the code to receive the download for free.

To get your FREE download of Forgotten God simply click this link.

Scott says … “In celebration of America, enjoy my lastest song ‘America Rise’ as a free download from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July.”

Get your FREE copy of ‘America Rise’ at this link.

The Hole in Our Gospel just received the Christian Life Book of the Year award from ECPA!

The Hole in Our Gospel
by Richard Stearns and read by Tommy Creswell
Published by Thomas Nelson and distributed by christianaudio
This is a story of how a corporate CEO faced his own struggle to obey God whatever the cost, and his passionate call for Christians to change the world by actively living out their faith. Using his own journey as an example, Stearns explores the hole that exists in our understanding of the Gospel.

Coupon Code: MAY2010

Discount Price: $0.00
Retail Price: $14.98

Patrick Morley, a former Florida real estate developer whose company was one of Florida’s 100 largest privately held companies, spent years fighting off a multimillion dollar bankruptcy after the Tax Reform Act of 1986. He has since become a best-selling Christian author and head of an international ministry to men (Man in the Mirror).

Pat’s new book, How to Survive the Economic Meltdown features 35 hard earned spiritual, practical and financial survival strategies based on lessons learned during his own personal financial crisis. Every day for seven long years he woke up not knowing whether or not he would be forced into bankruptcy. By God’s grace, he was able to avoid bankruptcy and not only survive, but experience extraordinary spiritual growth. Ultimately, our prayer is that what Pat learned during a nightmarish season of his life will help others to get through their tough times today.

Pat’s passionate about getting a copy of this book into the hands of every person who wants one—even if it’s for free (click here to download a free PDF copy). We’re also making the book available at huge discounts (as low as $1.95) so leaders can distribute them through their churches, businesses, and ministries.

We believe this current crisis may be one of the greatest spiritual opportunities of our lifetimes, and we’re praying that millions of men and women would come back to God in weeks and months ahead.

Each month christianaudio gives away a premium audiobook download for free. How does it work? Well, we give away one audiobook download (that we have published or that a partner has allowed us to give away) absolutely free; available only during that month and only once, ever.

Christianaudio, Zondervan, and Jon Acuff have partnered together for the month of April 2010 to bring you the audiobook download of Stuff Christians Like for FREE! 100% funnier than The Shack and 100% freer than Amazon!

Instructions: Add the download to your cart and use the coupon code APR2010 when prompted to receive this month’s free download! You must use the code to receive the download for free.

Download Here!

Product Description

Hope Enabler is the real life story of one Christian parent’s struggle with a runaway child and the hope that God enabled her to have during the darkest moments of that struggle. Through God’s word and her own personal testimony Melodee Smith shows how her relationship with God was strengthened despite the perils she faced.

About the Author

Melodee Joy Smith is a pastor’s wife ministering in Southern California. Alongside her husband, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith she’s counseled families, spoke at conferences and trained Christian leaders. She hopes this book can be a comfort to other Christian parents.

To order your copy today: Simply click this link!

Christian Audio is giving away two (2) FREE downloads this month – both which we feel would add deeply to your spiritual leadership and life.

The Cost of Discipleship

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, read by Paul Michael
Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived a testimony of his thoughtful and engaging writers. Focusing on the most treasured part of Christ’s teaching – the Sermon on the Mount with its call to discipleship, and on the grace of God and the sacrifice which that demands. At the same time, it shares with many great Christian classics a quality of timelessness, so that it has spoken, and continues to speak powerfully, to the varied concerns of the contemporary world.

Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

by John Piper

The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God’s Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer.

Check out these FREE downloads at Christian Audio

Christmas is a great time to buy your loved ones a new daily devotional to keep them reading through God’s word in 2010!

From now till October 15 2009 you can get 25% OFF each of Dr. Smith’s books! Enter the special code 9LM6PF94 at checkout from our CreateSpace estore.

Read what folks are saying about these two books!

[In His Presence] is a great book that really digs into understanding the Psalms like you never did before! We love this book so much, we started out saying we would only do 1 Psalm per day, but… it is so hard to put down you cheat and find yourself doing more and more and more!! You must have this book!

[In His Image] is a book everyone should have sitting right next to your Bible. As you read your bible look in Dr. Matthew Smith’s book and see how he sums up what you just read. He is so knowledgeable! This book takes you through the Bible in 1 yr. We used it in our Sunday School Class as well. It helped us alot, I highly recommend this book.

Click here to order In His Presence: https://www.createspace.com/3382271
Click here to order In His Image: https://www.createspace.com/3391449

Forgiveness is a uniquely Christ-like thing to do! It is the essential quality to living a life of joy and pleasure. When we are forgiving, we are no longer trapped in prisons of pain. We no longer live in the past – at the event of hurt – but are free to move forward into a future of happiness and possibility.

This week is National Forgiveness Week. What an appropriate week to shine the love of Jesus by forgiving those who have wounded us! We can define forgiveness is two ways … One is relinquishing bitterness or vengeance, and the second is adopting a merciful response towards the offender — finding even a small way in which you can genuinely wish good for the offender.

Download this helpful brochure and invest this week in meaningful change! Forgiveness is the gift that releases the heart and opens the soul to the life of God. Download here: a-week-of-forgiveness_pub1

Dear Eagles partner,

One of the greatest transformative activities I have ever undertaken is the reading and rereading of God’s Word each year. Since 1993, when Russ Gabler encouraged me to read cover-to-cover every year, I have watched God bless and change me – from the inside out!

Now, starting my 28th read (many years I have read several times through), I continue to be amazed at God’s depth as I reread His Word.

Could I challenge you to join me this year in reading God’s Word cover-to-cover? I have designed a reading schedule which you can download right now. It’s in PDF format so you can print out copies for you and others at your leisure. You will also find this resource under “One Year Bible Reading Schedule (PDF – Free)” on the “RESOURCE” tab.

If you choose to read along with me, I would love to hear from you. My email and voice mail are listed on the front cover of the reading schedule. I invite you to share your experiences with me and, I will be glad to pass them on through the podcast so others can be encouraged.

May you have a Christ-filled New Year with all the prosperity living within His presence affords (Psalm 16.11).

Dr. Matthew Lee Smith