What Does Your Life Calendar Say?

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

As I grow older, I have noticed that time seems to move faster. Yes, there are still 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour. With seven days in the week and 52 weeks a year still standard, I am often perplexed as to how time goes by so quickly.

With such reflections, it struck me the other day that our lives – in their entirety – could be compared to the twelve months on the calendar. If we lived to 84 years of age, and compare our life to one year on a calendar, each month on the calendar would represent seven years.

With these thoughts floating around, I began to grow sober-minded. By the end of January on the calendar of my life, I was in second grade; a freshman as February came to a close. Melodee and I were married by the end of March. Each month of the calendar moves me closer to the end of my life and my divine appointment with the Lord.

Now, in the midst of August on the calendar of my life, I am refocusing my priorities and asking the Lord, “What would you have me to do with the final three months – the final quarter – of my life?” As I pray, wait and listen for the answers from the Lord, I am centering my thoughts on these key points …

  • When God called me into His ministry, it was for life.
  • As God trained me for ministry, what did he gift me to do?
  • In the years I have been in ministry, what has God blessed?
  • When I dream big dreams, what do they entail?
  • At my funeral, how would I want this question completed? “Matthew was best know for … “

As you think about your life calendar, what does it tell you? Which season are you in? And what would God have you to do with the next month of your life?

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Becoming the Leader God Wants Us to Be – An Interview with Byron Paulus

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Transformed is excited to connect you with Byron Paulus today. Byron Paulus is president of Life Action Ministries, a multi-faceted organization with the goal of seeing God send a revival and spiritual awakening to North America. He directs the publishing of several revival-oriented resources and oversees numerous local church and campus outreaches.

Life Action Ministries is on a mission! They have a single-minded focus to see God glorified through a revival among His people. This purpose has carried them for over three decades of work alongside the churches of our nation.

Life Action Ministries is the largest revival ministry in North America. The staff has grown from 1 to over 200 dedicated workers in 25 different departments.

We encourage you to check out the ministry if Life Action Revival Ministries at (www.LifeAction.org).  Byron is also on Twitter (@ByronPaulus).

You can also contact Dr. Smith in one of three ways:

• Commenting on this post at eaglesinleadership.org
• or by emailing us at transformedpodcast@gmail.com
• or you can call our new voicemail line number at 206-309-9277. Leave a comment that we can play on a future episode … If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review at iTunes or Podcast Pickle. Feel free to pass this episode on to a friend.

This podcast interview was recorded in San Pedro, CA. All material contained therein is copyrighted under the Creative Commons License, please do not rebroadcast without permission.

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Transformed #088 – Faith: Financial Faith Will Shred Our Frightening Fears!

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Despite the ever-increasing bad news of the economy and the rising prices of goods and services, faith stands in contradiction to the current torrent of bad news. Discover how you can choose ‘not to participate’ in the present recession and how these lessons can change your whole outlook on life itself.

Welcome back to the Transformed podcast. Today we continue our new series entitled, Your Finances in Turbulent Times! We hope you will discover the fruitfulness and fun that comes when we obey God’s heart when it comes to our finances as you study through this series. In today’s episode, Faith – Financial Faith Will Shred Our Frightening Fears, we discover God’s Top Ten Ways to Restore Your Financial Hope!

Enjoying life with God is what Dr. Smith’s new book, In His Presence, is all about. If you long for an intimate walk with God that is marked by joy and pleasure, we know you will want to pick up a copy. Copies are available on the side bar at the http://EaglesInLeadership.org website. We encourage you to order yours today.

You can also contact Dr. Smith in one of three ways:

• Commenting on this post.
• or by emailing us at transformedpodcast@gmail.com.
• or you can call our voicemail line at 206-309-9277. Leave a comment that we can play on a future episode

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review at iTunes or Podcast Pickle. Feel free to pass this episode on to a friend.

This podcast was recorded in Palos Verdes, CA by Tabitha Grace Smith. All material contained therein is copyrighted under the Creative Commons License, please do not rebroadcast without permission.

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Crock Pot vs. Microwave Leaders

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

As I walk down the aisle at the grocery store each month I become more and more amazed at the way the ‘heat and serve’ section grows. Just a few moments in the microwave and ‘presto’ your ‘meal’ is ready. Yummy! Or at least that is what the company wants you to believe.

As almost anyone who knows me will tell you, I am the king of the crock-pot! Before I leave for the office in the morning, I put the roast, a sliced yellow onion, secret herbs and spices and some whole potatoes into the crock-pot on low for 8-9 hours. When I serve my slow-cooked, signature mouth-watering roast beef there are always calls for seconds.

If you know good food, you quickly taste the difference between something that has been ‘nuked’ and something that has been slow-cooked. While the ‘3-minute wonder’ has an exterior taste, time-roasted food always tastes better, right down to the last morsel.

Leaders come in two different flavors: ‘microwave’ or ‘crock-pot.’ What are the differences?

• Microwave leaders have been ‘hurried up’ to lead. Without taking the time to do the deep training and not allowing them to ‘come up through the ranks,’ microwave leaders are surface only. They can look good on the outside and work well under normal situations. They are good for the hurried or harried ministry or organization in the short term. However, for the long haul or in difficult situations, they simply fall short of the spiritual nutrition they need to deliver the leadership necessary at a time when it is most needed.

• Crock-pot leaders have been ‘slowly seasoned’ to lead. Leadership takes time, plain and simple. Good leadership takes mentored training and experience (think of Jesus and the disciples). You can’t rush effective, deep, prepared leadership. When things grow rough – and this is what leadership is designed for – good leaders have the seasoning necessary to draw from their previous training and experience to say like David of old, “I’ve killed a lion and a bear and I will kill this uncircumcised Philistine as well.” Confidence and effectiveness come over time.

As you consider your leadership development strategy, ask yourself these three questions …

1. Do I promote people into leadership positions too quickly?

2. What training and experiences do I expect future leaders to possess?

3. How can I help these future leaders by designing a strategic plan for the training and experiences necessary for their preparation and growth?

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Transformed Interviews Geoff Surratt

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Geoff Surratt

We are thrilled to welcome Geoff Surratt to the Transformed podcast today. Geoff is executive pastor of Seacoast Church, a multi-site congregation based in Charleston, South Carolina. Geoff has helped oversee Seacoast’s expansion from one to thirteen locations across three states and is one of the teaching pastors. He has over 26 years of ministry experience in a variety of roles in local churches, and Geoff works frequently with other churches across the country in strategic planning and staff development.

Geoff is the author of as well as co-author of the Multi-site Church Revolution, Ten Stupid Things that Keep Churches from Growing and A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip: Exploring the New Normal. Click here to buy his books on Amazon.

We encourage you to pick up one or more of his books using the links in our show notes as well as checking out Seacoast Church (www.seacoast.org).

Geoff is on Twitter (@GeoffSurratt) and he lives in Charleston, South Carolina with his wife Sherry, two children Mike and Brittainy and an ugly dog named Moose.

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Transformed Episode #087 – Fear: Turbulent Times Can Shred Our Human Hope

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

financesinturbulenttimes

Home foreclosures, job losses, stock market failures all lend their hand to increasing our blood pressure. As you grow closer to your retirement, you wonder if you will be able to! If you are retired, you know the pain of having lost up to 40 percent of your savings already. More gloom seems to be forecasted for the near future.

Today we begin a new series entitled, Your Finances in Turbulent Times! In this series we hope you will discover the fruitfulness and fun you can have, despite the economic conditions all around you.

In this first episode, Fear – Turbulent Times Can Shred Our Human Hope, we will discover the steps necessary to confront your fears and experience the peace of God in the midst of your financial storm!

You can also contact Dr. Smith in one of three ways:

• Commenting on this post at https://www.eaglesinleadership.org
• or by emailing us at transformedpodcast@gmail.com
• or you can call our voicemail line at 206-309-9277. Leave a comment that we can play on a future episode …If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review at iTunes or Podcast Pickle. Feel free to pass this episode on to a friend.

Posted in finances, Transformed | Leave a comment

Free Download of the Month – March 2010

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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

Cost_of_Discipleship_search1The 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.

50_Reasons_Jesus_search1Fifty 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

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Philosophy of Ministry Directions (Part 2)

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Mission: its what the church is all about. As we said in the last article, “Motion without direction is delusion.” In this article we will talk about how ‘the purpose of the church’ guides our philosophy of ministry. God longs to provide the direction necessary for your church to accomplish it’s God-given mission. How does God do that?

Purpose produces direction when we understand Ephesians 4.11-16 …

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)

  • The purpose of the pastor provides direction for the church. His task is to bring you to Heaven as closely resembling the character of Jesus as possible: loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, gentle, kind, humble, self-controlled. How does he do this?
  • The tasks of the pastor provide direction for the church. The pastor’s tasks are to (1) Equip you so that you can, (2) do the work of the ministry so that, (3) your work can build up your church! Why does he do this?
  • The results of the pastor’s ministry provide direction for the church. When the work of the pastor is successful, several results reveal the direction of God for the local church. God provides six results through the pastor’s ministry: So that the congregation (1) will work in unity and (2) act like Jesus. So that the congregation (3) will not act like children any more and (4) not get trapped by deceitful doctrine. Your pastor is given to you so that (5) you might grow up to be like Jesus and (6) the maturing congregation will grow the local church because of what each person does.

God longs to grow people into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. He does this through the maturing process God has implanted in your pastor’s heart. Like a coach seeking to bring his team to victory, the pastor tailors the training process for the local congregation so that they can imitate the character of Jesus. The question is, ‘Are you listening to your coach?’

Adapted from Dr. Smith’s new book in process, “The Tantrum-Driven Church.”

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Philosophy of Ministry Directions (Part 1)

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Knowing where you’re going is more important than going. If there is no specific goal or place where one is headed, it really doesn’t matter if you are going anywhere or doing anything. Motion without direction is delusion. As we seek to bring life to our ministry, being on the same page is vital. Two questions will guide the direction of your ministry …

Questions to ask before you set out …

  • Do we attend church or do we become the church? At the core of this question is the issue of what kind of people will make up our ministry. Churches die because Christianity has become a spectator sport. Are we creating people who are vital to expanding the mission and transformation of our community? Or, do we treat people like spectators and have them come to this week’s spiritual worship show? Healthy, growing churches believe that “without you, there is no us.” Trusting people with the work of the ministry vs. entertaining them and exhausting ourselves in the process is what this question is all about.
  • Does the leadership approve or does it empower? In asking this question we are determining whether people have to get permission every time they want to do something for God or do we give them authority in advance to do the ministry without someone’s ok? Do we train people in discipleship and leadership so that they can run with the dreams God places in their hearts? If this is our method, then once we place you in ministry, we are saying, “We trust you! How can we help you accomplish your God-given goal?” One of our 82-year-old men got this right away and started a badge ministry so the new pastor (me) could identify everyone. Within weeks, old timers were saying, “I love these badges. I couldn’t remember that person’s name.” Even in a small, dying church, people can be empowered to build life-giving connections.

Like the North Star, these two questions provide us with the insight we need to guide our church toward God’s will and direction. Leaders need to ask these questions before they launch into any new work for God.

In our next article we will continue exploring issues in the area of our philosophy of ministry.

Adapted from Dr. Smith’s new book in process, “The Tantrum-Driven Church.”

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What Should We Be Doing During Transition?

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Resurrecting a dying church is much like working in an ER. The dying patient may have many medical problems, but in order to keep them alive, priorities are made on those wounds and injuries that are most life threatening. As we seek to rescue the congregation we love, we can’t fix everything at once; therefore, we prioritize.

What should we be doing …

  • Philosophy. Our philosophy of ministry is like the foundation of a building – the larger the structure the more time that must spent on building, explaining and seeking to ensure God’s people have ownership. As Jesus explained this process, he said: “The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45, NRSV). Our goal is to see every person inside the fellowship own our philosophy of ministry.
  • Process. Process deals with results. While some do not like the following language, we are in the reproductive disciple making business. Jesus spent three years building the men who would take on the task of globalizing the Gospel. This is the purpose of the local church … making disciples who do the work of globalizing the Gospel. How we do that is what the leadership must restore … along with the “who” question. Will the leadership take up the task to turn the church back to its primary purpose: worldwide evangelization? What will be the method our church uses to achieve this vital mission?

  • Presentation. What form will our process take? Once we have a ‘road map’ to follow, we need to flesh it out. This takes into consideration the target audience we hope to reach. While many fall into the ‘we want everyone to attend’ mindset, having a clear target is essential. Jesus sought those who were spiritually hungry, recognizing them from the crowds that came for the ‘entertainment’ he might provide. As we focus our efforts we carefully seek to remove any human obstacles so that the spiritual truth of the Gospel shines clearly to our audience.

  • Practice. How do we put our discipleship into practice? These are the ‘nuts and bolts’ of our day-to-day operations. This relates to so many aspects of ministry … Worship? Discipleship? Fellowship? Mission? Mentoring? Location? Each day we let our philosophy guide our process, presentation and our practices so that people are won to Christ, discipled and shown how to become ‘fishers of men.’

Like in the ER, we can’t wait until we have one procedure completed before we start on the next one. We jump into each area and pray, hoping that God will grant life to our ailing congregation.

In our next article we will explore issues in the area of our philosophy of ministry.

Adapted from Dr. Smith’s new book in process, “The Tantrum-Driven Church.”

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