Monday Morning InSights!
Ok it's Monday morning the middle of May and it feels like the middle of November – we GET to go camping this week and we all know how much FUN it is to camp when it's it's cold and rainy! But any who….
What a very cool day we had yesterday at Elmwood!
We had several new members join the Makeover and First Impressions Team which I love for several reasons – let me give you some:
- It means there has been a CONNECTION made somehow/someway in that persons life in regards to Elmwood. We are trying to reach every man – woman – child by creating environments and experiences that allow people to connect to God and others. When a person feels "ok" with taking a step past the Sunday morning experience of watching and observing and to get in the game – that is a big step which will take them places they never dreamed.
- When a person gets in the game I know that they are going to get deeper engaged in the community of Elmwood and in their own personal engagement with God. We are made for relationship both with God and each other.
- When a person gets in the game – sweat equity means a ton in my book – now they are becoming a conduit for God to work IN them and THROUGH them. That is a "whole nother level!"
- It helps lesson the load for another willing team member and it expands our capacity to reach more men – women and children
- We actually can accomplish our strategy of creating environments and experiences!
So thanks new Teammates and let me encourage more to join the team!
We had 90 in KW yesterday and 275 adults – that is 365 which is our biggest day excluding our Christmas Jingle Jam Sunday! That is crazy cool because to be honest with you I didn't know how this Incredible Family Series was going to go over. As soon as you say FAMILY you run the risk of excluding somebody which is NOT what we want BUT I feel very strong about PREVENTIVE MEDICINE for the soul and for the Family. Even though we are talking about principles in context of family how ever that looks – these principles are transferable into any context because they are from God's Word.
I see more and more people buying into our iRULES even though they may not even know it – inVEST and inVITE. inVESTING into the lives of people that God has placed around us – to love them no matter how hard that is, to live a life not of perfection but of authenticity – when we screw up we say we are sorry – and to build a relational bridge so that when God moves in their lives we can help them navigate through it – and one day prayfully inVITE them into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I will be posting some additional thoughts on our conversation that we started yesterday. Andy Stanley has a great book out called Choosing to Cheat – though this principle has been given to us from God way back in the day – he has great thoughts of which I borrow from extensively. So I hope you come back a little more this week and I hope to hear some feedback on how this principle impacts you.
Have a great Monday! 
