I'm fully Embracing my ADD these days

If I were a dying person they would say that I'm "going toward the light."
Fortunately I'm not dying, I'm just embracing my ADD. Life's too short to
be anything but me. I gave my kids haircuts on Friday, and they look super
cute. I just think they're the cutest things in the whole wide world.

My 4 year old is learning to count to 100. But after 40, he can't remember
the next big number. So he counts along, 31,32,33,34,35 in ever increasing
pitch and speed and when he hits like, 39, he just stops. Then someone near
him will yell out the next number (like 40) and without hesitation, as if he
knew it all along, he starts in again, 41,42,43,44,45 until 49 and then he
waits, someone yells 50 and away he goes.

Are you kiddin' me? That's cute, I don't care where you're from.

I occasionally wear gym shoes to the office, b/c you never know when you're
going to have to break out in to a run, you know.

I wish my "Pine Needle Scented Yankee Candle" was lasting longer.
Apparently, we put it under the A/C vent so it didn't really work to
stink up the house like Christmas.

We live in an amazing world where I spent $20 on a candle to make my house
smell like Pine Needles at Christmas and today some kids in Africa will die
because they don't have enough to eat.

Wow, let that sober you for a minute, (puts a new spin on generosity,
doesn't it?)

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

My ADD has been bad lately

I don't know if it's the holidays or the stress I've been feeling with my
wife all "laid up" with her foot surgery or what, but seriously, my ADD has
been through the roof lately.

I walked into Sam's Club the other morning and had to buy 3 things. My wife
had made me a list and everything, and the minute I walked in, it was like,
"Wowlookatallthetvsandwheredidthemoviesgothatusedtobeintheentranceandthispla
ceisawesome,waitwhatwasIsupposedtocomeinhereforagain?whyareallthosepeoplejus
tstandingaroundandwaitIknowI'mhereforsomethingwhatwasitshesaidIneededtogetag
ain?howcomethegrinderforthecoffeeisonlynexttothecoffeeIliketobuy?whataboutth
epeoplewhodrinkotherkindsofcoffeearetheylessworthytohaveagrindernexttothemth
anIam?maybeI'mmakingtoomuchofthis.whyamIhereagain?

Seriously, that's what it feels like right now! Dead serious. If you have
ADD then you totally know what I'm talking about but there's also no way
you've been able to concentrate long enough to get to the end of this, so I
know you're not reading this.

It was a good day when I actually embraced this whole ADD thing. For a long
time I didn't want to use it as an "excuse" but now I realize that It's got
good sides and bad sides. The bad sides are, that occasionally a trip to
Sam's Club can feel like a bag of scrabble letters. The good side is, When
I'm in the zone, I can get a lot done. It's finding the zone and not
letting things knock you out of it, that's the challenge. Thank God my
wife, Sarah, my assistant, Susan, and my staff that know this about me.

Occasionally, it's like, "Just leave him alone, he's in the zone." When
that happens I can write like 3 messages in 3 hours kind of thing. It's
crazy like that.

Anyway,

Keller

I Love Christmas!!!

I can't believe there's only 8 days until Christmas! This truly is the
most wonderful time of the year! I'm serious. I love Christmas. I'm not
sure if it's like the mandated "time off" or what, but somehow all the world
goes right for me around the holidays.

I think there are those few surreal times in the calendar when the world (
and by world I mean church world) is permitted to stop, which is a good
thing. Christmas day is one. Thanksgiving day is another. I wish there
were more in preacher land, but there's not.

See, my day off is Friday, and everyone else is working, so at times it can
feel strange to be "chillin'" while everyone else is still workin'.
Although I work on Sundays and I know that makes up for it somehow, but...

Anyway, 8 days til Christmas and I intend to party like it's 1999. May the
days be Merry and Bright! Yeah I went there.

Just an ADHD Bloggish christmas thought.

Matt

Resources for "Life Interrupted" - Part 2

Thanks everyone for checking out the Resources I mentioned in Part 2 of Life Interrupted. Here are several that our staff put together this week. This is just the tip of the ice berg, but it should be a great start. I hope you'll push past any "Intellectual Excuses" and engage your mind to encounter Jesus in a new way. There is a link on the right side of this page to the message if you didn't hear it or want to refer it to a friend. Let's start with...

The Bible – written by God – This book is a collection of writings from Jewish and Christian scholars. Some of the authors tell engaging stories, some give amazing instruction, and some just feel the need to tell you the genealogy of someone. (I know I'm being tongue & cheek, but seriously... if you're not reading it, start. the Book of John is a good place.)

How to Study the Bible for all It's worth - Henrietta Mears - This is a great resource for an overview of the 66 "books" contained in the Bible.

How Good is Good Enough – Andy Stanley – This book looks at the popular mindset that, “good people go to heaven.” Using scripture and logic, Stanley unpacks that line of thinking.

The Normal Christian Life – Watchman Nee – This book dives into what it means to live life as a Christian. It attempts to break down what it would look like to live a, “normal,” Christian life.

Desire of the Everlasting Hills by Thomas Cahill - A great look at history
and the world before and after Christ. An enjoyable read.

Evidence that Demands a Verdict I and II - Josh McDowell - McDowell started out on a quest to prove Christianity wrong and wound up one of the most convinced people on the planet. These two books are his findings. Great stuf.

More than a Carpenter - Josh McDowell - This is a quick read that digs into the claims of Jesus . It's a must read for anyone with questions about Jesus as, "The Son of God," "The Only Way," etc.

A Case for Christ - Lee Strobel - Lee has a whole line of "A Case for..." Books. These are great for practical data and proof on any number of Christian topics. He even has a "Case for Christmas."

Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster - Great stuff on what it means to live a life surrendered to Jesus Christ.

The Life You've Always Wanted - John Ortberg - I like the way Ortberg writes and I think he takes many of the Celebration of Discipline concepts and puts them into everyday terms. This is an awesome book for the person who wants to grow as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell - Rob has this way of using conversational language to dig into this crazy cool Bible History, Jewish culture stuff. This book reads so easy, it's like you're listening to him talk. Gotta, gotta, gotta read this book!

Crosswalk.com - A website I visit often. This website is FREE and has every kind of Bible reference guide, or translation you can think of. I use this website as a resource for almost every message I ever give. They have everything from daily devotionals, to message transcripts, and even some advertisements. (ha)

Thanks again for digging in deeper into your faith.

I love being your pastor, NLC, This is truly the best church EVER!!!

Matt

All The Things I'm Learning (Part 6) The final installment

By part 6, my ADD has set in now, & honestly, I have no idea what number were on any more. So we'll just start with 16, sound good?

16. I'm learning about Long Term Grace in my life. I can't even tell you
how spot on Mike Ash's message was in week 4 of our Fuel for Life Series
last month. He talked about God's purpose for Suffering and absolutely just
opened my eyes to a whole new perspective of what it means to "have a thorn
in the flesh" as Paul writes about in the New Testament. The idea that it's
possible that God actually leaves "stuff" in our life that keeps us postured
toward dependence on Him, lest we be tempted to think, "our strength is
sufficient." I love what Paul says about "His strength being made perfect
in our weakness." Man, that's so true. You know, Paul had some really
amazing insights.

17. I'm learning that my creativity is a unique gifting from God. I'm so
thankful for the people in my life that keep me focused and organized and
own all the details of my life so that I can be who God has uniquely created
me to be ... Which is creative. The team around me makes so many of my
ideas look way better than they could ever be if I had to try and execute it
alone. I love working with my team. They make me a better pastor,
communicator, speaker, & writer.

I'm just really thankful for the people I get to do life and ministry with.

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

All the Things (Part 5)

Today's installment is just one thing I'm learning with clarity about myself. I challenge you to pray for clarity about your "calling" as well.

I'm learning I'm called to do 3 things:

1. Write (Messages & Books). Writing fuels me like nothing else can. The
entire process of learning and reading and studying and praying and
developing a thought and seeing new things in Scripture just make me feel
strong like nothing else can. I struggled with this calling for several years, because, quite honestly, I never felt like I would have anything to say. (At least that other people would want to read, anyway.)

It feels good to be stepping into that calling now. Wow.
2. Speak. Speaking comes easy for me. That's the part of my job that I
enjoy. It's probably the part I get most nervous about as well though. I
feel such a Holy Responsibility for what I'm about to say to so many people
every week, it's crazy. I also have a Holy Nervousness that God will show
up and change hearts. I'm so aware that, my talent alone, doesn't have the
power to change anybody. Only with the Holy Spirit convicting and changing
hearts does anything good have the potential of happening. That's serious
business for me.

3) Coaching other Leaders. My heart beats to teach others what we have
learned and are continuing to learn about leadership, church planting,
ministry, creativity, & doing church in our cultural context. Nothing fires
me up more than a phone call with a church planter or a meeting with a young
leader.
What "fires you up?" What fills your tank? If you don't know, start having conversations with others about it. Because the sooner you find out, the sooner you'll start moving boldly in the direction of your calling.

Just a bloggish challenge,

Matt

All the Things I'm Learning (Part 4)

Here's my hypothesis: Each of us are capable of making a list of what we're learning in our lives as well. I just happen to write them down and publish them to the World Wide Web for all to see. Feel free to comment back and let us know what you're learning in your world as well. I'd love to hear it and learn along with you...

12. I'm learning what it means to Trust... Really trust. Dr. Richard
Powell, who is the pastor of MacGregor Baptist Church here in Fort Myers, FL
(& an amazing leader, pastor & guy) told me recently over lunch that, "I
would have to learn to completely turn my back on entire areas of NLC. That
would be when I could know that I've completely given away ministry to
others." I have definitely adopted that phrase, "turn my back" recently.
That takes trust. And man, it's hard sometimes.

13. I'm learning Jealousy can hit you quick. I'm amazed at how quickly I
can drift toward jealousy or comparison in my life. I see another guy's
book, or hear of something another guy is doing in a church somewhere, and I
immediately rush to judgment. I hate that about myself. That's the kind of
stuff you have to crucify on the cross ya know.

15. I'm learning about sins of Commission & sins of Omission. This isn't
new information for me, but I was recently refreshed to the categories.
Sins of Commission are those things we do that don't please God. Sins of
Ommission are those things we DON'T do, that consequently cause us to miss
out on God's best for our lives.
Where are we guilty of a sin of "Omission" in our life? Where are we hesitating to take a step of faith, instead of pushing through and just trusting God.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

All the Things I'm Learning right now (Part 3)

After an extended absence from the blogosphere, I'm now back in full force. Here's the third installment of, "All the Things I'm Learning right now," by Matt Keller. Thanks for reading...
9. "When" is Coming!!! A few months ago I wrote a blog titled, "It's not
if, it's when." Well, guess what, "When" is coming soon. I can feel it.
God's timing is exact, and He is exactly beginning to move and open doors
like crazy around the NLC world. December 2nd was a huge day for us.
We're so excited about the Big Opportunities God is placing in our hands!

10. I am learning to be more secure in who I am in Christ, regardless of
the approval of man. With or without man's approval, I'm learning to be
more secure in my calling and my responsibility to that calling than I've
ever been before. It's a great place to find yourself in. However, it's easy to let slip away too. I'm still working on that part!

11. I have a responsibility & a calling to develop young leaders around me.
I'm learning in the last few weeks that God has uniquely gifted and called
me to have a total passion for leadership development of young leaders
around me. We're actually trying to be very strategic as we head into 2008
about how we leverage that calling and passion in my life. Stay Tuned to
hear more about that as we get closer to the New Year.
More tomorrow, but for now I submit...

Just a bloggish thought,

matt