Leadership Challenge #5

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Proverbs 21:5  (The Message)  “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.”

5.  The Plan of a Leader.

I can’t remember a time when I waited until the last minute on anything and ended up with the best possible product or outcome.  Not in driving somewhere, or putting something together, or in sermon or message preparation.  The writer of this proverb hits many of us hard right between the eyes.

How often are we guilty of procrastinating that which is Most Important to the organizations and people we lead?  How often do we fail to plan effectively and consequently give those we’re trusted to lead an inferior product… a mediocre outcome.

Peace and Joy live in the planning.  If you want to enjoy your work more, do the hard work of doing the most important work first.  Plan ahead, it’s just better.

? Where are you putting off that which is most important?

Matt

Leadership Challenge #4

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Proverbs 21:4  (The Message) “Arrogance and pride – distinguishing marks in the wicked – are just plain sin.”

4.  The Biggest Temptation of a Leader.

No question about it, one of the greatest struggles a leader can face is Arrogance and pride.  I recently made the comment to some pastor friends of mine that, “the ministry is an extremely prideful place.”  There’s just something about the ministry that causes good men (& women) to get prideful, territorial & insecure.

I want to be a leader that checks pride and arrogance at the door.  There’s a big difference between walking in a God Confidence in what you’re called to be and to do and being arrogant or prideful.

Learning the difference can often be the difference maker between a leadership legacy of mediocrity and greatness for God.

Deep… very deep.

Matt

Leadership Challenge #3

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Proverbs 21:3  (The Message)  “Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.”

3.  The 2 Great Commands of a Leader.

I like that the writer of this proverb lays out what we’re really supposed to focus our time and attention on as leaders.  Not “religious performance” but Living right before God and living right before others.

Jesus echoed these same sentiments when He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,” and “love your neighbor as yourself.”  In fact, He said these are the two greatest commandments.

Excellent Leadership Advice from the Greatest Leader of all time…

? How’s your lifestyle? Is it pleasing to God? And does it serve others?

Just another Leadership Bloggish thought,

Matt

Leadership Challenge #2

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2.  The Undercurrent of Leadership.

Proverbs 21:2  (The Message)  “We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.”

Verse 2 is a continuation of verse 1 in this regard.  That which is unseen beneath the current of our leadership is the undercurrent… our motives.  Our motives, as leaders, play a HUGE role in how we lead, where we lead, and the pace of our leadership.

It’s easy as a leader to “justify” as the verse says, our actions by the way things look, but we can never forget that God knows our heart.

If we don’t do the hard work of judging our heart’s motivations in how we lead, God will be forced to.  The wise leader submits their motives to God before God calls them on the carpet.

? When was the last time you sincerely checked your motives as a leader?

Matt Keller

Year End Leadership Challenges

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As the year comes to an end, I found some "Leadership Challenges" from the book of Proverbs, chapter 21.  I hope they challenge you like they're challenging me.

By the way, they're all taken from the Message Bible which I just love the vividness of the language.

Thanks for tracking along with my blog,

Keller

Proverbs 21:1  (The Message)  “Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.”

1.  The Current of Leadership.

There is a powerful principle in this verse about what I would call, “The Current of Leadership.”  From this Proverb we can see that Leadership is like a river.  It has limitations and is driven by a strong current.  However, the course of the current is directed by God.

I can see a mighty river in my mind with a strong current flowing inside the banks and to a destination.  Our leadership must be the same way.  It must have movement, flow and a destination.  If we lack any of those things, we are simply unbridled water which has the power to destroy anything it touches.

However, if we keep ourselves inside of “God’s banks” we end up at our destination just fine and sweep many along with us as well.

Just a Bloggish Leadership thought,

Matt Keller

Trying a New Upgrade ... Video Blogging

Hey everyone, 3 days to Christmas! what's up now! I'm so excited.

As many of you I'm sure notice, I always sign off of every blog post with: "Just a Bloggish Thought..." Well, as you've noticed I've been on a bit of a "Bloggish Break" the last few weeks and I just wanted to officially let you know that I'm back from my "Bloggish Break" with some brand new, "Bloggish Thoughts." Hope you enjoy,

AND...

I found a great new, free video website that is changing my world, seriously. It's called Tokbox.com and it's all web based and absolutely free!

So here's the deal, I'm going to try to "video blog" as well as regular blog for the final series of posts this year. I hope it works, and I can't to hear (& see) your comments about it

You can expect the first video post to show up tomorrow morning.

They're on 'Leadership Challenges' from Proverbs 21.
To see a sample of tokbox and find out how to sign up check out this link...

http://www.tokbox.com/vm/m975in5zjag1

See you tomorrow,

keller

My Christmas List - A Humorous Look

At the risk of getting comments like, "Dude, you're so selfish." or "Why are you making Christmas all about you?"  I want to discuss a very important and strategic part of my Christmas ritual... My Christmas List.

Right around Thanksgiving every year, I release my "Official" Christmas List.  It lives on the counter, or frig, or somewhere that everyone who wants / needs to see can see it.  Every once in a while I get a weird look from a "Non-List-Making" individual.  I don't let it throw me, but I feel obliged to explain my logic for "My List."  I shall use this blog to do so...

5 Reasons Why I Make a Christmas List Each Year:

1.  "You have not because you ask not." I'm not saying I'm quoting scripture exactly accurately here, but it's true... I don't assume that loved ones, friends, or perfect strangers for that matter are "picking up my hints" along the way.  Christmas morning is just too important to leave to chance!

2  "It's hereditary." I have to tell on my dad on this one.  He's a list maker at Christmastime too.  So I come by it honestly.  I watching my dad get what he wanted because he made a list.  Thanks dad!

3.  "It's just practical." If I'm being honest with you, I just like getting stuff I want on Christmas morning.  No need for surprises, just stick to the list and nobody gets hurt, you know...

4.  "It's all about the love, baby." Gifts are one of my favorite love languages, so come on somebody, love me!

5.  "Everyone's just happier." Who doesn't love getting something they really, REALLY want?!? I mean really?  When people get you what you want, even if it's silly stuff like "New cool looking, 1.00 magnification reading glasses" it just makes a guy happy!

So there you have it, agree or disagree, the reality stands.  I am a List-Maker, and at the Christmas Season, I will make my list proudly and without reservation, because hey, I love Christmas Morning!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone,

Matt

Does This Thing Need an Overhaul???

So the next big question that is in order concerning the Digital Extension of MWK's life is:  "Does this blog need an overhaul?"  Help me with this one:

3 Choices:

1.  A New Name.

2  A New Look.

3.  A Everything.

Give me some detail as to why you think we need to overhaul that area and specifics on what we could do with this thing.  Afterall, the virtual sky is the limit...

Thanks for the help,

Keller

5 Weeks of Service - Story of Life-Change

I couldn't wait to share with all of you a story of life-change that I got to be a part of.  Over the past few weeks, we've been doing our "5 Weeks of Service" every Saturday mobilizing a couple hundred Next Level Church attenders to serve our community in various ways each week!

It's been so incredible!  So today, one of the 4 places that our teams went was to Doug Morris's house!  Doug is a single dad raising 3 kids on his own.  Doug has been apart of NLC for like 4 years and brings his kids faithfully to NLC every single week!  Doug works hard just to put food on the table for his family.

So when the NLC community service team showed up to give his house an "NLC Extreme Home Makeover" he was blown away.  In 1 day, the NLC team completely ripped up the entire living room and kitchen floor, and the 2 kid's bedrooms!  They repainted the entire interior of the house, put up a Cars border in the boys room, and princess wallpaper in the girl's room!  They patched a hole in the side of the house and replaced rotted floor boards in the kitchen under the refrigerator!

Then... with Tile and Hardwood that was donated by an EXTREMELY GENEROUS BUSINESS OWNER in our church, they gave the family beautiful new flooring throughout the 2 kids bedrooms and the living area!

What the NLC community service team did is absolutely life changing for Doug and his family!

And this is just 1 of the many projects that NLC has been doing to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of people across Southwest Florida!

I am so proud of all of you who have given your time, talent and treasure this Christmas Season to make a difference.  I am blown away that I get to be your pastor!

Thanks for making the season bright for so many,

Pastor Matt

Pray for Next Level Church, New Hampshire!!!

I just got off the phone with Josh Gagnon, the pastor of one of our daughter churches, Next Level Church, New Hampshire.  The ice storm has hit them extremely hard, and they and most all of the 300 + people in their church are without power and staying in hotels!!!  The Gagnons have 2 kids under 3 years old!!!

so listen to this though... They decided to do what no other church is doing to reach people no one else is reaching, so they worked it out with a "Chili's type restaurant" called Marguarita's to serve the entire community FREE BREAKFAST at the restaurant tomorrow morning instead of having church.  So they have tons of food donated from Wal-Mart and other Grocery stores!!!

They also mobilized all their church people to put flyers under every hotel room door in the entire city!!!  They literally are influencing the entire region during this crazy, stressful tragic time!  All the TV stations are reporting on it as well!!!

Pray for them that they can live Jesus and serve people tomorrow!  Their website is:

www.NLC.tv

Thanks,

Matt

The Jury is In... and the Verdict is...

So after 8 days of deliberating and hearing the evidence from all of "ya'll" (I was in Texas last weekend) I have decided to CONTINUE with the Blog in 2009.  But I think some modifications are in order, and as a good American, I want all of you to weigh in and help me decide what direction we should tailor the content:

3 Choices Include:

1.  Random Personal Funny Stuff.

2.  Leadership Insights I'm learning.

3.  Random Church Stuff.

Of course this list isn't exhaustive, but I want to make sure that I'm adding the most value to your lives with the time you're willing to dedicate to the reading of the blog.

Thanks for helping me Modify the Digital Extension of MWK to the world,

Matt

If a Blogger stops Blogging, Does anybody care?

I'm just wondering if a Blogger (like me) stops blogging and instead just does twitter and facebook, would the world really miss my blog?

I mean really...

Would they?  I swear I'm not looking for petty little "Aw, Matt, you're so awesome and wonderful" sentiments either.  I mean, what if twitter is the new "Insta-blog"?

If so, I think it's just a lot better use of my time,

thoughts?

Keller

NBC News Interview

NBC News interviewed me earlier today, after getting home and taking a shower!

Click Here to View!

We're Home!

 

We are home!  What a trip.  I will update more through the week, but man it's good to be back in America!!

Thanks to everyone who was praying.  I am feeling much better and we are all so glad that we made our flights.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving,

Matt

Pray for Matt

(Sarah here)

I don't have many details, but the team did go to Agra (to see the Taj Mahal).  On the way there, Matt got very sick.  He spent the day in the hospital getting IV fluids and antibiotics.  The word is that he is feeling better, but now they have to travel for the next 24 hours.

Please pray for him that he has complete healing and can rest on the trip home!

Thanks everyone!

The I-Team is Safe!

Hey blog world.  This is Sarah Keller (Matt's wife).

I am writing to let you know that the India team is safe.  We have received texts from them.  They are currently in New Dehli and are leaving at 4 pm on Thursday (EST Time), but will go to the airport earlier than expected.  So, pray for safety over the next 20 hours.

Also, we are so thankful that our team is not in Mumbai, but are very aware that hundreds of lives are being affected by these attacks.  Please pray for those families as well.

The team sent this verse to us:

Psalm 34:4  "I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."

Thank you all for praying.

Tour of Vizag

Yesterday was a great day to hang out together and celebrate all that God has done. We had breakfast and then took a tour of Vizag City.  We climbed to the top of a mountain and got to see the entire city from up there.  We took a cable car down the mountain which was really cool.

We saw the Bay of Bengal which is the Indian Ocean. Unreal.  For lunch we ate at an Indian Buffet which was fun.  There is Cricket on TV everywhere over here.  Which has the same sort of look of Baseball, but is completely different let me tell you!!!

The afternoon was spent shopping for last minute Saree’s and gifts for our friends and family.  Then last night we were in the chapel service for the seminary students.  I got to speak on what I’ve learned about ministry in the last 12 years. It was a great time, and definitely a highlight for me.  I love developing young leaders.

Today we fly to Delhi, a city of 25 million people and will see some of the sights of Delhi before taking the 4 hour trip to Agra, which is where the Taj Mahal is (will be there for Thanksgiving day.)

The plan is to fly out of Delhi at about 2 am in route for Chicago, IL, USA by Friday about 6 am and then be back in Fort Myers by Noon on Friday!  It’s going to be a whirlwind the next few days but we’re enjoying every minute of it!  The team has been truly great.

Keep praying for “Journey Mercy” as they say over here.

Love to all the friends and family who are praying for us,

Matt Keller and the I-Team

Big Day for the I-Team

Monday here in India was a huge day for the team.  We started by going into a nearby village for a medical clinic.  The village has 5,000 people living in 500 homes in a 5 mile radius. None of the 5,000 people have access to health care of any kind. In one 3 hour period, the Christ for India doctors will see and treat over 300 people.  They will also then take the more serious cases back to the hospital on campus for surgeries, or more thorough testing.  What they are doing here is incredible.  I can't believe that we get to be apart of this as a church!!!

Yesterday our women hosted a Ladies Meeting for all of the women on campus and it was powerful. They spoke right to the real issues and shared testimonies of abuse and healing and did a Question and Answer time that I guess was like raw!!!  God moved big time.

Last night we went in 3 different directions. Margarite and I went with Eddie who is a Pastor from Australia in a Rickshaw (which is a glorified go-cart with a top) about 10- minutes away to a church near the beach.  Margarite shared a testimony and I spoke from Psalm 23.  It was a good time.  They had 2 little girls probably 6 and 7 who were their worship leaders.  It was just about too much!  They were so cute and yet so anointed of God.  Amazing to hear them sing in Telegu (the native language) and then "Jesus loves me" in English.  That one almost put me over the edge. I was like, "I gotta go home and see my boys, seriously!!!"  Pastor Eddie said the same thing only for him it was worse because he has 3 girls at home.

Ishana and Millie went with Johnson Titus to hear an evangelist preach.  He preached in Hindi and it was translated into Telegu.  And of course, they don't speak either of those languages.  They got to eat in the pastor's home and there was no silverware. So they were eating with their hands, just like the India people do.

Mark, Jim, Nicole, and Sally preached on the street in a village near the national highway and across from a boys school that just co-incidently lost power so all these teenage boys came across the street to see and hear what was going on because they were without power.  There were close to 300 people standing around listening Mark and our team preach the gospel. At the end, Mark said that several of those Hindu boys raised their hands to accept Christ!!!  How awesome is that!

We all got to bed late last night and are looking forward to our tour of Vizag city today and finishing up with a little shopping after that.  Tomorrow we fly back to Delhi and on Thursday will be at the Taj Mahal. I'm pumped about that.  Thanks for praying for us, I wish everyone at NLC could see and hear what we're experiencing, it's truly life changing,

See you Sunday in South Fort Myers High School, which is about 8,000 miles from where I am right now.  Unreal.

Matt and the I-Team

What a Sunday!

How do I even start to describe what we experienced in our church today?  First, we were about 45 minutes late because the “Chief Minister” which is like the Governor of the state was passing through in a motorcade which consisted of several SUV’s 2 Motor coaches and several thousand men on motorcycles.  There were police everywhere which is the first time we’ve seen police in the city this week, and to be real honest with you, it was the first time I felt unsafe.

 

The campus here is an absolute haven of God’s presence and the peace of the Lord is all over this place.  Anyway, so by the time we arrived at “the drop of f point” we (Matt, Nicole, and Ishana) jumped out of the bus and Johnson said to us, “Go with this man” and the next thing I know we are walking through like the smallest little “alleys” I have ever seen.  They were amazingly clean, at least what I can remember of them.

 

I was seriously lacking peace at the moment.  We end up in this 15’ by 30’ building where you can hear the sound of Indian Worship Music coming from within.  I had to duck to make it through the 5 foot high door and when I lifted my hands, I could basically touch the ceiling.  There were 30 adults and 20 kids in this building all sitting on the floor.  They had us sit up front in the only chairs in the place to honor us.

 

As I sat down I was overwhelmed.  The children were so amazing worshipping so intently.  It was overwhelmingly powerful.  I was about as far outside of my comfort zone as I can remember, and yet, the spirit of God was all over that place.

 

They took communion which was really cool and I completely improvised my message.  I was going to preach on David and Goliath but instead I spoke out of Psalm 4 which their pastor read in Telegu (their language) earlier in the service.  I just sensed God saying to me, “Matt, will you get over your fear, settle down and trust me?”  So I yielded to the Lord and God said, “Just preach through Psalm 4, their pastor knows best what they need to hear today.  So I did.  And it was one of the most anointed, incredible messages I’ve given in quite a while!

 

At the end, we prayed for everyone in the room which was really cool.  I prayed for the pastor’s baby that was born with Crossed Eyes and I couldn’t help but look at him and see my son Will, 8 years ago - who was also born with crossed eyes.  All I could hear in that moment was Will’s eye surgeon say to us 2 years ago, “There is no reason, in this day and age, that any child should have to live with crossed eyes.”  And yet, there I was starring at a child that, without a miracle will live with crossed eyes for the rest of his life.  It makes me want to weep just thinking about it.  I am believing for that baby’s complete healing.

 

This afternoon, I got to spend some time with 9 girls who are enrolled in the Christ For India program for girls.  It’s a 1 year program where they learn to use MS Office, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  The ramifications for these girls is that they can now get a better job and consequently move up in their caste system which will give them a better life forever!!!  What an incredible, beautiful group of girls.  I can’t wait for you to see the video of them.  They are just delightful.

 

Pastor Mark, Jim, and Millie traveled 4 hours to the church that Mark’s church in Estero, FL paid to have built last year.  They were dedicating the building!  Sally and Marguerite got to spend the morning having church with 200 children who live on campus!  They both spoke and said it was incredible!  At the end, Sally said there were several children weeping and crying and when she talked to the House Mother, she said it’s a miracle because these children have been attending the school but come from Hindu families.  So this was the day that they were converting from Hinduism to Christianity!!!  That’s truly miraculous!

 

We’re off tonight, and then we’re going to do a medical camp in the village tomorrow where we will see and treat several hundred people in a few hours time with the doctors who are on staff at the hospital here!!!

 

On Tuesday we are taking the tour of the city of Visaghapatnam  (vi-shag-a-put-num) it will be our first glimpse of the Bay of Bengal and we’ll do some shopping.  The ladies all had custom Saree’s made at a tailor shop in town and Mark and I had some custom pants and shirts done!  Nice Indian Hospitality!

 

Thanks for praying for us, hope your weekend was well.

 

I miss NLC worship too.  I listened to some of the worship songs we’re doing at church right now on my iPod this morning and actually said out loud, “I wish I could be at NLC to hear Arianne lead this song.”  What a great church we have you guys.  I really miss being at NLC today.  But I got to preach in a church smaller than my garage and it was just as incredible!  He’s truly a HUGE and AMAZING God!!!

 

I love you all,

 

Pastor Matt

India Trip Update - 9:00 am - Friday morning India time (10 1/2 hours different)

Yesterday was quite a day!!!  We were all up and around and watched the fog clear from the rooftop of our building and then had breakfast at the Titus home.  There a couple of other teams here at the same time. One from Australia and One from Wales, England.  They are great people.

We were introduced in the opening session of the Pastors Conference and then were able to spread out across the campus to see more of what's going on...

Here are some highlights:

Matt, Mark, Ishana and Nicole spent about 5 hours shooting video for our promotional videos, which I think is going to be incredible!!!

Jim K. got to ride the bus home with the school children and said that he was a "rock star."

Sally, Millie and Margarite toured the hospital and met the doctors, etc.  Their response was, "It's not the US that's for sure!"

I spoke last night in the main session of the conference with an interpreter into Telegu the local language.  The interpreter is a young pastor who is a really cool guy pastoring "The City Church" right here in Vizag.  He's a world changer.  I can't wait to tell his story...

Today is going to be a huge day in the school with the children.  Mark is speaking tonight in the conference.  And our ladies are working to organize an Ad-Hoc Woman's Conference for all the ladies on conference just to tell their stories and pray for them and encourage them which is incredible.

We've got alot of filming to do today and it's going to be crazy, but all in all the team is encouraged and still slightly overwhelmed at all that God is doing here.

We love all of you,

Pray for us,

Matt Keller and the I-Team

Wednesday 11:15 am – India Time

So we’re here, and the last 36 hours or whatever have all been a blur and overwhelming and exciting and chaotic and stressful and cool all at the same time. It’s surreal being on this campus for the first time.  The emotion I am feeling is almost overwhelming because I know the pain I feel when I think about starting a work like this from nothing but a dream.

It’s so easy to come and see how big and amazing and beautiful everything is now and forget what it once was.  Nothing.  Nothing but a dream. A dream in 1 man’s heart to leave the comfort’s of America and come to a place of 1 billion souls who are living without Christ.  I can relate to that pain because in a different way, I lived it too.

Somehow in some small way Dr. Titus’s story and my story are linked.  But that’s not the only story that exists in this place.  There are close to a thousand stories and I can’t wait to begin hearing so many of them…

Matt

Random Team Thoughts

• Mark Goodman is a Missions Trip Rock Star.  He is so stinkin’ called to missions it’s not even funny.


• Millie Martinez is like my mother-in-law on a missions trip.  I don’t think I would want to go to a foreign country without her.  (She’s also a nurse…)


• Margarite Demos has rock star qualities when it comes to oils and spices and cool stuff that is healthy.


• Jim Kittlestevd has a hard last name to spell but is kind of like a Big Brother and bodyguard all in one.


• Nicole Kittlestevd brings “cool, calm and collected” to NLC Missions.  Nothing phases that girl.


• Sally Sims is about the most even-keeled missions team member I’ve ever seen.  She is also this vast, deep well of that exudes Godly strength.


• Ishana is a great and fun asset to the I-Team.  I’m so glad she’s on this trip. (and she keeps picking up the check for our meals!  Thanks to Richard her husband… again)

Random Travel Thoughts

• 14 hours in the upright position isn’t fun.


• When they say “recline” they don’t define it like I do.


• The smog in New Delhi is borderline suffocating.  I seriously thought it was raining when I looked out the Airport window.


• I didn’t know you could make planes that big.  9 seats across.


• People who ride 1st class on an International flight both suck and are the smartest people ever.  Seriously.


• The Radisson at the Delhi Airport has a kickin’ Curry Chicken at 1:30 in the morning.


• Checking into a Domestic flight in India is the craziest, broken system ever!  Seriously, if Mark Goodman had not have been here I wouldn’t have made it.


• Men in turbans with machine guns in foreign airports are scary.


• I had the best hour of sleep I can remember laying with my body straddling the armrest of an airport waiting room bench.  I woke up and it felt like I had been in a coma.


• Sleeping on an airplane sucks.  Wait I think I already kind of said that, but it’s worth saying twice.

Start of Day 2 on Campus

9:30 am India Time (10 1/2 hours ahead of USA)

We had breakfast at the Titus home today.  There are 2 other teams here at the same time which is really cool. One from Wales, England and one from Sydney, Australia.  The accents are incredible!

Also, there is a pastor from St. Louis, MO who is here named Rick.  He's a great guy with a great heart for the ministry here.  We got our first glance at the Indian Sunrise from the top of the building where we are staying.  It's incredible, simply incredible.

Mark and I are going to spend the day shooting videos and interviewing pastors and seminary students for our videos that we are doing to promote the ministry. sp; I'm so excited.  We already got incredible B-Roll footage from the rooftops.

The rest of the gang are anxious to begin serving across the campus.  There is so much to do here and see and experience.  There are over 150 pastors from all over India arriving today.  Some of them have traveled for up to a week by "Cattle Car" on trains to be here at the conference for 3 days.  Jameson said they left when we left from the USA and are just now arriving.  It takes 3 days by train to get here from Delhi, which is where we flew through on our way in.

What commitment these pastors have to serve the Lord and be apart of the ministry of what God is doing here.  Wow.

I'm scheduled to speak tonight to the pastors and seminary students which will total about 300 in all.  It's incredible to see what God is doing here.

Thanks for following along, I'll try and upload some pictures at some point, but the internet is really bad over here.

Love to all,
Pastor Matt and the I-Team

Thoughts from India

Day 1 on Campus:

The voice of God gets really loud in the quiet of this campus.  How can a place with so many people and so much noise be this quiet?  The peace of God is all over this place and it is all over me as well…

Matt

Landed and Doing Well

Hey everyone!  This is not Matt (it is actually Sarah)!

I wanted to let you know that I spoke with Matt briefly this morning.  He asked me to let you all know that he is doing well.  His words were "Well, I found out that a 14 hour flight is a long flight."

They are in Vizag at the "Christ for India" Campus now.  Matt said the whole team is doing very well and they made all of their connections and did not have any problems.  They are 10 1/2 hours ahead of us.  So, I'm writing at 8:30 in the morning on Wednesday and it is 7 pm there.  Matt will be speaking tonight at the Chapel, so you can be in prayer since his sleep has been very little.  They are all hoping to sleep well tonight and finally get on the new time!

Thanks for keeping him in prayer.  He thinks that he will be able to update his blog sometime tomorrow when they go into town.  Have a great Wednesday!

India Trip - First Meal Together - Chicago Airport

So this is the view inside the terminal at O'hare Airport in Chicago, IL. It's beginning to look alot like Christmas.

We shared our first meal as a team at a very "Mission Friendly" restaurant called, "Macaroni Grille." It was great.

By the way, special thanks to Ishana's "Hard workin' husband" for picking up the check!

Next stop... New Delhi, India.

India Trip - Day 1 - Leaving Fort Myers, FL for Chicago then on to Delhi, India

Hey everyone,

So this is the official site of the Next Level Church India Trip 2008. Below is a picture of the 8 of us in the Fort Myers Airport. It's gonna be an amazing trip!

Here are some specifics of the trip:

Leaving Fort Myers: 11:15 am Monday, November 17th, 2008

Leave Chicago, IL: 7:55 pm Monday Night

Arrive in Delhi, India Tuesday Night around 10 pm India time which is like 10 am Tuesday Morning, US time.

We leave Delhi at 5:55 am and arrive in Vasag, India, Home of the Christ for India Headquarters and Campus at 8 am Wednesday morning, November 19th, 2008, which is like 8 pm Tuesday night US Time.

You can subscribe to this blog to receive every update, it's free and easy, just click the link to the right on this page and follow the directions.

Thanks for tracking with us for the next 12 days.

Matt Keller & the I-Team

A Final Quote on Fear

Seth Godin says on page 44 of his book, "Tribes" that...

"In every organization everyone rises to the level at which they become paralyzed by fear."

Shut up! If you lead an organization like I do, you know how true that is. Fear is the single greatest limiter on our potential in life! I meet so many people who have great potential but who are falling short of it, simply because they have let fear win the battle for their success.

As you head into this weekend, I hope you'll spend sometime having a conversation with a friend or co-worker about where you may have some blind spots of fear in your life. Knowing where they aren't won't eliminate them, but it will help you push through them.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Pray for our NLC Trip to India

On Monday, myself and 7 others leave on a Missions Trip to India. This will mark the first time that I have been to the other side of the world. 2 Things I need you to do for me:

1. Check this blog daily. (Or you can just subscribe by hitting the link to the right) I will be posting updates from our team as close to everyday as I can here at MattKellerOnline.com

2. Pray for us daily. We are going to be teaching in a pastor's conference for 3 days as well as taking day trips into a number of villages to do evangelistic crusades, etc. It's going to be powerful, but we also know we are in a spiritual battle, so please pray for us.

Thanks for tracking with us as we are in India. I know it's going to be a life-changing trip for many...

Matt Keller

3 Thoughts on Fear - Part 2

In Seth Godin's new book, "Tribes" he throws out another great quote on fear.

"The levers are here. The proof is here. The power is here. The only thing holding you back is your own fear!"

That is so true for so many of us today. We have been given everything we need to succeed, the only thing keeping us from achieving our dreams and living the kind of life we want to live is our own fear.

The key to success is not failing, it's getting up. Success goes to the person who gets up one more time then they fall down. You have everything you need to succeed, don't let fear hold you back!

That's a word for somebody,

Matt

3 Thoughts on Fear

I am rereading Seth Godin' new book, "Tribes" for the third time and this time it's really starting to get good. In one portion of the book (he doesn't use chapters) he writes about fear. The stuff is so good I just couldn't resist writing about myself. Seth says on page 42...

"Fear is the #1 reason people don't innovate. In a battle between two ideas, the best idea doesn't necessarily win, the one with the most fearless heretic behind it does."

Each of us have "Good Ideas" everyday. But for most of us, we can't get past our own fears long enough to actually see them come to pass. Until a leader is willing to step out and take a risk, they are by definition NOT LEADING!

When Seth refers to someone as a "heretic" he's of course not talking about the Biblical definition of a heretic, he's talking about someone who is crazy enough to let their passion for an idea propel them to keep pushing them envelope until they start a movement. (Seth calls it a tribe!)

? Got any good ideas that you are afraid to push to the front? ? On a scale of 1 to 10, how much are you allowing "FEAR" to hold you back from leading?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

3 More Lessons from the R9 Residency Intensive

#3: Seeing Others Shine is the Greatest Joy! Do you remember how the Apostle Paul said in a few of his writings to his readers: "You are my joy and my crown"? Well, I had the chance to feel that way this week. Barry and Christina Rice, who are church planters from Orlando, FL, came down and taught a couple of sessions for R9 and I was so proud listening to them tell their story! 2 years ago, they were on the brink of giving up and closing down their church. But over the last 2 years, as they have applied so many of the principles we were teaching this week, God has turned that around and they are now a thriving, growing church! I was so proud.

#4: Advancement starts with knowing the right questions to ask. As I mentioned yesterday the R9 church planters have great visions, but they don't know what they don't know. One of the greatest lessons we can learn is how to position ourselves in learning opportunities where we can uncover what it is we didn't know we didn't know. (Hope that made sense.)

Over the past 6 1/2 years, our journey at NLC has been one of trial and error trying to figure out the "Best Practices" for of how to do church in the coming generations. I get so excited know that there is now a program in place where pastors and church planters can learn from our mistakes and experiences.

#5: Potential + The Right Training = Proper Expectations & Proper Expectations + God = True Success!

The #1 reason church plants fail in the US today is because of unrealistic and unmet expectations. I believe the R9 residency will give church planters proper expectations and the result will be so many Life-Giving churches planted and raised up in the years ahead.

If you are interested in information on attending an R9 Residency, leave a comment here and we'll get in touch with you.

Matt Keller

The Premiere of the R9 Residency Program!

Over the last week, Next Level Church hosted 4 church planters for the 1st ever, R9 Church Planter's Residency Intensive. Each of the Church Planters are in the pre-launch phase of their churches. In fact, they are all launching on the same day: February 8th, 2009. The R9 was designed around 1 primary theory: Church Planters don't know the questions to ask before they launch. Therefore, we set out creating 9 Distinct Modules to Answer all of the questions that church planters don't know to ask... yet.

I have to tell you, the response was outstanding! Each day you could see new light bulbs coming on in their faces. Not to mention the, "I would have never thought of that..." on each break.

I am firmly convinced that the R9 has the potential to change the success rate of church planting not only for the ARC, but in general as well.

Today and tomorrow, I want to share a few things I Learned from the R9 Residents.

#1: Everyone has something to give. I firmly believe that no matter what stage of leadership or church growth you find yourself in, you have something to give to someone else. I challenged the Residents all week long that the best way to learn is to teach (that's the sub-title of this blog by the way). And I think they got it. Don't just read an article, rip it out and give it to someone. Don't just read a book, buy an extra one for someone else, or give it away when you finished reading it. Don't just listen to a CD, pass it on. May we create a movement of Never Learning Alone!

#2: We have Learned a lot. In pouring into these church planters for a week, I was reminded of how much God has taught us in this church planting process. We have been teaching these concepts for a few years now, but they were all scattered. R9 allowed me to see it all in one place.

How I Give Encouragement - Part 5

5. Give Encouragement Constantly.

Encouragement must be a constant in our leadership. We can never take our foot off the gas pedal when it comes to encouragement! It's one of the most important things we do as leaders everyday. People gravitate toward encouragers. Have you ever noticed that?

If you can find ways to keep genuinely encouraging the people around you, you'll never not have a crowd. People want to be encouraged. Plain and Simple.

When we master the art of encouragement, we master the art of leadership.

Have a great weekend,

Matt

The Up the Middle Church is Coming Soon!

The release of my new book, The Up the Middle Church, is coming soon! I should have the final proof in my hands within a week! I am so pumped! We are also working on all of the other stuff that goes with it, website, additional resources, promotional materials, etc.

Pray for the release of the book that God will get it into the right hands of so many pastors, leaders and churches that need the encouragement, so desperately!

Thanks, Matt

How I Give Encouragement - Part 4

4. Give Encouragement Hope-Fully.

If there is one thing people lack in their lives, it's hope. Every not only needs hope, but would love to have more hope. When we encouragement someone else, we deposit hope into their heart. Hope that they can be better than they are today. Hope that someone else in the universe actually thinks they have great value. And hope that their life is making a difference in the world around them.

We must work hard to connect our encouragement to vision. Both the big vision of our organization or company or family, but also to the specific vision of the person we're talking to. Encouragement connected to vision gives people hope that what they dream about can actually come true.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Follow me on Twitter

Hey everyone if you haven't grabbed ahold of this whole Twitter thing, it's pretty stinkin' fun! It's a great way to keep up with people in your life.

The best way I can describe it is like, "Insta-blogging!" It happens in real time, so you can literally get text messages to your phone from other "tweets" (People who are twittering) about where they are and what they're doing in real time! It's a great way to keep up with friends, colleagues and mentors.

You can follow me by signing up and then searching for me. My twitter id is: @matthewkeller. If you blogging, you'll love twittering.

Matt

How I Give Encouragement - Part 3

3. Make Encouragement about Them, not you!

Something within us human beings has this natural drift toward selfishness. Often times, encouragement can subconsciously be the same way! Without even knowing it, we can make encouragement about us, not the person we're trying to encourage.

I mentioned a leader in my teenage years who was great at doing this. This person would give out compliments in an attempt to get others to compliment them. After a while, everyone in the room caught on to it and it actually backfired! Suddenly people were calling them out and ripping on this person. Which only made them more insecure. It was ugly.

Question of the Day: ? Why are you giving encouragement, really? Is it to genuinely encourage others, or to gain compliments from others?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Today is Election Day! Go Vote!

Just a quick reminder to everyone in the blogosphere to go and vote! No excuses. This is OUR country! We have a right that several billion other people on the planet would die to have. Use it! Even if you have to wait in line! (Your poor planning doesn't make up for not using your freedom!)

Remember, if you don't vote today, then you cannot say ANYTHING about ANYTHING for the next 4 years! It's like American Idol, You can't comment in the morning, if you don't call in tonight!!!

Nothing you do today will be more important than that.

Matt Keller

How I Give Encouragement - Part 2

2. Make Encouragement Personal.

When it comes to encouraging those around us, the more personal we can make our encouragement, the better. General encouragement is fine, especially if there really is nothing else positive to say, but whenever possible, we must focus on Specific, Personal Encouragement.

The more specific a compliment is, the more power it holds for the individual. Whenever I speak, I always have people give me comments & compliments. (There's a big difference, by the way.) If someone says, "Matt, that was a great message." That's a nice enough comment, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a compliment.

However, if someone says, "Matt, when you said _______, it really touched my heart! I have been living that right now, and God really used that statement to touch me." Now that's a compliment! Do you see the difference? The more specific our encouragement is, the more power our words hold.

Challenge: The next time you get ready to give someone a compliment, think of how you can make it more personal.

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

How I Give Encouragement

One of the most important things a leader does is give encouragement. Encouragement is to leadership, what Oxygen is to the soul. The people we lead cannot survive without it. Something within every human being makes us desperate for encouragement. Things die when there is no encouragement. When a married couple stops encouraging one another, their relationship begins to die. When teammates stop encouraging each other, the team begins to die. When leaders in organizations stop encouraging the people they lead, the organization begins to die.

So this week we're going to zero in on how I give encouragement... (I hope it encourages you! Get it?!?)
1. Give Encouragement Sincerely.

Nobody likes a fake. And the young generation emerging around us can see an imposter coming a mile away. When it comes to encouragement, we can't fake it.
People need our Sincere Encouragement.

When I was young in the faith, during my teenage years, I had a leader in my life who was the worst at this. Whenever we would be in a public setting somewhere, this person would begin throwing out untrue compliments to me. He would be praising things I HADN'T done! It was embarrassing because I couldn't correct them and I couldn't call this person on them.

This shaped my leadership in a profound way as a teenager because I learned I never wanted to do that to anyone else! I didn't like the way it made me feel, & I didn't want anyone else to have to feel that way either. I could see that what they really wanted was for someone to compliment them.

? How are you at encouraging? ? On a scale of 1 to 10, How would the people around you rate you in the realm of encouragement? ? Do you give encouragement sincerely?

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

The 4th Dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality: The Leader

The last dimension according to Michael Gerber in his book, Awakening the Entrepreneur within, is: The Leader

By far, leadership is the most important. You can have a great vision or dream, think strategically about that dream, and even tell the story of the dream effectively, but if you don't have the ability to lead people into the new reality, you're sunk. Here are a few of my personal thoughts from my experiences with start up leaders:

1. Think Growth. Leaders grow people. Plain and Simple. In order to realize your dream, you've got to be committed to the personal growth of the people that are around you. A leader who only focuses on growth the vision and not the people of the vision has missed the whole point.

2. Think Effectiveness. In every dream there are a multitude of smaller dreams that can sidetrack an organization. Jim Collins would call it "Good, the enemy of Great." Michael Gerber would call them, "nusances." Others might call them "chasing rabbits." The best leaders know how to keep their people focused on the right priorities long-term.

3. Think Systems. The greatest leaders, as Michael Gerber has so effectively claimed in all of his E-Myth books, know how to use systems to accomplish a goal. The best leaders move the focus away from their personality and toward systems all of the time. If it can't be systematized then it shouldn't be done.

? What level of leader are you, 1 to 10? ? What can you begin to do to grow yourself and the leaders around you to become better leaders? ? How system driven is your thinking?

The Greatest Entrepreneurs are the ones who leverage each of the 4 Dimensions of their Personality to accomplish the Dream God has placed in their heart.

The Dreamer, The Thinker, The Storyteller, & The Leader. 4 Essentials to every great start up organization.

Matt

Dimension #3: The Storyteller

This week, we're looking into what Michael Gerber calls the 4 Dimensions of the Entrepreneurial Personality. The 3rd Dimension could be my favorite because it is: The Storyteller.

No vision will ever come to reality unless an Entrepreneur becomes great at telling the story. People cannot and will not connect with a vision without a story. It's just that simple. Here are a few thoughts on telling your story:

1. A leader in a start up has to work hard at telling the story in a compelling and concise way. As my friend, Mike Ash, likes to say, "No one likes to hear your story like you do." And it's true. The danger in telling the story of the vision of your start up is that you will go into too much detail because you think everyone likes to hear it.

2. Don't share too few details. The other side of the pendulum is to leave out too much detail and consequently not move the emotions of the listener. Every great leader knows how to incorporate just the right amount of emotion and detail in telling the story.

3. Practice telling the story. Tell everyone. Tell the 3 minute version, the 30 second version and the 30 minute version. the only way to get good at telling the story of your vision is to practice, practice practice... and...

4. Critique yourself. The greatest leaders of start ups are watching how listeners respond while they are telling the story of their start up. Make a mental note when an audience looks uninterested or glazed over. Note when they are completely engaged or moved emotionally and then critique yourself afterward. It's the only way to get better.

? How well do you tell the story of your start up? ? Is it compelling or dry? ? What response do you get from your hearers?

Tomorrow we will look at the final dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality. It's probably the most important... by a long shot!

Matt

Dimension #2: The Thinker

The 2nd Dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality as described in Michael Gerber's book, Awakening the Entrepreneur Within is: The Thinker.

Michael says that the Thinker is the "HOW" behind the "WHAT" of the Dreamer. In my experience, it really is true that every Entrepreneur must have some Thinker in them as well as a healthy dose of Dreamer.

At some point in the vision of your start up, a leader has to cross a line in their mind to "Getting Stuff Done." I have met many leaders who have been so in love with the vision of their new organization that they have completely forgotten about the work that needs to be done.

There is a delicate balance in this b/c to the true Dreamer, actually thinking and working kind of stinks. So permission has to be granted in the Entrepreneur to float back and forth between Dreaming and Thinking about your Vision.

In addition to being a Dreamer, I am a Strategic Thinker as well. I enjoy the discipline of drilling down and finding how all the puzzle pieces will fit together. But I must admit that too much Strategic thinking and not enough Dreaming wears me out.

No dream ever becomes a reality without a lot of time spent by the Entrepreneur in the Thinking Dimension.

? How comfortable are you transitioning from the Dreamer mindset to the Thinker Mindset of your vision? ? How willing are you to get your hands dirty in the Thinker Dimension of your Vision?

Tomorrow is the 3rd Dimension. This is one of my favorites...

Matt

Dimension #1: The Dreamer

The first of the four dimensions of the Entrepreneurial Personality as described in Michael Gerber's new book, "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within" is The Dreamer.

Every great church, organization or business begins as a Dream. And in the Dream State, they are amazingly fragile. A Dream can be crushed, shattered or broken with just the slightest bit of pessimism or dissent. Here are a few of my own thoughts on The Dream that we Dreamers often dream:

1. Protect your dream. In the early stages of a start up dream, you've got to be very careful who you share your dream with. Inadvertently, most people will crush a dream without even intending to. The reason is, "People like the status quo." And any real dream always threatens or challenges the status quo. This is precisely why most people are not dreamers.

2. Surround yourself with Dream Expanders, not Dream Killers in the early stages. Chances are you have a couple of people in your life that are Dream Expanders. In the early stages of your dream, find those people and paint clear expectations for them. Stay up late "Dreaming" together and expanding the dream. I can remember no small amount of Smarties and Mountain Dew that was consumed in the early stages of many of my dreams.

3. Recognize the difference between Daydreams and Real Dreams. Not every dream we dreamers dream is a dream worth chasing. One of the most mature things a leader can do is learn to recognize the difference between a Daydream and a Real Dream.

4. Real Dreams consume us. When you find a Real Dream, you'll know it, because over an extended period of time, the dream will eventually consume you. It will become the only thing you can think about. It will keep you up at night, and it will spread. Suddenly others around you will start asking you when you're going to do something about your dream. In that moment, you'll know you're probably on to something big.

? Are you a Dreamer? ? Do you have a dream that is consuming you? ? Who are the 2 people you can share your dream with that you trust to expand it and not crush it?

* Share your dream with those people in the next 48 hours.

Tomorrow we'll look at the 2nd Dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality,

Talk to you then,

Matt

4 Dimensions of an Entrepreneurial Personality

I have the privilege of working with a lot or church planters and leaders who have a vision to "Start something from scratch!" And as someone who has spent the last dozen years of my life starting stuff, I have become a student of entrepreneurial thought and processes.

I am currently reading a book called, "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within," by Michael Gerber. Michael has written several books on his 1st concept called, "The E-Myth." I believe that his book, "The E-Myth Revisited" is an absolute Must Read for an church planter, or leader who is thinking about venturing out into the unknown world of a start up. Seriously, Michael is one of the foremost thought leaders on what it means to truly start a business, organization or church successfully today.

In his "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within" book, he describes Four Dimensions to the Entrepreneurial Personality and as I read them, I couldn't help but think how True they are. This week's blogs are dedicated to his 4 Dimensions. (Not Dimensia, by the way, although at times it may feel that way in a new organization!)

If you are someone who is intrigued by the thought of a start up or find yourself in a start up reality in any capacity, then stay tuned this week to MattKellerOnline.com because these 4 Dimensions are for you.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Tainted Love Series Begins in 2 Days!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to personally invite all of you who follow me in the blogosphere to be at Next Level Church this weekend at 9 am and 10:45 am on Sunday morning for the launch of our Brand new series, Tainted Love. We're talking about relationships and if ever there's a time that we need to zoom in on our relationships and be challenged to face reality and go deeper, it's now.

I'm sure that each and everyone of us can think of multiple people who we know are struggling in the relational zones of their lives right now and that's what this series is all about.

For those of you who are outside of the region of Southwest Florida, I hope you'll podcast all of the messages from the series and pass them on to friends who need to hear what we're talking about.

One additional note to all the Next Levelites out there, this is the same week that we're debuting our brand new sound system and live video on the screens! it's going to be a whole new experience in our Sunday mornings!!!

See you Sunday at South Fort Myers High School,

For all the details or to see the Tainted Love Promo Video, click here,

Matt

Christ for India - Jameson Titus

In November I am leading a team of 8 Next Levelers to India for 12 days. I'm so excited about all that we're going to experience. It's going to be life-changing I just know it.

This past weekend, I got to spend a few days with Jameson Titus who is the stateside director for the Missions Organization that we are partners with: Christ for India.

I am asking all of you who follow me in the blogosphere as well as in Facebook or Twitter world to check out their website and consider supporting them. They are an incredible ministry that does 10 x's as much as we do in a year with a 1/3 of the budget! They literally feed thousands of meals a day, house hundreds of kids, have 160 pastors in training in their seminary and provide medical relief through their hospital and medical teams to an entire region of the nation of India. It's incredible!

Do me a favor and spend 5 minutes checking out their website, and then spend 5 minutes praying for their ministry. It's some of the best ministry investment dollars you can spend!

Keller

I'm on Twitter Now!

So the 2nd way you can keep up with me is on Twitter.

I'll be honest and confess that I didn't fully understand Twitter for about the first month I had heard about it, but then through much coercing and multiple people (all of whom I admire greatly) telling me that "I gotta twitter..." I have finally seen the genius in it.

So, sign up for Twitter and you can begin "following me" on there.

I promise that I will try and make my twitters as funny as possible.

www.Twitter.com

P.S. Twitter is like an insta-blog in real time. It's pretty cool.

Keller

2 New Ways to Follow Me!

Hey everyone,

I couldn't wait to tell you that there are now 2 new ways to keep up with yours truly... The first is on Facebook.

Next Level Church officially has a Facebook page, & if you're not on there, you totally have to connect. It's a great place to keep up with what's up around the NLC world and the world of MWK! (which is me by the way!)

It's easy, it's fun, it's really sweet!

Keller on Facebook via NLC... nice.

Rays win! Rays Win! Rays Win!

I just can't help but brag a little bit!  Call me a bandwagon jumper, I don't care!!!  For the last 173 games I have been a Tampa Bay Rays fan!  No, strike that, it actually dates back to July of 2007, when we did our Take me Out to the Ballgame series and I said in an intro video we did that I was "secretly a Rays Fan!"

Well, it's official now!!!  I LOVE THE RAYS!!!  We're the American League Champions and the favorites to win the World Series!  After 33 years of Chicago Cubs Loyalty, I am officially an American Leaguer and my blood runs Rays blue, not Cubby blue!

Go Rays!!!  I'm so excited!  And so are my 2 boys!

Wednesday, the World Series Fun begins!

Keller... out... celebrating!

www.TampaBayRays.com

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 5

#10: Repetition, properly utilized is hilarious.

Well, it’s been 2 full weeks now since we started our series on My Thoughts on Being Funny. One final tool I want to share with you is Repetition. When someone learns to properly use repetition in conversation or in a presentation the end result can be absolutely hilarious.

David Letterman is one of the all time masters at this. Many of the funny things that David Letterman does are NOT in and of themselves, all that funny. (Remember how he tosses a pen up in the air while sitting at his desk…) But the fact that he repeats it over and over at awkward moments and then looks right into the camera while doing it, is absolutely hilarious about the fifth time.

Napoleon Dynamite is one of the those movies that gets ever increasingly hilarious the more you see it.

Once something obvious and funny has been pointed out in a group of people, returning to it at pinnacle moments can send people over the top.

Every once in a while, comedians can run for repetition and it falls flat, when that happens, move on and don’t try again. People will remember the last time they heard a word and if it was flat the last time, it’s not going to be any funnier the next time.

Try and pick up on when repetition is used in a comedic way sometime in the near future. Trust me, it’s there a lot more than you think.

I hope you’re weekend is a hilarious one,

Matt

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 4

#9: Funny Stories connect with people.

I am a story teller. It’s one of the most frequent tools I use in Being Funny. Jesus was a story teller, and I think Jesus probably was a lot more funny than history records of him.

Truthfully, I can’t help but read the Bible with a humorous edge. You know there had to be moments where Jesus and the disciples just busted out laughing. At least I hope so.

Anyway, learning the art of telling a funny story can bring down a dinner party, long day on the bleachers at a little league game, or break down walls around new friends.

If I were you, I would find about 6 funny stories from your life and then practice telling them over and over again until they are truly funny.

If you've never heard the one about my wife falling on her face on our honeymoon, then you've never really lived!!! It's hilarious. (Intrigued??? I'm telling you funny stories work to capture people's attention.)

One of the greatest ways to build your self-esteem and let others know you are secure is tell a funny story with yourself as the butt of the joke.

Matt

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 3

#8: Using Sarcasm is funny and dangerous.

I have learned there is a fine line between Sarcasm & Cynicism. And truly great communicators know the difference. Biting sarcasm can hurt people and although it may be funny in the moment, it will often do more damage than good.

Being funny at someone else’s expense is another form of cheap humor. If a sarcastic punch line is aimed at a truth about someone else that is out of their control, then it loses it’s humor.

And the reality is, most listeners will come to the rescue of someone who is being attacked in a condescending, sarcastic way. Which immediately causes the humor to be nullified.

When I use sarcasm, I try most always to aim it at myself, but again, not in a condescending way. (That just makes people think you have low self-esteem, which is anything but funny…)

matt

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 2

#7: If it’s dirty, it’s not Funny.

One of the great comedic principles I have been instilling in my 2 boys since they could talk is this: If it’s dirty, then it’s not truly funny.

Crude humor is the easy way out. Anybody can throw in a bodily function or swear word and get a laugh. I don’t call that humor, I call it cheating. If you want to be truly funny, find the common stuff of life that no one sees and learn to exploit it to a hilarious level. ( Like the fact that the back of a lot of Florida License Plates looks like a dinosaur monster from far away… It wasn’t til recently that I realized it was actually two oranges hanging over the top of the state of florida. I have lived in Florida almost 7 years... that's funny.)

I have very little tolerance for “cheap humor.” It’s just too easy to be funny without all that.

Matt

Back by Popular Demand - More Thoughts on "Being Funny"

So last week’s “Being Funny” blogs were so well received, I decided to throw out 5 more thoughts on How I think about Being Funny. So without further ado (again) and back by popular demand… Here are 5 More Bloggish thoughts on Being Funny.

#6: Laughter truly is the best medicine.

The Bible gets this one right in Proverbs when it says that “Laughter is like a good medicine.” I have found that to be true. People love to laugh and the truth is, something physiological takes place in our bodies when we laugh regularly.

Are you laughing enough in your life right now? This is a weird time in our nation and for a lot of us we’re struggling in a lot of different areas.

My recommendation would be to tap some humor into your life. 3 Thoughts:

1. Laugh Intentionally. Find funny stuff to watch or listen to and give yourself permission to Fully Laugh.

2. Laugh at yourself. Find the funny, quirky, and goofy stuff you do on a regular basis and laugh at yourself. (Like talk to yourself, or make up strange or ridiculous rules for your kids… like “No more talking with your mouth full and looking away while you’re scooping ice cream for your little brother and watching TV.” Not that I’ve ever said that…)

3. Laugh at life. Give yourself permission to laugh while you’re sitting in traffic, or at the doctors office reception area. Don’t worry about what other people think, trust me they’re not thinking about you anyway!!!

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 5

#5: People are a bottomless pit when it comes to laughter.

As we conclude this week’s set of blogs on My Thoughts on Being Funny, I want to point out a reality that too few communicators ever realize. When it comes to laughing and enjoying themselves, people can never get enough.

Now let me be very clear to say that, that doesn’t mean that as a communicator you shouldn’t know when to cut it off and move on. It’s always better to leave an audience saying, “It’s over already,” rather than, “When is this going to end?”

In all my years of public speaking, I’ve never had someone say to me, “You’re too funny… you really should try and be more serious, more often.” Never. Not once.

Kind of makes you rethink the definition of “Effective” when it comes to public speaking doesn’t it?

Have a hilarious weekend,

I would love to hear your funny stories in the comments section by the way,

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 4

#4: Comedy is a set up for the serious.

One of the greatest advantages to being funny is that it opens the door for the serious. In my world, it’s not enough to just speak about serious stuff, or even to just be funny. True greatness in public speaking comes from learning the art of entertainment and education, information and inspiration.

I will always try and use comedy as a way to break down walls that people put up toward communicators like me.

Truly great speakers will set you up with humor and then “drop you” with something serious immediately following. The usual result being a collective, “hum,” from the audience.

There is no greater way to make a point then by first setting it up with humor.

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 3

#3: Physical humor connects.

I am a very physical communicator. I enjoy using body language to bring humor to a good story. Jim Carrey was the first one I really began watching and learning from in regards to using Physicality for humor. (Ace Ventura, Pet Detective continues to rank as one of my all time favorite movies, just because of Jim Carrey’s hilarious physical humor.)

People would rather see a story, than just hear one. (That's why TV killed Radio 50 years ago...)

Physical humor gives you the ability to over-exaggerate something to a humorous degree. Try and tell a funny story without using your hands. That’s the power of physical humor in a microcosm.

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 2

#2: Timing is everything.

So this week we’re talking about My Thoughts on Being Funny. The second thing I’ve learned about being funny is that Timing is everything. The best comedians are the ones who know how to use timing in amazingly effective ways.

1. They have mastered the dramatic pause. Watch for it the next time you’re watching or listening to someone who is making you laugh. Notice how they don’t rush a punch line.

2. Awkward silence can be funnier than words. Great comics know how to create awkward moments that build space for laughter. That’s an artform. When a comedian points out the humor in an everyday, ordinary thing, they will often use awkward silence to let it sink in to the listener.

3. A look and a pause, well placed can deliver a punch line much more hilarious than anything someone could say. (Think The Office TV Show on NBC… They have built an entire comedic brand on awkward looks by Jim into the camera.)

Hope you’re having fun,

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny"

Over the years, I’ve been able to collect several “principles” about comedic delivery. In fact, I’ve been labeled as “very funny” on several occasions in my life. So this (& a really great episode of SNL) got me thinking about “Being Funny.”

Enjoy this week’s blogs. (I’m not sure why I’m sharing these this week, but I hope they make you think, laugh, & give you a bit better insight into me, & if you’re a communicator, I hope they make you better.)

So without further ado, here is a snapshot of How I think about Comedy…

#1: Find the Funny in the Ordinary.

I live by the personal belief that there are funny things happening all around us, most all of the time. The problem is, we just fail to notice them.

As a communicator who speaks close to a hundred times a year in various environments, I’m always on the lookout for something funny happening in my everyday life.

For example, the night my wife was in a car accident 6 weeks ago, I parked in a nearby parking lot and then decided to run to the scene. Well, in my hurry to get to her, I ran over a grassy hill and then down the other side heading for the sidewalk. When I ran to the bottom of the hill I didn’t realize in the dark, that there was about 14 inches of standing water in the grass!

As I tried to run through it, my slip-on sandals got stuck in the muck and I fell flat on my face. When I arrived at the scene of the accident, I was soaked from head to toe.

When we arrived at the Emergency Room, my wife finally saw me in good light and with a puzzled expression on her face, asked, “What happened to you?” To which I responded, “I got stuck in the mud trying to get to you.” We both burst into laughter.

Funny lives inside the ordinary zones of our lives. If you don’t watch for it, you’ll miss it.

(My wife is doing fine by the way…)

Matt

The Last Supper

On Thursday, my brother drove the 2 ½ hours north from Indianapolis to spend one last night together in our old house, just the 4 of us. Dinner was a bit surreal.

Growing up, dinner was a BIG DEAL. Mom had dinner on the table every night at 5:30 sharp. It didn’t matter if you were hungry or not. It didn’t matter if you were home or not, you just knew that every night at 5:30 sharp, dinner was on the table, and if you were smart you’d be there to eat it. (Of course, my friends in high school quickly got on to this fact and so about 3 nights a week one of my friends would show up at 5:28 for the meal. Mom was great like that.)

So on Thursday night, Mom, Dad, Nick and I sat down at the table for the last time. As we sat, I noticed that we were out of place. So before we all got seated, I stopped and said, “Wait, this is not right,” and as if by memory we all immediately moved to our “right seats.”

I always faced the clock. Nick faced the kitchen across from me. Dad faced the front door and mom faced the window. It was just how it was.

So there we sat, eating a roast like mom had made hundreds of times before having one final time around the table as “the family.” No friends. No girlfriends. No where to go. Only one place to be, Home, at the dinner table.

It was surreal. (To the best of my knowledge the last time the 4 of us had done that was somewhere around August of 1991…) Crazy.

What a week. What a whirlwind of emotion. What memories. 3908 will always have a place in my heart, but it's not home anymore. Home is wherever my wife and two boys are sleeping. Home is where the memories are being made TODAY! Home is right in the next room.

...it's good to be home...

Matt

A Gift of Gratitude

So a friend of mine stopped by the house, while I was going through my 30 years of memories.

Jason moved to my little town when we were Juniors in high school. Jason was in my wedding. Jason and I were really close back in the day. Jason was a great friend.

In the 60 minutes I spent with Jason, we caught up on what our lives look like now and how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other the last time. But then Jason stopped and looked at me straight in the face.

For the next 2 minutes, Jason told me what a difference I had made in his life. He shared that that Junior year of high school had made the difference in the trajectory of his life. He shared that when he moved to my town, there was a small window when his heart was open to a new direction. And in that time, we had introduced him to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

As he stood to leave, he grabbed my hand and said, “Matt, I just had to see you and tell you that I have an amazing Godly marriage and am raising my 3 kids to know how to pray and to know the Lord and it’s all because of you. And I just couldn’t miss this chance to tell you what a difference you’ve made in my life.”

Wow. It was an incredible moment, where you struggle to know what to say. So I said nothing. Nothing but, "you’re welcome." In that moment, anything that would have come out of my mouth would have cheapened what had just come out of his.

That day Jason gave me a gift I’ll keep with me for the rest of my life. The memorabilia from my childhood got thrown away, but his life is changed forever.

Matt

This is the Moment

My parents did a great job of saving everything from my childhood. Every program, baseball card, and significant piece of memorabilia made it's way into a neatly kept box for my brother and I to process through.

The difficult part of going through boxes of your life is that after you’ve looked at something and remembered the memory, what are you supposed to do with the stuff? My mom kept turning to me and asking, “What do we do with all this stuff?” To which my reply was simply, “Mom, I think this IS the moment! This is the moment we were saving all this stuff for. Right now is the moment when we recognize it’s great to remember. And then we move on.”

So we did. We remembered the basketball games and the pictures. We remembered the musicals and road trips. We enjoyed the memory of an absolutely great 30 years of life together as a family.

But memories don’t exist in the past. They exist in the present. And future memories don’t live in the past, they live today! If there’s anything I’ve realized about my 48 hours, It’s that I’ve been given a gift. The gift of today. Because yesterday is gone and tomorrow will have a new memory, but today is the day for making memories with my wife and kids. Today is the day to enjoy the Best Years of my life!

This is the Best Day! These are the Best Years! This is Camelot! There is not someday when, only today, and now!

While I was making my last lap around my house on Saturday morning, my wife called from my son's baseball game. He was the starting pitcher & had struck out 2 kids already! As I hung up the phone I said to my mom and dad, that's why you're selling the house! Because the memories aren't here anymore, they are down there! We all cried, knowing that was right.

Matt

Strangely Unfamiliar

Last week, I spent 48 hours saying goodbye to my childhood home in Indiana. This week's blogs center around that...

The house looks the same, relatively speaking. What I mean is, my dad is a handy-man extraordinaire so every square inch of the house I grew up in has been completely remodeled at some point in the last 30 years. Seriously. There’s not one inch of the place that hasn’t had an improvement made to it, including the barn!!!

So, even though the interior of the house looks different, it still feels the same. I can still run up the stairs 2 by 2 and make it to the top just in time to make the right turn into my bedroom without running into the doorframe. The basement still has a unique, damp smell and the shower head is still too low.

Every piece of our 3 ½ acres of land holds a significant memory for me. Wiffle ball games in the back field, 6th grade swimming party around the pool, shooting baskets in the driveway. Snow sledding down the hill by the 3 apple trees.

Everything about the place is strangely unfamiliar and yet like an old friend all at the same time.

Great memories of a great childhood in a great house,

Matt

48 Hours to Say Goodbye to 30 Years

So I had one of those rare, once in a lifetime opportunities this week. I got to say goodbye to my childhood home. It was a bit surreal to be honest with you. After 30 years, my parents are selling their home in Indiana and moving permanently to Southwest Florida.

1st, let me say we are absolutely pumped that they are going to be Full-Time in our lives and the lives of my 2 boys. But getting from Indiana to Florida requires going through 30 years of memories, pictures and various items from the past.

So, last week, I flew up to Indiana for a couple of days to help them go through so much of our life and memories there. Forgive me for deviating from the standard “Leadership Stuff I’m Learning” track to take a trip down memory lane. This week’s blogs center around those 48 hours saying goodbye to 30 years.

Here’s to 30 years at 3908, (My old house’s street address)

Matt

4 Things I'm Learning about Leadership Right Now

4. In order to get to the Next Level, you have to be willing to STRETCH.

Ask my team and they will tell you that I've been overusing a term lately. It's: "We're in the Stretch..."

What that means is that we, as an organization, are being stretched to go to the next level. For the first 8 months of the year, we were in a Fortify Mode. Circle the Wagons, get strong, get healthy, protect ourselves, hunker down (nice use of the word hunker, huh?) and fortify the troops.

Now it would seem that God has allowed us to Enter the Stretch. Growth is happening and everywhere we turn, we are feeling the STRETCH. Internally, Physically, Spiritually, Numerically, Externally, etc.

the STRETCH is a good thing. It's not an easy thing, but it IS a good thing. Stretching leads to the Next Level. The key to the STRETCH is to not be broken. Flexibility reigns in the STRETCH. Oh yeah, and not letting go. If you let go of a rubber band while it's in the STRETCH, it will sting you. That's bad.

I'm learning that the STRETCH is the only way to get to the Next Level.

Ever been STRETCHed?

Have a great weekend,

Matt

4 Things I'm Learning about Leadership Right Now

3. The Distance between NEEDING a Creative Spark & HAVING a Creative Spark can be a million miles sometimes.

If you're creative or are required to create a weekly message that must inspire, challenge, entertain, motivate, provoke and teach several hundred people each week like I am then you probably understand the statement above.

For communicators, there is nothing worse than the lack of a SPARK! However, once you have it, the rest flows downhill pretty quickly. All I need is a SPARK, once I have that, I'm set. But SPARKs don't live around every corner and they certainly don't work 9 to 5. They hide in weird places like on road trips, or in books. They tend to stay awake late at night and run for cover whenever the phone rings or the e-mail is open.

SPARKs tend to live in the quiet places, which in our world, are hard to come by.

Yeah, I'm learning that the Distance between NEEDING a Creative Spark & HAVING a Creative Spark can be a million miles sometimes. But it's the search for the SPARK that is most of the fun.

I hope that made sense,

Matt

4 Things I'm Learning about Leadership Right Now

2. Advancing takes Twice the Energy of Staying the Same.

There are just some things that we have to do as leaders simply to maintain. Put another way, there are some baseline responsibilities we have manage in order to "stay in business" from week to week. It's like putting gas in your car. If you don't do it, you don't go anywhere. No matter how nice of a car you have.

When it comes to advancing our organizations, truly great leaders understand that progress requires twice the energy that maintanance does. Progress doesn't just happen. It takes strategy, tenacity and determination to push past the daily grind and actually move forward.

That's easier said than done. I'm learning that right now.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

4 Things I'm Learning about Leadership Right Now

1. It's a Marathon not a Sprint.

Every race has ups and downs, highs and lows, ebbs and flows. Leadership is no different. Leadership is certainly not for the faint of heart.

If you want your life to matter and you want to impact other people's lives, then there is a serious commitment level involved. and sad to say, only a few survive the rigors of the Leadership Race.

Running a good race has everything to do with pace, rhythm and encouragement. Running the leadership race is exactly the same.

I'm learning that right now,

Thoughts???

Matt

The Official "LEAK" of My 1st Book!

Hey everyone,

I'm totally not supposed to be doing this, but I can't hold it in any longer! We are officially 1 week away from our deadline to have the entire book submitted to our publisher. That means that we are definitely on target for a January 2009 Launch of my 1st Book!

I can't tell you anything... except that the Title is: The Up the Middle Church &...

(and this is a big and...)

There may be a chance that we have a few "Limited Edition Pre-Release Copies" available to us prior to 01/01/09.

I'll keep you in the loop & let you know if you can get your hands on a copy...

Keller

S.O.A.P. - Why Everyone Else is Having All the Fun!!!

5. Start Again.

There is a famous saying that says, “If you fall off the horse, get up, brush yourself off, and get on and ride again.” (Okay, I don’t know if it goes exactly like that, but that’s how I remember my dad saying it to me when I was growing up.)

Anyway, when it comes to spending time in God’s Word everyday or S.O.A.P. ing as we like to call it around NLC, the best time to start or start again is Right Now! Download a reading guide, listen to GPS – Part 5 and get going. (Click Here)

Jesus wants to meet with you today. Spending time in the Bible is how.

Commit to all 3 days this weekend, it will be worth it,

Matt

S.O.A.P. - The One, The Only, The Original, The Best, The Undefeated One

4. Embrace where you are.

One of the overwhelming things that can happen when you set out to read daily through the Bible like so many of us are, is that if or when you get behind you can feel overwhelmed by it all and become tempted to give up.

Don’t do it. Instead, embrace where you are. Pick up the reading guide and find today’s reading and start there. Don’t worry about everything else. God’s Word is alive and He is faithful to speak to us, each and everyday.

Read a portion of the Bible.
Write down 1 verse.
Write your Observation.
State how it applies to your life.
Write out a simple prayer of dedication.

It’s that simple. Any of us can embrace that reality!

For more information on S.O.A.P. click here.
Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

S.O.A.P - The Other White Meat...

3. Resist Condemnation.

Spending time with Jesus everyday is a priority for every believer. God wants us to be self-feeders. Not to be dependant on someone else to tell us how God wants us to live. He has given us His Word, The Bible, so we can daily center our lives around it and learn from the mentors contained within its pages.

If you have struggled to spend time in God’s Word recently, resist condemnation. Satan knows that if he can get us feeling condemned then we won’t live victoriously and when we don’t live victoriously, we end up in the wrong place. Just ask David with Bathsheba. (See 2 Samuel 11)

? Have you been feeling condemned recently? Pray right now for God to give you the power to breakthrough it… then go S.O.A.P.

Matt

S.O.A.P is it!!!

2. Refuse to Feel Guilty.

This week we’re revisiting the S.O.A.P. concept for reading and studying God’s Word everyday. The 2nd encouragement I want to give you is to refuse to feel guilty. If you miss a day, the common thing to do is beat yourself up about it.

We can’t let ourselves go there. Why? Because there is too much at stake. The minute you push off the guilt, there is a powerful moment with God waiting on the other side.

? When will you carve in the time before you go to sleep tonight to S.O.A.P. and spend time with God?

To listen to the GPS – Part 5 message that unpacks S.O.A.P. click here

Are you still S.O.A.P. in'???

Hey everyone,

I wanted to connect with you for a moment and do a bit of a “check up…”

How are you doing at the S.O.A.P. method for daily spending time in the Bible? Maybe you’re going strong, if so, keep it up! If you’re like me and you’ve struggled to keep it consistent with all the distractions that life can bring, then this series of blogs is for you.

1. Don’t get Discouraged.

The enemy of our souls would love to get us discouraged in struggling to study God’s Word. Don’t let yourself go there. The Bible says that the Spirit of God living in us is greater than the enemy who is in the world trying to discourage us.

Remember, 1 day of S.O.A.P. with God this week is better than No Days with God this week. 1 Day / Week = 50 days this year, & 2 days with God this week = Over 100 personal encounters with Jesus!

Stay encouraged. It’s never easy to focus on God’s Word, but it’s always worth it.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

To download the NLC S.O.A.P. Reading Guide click here.

What I’m Learning about Generosity: Part 10

Generosity Principle #10:  Generosity is contagious.

 

I have saved the best one for last!  There is a contagious element to generosity.  In other words, when we live generously, we make it hard for others NOT to live generously as well!  Our generosity motivates others in 2 ways:

 

1.  When someone receives generosity, they want to be generous as well.

 

2.  When someone sees generosity in action, they are motivated to be generous.

 

So as we close the door on a “generous” portion of blogs on generosity (I couldn’t resist!!! Come on it’s day 10) Here’s my final challenge to us as leaders seeking to live generous lives…

 

? How will your life be more generous in 60 days? 

 

? What conversations do you need to have to keep bring accountability to your generosity?

 

? In what 3 specific ways will you begin to live a more generous life?

 

Examples:  tithing, volunteering, giving what you don’t need anymore, teaching your experiences to younger leaders, etc.

 

The list is endless of ways we can live generous lives.  Everyone wants to follow a generous leader, let’s be that for the people we lead!   Have a great weekend.

 

Just a bloggish thought,

 

 

 

Matt

 

 

What I’m Learning about Generosity: Part 9

Generosity Principle #9:  Generosity is a response.

 

One of the greatest things I’m learning right now is this principle.  When we recognize all that we’ve been in given in Christ, generosity is the only logical result.  Think of it, we’ve been given forgiveness of our sin, more blessings than we can imagine, and the opportunity to lead and influence others in a positive way.

 

In light of all that, the only natural response is generosity. 

 

? Are you regularly reflecting on all that you’ve been given in  your life? 

? If not, why? 

? If so, how are you letting it motivate you toward greater generosity in your life?

 

Just a bloggish thought,

 

Matt