GPS Series - Recap - Day 1 - Make Time with God a Priority

Hey everyone,

I hope that you have already found time today to spend a few minutes with God reading through the 2 chapters of our reading plan! I wanted you to have my details notes from the message yesterday of GPS - Part 5. I believe it is one of the most important messages I've ever shared at Next Level Church. If you didn't hear it, you can link to it on the right of my blog.

Here is point #1 from the Message: Priority.

“It must be a …”
1. Priority.

Luke 10:38 “As Jesus and his disciple were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

v. 39 “She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said,

v. 40 “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’”


- Life has a way of providing it’s daily distractions, doesn’t it?
- Martha was distracted, & she was really upset about it.
- She saw this dichotomy happening…
1) Her on one side hustling around &
2) Mary on the other side “just sitting there.”
- So she asks Jesus about it…

v. 41-42 “’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things. But few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”


- Jesus says that there are a million and one things to be distracted with.
- He doesn’t devalue those things at all.
- He just says that everyday there is 1 Priority that we must have in place.
- Sitting at His Feet.

Make It Personal: The same is true for us!!!
- Life has a way of “distracting” doesn’t it?
- We’re the only ones who can prioritize the “1 Thing!”
- Nobody else will! - In fact, every other person or thing will war against the “1 Thing!”

How I Lead Myself - Part 5

To conclude our conversation about Leading Ourselves, I want to drill down in one final way:

#5: I have had to learn to Control My Integrity.

The reality of our life is this: We are the only person who can write our integrity by-line. For example, I'm the only person who can complete the following statement:

"Oh, Matt Keller, he's the ______________ guy!"

We have the power to fill in the blank. The way we live our life today will determine how people fill in the blank for years to come. How people describe us in the future is directly related to how we lead ourselves in the present.

We can't ever let off the gas when it comes to our Integrity. The minute you think you've arrived is the minute that satan will attack. I heard someone say once that, "Satan is extremely patient. He'll wait for decades to attack us in our area of greatest weakness." As leaders, we don't have the luxury of getting lazy in the area of integrity.

After all, someone soon will make the statement about us, "Oh, (insert name), they are the __________ guy / woman."

Where have you gotten lazy in your integrity? What are you going to do about today?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

How I Lead Myself - Part 4

#4: I have had to learn to Control My Self.

I said it yesterday, but I think it bears repeating:

The Art of Self-Discipline is the difference between Good Leaders and Great Leaders. The undisciplined leader is a leader without longevity. I made the statement in The Up the Middle Church, my first book, scheduled for release later this year that...

"Longevity in ministry is largely determined by mastering the art of self-care. In an Up the Middle reality, the stakes are high and having a grasp on one’s personal life will make or break you."

It's too easy to allow our personal lives to be out of control. True Authentic Leadership is determined not by our public appearance, but by our private authentic self. Sooner or later our private self will become our public self. As leaders, we must do whatever it takes to make sure they are one and the same.

Where are there holes in your private self? What will you do this week, to begin filling those holes? Remember, there's too much at stake, not to deal with them.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

How I Lead Myself - Part 3

The Art of Self-Discipline is the difference between Good Leaders and Great Leaders. One of the greatest disciplines of leadership is learning the art of Leading Ourselves. Here's part 3...

#3: I have had to learn to Control My Decisions.

One of the great indicators of a maturing leader is their ability to own their decisions. Casting blame, pointing fingers & making excuses, makes me sick. Life is too short to blame others. The only way we grow and become better is when we fully own that which is happening in our life. I believe that...

Many leaders never move from the Well-Intentioned phase of leadership to the Well-Accomplished phase of leadership precisely because they never fully own their decisions.

We don't learn, grow and become better by blaming others. Show me one person who has accomplished great things by making excuses and blaming others... It can't be done. Truly great leaders are in touch with the reality of the decisions they have made. It really is true that our character is the sum total of the decisions we've made.

Failure to own mistakes makes us unable to learn from them. When we blame or make excuses, we forfeit our ability to learn the valuable lessons that only mistakes can teach us. &

Failure to own successes makes us unable to teach through them. The great thing about successes are that we can help others be more successful too! But when we do the false-humility thing and don't pause to "own" our victories and accomplishments we forfeit the ability to see the reproducible principles contained within the victories!

I hope you got that, cause that is seriously solid stuff right there. (If I do say so myself... laughing out loud! Is that the false humility part??)

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

How I Lead Myself - Part 2

This week we're talking about one of the toughest disciplines for a leader to develop... Leading Ourselves.

#2: I have had to Learn to Control My Attitude.

Our Attitude is our emotional approach to life. Oswald Chambers defines our Attitude as, "Our Emotional Approach to Life." I like that definition b/c each one of us have one. Each day we not only approach our life from a mental perspective (see yesterday's blog) but also from an emotional one as well.

Our Attitude is our choice. This is something I continue to work on as a leader. A few things that help me control my attitude are:

• margin in my schedule,


• adequate rest,


• doing things that make me feel strong,


• giving myself permission to not be perfect all the time, and


• having a hobby.

(It's interesting that none of that has anything to do with my to-do list.)

Our Attitude should reflect that of Christ. True leadership is about adopting an attitude of serving others more than ourselves. When in doubt, our default attitude at any moment should look like Christ. When it does, then we're leading ourselves effectively.

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your attitude lately? At home, at work, in traffic, etc.


• How do you think those around you would rate your attitude?


• What will you do in the next 24 hours to make an attitude adjustment?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

How I Lead Myself - Part 1

One of the most vital disciplines a leader can develop is in Learning How to Manage or Lead Themselves. When a leader learns to lead themselves effectively, leading others comes naturally. This week I want to share some thoughts on...

How I Lead Myself

#1: I have had to learn to Control my Thoughts.

First thoughts, then Actions. I learned a great lesson along time ago that every action begins as a thought. It's obvious to say, but amazingly true. When we're sitting at our desk and hear our stomach growl, our first thought is: "I'm hungry." The next thing we know, we're walking toward the snack machine, right?!? First Thoughts, then Actions.

My thoughts create my moods. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul tells us to, "take every thought captive..." I have had to develop this discipline over the years. I'm a worrier by nature and I have the ability to play the yo-yo game with my thoughts. I can lay awake at night yo-yoing one possible circumstance after another. When I don't control my thoughts, I end up allowing my mood to be effected and those I lead pay the price.

My thoughts shape my day. At the end of the day, it's my thoughts that shape my day. As a leader, I don't have the luxury of allowing discouraging thoughts or defeating thoughts to run away with me. When I do, I'm done. There are not enough days in a week for me to sacrifice one on the altar of defeating or discouraging thoughts.

Our thoughts make us who we are...today. As leaders, we must develop the discipline of controlling them.

What thoughts have you been allowing to effect you recently? What do you need to do to "take them captive?"

Just a bloggish thoughts,

Matt

5 Words I Use to Describe my Team - Part 5

"Priceless..."

The final word I would use to describe the Team at NLC is Priceless. We've all seen the MasterCard commercials where they list off any number of things that cost money, and then at the end, they show an experience of some kind and finish the commercial with, "Priceless..." You truly can't put a figure on the experience it is to be apart of such a great team at Next Level Church.

1. They make me more successful than I ever could be on my own. Everyday, I am all too aware that my success as a leader, speaker, pastor, & writer is directly related to the strength of our staff. They truly set the stage for me to play to my strengths and be used by God to impact so many lives. For that I'm forever grateful.

2. They make my dreams a Reality. I am humbled to see so many people who willingly serve, sacrifice, give and commit in order that the dreams and visions God has placed in my heart can become a reality. I am so grateful, and I never want to take that for granted.

3. They prefer me, honor me and submit to my leadership in an unbelievable way! Those things are truly beyond measure for me. I watch my friends, choose everyday to serve with me as their boss and leader. Words truly can't describe the gratitude I feel in my heart for them.

Thanks team for giving me the ability to live the dream, everyday. There's no one else on the planet I would rather go to work with each day! You guys are the best!

I love you guys!!!

When was the last time you thanked your team for all they do and are to you?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

5 Words I Use to Describe my Team - Part 4

"Learners..."

When I think about the people I have an opportunity to lead at Next Level, I can't help but think of them as Learners. Even though they are my friends, I take seriously my role as developer and teacher in their lives. I know that in the Divine order of things, I have a responsibility to God to help my team learn and grow into their full calling and potential. Three thoughts...

1. Teachability is huge. I long to create a culture within our organization of Teachability. We define Teachability as, "being willing to relearn that which you think you already know." The team we have are amazingly teachable most of the time!
(Hey, nobody's perfect, right!!!) Their teachability makes my life as a coach and developer so much easier.

2. Moldable. I love that the attitude of our team is so pliable. They're willing to be pressed and shaped into a new form in order to become the leaders they are called to be. They're like Play-Doh, they don't mind being shaped into new shapes in order to accomplish new goals!

3. Open to be Stretched. Our team is like Silly-Putty. They are willing to be stretched to the limit at times. I firmly believe the hardest growth is the last 10%! That which separates great leaders from really good leaders, is the last 10 percentage points. These are the hardest for any leader to get. They require a tremendous amount of stretching in order to get there. The NLC team is willing to be stretched to reach their last 10%!

Are the team members on your team Teachable, Moldable, & willing to be Stretched? What about you? How would your supervisor rate you in those 3 categories?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

5 Words I Use to Describe my Team - Part 3

Word #3:

"Teammates..."

I love thinking in terms of sports analogies when it comes to ministry and leadership. I often think of a basketball team when I think about our church leadership team. Each person plays a unique role, has unique strengths, & is needed in order for us to win Championships! Here are a few thoughts on my NLC teammates:

3 reasons I love my teammates:

1. They have different strengths and skill sets. Just like on a basketball team, each player has a different set of skills where they excel, so does every leadership team. It's a joy to see each player bring their unique passions and skill sets to the table to make our team great!

2. They have different Roles. Every player on a basketball team has a different role to play. The forward's job is different than the center's job. and the point guard is different than the shooting guard. In fact, there is even a role known as the 6th man, that any great coach will tell is invaluable to the success of the team. At NLC, each staff member plays a different role & each role ultimately contributes to the success of our organization.

3. They have Different Passions. I'll talk more about this one tomorrow, but I love being able to see different areas of passion emerge within a leader's heart. I take my job very seriously to mine out those passions and create opportunities for our leaders to play to those passions often.

Do you have clearly defined roles for each of the people on your team? Do the members of your team know their role?

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

5 Words I Use to Describe my Team - Part 2

Yesterday, we started a series of blogs on the words I use to describe the team I get to do life with at Next Level Church. Word #2 is:

"Individuals.."

As a leader, I don't just see our team as a team with a job to do, but I work very hard to see each member of our team as an individual.  Here's what that means to me...

1. They're not me. I recognized along time ago that I bring a few things to the table that I do well. But there are alot of other areas where I need a team to make them happen with excellence. Our team at NLC brings their strengths to the table and that makes them great! They're great because they're not me! It makes passing the ball easy when you know where you're strong, and when you know where your teammates are strong!

2. They have their own Hopes & Dreams. As a leader, I want to always be in tune with the fact that every teammate at NLC has a unique calling and vision for their life. In many ways, their vision overlaps the NLC vision, but in some ways, it's my responsibility to know their vision and help them realize that dream! That's true success for me as a leader.

3. They need affirmation, belief and encouragement. One of my primary responsibilities as a leader is to cheer on my teammates. They are absolute champions of the vision of NLC and I've got to let them know it in as many creative ways as I possibly can! I never want my team to doubt for a minute that I'm not their biggest fan!

Who are the teammates in your life? When was the last time you told them they're doing a great job & that you are their biggest fan?

I love these guys,

Matt

5 Words I Use to Describe my Team - Part 1

This week I want to zoom in on the Leadership Team that God has placed inside of Next Level Church. There is no doubt in my mind that our organization would not be where we are today if it weren't for the efforts of the team around me. This week is dedicated to the 5 words I use to describe the team around me.

"Friends..."

I am truly one of the luckiest guys in the world (& I don't even believe in luck) because each and everyday I get to go to work with my best friends! I remember hearing one pastor say, "I try to find people I love to hang out with and then hire them!" That's the way I feel. I love being friends with the people I work with everyday. Not just office mates, but friends.

1. They are people I love to do life with. We spend a lot of time together, and we all just genuinely love doing life together.

2. They are people I can be real with. I don't want to live in a plastic world! Authenticity is a huge driver of the culture of NLC, and I love that our staff feel so comfortable to be real with one another. We laugh together, cry together, pray for each other and are vulnerable.

3. They are people I want to invest my life with. As a leader, I take seriously the idea that I'm not just living my life, I'm investing it. We will never get back this 24 hours. I love that I get to invest large amounts of time with the people on my team! They are truly rock stars!

Is your team, your friends? If not, why not?  and if so, why?  Tell them this week how much they mean to you and your organization!

I love my team,

Matt

Adrenaline Addiction - Part 5

#5: 3 Ways to Combat "Adrenaline Addiction:"

As leaders, we are always going to be tempted to become addicted to the Adrenaline of Progress. I want to conclude this series of blogs with 3 ways to Combat it:

1. Protect your Sabbath. Taking a day off means shutting off the phone. No e-mail. No Voice-Mail. Saying No to Progress for 24 hours. This will be hard for some of us who are addicted to progress. God understood this and made the people of God trust Him as their source, not their own hard work or efforts for 1 whole day. Do it.

2. Ask yourself, "When was the last time we intentionally rested as an organization?" If you can't think SPECIFICALLY of the season or time period, then you didn't. Every church should plan in 3 times a year where the focus IS NOT growth.

3. Block out a half a day and be silent.

• You'll be amazed at what you'll hear.


• You'll be amazed at how loud God's voice gets.


• You'll be amazed at how tired you feel.


• You'll be amazed at what you think about.

Final Question: "What if God is just as Present in the stillness as He is in the Adrenaline?" How would that change the way we lead?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Adrenaline Addiction - Part 4

#4: The Dangers of Adrenaline Addiction to your Staff:

When a leader becomes addicted to the adrenaline of progress in their organization, the people they lead are effected in the following ways:

1. They begin to see Progress as a Core Value, instead of People. That which gets celebrated, gets rewarded. When we leaders let adrenaline and progress drive us, our staff can begin to believe that matters more than the people we are leading.

2. They begin to prioritize Shallow over Deep. When an organization gets moving so fast, the underlying belief becomes, forget about depth, just keep the water moving, even if it's shallow. That's bad news for an organization.

3. They begin to pursue Pace over Purpose. "It's more important to our leader that we move fast somewhere, then become something significant." That's a dangerous place to be as an organization.

As leaders we must examine our hearts to see where we are unintentionally communicating any of these 3 things to our people.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Adrenaline Addiction - Part 3

#3: Progress can cause us to get out of Balance.

In continuing our conversation about Adrenaline Addiction, it's important to think through how the lust for Progress can cause us to get out of balance in our lives.

1. We get out of Balance with the Healthy Rhythm of Growth. Our organizations need to grow and rest in rhythm. The Adrenaline Addiction associated with Progress can cause us to push through seasons of rest, rather than take advantage of them and use them as necessary preparations for the future.

2. We get out of Balance with the True Identity of our Organization. If all we are concerned with is growth and progress, we'll compromise the true heart of our organization on the altar of More, More, More. Too many churches or organizations have lost their soul in the midst of gaining the world.

3. We get out of Balance with equal but less glamourous or adrenalized priorities. When we're addicted to adrenaline, we don't want to focus on stuff that doesn't feed our adrenaline need. Consequently, essential components of our organization don't get dealt with effectively, because we don't want to stop the progress long enough to think about them.

Man, we're diggin' in now aren't we?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Adrenaline Addiction - Part 2

#2: Progress can become a Mistress.

If we're not careful, those of us who lead churches or other organizations can allow the Adrenaline that comes from progress to actually begin to steal our heart's loyalty from those who deserve it most.

1. Our Spouse. If you've ever seen the movie Fever Pitch with Drew Berrymore and Jimmy Fallon than you may remember this great line in there where Berrymore's character looks at Fallon's character, Ben, who is in love with the Red Sox and says something to the effect of, "What have the Red Sox ever done for you? They can't love you back, Ben!" As a Red Sox fan, that was hard for me to hear, but as a leader, that can be true as well! If we're not careful we can get tricked into thinking that our organizations "love us back."

Question: Who are you happier to see each day, your spouse or your parking space in front of your office?

2. Our kids. The mistress of progress can steal our attention away from our kids. For me it's a question of "Best Energy." Who gets my Best Energy today... my work, or my kids? It's my responsibility as a leader and a dad to make sure that I leave some gas in the tank for my kids when I get home each night. Here's the reality: If I don't monitor this, no one else will. Our kids don't know how to tell us, "Dad, you're not leaving enough emotional energy for us." We'll only find out, after it's too late.

3. Our life outside of work. The mistress of progress can rob us from a life outside of work. I went through a stretch for several months last year where I actually prayed everyday that God would give me a hobby. I needed something to give my attention to that didn't look anything like my life at work. I saw myself getting "sucked into" the adrenaline addiction of whatever I was doing at work. Thankfully, God answered my prayer in January and gave me a great hobby that is inexpensive and I love to do with my kids!

We can't let Progress at work become a mistress for us,

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Adrenaline Addiction - Part 1

One of the great temptations of ministry is what I have heard referred to as Adrenaline Addiction. If we're not careful, the ministry (or any job or career, for that matter) can become this addictive sort of reality that sucks us in. This week I want to spent some time unpacking some thoughts on Adrenaline Addiction, what we do about it, and how we avoid it.

#1: There is a High that comes from Progress.

Great leaders are motivated by progress. We love to move the ball down the field. We love the thrill of putting points on the board in whatever arena we happen to be playing or leading. However, there is a dangerous side-affect connected to progress and that is the High that comes from it. So what do we do about it?

1. Recognize that Who we are is not determined by the Progress we make. Too many of us leaders love to wrap up our identity in the progress we're making. The problem with this logic is that, "If who we are depends on the progress we make, then when the progress slows down or ceases, we become less of a person." That's just not Scriptural. Period. We can't allow ourselves to think that way.

2. Recognize that success is a High with diminishing returns. Why is it that successes that used to get me excited as a leader, now disappoint me? How come last year's milestone, is this year's stepping stone? As leaders we've got to be wise enough to see that the high from progress is fleeting and then refuse to build our lives around it.

3. Recognize that it is God who got us here, & God who can remove us. I love the worship song that was popular about 5 years ago that said, "You give and take away... my heart will choose to say... blessed be the Name of the Lord." In other words, whether there's progress or not in the organization I'm leading, I have a choice to decide to bless and honor the Lord.

When we live there, we're making True Progress,

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

The Divine Mentor Book Recommendation

Hey everyone,

In my message today, I made reference to a book that has been life-changing for me. Here is the link to the Amazon.com page for it.

I hope you'll spend the $16.00 to invest in your relationship with God. I promise you it will be life changing for you as well!

Pastor Matt

The Divine Mentor, by Wayne Cordeiro

Achievers vs. Leaders - Part 5

At the end of the day, having a "Leader Mindset" is a both / and proposition. Great leaders must be great achievers as well.

But not exclusively. This is where I think alot of leaders get tripped up. They forget that they are just as responsible for those they lead as they are for themselves.

Great leaders recognize that great achievement is watching others succeed around them.

Great leaders are secure enough in who they are to celebrate when others succeed beyond them. That's the true test of our leadership isn't it?

Great leaders understand that the highest achievement is being replaced by someone you helped train, develop and grow into a better leader then yourself.

Making the transition from Achievement to Leadership is a tough one. But it's also a fulfilling one. Watching others succeed is a joy unlike any achievement I've ever known.

I guess it's true that it's better to Give then Receive!

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

Achievers vs. Leaders - Part 4

A fourth way an "Achiever Mindset" differs from a "Leader Mindset" is in the realm of Development.

High Achievers are great at Self-Development. They love pushing themselves and learning new things. They love having their reality challenged and love climbing new mountains.

High Leaders are great at Developing others. This is easier said then done. Making the shift in mindset looks like learning the art of transfering what you're learning from self-application to self & others application. A Few thoughts on that...

1. Be conscious of what you're learning. Many times we're learning all the time, & we don't even realize it. If you're going to develop others, you have to recognize what you're learning.

2. Find someone else to share it with. Either intentionally or unintentionally, it is the leader's responsibility to teach othes what we're learning.

3. You have to stay at least a step ahead in your learning. A leader is pushed to learn and grow because they know they are responsible to develop those around them.

4. Focus on it. Leaders understand the importance of developing others and pursue it with as much passion as they do growing themselves.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Achievers vs. Leaders - Part 3

A third area where an "Achievers Mindset" differs from a "Leader Mindset" is in the realm of Motivation.

High Achievers are Self-Motivated. Just look at any successful salesperson and you'll see it's true. If you want to be a high achiever, then you must learn to be self-motivated.

High Leaders Motivate Others. In addition to motivating themselves, high level leaders learn the art of motivating others on their team as well! Not only do they know that they are responsible for the morale and motivation of themselves, they own the responsibility to keep team members motivated as well!

We can't assume in team life, that people are self-starters and self-motivators. Ever. We must take full ownership for keeping the people we lead motivated, growing, learning and stretching. That's not always easy, but it's essential.

How are you doing at motivating the people you lead? How would they say you're doing at keeping them motivated?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Achievers vs. Leaders - Part 2

A second difference between an "Achiever's Mindset" and a "Leader Mindset" shows up in the realm of Goals.

Achievers prioritize Personal Goals. It's easy to fall into the tendency we all have to place our primary focus on personal goals rather than the goals of the team, the organization and the people we lead. Many high achievers are great at setting and achieving goals, but struggle to take anyone else along with them.


Leaders prioritize the Goals and Dreams of others. A Leadership Mindset focuses primarily on the goals of the team, the organization and the people around them. Leaders do whatever they can to help those around them achieve their goals.

I have noticed that this is a difficult transition for Church Planters to make, because so many times, much of their entire ministry experience has been about their high achievements and their goals. When you move into a church planting setting, your focus has to shift from achievement of your own goals to leading others to achievement of their goals. Helping others win creates a win for your organization.

Even if that means that people have to leave the team to achieve their goals. The ultimate sign of great leadership is being able to release people into their dreams and goals, even if it appears to come at the expense of your personal dreams or goals. Somehow, God has a way of taking care of our dreams and goals when we, as leaders, take care of others.

What's in your people's heart? Do you know? Do our people know that we care about their hopes and dreams and not just the goals of ourself or our organization?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Achievers vs. Leaders - Part 1

I recently learned from John Maxwell that, "One of the most difficult transitions successful people have to make is moving from an "Achiever Mentality" to a "Leadership Mentality." I do alot of coaching with church planters and pastors and when I learned that, it was as if a light bulb when on for in my head! There is a huge difference between someone who is a High Achiever & someone who has learned what it means to be a High Leader. That's what this week's blogs are about...

1. Achievers & Leaders Have a Different Definition of Success.

Achievers see Success as Personal Accomplishment. Everyone wants to accomplish great things personally, but an "Achiever's Mindset" places the priority on personal accomplishment, more than the overall success of the team, or others.

Leaders see Success as Others Accomplishment. The greatest success a leader can experience is when others they influence go farther and achieve more than they do!

One of my greatest joys is to hear the stories of pastors or church planters we're coaching who are knocking it out of the park! My heart's desire as a leader, is to set others up for greater success than I'll ever have!

This is the first true test of a "Leader Mindset." Am I more concerned with MY personal accomplishments, or those whom I have the privilege to lead?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt