The Voices in my Head

"One of the most difficult skills a quarterback must learn is the ability to listen to the right voices on the field. If you're a football fan, then you now how loud a football game can be:  screaming fans, defensive players yelling out distractions, referees blowing whistles, teammates shouting commands, the loud speaker booming out music. For a quarterback, learning to tune in the right voices and tune out the wrong ones often means the difference between winning and losing." - (taken from page 76 of The Up the Middle Church)

If you are a leader of any capacity then you know how true the above quote can be. At the end of the day, the voices we choose to let in and the voices we intentionally keep out will make or break our leadership. Here are a few thoughts:

1.  We choose the Voices we "Turn Up."

Over the course of my leadership life, I have had to adjust the voices that speak into my life. When we began NLC 7 1/2 years ago, we went on a quest for new voices who could show us a new way of doing ministry. And the voices we found have made all the difference.

Over the years, the voices I choose to turn up have morphed and changed with the seasons of my life.  As a leader, I work hard to find voices who are speaking to where I'm living in my life at the time. It's not easy to find the right voices, but in the end it's well worth the effort.

2.  We choose the Voices we "Turn Down."

In my opinion, one of the most important things a leader can do is identify the voices that no longer fit into the reality God has called them to lead in and Turn Them Down!!!

So many leaders underestimate the power of "Negative" or "Manipulative" voices in their ear. It doesn't mean we don't EVER listen to someone who sees the world differently than we do, but for the voice that is "A Continual Dripping" like Proverbs says, or doesn't fill us up EVER, we've got to learn to marginalize that voice and turn them down.

Leadership is hard and having voices that constantly drain the life out of us will wear us out and make us question our vision.

3.  The Voices in our ear affect the voices in our head.

I learned the hard way that when I have given some voices too much volume in my life, they affect the way I view myself. In once incident, I had a leader who was constantly questioning the direction we were going. I truly think he was just genuinely trying to examine our ideas, but I found myself questioning my vision every time I would leave a meeting with him.

So, I ended up having to move him out from my direct ear shot. I couldn't lead effectively with his voice so loud in my ear. He was affecting how I saw myself and the vision God had put in my heart.

4.  Make a Decision today to Take Control of the Voices that influence you.

Ultimately, it's up to us to choose the voices we do and don't listen to in our lives. This may require some hard conversations. This may require distancing ourselves from voices that have played a powerful role in a previous chapter in our lives. All the same, as leaders, there is too much at stake for us to NOT examine the voices we're allowing in and take control of who gets "Ear Time" in our life.

After all, "For a quarterback, learning to tune in the right voices and tune out the wrong ones often means the difference between winning and losing."

To order a copy of The Up the Middle Church, go to www.UptheMiddle.com



[caption id="attachment_663" align="aligncenter" width="129" caption="...playing the game of ministry one yard at a time..."][/caption]

I'm Pumped about Sunday - Vintage - Part 3

Hey all,

I'm so pumped about this coming Sunday and Vintage Part 3!

It's going to be amazing. Make sure you're there & bring someone with you who doesn't attend church anywhere!

Click here to see a video I just did for my Facebook page.  As you'll see in the video, this Sunday is going to be perfect for them!

See you Sunday, 9 & 10:45 am at South Fort Myers High School.

Click Here for Map & Directions!

Matt

Additional Thoughts on "The Sabbath"

Yesterday, in our Vintage Series, I talked about how taking a day off, "Never Goes Out of Style." I have already gotten so much feedback from so many of you about how you felt like I was talking right to you. (Which I love by the way...) However, I also had a few questions about the details of "The Sabbath" and I wanted to share a few additional thoughts that I hope will be helpful.

1.  God gave us the 10 Commandments to keep us free not put us in bondage again.

It's always important to remember that God didn't give the 10 Commandments to make us feel guilty or to make us bound up to the little details. Instead, He gave them to us to help us stay free from bondage.  Therefore, when it comes to taking a day off, God doesn't want us to be all bound up with rules like, "I can't mow my yard, or clean out the pantry..." Those are rules that put us in bondage again.

2.  The Sabbath is all about Restoration.

I have always viewed the Sabbath as "A Day with No Work." I mean my typical work. For me of course, that's ministry. So if I check my e-mail and it puts me into "Work Mode" then I probably shouldn't do that. Make sense? Here's another illustration from my life.

I love to write. In fact, I feel as called to write, as I do to pastor, which is a cool thing! When I write, I feel strong. So... for a long time, I used to love to write on my day off. It would recharge me, I would feel like a million bucks, etc. However, a few years ago, when I started writing, "The Up the Middle Church" I suddenly turned my hobby into a job. So for me, I had to stop writing on my day off because it was more like work, then restoration.

3.  Do things on your Sabbath that make you feel strong & restore you.

For a long time, playing golf made me feel strong. I loved being outside and walking around exercising. After a while, golf no longer made me feel strong, instead I started coming home more frustrated than relaxed. Conclusion: I gave up golf on my Sabbath. Spend time on your Sabbath doing things that restore you. If reading restores you, do that. If it doesn't, than don't. If gardening restores you, do that. If not, than don't.

4.  Find a hobby that you can't turn into a job.

I highly recommend that everyone get a hobby that looks nothing like your life. Something you can completely escape in and you have NO WAY to turn it into a job. For me, it's baseball. I love to go to Major League Parks because they look nothing like my life. I love the statistical side of the game. I love the history of the game. I love the fullness of summer in the air. I love that there is movement everyday. I love that there are 2,430 games every season and everyone of them matters. Baseball is my hobby. And as of yet, I haven't figured out a way to turn it into a job.

When it comes to your Sabbath, remember the Spirit of the law is greater than the Letter of the law. If you ever feel yourself being led toward guilt or bondage, that's not God and that's not the point.

May you enjoy your day off this week, I'm intending to enjoy mine,

Matt Keller

First Monday - Prayer & Fasting

Hey Everyone,

I am so excited about all that God is doing through Next Level Church. As many of you know, we designate the First Monday of every month to Pray and Fast collectively as a Body of Believers.

Here are a list of Prayer Points that I hope you will be sure to lift up to God throughout the day:

• A Future Facility for Next Level Church. We are in a Season of Preparation as a church. Pray that God will continue to bless the people of NLC and continue to prompt their hearts to give above and beyond the normal Tithe. The first 2 Future Facility Offerings have been extremely successful! Pray for Creative Wisdom for NLC Leadership as we seek to find the right Facility God has for us.


• Next week, Lindsay Kistner and several NLC'ers will be traveling to the Dominican Republic for a Short-Term Missions Trip. None of those going on the trip have ever been out of the USA! Pray that God will move on their hearts as well as the people of the DR. Pray for safety and life-change.


• Next Level Church - Orlando. The are headed for their relaunch on September 13th. Pray for the NLCO Leadership Team as they set in place a strategy and head for their relaunch. Pray for a Buzz in the community to begin to build as their new website goes live this week! www.NextLevelOrlando.com


• Dan & Stephanie Stauffer - Family Life Church in Sucasunna, NJ. Pastor Mike Ash and Pastor Matt were just there last weekend. They are church planters who are meeting in a Middle School. The region they are in is very unchurched. Pray for favor to continue to reach unchurched people in New Jersey.


• The Peopel of NLC:

1. Jobs


2. Promotions


3. Breakthroughs


4. To Get out of Debt


5. Miracles in Relationships


6. To Continue to Engage SOAP-ing on a Daily Basis.

• The Vintage Series that begins this Sunday - July 12th. Three times a year we pull out all the stops. Pray for courage for NLC'ers to invite their unchurched friends. Pray that people who have gotten away from church will get back in the habit again during this series.


• Our NLC Missionaries:

1. Luke Walters - In Sri Lanka right now holding crusades, evangelizing and    training leaders for the Gospel.


2. Christ for India - Jameson, Johnson and Mary (their mother) Titus.  Pray for the Seminary, Children's School with 800 children, Medical Clinics and Church Planting across India.


3. Kelly and Kathy Johnson - Kenya. Pray for favor as they continue to train dozens of pastors across the nation of Kenya. Pray for our team as we prepare to go in September.


4. Mark and Stephanie Pyles - Dominican Republic. Pray for their "Youth Church" that is reaching teenagers and 20-somethings in Santiago, DR. The 2nd largest city in the entire nation.

• The Annual Back Pack Give-Away in August! Next Month we are planning on giving away 5,000 packbacks to needy families across SW FL! Pray for God's favor as we continue to need miracles by way of sponsorship and support for this event that touches thousands of families!

Thanks again for praying, together we're making a difference!

Pastor Matt