Raising Up Communicators Article (Repost)

This week I am reposting as 3 posts, an article I wrote last August that was picked up by several ministry & church planting websites. The article is focused on How to Raise Up Communicators in your church on your staff.

The question I get asked often is: "How do I raise up others on my team to speak when I'm gone or need a break?"

I hope this week's posts will help you...

Matt

Raising Up Communicators (Repost)

A common strain that many pastors feel is the pressure of not being able to miss a Sunday. In their own way, each one says the same thing:

"I don't feel like I have anyone on my team who can do what I do..."

At Next Level Church, we have several capable communicators on our team, but it didn’t happen by accident. It has been a combination of the blessing of God and an intentional approach on our part.

It starts with desire. When we started 8 years ago, I knew I wanted to have others who could do what I do. I didn't want to be, "the only one who could feed the sheep." I knew this would take a  lot of security on my part and the patience to believe God to raise up others on our team as well.

It also requires a strategy.  3 years ago, I began strategically executing the plan to multiply our speaking structure. I started with my associate, Mike, who had moved with us 8 years earlier, and our newly hired executive pastor, Scott Drummond. Once we had 2 guys who had the natural ability and passion to speak, I got extremely strategic about it. Today, we're developing several other young communicators with the same strategy.

A Strategy to Raise Up Communicators in your church:

1.  Include them in on message creation. Rather than just writing messages alone, I started bringing in them in to help me process ideas through. This allowed them to see how I think about message preparation. It also gave me some great ideas and illustrations that I never would have had otherwise.

2. Use their personalities in other ways from the stage. We always have 2 people give announcements in our services. This keeps things fresh and provides for movement and energy in the service, simply by having two personalities on stage instead of one.

The biggest benefit though is allowing our people to become familiar and comfortable with the other pastors on staff. They see them having fun, joking with each other and being in the know with your church. Over time, this creates a comfort in people with having someone other than me on the stage.

3.  Let them speak with you present. I want our church to know that, “just because I'm here doesn't mean I have to be up there..." I intentionally schedule Sundays where they speak with me there. I need our church to be comfortable with me being in the room, but not always being up front. (By the way, I will often jump into one of the announcement guy roles when they speak. We believe in "Interchangeable Parts" in every way.)

We'll continue on with Part 2 on Wednesday.

Managing the Tension - Part 3

I want to give us 2 final thoughts on how we manage the tension of leadership between our current reality and the dream in our heart for the future.

Here's the last 2:

4.  Don't take yourself Too Seriously.

     When our church was just a few months old we received some great advice from a prominent pastor. He told us, "Don't take yourself too seriously, because no one else is." In 9 years, I've never forgotten that. When you're neck deep in the tension between now and the future, it's easy to take the whole thing too seriously. To become overwhelmed and allow your blood pressure to be too high and want to do harm to yourself and others with sharp objects.

     If we're not careful, managing the tension of our leadership reality can cause us to lose our joy. Fight against that. Give yourself permission to fish more, or golf more, or take a nap during the weekday every now and then. Listen, this whole leadership deal is about the long-haul, not a short-sighted adrenaline rush. Relax, enjoy the ride. After all, you're giving your life for it. Why not enjoy it?

5.  Embrace your journey as your journey.

     Our church growth story was not one of overnight success or quick growth... ever. Instead, for 9+ years, we've been the up the middle, one yard at a time, journey. If I'm being honest with you, I have to admit that for a lot of years, I resented our journey. I wanted to be bigger faster. I wanted to be further along than we were.

     But a few years ago, everything changed. Right about the time I started coaching other pastors and leaders, I began to realize that the wisdom and lessons I was able to teach were coming from all of the experiences I was  resenting. Suddenly it was as if the whole thing turned. What I came to realize was that God had used my journey to position me for a unique platform of influence I could have had no other way. If I had not walked the journey I did, I could not teach the things I now teach.

     Your journey is your journey. The longer you spend resenting it or denying it or trying to change it, the more time you're wasting learning from it and embracing it. The tension of leadership is not going away, why not lean into it instead of fighting against it. In the end, it makes leading a lot more satisifying.

Matt Keller

Managing the Tension - Part 2

Yesterday we began talking about how we manage the tension of leadership between living fully present in the now of our reality and keeping our heart and mind focused on the dream in the future.

Here's a 3rd way I've found to help to manage the tension:

3.  Prioritize Margin and Rest.

     For most of us driver personalities, the temptation in a ministry setting is to think that we can't ever rest or stop pushing because of the constancy of the tension we feel. However, often times church growth and breakthrough are fundamentally tied to us backing out of the throttle, embracing some time off and trusting that God is truly God and in control of our church.

     I have learned a lot about Sabbath in the last year. I have always embraced the idea that the Sabbath is a command. Like, I get it, God's Big Ten, same list as adultery, etc. I get it. But a year ago, I read in Exodus 16 where God rebuked the Israelites for not recognizing the gift they had been given in the Sabbath.

     After 400+ years of working as slaves and never taking a day off, God builds into their new reality a culture of rest. He calls it a gift and gets pretty ticked when they don't see it that way. It's like a friend paying for an expensive golf membership at a private club for you and after a year, asking us how we liked it. To which we respond, "Oh yeah, sorry, I never got around to playing because I had too much to do..." Imagine how hurt your friend would be? Crushed even. Why? Because we hadn't taken advantage of the gift because we were too busy.

We'll talk through 2 more ways to manage the tension of leadership tomorrow.

Managing the Tension - Part 1

Andy Stanley says one of the greatest challenges of leadership is, "Managing the Tension." For those of us in leadership positions we understand that tension between what is and what we dream of in the future. After 9 years of pastoring and leading, I can definitely say that this is a tension that must be managed and not a problem that can be solved.

For the next few days, I want to talk about several things I've learned in terms of managing this tension of leadership.

1.  It helps to take a long-view of your ministry.

     Perhaps it's just me, but I really love to talk about the faithfulness of God over the past 9 years. Sarah and I frequently find ourselves reminiscing, not in a sadistic sort of "our best days are behind us" kind of way, but in a, "Wow, look how far we've come" kind of way. We do this in every area of our lives. We reflect on the age of our kids at certain moments in the past, where our church was at the time, etc. Looking at the long-view of our life and ministry helps me to live in the tension now because I'm reminded of the faithfulness of God then.

2.  Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.

     If taking a long-view is about reflecting on the past, then this one is all about looking to the future from the present. In ministry, you have to be committed to the life of the process. In other words, perfection and arriving are illusions. You never arrive and your church is never gonna be perfect. But each day you can make progress. Each day you can do something to move the needle a little closer to the direction you want the thing to go. It just takes time. Remembering that Rome wasn't built in a day gives you permission to know that what you do today matters in light of someday.

Tomorrow we'll tackle a couple more ways to manage the tension of leadership.

A Culture of "The Benefit of the Doubt"

One of the traits we've tried to hammer into the culture of Next Level Church over the years is what we call, " 

A Culture of the Benefit of the Doubt."

Put simply, it means that when you have the choice to assume the best or assume the worst about a leader, a situation or a decision, you simply lean into the side of assuming the best.

As an organization grows larger, it will become impossible for everybody to know everything about every decision that's being made by other leaders throughout the organization. That's when a "Benefit of the Doubt" culture kicks in. Because, as we tell our leaders, when you don't know what's going on, or what the logic behind a decision was, you have to assume the best and give that leader the Benefit of the Doubt.

Here are the 2 things we teach our leaders:

1.  Plead Authentic Ignorance & then Defend the heart.

If someone comes up to you and says, "Why did Matt decide to do ____..."

Your response should be:

"You know, honestly, I don't know anything about it. But here's what I DO know... Pastor Matt & everyone of our leaders are spiritual Godly men who seek God around every decision they make. And I'm confident there's a wise and logical reason behind the decision they made."

And #2...

2.  Offer to take them by the hand to the person they have a question or issue with.

The next statement out of an NLC Leader's mouth should be,

"You know, I know any of our pastors have no problem talking about any decision they've made in any area of our church. So would you like me to take you to them or set up a time for you to sit down with them and talk about your concerns in more detail?"

That is the Matthew 18, Biblical model for conflict resolution, by the way. And it also sets a precedent that what we're not going to do is wonder around and find someone else that we can spread our questions to. If a person really wants answers, we're more than happy to help them get them from the right people.

? Do your church / work / family / friend environments have a Culture of the Benefit of the Doubt? If not, what can you do to start creating one? It's well worth the effort and it cuts down on disunity big time.

We all make choices in life and I believe choosing to be teachable is one of the greatest ones we'll ever make...

Teachability Thought #5:

Teachability is a Choice.

At the end of the day, you and I have a choice to make. To choose to be teachable, or not. I guess you don't have to choose teachability. I mean, you are perfectly empowered to live safely and comfortably behind the wall of what you already know. It's totally a choice you're entitled to make. But it's not your only choice. See, the other choice you're empowered to make is to choose to be teachable. Either way, the choice you make comes with a price.

Choosing to live behind the wall of what you already know is safe. It's predictable. It's secure, after all, you already know everything there is to know and that most certainly leads to a whole lot of confidence and self-assurance.

Choosing to come out from behind that wall and be teachable leads to a whole other reality. It's scary. It's risky. It's unknown. That path is prone to wander off the map of predictable existence to a land of uncertain exposure and possible pain.

Living behind the wall of what you already know has a problem though. See, because the world is always growing and expanding, that means that over time, your fenced in yard will become smaller and smaller. Your world view will become more and more narrow and your defensiveness and pessimism will eventually become a crushing weight on you and everyone you're in relationship with. Because after all, who can stand to live with someone who knows it all? And... (if we're being honest) who would want to?

So I guess that leaves just one choice: To venture beyond your wall and become teachable. To open up the gate to the world of what you don't know and begin to venture out. Feel free to move as slowly as you feel is comfortable, but keep in mind the world outside your wall is growing pretty fast. Life is moving at an exceptional rate, and those you lead and influence are probably already into a full blown run in pursuit of a teachable life. A life that is constantly expanding and growing. A life of teachability that is leading them to become everything their Creator has for them to become.

I hope you'll make the choice to join us on this teachability quest. I hear it's a pretty great adventure, if you're willing to learn something new along the way.

Why I have waited to buy an iPad for a year now... (it is not why you may think)

In a word... Discipline. When the iPad was first announced I freaked. No seriously, I was like "Oh my sakes, this is it!" I was like a teenage girl at a school dance; all squeally and stuff. But (this is a big but) I (along with the wife) decided not to get one.

The obvious reason which accounted for about 15%, was that the 2nd generation would have more features / less bugs etc. Which I'm hoping it does. (Come on Steve, don't let me down...)

But the bigger reason, by far, was that it would be a good discipline for me to wait a year for something that I really wanted.

So for the last year, I've had the privilege of letting God do a quiet work in my heart every time I saw one of my friends pull out their iPad. It's been cool to monitor how I respond each time. Over all, I've done pretty well at genuinely being happy for them. Only every once in a great while am i like, "Come on man, You're a bad steward of that thing. You're totally under utilizing the apps & features!!!"

Let me ask you, when was the last time you deliberately waited for something when you could have had it immediately? What if, every once in a while, it's good to give our desires a timeout?

By the way, I wrote this on my iPhone. I'm still patiently waiting for the iPad...

Intentionally NOT spoiled rotten,

Matt Keller

10 Things I love about my wife... (& no I don't think this will take the place of me buying her flowers...)

After more than 14 years, 2 kids, a church plant and a whole lot of other experiences, I'm still crazy in love with my wife, Sarah. So in honor of her, here are...

10 Things I love about my life with my wife:

1.  We have fun nicknames for each other that she lets me call her at the office and in other public places. (And no, I'm not telling you...)

2.  She watches baseball. Even when I'm not there. (Mostly the Rays)

3.  She's the hardest working woman I've ever met. (I dare you to try and keep up with her)

4.  She still has the ability to light up a room with her smile when she walks in. (She always has)

5.  She doesn't like to shop. (She leaves that to me)

6.  She's not whiny and needy. (Every man knows what I'm talking about...)

7.  She's the better parent in our house. (My kids know that)

8.  She has a capacity to handle stress like no one else. (It's unreal, seriously)

9.  She's willing to drive a mini van that's long past due for an upgrade. (It's true & she knows it)

10.  She's a woman I get to admire up close while others can only admire her from a far. (She's the real deal at home, just like she is in public)

I love you Sarah,

Happy Valentine's Day,

Matt

If you want to know how secure you are, simply invite someone to critique the thing that you think you do best...

Teachability Thought #4:

Teachability Requires Security.

Only secure leaders are teachable. Let's face it, allowing the experiences and thoughts of others challenge us at our deepest levels is just down right scary. In order to be teachable, it requires a ridiculous amount of security.

As a teachable leader, I'm learning things about myself that I must face head on and then change for the better. I'm sifting out character flaws and inconsistencies that hold my leadership back. I voluntarily asking for someone to challenge my successful ideas and make them better.

Teachability invites challenge to the status quo and conventional way of thinking and doing things. Only secure leaders can handle that. If you want to know how secure you are, simply invite someone to critique the thing that you think you do best.

Teachability requires security.

? Are you willing to challenge your deepest held beliefs? Are you willing to face your character flaws and inconsistencies?

I truly believe Teachability is the path to greatness. Here's why...

Teachability Thought #3:

Teachability is the path to Greatness.

Experts in any field are extremely teachable. Do you know why? Because they are keenly aware that in any given field there is too much to know simply by trial and error. To be an expert requires a tremendous amount of focus, attention, and energy. You have to not just learn facts and figures and statistics about something, you actually have to develop the skill of being able to work "ON" your field, not just "IN" your field.

Far too few leaders have developed the skill or created the space to actually work "ON" their leadership, and instead have become enslaved to only working "IN" their leadership. Teachable leaders understand that even as an expert in their field, they still have more to learn from others who are more experienced then they are and others who are less experienced then they are.

As a public speaker, I'm constantly watching and learning from other communicators. When they're talking, I'm listening to what they're saying "IN" their message, but I'm also watching the art of how they present "ON" their message. Both ways, I am learning.

Teachable leaders don't limit themselves to only being able to learn from others who are more experienced then they are. Often times, some of the freshest ideas in the world are generated by people who are not experienced enough to know how brilliant their new idea is.

? When was the last time you carved out 3 hours to work "ON" your leadership, not just "IN" it? Who are you willing to learn from? Is it only those who are ahead of you? Or are you open to learning from anyone?

The Posture that positions us for greatness... (a 90 second study to challenge your leadership)

Yesterday we began a 2 week discussion on the idea of Teachability. I believe that teachability is the key to everything good in our lives and leadership.

Teachability Thought #2:

Teachability is the Preferred Way to Learn.

The other way to learn is what my dad used to call, "The School of Hard Knocks." Unfortunately, we all have had a few lessons from that particular school. Life has a way of beating some stuff into us doesn't it? We don't have to sign up for lessons from the school of hard knocks, they just seem to find us, most predominantly when we are least expecting them.

But what if it didn't have to be this way? What if, instead of learning lessons, "the hard way," we could actually, voluntarily learn by taking on a posture of teachability? What if we could go looking for lessons that others have learned, rather than waiting for lessons to find us? What if we could increase our wisdom by learning from others who have experienced things we don't need to experience?

Taking on what I call a, "Posture of Teachability," positions us to learn something from everybody. And when we position ourselves like that, the lessons of other people's lives, good, bad and otherwise, will start pouring in.

? Do you have a posture of teachability? Or are we more prone to wait for life to teach us one way or another?

Teachability is a posture as much as it is anything else.

My Most Current Thoughts on Tokbox Dissolving, Video Coaching, & How We Change the World Together...

I found out late yesterday that Tokbox.com is shutting down as of April 5th, 2011. As many of you know, we have developed an entire Video Coaching Ministry built on the back of Tokbox. And as you can imagine, I have been hearing from a ton of you in the last several hours offering your condolences, wondering what we're going to do now, & saying things like, "Wow, that really sucks to be you!"

So, here are my most current thoughts:

1.  For 3 years, we've been driven by a question:

"What One Idea, if we could figure it out, could completely revolutionize our industry?" 

 I continue to be 100% convinced that Virtual Video Coaching is that "One Idea" that could completely change the lives of thousands of Pastors & Church Planters who effect and lead millions of people.

First, I believe it is completely unrealistic to think that pastors can get the adequate coaching and help they need to lead their churches to the Next Level by having to pay thousands of dollars to fly to Big Conferences that are heavy on Motivation & Inspiration, but don't have the ability, nor are they designed to, adequately walk pastors through a monthly processing of applying the practical information that can change their lives and ministries. Video Coaching does that.

Second, Nor do I believe it's possible for 90% of the churches in America to pay hundreds of dollars each month to participate in an "In-Person" Coaching Community where they are required to fly to a single location, pay for meals, car, hotel, etc. only to be face-to-face with a group of pastors for a few hours and then everyone has to fly home. Only to have to do it all again the next month. I pastor a large church, & I don't have the ability to pay the several thousand dollars it would require to do that. Video Caoching doesn't require a Big Budget!

2.  The following paragraph is what drives everything I do with Next Level Coaching...

85% of churches in America have less than 100 people. 

• What if we could get each of those churches the tools they need to double in the next year? 
• And what if we could do it in a monthly, cost effective, instant, commute-less format like Virtual Video Coaching? 
• (Which judging from our results over the last 3 years, is extremely possible) 

I am firmly convinced we could effect millions of people in small or medium sized churches across the country (& around the world, BTW, we had a pastor from Germany in our last Group who has seen significant growth in the last few months...)

3.  Telecoaching (or Conference Call Coaching) just isn't the same. 

I know a number of my peers are using telecoaching to coach pastors, but I'm just telling you. I've done it and compared to video coaching, there's no comparison. It's the equivalent of listening to the Super Bowl on the radio, or watching it on TV. Hands down, 100 times out of 100, we'd all choose to watch it on TV.

We'd never ask a small group in our church to "phone in" to their group. We'd all admit that real relationships and connection won't happen the same. It's too one-sided on a conference call. Conference Calls have their place, but there's no comparison to face-to-face for real relational coaching.

When we use Video Coaching, we're creating a small group for pastors to built relationships face-to-face and grow together. Video Coaching is the equivalent of a Small Group for Pastors. There's nothing else like it anywhere.

And I am firmly convinced that if we can figure this out, we can change the face of the "Church" across the country!

4.  "Necessity is the Mother of Innovation." 

 With the dissolving of Tokbox.com, I am obviously aware that this effects what we do in a HUGE way! And as far as I've seen up til now, I've not found any other Video Technology like it. (Not that doesn't require the budget of the Federal Government to afford.)

However, I'm committed to finding it or creating it. We live in a world where I can buy a car on ebay from my iPhone, for crying out loud, somebody somewhere has to be able to figure this out!

I am working on getting an appointment to talk to Ian Small, the CEO of Tokbox, Inc. as soon as possible. If you know him, tell him to call me. Seriously.

Also, I'd love to talk to anybody else that knows a Software or App Developer. 


I believe we can change the world if we can figure this out... It won't take much, just a little bit of effort. Imagine what's possible if we can dial this in?!? Imagine the leaders we can train, the pastors we can help, the people we can effect?

If you know someone, or want to be apart of the solution,

• E-mail me at PastorMatt@NextLevelChurch.com
• Call my office at 239-274-3755
• DM me on Twitter at @MatthewKeller
• E-mail me on Facebook Facebook.com/matthewwkeller

5.  For 9+ years now, I've had a phrase that I jokingly say will end up on my tombstone, (if I have one, cremation is big in Florida).

That phrase is:

"We're Church Planters, we don't take no for an answer. We figure it out, that's what we do!"

9 years ago, we moved across the stinkin' country with a baby & $9,000 to start a church, & today there are over 1,000 people who attend weekly. With God, All things are Possible!

Here's another Phrase, in closing, that I love to say...

"Don't tell me it can't be done, tell me how it can be done!" 

So to all of you who are wondering my most current thoughts on, "What we're Going to do..." there you go. Stay tuned, it's going to be an amazing ride.

We're going to figure this out, because there are too many pastors who need what we're trying to create through Virtual Video Coaching.

Thanks for helping me figure this out,

Matt Keller

BTW, if you haven't seen our coaching site, go to http://wwwMyNextLevel.me

The key to everything good in your life and leadership is...

If there is one word that describes what I'm looking for in the leaders around me, hands down, it's the word, Teachability. I swear, I'm going to write a book on Teachability at some point in my leadership career, because I am completely convinced that Teachability is the key to just about everything else that we need in leadership.

Bottom Line: If you're not teachable, then you're going to struggle in your leadership. I rarely get dogmatic in stuff like this, but on this one, I'm pretty darn sure. Teachability is the key to everything good in our lives and leadership.

So for the next two weeks, I want to share with you several of my thoughts on this idea of teachability. I hope you'll take 90 seconds each day, read the thought and then spent 90 more seconds thinking about your own heart as a leader. 3 minutes / day for 2 weeks could change the whole demeanor of your leadership.

Teachability Thought #1: 

Teachability is Hard.

It's easy to talk about teachability and write about teachability. But it's really hard to actually be teachable. Everybody says they're teachable until you ask them to relearn something they think they already know. 90% of preachers think they're in the top 50% of communicators in their field. Clearly, we preachers have some learning to do!!!

The essence of teachability is humility. Until we're willing to humble ourselves, we're not going to learn anything. For me to be teachable I have to first and foremost humble myself. I have to become the student. And here's the kicker... the further you go in leadership, and the more successful you become, the harder this gets. When you're successful, people think you know more than you actually do. And you actually do know a lot. So being successful and staying teachable is a rare thing for a leader.

Being teachable for me, means listening more than I talk. If I'm talking, I ain't learnin'. Period. Saying your teachable and actually being teachable are two very different things.

? What about you? On a scale of 1 to 10, how teachable would you say you are? How teachable would your boss and colleagues say you are? What about your spouse and kids?

Just a thought,

Matt

First Monday Prayer & Fasting - Prayer Points - February 2011

At Next Level Church we dedicated the 1st Workday of each month to the Lord by setting it aside as a time to pray and fast and seek God over what's on the horizon for our church and the people and organizations we influence.

Here's a Pocket Guide for 6 Key Areas to Pray Through Today:

(For more information on Fasting go to: www.NextLevelChurch.com/fasting )

1.  Our 1st Permanent Location.

If you missed yesterday's state of the church address, go here to listen or watch the message from Sunday. It's full of exciting news.

We are just a few weeks away from moving in to our new facility! Let's be in prayer today for our "Furnish the Vision" Campaign happening right now. We are just $150,000 away from being able to move in Fully Furnished and Ready to Impact the Future!

Also, let's continue to pray for the construction crews. As of right now, they're on time and moving at a great pace. Let's pray for continued favor with all of that.

2.  Our Communities Downtown.

We, as a church, have adopted 2 communities downtown, Palmetto Courts and Sabal Palms. We are believing for God to use us to lift the residents of those communities out of darkness and into light.

Pray for continued favor with the Government authorities and continued open doors. Pray for several NLC families who have taken the step to "mentor" several families from downtown this year. We are believing for jobs, better grades, stronger health, and a closer walk with Jesus for these families.

Pray for our 3rd Saturday Serve Day Outreaches as well. We have some exciting possibilities with renovating some of the apartments downtown and providing much needed medical care in the months ahead. Pray for open doors for that.

3.  Our Big Spring Series, Masquerade, launching February 27th.

Each year, we do 3 Big Series where we pull out all of the stops and believe God to touch unchurched, dechurched and disillusioned people throughout Southwest Florida. In just a few weeks we're launching a huge series called, Masquerade, that is all about people facing the masks they wear to cover up what's really going on in their heart.

Let's pray that God will open people's hearts and help people deal with the issues of greed, anger, fear worry and more in this powerful series.

4.  Our Church Planters.

God has given us the ability to be apart of training, coaching and mentoring dozens of churches across the country. Let's pray for God's provision and blessing on the following 3 churches today:

• Liberty Church - New York City, NY - Pastor Paul and Andi Andrew. This church is just a month old and is already making an impact in the Big Apple.

• Family Life Church - Randolph, NJ - Pastor Dan and Stephanie Stauffer are in the process of acquiring their first permanent location just like we are. Pray for favor with their landlord and all the details of build out and fund raising in the coming months.

• The River Church - Bozeman, MN - Pastor Eric and Heather Neimann - The River is scheduled to launch their Sunday morning services in just a few weeks and they already have over 50 people on their launch team.

5.  Our Missionaries.

God has blessed us with partners who are spreading the Gospel in other parts of the world. Pray for:

• Mark & Stephanie Pyles - Santiago, Dominican Republic. They are planting Next Generation Churches in their city. Pray for favor and blessing.

• Christ for India - India - They are training pastors and students to plant churches across India and in surrounding countries. Pray for provision and favor and boldness.

• Kelly & Kathy Johnson - Kenya - They are training pastors and leaders throughout Kenya to be more effective and reach lost people in more relevant ways. Pray specifically for a new vehicle for them. They are just a few thousand dollars away.

6.  The People of Next Level Church.

• Pray for Marriages, 
• Children, 
• Wise Financial Decisions, 
• Growth in their Relationship with Christ, 
• Courage to make difficult decisions, 
• Power to SOAP and engage God's Word, and 
• Favor in their workplace and marketplace to be a light for Christ.

Thanks for Praying today NLC.

As many of you know, part of my calling is to Coach other pastors & leaders across the country. Today I want to introduce you to...

Today, I am reposting an article written by one of the pastors I coach in Newark, Delaware, Mark Johnston. Mark is one of the brightest, passionate and articulate communicators I've heard in along time. Our coaching relationship began 2 years ago and in that time, I've seen Mark grow & expand as a leader. The church he leads, "The Journey" has also gained incredible traction in that time as well.

 

Mark & I meet monthly face-to-face on Tokbox.com for about an hour. Mark has also participated in my Next Level Coaching 1.0 Virtual Coaching Group.

 

You can follow Mark's blog at: 

 

http://yourjourney.typepad.com/mark_johnston/

 

Their Church's Website is: http://www.YourJourney.tv

I highly recommend listening to his podcasts... brilliant.

I hope you enjoy this article he wrote on "Coaching."

 

 

Send Me In, Coach

I’m not very athletic.  Okay, I’m not even slightly athletic.  Consequently, I didn’t have much of a chance growing up to interact with a coach.  (I tried out for the basketball team once, in seventh grade.  The coach was kind… but honest.) 

It wasn’t until much later that I began to understand the role of coaching in areas of life other than sports; and it wasn’t until a few years ago that I began to realize the explosive value coaching can bring.

Like you, I’m sure, I have some degree of talent – but I’m not even close to the top of the pile.  And along with my average abilities I also bring lots of naiveté, insecurity, bad habits, wrong attitudes, and ineffective tendencies to the table.  Coaching has helped me tackle (*gratuitous sports reference) all of these: systematically and much more effectively than I could have on my own.

Here’s what I’m learning about coaching:

• A coach doesn’t have to be an all-star player.  On any great sports team, most of the players can out-run, out-tackle, out-hit, or out-pitch their coach.  A coach isn’t just someone who’s great at the game, it’s someone who’s great at pointing out where you are great (and not so great) at the game.  The best coaches are people who blend analysis, encouragement, and discipline into every interaction in a way that leaves you informed, motivated, and determined to change.  When you’re looking for a coach, don’t just pick the person with the biggest successes; pick someone with admirable successes and a proven ability to train others.  You’re not choosing a coach you can brag about to your friends, but someone who can help you grow.
• The best coaches have a niche.  That’s why you’ll usually need several.  I asked one of my pastoral coaches once, “So, what are you doing to grow spiritually?”  His response?  “Probably the same things you’re doing.”  He’s still a great coach for church leadership, but I needed to look somewhere else for the specific spiritual growth stuff I was craving in that moment.  There’s nothing wrong with that!  If you play football and basketball, you probably won’t have the same coach for both (unless your school has some serious budget problems.)  Chances are good that no one person will be able to help you seek excellence in every area at once.  One of my goals this year is to find a parenting coach.  Don’t just seek out a coach, seek out coaches.
• Coaching only reaches maximum effectiveness when it’s paid forward.  I’ve experienced coaching for a few years now, but it’s only over the past several months that I’ve started coaching others.  I’m hugely humbled by the opportunity to spend monthly intentional time with a handful of people who are seeking insight, accountability, and support as they pursue leadership and ministry.  There’s something potent about this, about closing the loop – it perpetuates the growth you’re experiencing.  Look for people you can download from; and then look for people you can upload to.  It will take coaching to a whole new level for you.

I’m not good enough and I don’t have long enough to accomplish everything God has called me to accomplish.  That’s why I need coaching.  How about you?

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” (I Timothy 4:8 – NLT).

2 Essentials for Leading Strong

Recently, as I started reading the introduction to the book of 1 Timothy in my Bible, which is one of my favorite books, by the way) I was challenged to read with a Leadership Filter on. What emerged from the verses was really, really cool.    
verse 19 says, "...holding on to faith and a good conscience..." which jumped off the page at me in the leadership context because...

In order for a Leader to Lead Strong, they must:

Hold on to Faith & Hold on to a Good Conscience.

1.  Hold on to Faith.

     Without Faith a Leader is dead in the water! It is faith that the job can be done, faith that the mission can be accomplished, faith that the team can pull it off, faith that nothing is impossible with God that makes leading people & influencing others possible! That kind of faith is absolutely essential to Leading Strong! As Leaders, we must never lose our faith in what God has called us to do.

2.  Hold on to a Good Conscience.

     In order to lead strong, we, as leaders, must hold on to a Good Conscience. Nothing will deflate a leader's confidence like a guilty conscience. When a leader's heart is double-minded, or cloudy, or heavy because of secret sin, or improper motives, it deflates their ability to Lead Strong with confidence.

     Leaders, Lead Strong in what God has placed before you to do. Hold on to Faith & your Good Conscience, it's worth it!

My Life and Death Story - Part 8 - The Final Installment... I spend 9 days in the ICU at Lutheran...

(continued)

I spent 9 days in the ICU at Lutheran Hospital. I did have another blood clot form but it was small and it dissolved on its own without needing another surgery. I went home on January 16th, 1995. I had no teeth and a partially shaved head. I had lost about 15 pounds and couldn't wear my contacts. I remember seeing myself in a mirror and thinking I looked like a dead man. On the contrary, I had escaped death, and I was thankful to God to be alive. Seldom a month goes by that I don't remember those days and how God was with me on January 7th.

A good friend of mine at the time, Scott Mills, told me that  

"I am a called man of God, and God's gonna use my life to do something great. There's no way he's done with you yet."

I've never forgotten those words. They marked my life. That and the permanent scar on the left side of my head. Every so often I'll catch myself feeling the dent that remains from where they drilled in that day.

In those moments, I feel like Jacob of the Old Testament must have felt. He wrestled with God in Genesis 32 and at the end of it, God dislocated his hip socket. The Bible records that from that day on, Jacob walked with a limp and a cane. For the rest of Jacob's life, at various times he would stop and lean on his cane as an expression of worship to the Lord. No one else could worship like that. It was a special moment between he and his God.

That's the way I feel about my scar. When I touch it, it's as worship to the Lord. I am reminded of how my life was spared and I'm destined for great things. I'm reminded that God's not done with me yet and that I've been given a testimony to tell of the power of God in my life.

Touching my scar is as worship to the Lord for me. No one else can worship Him like that. It's our thing. It's something special that I'll always share with the God who put his hand between my head and a telephone pole.

January 7th is an anniversary for me. I'm alive, and I'll never be able to forget it.

My Life or Death Story - Part 7

(continued)
I woke up Sunday morning, January 8th, 1995 to my head wrapped in white cloths and a tube sticking out the side. I remember a nurse telling me very loudly as I was coming to that, "Matthew, there is a tube coming out of your head to relieve the pressure from the blood clot on your brain." I just remember her yelling at me, and thinking "gall, that's horrible." She proceded ever so loudly to ask me a serious of questions that at the time seemed elementary. "Matthew, do you know what day it is?" "Who's the president of the United States?" "What's your name?" All of which I answered immediately with no problem. Apparently, there was much concern about what I would remember, if there would be brain damage, and if I would even know who anyone was.

A short time later, Sarah and Alison came in. They had went to church that morning and then straight to the hospital. Before arriving in my room, they asked the nurse for an update on my situation and she had cautioned them to not be alarmed if I didn't remember who they were or their names. She gave them the heads up on the reality that I may have to learn to read and write again, etc.

They came in the room and I was lying there with my eyes closed, all bandaged up like a woman just getting out of the shower with wet hair. They said hello, or something, and then Alison began asking me questions. "Matt, what's 2 + 2?" To which, I'm thinking, "Why the heck is she doing this? I just did this for the nurse." Thinking she was having fun, I decided to play along. I answered her without so much as opening my eyes, "5." She asked another question, "What day is it?" "Thursday." With that, the two of them left the room.

I just laid there. In a moment, the nurse returned with them and again began her loud question asking, "Matthew, who's the president of the United States?" Not having any idea what was going on and becoming a little annoyed at the game we seemed to be playing at my expense I replied, "Hillary!" Which is obviously Bill Clinton's wife. To which everyone in the room burst into laughter and some joyful tears.

It's an absolute miracle that I never had one bit of memory loss or brain damage. Although my staff might tell you differently depending on the day. God was truly watching over me. What a miracle.

My Life and Death Story - Part 6 - 16 years ago, I was involved in a life-changing accident...

Upon hearing the news, mom and dad felt thankful they were still in Fort Wayne and thereby closer to Lutheran hospital where my surgery was being performed. When they arrived at the hospital I was already in surgery and so all they could do was wait. My mom has always been very private about her faith. Where I tend to be more outward in my display of faith, my mother tends to drift toward the opposite.

In conversations I had with my mom after the surgery, the only thing she really ever said to me was, "Matt, I met with Jesus that night in the chapel of that hospital." I can't imagine what it must feel like to have one of your children's life hanging on the edge. My mom is a strong women. My respect for her grew exponentially that night.

The next 24 to 36 hours would be critical to whether the blood clot would reappear or dissolve. They were monitoring my status in ICU.

My Life and Death Story - Part 5 - I'm recovering from brain surgery, my brother has a broken neck & my parents still don't know...

(continued)

Mom and dad had left in the afternoon to go shopping in Fort Wayne before they ended up at a birthday party for my cousin, Darcy. (I don't think my cousin has ever let me forget ruining her birthday that year.) My dad had just gotten his first cell phone the week before and didn't even so much as know the number yet. Once Sarah and her family arrived at the hospital in Angola, they took on the burden of trying to get in touch with my parents. Unfortunately no one knew how to get a hold of them. Alison, Sarah's mom, at one point asked Nick if he knew my aunt's telephone number where the birthday party was supposed to be held that evening.

With his eyes closed, and just drifting above consciousness, Nick rattled off the number. To this day, we have no idea how Nick knew their phone number. It wasn't something my brother or I needed to call, until that day, January 7th. Alison was able to get in touch with my aunt Toni and told her what was happening. Should mom and dad call, have them call her cell phone immediately.

After a few hours of shopping, my dad was anxious to show off his new cell phone to mom and so he stopped around 4:30 pm in the parking lot and wanted to show her how it worked. His idea was to call my aunt Toni, just for illustration's sake on what this new fangled gadget could do. They never could have imagined the news they were about to receieve on the other end of that phone.

The only 2 sons were both in critical condition. 1 in a neck brace. The other in brain surgery.

My Life or Death Story - Part 4 - Brain Surgery

(part 4, continued)

My brother was still being treated at the hospital in Angola. They discovered he had crushed the 3rd vertebrae in his neck 10%. He spent 8 weeks in a neck brace and missed a semester of college. Because of our accident, he had to stay through the next summer to finish his degree. It was during those summer months that he met his wife, Elizabeth. He would have never been there had it not been for our accident on January 7th.

Meanwhile, Sarah and her parents were now 60 miles away. "I've never seen my dad drive so fast in my entire life," she told me later. Sarah actually had a journal that she recorded her thoughts in later that night. She wrote 8 pages of some of the most raw and gut wrenching emotions I have ever heard come out of her.

The helicopter landed at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, IN, and I was immediately rushed into the O.R. Dr. Isa Conavatti. I still remember the doctor's name. He's the only person on the entire planet who has ever seen my brain. That's crazy for me to think about.

They shaved the front left half of my head and then cut a moon shaped incision in my skin. They drilled in to my skull to relieve the pressure and when they pulled the drill out, they later told us the blood shot out and hit the wall of the O.R. 10 feet away. They put in a drainage tube and wrapped my head. I think the surgery took like 4 or 5 hours.

I can't imagine how my parents were feeling... how they got the news was another story entirely...

My True Life & Death Story - Part 3 - "Being Airlifted by Helicoptor"

(part 3, continued from yesterday)

The EMS took us to the nearest hospital in Angola, IN, a small town just a few miles inside the Michigan boarder. Once at the hospital they ran a CT scan on my brain. They discovered I had a blood clot on my brain the size of a softball and it was getting bigger. If I didn't have emergency surgery to relieve the pressure, I would die.

In Northeast Indiana there was only 1 medical helicopter in the entire region at that time. And it was presently tending to another life or death situation miles away. The helicopter was called off of that emergency to come and pick me up and take me to a larger hospital 60 miles away.

At the time, Sarah and I were still just dating. She was only 17 and a senior in high school. We knew we were meant for one another, but that was still a dream for years to come. The guys had called Sarah and her family when the EMS had arrived at the campground, so she was able to come to the small hospital shortly after I had arrived. In those days I wore a gold chain with a cross on it. I guess during the entire ordeal, they took my cross and chain and handed it Sarah and said, "You may want this."

I can't imagine what it must have felt like for her to see the man she would one day marry and dreamed of spending her life with, loaded onto a helicopter with the hope that his life could be saved. She was 17. I was 19. And because this was in the time that cell phones were a luxury not a necessity, we had no way of getting a hold of my parents.

My True Life & Death Story - Part 2 - (Continued from Yesterday)

(continued from yesterday...)

After take off, we rounded a corner and the sled slid out wide to the left going down into the ditch next to the path we were on. (Picture a water skier going out wide behind a ski boat). Unfortunately what none of us saw was the row of telephone poles lining the ditch as well. We were headed straight for a pole at 35 mph. Faces buried in the sled, eyes blinded by the snow, an imminent collision ahead.

The ski rope hit the telephone pole first and then jerked the sled up into the telephone pole. Nick's neck curled up into the toboggan sled and I struck the pole literally "head on" at an estimated 50 mph. The sled shattered and the two of us were thrown 20 feet beyond the pole. The guys came running up to us yelling and cheering until they saw me face down in a pool of blood.

One of my best friends, Taitem, who had been a lifeguard all summer the year before, reached me first and recognized what was happening. He stablized my neck and rolled me over all the while shouting, "Call 911!" Nick was moving around but was experiencing immense pain in his neck. After Taitem pulled my ski mask off of my face he couldn't figure out what the white powdery stuff was all over my mask. The powdery stuff was my 3 front teeth. They had been smashed into the back of my brother's head. and never mind the powdery stuff, I had a golf ball sized bump protruding from my left temple, and blood coming from my ears.

16 years ago today my life changed forever. It's my personal life & death story. (Cliffhanger warning) Read part 1 here...

I woke up this morning with the same words that come out of my mouth first every January 7th. "I'm Alive." I'll never be able to forget what happened 16 years ago. January 7th, 1995.

It was a typical winter Saturday in Indiana. We had gotten about 4 inches of snow on the ground through the night, so my buddies and I decided to go toboggan sledding, like we had the year before. For those of you who know what toboggan sledding is, what we were talking about wasn't your typical toboggan sledding deal, with a track and an hourly waged employee helping you on and off the sled while instructing you to "keep your hands, and arms tucked inside at all times." No, we were going Extreme Toboggan sledding.

We drove to a campground about 30 minutes north of where we lived and would spend the day riding on a toboggan sled tied behind a pick up truck with a ski rope. We used couch cushions to make the ride less bumpy. When we arrived at the campground, my brother and I opened the trunk and started to pull out 2 snowmobile helmets we had from our childhood. At once, all of our friends began immediately mocking. "Did your mom make you bring those?" "The 1970's called, they want their helmets back." "What are you 8 years old?" So without another thought, we replied with a "Just kiddin'" and threw them back in the trunk.

Extreme sledding is quite an exhilarating thing to do on a Saturday in Indiana. It's got all the elements of fun 6 late teen and early 20 something guys look for. Speed, risk, adrenaline, and danger. What we didn't realize, or perhaps more accurately had chosen to overlook was just how much danger it had.

It was late in the day (around 4 pm) and it was my brother and I's turn to ride. Sled, cushions, Nick, and myself. Stacked up one on top of the other like a cold meat sandwich on hoagie bread. Nick's head was tucked up under the curl of the toboggan sled to shield his face from the massive amounts of snow flying toward us. My face was situationed facing down into the back of my brother's head, to shield my face from the snow. Little did we know that snow would be the least of our concerns in about 30 seconds.

I got serious thoughts on the New Year. I'm believing for some big time stuff. And I'm making a huge declaration over this year...

As we move into 2011, I have to tell you, I'm really excited for a lot of reasons. I believe 2011 can be the greatest year we have ever experienced. For Next Level Church and for every single person reading this right now. (Listen to my New Year's Kickoff Message Here)

I am believing God for 2011 to be 3 things:

1.  A Year of Expectation.

     I have high expectations of God this year! My hopes are high on what He's going to do in us and through us in 2011. I'm believing for huge things! Miraculous things! Monumental things!

2.  A Year of Transition.

     This year will be a year of physical transition for us as a church as we take occupancy of our 1st Permanent Location later this Spring which is all kinds of exciting! The facility that is being constructed as I'm writing this is a tool for us to impact and reach more people for Christ than we ever could otherwise. We're gonna see lives changed, marriages healed, leaders trained, kids impacted & the next generation empowered in that facility.

(Click Here to see the latest pictures from Construction)

     I believe that 2011 is going to be a year of transition for the region of SW FL as well. As one of the hardest hit economic regions in the country, we need a transition.

     I'm believing this will be the year that our cities begin to recover.

• That jobs begin to return. 
• That foreclosures decline. 
• That there is a "lift" across Southwest Florida like never before. 

     May God use our church as a catalyst for that.
3.  A Year of Stories.

     Finally, I am believing that 2011 will be a year of stories. I shared with our staff yesterday that when Jesus was challenged by a religious leader, he didn't retaliate with perfectly crafted arguments or statistics or facts or figures. Instead, he simply told a story. A story about a Good Samaritan.

     When Jesus simply told a story, it broke the argument of the religious leader in half. Suddenly, all of the religious jargon was powerless in the face of a story. I am declaring 2011 to be The Year of the Story at Next Level Church. I am believing for thousands of stories this year of how God intervened and changed a life. How God showed up and did a miracle. How God appeared and brought clarity. How God came through for person after person.

     I believe that stories are potentially the single most powerful tool we have at our discretion as leaders and believers. Let's start telling stories this year! Let's let 2011 be The Year of the Story!

1st Monday Prayer & Fasting - January Edition

Today is 1st Monday Prayer & Fasting at Next Level Church. Wherever you are, you can participate. All you do is pray, instead of eat! It's the simple. Turn the desire for food to God today. For more detail go to http://www.NextLevelChurch.com/fasting

Here are a few things to pray through today:

1.  The Construction of our 1st Permanent Facility. We need to pray that the crews will be able to stay on their timetables without a hitch. Pray for safety from injury and that they will sense and feel something different while the workers are on the job site.

2.  The Launch of our new Series this Sunday! "So I want to be a better _____. This is how I do it!" Everyone wants to be "better" in some area of their life this year. Let's pray God changes people's lives over the next 4 weeks.

3.  The January Semester of Connection Groups is just2 weeks away and dozens of people are stepping up and leading! Let's pray that hundreds of people will take the next step of connection and relationship in the new year.

4.  Girls Night Out & Guys' Wing Night - Pray that men & women will find friendship, and be inspired to go deeper in their relationships this year.






5.  Our Pastors & Church Planters Nationwide. We are blessed to have the privilege of training dozens of pastors and churches across the country on how to do ministry more effectively. Specifically pray for:

• Dan & Stephanie Stauffer - Roxbury, NJ. - Pray that God will lead them to the exact right location for their church.

• Shane & Rachel Frasier - Lebanon, IN.They are moving from a movie theater to a YMCA in 2 weeks! Let's pray God's blessing & provision on their move.
• Josh & Tiffany Cossey - Oklahoma City, OK. - They are scheduled to launch their church in less than 4 weeks! Pray for God's blessing and provision and peace in this crazy but amazing time.

6.  Pray for our Missionaries as well.  God has privileged us to be in partnership with missionaries making a difference around the world. Specifically:

• Christ for India - training pastors & planting churches in India

• Mark Pyles - Planting churches in the Dominican Republic

• Kelly & Kathy Johnson - Training pastors like crazy in Kenya

Thanks everyone for praying today,

Pastor Matt Keller

A New Year's Challenge for Your Leadership Growth. I dare you to...

Hey leaders, I got one for ya. I challenge every leader reading this right now to take this personal growth challenge in 2011. I call it a "Thinker Saturation."

Here's what it is:

When you find an author, leader or communicator that you admire in some area (finance, leadership, marketing, team-building, etc.) make a decision to "saturate" yourself in how they think for 3 months.
For an entire quarter of your year, dunk yourself in everything that leader writes, says, blogs, records, or tweets.

This information is so easily available on the internet and costs next to nothing to acquire.

Over time, you'll start to pick up on themes in how they think, how they make decisions, etc. You'll also pick up themes of how you listen to them.

A Real-Time Illustration:

I did this recently with Author and Thought-Leader, Seth Godin. (SethGodin.com) For several years now, I've really admired the thoughts & writings of Seth Godin. Seth is what I consider to be the premiere mind in the marketing world today. Brilliant.

So, for 3 months, I decided to saturate myself in how Seth thinks. I did a google search for "Free Seth Godin Audio" and then spent an hour downloading every podcast and interview I could find, putting them in a file on my iTunes that sync's to my iPod.

Then, for the next 90 days, whenever I would work out, or was in the car, I listened to those audios. I'll end up listening to each one 2 or 3 times. Sure, it is redundant, but repetition is a phenomenal teacher.

In addition to listening to Seth, I subscribed to his blog and read or re-read several of his key books. After 90 days, here's what I learned:

1.  How Seth processes information for decision making.

2.  How Seth sees ideas everywhere.

3.  Seth Godin is Courageous. The main reason I love Seth Godin is because he is courageous. He breaks all the rules & succeeds at it very well! I need more influencers in my life who do that!

Now It's Your Turn:

So, here's the challenge... pick 4 thought-leaders and saturate yourself in each one for 90 days next year. I'll even give you the homework for the first one (if you want to use Seth Godin) click here. That's all the audios I downloaded in an hour.

Imagine what your personal leadership growth could look like a year from today if you saturated yourself in 4 premiere thought leaders this year.

I dare you to take the challenge. It could be the most valuable decision you make this year.

Yes, I Practice My Messages on Thursdays. Here's why...

After a little comment I made in a Twitter Post last week, I have had many of you ask me about more detail on what a "Practice" looks like for me in preparation for Sunday. To read an article I wrote on what I call "The Monster of Sunday" click here. But to supplement that...

Here are a few high points:

1.  I Practice on Thursday Mornings  By nature, I'm a morning person so I try to practice my messages in the mornings. And I practice on Thursdays because Fridays are my day off. So, I want to head into my day off feeling like I have a handle on my message for Sunday. As a rule, do what makes you feel strong when you feel the strongest as you head for your weekend.

2.  Practicing is horribly awkward. People will often ask me, "Doesn't feel weird to just preach to yourself?" And the answer is a resounding, "YES!" But just because something is uncomfortable doesn't mean it's not good for you. (Like exercise...) I had to work hard to get over myself so I could take advantage of all the benefits that practicing my message affords.

3.  It's two of the most uninspiring hours of my week.  There's seldom a practice that I don't feel uninspired. Nothing within me wants to expend the kind of emotional energy it takes to practice my message the way I need to in order to be prepared for the weekend. But I do it. Because it's right and I'm always glad I did on Sundays.

4.  I inevitably think of 1,000 other things I "should" be doing. Practicing my message on Thursday mornings isn't a result of everything else on my to-do list being scratched off. Quite the contrary, there's always a list of things that I need to be doing. But in the midst of all the things I could be doing, I'm the only one who can be prepared for Sunday's talk. That's the most important thing only I can do.

5.  I subscribe to the "sweat in preparation or bleed in battle" theory. I can't tell you how many times I wish I had a do-over. Because I know that what I put out there could have been so much better if I would have sweat a little more in practice. While traveling one weekend recently, Sarah called to see how my message had went that morning at church. Hearing her question, I paused and then responded, "I got out of it, what I put into it." Sweat in preparation or bleed in battle. The choice is ours.

6.  When I practice, I hear and see things that I never would otherwise. One of the biggest reasons I practice is to hear myself say things out loud. I can write something in my notes and think it sounds good, but then when I say it out loud in the context of everything else I'm trying to say, I realize it doesn't fit. I wish it weren't true, but there are just some things you'll never catch until you say them out loud.

7.  I practice alone. Some of my friends practice in front of an audience. I don't do that. I'm not opposed to it. I will use others in the writing process, but then when it comes to week of practice, I feel like I need to just be left alone to do my thing. Kind of an "artist and his canvas" thing, I guess. There's no right or wrong to it. In fact, I use several voices to tweak my message between services on Sundays. But for the next reason I'm about to share, I need Thursday's to be me alone.

8.  I'm locking my notes into my memory and memorizing the PPT. I must confess that I have a photographic memory which I have come to realize is a huge plus when it comes to speaking publicly as much as I do. (150-200 times/year) But it doesn't come easy. I have to actively and aggressively engage my notes in order to "lock them in." That's what Thursday's are for me. A necessity to lock in the notes to memory. Many Thursdays, I am as emotionally spent after I practice as I am on Sundays. It's hard work that on the surface doesn't look very productive.

9. I never regret it. I can't ever think of a time where I've gotten to the end of a Sunday and thought, "You know, I wish I hadn't practiced this week..." By far, it's one of the hardest things I have to work myself up to do, but I am never sorry I did it. Just the opposite, I can't tell you how many times I've blown off a Thursday practice and gotten to Sunday and been disappointed.

There you have it. A few points of clarity for my weekly discipline of practicing my messages. Feel free to comment. I would love to hear what has worked for you. Weigh in on your thoughts, experiences, and helpful tips!

Matt

Thanks #HamptonInn for EXCELLENT Customer Service! How I was surprised by a "Remarkable" Experience that made my Christmas!

Last week, I flew to Indianapolis for a quick 2 day trip to be with my nephew, Joey, who is going through Radiation for a battle with cancer. He's 7 years old. (To read Joey's story, click here)

Anyway, I opted to stay the 3 nights at the Hampton Inn in Greenfield, IN. And as a bonus, I had enough points for all 3 nights to be free. So, I enjoyed my free breakfasts, warm cookies and free coffee available throughout my stay. I even ran on the treadmill one morning... Nice. All of those features are par for the course for a hotel like a Hampton Inn.

However, on my 2nd night, when I arrived back at my room after being with my nephew and my family all day, I found a green lollipop, a green Ande's mint, and this card on my bed.

 

In case you can't read it, the card says in hand-written ink: "Dear Guest: Merry Christmas -n- Happy New Year! Be safe in your travels. May you follow your heart always! May the spirit of the season soar in your heart forever! God Bless, Wanda."

Now, I don't know if Wanda had "official jurisdiction" to do what she did, but I'm telling you, it made my week! Wanda had no idea who I was or what I was going through or why I was even staying in her hotel, but she took it upon herself to make sure that I was touched in a personal way! 

I'd be willing to bet that nobody at "headquarters" made her do that. And, I'd also be willing to bet that Wanda paid for all that out of her own pocket. AND, I bet Wanda doesn't make too much more than minimum wage.

So for her to do what she did, was a big sacrifice and a HUGE deal to me!!!

 

So thanks, Wanda, in Greenfield, IN. Thanks for brightening my day. Thanks for being remarkable. Thanks for taking extra special care of your guests. Thanks for understanding that every once in a while an uncle of a sick little 7 year old nephew is going to be staying in Room 405 and that uncle is going to need something to brighten up his emergency trip to Indiana.

Thanks Wanda for making Christmas a little brighter for me this year.

You made my day and my Christmas.

 

Matt Keller

1st Monday Prayer & Fasting Ideas to Pray For

Today is 1st Monday Prayer & Fasting at Next Level Church. Wherever you are, you can participate. All you do is pray, instead of eat! It's the simple. Turn the desire for food to God today. For more detail go to http://www.NextLevelChurch.com/fasting

Here are a few things to pray through today:

1.  The Construction of our 1st Permanent Facility. We need to pray that the crews will be able to stay on their timetables without a hitch. Pray for safety from injury and that they will sense and feel something different while the workers are on the job site.

2.  Our Year End Facility Offering. Next Sunday, December 12th, we are receiving our Year End Facility Offering. Pray that every person who calls NLC their home will turn down the noise of the world & turn up the voice of God this week. Let's believe that as each of us listen and obey, the need will be met!!!

3.  Our Christmas Series launching This Sunday, December 12th called "Do You Hear?" Christmas is such a busy time of year, let's pray for people to be able to be still and hear the voice of God this Christmas. Pray that the people of NLC will not miss the One who is Christmas, because of all the chaos of Christmas.

4.  The January Semester of Connection Groups is just around the corner and dozens of people are stepping up and leading! Let's pray that hundreds of people will take the next step of connection and relationship in the new year.

5.  Our Pastors & Church Planters Nationwide. We are blessed to have the privilege of training dozens of pastors and churches across the country on how to do ministry more effectively. Specifically pray for:

• Dan & Stephanie Stauffer - Roxbury, NJ. - Pastor Mike Ash was just with them & they are taking ground in hard soil.

• Darian & Tyra Rains - Pryor, OK - Sarah & I had the privilege of being with them in late October and God has positioned them to impact Northeast Oklahoma in a big way.

• Paul & Andi Andrew - New York City, NY - They are scheduled to launch in 7 weeks! Let's pray for favor in the Big Apple!

6.  Pray for our Missionaries as well.  God has privileged us to be in partnership with missionaries making a difference around the world. Specifically:

• Christ for India - training pastors & planting churches in India

• Mark Pyles - Planting churches in the Dominican Republic

• Kelly & Kathy Johnson - Training pastors like crazy in Kenya

On a personal note: Pray for me as I am in Indiana visiting my nephew who has been fighting cancer for the last couple of weeks. Thanks to so many of you who have been faithfully lifting up my family in prayer. Pray for strength for my family during this difficult time.  http://bit.ly/JoeyKeller for all the details.

Thanks everyone for praying today,

Pastor Matt Keller