To Start or Not to Start

I just had a great conversation with a friend who is considering starting a business. Starting takes guts. Starting means stepping into the unknown and taking a risk. It also means taking initiative to make new friends. A lot of them. And providing something that adds value to their lives. So much value that they keep coming back to pay for your service. A key to starting well is having a coach. Someone who has been there and done that. A warm body is ideal but ink and paper is also valuable because you can't underline and highlight a warm body. And you can't pick their brain at 3am when you're anxiously seeking wisdom on what to do next.

Having trouble starting? Always dreaming?
I like Pastor Steven's post about about always dreaming but never starting.

Here are a few good coaches you can learn from any hour of the day. You'll want them in your corner:

1. Next Generation Leader: The heart of this book and your business should be character out of which flows courage, competence, clarity and coach-ability. A must read for any potential leader.
2. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: There is so much leadership goodness in this book you'll refer back to it for years.
3. EntreLeadership: I am halfway done with this new gem from Dave Ramsey. Practical wisdom from a guy who built a national brand from a card table at home.
4. Good to Great: You'll be surprised at what qualities in a leader can cause a business to go from just being good to becoming great and sustaining greatness for the long haul.
5. Quitter: How do you make the leap from being an employee to running your own business without dragging you and your family through poverty in the process? Acuff has the experience and wisdom to get you through.
6. Guerrilla Marketing: Need to get the word out about you and your company? Get this book, do what it says and repeat.
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: A classic book on personal leadership that will define all your daily habits. Knowing how to define your habits will light a fire in you to align them to leverage the years you have left in life.

Sunday Sept 4 Set List

Set list for christ-first.org this Sunday Sept 4 at our 11am service.

No Chains on Me, by Chris Tomlin from And if Our God is For Us
Jesus Saves, by Jeremy Camp from We Cry Out: The Worship Project
Forever Reign, by Hillsong Live from A Beautiful Exchange
Desert Song, by Hillsong United from Across the Earth

All songs are available for purchase on iTunes. Check them out and come ready to sing!

Also, Pastor Chad will be starting a brand new two-part series called "Soul Stealers". Come early to get a good seat!

God of 2nd chances

God always allows 2nd chances to everyone. This is an amazing story of just that.

The Narrow Way

Christmas is a reminder about what the Bible calls the narrow way to eternal life; aka: heaven. It's really offensive to those who would rather blaze their own trail... but the offer is still on the table for even those people while they still have breath in their lungs. Congress proclaimed Christmas a federal holiday (Holy Day) in 1870. As a nation we have chosen to take a day off of work to commemorate the birth of the narrow way; aka Jesus Christ. Pastor Stephen Furtick has written a short article with good insight on the narrow way Jesus saw the world. Read it here.

I haven't read his book yet... but I'm going to soon. I'm sure it's great. Look at all the positive reviews it has on amazon:

Evil & Sin

I am reading Doctrine by Mark Driscoll. Here is a great summary paragraph of four essential Biblical truths on evil and sin:

1. God is fully and continually all-powerful.
2. God is altogether good and there is no evil in him whatsoever.
3. Evil and sin really do exist.
4. Sinners are fully responsible for their sin.

I think if God did not author the Bible at least one of these four truths would be omitted. That way we could either keep a handle on God or our sin problem. Since I can not do either I'll raise a white flag of surrender and rely on God's solution to sin. Mary delivered a baby in a dirty manger and that baby delivers sinners from the wages of their dirty sin. Hmm... that's the true meaning of Christmas!

Halloween

Very cool article on the history of and a Christ followers response to Halloween: http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2009/10/29/the-history-of-halloween-revisted/

Currently Reading

I am currently reading a book titled: "How and When to Tell Your Kids About Sex" by Stan and Brenna Jones. If you are a parent this is a must read. It will help you have the 'sex talk' with your kids and will guide you on what to say at the right time. There is a series of smaller books (yellow, red and green books below) that you can read to your children beginning at age three. I'm reading them to mine. It's important that my kids learn about the specific details of human sexuality from me and my wife BEFORE the other kids in their elementary schools. And yes, this is a hot topic amongst kids... I remember kids talking about it when I was in Kindergarten and 1st grade. I know this well because I was one of the kids bringing it up.

The importance of this topic stared me in the face today. On the cover of a local Azusa newspaper is a picture of a room full of teen (14-19 year old) moms. I applaud them for their courage in taking on the challenge of being a single parent and rejecting abortion but I bet most of them would prefer a different context for their baby. Our kids are being sold a ridiculous lie from our culture and they are buying it at an alarming rate. Just last week I was volunteering in a 1st grade class. A girl said as a joke after eating pancakes, "My tummy is so full! I have a baby in there." A boy in her class said, "No you're not. You need a boyfriend." I was floored.

This is a topic you need to address with your kids. Yes you will open up a flood gate of questions that might make you feel uncomfortable BUT as a parent you must equip your kids with a healthy and moral view of sex. There is too much at stake here. There are executives making six figures in media offices coming up with powerful and creative ways to tell your kids to become sexually active. Our media talks about sex A LOT!!! Every time the media addresses this topic there is a principle being sold to your kids. Parents must combat these unhealthy messages with continuous positive ones. Saying nothing is wrong. These books can help. I bought them and they're worth every penny.