What a beautiful beach baptism weekend... despite some rain ... team flamingo was able to baptize 333 people and host a rocking concert at the Hollywood Bandshell. Check out some of the photos photographer Lisette Arencibia was able to capture here... she rocks!  If you're in town this weekend or traveling ... be sure to stop by one of our campuses to view an inspiring video recap of the event. I hope to see you there...

...follow the bloggers bookstudy journey here ... its not to late to catch up and learn with us  - we'll be blogging for 9 weeks. And for daily updates...  sign up for twitter and follow me here... I'll be sure to remind ya. 

Welcome to the launch of our online collaborative efforts to collectively review six books in the next nine weeks.  Twelve bloggers, six books, one daily post.  See the schedule of posts and blogs here and participate with your thoughts, comments and questions. I am excited to be a part of this great group of leaders and looking forward to the journey ... if you're interested in the Fall 09' Bloggers Bookstudy - send me an email here 

View Schedule and Book List here 

We begin the study with a look at Bill Hybels' Courageous Leadership 

Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels - Chapters 1 & 2 

This book has been a 30 year process for Bill Hybels who at age 50 finally felt ready to write a book for the most influential leader in the world: the local church leader.  He is intentional about NOT writing leadership theories but sharing proven leadership practices of over 30 years of ministry. 

CHAPTER 1 (pages 11-28) 

The Stakes of Leadership After a visit to ground zero (ten days after 9/11), Hybels was blown away by the destruction he saw and by the thought of how "evil" could run so deep in someone to cause such horrific pain. Besides seeing the heroic efforts of firemen , red cross teams and others .... Hybels was most impressed with the untold media story of "ordinary christ followers like you and me who sat at restaurants, office buildings, temporary shelters 24/7 , addressing with courage and sensitivity the deep concerns of the soul... offering healing to truly wounded souls". He was reminded once again that The local church is truly the hope of the world. 

The Beauty of the Church It was in the early seventies that a young Hybels in seminary was gripped by the vision of an Acts 2 church. A church (community of believers) that offered unbelievers a vision of life that was so beautiful it took their breath away. Bold , creative & so dynamic that it was irresistible . 

The Power of the Church It is not the job of government , legislations or city officials to change a human heart , to heal a wounded soul , to turn hatred into love , to bring about repentance , forgiveness , reconciliation , peace... only one power exists on this sorry planet that can do that. It's the power of the love of Jesus Christ...  and this radical message of His transforming love has been given to the church. This means that in a very real way , the future of the world rests in the hands of local congregations like yours and mine. 

The Potential of the Church There is nothing like the local church when its working right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited.  Whatever the capacity for human suffering , the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness. 

The Vitality of the Church What do prevailing churches have in common ?  Is it location, denomination , facility , great preaching?  Without minimizing the importance of these things ...  Hybels has seen that "what flourishing churches have in common is that they are led by people who posses and deploy the spiritual gift of leadership.... [ As seen in Acts 2 ]  a band of brothers and sisters  who were humbly and prayerfully providing the vision, the strategy, and the inspiration that enabled an entire congregation to bear fruit abundantly. Its not that the gift of leadership is more important than other gifts, its simply that people with the gift of leadership are uniquely equipped to come up with the strategies and structures that provide opportunities for other people to use their gifts most effectively. 

Leadership History 101 Old Testament: Moses, David, Nehemiah, Esther etc..  New Testament: Peter , Paul etc... Recent Times: Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley etc...   these were initial catalysts for change in the church. Romans 12:8 tells those of us who have been gifted with leadership that we had better sit up and take notice, that we better "lead with diligence".   Why ?  because the Church - upon which the eternal destiny of the world depends on will flourish or falter largely on the basis of how we lead. 

The Bottom Line of this book is not leadership .... but that the church may reach its full potential as in Acts 2 ... which will only happen through its leaders. 

CHAPTER 2 (pages 29-50)

A Leader's most Potent Weapon is Vision  John Adams (1774) declaring a new nation: the USA , William Wilberforce (1833) pushing the bill to completely abolish slavery ,  The Wright Brothers (1903) the birth of air travel , Henry Ford (1900's) assembly of autos , Billy Graham (1940) bringing the gospel to the masses , Martin Luther King Jr. (1963) the dream of a world with no prejudice, hatred or racism.  

--> What do all these leaders have in common?  A compelling vision.
"Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained." Proverbs 29:18  "Vision is a picture of he future that produces passion" - Bill Hybels 

Receiving the Vision - I was born for this!  
First a leader sees the vision either through scripture, listening or experiencing God at work maybe through another leader.  Without hesitation the leader is compelled and decides to give his/her life to it.  (It may come as a one time "bang!" or overtime with more and more clarity) 
Second , comes the feeling of the vision - the energy and passion that a leader will feel in his heart is important for it to be fully understood. 

A leader's passion is contagious - Leaders are not the only ones energized by the passion of their vision. Followers thrive on it too. Leaders should never apologize for the strength of feeling that accompanies their God given vision. 

Taking Responsibility - After seeing it and feeling it . A leader must own in!  A Godly vision is a holy entrustment from god - to squander it is an unthinkable sin.  Example: Acts 20:24  (Paul took vision as far as any leader can - to his death) 

Maximizing a Leader's Receptivity - Receiving a vision form God is both spiritual and practical. It involves the quiet internal work of making your heart ready and also the energetic, external work of exploring and experimenting. 

Communicate Vision by Embodying it 
How does a leader BEST communicate vision ? by living it out! 

Communicate Vision One-on-One 
The second best way to communicate vision is one on one conversations. Like Jesus did , individual eye to eye conversation with a big ask: Will you leave everything and join me?" 

Communicate Vision by Going Public
The last way to communicate vision is to share it with the public, the church , the team. The vision talk:  It forces precise wording to their passion. 

The WHO & WHEN matter 
WHO: The appropriate person to give the vision talk matters: It is solely the responsibility of the point leader. The one who has embodied the vision from the beginning. 
WHEN: The appropriate time for the talk is crucial . At the beginning of the ministry season , at the start of the run.  (But continual vision is important to prevent vision leakage) 
important note: When a leader is casting vision publicly the goal is to help people to know, understand, and remember the "main thing." 

The Vision Payoffs
1.Vision will increase energy and move people into action  (it puts the match to the fuel that most people carry around in their hearts and yearn to have ignited  by a leader like you) 
2.Vision increases ownership -  effective vision casting will spark veteran "vision owners" to enthusiastically recommit and give their life to it. 
3.Vision provides focus - a clear statement of what a church IS about offers clarity on what it IS NOT about. It minimizes distractions. 
4. Vision smoothes leadership succession - a clear vision allows for a smooth passing of the leadership baton with maintained momentum & effectiveness. 

Vision is the weapon that unleashes the power of the church.

Chapter 3 @ http://barbyward.com tomorrow

Starts this monday ...  below are the books and participating bloggers.  Join in on the discussion and learnings. Click here for full PDF schedule... 

If you're in South Florida - Hollywood Beach is the place to be...
 

If you're in Pensacola ... I'd love to meet ya at our campus .. its going to be a rocking weekend. 

Thanks to all our summer interns for making this an extremely fun project ... see ya at the beach.

Here's why you too should work here @ Potential Studios 

Summer & Fall Internship Registration now open  

Request Applications at-   heredes@me.com 

Vote for the opening song at our Hollywood Beach Baptism Concert...

see you there!

I have honestly never picked out or purchased a pack of toilet paper in my life - until this week.  I know, I know: I am spoiled ,  but between my mom & my wife ... they have always been the ones entrusted with the choosing of what brand , strength and quantity. 

It wasn't until this week (when i was sent on a toilet paper/grocery adventure)  where i realized how many options there were ... everything from "Green" sandpaper to triple strength cotton candy flavored   :) 

Anywho ... the only point of this post is to tell you that sometimes over the top creative and expensive marketing may actually work  ...  because I went with CHARMIN. And the only reason i did ... was because i recalled my CHARMIN  experience in NY years back... see for yourself: 

Powerful video used this past weekend at all our campuses ... Shout out to our wonderful intern Mike Jones  (and his acting skills)

Hanging in Pensacola -  courtesy of @yoelT

How long have you been on twitter ?

I've been a tweep since April 2007 and have seen it grow from a geeky niche trend to a daily tonight show headline. I am still amazed at how it has exploded. I'm not an expert .. but i must say that president Obama's use of twitter in his 08' campaign definitely raised the popularity of Twitter.  Gone are the days of actually just telling people "what you were doing" though ... it sure is fun looking back at all the updates. 

... i was such a twaby.  Click to enlarge...

this is the kind of stuff you miss by not being on twitter ... scary. 

Click to view on flickr & enlarge 

Beach Concert Promo from Flamingo Road Church on Vimeo.