God Answers Prayer

1. Pray consistently because God answers prayer

2. Pray for the IMPOSSIBLE because God answers prayer

3. Pray for your BIG DREAMS to come to pass because God answers prayer

4. Pray for your unsaved loved ones, friends and co-workers because God answers prayer

5. Pray for your sick body to be made well because God answers prayer

6. Pray for your church to DOUBLE in size because God answers prayer

7. Pray for God to bless your finances because God answers prayer

8. Pray for your kids to be a godly success because God answers prayer

9. Pray for your marriage to be OFF THE CHARTS GREAT because God answers prayer

10. Pray for your pastors and church family because God answers prayer

11. Pray in faith because God answers prayer

12. Pray that you will have a PASSION TO PRAY because God answers prayer

Back In The Saddle

I'm back in the office today after being gone for a week. It's good to see everybody. I love getting away and seeing family but I also really enjoy what I do. I love being the pastor of People's Church. I love seeing people give their heart to Christ. I love seeing people growing in their relationship with Christ. I'M LIVING MY DREAM!

I'm going to spend the day studying for this weekend’s message. I already have a very good jump start on the message. I really think God is going to use this message to change a lot of lives and people's perspectives. I'm really learning why God doesn't want us using His name in vain. I'm looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Weekend Update

1. I wasn't at People's Church this weekend. My family and I went to Rochester, NY, to visit my mom, brother and sister and her family. It's always good to see family.

2. I heard services went very well, and many people gave their heart to the Lord. PRAISE GOD!

3. I'm excited to speak this weekend. The title of this weekend’s message is What's In A Name!

4. I really bonded with my kids during our time in New York, especially my 9 month old daughter Caris.

5. THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

God Is Teaching Me To

1. Trust Him. Starting a new church has taken my faith and trust in God to a whole new level. I look back over the past 5 years, and God has really taught me to trust Him more. I'm not where I need to be, but I'm learning to totally trust God for everything.

2. Rest more. I had no idea how intense being a senior pastor of a new and growing church is. When I was a full-time evangelist, I thought I was working hard. When I became a senior pastor, I quickly learned that it is WAY more difficult and time consuming than being an evangelist. STARTING A NEW CHURCH IS JUST FLAT OUT HARD WORK, ESPECIALLY THOSE FIRST FEW YEARS. God has used mentors and His Word to teach me to rest more. I've learned to work smarter and not harder. I'm in this for the long haul. I'm not going to burn out before I reach the age of 40. My best days of ministry are ahead of me, so I'm pacing myself for the long haul.

3. Enjoy life. The older I get the more I'm learning to enjoy life. I love my wife and kids so much. I love to spend time with them. I'm going to enjoy my family. They mean the world to me. I need to do better with spending time with my friends. I talk to two friends who live out of state frequently, but I need to do a better job spending time with my closest friends who live in Oklahoma City. I'll do better because I'm going to enjoy life. I ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE TO LIVE, AND I CHOOSE TO ENJOY IT!

4. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Most things aren’t that big of a deal. Most people's complaints aren't that big of a deal. In the early days, I use to freak out about a problem that would arise in the church, a mean note that somebody would write or a complaint someone had. Now I realize 99.9 percent of stuff isn't that big of a deal. As long as I keep my heart pure and humble before the Lord and lead with the utmost integrity, everything else is small stuff.

I LOVE MY WIFE

1. My wife is the sweetest person I know. I mean that. She is just a super nice person.

2. My wife is my best friend. I love to hang out with her. I love to be in her presence.

3. My wife is passionate about taking care of me. Of course, I'm passionate about taking care of her, but I can't believe how she is so in tune to my needs.

4. My wife is a wonderful mother to our three kids. She handles motherhood with such grace.

5. My wife is a great people person. I've never met anyone who didn't like my wife. I know there are some people who don't like me :), but I really don't know one person who doesn't like my wife. SHE IS GREAT WITH PEOPLE!

6. My wife works at our marriage. We don't have a perfect marriage, but we do have a great marriage. WE WORK HARD AT IT! TIFFANY thanks for your willingness to make our marriage a top priority in your life. I LOVE YOU BABE! AFTER JESUS, YOU'RE THE BEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO ME! I LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART!

Ed Young

Ed Young, Senior Pastor of Fellowship Church, is now doing a video blog. I have a lot of pastors who follow my blog, and I always try to encourage you. So pastors be sure to check this out (video below). If you attend a church, be sure to listen to this so you can know how to pray for your pastor.

PEOPLE'S CHURCH, THANKS FOR PRAYING FOR ME AND MY FAMILY!

WHY STAFF MEETINGS

I know some churches don't have staff meetings, but People's Church wouldn't function well without them. I want to give you some reasons why we have a weekly staff meeting.

1. It allows me to keep the vision in front of the team. I want the vision of People's Church to be HOT HOT HOT in our team’s heart. Staff meetings always refocus our team on the main thing!

2. It gives us an opportunity to celebrate what God is doing in people's lives. I love to hear how we're winning as a church!

3. It allows us to grow and sharpen one another. We are always reading a book together as a staff.

4. It gives our team an environment to argue, fuss and squabble about what they think ought to be taking place at People's Church. I love that our team can argue about things, and then, we always walk out of the meeting as a unified front. My team can always give me input. I WELCOME THEIR THOUGHTS AND INSIGHT!

5. It gives me the opportunity to teach, correct, motivate and encourage our team. One of my passions is to develop leaders, SO I GET TO DO WHAT I LOVE TO DO IN THOSE MEETINGS!

I'm sure I could give you ten more reasons why we have staff meetings. If you oversee a group of people, I would encourage you to have a team meeting. IT COULD BE THE TURNING POINT FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION!

Weekend Update

1. As I looked over our church this weekend, I have a thankful heart because of the diversity we have. I really appreciate all the different skin colors, backgrounds and ages that make up People's Church. We are very diversified and very unified at the same time. What God is doing at People's Church is really special. God, PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU GET ALL THE CREDIT, HONOR AND GLORY FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING THROUGH PEOPLE'S CHURCH!

2. We had 57 people accept Christ as their Lord and Savior this weekend! I am honestly amazed and humbled to see God continually save, deliver and set people free from the grips of sin. Church family, your passion to invite your friends and family to People's Church is unbelievable. You have my word that if you invite your friends and family to PC, we will always point them to Jesus. Jesus will ALWAYS be exalted at PC!

3. I'm so appreciative for all of you serving in ministry. Your passion to love, care and minister to people is contagious. Thanks for doing your part to make PC an irresistible church.

4. I felt like I bombed on my message in the 5PM Saturday night service. I hate that feeling. After that service, people came up to me and told me it was a good message. I WANT TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ENCOURAGE ME WITH YOUR WORDS OF AFFIRMATION AND APPRECIATION. I don't need anyone to discourage me because I do that all by myself. SO thanks for praying for me and my family and for your kind words and cards. THEY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

5. I'm sad to see the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets leave Oklahoma City. I have had the privilege to pastor 4 of these guys and their families. They are moving back to New Orleans. To the 4 Hornets and their families: It was great worshipping with you and seeing your passion for Christ! LET YOUR LIGHT CONTINUE TO SHINE!

6. I really believe God is going to change our lives through this series called 10....the countdown begins. Don't miss this weekend the title is AMERICAN IDOLS!

Church Planting Advice

I just spent two days with 15 church planters from around the nation. This is what I want to pass along to you.

1. Church is planting is hard. If you are a wimp, don't plant a church. If you are coward, don't plant a church. If you are a quitter, don't plant a church.

2. Evangelism better be a core value of your church. If you don't have a burning passion to win people who are far from God, don't plant a church. If you want to pastor a church full of church people, just take a church and preach and love your heart away.

3. Resources can be a major challenge. I talked with several guys who are having MAJOR resource challenges. I would strongly advice you to have a long term business plan before planting a church. When pastor's and churches quit supporting your dream, how are you going to finance it? I STRONGLY BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO HAVE RESOURCES FOR A CHURCH PLANT IS IN THE HARVEST; REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST IN YOUR CITY AND THE RESOURCES WILL FOLLOW. Accomplishing your vision will bring provision!

4. You don't just need a business plan, you also need a ministry plan. Where are you going and how are you going to get there? Does your church have a strategy to accomplish your BIG vision or are you just having services?

5. You must pray and depend on God like crazy. A church planter needs to have a vibrant relationship with Christ. You must love God with all your heart. You must be committed to His word. You must learn to hear God's voice above all others. YOU HAVE TO KNOW GOD FOR YOURSELF!

6. YOUR SPOUSE BETTER be called and excited about launching a new church. ENOUGH SAID!

7. CHURCH PLANTING IS ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING THINGS I'VE EVER DONE! I LOVE IT! I WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE! I'M RIGHT WHERE GOD WANTS ME! It's hard work but it's worth it and I'm having the time of my life!

Church Planting Advice

1. Build a team. I wouldn't advise anybody to start a church all by themselves. You really need a team of people to help you. Some call it a core group, I just call it a team of people. You need some people who are sold out to your vision. There are a lot of different opinions on how to get this team and who they should be. My two cents is there needs to be at least a handful of people who are sold out to you and the vision (these are your top leaders and inner circle), but everybody who helps you start or is with you in the early days doesn't have to be 100 percent sold out to the vision. There were some people who were with us in the early days that haven't made the entire journey (I knew they wouldn't). They are no longer in the church, but they were a tremendous blessing while they were. We didn't allow these people to have leadership in the church, but they helped People's Church in a several ways in the early days.

2. You don't want people on your team who will poison your vision. The people who can be a great asset in the early days but probably won't take the entire journey are people who can't 100 percent grasp the vision. THEY ARE NOT MEAN SPIRITED, HATEFUL, CONTROLLING OR VINDICTIVE PEOPLE. They are also not SPIRITUAL SPACE CADETS OR SPIRITUAL FLAKES! My experience has been, everybody won't take the journey with you so embrace it. Everybody we started with will not finish with us. There are three things that were really critical for us in the early days: 1. Critical Mass of People: I think it's easier to build a crowd and turn them into a core than build a core and turn them into a crowd. 2. Resources: People who would support the church financially. 3. Serving: People who had a heart to serve.

Church Planting Advice

I have a bunch of church planters and some who have an interest in planting a church that follow my blog. So I will periodically give some church planting advice that may be helpful to some of you.

1. You must know that you are called by God! Has God spoken to your heart to plant a church? Could you do anything else and be fulfilled? As Bill Hybles would say, is there a HOLY DISCONTENT inside of you and you know without a shadow of a doubt that God is speaking to you to plant a church? Or does planting a church just seem like a cool, fun and good idea? Bottom line, you better be called or you won't last long.

2. A good question to ask yourself is, “Have I been successful at starting or leading anything throughout my lifetime?” I was in New York a little over a month ago speaking at a conference and the leader of the conference said something very interesting to me. He told me that in their state they find a lot of people who want to plant a church because every other ministry they've been a part of hasn't been too fruitful so they thought church planting was the route to go. Early on they allowed these people to plant churches, and none of them worked! If you're not seeing fruit and success where you are, you may not be called to be the lead planter. If you never started anything from beginning to end and saw some kind of success, you may not be a lead planter. If you've never been the leader over something or lead something successfully, you may not be called to be the lead planter. Please don't have this mentality, "Well, it hasn't worked out in youth ministry, so I'm called to plant a church." YIKES, I'm nervous for you if you think that!

If you have friends who are beginning a church plant or they're thinking about planting a church, let them know about this blog.

MORE ON CHURCH PLANTING TOMORROW!

Staff Meeting

Today is my staff meeting day. I am meeting with my executive team at 9AM. I had lunch with these two guys yesterday and am having a follow up meeting with them this morning. I meet with my executive team more than anybody else in our church because I am developing them and putting my DNA in them. These two men are high capacity leaders and have the ability to run the entire church so that I can be freed up to do what God has called me to do; lead, cast vision, pray and preach God's Word. The bigger our church gets, I have to do less and less so that we can continue to reach more and more people for Christ. I am learning the art of delegation. It's not always fun to delegate because there are some things that I like to do, but they're not the things that I need to be doing and have to be doing so that we can continue reach more people for Christ. It's easy for any leader to be the bottle neck in his or her organization. EVERY THING RISES AND FALLS ON LEADERSHIP! I REFUSE TO BE THE BOTTLE NECK AT PEOPLE'S CHURCH!

After my executive meeting, I will be meeting with our leadership team for an hour our so. It will be a very productive day with our team.

Weekend Update

1. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WEEKEND AT PEOPLE'S CHURCH! 66 people made Jesus the Lord of their life this weekend! That's 100 people over the last two weekends. God, you are really up to something at People's Church!

2. The video testimonies were more than powerful. My faith was challenged and encouraged as I listened to how God has changed lives over the past 5 years at People's Church. We are going to put the video testimonies on the message page on the website (www.peopleschurch.tv). If you missed this past weekend, be sure to check out this video. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID.

3. We celebrated 5 years as a church this weekend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEOPLE'S CHURCH!

4. We celebrated Mother's Day at the Cooper house. We took Tiffany out to eat and gave her some flowers and a lovely card. I also called my mother and wished her a Happy Mother's Day. My mom lives in Rochester, NY. I love you MOMMY AND TIFFANY!

5. Yesterday was my youngest son's birthday. He is now 2 years old. I'm excited for the terrific two's.

6. We are beginning a new series this weekend called "10....The Count Down Begins". Over the next 10 weeks, we are going to allow God to change our lives by taking a fresh and creative look at the 10 Commandments. Be sure to invite your friends and family to experience the life changing power of Christ throughout this series.

5 Year Anniversary Pt. 4

DON'T MISS THIS WEEKEND! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN AWESOME CELEBRATION! WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL THINGS PLANNED THAT'S GOING TO MAKE A HUGE IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE!

1. I want to thank Tommy Sparger, Senior Pastor of North Point Church in Springfield, MO, for being such a great friend and encouragement to me through out the last 5 years (northpointnow.org). I met Tommy at a church planters’ boot camp the weekend after we planted People's Church. We hit it off from day one and have been friends since then. Our relationship has grown closer throughout the years. Tommy and I talk two or three times a week. He's a guy I call when I need advice or a different perspective on a situation I'm dealing with. Tommy, thanks for being a friend through this journey of church planting.

2. Lynn Wheeler is a full-time evangelist and a very close friend. Lynn, thanks for teaching me so much about ministry. When I was a full-time evangelist, you took me under your wings and gave me so much advice. Your wisdom and experience kept me from many pitfalls. When I started People's Church, besides Tiffany, you were my biggest fan. You are a true blue friend. THANKS DUDE FOR BEING THERE THROUGH THICK AND THIN!

3. One of the things I've learned after 5 years of being a senior pastor is: the only way to do ministry is with a team. The team that's around me makes me look better than what I really am. I'm not as smart and sharp as many people think I am (I'm not being humble it's the truth). I have a great team around me. These men and women are team players and are very gifted. To my team: Thanks for having my back, and you know I have yours. Thanks for praying for me and my family. Thanks for your commitment to me and to the vision of People's Church. Thanks for going the extra mile.

4. To my church family: You have been incredible to pastor! A handful of you have been here from day one. You have a special place in my heart. Church family: Thanks for praying fervent prayers. Thanks for serving faithfully. Thanks for giving generously. Thanks for being flexible and willing to adapt to our ever changing church. Thanks for having such a passion to reach the lost. Thanks for believing in the mission of People's Church. Thanks for loving Jesus with all of your heart. THE BEST IS YET TO COME! JUST WAIT AND SEE!

5 Year Anniversary Pt. 3

1. I want to thank Jim McNabb, Senior Pastor of The Bridge Church in Mustang, OK, for his unbelievable support of People's Church in the early days and even today. You have been a true mentor and friend to me. Even when I was in college, you believed in me and my ministry. You are one of the most generous people I know. I'm grateful for your 25 years of faithful and fruitful ministry to the same church. You are a great example and role model to me!

2. The investment of Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, and Mark Crow, Senior Pastor of Victory Christian Center, has been invaluable. It is rare for pastors to invest and truly help another pastor in the same city. These two men really believed in me in the early days. Our church was less than a year old, and I took both of these men to lunch separately. They gave me advice and ideas that had never entered my thought process before. My mind was open to a whole new way of thinking about church and ministry. Over the past 5 years God has used both of them to speak into my life over and over again. Craig and Mark, thanks for your partnership with Herbert Cooper and People's Church. MY LIFE AND MINISTRY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME BECAUSE OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN MY LIFE! KEEP IT COMIN'!

3. The decision to buy 50 acres on Britton and Kelly in August 2004 was a major turning point at People's Church. This decision let the community and our regular attenders know that this two year old church wasn't about to close the doors, but we were serious about making an impact in Oklahoma City for the long haul. Many people questioned the location of that piece of property, but it was truly God's hand and leading as we look back. The area is now growing like crazy. New homes and businesses are flying up. We beat everybody in and bought 50 acres less than a mile from 1-235 and a few miles away from 1-35 for $505,000. I CALL THAT GOD :).

4. In the fall of 2004, we kicked off a stewardship campaign to build a new facility. That was a huge leap of faith for me. Our church was growing like crazy but most people had only been attending for 6 months or less. This young pastor was getting ready to ask a group of people who had only been attending the church for 6 months or less to give big time to see the vision of being a soul-winning, multi-cultural church come to pass. Our people listened to God and bought into the vision and pledged over $900,000 for 2 years. It's so fun stepping out on faith and watching God do ONLY WHAT HE CAN DO! GOD YOU ARE FAITHFUL!

5 Year Anniversary Pt. 2

1. The grand opening of People's Church was May 12, 2002. We had 65 people in attendance. We did a mail out to let people know that we were getting started. That was one of the most scary days of my life. I wondered if anybody would show up, besides our family members who made up a good portion of the crowd that first service. Some people did show up, and we were off and rolling!

2. The first year of People's Church was very busy and very demanding physically and emotionally. I traveled full-time around America and Canada speaking in churches, conventions and camps to provide financially for my family and to help underwrite the church plant. My wife was working full-time, and she was also over our children's ministry and taught the kids on Sundays. Needless to say, it was a grueling season of ministry for us. To be real honest, I don't miss those days of church planting. It was a breaking time in my life.

3. I'll NEVER forget the first Sunday of August 2002. That was our first Sunday to have over 100 people in attendance. We never fell under 100 people in attendance after that Sunday.

4. From day one, People's Church has always seen a lot of people make Christ the Lord of their life. Winning people to Christ and getting them connected to the local church and growing spiritually has always been a driving emphasis. Even though it took us 3 to 4 years to establish our identity and personality as a church, I knew we weren't called to be a church just for church people. I have to confess that I didn't always know exactly where we were going. In the early days, church people were telling me we needed to do this or do that to be a real church. I was confused a lot, and I was very insecure inwardly, but I stood my ground because I knew God called us to be a church that was focused on reaching people who didn't go to church. The decision not to cater to church people's wants and demands was a defining moment for my leadership and for the direction of People's Church. WOW, I'M GLAD I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION TO LISTEN TO GOD AND NOT TO ALL THE PEOPLE SCREAMING IN MY EAR!

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

This weekend is People's Church's 5 year anniversary. I can't believe it's been 5 years. DON'T MISS THIS WEEKEND FOR ANYTHING! It is going to be such a memorable experience as we celebrate 5 years.

This week I'm going to share with you some highlights, lessons learned and fun things about the first 5 years of People's Church.

1. Never do ministry alone. Brian and Alicia Rush were a God send. They've been with us for 5 years leading worship and more importantly being great friends. Tiffany and I value our relationship with the Rush's. We both moved to Oklahoma City over 5 years ago and it's been amazing what God has done. Brian is incredibly gifted. He's not just a worship leader but also has a strong leadership gift, is technically savvy and has great intuition.

2. When Tiffany and I moved to Oklahoma City from Missouri, we lived in Edmond at the Extended Stay Hotel for a month. We created some fun memories living in that small hotel room.

3. When we moved to Oklahoma City, Tiffany taught school for one year at Edmond Memorial High school. Many of you may not know this but Tiffany has a college degree in English. She's is very bright and gifted, but chooses to stay home and invest her time and talents in the 3 Cooper kids.

4. We started People's Church in our home with 6 other people, and that included the Rush's. We only knew a handful of people in the area so we didn't have a big group to start with. Tiffany grew up in Nebraska and Wisconsin and I grew up in Wewoka, Oklahoma. Brian and Alicia grew up in Ponca City, Oklahoma and were living in the Tulsa area before moving to Oklahoma City to help plant the church. We knew very few people when we moved to Oklahoma City. WOW, WE WERE AWFULLY NAIVE TO THINK WE COULD MOVE TO A CITY WE HAD NEVER LIVED IN BEFORE AND START A CHURCH FROM NOTHING! I MEAN NOTHING!!! GOD, THANKS FOR BAILING US OUT!

Weekend Update

I thank God for the way he's moving at People's Church. We saw 34 people receive Christ as Lord and savior this weekend. YEA GOD!

Here are some things I hope you remembered about this weekend’s message.

1. Every weekend is somebody's first weekend to attend People's Church and to experience the life-changing power of Christ. For the last 3 months, we have averaged 38 new families visiting People's Church EACH WEEKEND. EVERY WEEKEND COUNTS! EVERY WEEKEND MATTERS!

2. People's Church prays like it depends on God and works like it depends on us to create a worship service that you WANT to invite your family and friends to. We are partnering with you to help you reach your family, friends and co-workers for Christ. This week, be sure to invest in somebody who doesn't know Christ.

3. There are only a few things that matter. Many people chase after a lot of things that really don't matter. People spend a great deal of time, energy and resources on things that in a thousand years won't amount to a hill of beans. One of the things that really matters is, we must take as many people to heaven with us and help them live their entire life for Christ. God has strategically placed you where you are so that you can be salt and light. Be sure to bear fruit that will last. Only what we do for Christ really counts!

4. I'm excited that MANY of you signed up to get involved in one of the many ministries at People's Church. You are helping us create an IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH for more lives to be changed and for the church to continue to grow. YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE AN INCREDIBLE DIFFERENCE BY USING YOUR GIFTS AND TALENTS TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF CHRIST THROUGH THE LOCAL CHURCH.

Round Table

I walked away from the senior pastor's round table inspired, stretched, motivated and humbled. Here are some things that impacted my life.

1. The relationships I made: I will write in future blogs about who impacted me and why. You can never have too many friends in ministry.

2. Everybody was real: I appreciated how people let their guards down and talked about real issues with candor. It moved me!

3. The discussion about delegating power versus delegating responsibility impacted my life big time. I know I'm not there yet with our executive team but we are getting there. The conversation really got me focused in on what that looks like.

4. Everybody in the room was willing to help each other. There wasn't a competitive spirit or I'm better than you feel. Everybody I talked to, no matter how big or how small their church was, was willing to offer advice or receive advice. It was truly a group of humble guys who wanted to be more like Jesus, please Jesus, serve the local church better and help each other.

5. I got answers to some questions that I have been searching and praying about. I needed some direction, so I have been prayerfully seeking the Lord and I also always look for wise and godly counsel. I definitely found wise and godly counsel from these men.

6. I sensed the passion for Jesus that everybody possessed. It made me more hungry for God. More than anything else, I want to love God, serve God and please God. I walked away challenged to fall in love with Jesus all over again.

I will write more later. I'm spending the day with my family! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

Random Thoughts

1. I didn't want Phil to get voted off American Idol last night. I thought the boy was coming into his own. Anyway, I'm still pulling for Melinda and Blake.

2. I've already gleaned a bunch from hanging out with the pastor's last night at the senior pastor's round table. My heart and mind is so wide open, and I'm hungry to learn. I feel like the more I know, the more I don't know. Since I don't know, I'm hungry to learn from those that know what I don't know because I would like to know what they know so that I can know :). If that makes sense!!

3. I've made great strides in my walk with Christ this year. God is ripping things from my life and thinking. I'm not there yet but I'm becoming more like Christ day by day. I LOVE YOU LORD!

4. I'm enjoying the journey. In the early days of People's Church, I wasn't enjoying the journey. I had nothing but a dream, and I pushed and worked and pushed like crazy and wasn't enjoying the journey. I've learned from several friends that this is a marathon not a sprint. I'm in this for the long haul. So now I'm running at a much better pace. I'm taking my day off religiously. I'm taking more and more time off from speaking on the weekends. I'm doing what I love to do the most, SPENDING LOT'S OF TIME WITH MY WIFE AND KIDS! I'm enjoying the journey, how about you?

Excited About Today

I've been wide awake since 3:50AM this morning. I stayed in bed and tried to go back to sleep but I couldn't. So I decided since I'm up, I would spend time in prayer. So I laid in bed until 4:50AM and prayed and thought about the goodness of God. I'm a truly blessed man. I'm very thankful for my wife, my three kids, my friends, my staff and my church family. LIFE IS SO GOOD!

Tonight and all day tomorrow, I have the privilege to hang out with some leading pastor's from across the nation at a senior pastor's round table. I don't feel qualified to hang out with these leaders, but I'm very humbled that I have the opportunity to learn and grow from them. I'm excited to learn how these leaders think. I'm excited to learn how they lead. I'm excited to learn how they structure their churches. I'm excited to learn how they balance their personal life with ministry. I'm excited to learn how God has used many of these pastor's to lead some of the largest and fastest growing churches in America. I know God wants to do big things through People's Church, so I have to continue to grow and learn so that I won't be the bottle neck to our church. I'M SO EXCITED TO BE A BETTER LEADER FOR CHRIST! LORD, MY PRAYER IS STRETCH ME, BREAK ME, MOLD ME, SCARE ME, FILL ME AND GIVE ME THE BOLDNESS AND COURAGE TO DO WHAT YOU TELL ME TO DO!

Leading An Effective Team

1. One of the biggest keys to leading an effective team is selecting the right people. If you select a person to do a certain job and they don't have the gifts, abilities and fortitude to get the job done, your team will suffer because of your poor choice. Choosing the right people is major.

2. You have to develop and train the people you select. You can't expect people to perform effectively if you're not willing to train, develop and invest in them. Here are some ways we train, develop and invest in our team: We have someone assigned to train a new person for their role. We make sure they are equipped and have everything they need to be a success. We have quarterly reviews where we evaluate and give feedback regarding their strengths, weaknesses and where they need to make improvements. Our leadership team is always reading and discussing a book together. We have a weekly staff meeting where we discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. We take the leadership team to a conference every year to stretch their thinking. We require our leadership team to meet with leaders from other churches who are getting it done. We have a staff retreat at least once a year.

3. You have to give people room to fail. If people aren't failing, then they aren't stretching and trying anything new.

4. Don't micro manage people. Nobody wants to be checked in on every hour. Give the marching orders and give people the latitude to get things done how they see fit. There's more than one way to cook chicken. What matters most of the time is the end result not how things got done. People won't do things exactly the way you would have done it.

5. You have to be vulnerable with your team. Your team needs to know you make mistakes. They need to know that you don't have all the answers. They need to know that you are teachable and willing to grow. They need to hear you say you are sorry when you do something wrong. If the leader models being vulnerable and broken, it will trickle down to the rest of the team.