Real Talk

 When asked what she thought “Real Talk” was all about, the soft spoken girl said, “This is a chance to be real with each other and ourselves. We want to be a group that accepts everybody as they are and loves them no matter what. We are all messed up and we need each other.” With Bob Marley playing in the background and conversation happening all around us at Starbucks, her words were loud and clear. 

 

Galatians 6: 1-10 says this in The Message, “Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

 ^4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

 ⁶Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.

 ^7-8Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

 ^9-10So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

May we bear and share the burdens. Thats what “Real Talk” is all about.

Marketing for Ministry

Do you make your first impression your best impression? Within the first three seconds of an encounter you are evaluated…even at just a glance. Once the first impression is made it is virtually irreversible.  Casting  judgement upon someone is in all of us – whether we like it or not. 

Really, I had never given this much thought until I worked at Express (retail store in the mall) and now working in marketing for the Tampa Bay Rays. After sitting in seminars and being trained on the first impressions and marketing techniques,  I realized that everything about me was being judged at just a glance. How was I representing  myself and more importantly how was I representing the company? If I were to give a bad first impression that would not only make me look bad but could also make the company look bad.

Through conscious effort and daily practice I started to develop somewhat of a consistency in my first impression. I wanted to make my first impression my best impression to everyone that I met. This made me more confident in my approach, better at communication, and more efficient with sales.

Think of how many people you meet on a daily basis – whether its at a local coffee shop, the gym, your workplace, the store, etc. There are a lot of people that we come into contact with on a regular basis this may be direct or indirect depending on where you are. You might be speaking with one person and being evaluated/judged by someone standing at a distance (it happens more than might expect). There have been countless times that I have been approached by someone because of a conversation I was having with another person (watch what you say, it might not always be positive feedback). You never know who is watching and listening, it may make an impact in your life and hopefully make a huge impact in theirs.

What would people say about your first impression? Maybe the better question is, would people say that your first impression is your best impression? My mind immediately asks the question – how does this impact the church? Look at it from a Sunday morning perspective, how much does my church value “first impressions?” Also, look at it from a evangelistic perspective – when is the last time I talked to a complete stranger and tried to get to know them in a real way? Do I find it difficult to make new friends? Strike conversation? How is my approach and delivery? These are valid questions that we all should ask ourselves, hopefully causing  us to leave positive and lasting first impressions.

May we see the powerful impact we can make within seconds of meeting someone. An evangelistic perspective is an outward perspective – your passion is seen. Today may you be a noticer, a motivator, and a lover to all.

Spring Fling

Last Friday night Common Ground kicked off the spring with an event for the whole family. Spring Fling has been an event that everyone in the community looks forward to – where else can you go that has over a 1,000 Easter eggs, bounce houses, inflatable games, and a ton of food? Oh, ya… did I mention an outdoor movie? Well, with the help of Indian Creek and Clermont Christian Church (missions teams for the week) we were able to pull off a great night with over 350+ people from around the Tampa area.

There were many highlights on the night… here are my my FAB FIVE:

1) Hangin with my best friend – Tyler Smith

2) Meeting new friends…

3) Kickin Jarqeese’s butt…

4) Popcorn & a movie…

5) Bein crazy with the students…

Big THANKS goes out to everyone that was involved – Thank you!

Baptism Sunday

“This will be a defining moment in your ministry,” said Ryan Post after a great discussion about what God is doing in Tampa; I couldnt agree more. On March 15th there were 7 baptisms at Common Ground – including my main man; Jarqeese. Nearly 3 months prior to this spectacular day, Jarqeese called me up and wanted to know if we did baptisms over at the church. We began to take this journey of what it means to get baptized and give your life to Christ. While riding in the car one day Jarqeese very boldly told me that he wanted to be different, saying “I dont want to do bad anymore, I want to be good. I’ve seen and done all kinds of bad things, and I dont want to be like that – I want to be like Christ.” Jarqeese was the first student that I met when arriving in Tampa, and very fittingly the first to get baptized. Ryan was spot on, this is a defining moment for the student ministry at Common Ground.