I am a book-a-holic.  I love reading.  I love holding a real book and marking it up.  My wife gets frustrated at the books all around our house which is just the tip of the iceberg.  I love to read.  

This year, I have had some time to read and want to share the books that have had an impact in my life this past year and these are in no particular order:

• Covocational Church Planting by Brad Brisco
• Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
• Something Needs to Change by David Platt
• Live Dead Joy Devotional by Dick Brogden
• On Preaching by H.B. Charles
• Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney
• Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt
• Saturate by Jeff Vanderstelt
• Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter
• The Persian Gamble by Joel Rosenberg Books
• Unleader by Lance Ford
• The Christian Leader by Bill Hull
• This Changes Everything by Jaquelle Crowe
• Visionary Marriage by Rob and Amy Rienow
• You and Me Forever by Francis and Lisa Chan
• Letters to the Church by Francis Chan
• Discipleship by A.W. Tozer
• The Pathway to God's Presence by Tom Elliff
• Prayerobics by Cecil Murphey
• Kingdom Marriage by Tony Evans
• Primal Fire by Neil Cole
• Eldership and the Mission of God by J.R. Briggs
• Gospel Eldership by Robert H. Thune
• CSB Bible
• Amplified Bible

If you are a part of leadership at Church Inside Out and Mobile Missions Network, I would encourage you to read the following first if you chose any: (Note: we will read a few as a leadership in 2020.)

1.  Live Dead Joy by Dick Brogden.  If you are looking for a devotional to really challenge you and help you read through the Bible in one year, this is the one.  I have gone through this devotional the last two years and it has made a significant impact in my walk with Christ.
2. Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter to get a holistic view of what we are trying to accomplish
3.  Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney.  This has been an incredible book for me and I believe it will help us as a church in our efforts in praying for revival.
4.  The Pathway to God's Presence-above all, we need God's presence and Elliff has a clear way of helping us move this direction.
5.  Primal Fire by Neil Cole-want to know your calling/your mission in life?  This breaks down in understandable terms the basis of Church Inside Out in Ephesians 4:11-12.
6.  Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt.  Is the Gospel your native language?  Can you point people to Scripture when they come to you?  Can we adequately express the Gospel?
7. Something Needs to Change by David Platt.  Want a perspective on how big the world is, how Big our God is and the need to take the Gospel not just to the nations but to our communities?
8.  Letters to the Church by Francis Chan.  If you have been around Church Inside Out for any length of time, you will find we do things a bit different.  This is another book that explains the flavor we are.
9.  You and Me Forever by Francis and Lisa Chan.  If Satan can get to the marriage, the family is taken out and it hurts the church too.  Our marriage is the most important relationship we have outside of our relationship with Christ.  This book will put your marriage into an eternal perspective.
10.  Covocational Church Planting by Brad Brisco.  I love Brad's writing on the Kingdom and it puts into perspective the Kingdom and the role of the church as an instrument.  He also addresses APEST--activating all people for the advancement of the kingdom.
11.  My favorite translation is the CSB (Christian Standard Bible) because I like the way it reads and is easy to understand.  The CSB is what I use when I preach.  I like the Amplified Bible for my study.  

I get that question a lot!

Why is my title Lead Missionary and not Lead Pastor? 

In the words of George Bush, “Strategery.” 

Seriously, we want to be intentional and if we are called to make disciples there needs to be an equipping process that majors on expanding the kingdom through his people.  Check out Ephesians 4:11,12.  I believe God has established an order in planting churches and expanding the kingdom.

We no longer have the luxury of living in a “for the church” culture. We need to bring the international mission strategy and fluidity to the states to reach unreached people in our communities.

Lead Missionary shifts my focus to equipping the saints and reaching the lost.

Lead Missionary allows me to operate in my gifts and equip others to come alongside to use their gifts that are their strengths yet my weakness.

Lead Missionary helps me to not be selfish and recognize all the people in my church have a gift.  I have to be intentional in drawing them out so that they can find their identity and purpose in fulfilling a God’s vision.

Lead Missionary gives my creative mind opportunity to move forward with the vision under the Lordship of Jesus.

Lead Missionary keeps my identity from resting in how many people attend.  Our measure of success is how many people are we sending out as well as helping find their gifts inside the church.

Lead Missionary helps us balance missions/evangelism and discipleship.  I recognize what my gift is.  I need to recognize their gifting in others to shepherd and teach to produce mature disciples.

Lead Missionary allows me flip the script.  Rather than people coming and accomplish my vision, I ask, “What is God calling you to do to advance the kingdom?”  This is why we have 12 different ministries represented within our church.  They are walking in their dominion and are reaching people I never could.  My friend Susan is reaching a segment of the population that I could never consistently be able to do.  The Epps are reaching a whole state that I have never ventured in.  Chris and Geneva are reaching a segment here in Creek County that others can’t or do not want to reach.

Lead Missionary keeps the pressure off of one man.  Pastoring is hard. We have great shepherds within our body, which in our context is our DNA Leaders, who help “CARE-Y” the load.  I invest and trust in these leaders to be the frontline of care, prayer, and discipleship.  They aren’t just discussion facilitators, but help care for and protect the flock.

Lead Missionary keeps us from spending all of our time focused on keeping believers in the church to sending them out to BE the church.

Lead Missionary keeps me from being “THE” guy.  I don’t teach every week.  I am raising up those who have the gift of teaching and preaching to help lead in this area.  This keeps us from getting into a rut.  Our church is the practice field not game day.  Game day happens Monday through Saturday.

Lead Missionary helps me recognize that within the church I can’t be all things to all people.  I don’t have the capacity or wisdom to be all five gifts: missionary, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, teacher.  Only one has the capacity and that is Jesus.  It’s insane the pressure on pastors to do all that they are expected from those sitting in the pews-I would go so far as to say unbiblical too.  The pastor is one man-what if each person in the body used their gifts?  Your pastor would sure appreciate it and his ministry and family would thrive more.

There are people who can love better than I can and teach better than I can.  This gives me the opportunity to let go and raise up more people.  It doesn’t excuse me from my responsibilities, but it encourages me to recognize the “priesthood of all believers.”

There is definitely more to it than this but in a nutshell, how do we not just build a church but expand the kingdom!

What is the condition of the soil of your heart?
The success of your church today is not based upon how well the preacher does or how good the band is.
It’s on how well the soil of your heart is prepared.
Will it fall on the path of your heart-which is just a part of your heart or will it fall on all of your heart(life).
Will the word fall on a rock filled heart-a heart that is shallow and surface deep that the Word just bounces off?
Will the word fall on a thorny heart-a heart that is consumed and entangled with the world?
Will the word fall on a good soil heart that has been prepared to hear?
You see, the Word is going to be preached, but it can’t penetrate a path, a rocky, or thorny heart.
Whether or not a sermon/worship is good is not up to the person on the platform, but the hearer of the Word.
If you step into your church this morning and you leave not getting anything from the Words of God, it’s you who is deaf and hardened.
How will you enter your church today?
Hopefully with a heart whose soil has been prepared to hear from the Lord.