In our Pastor’s Virtual Coaching Network, we talked about the importance of protecting the vision in our churches. Proverbs 29:18 (NIV) Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law. In other words, where there is a lack of vision, there is less focus and more chaos. However, [...]

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Easter Sunday, right after church, I left for vacation. Confession: I take 4-5 weeks of vacation every year. I know for some of you that may feed the stereotype that pastors only work one day a week! However, those closest to my ministry and the ministry of others knows better. On the contrary, most pastors [...]

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We’re talking in this two-part series of posts about why Christianity as a faith and movement is in decline in our nation. In my last post, I introduced the three intersecting circles of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. At Mountain Lake, we’re calling it THE BOLD LIFE: Here’s the challenge: [...]

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Did you know that the church is not winning in America right now? Did you know that every year, Christianity is shrinking in our nation? It’s true. Experts, missiologists, theologians, and historians all agree that Christianity in our nation is largely following in the footsteps of Europe.  At one time those huge churches were FILLED [...]

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There are two types of churches: churches that operate IN a community; and churches that operate FOR their community. They make the community a better place to live because they exist! They are meeting the needs of their community! At Mountain Lake, we decided several years ago, that we were not just going to invite [...]

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Most ministry teams are divided into visionary leaders who constantly dream up the next big idea and pragmatic leaders who see the details and steps to make the vision happen. It is rare to find a leader who has the ability to do both effectively. I call them Bridge Leaders. If there is someone on [...]

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Easter Sunday, right after church, I left for vacation. Confession: I take 4-5 weeks of vacation every year. I know for some of you that may feed the stereotype that pastors only work one day a week! However, those closest to my ministry and the ministry of others knows better. On the contrary, most pastors [...]

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God has been dealing with me lately about prayer. I pray every day. Honestly, however, God has revealed to me lately that: 1. My prayers are often too general. You know: “God bless me; God give me wisdom; God help me today…” and that kind of stuff. I’ve not been as specific and focused in my [...]

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Right now, our church is interviewing a couple of candidates for new positions on our Ministry Team. We didn’t invent all of these, but we utilize these 5 C’s as filters for a potential hire at Mountain Lake. 1. Calling Are they called? Are they willing to sacrifice to be here? Do they believe in [...]

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Velocity 2013 Conference Recordings from Greg Surratt, Kathy Litton, & More #constantcontact http://conta.cc/14pUtrA 

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