Sometimes when I’m trying to figure out how to brand a series, I get my audience all mixed up.  I make it harder than it has to be.
I start trying to theme it in a way that would be…Fresh. Original. Cutting Edge…
To other churches.

It’s not that my motives are bad.  I’m not intentionally trying to secure our place in next year’s list of Most creative/innovative/exponential/whatever churches.
I’m just such a church junkie, I subliminally assume everyone else is too.
I can rattle off what series different churches are doing/have done like most normal guys can rattle off Fantasy Football stats.  It’s my obsession.

My framework is faulty.  The people we’re trying to reach (people far from God) don’t think like I think.
So when we think of a series we’d like to do in a creative meeting, and toss it out because: Man, that’s been done before…
we’re kind of like a coaching staff refusing to run the ball because:
Man, running has been done to before…

Doesn’t make sense. If a series themed around purpose, for instance, is going to be most effective in reaching people far from God, we need to do it, no matter how many times it’s already been done.
We’re not trying to win an originality competition.  We’re trying to impact lostness and build the Kingdom.
The guy I’m preaching to this week isn’t evaluating based on whether Ed Young did a series like this 2 years ago.
He’s evaluating based on the impact the Word of God and the presence of Christ
makes on his life.

Gotta keep the right audience in sight.
Otherwise, we’re just running a beauty pageant-the kind where the contestants judge each other.

(I read this thought on someone’s blog about a year ago, and it stuck with me.  If I could remember where I read it, I’d give the brutha credit.  Sorry.)

3 years ago when we were gearing up to start the church, I thought the secret to success in leadership was pushing through when you’re exhausted and emotionally sapped.  And sometimes you have to. Certain meetings have to happen. Certain tasks must be performed.

But when I’m super-depleted and I have the option, usually the best thing for me to do is lay low.  No major decisions.  Limited interactions.
It’s best for everybody really.  Knowing your limits as a leader and respecting them can prevent long-term injury.

Think about it like this:
When I’m working out, my trainer, Buck, usually forces me to push through my fatigue and complete another rep, whether I think I can or not.
But other times, if my old shoulder injury becomes inflamed, and he sees I’m in unhealthy pain, he’ll make me stop, whether I want to or not.
There’s no sense in pushing too hard, and missing 6 weeks of workouts because I refused to stop when my body was telling me something was wrong.

At times I have insisted on pushing through and producing when my soul needed rest, and have ended up making faulty decisions or doing relational damage that took me months to repair.  Not worth it.

There are times to push through.  There are times to lay low.
The leaders who last are in tune with the Spirit of God…enough to know the difference.

This Sunday I shared how our church is increasing our community outreach partners from 4 organizations to 20–we’re not backing down in this economic crisis.  This is the time for the church to be the change the world is waiting for.

[QUICKTIME http://www.stevenfurtick.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/28.mov 460 259]

I happen to be a leader who believes in the power of a moment.
A single moment in the presence of God can alter a destiny and rock the world.
I hear something almost every day that reinforces that reality.

I read a card today from a thankful mother.  Her son had been far from God for many years.  She reminded me about one line in a sermon I preached this summer.  (I don’t even remember saying it like she said I said it…hmmm…)
The Holy Spirit used this one sentence to draw the kid back to Christ.
It sparked a sequence of spiritual steps in his life, and apparently, he’s preparing for mission work in Africa now.
That all began because of the power of a moment.

Don’t minimize the magnitude of a moment if you’re:

• Standing up to preach Sunday

• Leading a small group in your home Tuesday

• Leading God’s people in worship through music this weekend

• Engaging a difficult conversation that God has been prompting you about for a while

• Coming up on an opportunity to encourage someone who’s on the edge of disillusionment

• Disciplining your children consistently when it would be easier to let them run wild

• Forgiving an offense that feels unforgivable

• Praying for a breakthrough that seems complicated and out of reach

Significant change takes time.  But it’s often ignited in a moment.
Don’t underestimate the uniqueness of your moment.  Make it matter.