Random Thoughts for this Monday after Easter

Monday Morning Arm Chair Quarterback Thoughts Random Thought From Some of the Greatest Minds & a few Pastor G's oneliners

(1) People feed pigeons but they shoot at eagles! If your haters are shooting at you, they know your an eagle!

(2) "We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated." - Maya Angelou

(3) "The best way to FIND yourself is to LOSE yourself in the service of others." - Mahatma Gandhi

(4) Thanking God 4 some things I wanted 2 happen that didn't happen that opened my eyes 2 something better that happened!

(5) Quitting is more about WHO you are than WHERE you are.

(6) "Today I will do what others WON'T, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others CAN'T." - Jerry Rice

(7) "When the water starts boiling, it is foolish to turn off the heat." - Nelson Mandela

(8) If you keep doing the same things...you'll get the same results!

(9)When the pain of where you are is greater than your fear of the unknown, you will move!

(10) In the sport of basketball when there's a full court press, the pressure is on the 1 w/ the ball. If your under pressure, you must have the ball!

4 things I learned after our Easter Celebration

(a)evaluation is tough but NOTHING cause you too grow more than anything else:

(b)Innovation leads to frustration that leads to great organization.

(c) If people would stay in their lane.....it would be fewer accidents!

(d) If you keep doing the same things...you'll get the same results!)

Leadership tip: Preparation is a most important part of a successful project...(And God's Spirit can work in preparation too!)

Random Things about Pastor G

Here are 10 random things you should know about pastors?.these are true for me, but I suspect they may be for your pastor too:

The temptations you face?I face?

The larger the church gets?the less I know about anything?

I may not be the best person to ask?but I can point you to the right people?

The better the message?the longer is takes me to prepare it?

Even though I?m teaching it?I may not yet have mastered it?but I?m working on it?

I get nervous every time I start to preach?sometimes sick to my stomach nervous?

Sunday is not the only day I work?Honestly?

Your story probably doesn?t surprise me anymore?but I am never callous towards it?

To my family I?m not a pastor?just a husband and dad?

If you tell me something on Sunday morning?you probably should back it up with an email to remind me?

How to Grow Your Church Attendance The Sunday After Easter

As we approach one of the largest attendance Sundays of the year Easter

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Front Door

Before a guest ever steps foot on your church’s physical campus, a family seeking or church shopping has probably already checked out your church website. Exciting news we are developing a brand new website and one of the first things we are developing is a link so that church shoppers can find out how casual we are. It will also share FAQ's to address service times, directions, parking, music, dress and preaching style.

What Stinks

It’s important that no church ever underestimates the sense of smell. While sight is the strongest sense for short term memory, the sense of smell is the strongest and most vivid for long-term memories. Every church has the potential for positive or negative smells. Mold is a bad smell. Coffee is a good smell. Bleach is a bad smell. Citrus is a good smell. Many churches have restrooms that are disgusting and smell like urine. This lack of attention to detail can be costly and discourage many from ever returning.

Park Here

If it’s difficult for newcomers to go to your church, they won’t go.” Some would argue that guests want to remain anonymous and don’t want special parking. Of course some want to go unnoticed and will choose to park in regular parking (a minority), but for the rest of newcomers, they are appreciative for a close parking space; it’s a kind gesture in an already intimidating and nerve-racking experience of attending a church for the first time, especially a large one with a huge campus.

Programs & Preaching notes

A worship guide and message notes are two that that has radically changed the spiritual atmosphere and growth of Bethel more than anything else we have implemented. The worship guide is a tool that allow you guest to feel at eased and at home. The guide also allow you to give valuable information about locations, order of service, information on other worship experiences times, exciting announcements as well as FAQ about membership, mission, message and minister.

Give It Away

Something subtle, but powerful is a church that has a generous spirit. Too many churches charge for everything and wonder why no one buys CDs of the message. If you want to bless people and create a generous spirit throughout your church, give away free coffee and message CDs (and other surprises throughout the year).

Security Counts

One issue that is huge to a secret shopper and visiting families is security. If a parent is worried about their child’s safety, they will not enjoy the service and will likely not return. A children’s classroom must be clean, safe and secure. Security also includes the check-out process. If anyone can walk into a classroom and pick up a kid, you’re asking for trouble and will turn off potential newcomers. It’s important that your kids’ volunteers are trained well and know to ask for the parent’s sticker when picking up their kids. This is vital and goes a long way to ensuring a tragedy doesn’t occur and a parent has peace of mind.

The Visible Pastor

Accessibility of the senior pastor is another subtle and powerful statement of a church. Even pastors of the largest churches make an intentional and strategic effort to be seen, greeted and hugged after a service. They may have a body guard present for security reasons, but they are available and willing to pray with people that need to speak to their pastor. @Bethel we are preparing what we are calling "The After-Party" and "QT with the Pastor at which the our staff will be present and available to meet with newcomers.

Finish Strong

It’s simply not enough for greeters and parking lot attendants to say “Hello” or “Welcome” when one walks into their church. To go to another level, have your first impressions team stationed at their posts when the service ends to say “Goodbye” or “Have a nice week”. This goes a long way to wrapping a bow around the entire morning experience and will send them off with a lasting positive impression.

The Lessons I Learned While Building A Church

I was asked by one of my professors who knows that Bethel has on this journey of moving to a new location, building a new building and trying to maintain and grow a church by building its members spiritually, “What I learned during the process and what advise would I give to another pastor, who was embarking on the God-Giving Vision?” After I wiped my eyes, picked my bottom jaw off the table I cleared my throat and said, “Can I get back on that one…”

After praying myself hot, thinking myself clear and I am attempting to pour myself empty: Let me just mention a few things up front, I’m going to be brutally transparent and vulnerable which for anyone who knows me is a huge, colossal, gigantic, enormous, and massive but it’s doctor’s orders. Just a few note before I get down to the bullets:

7 Reasons People Disappear From Church

7 reasons people disappear from church:

Burn out - These people came out of the gate too strong in the church. They showed up, got excited, and signed up for everything. They got so busy doing church they failed to enjoy being the church.

Injury - People inside the church can be cruel. These people experienced some of those people and they couldn't get over it.

Distractions - These people got distracted by seemingly good things. Over time, their lifestyle of attending becomes the habit of not attending.

Life change - These people had a lifestyle change, such as divorce or re-marriage, or they move to a new community and never connect with a church.

Mistakes - These people messed up?they made a mistake and the place that should dispense grace appears to refuse it. Many times this is more perception than reality and based on the way a person feels about themselves, but sadly sometimes it is reality.

Power struggle - These people had an agenda and when it wasn't met and when they couldn't overpower the system, they left.

Immaturity - These people never grew spiritually; there was never any depth to their faith, so church soon became a chore rather than a joy.

Keep Your Dream and Vision Alive

"Keep Your Dream and Vision Alive"

Today, was a great worship experience at the Bethel Church. As we move into Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Ressurection Sunday, the LORD birth a new message series called "HISTORY...The KING has one more move!" God is doing something special in the body of beievers in Bethel. Over the last 2-3 years we have endured so much some self infected and some by outside influence BUT we learned to "KEEP Believing, Doing, Acting and Knowing!" In this blog post I celebration and I dedicated it to all the folks who are trying to keep their dreams alive.

This is for everyone who has ever:

*Had your hopes, dreams or visions attacked.

*Had to deal with haters and fake friends

*felt like your dreams were fading to black and white. Don't let your dreams lose their color.

Keep your dream alive because that's what we have to do sometimes. I could sit thinking about a million things that are wrong, but instead I choose to think on what is right. So "as a man thinketh so is he". In order to see any kind of good success you've got to think positively so that positive things can start to happen in your life. This I know for a fact--IT WORKS! Your thoughts are so powerful. You've got to rise above negativity. Not all of it, but most of it. I say that because even the smallest battery has a positive and negative charge and they both are needed in order for it to work. If you get criticism that is vitriolic and full of venom, don't let that in. Venom kills the spirit. If you get criticism that is constructive and full of love, take it under consideration and learn. It takes a little wisdom to be able to know the difference.

That's the life lesson that the great builder Nehemiah teaches us. When Sanballet, Tabiah and the others heard about Nehemiah's dream of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls they became angrey, plotted together and stired up trouble. What did Nehemiah do he kept his dream and vision red hot! Follow his example stay on higher ground. I don't come down from the safety of a higher place to deal with the foolishness or danger of what is beneath me. I tell you it works. It frees your soul to be free. If you haven't tried it you should. It will mess your enemies up. If I can leave you with anything, I will leave you with this--in this life there will be a lot of things thrown at you. Take them as they come. Some things you fight, but most you don't. Keep your dream and vision red hot!

I believe in you and pray that you will protect the purpose and plan God has place in your spirit and DON'T LET ANYBODY or ANYTHING steal your dream and vision!

You can follow me on twitter @pastorgaddis or on facebook Teron Gaddis/facebook
Live Life On Purpose!

8 Things You Need To Learn About Your Pastor

1.

A good Pastor-Leader has a vision that includes other people…

2.

A good Pastor-Leader will typically be the ones who are willing to think bigger…

3.

A good Pastor-Leader will usually take greater risks…

4.

A good Pastor-Leader will dream bigger than he can complete without others…

5.

A good Pastor-Leader takes people where they are afraid to go…

6.

A good Pastor-Leader strategizes plans they can never accomplish alone…

7.

A good Pastor-Leader aren’t just talking about it they will be about it…

8.

A good Pastor-Leader is actually going somewhere don’t get left behind…

If the goal is not bigger, further, more difficult and risky than today… It’s Not of God!

You may not be able to teach a old dog new tricks, but you can certainly teach it to love new treats. Pastor Ron Edmondson

6 Things That Makes Our Church Special

At the core of what makes our church special are the people......God's people. We are blessed to have a diverse group of loving, accepting, talented, hard-working, fun-loving people in our congregation. Our family consists of kids, teens, young adults, singles, families and seniors at are seeking to become fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ by Worshipping God’s Name, Belonging to God’s Family, Studying God’s Word, Serving God’s People and Sharing God’s Story. Our worship is contemporary in style, and we strive for excellence in our message, music, media, ministries and mission. What make Bethel so special are our Worship, Witness, Word, and our Welcome! We strive to treat people like they have never been treated and do worship like they never seen before.

6 things that makes Greater Bethel Church special:

BEHAVIORAL PREACHING (James 1:22)

ENERGIZED BY PURPOSE (Matt. 22:36-40 & 38:19-20)

TARGET DRIVEN (Colossians 4:5 [GN])

HEALTHY ACCEPTANCE (Romans 15:7)

EVERY MEMBER A MINSTER (Romans 12:5-6)

LIFE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (Ephesians 4:13-15 [Ph])

Seven Things My Daddy Taught Me

I miss my daddy alot these days. Daddy was a gift to me and my brother. He was sometime difficult to understand. He didn't share alot of his feelings and emotions. He didn't express himself too much with words, but when daddy spoke he was always teaching. So I wanted to share a few things my daddy taught me that I hope and pray that I can teach my sons and grandsons. Seven things my daddy invested in me, taught me an shared with me...

1. There are some things in life you will never understand.


2. The lust for a woman can destroy your life.


3. You need other men in your life. I can only take you so far. Always surround yourself with men you aspire to be like and let them invest in you.


4. You need to invest in other men; especially those younger than you.


5. Be willing to risk everything to follow God's call on your life now; while you are young. (Then never get too old for this principle.)


6. Always be a dreamer. It keeps you young; plus your dreams for your life will never be bigger than God's vision for your life.


7. The greatest things in life money can't buy.

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

A lot of people in ministry are looking for love in all the wrong places (please excuse the poor humor) in other words looking for joy in all the wrong places. As pastors and leaders, we want to find it in building, buddies, bodies and bucks; cash, crowds, compliments, clothes and cars; people, peers, power, property and pews (okay its 5am in the morning and I'm sitting in the airport what else can a preach do too pass time other than play with words). Yet we do this in vain. We won't find joy, love or satifaction in any of these.

Paul talks about this in his letter to the Philippians. He said: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ." (Phil. 3:7-8 NIV)

Paul was joyful despite being imprisoned as he is writing this letter.

What shouts me is the phrase, "I consider [it all] rubbish that I may gain Christ." The translators were being polite. The word isn't rubbish it's dung, manure, its "ish" (okay a little bit too far). He's not mincing words. Paul says that everything we have is worthless garbage without JESUS!

Let Go And Let God

This song has blessed me tonight by DeWayne Woods. Hope it does for you what it hass done for me!!

I couldn't seem to fall asleep There was so much on my mind Searching for that peace But the peace I could not find So then I knealed down to pray Praying help me please Then He said you don't have to cry Cause I'll supply all your needs As soon as I stop worrying (soon as I stopped worrying) Worrying how the story ends (When I let go) I let go (And I let) and I let God (let Him have) (Let Him Have) Let God have His way (That's when things) That's when things start happening I'll stop looking at back then I let go and I'll let God have His way

There so much going on Sometimes I can't find my way And often times I struggle Struggle from day to day I have to realize that it's not my battle It's not my battle to fight I have to know if I to put it in His hands That everything will be alright

Let go Let God