Amazing Icebergs!

BREATHTAKING!!

Amazing striped icebergs

Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by
layers of snow that react to different conditions.

Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet
fills up with meltwater and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form.

When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can
freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a
green stripe.

Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up
when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea.


... Is this amazing??

Antarctica Frozen Wave Pixs - Nature is amazing!

The water froze the instant the wave broke through the

ice. That's what it is like in Antarctica where it is the

coldest weather in decades. Water freezes the instant

it comes in contact with the air. The temperature of the

water is already some degrees below freezing.

Just look at how the wave froze in mid-air!!!

Having the Internet means that we get to see something
that we never imagined! Pass it on for others to enjoy!

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The post above came from an email forward I recieved from my dad. Wow, it is amazing. I couldnt' help but think of the journey that we're all on as Rising Leaders and how the conditions we experience throughout life shape us and stripe us beautifully. God doesn't waste anything in forging a leader.

Enjoy
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Richard J Foster on Prayer

Check out this great prayer from Richard Foster in Prayer, Finding the Heart's True Home on page 15....

Dear Jesus,
how desperately I need to learn to pray. And yet when I am honest, I know that I often do not even want to pray.
I am distracted!
I am stubborn!
I am self-centered!

In your mercy, Jesus, bring my "want-er" more in line with my "need-er" so that I can come to want what I need.

In your name and for your sake, I pray. -- amen.

This is an exmple of 'simple prayer' and someone taught me this prayer a long time ago and it helped so much to just come to Jesus simply and admit that most of the time I simply don't want to pray and that I prefer to do life my way on my own terms as long as everything is going great. But, the moment the water gets rough I'm scrambling back up into the arms of God begging for safe passage... I bet you do the same thing!

See you later,
Jeff Fuson

5 Great Books on Prayer

Prayer is the most natural thing in the world -- even for those who don't believe in God. Think of the words that leap from our heart in the face of an overwhelming tragedy...usually, 'Oh God!'

I'm preparing a very special worship experience for the folks of Phos Hilaron Church that will build in time to 'do' prayer and to experience God up close and personal. So, I thought I'd pass along 5 book titles that I've found helpful in preparing for this weekend.

1. Believing Prayer by Andrew Murray -- simple, but powerful. This is great primer on prayer.
2. Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels -- classic Hybels gets right to the point
3. Pivotal Praying by Tim Elmore & John Hull -- this is packed with practical prayer wisdom and I'd highly recommend this to you if you'd like to pray better NOW.
4. Hearing God by Dallas Willard -- not an easy read as usual with Willard, but the effort will be very rewarding.
5. Prayer--Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard J. Foster -- the opening chapter is AMAZING! You've got to at least hit a bookstore and read that! And, then go ahead and buy the book.

We all pray! We may as well do it with a better grasp of how to grow our faith and relationship with God along the journey.

It's not really about faith 'in prayer' -- it's about Faith in God who is in charge of answering our prayers in the manner He deems best.

Pray Strong!
Jeff Fuson

Helen Keller on Teaming Up!

"Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much."

- Helen Keller

Leading a Volunteer Revolution is an amazing ride because I get to see the absolute best in people as they stretch and sacrifice and go the extra miles to benefit others. Launching Phos Hilaron Church has been a huge joy because I get to work with some of the most passionately gifted people on the planet. To work with them this week at 'Phorce Phield' -- our home-based version of a Backyard Bible Club or Vacation Bible School -- was a powerfully rewarding experience because it reminded me of the power of 'we'!

'WE' can do so much more than 'ME' -- no matter how great 'ME' is.

As a leader I'm fully convinced that when God's Volunteer Movement gets fully awake, energized and empowered that there'll be a revolution like this world has never witnessed. Imagine the collective firepower of the Body Of Christ on the move to solve the great challenges of the world. Rick Warren identifies 5 Global Giants in his PEACE plan that challenge the Church to rise up and be THE Church that Jesus imagined when he trained the original core team for the work of advancing the Gospel.

Let God Arise and the People of God Follow His Lead!
Jeff Fuson

Dare to Fail BIG!

This is a great quote! Go for it.

"Only those who dare to fail greatly
can ever achieve greatly."
- Robert F. Kennedy

I'm finding this to be TRUE BIG TIME!
Jeff Fuson

Creative Risk & Launching at the EDGE of Disaster

As a church planter who chose to launch with a staff I think a lot about stuff I didn't have to think about as a Youth Minister at a large church - like how to make payroll for the team every couple of weeks. And, God is full of surprises -- like the fact that we've made it every single time and that He's given us everything we've needed right when we've needed it. He has been out in front of us the whole way.

There's no question that a cash infusion would allow us to do some really cool marketing campaigns and add some video production gear to boost our creative team capabilities a notch or three, but the 'needs' are being met.

Lesson # 1 for me = God is IN this with us and HE's resourcing the movement

Lesson # 2 for me = What God Originates He Also Orchestrates (originally spoken by Troy Dobbs)

Lesson #3 for me = Launching with a strong creative / missional edge drives some 'normal' church people away, but it draws those with a missional heart and a will to impact culture. It's a natural filter.

Lesson #4 for me = 'risk fatigue' is lurking among our team and in my heart all the time. Sometimes we ask ourselves if we should keep pushing the missional and creative edges because we know that it 'costs' us in terms of reaching more 'churched' people right now who could help resource the movement. But, we also know that 'playing it safe' invites a slide back into 'church as usual' which is death to the dream of Phos Hilaron Church. The core of our dream is to reach those who are M.I.A. (Missing in Action) from the Kingdom and those who are P.O.W.s (Prisoners of War) and in our hearts we know that this means that as leaders and as a body PHC must 'cowboy up' and risk playing behind enemy lines, going hand to hand and heart to heart in our neighborhoods, and taking it to the streets in all ways possible. So, we ask for courage to dance at the edge of disaster where God can show Himself strong and abundantly able to do what He wants to do to resource this movement.

Lesson #5 for me = Play to Win or Head to the House. Since God is in this we don't have to 'play it safe' and we don't have to protect our gains and play 'not to lose' -- we can stay aggressive in our methods and dreams and actions (don't read that as obnoxious and 'in your face' , rather read it as taking creative risks to advance the Kingdom of God in creative, compelling missional ways). So, a personal mantra related to the enterprises in my life these days is 'Play to Win'!

I had an old coach who pulled us aside before a big game and gave us a great pep -talk that started something like this, 'Boys, it's not how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose. And, if you lose, don't come back...' He was just kidding, kind of...

And, if I said that to Phos Hilaron Church I'd be kind of kidding, but kind of serious, because the church in America has become so preoccupied with 'pretty and nice' that we've forgotten that our leader took the ball across the goal line up a dust covered hill spattered with his own blood--not pretty, but effective! Sometimes winning does matter and sometimes winning God's way is to play hard and do the gritty work of advancing the Gospel in unorthodox ways. If you wonder about whether God is into 'unorthodox' ways consider how He brought salvation to us -- a Virgin, a baby, a cross! Not orthodox, but ultimately EFFECTIVE.

Just thinking today!
Play to WIN or Head to the HOUSE!
Jeff Fuson

Mighty Casey Up to Bat -- A Re-Take on a Classic

I'm in the office today preparing a talk called 'Swing the Bat' about Power Investing from Jesus' perspective in Matthew 25:14-30. I came across this cool audio as I was doing research that I thought you'd enjoy.

Check in out here.

Worship at Phos Hilaron Church in the morning will help people take the chance that they've been afraid to take!

Swing the Bat,
Jeff Fuson

Questions Communicators Must Answer

Reading a simple book by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones called 'Communicating for a Change' that is as powerfully on target as it is simple.

On page 89 that suggest these 4 Power Questions that every leader / communicator must answer before they deliver their news:
1. What do they need to know?
2. Why do they need to know it?
3. What do they need to do?
4. Why do they need to do it?

Just thought you'd like to know.

Jeff Fuson

God of this City

Phos Hilaron Church was launched to take the Gospel to the streets in innovative new ways so we can connect with people who won't connect to business as usual in a church. This morning we gathered at the fringe of downtown Louisville for a Father's Day event built around a 'Fishing' theme. It was amazing. Today we sang a new song by Chris Tomlin called 'God of this City' that shows our passion for Louisville in a powerful way.

It's definitely my favorite song about our mission these days.

Jeff Fuson

I love being 'Daddy'

Just got in from fishing with the two most incredible boys in the world.  Washed the fish guts and worm goo from my hands and settled in for the waning moments of Father's day--absoulutely blown away that God loves us as much as HE does and that He allows us to live in this country.  I don't take any of this for granted and sheer gratitude pours from my heart all the time--especially when I look into the eyes of my children.  

Earlier today we got to play in the pool together and for the first time I can remember I strapped on a pair of blue tinted speedo goggles and enjoyed the view of our little man diving under the water wide eyed & joy-filled as we tossed torpedoes to each other under the surface.

This morning we enjoyed being at Water Front with our Phos Hilaron Church family for Father's Day built around a fishing theme.  Bob Laffoon, Randy Foster and Eric Foster did a great job sharing some fly fishing ideas with us and our oldest son got his imagination stirred so much that he came home and spent all afternoon making a 'frog' fishing lure from styrofoam and a plastic bracelet coated in green paint. 

God has blessed me with the most imaginative, creative church family in the world and this morning we had the chance to meet many of our homeless neighbors and I got to spend some powerful time with Wade, a former commercial fisherman from Alaska who had a breakthrough moment with God.  Butch Lewis did an amazing job of connecting and working with Wade and others who needed extra T.L.C.   What a great morning.

So, we had an incredible day all the way around.

Jeff

Hot Dog Leaders Get Their Teams Killed....

It'll never make it to ESPN Sports Center, but it was a brutal competition in the hallways of Camden Station Elementary School among the 5th Grade Class for and 'end of the school year' field day (forced indoors by lightning lurking above).

I watched a powerful leadership lesson emerge among the ranks of Moll's Maniacs as one of the self-proclaimed 'leaders' nearly cost her team the 'over-under relay' championship. She was obviously gifted, obviously a leader, very cutesy, cheer-leadery, freckle-faced cool kid. Her athletic ability eclipsed most of the other Maniac's & yet she almost cost her team the race.

How could it be that the most skilled athlete on the team could cost her team? She refused to play team ball. She failed to make a clean hand-off nearly ever single time and so the less skilled player behind her was sent scampering for the blue kickball more than once. It was just that Ms. Hotdog was too good to play a simple game and made it more difficult for her team to succeed. It was weird to watch her hurt her team -- frustrating.

She was so busy being cutesy and cool that she couldn't do the mundane work of passing the ball along. She was the consummate 'hot-dog'.

Many of the brightest, most talented wanna-be leaders I know are hot-dogs. They simply must be noticed and they must do something, even destructive things, to get personal press. Not sure what drives the Hot-Dog Leader but it's usually not team success. As a matter of fact, they generally don't give a flying flip about whether the team wins or looses. In the end these hot-dogs must be grilled and tossed to the canines hounding the grill. Or, they must learn to turn down the little voices in their head that cause them to perform in manners that are attention seeking rather than team enhancing.

Leadership is a team-sport and hot-dogs simply can't lead winning teams. So, Hot-Dog shape up or get your hind-end roasted and tossed to the dogs....

Just a simple lesson from my 5th Graders last few days of Elementary School.

Lead Strong or Go Home,
Jeff Fuson