The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs -- A Leadership Fable by Aesop

This little fable has a deep meaning for leaders, teams, and organizations.
Read it and following I have a few questions for you to consider.

THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGGS

A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which laid a Golden Egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal at once. But when they cut it open they found it was just like any other goose. Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed any longer the daily addition to their wealth.

Much wants more and loses all.
__________

1. What is the goose that lays the golden egg in your life right now? It may be the organization that you are leading or maybe it's YOU. A leader can get so focused on leading and organizational outcomes that she/he can lose her soul in the quest.
2. Is there a way to coax more production out of the goose or is this a time to 'fatten' up the goose?
3. If you are patient what's the long term payout from a well-cared for goose?
4. If you insist on pressing the goose into more production right now what will likely happen?
5. Would you rather have production far into the future or an immediate return?
6. Are you willing to adjust your expectations so that both the goose and you can 'win'?
7. What's the most important thing to do to take care of your goose right now? Over the next 3 months? 6 Months? One year? 3 years? 5 years?

We can accomplish far more in 10 years than we imagine and far less in one year than we'd like. Play for the long game. Push the fly wheel and be disciplined about your actions and you'll be amazed at how well the 'Goose' (call this your 'core business unit') does over the long haul. Impatience and failure to feed the goose with the training, tools, and marketing support she needs and you'll likely lose the long term payout that was possible.

Leaders run the tightrope of managing expectations AND producing long term profitability AND taking great care of the goose.

Let this fable feed your imagination about what you need to do to care for the Goose in your life.

Jeff Fuson

p.s. I'm on Twitter at JeffFuson if you wanna keep up with what's going on that way.

Jeff Fuson is a Leadership Keynote Speaker who 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. As a Professional Speaker Jeff delivers Leadership Keynote Speeches & training events for Leaders, Executives, Supervisors, Entrepreneurs in Government, Banks, Credit Unions, NonProfits and other cutting edge enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

All About Kids Leadership Training Session

Great to work with the crew from 'All About Kids' in Louisville Kentucky today. Angie Tyler and her team were great to work with. We explored a lot of key ideas related to leadership in a session called, 'Leadership Is...' All About Kids is a true entrepreneurial endeavor and they're doing great stuff with kids in the Louisville Area.

Reggie McNeal -- Missional Renaissance

Reggie McNeal -- Missional Renaissance

Missional Leadership Specialist at Leadership Network

Kentucky Baptist Convention Building / January 22, 2009

Good News about Christianity's growth around the world....

• Fastest growing religion in the world is Christianity / 80 million Christians in India alone in the past 10 years. 90% of new churches are house churches.
• Campus Crusade is partnering to launch 1 million new churches (house/pouch) in the next few years.
• Churches grow out of a movement, rather than having a movement grow out of a new church.
• The movement in China outstrips the growth in India – more than 10,000 per day ++
• Indonesia growth is over 18% b/c of the Tsunami and the the acts of love and compassion that followed the disaster.
• In the 20th Century Africa went from 3% to 40%+ Christian
• The Christian truth is on the move in spite of hardships all over the world. It’s Pentecost somewhere in the world right now.
  

News in the U.S., Europe and Australia is not so good....

Everywhere the Western Model / Constantian model of church went down is struggling. Australia is under 5% Christian. Sweden 2%. The bastion/centerpiece of Christianity in Europe is crumbling.

• Pollsters in America are getting it wrong when they say that 40% of Americans are attending church.  Our buildings couldn't hold 40%....
• We are the largest English speaking mission field in the world here in the U.S.
• If we don’t wake up we’re gonna miss what God is up to. The first half of the Book of Acts was the Church trying to catch up to the Holy Spirit. God didn’t follow the protocol that the early church expected and the church had to move fast. The Holy Spirit is running wild in the streets outside the walls of the church.
• God’s not waiting on us to get it to do it!
• Blackaby was right … find out what God is up to and get in on it.
• Let’s learn from what the Holy Spirit is doing where they are experiencing Pentecost.
  

We are seeing something that is bigger than the Church sector.
In the Renaissance we had people coming together from multiple disciplines to do new things. God’s creating a conversation across the domains of our culture that’s it’s gonna be impossible in our lifetime to think of the church the way we used to think of the church.  

We can get in on this by making 3 critical shifts…

This will take scorecard revamps from How Many / How Often / How Much …. This scorecard does not serve to celebrat the dimensional richness of missional living.

• Expand the bandwidth of what we measure to celebrate missional richness.
  
• The missional church is the people of God partnering with Him on His mission for the world. 
  
• The mission is always being played out in the world – beyond the world.
  
• In the old world the church was the point – the church was the mission – God was creating The Church. So, if we measured the ‘church stuff’ then we could see what God was doing. However, now we’ve learned that God is always at work beyond His people and His work is not shrink-wrapped down to the size of the local church.
  

Shift 1 = From Internal to external focus 

• Internal focus is built on the assumption that is we got ‘church’ right then she would take care of the world. We have the best churches that we’ve ever had complete with all the bells and whistles. But, have we had the impact that we hoped that we’d have? This is the ‘churchcentric’ worldview. I’m not talking about adding one weekend a year where we go out and paint the school. A shift in emphasis is tectonic shift of record keeping, programming, etc. 
  
• In Church Centric Churches our job was to turn the world into ‘us’ and then get them to be like us and work on church stuff. Maybe we’ve run out of people who want to buy what we’re selling. Over here we’re trying to lob something into the culture from the church like a bomb.
  
• In the internal focus deal God exists at ‘church’ and we have to take Him out in to go bags.
  
• The reason the house church is so viral is because it’s about who they are and they are just being the body on the move out in the real world/culture.

A better strategy than evangelism – why don’t we have a blessing strategy instead of an evangelism strategy?  

• Let’s go out this week and practice being the people of God. Go out and bless three people this week—and be sure that one of them doesn’t deserve it! I’m not talking about random acts of kindness, I’m talking about starting conversations. The core prhase of a ‘blesser’ of people is: I’ll ask God to help you.

• You can simply ask the wait staff at a restaurant, ‘How can I ask God to bless you?’
  
• God loves to show off!! 
  
• And, then, tell the stories of what happened.
  
• To be the people of God you’ve got to believe God – not just believe ‘in God’ – HUGEMONGOUS difference because then, a person orders their life around who God is and what He’s up to in the world.
  
• Our job is to bless the world and then watch what God does in the lives of people. Get caught up in the wind of the Holy Spirit and just get out there and bless people.
  
• Study Holy Trinity in London England about what’s going on with their Alpha Groups.
  
• ‘Are you one of those blessing people?’
  

Let’s lay down our agenda and just go be the people of God and bless people.

When the church is the destination you are attractional. However, when The Kingdom becomes the destination THEN you’re on the way becoming an Incarnational Kingdom oriented church.
Just as an airport is not the destination…so, the church is not the destination.
The focus of the gathering is to celebrate what God is doing away from the gathering….
A pastor in Titus County Texas stated his vision statement for his church in 2009 was ‘’There will be no hungry kids in Titus County and in three years there’ll be no child leaving 3rd grade without being able to read English.”
BTW, on every Wednesday evening they’re doing the backpack program – churches are filling backpacks on Wednesday that free/reduced priced lunch kids can take home so that they won’t be hungry. A church of 400 is feeding thousands of pounds of food each week. Children pack the backpacks on Wednesday evenings. Kids are learning to serve by packing backpacks. Young people who can drive are delivering the backpacks. Now, not just food is going in the backpacks but prayer request sheets. You gotta believe God can use this actual physical program to bless people.

To do something huge you’ll have to work with other churches and agencies to get this done. 

• One staff meeting was go somewhere and pray….’ God help me see what you see.’ – for an hour or two. They shredded the staff agenda that they had and they focused on the dealio. This so changed them that they sent the whole church out to do this one Sunday and they wanted to see what the people saw. Tell us what God showed you. 
  

Our prayer must be ‘Dear God help us see what you see’ b/c we need a heart transplant.

• Wouldn’t that be a great initiative to turn out church and go listen for what God is up to??
  
• The Millenials get this….the have core values to support the Missional Church. They have a desire to go out and make it a better world. It’s Obama calling everyone to service on MLK Day, it’s Bono. Volunteerism is on the rise.
  
• I’m telling every church I work with to ‘Adopt a School’ or at least a 3rd grade class and work on literacy because studies show that if a kids leaves 3rd grade and can't read english he/she is gonna have a very hard time. 

In the old world we were trying to get them to connect to us….now, we’re trying to connect to the world.  

• Go to kidshopeusa website to learn how to adopt a school, etc. 
  
• You practice saying in the mirror before you go, ‘How can we help?’
  
• In the old world is was about Silos….the missional church has a whole new view of culture and understands that God already has his people in all these places to serve and influence.
  
• Invest in the community.  
  
• Doing good greases the skids for God in the view of the world. The Atheist has a hard time dismissing the ‘recurring good’.
  

If you call the party you’ll find all kinds of people to help. You can go out there and find all kinds of ways to be salt and light.

• Let the church call the party to order and invite the community to help.
  
• The ‘institutional’ church does not reflect well the values and mission of Jesus. 
  
• Our role in the Kingdom right now is to be the church.
  
• What is gonna be our role in the economy going south?? Wallace Kent’s question…
  
• Reggie’s answer, ‘You’ve got to take care of your people’ within the body. And, then you’ve got to make a radical commitment to serve those in the community as well.
  
• A church in Texas made a commitment to those in her body who lost their jobs that noone would loose their homes.
  
• The early church moved forward on sacrifice and service. It will be the same today for churches that will shine a light on who Jesus is.

THM for me (this is what I think I’m hearing…): Play bigger, do BIGGER stuff so that other’s can join us. Throw bigger parties so that the community can help and so that other churches and agencies can take part in what’s going on. Keep moving out in faith so that others can take part in what’s goin on and the resources will be there.

• Look for ways to release people to go out and meet the needs of the community.
  
• There is a rise of the ‘missional community’ – it’s beyond house church. It’s not a bounded set. It’s an alternative technology of reaching people that need the Gospel.
  
• The church system is like Exxon and Mobile and we know what to do with oil from Shale, etc.
  
• What I’m begging the existing church to do is to invest in the alternative technologies that ‘missional communities’ will bring to us. 
  

Check out the leadnet.org go to ecpn white paper on middle sized groups.

Re-score-carding this thing….
Let’s use a resource reallocation model to build our score card

Resource                          Internal                            External

Prayer                               about us                  about the world out there
Example: Crossroads church in Cinci is being sure that every single public school teacher has a prayer partner. ‘What you’re doing is so important that I’m asking God to bless you. If there’s ever anything that I can do please let me know. Here’s my email and here’s my phone if you need me please let me know.
Serving our way into influence…
You could extend this prayer experience to public officials and you could put more emphasis on praying for the community outside of the church.
Re-allocate your staff’s prayer time.
Staff                      office hours                 community hours
Example: every staff person in every community I know of is out in
the community serving them.
Example: an executive pastor that took the position of the head of
soccer and he won’t be at church in the building on Sundays for two
years.

THM: Expect Staff to find ways to connect in the community. 

Money           how much did we take in?       How much went out?

Facilities         How to keep the people out vs. build it for the com first

Ask: How would missionaries approach this?

Think about funding a community initiative to support and without exception that will get funded first. People are ready to invest in the community and in kids. The twenty somethings are not laying back to give money to build a church building.

Technology Supported Ministry Creates Ministry

• The Internet is LIVING SPACE for twentysomethings….
  
• Check out ‘second life’
  
• Add to Scorecard: Why would I need to go to any other website to learn how to serve the community? 
  

Shift 3 = Move from Program Driven to People Development

It’s quite easy in the program driven model for the staff to have a meeting where the people we are called to serve never make it into the discussion. It requires a lot of intentionality to move to a people development culture. 

At Phos Hilaron Church the The bottom line question

 about everything we do is:

 ‘’does this build an Apprentice of Jesus out of ordinary people”

What if ‘better marriages, better relationships with our kids, and loving our neighbors’ made it to the scorecard?

How do you develop the culture of People Development?  (aka, Spiritual Life Development as Primary Purpose - remember, Jesus' command to 'make disciples' -- we call em 'apprentices' around Phos)

• The old days of clergy telling people how to live their lives is over. They will let us help shape them but they won’t let us template their spiritual journeys anymore. We’re in a culture that expects customization and they start where they want to start in the matrix. Starbucks has 87,000 possibilities on how to do their coffee.
  
• Maybe the reason we reach so few people is that we only serve lattes from 11 to 12 on Sundays…..
  
• We are moving into an asynchronous culture. 
  
• Church used to be a lot simpler.
  

Building better people is the key to a viral church. If the people in your church grow strong and well then they’ll be viral agents.  

• In the early days of your church try not to lock yourself into a 52 week cycle of doing church.  
• Trend: People at different life stages want a different kind of church experience anyway….one of the biggest exiters are the empty nesters who are worn out from the program driven church. Postcongregationalist boomers are a group worth thinking about.

Debriefing is part of a people development culture. Give people time and space to make sense out of what’s happening in their lives. 

(this is the OBT in an LXG at Phos / the whole 'culture' of doing life together out in homes with low 'content agenda' centered on simple truth applied to real life is a 'debrief space' )

• Help people ‘exhale’ like an asthmatic even in our corporate gatherings. Give them a brief ‘something’ to talk about in the gathering. Ask em, ‘what was the best thing about your week?’, etc.
  
• Information by itself does not change behavior. It has to be processed and it has to be brought into our real life. (for Phos this is part of the importance of the OBT in LXGs)
  

Make sure that ‘people’ are the central issue of everything in what you do. It’s about making connections with real life and how people grow from what we’re doing. 

Let’s say that you want to get really intentional about ramping up ‘life coaching’ in your church…..and you want to give people a chance to give people a chance to really talk about their life. 

(common response: ‘I’ve been here for 30 years and noone has ever asked me how I’m doing)

Key idea: Building YOU is Building the Church.

5 Questions we used for life coaching processes …

Case Study: two dozen interviewers worked with 300 people….we published the questions ahead of time:
We literally just want to have a conversation with you. We want to know how to help you grow.
1. What do you enjoy doing? (because what you enjoy doing may be just how God wants to bless this world)

2. Where do you see God most at work in your life right now?

3. What would you like to see God do in your life over the next 3 to 6 months? How can we help? When you ask the question you’ve just changed the scorecard in your church.

Story:  the YMCA meeting I had with Jason after I became a YMCA charter member: “Reggie we’re gonna turn you into a fully devoted fitness guy and then we’re gonna make you look like Arnold Swartznegger!"  Key question that Jason asked me was:  Reggie what would like to accomplish at the YMCA? 

4. How would you like to serve other people and how can we help?

5. How can we pray for you?

Follow this up occasionally with an ‘hey, how’s it going, really?’ conversation.

• This all starts with you and with your staff. Are you developing yourself? Your staff? Your lay leadership?
• The reason North American church culture shifted to a program driven model was that it seemed like a faster/easier way to make disciples.
  
• Every place where you can, pay attention to your people.

When you focus on people development you begin to say to your people and ACT OUT via your scheduling/systems and programs:  We’re gonna be more intentional about YOUR growth than anything else around here. AND, we’re gonna empower you to change the world.

In A.D. 30 noone has a ‘church job’ – they were Apostles. I’m a missionary to a culture not on a church staff. I’m a missionary with a support base from the xyz church.

• In a people development culture you’re gonna be far more engaged with people than with programs and program development.
  
• An Apostolic leader says, ‘Follow Me’ -- that requires transparency, heart on heart, etc. It doesn’t come from curriculum. 
  
• Your life becomes transparent and available to the people you want to lead. You become a servant of them.
  
• Apostolic leadership is transparent and genuine spirituality. An apostolic leader has the ‘stink of Jesus’ on em. You can’t explain their lives any other way. 
  
• Can people sense in us a connectedness to Jesus and a cause to die for? 
  
• OUR Personal Spiritual Development is PARAMOUNT to leading effectively.
  

How do clergy get supported in what I’m talking about? 

• Apostolic leaders know how to raise their own support…you’ll have to have multiple income streams. Venture Capitalists may be able to write the check and pay the way. There’s all different kinds of ways to support your way through this.
  
• How are you developing your ability to be employed and employable outside of your ministry? This is a question that I ask all of my coaching clients.
  

In the today’s world we must build relational bridges (friendships) that can hold the weight of important spiritual conversations.

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. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

How You're Wired by Betsy Ringer -- Extreme Life Makeover #6

Ever struggled to figure out what you really 'should' be doing with your life? One of the best places to start is by excavating your 'gifts' -- God wired you for action by giving you these tools for His use through YOU!! Today, Life Coach Betsy Ringer offers some great tools to help you learn how you're wired...enjoy!!

WIRED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

In the movie, “Dead Poet’s Society,” Robin Williams plays the part of a literature professor at an English boy’s school. In one scene, he is talking to the boys about literature, normally a dry, uninteresting subject for them. But he captivates them by describing the great adventures literature can take them on, the fascinating people they can meet, and how their lives can be changed. All eyes are on him as they are spellbound by his words. Then he swings wide the door of their lives when he challenges, “The powerful play continues and you can contribute a verse. What will be your verse?” As the professor challenged the boys to discover how they would contribute significantly to this world, so God calls us. He equips us with Spiritual Gifts and asks us to discover those gifts and use them boldly.

In 1 Cor. 12: 1 Paul says, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” Paul goes on for three chapters to teach about spiritual gifts.

What is a spiritual gift? It is a special ability given by the Holy Spirit to every believer equipping God’s people to serve Him by effectively ministering to other people.

….AND He intentionally wired you to receive JOY when you USE the GIFTS He’s given you!

While there isn’t one complete list of Spiritual Gifts in the Bible, there are several places where you can find out about the various gifts:
Romans 12
1 Corinthians 12 - 14
Ephesians 4
1 Peter 4

So, how do you discover your Spiritual Gifts?
1. Read the definitions of the team gifts or functional gifts below. If you sense one “resonates” with you then that’s probably your gift.
2. When you are serving, pay attention to the “assignment” you choose or would like to have. What Spiritual Gift does it seem to fall under?
3. Take an assessment. You can contact me and I will send one to you – betsyringer@insightbb.com OR
Take one online:
http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1
http://www.buildingchurch.net/g2s-i.htm


EVANGELISM – Literally: to bring good news
The ability to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to unbelievers in a positive, non-threatening way. The ability to sense opportunities to share Christ and lead people to respond with faith.

PROPHECY/PREACHING - Literally: to speak before
The ability to publicly communicate God’s Word in an inspired way that convinces unbelievers and both challenges and comforts believers. The ability to persuasively declare God’s will.

ENCOURAGEMENT/EXHORTATION – Literally: to come along side of
The ability to motivate God’s people to apply and act on biblical principles, especially when they are discouraged or wavering in their faith. The ability to bring out the best in others and challenge them to develop their potential.

Teaching – Literally: to instruct
The ability to educate God’s people by clearly explaining and applying the Bible in a way that causes them to learn. The ability to equip and train other believers for ministry.

HOSPITALITy – Literally: to love strangers
The ability to make others, especially strangers, feel warmly welcomed, accepted, and comfortable in the church family. The ability to coordinate factors that promote fellowship.


MERCY – Literally: to have compassion
The ability to detect hurt and empathize with those who are suffering in the church family. The ability to provide compassionate and cheerful support to those experiencing distress, crisis, or pain.

SHEPHERDING/PASTOR – Literally: to shepherd a flock
The ability to care for the spiritual needs of a group of believers and equip them for ministry. The ability to nurture a small group in spiritual growth and assume responsibility for their welfare.

ADMINISTRATION – Literally: to pilot or steer a ship.
Also called the gift of organization. This is the ability to recognize the gifts of others and connect them to ministry. The ability to organize and manage people, resources, and time for effective ministry. The ability to coordinate many details and execute the plans of leadership.

LEADERSHIP – Literally: to stand before
The ability to clarify and communicate the purpose and direction, the vision, of ministry in a way that attracts others to get involved. The ability to motivate others by example to work together in accomplishing a ministry goal.

-------------
Thanks to Betsy Ringer for todays ideas on finding your gifts....gifts point to purpose and purpose uses your best gifts -- it's kind of cyclical. I promise that when you're living on purpose using your top gifts you'll be absolutely passionate about what you're up to!! Take the time to work through Betsy's suggestions....you'll be glad you did.


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. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Phos Manifesto

'God send us the ones you want to run with us and keep those away that would derail this Missional Church Launch.'  --that's one of the top prayers that I've prayed during this past 12 months of launching PHC.  

Guy Kawasaki's 'Art of Innovation' presentation over at 'zentation' has had a huge impact on my thinking related to the launch of Phos Hilaron Church.  He helped me realize that we needed to innovate and that it's okay to 'polarize' people, because that's taboo in church-land where the goal is to be uber-nice and to keep things nice and calm.  

The mission in church-land is to swab the deck on the cruise ship and provide tasty meals right on time so that the tourists remain calm and leave nice tips.  I bet they even have some pictures of fish and fishermen on the cruise ship!  The goal of a fishing vessel like Phos is to co-labor with Jesus to head out into the open sea full of adventure and become 'fishers of men' on a journey with Him.  The goal is the catch and not the comfort of the 'guests'.  We take people deep sea fishing!  It's not for everyone.  Every church must make a choice -- cruise ship or fishing boat.  We're a fishing boat!  ( I think Jesus likes fishermen!)  

The usual goal of starting a church is to get as many people to join you as fast as you can and that can lead to the law of unintended consequences drop-kicking your collective heinies into oblivion.  Our goal has been to put forth an 'Operating System' that has a monthly Sunday AM 'Service Worship' built into our life-cycle. We've launched a fishing vessel and the experts have told me that it can't work and sometimes I've wondered if they might be right, but then God intervenes again and gives us the people, the resources and the vision for His next adventure to participate in.  He has given us good days on the wide open sea with full nets many times.  

We're edgy on purpose.  We polarize people and send 'church-shoppers' who are bargain hunting right back out the door pretty fast.  Why?  Because they're used to 'thinking' about their faith and not used to 'acting' on their faith.  We ripped a thought line off from Rick Warren's 'Peace Plan' that says that 'We turn spectators into contributors'  (I like to call em 'participators', but I don't know if that's really a word) and that's something we're very committed to do.

The reason Phos exists is to Propel Ordinary People into an Extra-Ordinary Relationship with Jesus who can Fly into the Future that He has Dreamed for them.

It' a high calling and it takes courage to build a church that has 'ACTION' in her DNA.  We chose the name Phos Hilaron to remind us of our mission to be 'dancing light' in this community and around the world -- to go into hard & dark places with this great Good News and love people.  To literally live out the 'Good Samaritan' story that Jesus tells in Luke 10.  

Our paid servants have known from the beginning that this is not 'business as usual' for a church and that we're running the edge of disaster all the time.  And, they've had paychecks held long enough for one more Sunday as we pray that the offering will be strong enough to pay em.  And, they know that when we go out and do 'Service Worships' that sometimes we take a big fat Goose Egg home with us in the offering bucket.  In the business world that's called 'Opportunity Cost' and it's 'costed' us plenty this year as we have taken it on the chin a few times.  And, right now we're running in the red because of it.  And, we won't have it any other way.  Give us this adventure with God in forging apprentices or give us death.  We can't stomach the thought of more business as usual in church-land.  

But, I have loads of God-fidence that He'll show up again and rescue us from out of the blue again.  I'm kind of addicted to the adrenaline rush of seeing what God does up close and personal.  I like the 3 AM head-rush of wondering if anyone will show up the next Sunday and if God will provide what we need again for another day.  I'm learning to live on Manna that comes when we need it, but only as much as we need...and, I like the new diet!

Our Paid Servants have positioned ourselves as Missionaries and NOT as Church Staff.  Church Staffers have office hours and programs to run and volunteers to recruit to run said programs.  We don't have offices or office hours but we have a mission of being engaged with our neighbors and of doing whatever it takes to reach them and build them into Full On Apprentices of Jesus.  Our team works their tails off each week and has proven that they'll do anything to reach others and see them enter into a full-on relationship with Jesus. 

And, they're just taking their cues from the AMAZING Volunteer Army that makes Phos run.  You wouldn't believe the level of commitment, energy, zeal, and passion that this crew plays with.  You wouldn't believe what they do to set up for just one worship experience at Tinseltown Movie Theater in 11 & 13 & the Kid's Area each week.  You just wouldn't believe it!!  They're the best.  

God has called us to the edge and pushed us off over and over again and I'm beginning to learn to trust Him and to know that we can fly & that He'll bring the thermals we need to move us along.  That sometimes we just have to set our wing and let Him provide the lift.  I'm not really very good at flying, but I'm getting real good at falling off the edge after a nudge from God and then 'soaring' as I rely on His energy to carry me along and to provide the updrafts that take me to incredible 'un-earned' vistas -- that is, I didn't work real hard to fly high--He just takes me there because He wants to.   

Last Tuesday I got some potentially devastating news about two key families at Phos....they're leaving!  We're not gonna be their church anymore.  In both cases these are people that I care about and that care about me and Phos.  There is no animosity.  There's just a sense in both families that they need something that Phos just doesn't provide....lots of Bible Studies with no expectation that you ever really do anything with what you are learning.  They are Christian families and they'll do just fine at another church.  And, I'm happy to let em go even though it makes one wonder how God will carry us next.  I'm happy to let em go because if we shift to try to keep them we'll loose our soul and we'll compromise and we'll become a church content with 'content' (knowing stuff) and no action.  We'd be okay with 'head knowledge' disconnected from Kingdom Oriented Action and that smells like rotten putrid maggotty road-kill to me.  So, I celebrate their departure and I welcome the Wave Two people that God is bringing lately who 'get Phos' and they sense that we're on the move and they want to be on the move and they want to take action.  They want to be in the game and they're not content to be spectators.  They love to be into what God is up to and they're not happy unless they're right in the middle of the action--that's who we are and that's who God is bringing to us.  A breed of people who are addicted to the adrenaline of walking with Jesus into a Homeless Shelter to serve rather than into a posh sanctuary to consume another sermon.  A breed of people who study their Bible and then GO live it out rather than study their Bible so that they can have yet another Bible Study and babble on about what they've never really tasted.  It's one thing to study the Good Samaritan passage and to know all the nuances of the story and it's a whole 'nother thing to LIVE IT.  We're taking 'experiential' to a whole new level with Phos.  We don't just bring an actor into our 'sanctuary' dressed as a homeless person..We will walk with those who are reaking of urine and showerless days this coming Sunday when we have another 'Service Worship' and we'll bring the 'sanctuary' to the homeless and share our lives with them.  This is remarkably uncomfortable for many who are content with yet another Bible Story with zero application in their richly appointed church building -- safe and secure from all alarm and sanitized from the possibility that she/he will ever experience the thrill of walking with God into the great big wide open unknown where there's nothing to rely on except for God.  

Alan Witham gave me some vitally important advice as I was launching Phos when he said, 'Put a sign on the front of your bus and let people know exactly where you're going.'  And, that has helped us more than anything.  We are and will be a people who run into the dark with the light of Jesus.  We will not shrink back.  We will take courageous action to be good neighbors in our community.  We will light candles and not just curse the dark.  We will study the Bible and then we'll go live it out there.  We won't be content with head-knowledge but will lean into actively walking with Jesus as modern day disciples.  We will engage our culture with this great Good News by loving God and loving people because God loved us first.  

We will run and not grow weary because He is our Hope, our Joy, and our Power.  

We will soar because He wants us to and provides the updraft.

We won't back down and we won't give up. To rip Barack Obama off, this is 'Change YOU can believe in' and this is change that propels you into a whole new faith journey and revitalizes your relationship with God and others.  

This is our attempt to co-labor with God to change the world by ushering in His Kingdom and by bringing hope, light, and resources to those who have none.  

This is our mission and we won't back down.

Game On.

Let's go fishin,

Jeff

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. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

What it takes to be a GREAT TEAM LEADER

If you are a leader, or you're a 'wannabe...' then read this NOW. Enjoy.

Thanks Bruce Hildenbrand for writing this insightful article...no leader, not even Lance Armstrong, gets there on his own!

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. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

What I learned at the KOA

Mist on the mountains, birds singing, sun on the way and the stream singing just a few yards away. AND, I'm online with High Speed Wi-Fi--what a wonderful world. I'm at the KOA (Kampground Of America) RV Camping with my sister and her family and Julie and the boys. We've squeezed a lot of fun into our not-guite 4 days here. We've tubed down the river several times, swam til we're water-logged, rented banana bikes, fished a lot for trout and gotten blanked, burned hotdogs over a campfire and learned to live in tight quarters.

Along my journey here at the Cherokee, North Carolina KOA here are a few things I've experienced and a few things I think God may be saying to me....

1. Fish with the Green Worm like that guy over there! He's caught 5 since we've been standing here and you need to quit fishing with whatever you think is gonna work and just follow what others are doing that are catching fish. (my dad talking to my oldest son who was rigging up some unusual cantraptions for fishing with absolutely no hits)

In my life there are so many times that I'm operating on a pioneering spirit model filled with innovations that may or may not work because no-one else has crossed the great divide before. Dad's comment to Joshua was said loud enough for me to hear and it sure makes me wonder. At PHC we're big on innovation and we're trying some unusual contraptions for 'fishing' -- some of which seem to work great and some of which we need to cut the line on and change to the 'green worm'! Not sure which are 'green worms' for us yet, but I'm listening and watching to see what Jesus is fishing with and we'll change to his plan pronto! By the way, we started the day fishing with corn because we saw a fella haul out a huge Rainbow Trout fishing with corn. Talked with the same guy later in the day who was not fishing with the 'green worm' and was not having great success and he let me in on a secret. They changed bait all the time to see what the fish would bite as the barometer rises and falls and the fish change their minds about what seems tasty throughout the day. Where's the next 'Green Worm'?

2. Cousins are a great gift! My boys have had a blast with my sister's boys. They've done a lot of life together over the years but this is definitely a high point in 'boy-land' as they romp, ride, swim, dance, watch movies, cozy up 5 thick in a tiny space in the 'Fifth Wheel' and burn stuff in the fire. God, we are blessed beyond belief. Thank-you.

Being here reminds me of the good gifts of being involved in a close-knit faith community like Phos Hilaron Church where many of us experience 'cousinliness' even though we may be miles away from our flesh-n-blood families. It's good to have a cousin to scorch a marshmallow with!

3. It's good to be away from the computer and cell phone. We've had very little 'outside world' access over the past week and my spirit has needed a break from the constant barrage of emails and cell phone chatter. I'm glad that there are still a few places in the wolrd where we can disconnect. As an American born-n-bred leader I'm addicted to 'busy' and have been raised on quaint sayings like 'If it is to be it's up to ME!' that fuel my self-centered addiction to actions that I'm confident will win the day and change the world. But, Jesus didn't exhibit my kind of frantic behavior and self-confidence. He exhibited HUGE God-fidence and often rested and waited for God to take action and then He joined His Father in taking the next step. God wired us for 'sabbath' -- a day a week to rest and relax and rejuvenate and a day to hand the world back to it's rightful King and let Him take the reigns and run the globe. Practicing Sabbath (and, for me it is a work in progress to truly hand the world back to God and to relax on the Sabbath) by relaxing more and working less and by conscientiously handing the world back to God are vital for my long term effectiveness, soul health and body care. It's a gift from God that I am learning to allow myself to receive with more readiness to dive in to rest fully and leave the big stuff to God. It's humbling and freeing and power-giving all at the same time to Sabbath....I'm learning.....and practicing. In many ways the future of the endeavors I lead may depend more on my ability to Sabbath well than I've ever imagined because it consistently removes my hands from the enterprise and keeps God's all over it!

4. A lone sparrow just landed near my feet and began to hop even closer as if to remind me of Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount to relax and KNOW that God is gonna provide--not because I'm good or because I'm deserving --but, because He's God and providing abundantly for His creation is a God-Thing to do. I battle worry these days as our fledgling church moves through summer and as the day my 18 year old daughter heads off to college comes closer by the hour now and we need some serious cash-flow to move her along. So, I need to hear and see and be reminded at a deep level all the time about how much God loves me, us, and Phos Hilaron Church. From the outset He has provided all that we've needed in spades at just the right time. He's resourced us in miraculous ways over and over again. Summer is a tough time on ministries anyway and especially for a start-up enterprise like ours. No question we believe we're called to do what we're doing in the manner we're called to do it, but we're not sure that everything we're doing is a 'green worm' and I'd like to be around long enough to figure that out! I've heard it said, and say myself that 'What God Originates He Also Orchestrates' and that has been proven to us over and over again. I have a front-row seat to miracles on an almost daily basis! My faith is being grown and I get to see God provide for PHC and my family in miraculous ways over and over again, but it still unnerves me at times! I'm learning to trust Him.

Back to vacation -- the rods & reels are waiting nearby...

Learning a lot out here in the wildnerness!
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. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Thorny Hedgeapples Drive Mosquitoes Away!

It's dusk in my Kentucky backyard and it's mosquito free--quite a feat during summer around here. I attribute our mosquito-free haven to a grove of nearby trees that have incredible lawn-mower tire piercing thorns. When we moved here 4 years ago I waged war on the fast growing iron-wooded thorny hedgeapple trees with a borrowed chainsaw until a good friend suggested that they may have a natural repellant for mosquitos and spiders.

So, I 'googled' hedgeapples and found all kinds of interesting ideas about what hedgeapples might do and magical properties that make buying the fruit irrestible to web shoppers. I'm not totally convinced about buying hedgeapple fruit online, but I am sure that we rarely have mosquitoes in our back yard even though there are two creeks bordering our property. Makes me wonder.....

And, I narrowed my attack on the orange wooded trees to lopping off the low hanging branches and trees that were encroaching on trees that we love like a giant Cedar. And, we seem to be reaching a place of the 'win-win' between mother nature and my desire to mow the yard without being ripped open by razor sharp thorns and the hedgeapples need to grow and do its mosquito-repellent thing.

Sometimes God provides thorns to protect us from the mosquitos of life. Sometimes He's trying to provide a thorny hedge to help us through a situation that could be a lot more troubling that flattened mower tires. So, when you're facing a thorny situation that slows you down and seems to keep you from the result you were hoping for watch for where God may be on the move to give you something even better! That's just how He is.

Have a Great Day!
Jeff Fuson

p.s. The image in this post came from this website that offers advice about the Osage Orange's insect and spider repellent properties.... http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2187/1924737197_6d2aa6b746_m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.motherearthsgarden.com/hedge-apples-to-repel-spiders/&h=180&w=240&sz=27&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=Il8hfF7aPdVhLM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhedgeapples%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN


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.

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!

----
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.

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

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

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

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

Discipleship at the YMCA

Early in 2008 my daughter decided that I needed to get more exercise and Julie agreed so we joined the YMCA near our home and it's been a lot of fun and I really do enjoy getting up even earlier and getting moving. And, my brain & body thank me!!

There's an amazing array of tools to sculpt, shape & tone our bodies and new interactive computer aided tools that will track our progress and help us achieve customized goals. What used to be a 'one size fits all' approach related to getting fit has morphed into a very personalized game plan built around lots of different tools and custom coaching toward individual goal attainment.

One of the 'wonderings' I have these days is how to accomplish the same thing at Phos Hilaron Church. How can we build in personalized spiritual life coaching so that people can grow into the full-on Christ Follower (what we call an 'Apprentice of Jesus') that they were dreamed by God to be.

So, we're building in Life Transformation Groups that will be coached by 'Transformers' --people who are willing to train as Spiritual Life Coaches much the same way a Fitness Coach trains people to accomplish health goals. The Transformers role is to oversee the personal development of each member of her/his group. So, what a transformer IS NOT may be as important as what he/she IS. If a person has super strong preaching/prophetic gifting then it's not likely that he/she will be a good transformer. Because a person with huge preaching/prophetic gifts cannot silence themselves long enough to hear from anyone else at a deep enough level to help them grow. They tend to be 'one size fits all' communicators and that certainly has a place when addressing the whole body collective. He/she is not a 'therapist or counselor' because they're not simply processing past trash. The 'Transformer' is very much a coach of the inner life -- of how to grow a vital dynamic relationship with God through the work of Jesus powered by the Holy Spirit.

The 'transformers' are the key to a church that offers help and hope and growth to those who want to grow strong in their walk with Christ.

I've got the concept in mind a clear view of the desired outcomes...now it's time to build the team to accomplish the dream!

Working out!
Jeff Fuson