I am SO excited after this past weekend at Keystone!  The MOMENTUM is electric.  Here are some MIGHTY MO thoughts as I nurse my preaching-weary brain:

• You are obviously bringing your lost, hurting, backslidden, broken friends
• The lobby talks I’m having with said friends are BLOWING MY MIND
• I have never been more AWARE or BROKEN by the needs of the crowds at Keystone
• I truly believe you are praying for your EASTER INVITES… who are you bringing?
• Most of you didn’t know that my stomach was very sick all day Sunday – God got me through!
• Some of you are already telling me supernatural stories of inviting others to Easter
• How many people came up to me wanting to be baptized this Easter?  WOW!
• WORSHIP OFF THE HOOK – NUFF SAID.
• Communion Gathering, AKA, LOVE REVOLUTION PEP RALLY – UNFORGETTABLE
• The Drumline / The beach balls / the prayer time / the RAP, worship / SWEET COMMUNION… experience OVERLOAD!!!

Keep it up, Keystone!  I am overwhelmed by God’s favor, his presence, his MIGHTY MO in this place!!!

Recently, someone made a fascinating comment about Keystone.  To her, her first impression led her to believe that Keystone was for the young generation only.  She came the weekend we did the song/rap ‘Used to do it too‘ by Lecrae (which was OFF THE CHAIN).

This guest couldn’t imagine falling in love with Keystone.

Since then:

• She finds herself repeating the message talking points with co-workers
• They are here almost every weekend
• They REMEMBER the message behind songs like ‘Used to do it too.’
• They are excited to be part of a movement that reaches their g-kids as well as them!

Her family is falling in love with Keystone, and I love it.

A couple of observations:

• YOU B YOU. God will connect the heart of those who he has called to join you.
• Don’t change to accommodate various niche groups. I’m so glad we stayed true to our vision.  God has used us to stretch many people past their preferences.
• Don’t compromise the CONTENT. At the end of the day, it’s the content of the gospel we are bringing that’s changing lives.  Style changes.  Fads fade.  In the end, THE WORD will stand!
• It’s ALL about life change. Once you begin catering to preference rather than serving the vision, you have begun your eventual decline.  We are vision-carriers.  Leaders.  World-changers.

Are you a LIFE-LONG LEARNER?  This is a HUGE question and can be the true difference between success in failure.  MEDIOCRITY is the best life for those who STOP LEARNING.

KNOW-IT-ALLs tend to live in black & white.  At some point, you become comfortable with your worldview and don’t have time for nuance.

1. You constantly defend your position
2. You don’t listen, you are eager to talk
3. You poke holes in foreign ideas
4. You begin character assassination when you can’t answer another view
5. You stop reading anyone but those who agree with you
6. You stop asking questions

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Eat the fish, leave the bones?”

It means that you can learn from ANYBODY!  Take the meat, leave behind those things that don’t apply or are disagreeable.

Being a LIFE-LONG LEARNER is crucial in ALL areas of your life:

• Are you still learning as a spouse?
• Are you still learning as a lover?
• Are you still learning how to be a friend?
• Are you still learning on the job?

KICK-START your LEARNING MUSCLES today… Ask a question.  Buy a book.  Open your ears and shut your mouth!

I have always resisted bureaucracy. It’s my rhythm as a leader to flow towards unpredictability and a culture of change. I have seen the death of organizations that are ‘over-organized.’

Yet, there came a time in the life of Keystone Church where I sensed change in the air. The change was IN ME.

I began to see that our Keystone culture that God had planted in my heart was being diluted as our volunteer base grew. Those who had spent time with me seemed to ‘get it’ while others just didn’t.

God gave me a clear direction to CAPTURE OUR CULTURE. This required a lot of organizational work. Then, it dawned on me:

Apple must be very organized to have such cool products with excellence
Zappos must be very organized to have such a relaxed, personal customer service
Starbucks must be very organized to duplicate an experience all over the world

Soon, I became convinced that we must ORGANIZE in order to MOVE FORWARD our culture of creativity and change.

There are so many specific applications to this ‘A HA’ moment. One is our vision:

Leading everyone to experience passionate life in Christ.

I still hate bureaucracies. Our creative vibe has not been squelched, it’s grown! More people are able to catch on & we are able to guard our culture with greater effectiveness.

Have you had a similar ‘A HA’ moment?

One of my favorite bands, Radiohead,  just unleashed its newest video.  Check it out.. There’s a fine line between GENIUS and ‘JUST MISSED IT.’  How do they ride this line?