Here is a very cool story from Jennifer (friend of keystone who commented on one of my posts this week)…

This is what I love about Keystone. You guys ARE a church of over-achievers and BIG dreaers and I love that. You are like that group of crazy Christ followers that shared all of your possessions and CHANGED THE WORLD. That group that we are still reading about and talking about today. It is so inspiring to hear. REFRESHING.And lives are changing. I’ll never forget the day I sat at a restaurant and my husband and I eavesdropped on a man sitting behind us telling his friend for 30 minutes about this incredible place where he and his family had been changed called Keystone. It brought tears to my eye then and brings them to my eyes now. You guys are at the center of God’s vision for Keller/Southlake and you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. People who regularly attend Keystone – don’t forget how rare of a gift you have been given. There aren’t many churches this deliberate, this passionately visionary, this free to be who God has called you to be. Don’t forget that – don’t take it for granted.I am not a member of Keystone – except partially at heart . I am called to serve somewhere else. But from the outside watching, I am telling you that I love you, that I pray for you, and that you are my idea of what a church should be.     

 Isn’t that COOL?  Jennifer is very, very kind in her comments.  We’re not even close to perfect, but God is doing something really amazing at Keystone.  God is doing some amazing things THROUGH Keystone!

Pray for MORE STORIES this weekend as we join together to THINK BIG! 

It’s Thursday, the end of the day, and usually when a pastor is facing a big weekend, you get a sense of how things are shaping up.  I don’t know what God will do this weekend through Think BIG, but I am sensing some serious MO! [momentum]

The stories are pouring in [way more than usual] and I have received a powerful direction for this weekend’s message.

How shall I say it?  I’M PUMPED!!!!  YEAH, BABY!  [that last one think austin powers... or, don't] 

BOOK CLUE:  Another chapter just might be, “Event + Interpretation = Response” 

Here’s my SCREAM this week… THINK BIG!!!

This is a massive defining moment in the life of our church… an opportunity to join together, finish strong and CLAIM the next 12 months as a time when we will DEMOLISH our $1.1M ThinkBIG promise (only $400k+ to go)!!!

It’s right in the nick of time… sound system needing an upgrade, running out of space on strategic weekends (like easter), etc.

We are a church of OVER-ACHIEVERS… pray about what God would lead you to do this weekend and together we’ll be THINKING BIG! 

Book UPDATE: This week I will give some clues regarding the general theme of my new book…

FIRST:  We need to be PUZZLE PEOPLE!  Do you know what I mean when I say that?  If you do, you might have some insight to one of the chapters in my new project. 

This weekend at Keystone was incredible.

During our series, RICH & FAMOUS, I have really enjoyed learning how to appreciate our RICHES and leverage them to make a difference.  This weekend, we took a first look  at the ‘FAMOUS’ side of life.  Just like riches, God grants influence and we should appreciate that gift.  There’s a phrase that captures the heart of this weekend’s talk: INHALE your INFLUENCE… EXHALE its IMPACT!  If you INHALE w/o EXHALING, you will ultimately ‘frustrate your fame!

‘My ‘God moment’ from this weekend:  One of our Camp Keystone kids came up to me and shared how she had been saving her money.  She heard about ThinkBIG and began to sense God leading her to give $100 of her saved money this coming weekend at our ThinkBIG 2 year celebration!!!  I was in AWE.

I pray everyone seeks God’s voice this weekend and the ENTIRE Keystone family (and friends of Keystone) would be compelled by God to jump into the Think BIG journey!  

Think BIG is a journey our entire church has taken for the past two years.  May 17,18 we will celebrate the 2nd year anniversary of THINK BIG!  Two years ago we knew that in order to capture God’s vision for us to move into and transform the furniture store into our new home, it would require BIG thinking, BIG praying, and sacrificial giving.

Launching this journey has been a major defining moment as a church.  God gave us a vision to claim a failing furniture store and transform it into a life-giving space for hundreds of people each week!

Pray about how you can get involved in the celebration!  More on that later… 

As for the book… I’ll let everyone know next week where I’m headed with it.  I’m pumped.

There truly is a difference between fantasizing and dreaming…

There is an area of my life that I have been flirting with fantasy and it has kept me on the couch, away from my God-given potential.  Ever since I was in college, I’ve imagined myself doing something… I even believe God has created me to do this particular thing.  Susan has consistently pushed me to GET OFF THE COUCH and let this FANTASY transition into a dream…Now, I’m taking steps to make that happen.

I’m SPEAKING IT to you… OUT LOUD.

Then, I know I’ll be accountable.  My fear of being thought of as FLAKY would propel me into DREAM-PHASE and commit me once and for all… 

This year I am writing my first book. 

THERE.  I said it.  Now it’s too late to take back!

I already have an STRONG impression of what the book would say (assuming anyone would read it!).

Care to guess?