johnlaeger.com

This is me. Pt. 1

According to "Leading from Your Strengths - General Characteristics".

"John may have difficulty dealing with others who are slower in thought and action. He embraces visions not always seen by others. John's creative mind allows him to see the 'big picture.' He likes to be forceful and direct when dealing with others. His desire for results is readily apparent to the people with whom he works. He is aggressive and confident. Under pressure, John has a tendency to actively seek opportunities which test and develop his abilities to accomplish results. He is driven toward goals competition and wants to be in a position to set policy that will allow him to meet those goals. Many people see him as a self-starter dedicated to achieving results. He is deadline conscious and becomes irritated if deadlines are delayed or missed. John is often considered daring, bold and gutsy. He is a risk taker who likes to be seen as an individualist. He can be aggressive and direct, but still be considerate of people. Other people realize that directness is one of his great strengths."

I'm not sure I agreed with this so I asked Sandy what she thought. But it took her too long to answer so I stopped listening. She just wasn't see what I was seeing. So I tried squeezing it out of her. I gave her an extra 2 minutes (which was WAY past a reasonable deadline) but she missed that too!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! She told me to be patient and to work with her. (Work with her?!! Work with her?!! WHY would I want to include anybody else on this?!! I can do it just fine by myself thank you.)

She finally looked at me and said, "Yup. This is you."

I'll keep that in mind.

Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, or Beaver

I am entering into a coaching program through Ministry Advantage . This is going to be huge for me in my leadership and for the health of Meadow. Yesterday I completed a "Leading From Your Strengths" profile which will help my coach understand how I operate, think, lead, etc. I have done profiles similar to this and it always amazes me how they pretty much nail it. After getting the results, I asked Sandy to read it and asked her if she thought it was accurate. "Yup. That's you."

This particular profile uses four animals - Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, and Beaver to help leaders gain a clearer picture of their strengths.

Lion: a leader who takes a more aggressive approach to solving problems and challenges.

Otter: a leader who will be more trusting and optimistic when it comes to accepting new information and people.

Golden Retriever: a leader who prefers a more predictable environment, tends to focus on one project at a time, and needs good reasons for change.

Beaver: a leader who tends to follow the established rules without question.

In the coming days, I'm going to reveal what this profile said about my leadership style and personality - the good, the bad, the ugly. But, based on these brief descriptions, make a guess and see how well you know me. Am I a Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, or Beaver?

I haven't figured out what the winners will win.  Maybe a trip to the zoo or the animal display at Cabella's!

Satan Uses Turbo Tax

This is from LifeChurchTV.  Funny - but convicting!

The Return of the Blog

After a 2 ½ month hiatus, I have redesigned my blog with a different look and some new features.

• New Categories and Links
• Links to Sunday message podcasts.  You can listen to online or download
• Subscription feature where you can subscribe and every morning you will get an email regarding any new posts. (Currently there is a "widget error" that might come up when you subscribe. This has no affect on your subscription. I hope to have this fixed soon.)
• Links to other connections I have such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and Instant Messaging. Feel free to add me, IM me, Skype me, write something on my "wall".
• Comments are open so feel free to comment on any post. (Comments do need to be approved by me to prevent spammers.)

Why do I blog? It's just another way I can take what is in my brain and life and express it. Some posts will be about stuff at Meadow. Some will be about stuff in my personal life. Some will be serious. Some will be not so serious. Some may be deep. Some may be extremely shallow. Some will be, well...just there.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts and suggestions. All suggestions are welcome (unless your last name is "spammer").

It's a bit nippy out there

When I got to the office this morning it was 0 outside.  Current temp is -2  (yup, it's going down).  Current wind chill is -20.  At -25 your skin starts to freeze (not frostbite - FREEZE!!!)  Wind chills by tonight could be -40!!!

Even for a Minnesotan - THAT is cold!

The Davos Question

"The Davos Question" is creating quite a buzz lately (or maybe I am just getting caught up on what's happening.)  What is "The Davos Question"?  Google it and you will learning is one of the key questions that came out of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  This is an international forum where it is discussed how to make the world a better place.

And with the power of YouTube, "The Davos Question" input and answers are coming in from everywhere.  People from all walks of life are giving what they believe is the answer to "The Davos Question."  Even Bono has given his input.

The question is, "What one thing do you think that countries, companies, or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?"

How would you answer that question?  Feel free to submit a comment.

My answer?  You will have to wait until this Sunday.  Although I did not have The Davos Question in mind when I wrote my message for this Sunday, I can tell you now that what I have to teach, the more I think about it, the more I believe it is THE answer to The Davos Question.

I don't say that superficially or with an attitude of pride.  I just believe that God gives us the clear answer and it deals with our priorities.

Nuff said...this Sunday is going to be huge.

2.7 Million for 30 Seconds

Just heard that a Super Bowl commercial will cost a company 2.7 million dollars for just 30 seconds.

What difference in world hunger would that money make if companies chose to do something radically different?

Refreshed in Our Refreshing Difference

It is no secret that I totally love Meadow.  And I totally love Sundays.  Our purpose is to bring people into a refreshing relationship with Jesus Christ and our tag line is "...a refreshing difference."  Today gave me another splash of refreshment.

I had the privilege of spending time with a bunch of new attenders at our Next Step Lunch.  Common comments were, "The message is so simple.", "This church gives me the freedom to grow.", "The staff is so authentic.", "The music is cool."  Maybe the best statement was, "It is everything I didn't know I was looking for."  These were people at all walks of life and all different places in their journey of faith.

Also cool is what happened when I had these new attenders write down the names of friends and family they would pray for and invite to Meadow over the next few months.  23 names!!!  Is that cool or what?

We are also having an overwhelming response to our first "Starting Point" group.  The maximum size is recommended to be no more than 16 - but we have already exceeded that!  "Seekers", "Starters", and "Returners" are eager to learn and ask questions and check out this refreshing difference we talk about all the time at Meadow.

Yes...Meadow is a refreshing difference.

30 Hours Without Food

Today, the Meadow Spring teens completed a 30 Hour Famine.  Over 30 hours, they not only went without food, but took part in projects to help the poor and needy and participated in activities to raise their awareness of those in our community who are less fortunate.

I am so proud of these teens.  They did what most adults would not think of doing - me included!  I have a hard time getting from breakfast to lunch!

I spent just a few minutes with them as they wrapped it up today, and challenged them with 1 Timothy 4:12  "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

No doubt they championed this verse!  Way to go!

Looking Forward to Tomorrow

Tomorrow is going to be a great day.  It is the last message in this series called "Simple" and it will be a major eye-opener for a lot of Christians as they realize why worship works for some Christians and not for others.  The key is obedience - the more obedient you are to what Jesus says, the more you realize obedience works and when you realize obedience works, it creates this unavoidable response of gratitude in worship.

What is going to totally tie into this is the next series "Shift".  We will be learning some extremely practical things we can do to "obey" the teachings of Jesus.  These next few weeks are such that anyone who chooses to "shift" in the areas we will be addressing, there will be some awesome worship taking place in the month of February!

After the service is our "new and improved" time with new attenders.  We used to call it Pizza with the Staff but we have changed it to Next Step Lunch.  It will be more focused, more intent on encouraging new attenders to partner with Meadow, and the presentation will be better organized.  Looks like about 14 will be there.  Very, VERY cool!

Top 7 STUPID Financial Mistakes

From Perry Noble's Blog

Everyone of these hits home with me personally and probably with 90% of Christians.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

#1 - I Did Not Place Jesus First In My Finances

OR…in other words…I did not tithe.

I used the excuse that I could not afford to tithe…and it was through some painful financial lessons that God actually showed me that I could not afford NOT to tithe. God kept bringing me back to Matthew 6:21 and Matthew 6:24 over and over again…and in the fall of 1999 I completely surrendered the 10%. (And I’ve never missed it!)

#2 - I treated tithing as the finish line.

When I began tithing I sort of expected God to strike up the heavenly marching band…and for about a year I was quite proud of my newly formed spiritual discipline…until…

In the summer of 2000 Jason Wilson, our Executive Pastor, was speaking at NewSpring Church and said, “We all know that Scripture says to tithe…what I want to ask tonight is what are you doing with the other 90% to advance His Kingdom; after all, He does own it all!”

That statement hit me in the face like a ton of bricks…Psalm 24:1 became more real to me than ever before…and that night I surrendered the other 90% to Jesus!

Tithing isn’t the finish line…it’s the starting point…God has called us to be generous givers–HE IS!!! (II Corinthians 9:15)

#3 - I thought I could NEVER get out of debt.

When Lucretia and I got married on April 8, 2000 we had over $100,000 worth of debt and DIDN’T EVEN OWN A HOME. It was all credit cards, student loans and ridiculous purchases (all made by me!)

I felt trapped–heck, I was trapped…and I had just about given up hope until I heard about this guy named Dave Ramsey. It was in one of his all day sessions that I began to understand that I could get out of debt…but it was going to take sacrifice, a lifestyle adjustment…but it COULD be done!

In November of 2007 Lucretia and I became debt free…we owe on nothing except for the house. Trust me–if we can do it–YOU CAN TOO!!!

#4 - Seeking to live the “minimum payment” lifestyle.

I remember my first credit card…after getting it I stopped at a sporting goods store and bought a gun.  (Just like all pastors should!)  It was $300…and when I got the bill in the mail the next month the payment was ONLY $15!!!  (I didn’t know what 19% interest meant!)  It was the beginning of a PAINFUL lesson for me–making the minimum payment is NOT a great financial plan!

Within four years I was carrying maxed out balances on around seven credit cards and “successfully” making the minimum payments every month…which was KILLING ME financially.  I reasoned that if I continued to make the minimum payments that I would one day be out of debt…which WAS true…but “that day” would have been in the year 2900 at the rate I was going!

#5 - Transfering credit card balances

Don’t roll your eyes…some of you do this!  I would get a “convenient” credit card offer in the mail and it would say, “transfer your balances today and get no interest for six months.”  What the offer didn’t tell you is that the interest rate was an arm and a leg after that six months.

I always told myself that I could pay off the balance within six months–WHICH NEVER HAPPENED!  I realized then that Proverbs 22:7 was/is true…in just four years of having a credit card (which was only going to be used in case of an “emergency”) I had DISCOVERED that my VISA to financial freedom wasn’t in obtaining more AMERICAN OBSESS but rather in turning over MASTER CARD to Jesus instead of the banks!

#6 - STUPID car decisions.

I used to be the guy who said, “I will always have a car payment.”

I used to be the guy that when a car needed a repair I would say, “Go get another one, you don’t want to sink money into that old thing.”  (Which, by the way, is STUPID financial advice!  Seriously!  Spending $300 to fix a leak…or $45,000 on a new car–DUH!!!)

So…because of my desire to have a new car every year and a half (no, I am not making that up) I kept trading them in…and discovered what the term “upside down” means.  (It means, “I am a stupid, materialistic person”–at least that’s what it meant to me!)

I once financed a car that was two years old for 84 months at a 12% interest rate…DUMB!!!

Today I own my cars…they do not own me…and that is a very freeing feeling.  Most people I have talked to who are strapped financially could free themselves up so much if they would just sell their car…but their desire for status rather than financial freedom will prevent them from it most of the time.

#7 - Not having an emergency fund. 

One of the things that Joe and Dave teach is that emergencies are going to happen, the car is going to break down, the kids are going to get sick, the tire is going to go flat…and that if money is set aside for these emergencies then they are less worrisome when they take place.