I hear people talk a lot about burnout. I actually just talked to our staff about the subject this week at our staff meeting and here's the deal: most of what we can burnout isn't burnout.  When I first became a Christian, I served several days a week. Looking back, I was probably serving 20 hours a week, plus a full time job and being a full time student. Why didn't I burn out? Simply put, because Jesus saved me and I counted it a privilege to serve Him.  We need to be careful that we don't put the burnout … Read More

People usually have 4 questions when they attend a church. It's vital that we answer them because according to studies, over 75% of people visit a church's website before attending.  That means our website is like our virtual concierge, letting people know what we have to offer.   So here's the 4 questions our website has to answer:#1 – What time are your services?#2 – Where are you? #3 – How long is the service? #4 – What should I wear? I know this sounds basic, but we visit some church websites and you have to dig for 20 minutes to get … Read More

– Great day at Calvary today!  – I talked about romance from Song of Solomon 4.  – Too many people have never heard what's God has to day about sex and intimacy.  – The band at each campus sounded fantastic! I know I say it all the time, but we're blessed to have so many talented musicians at Calvary.  – God's Word is still powerful. Even though the subject was romance and intimacy, people still got saved! God is changing live at Calvary and I'm blessed to be along for the ride.  – I was walking around with my 8 … Read More

The big day is 19 days away, so here's 10 things you need to have ready for Easter to be a day where you reach a lot of people: 1. Direct Mail – What's you direct mail plan? (Please tell me it's not just blasting a few zip codes. Be more strategic and you'll see much better results) 2. Mobilizing your congregation – Have you equipped your church with the tools they need to invite friends? 3. New Believers – Are you prepared for God to bless your church with new believers? 4. Servants – Have you challenged those who … Read More

– I didn't teach yesterday. – Pastor Mark taught on "How to Find the Love of your Life" from Genesis 24.  – I spent the morning at our Miramar campus. Love how this campus is developing.  – I'm so proud of our team! What a great group of servants!  – Looking forward to teaching on romance next week.  – Have I mentioned I love teaching on marriage? 🙂 – By the way, Thursday is our Direct Mail Essentials tele-seminar. If you're doing a mailing for Easter, do yourself a favor and invest an hour of your time into this seminar.   … Read More

I regularly get emails about how to maximize Google adwords. So I thought I'd share a few thoughts here because this is a question that comes up regularly. Plus, with Easter around the corner, this will be helpful to a lot of Pastors.  1. The key is to test a lot of adwords. It doesn't cost you anything to add more adwords (unless people start clicking, but then again, that's the point) 2. Track results – Google does a good job of this for you, but the key is to stay on it and check to see how well your … Read More

– Amazing day today!  – I am completely exhausted, but it was totally worth it to watch God at work – I taught Genesis 12:10-20 on Abram and Sarai going down to Egypt – We talked about 3 principles for couples to have great communication.  – I love teaching on marriage!  – The band sounded amazing today in both campuses. I'm blown away by how much talent God has brought to Calvary.  – The thing that blows me away every week is that I get to part of a move of God. Nothing compares to that.  – I'm watching God … Read More

I've been somewhat of a rant recently because I see something in church world that is frightening. I'm watching larger churches hire staff members from other churches. While certainly this isn't sinful or ungodly, I would say that it's unwise.  If you're a Pastor and you have no leaders to potentially bring on your staff team, you have a discipleship problem in your church. We can make excuses about why we do this, but at the end of the day if you have no hire your next assistant Pastor from another church, it says you don't know how to disciple … Read More

– Amazing day!      – Great crowds in Miramar and Miami Lakes.  – Great to see lots of 1st time guests in both locations! – It's amazing to me how different Miami Lakes and Miramar are. Miramar is looking like more couples in the 30-40's range.  Miami Lakes is tons of singles in their 20's.   – I'm interested to see how this plays out over time.  – I taught a message today called, "Help! I've Married the Wrong Person!" from Genesis 29. We talked about Jacob DID marry the wrong person. My favorite part of the message is the AHA … Read More

– Just found out that there were actually 160 people at Miramar today!  – Also, 8 people made a decision to follow Jesus in Miramar! That's what it's all about!  – We had 27 first time decisions for Jesus between both campuses!  – To the guys in my new coaching network that starts this Thursday: we're going to put together a strategy that will reach more people in your community than ever this Easter!  – I also need to thank everyone who was praying for us. I'm honored that you would take the time to pray for our Miramar launch. … Read More