The Leadership Summit Day 2

Ok....it's actually been several days since Day 2 of the Summit, but I was drained, wiped out, tired, and just haven't had the energy to blog. The olympics going on hasn't helped matters either!

Day 2 began with Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv. I'm a big 'fan' of Craig and I have listened to him preach many times, and I keep up on his blog, so I knew he would be good and I was anxious to hear what he was going to talk about. The main theme was "IT". Some leaders, churches, etc. have IT and some don't.

What we know about IT...

• God makes it happen, IT is from Him, by Him, and for His glory.
• One person can't bring IT, but one person can kill IT.
• You see IT transform lives. (upside)
• IT attracts critics. (downside)
• If you have IT that doesn't mean you're going to keep IT. (bad news)
• If you don't have IT, you can get IT. (good news)

Here are some more quotes or ideas by Craig.

• "In order to reach people no one is reaching, you have to do things no one is doing, but to do things no one is doing, you can't do what everyone is doing"
• You have every thing you need for what God wants you to do.
• He often guides by what He does NOT provide.
• Failure is a necessity...it's the first step to seeing God.
• "Shake it off and step up!" Shake off the failure, what they are saying, your fear, etc.

We then heard from Chuck Colson, Chairman and Founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries'

• As [Christian] leaders, we have bought into a lie. We have transferred our allegiance from truth to therapy.

Then there was an interview with Catherine Rohr, Founder and CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program;

• "Why don't more of us give up everything for Jesus?"
• For those who have - Where would we be if we didn't give up everything?
• For those who haven't - Where would you be if you did give it all up?

Over lunch there was a question time with several of the speakers/pastors, one statement that hit me was made by John Burke who spoke on Day 1,

• "Truth without grace, can just be the law."

The last speaker of the day was Bill Hybels again. He had done a lot of studying of Mother Teresa to share about her in his last message with us.

Mother Teresa had made a lot of vows on her own between her and God, a few that was shared with us was 1) To refuse Him nothing. 2) To do His bidding without delay. 3) To be faithful to the little practices. (ie treating others with love, sacrificing, etc.) Carte Blanche. With that shared first, Bill then asked and said some of these things...

• What would you do when God taps you on the shoulder and asks you to step up?
• It's during the phase, when there are obstacles in the way and the dream's about to die, that God does His most purifying work.
• Don't bulldoze through this time, God might be preparing you.
• When the leader gets to, "It doesn't matter what happens to me, it's the mission that matters.", God will part the waters.
• Show the relentlessness, don't bail, "callings" are precious commodities.

"Even when I don't feel His presence for a long period of time, I will seek to love Him as He has never been loved before." -Mother Teresa

There is so much to take in and apply, hopefully by me writing these down I can come back and be reminded of what God has taught me.