Came across this last night. It features Louie Giglio. Louie is the founder of the Passion Conferences/268 Generation and recently planted a church here in Atlanta – Passion City Church. I have always been a fan of Louie. I’ve featured him before when I went to the Forward Conference in 2008. Check this out… You are Wonderfully Made

[*A friend of mine told me I needed to add more video/guest post to my blog... so stay tune, more to come!]

There’s a great epidemic in the Church. There are few “Spiritual Fathers!” We have many voices, preachers, and authors, but few people who will wipe the dirty butt, dress the kid, walk through life, and do all that Daddy’s do.
Who are you fathering? If not, are you living your life in a way that would cause people to want to follow you?
Read 1 Corinthians 4:14-16

thanks Sam

Hello, haven’t done one of these is awhile – so here it goes…. [as you can see... we have a new fresh design. really digging this one out of all the design I've had so far]

1. Excited for this coming up on Sept 10-11th:- Ignite Gathering – Fall Session. Always love going to the Ignite conference – such great leadership, speakers, worship and time with God. It seems that each time Ignite happens, I grow my spirit deeply. Very expectant to what God is going to do. I’ve already started praying for life change and greater glory.
2. Thanking God for 5 years of Leadership with Snellville Biblical Deliverance Center, serving as their Youth Minister/Director. As some of you know, I’ve officially (Aug. 1st) stepped down from leadership within this church after a season (3 months) of prayer, fasting and seeking wise counsel to pursue what I believe God is calling me towards. More to come in regards to this… It was nothing that the church or I did that was wrong, just felt God calling me for something fresh and deeper.
   * I am praying that God will continue to grow them and enlarge their reach in this next/new season.
   
3. Have some excellent opportunities coming up and I’m taking them all in. Praying heavily about all of these opportunities and adventures. Want to definitely make sure I am doing HIS will. There’s this Dream I am chasing and I am run hard towards it! I’m asking God to increase His territories, opportunities, Favor, Grace and Influence upon my life. Enjoying the adventures He is taking me on concerning Seeking Jesus, Leadership, Faith and Friendship.
   * Would definitely love it if you PRAYED with me. Thanks!
4. I’m available – so if you are in need of a speaker or just want to grab lunch and talk/pray: I’M HERE, use me! Also shoot me your prayer request to corey@iamtransparent.tv – I would love to add you to my prayer board.
5. Had a great time this Summer with some really cool friends – both new and old. Excited about what God is doing in their lives. Its always a blessing to see God at work in my friend’s heart.  I like meeting new people who are making a difference in their community that could also shape the culture/generation for God’s glory.
6. Please check out the ‘Current Reads‘ section of the blog… here I have listed all of my current blog reads and books. Please follow and read these guys blogs. I’ve listed them for a particular reason and hopefully they will inspire you and give you some impartation. As a leader, it’s our job not only to inspire/impart into others – but also to be inspired and receive impartation!

Whew… That was easy. Got to start doing more of these “dumps.” Been thinking about this scripture alot, so marinate on it – may your heart be alive for Jesus as you seek and hope in Him.

Lamentations 3:24-26 (nkjv)
²⁴ “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!”
²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Was talking with some friends last week about “Christian Racism” (or people who are racist and called themselves Christians)… So I decided to put it to my blog readers and see their responses.

1. Does Racism exist in the Church?
2. And if so, is it member to member; leadership to member; leadership to leadership – or all three? Have you heard about or been apart personally of a church that expressed racism when hiring staff/volunteer leaders or against member being in the church?

Looking for some honesty; so if you have any stories, I would love to hear them. Share your experience and thoughts! Go —>

Over the next few blogs, I will outline 5 things I have learned in leadership. These key things have help shape my “philosophy” in youth ministry and overall leadership especially in the church. Here’s one that is so dear to me…

Wait at HIS Feet…

In the book of Luke, there’s an amazing story about how Martha and Mary where making preparations for the visitation of Jesus. Jesus came to the house and knock on the door. Martha welcomed Jesus into her house, and headed in the Kitchen to finish making preparations. Mary took Jesus into the living room to rest. She sat down at his feet and simply gazed at him, listening to His Heart. While Jesus was speaking, Martha interrupts Him demanding that He rebukes Mary for not helping her. Jesus replies to Martha, saying, “You are so worried about the little things. Mary has not done wrong, but has done right. In fact she has done the only thing that was required and it will always benefit her.” – Luke 10:38-42 (Highly Paraphrased)

Being a Christian leader does not mean SERVING, but it does means LISTENING… Listening to Jesus at his feet, simply waiting! We are in an age where we as leaders are so concern about serving others and putting on the big events that we forget that we are called to surrender to the leadership of Jesus. We find ourselves welcoming Jesus into our life, but not waiting on and listening to his Heart. We can take some valuable lessons from Mary in her desire to not so much worry about serving, but spend time with Jesus. The man Christ Jesus – the foretold Messiah and Son of God is in your presence, in the flesh at your home and you are concerned with the preparations of other things. This is how we treat God sometimes in our churches… We strive so hard to do everything for everybody, that we forget that Jesus is the reason we are doing this for. Leader – When was the last time you just patiently waited on God listening, before you started “doing”? LEADERSHIP begins at the feet of Jesus! The Bible records 3 different times (Luke 10:38-42, John 11:32, Matthew 26:6-13) where Mary of Bethany surrendered to Jesus. In all 3 times, she sat a down and gazed [worshiped/waited] upon Jesus.  It is in this, I believe we have the greatest account of Leadership in the Bible.

I remember when I was in a season of just pure dryness in ministry… I was doing everything I could to serve others and “do good” – going to outreach events/conferences, visiting other churches, counseling young people and just doing whatever I could to be “someone” in ministry while dealing with the foolishness of ministry. Let me note that all those “things” I was doing was great and valuable for the Kingdom of God… but I was totally dull and bored in my spiritual walk. It was in this season that my heart yearned for something deeper than just “doing.” God sent me to Luke 10:38-42 as I was prepping another message and I was just simply mesmerized at the beauty of God’s Grace as Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. From that day forward, my whole attitude and mindset change concerning Leadership and what God wanted his believers to focus on. I realized that I was MARTHA to the fullest, and if I wanted to last in ministry and life as a whole, I need to be found as MARY.

You were meant to be and live like Mary… To wait on Jesus and just seek Him. Psalm 24:5-6, Lamentations 3:25-26, Matthew 6:33, Psalms 37:4, Psalms 27:4 Isaiah 55:6, plus many others must grip our hearts concerning giving ourselves solely to Jesus. Serving others and planning should always be out of a intimate relationship with Jesus – Love GOD, then Love PEOPLE!

We must cultivate and nourish a lifestyle of prayer, fasting, worship, and studying our bibles… it must be the main priority of our day. I urge you to wholeheartedly carve out time in your own schedule where you are seeking God, and spending quality time with Him… growing your Spirit. It will never be taken away from you – for you have done the one thing that is needed. Whatever your form of leadership (style), and at what level (youth, kids) of ministry — it must always start and end at the feet of Jesus.

Friend & Youth Pastor, Stephen Hataway writes about Youth Pastors being Biblical…

A student from a ministry I oversee was recently invited to attend a bible study. At first glance, this sounded like a great idea. A pastor should love one of their students attending a get-together of believers with the intention of learning more of the Truth.

Unfortunately for her, this instance happened to be more of an opinion study under the guise of spiritual development. Perhaps my buttons were pushed quite a bit since the topic took a jab at what I believe is my calling. This particular “study” was focused around disapproval of the global church’s decision to use a youth/children’s pastor to help influence a child’s spiritual development.

I thought I’d vent a bit by writing a small piece on why I myself, along with many pastors around the world, believe student- and children pastors are not so unbiblical. Hopefully, after looking at some choice texts, you’ll feel the same. After all, my job security could depend on it.

One of the main objections to my line of work is that we take too much away from God’s original institution of family. If we separate the congregation during worship times, the family is hindered from learning together. I’m not sure how someone can reasonably come to the conclusion that an hour and a half per week spent at church eliminates all other family learning. There is still 166.5 hours left in one week for them to grow together.

The notion that it’s wrong to separate the church into different demographics is, in my opinion, not taking the full council of God into consideration. Paul instructed two specific pastoral leaders, Timothy and Titus, to do just that. In Titus 2:1-10, Paul distinguishes four different groups to teach, each with their own outline for learning. Titus wasn’t supposed to generically address them all, but to separately instruct the groups with a specific and unique message geared to their social structure.

1 Peter 5, Ephesians 5-6, Colossians 3 and I John 2 are all examples of the Holy Spirit using the writer to specifically address different ages, genders, and with social and economical statuses. For the body of Christ to fully receive the teaching necessary to emulate our Savior, specific teaching is needed and commanded to pastors.

One could only imagine how difficult it would be for one man to fulfill the demands of shepherding the entire flock. I believe Timothy must have begun to feel this pressure as he tried his best to keep the church in Ephesus from falling apart. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul encouraged him to begin spreading the load to other men who could help him to teach. (II Tim. 2:2) While this can’t be translated directly into “Ordain children and youth pastors”, it does seem pretty clear that several teachers are meant to help get the job done.

I once attended a leadership meeting at a church where a parent voiced their dissatisfaction with their student’s memorization of scripture. They felt the church was inadequately preparing their child for life as a believer. To that point, I have to agree with them. The church alone was not meant to be the only teacher in a student’s life. The pastor leading the meeting commented back to them about how the church is meant to be a supplement to what the students are receiving from home. If a child is not being trained in the way they should go, examine the home before the place of worship. We are designed to reiterate truth for students, not be the sole deliverer. Just think of us a spiritual en-famille. Too many families want to gorge at a Bible buffet on Sunday, hoping that one meal can last till next week. I find it hardly fair to blame a restaurant for someone starving to death at home.

God meets every believer where and how he is. Is it so surprising that he would call and ordain men and women with specific gifts to meet specific groups of the body of Christ? The Youth Pastor is a piece of the puzzle that ministers to the needs of the entire family. If each member of the family receives the instruction of God needed at their particular moment-of-life, then when they do come together outside of the church, they will be better able to walk in unity. (Ephesians 4:16)

Stephen Hataway is a Youth Pastor (Jr. High) at 212 Youth (Victory World Church) in Atlanta, GA. He is a gifted and funny pastor, communicator, and ping-pong extraordinaire. He and his wife, Amber, have 3 young boys. This is his 1st blog article with iAMtransparent.tv

As some of you may know, July marks 5 years of me being in youth ministry as the lead guy. So over the next few blogs, I will outline 5 things I have learned in leadership. These key things have help shape my “philosophy” in youth ministry and overall leadership especially in the church. * no special order

1. Seek GRACE not Title
2. PASSION Over Production
3. Wait At HIS Feet – Listening
4. The “Conference HIGH” Will Leave You Wounded
5. INVEST In Your Team

Seek GRACE not Title = Seek JESUS not Man
as Christian leaders….

Often times, we as humans are more inclined to respect people based solely on their title (Pastor, Great Conference Speaker, Main Stream Worship Leader) rather than the Heart Changed that has taken place in one’s life. And if we can be honest with ourselves – we would agree that we get “TitleStruck”; I know I used too. We’ve chased after titles so long and hard that we don’t know when its just a position & natural skills or a Graced Anointing release by God. Please don’t show your likeness and affinity for a leader based on their title, search for the God-given grace upon their life.

Let me make something clear, YOUR TITLE IS NOT YOUR CALLING NOR DOES IT MAKE YOU SUPERIOR ! We as leaders are called to seek Grace and Favor from God, not some title that makes us appear important. You are a Pastor because God has given you ability to manage/direct people tenderly as they understand who they are and whose they are; not because some guy or elder/denomination board ordained you. You have been given Grace to deal with those [lost sheep/Unbelievers] who are  in darkness AND those [sheep/Christians] who are in the “fold” [saved by Grace] with dirt.

If you are aspiring to become a leader and you feel God’s anointing and grace on your life… please seek that and not position. BEFORE any paper was signed and issued – you were called by Jesus. The Five-Fold Ministry described in Ephesians 4:7-16 are not titles, they were a God-given gift of Grace or Anointing to lead the body of Christ.

In my 5 years of leading a youth ministry, I have noticed that most people who seek title/position rather than Grace  – when failure comes, it leads them astray, offended, and wounded. Not because of the failure, but because we held the title (or Person) on a pedestal above everything.

Lead from a place of Grace and not from a Title!

The idea of worship only taken place at church for 25 minute before the message is one of the biggest lies from Satan. Worship is a lifestyle… In everything I do, I should be worshiping God. The way I act, talk and handle regular business should all bring Glory to the Father and recount Jesus. If my heart is connected to God or desires to be – The Whole of Me will worship him. Not just singing, or dancing, in church so the pastor can see my outward expression; but all of me, everywhere, all the time! If your time of worship doesn’t draw you closer to God and allows you to be transparent before him.. you are not worshiping – you just singing a song. So, If Jesus was to live your life outside of the church walls and services… would he be Glorified in your worship? The Christian life is not lived in church, but it is lived in the darkness, influencing [invading] Culture with Vision [light/truth] – John 3:18-21, Romans 12:1, John 4:23

LIVINGSTON (@LivingstonBand) –  Worship Band in Atlanta, GA

These guys are the real deal… sincere in sound/voice and authentic in producing music that draws you in to Jesus. I have had the privilege of knowing these guys for awhile now. I think what makes their worship so authentic is a deep connection with God. Not just an anointed voice or musicianship, but a real unadulterated connection with the Man, Christ Jesus! To me, their song “My All” is heartfelt cry for God to consumed one’s entire life, simply saying God, you are my all! Every time I hear and sing  (try to at least) this song, it forces me to take a true introspection – just to see if I really mean the words.

Two of my favorite songs from their latest release album – “Livingston”

* These guys are booking, so if you need a band at your next event – let them know!
Get the Livingston Album Today — Available on iTunes!!
Check out their youtube page also

* here are some video snippets of the them performing at Ignite Spring Break 2010 (may need to adjust the volume)

¹⁶“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
¹⁷ ” ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.’ – Matthew 11:16-17 NIV

I believe this is a call to this generation of believers young & old for today to wake up and respond to the call that is clearly going forward in our culture. For years now the authentic church have been crying out to the nations to turn, repent and seek the Lord as true worshipers. We are in a direct season to give a response to God in worship, our lifestyle. What will your response be… Will you answer His call or simply silence the sound?

MISTY EDWARDS (@MistyDEdwards)- Worship Leader with IHOP-KC

She is an awesome worship leader with an anointing and prophetic voice for our generation. She help lead an amazing team of singers, musicians and prayer intercessors. I first heard of her 5 years ago, and have been a fan/follower of hers since. I love the style of worship (harp & bowl) IHOP has adapted. The mixture of prayer and worship (singing). Here is my favorite song by Misty:

Baptize My Heart

“Worship is obedience, sacrifice and connecting to God in it’s core. The authentic songs, creative art, passionate dancing, etc. are just merely an outward act of what is going on inside one’s heart. The very heartbeat of worship must be about Jesus, for nothing else matters. He must be the focus and the reason. Its a lifestyle set apart or dedicated to God. Coupled with Prayer, it is the center of this awakening and revival for this generation and the church.”

I have a double feature tonight…. both of these artist are from the same Record Label/Ministry. There is such a heavenly anointing and prophetic voice from these artist. Their sound will bring a generation to encounter Jesus. Both are also speakers. Both are definitely worth being on your Ipod/mp3 player.

KIM WALKER-SMITH (@KimWalkerSmith) – Worship Director/Pastor with Jesus Culture (Bethel Church) in Redding, CA

I love her voice and passion for this generation. I was first introduced to her two (2) years ago, and since that moment I haven’t stopped listening to her music. She is of two female worship artist (other is Misty Edwards – will be featured later) that I “rock out” to the most. Here is one of my favorite songs by her that I have been playing a lot in the last few weeks.

Sing My Love

* For more on Jesus Culture or Kim, please check out Jesus Culture or her website

——————————

JAKE HAMILTON (@JakeRefugeHOP) – Worship Leader with Jesus Culture (Bethel Church) / Director of Refuge House of Prayer

This is the guy that took my worship to the next level… His voice, his words, his songs, his character… all Jesus anointed. First meet him last year through a mutual friend after listening to his music for about 3 months straight. He has a unique voice/sound with a prophetic edge. His worship is so pure and holy. You know you are listening to awesome music when your heart trembles inside of you and you burst out in to a holy spontaneous worship. Some of my favorite parts of his live worship is when he breaks out in to a prophet’s cry over this generation and the music of this culture – Hip Hop/Pop. We have to reclaim the Hip-Hop generation back to God. Here is my favorite from his last album “Marked by Heaven” – I love this song, because it resonates with me about what God is doing with our generation and the rising of the church to be the greatest influence in today’s time.

The Next Great Awakening

* For more info about Jake, please visit his website Transcendent Media

** Both Kim and Jake will be at Jesus Culture: Atlanta on July 14-16… Jake will be recording his next CD Live this week. For More info – see Jesus Culture: Atlanta

* Here’s a bonus * – Sons Of Thunder Arise – Impartation (I told you he was anointed)