WiBo thoughts

I'm back from the dead and live to blog once again. Last week I attended the The Whiteboard Sessions and heard from eight speakers serving in varying ministry capacities. Each had 30 minutes to share one compelling idea. It was a diverse group of speakers, ranging from those who leverage culture to those who practically shun it. Behind the scenes video is available too.

 

Mark Batterson of National Community Church 

• For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9

• So, if our thoughts are the heavens distance apart from God and it takes approximately 13.2 light years to cross the universes, consider this...

  Your best thought on your best day is at least 13.2 billion light years short of God.
• Your dreams are too small.
• When is the last time you confessed the smallnes of your dreams to God
• In the 1st century, the average person traveled no further than 35 sq/mi from home in their lifetime, yet God told them to go into all the world to tell everyone about him. This means climb the highest mountain, learn the hardest language. You get the picture. Today we are still trying to accomplish this.
• Stop doing ministry from memory. User your imagination
• Stop imitating. Be creative.

Vince Antonucci of Forefront

• This guy is crazy funny. He was "concerned" no one would know him so he made a video of himself on the street walking up to random people asking them to interview him. You can watch it (rather listen) starting at 3:00 minutes. It cracked me up.
• Keep listening and you'll here some of his background story. although he said many good things, the best part for me was hearing how someone could live the first twenty years of life, never knowing a Christian or being introduced to the Bible or Jesus. (In the northern biblebelt this seems unfathomable.) It was eye opening and refreshing and helped popped the bubble - again.
• He has a really nice wife too. Jennifer spoke at the luncheon I attended this day. She too was refreshing and real. It's no wonder their minsitry is flourishing. Real, accessible, honest faith is so compelling.

Darrin Patrick

• We are made to worship and serve. You will worship something; it will be God or something else.
• An idol is the sin beneath the sin.
• Idols are best seen when threatened or disturbed
• Idols hide in your motivations.

Mark Dever

• We are not lone rangers managing our own personal (lost) portfolio
• There is something about our corporate relationship that confesses to the world, "This is good."
• The church is God way of displaying himself.
• Mark Dever describes his church as "blended" (the best of the 16th & 17th century)

John Burke

• I am the vine; you are the branches He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:5
• Stay connected, you can't help but bear fruit. Not on your own, but through Him.
• Does 60/60 campaign every three years. Every sixty minutes for sixty days a beeper prompts you to ask yourself, "Is this where you want me to be? Is this what you want me to be doing?"

Perry Noble

• He was interesting to hear speak, although his talk was felt directed towards preachers in the audience, so not too many take-aways for me. He must have brought a large contingent or had a ton of fans there because he was getting a ton of "Amens!" during his talk.
• "Kermit is green, not God. It'll be a cold day in hell when I'll preach about recycling and forsake the gospel and name of Jesus Christ."
• For a guy that gets a fair number of negative comments about his preaching, motives and the way he leads his church, I was quite shocked he took such a cheap shot at Rob Bell, who also gets a fair number of negative comments about his preaching, motives and the way he leads his church. It's easy to judge from the outside. One series does not a preacher make. I like Rob Bell. I like Perry Noble. I wishPerry Noble had thought through his comments more thoroughly.

Ed Stetzer

• "Conference talks are like ministry pornography - an unrealistic depiction of something you will never have."
• "I am thankful for Thomas. Because of his doubts, Jesus gives us a clear answer - "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
• We lead others to believe that the Christian life is easily lived because we are unwilling to share our struggles and doubts while in ministry.
• Churches have all these mission, vision, value statements, but we really only need one thing. Jesus gave it to us, "I am sending you. Now go" This is true for me. A reading of Moses' calling to go was what finally opened my eyes.
• Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. - John 20:29  I love this. He talking about me. I am blessed.