Thousands of teenagers from around the world are being impacted…
Lives are being transformed… Miracles are taking place…
Families are being restored… Hope is being given… GOD‘S LOVE is being made famous across our world…
All through a ministry called “Jesus Culture“. In the summer of 1999, a youth group at Bethel Church in Redding, California, launched the first Jesus Culture conference and they have never looked back! God lead that Youth Group through an incredible leader by the name of Banning Liebscher.
Banning Liebscher is on staff at Bethel Church in Redding, California as the Directors of Jesus Culture, a ministry dedicated to mobilizing, equipping, activating, and sending a new breed of revivalists all over the world. Banning’s passion is to see people fall madly in love with Jesus, demonstrate the power of God, and give themselves to a life of prayer for worldwide revival. His heart is to ignite a prayer movement and raise up and release healing revivalists in cities around the world.
Recently I had the privilege to ask questions and learn from Banning! I thought I’d share some of Banning’s thoughts with you guys!
T. Rousey: “You’re a very busy guy with tons of things going on. How do you
“turn it off” and just relax with your family and God? By turn it off
I mean take your mind off of your
next sermon or thing to do at Church. Or is it
something as ministry leaders we can’t turn off?”
Banning Liebscher: “We can turn it off. A lot of it is to make sure I am present in the moment and not somewhere else mentally. I don’t always do that well but that is the goal. I don’t bring my computer home so I can be engaged with my kids and wife while at home. It’s definitely a challenge to turn it off but it’s mainly for me based around making sure I have my schedule planned out and I am fully engaged in the moment I am experiencing.”
T. Rousey: “What do you think your biggest weakness is and how are you trying
to turn that into a strength?”
Banning Liebscher: “LOL, too many to list. Self Discipline is something I am working on. Things like writing are really hard for me because they take discipline to sit down and be focused. I have plans for how to grow in that, read books that encourage me in that direction, etc….
T. Rousey: “I’ve attended the past two Jesus Culture Conferences in Atl and one of
my favorite things is hearing the miracles that God does through people
there on the Treasure Hunt (I believe that’s what it’s called).
How do you encourage others to live a life of radical faith?”
Banning Liebscher: “Fall in love with Jesus and step out in risks. A life of radical faith is fueled by love for Jesus and activated by taking risks.”
T. Rousey: “If you could go back and do one thing differently in your time of
ministry what would it be?”
Banning Liebscher: “Honestly, I’m not sure. I think all of it has been a major learning experiences. So even my failures have taught me and shaped me into who I am today.”
T. Rousey: “Everyone has their own way of preparing for sermons, how do you prepare?”
Banning Liebscher: “I prepare over time. I will have a thought or the Lord will show me something and I am thinking about for weeks or months sometimes and developing it in my head. I jot down ideas and thoughts I have and then after I’ve developed it in my head for a while I sit down and lay it out. I read somewhere that a sermon takes 20 years to develop. Sermons have to come out of who you are and who you are takes time to develop. Anyone can preach truth but in order for that truth to have its fullest impact it must first have impacted me as the preacher.”
Banning thanks so much for taking time out to share with me bro!!
Much Love!!
This is a scene from the movie “Coach Carter” and in my opinion it’s one of the best scenes in a movie period.
A hard nosed coach (played by Samuel Jackson) comes into a rough situation of coaching inner city kids who are all headed down the wrong path in life.
Most of the students in the school end up dead, in jail or pregnant instead of high school graduates.
Coach Carter challenges the athletes to be great in every aspect of their life not just on the Basketball court.
He shows the students that they are more powerful than they could ever imagine.
That they have the ability to bring change in a positive way to an entire school and community!
I believe that a lot of times in life we as Christ followers are a lot like the students! Not in the fact that we’re heading down a bad path but in the sense of we’re playing ourselves too small!
If we could really grasp the power that we have in Christ, I truly believe our lives would look a lot different.
I believe we would love more, dream bigger and think more out of the box in a lot of situations.
I just want to challenge you today to dream bigger!
Ask yourself some questions…
What am I doing that’s so big that I NEED God to come through because if he doesn’t it won’t happen?
What are you doing in your life that requires Radical Faith?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light , not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make and manifest the glory of god that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson
One of the questions I’ve asked many Pastors in Ministry is “How do you turn it off or can you turn it off”? I’ve really struggled with taking “days off” since I’ve started Full Time ministry! My mind is constantly racing about God, People and the plans he has for his people!
I came across this blog post by Perry Noble in which he talks about this so I thought I’d share it with you in case you’re a Pastor and you’re going through the same thing…
From Perry… One of the questions I get often in leadership circles is, “How do you turn ‘it’ off? How do you go home and just not think about the church anymore? How can you sleep at night and not let your mind begin to obsess about the things you need to do?”
I think that is a GREAT question…because I’ve been asking it for years.
If you are a leader you know exactly what I’m talking about…
You go home…but while you are at dinner you catch yourself thinking about the next day. (You’ve got to fight to stay focused on your family.)
You try to lay down and go to sleep…but your mind starts churning about things that you have coming up.
You get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom…and a sermon idea or a leadership solution hits you and you are up for the rest of the night thinking about it.
You go on vacation…and while you are there (usually about three days in) ideas begin to hit you out of nowhere and you have to find a journal to write them down in.
I could go on and on…but I am sure if you are a leader then you get the point.
I used to think I was crazy…that I was cracking up…that there was a switch inside of me that I could flip and that by doing so I would be able to disconnect and not really care about the church, the Great Commission and/or the calling that God has placed on my life.
Until I had this thought one day…if you can turn “it” off…then you probably never had “it” to begin with.
If you can leave the church and completely disconnect…then you’re probably not that connected to begin with…what you do is a paycheck & not your passion.
Reality is this…if you are called by God…if He has placed HIS zeal and passion inside of you…THEN THERE ISN’T A SWITCH ANYWHERE that you can flip to make that go away.
When I read the Scriptures I don’t see people like Nehemiah “turning the switch off.” He cast vision, built a wall, dealt with critics and did a great work.
I don’t see JESUS “turning off the switch.” He met the needs of people everywhere He went…and when He did try to go on a “retreat” to catch His breath and crowds followed them He would heal and feed them.
I don’t see Paul “turning off the switch.” Everywhere he went He could not stop talking about Jesus and starting churches.
So…if you can’t “turn off the switch” you are NORMAL! It means that Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, lives in you and is PUSHING you to do something about the things He is bringing into your awareness.
I used to feel bad that I could not “turn it off,” now I feel blessed because it affirms His calling on my life and His leadership in my life.
Every year since it first appeared in 1965, the animated TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas retells the story of Charlie Brown’s search for the meaning of Christmas. The program shows him directing a Christmas pageant with his friends, none of whom can concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas. Even his faithful dog, Snoopy, is swept up in materialistic fervor when he wins a contest by decorating his dog house in lights and tinsel. Finally Charlie Brown desperately yells, “Can’t anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?” And his friend Linus answers by reciting the story of Jesus’ Birth.
Ultimately, this humble and lowly birth shook the world. You’d have expected the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to have been surrounded by great wealth, ceremony and important people. Yet Jesus’ “adoptive” father worked as a simple carpenter, and his young mother wielded virtually no influence. They placed the newborn King in a manger—a feeding trough for animals. They probably slept in a cave where the inn owners kept their animals. Sure, the angels announced Jesus’ birth and sang of his glory, but not to an audience of great men and women. Instead, only simple shepherds tending their flocks out in the field heard the angels’ fanfare.
Makes you wonder just what kind of God we worship. He possesses great power and wisdom, but he willingly humbled himself for our salvation. Jesus eventually died a criminal’s death on the cross. He lived with us, suffered with us AND DIED FOR US!
Just as Jesus first came to ordinary people, God appears to ordinary people today. You might feel more like a shepherd, farmer or innkeeper than a king or prophet. Take heart, Jesus will come to anyone who will receive him. Know that when ordinary people decide to follow him, he can accomplish extraordinary things through them.
“Jesus isn’t just the reason for the season; he’s the reason for LIFE!!!” Perry Noble
The story of Christ’s birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.
So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.
And when it’s all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?
What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?
What if we all gave to things that really matter instead of giving each other presents we don’t need?
What if we started setting “Giving goals, instead of Getting goals?”
What if we stopped thinking “What if” and started acting!
One thing that I love to do is learn! I try to soak up as much information from people as I possibly can. I recently had an incredible opportunity to learn from an awesome Pastor, Pete Wilson. Pete Wilson is the lead pastor at Cross Point Church. Cross Point is a seven year old church with three campuses CP Nashville, CP Dickson, CP North. Their fourth campus CP Bellevue will launch this Spring. At Crosspoint they are a Church committed to continually growing as a community of believers radically devoted to Christ, irrevocably committed to one another and relentlessly dedicated to reaching those outside God’s family with the Gospel of Christ.
Here are some of the questions I asked Pete, followed by his responses.
1.) You’re a very busy guy with tons of things going on. How do you “turn it off” and just relax with your family and God? By turn it off I mean take your mind off of your next sermon or thing to do at Church. Or is it something we as ministry leaders can’t turn off?
“I think it’s really important for ministry leaders to have a Sabbath. A day where they don’t check email, answer phone calls or go near the office. It’s vital to replenish yourself each week in ministry in order to be most effective with your family, friends and the people who look to you for guidance.”
2.) What do you think your biggest weakness is and how are you trying to turn that into a strength?
“I am a people pleaser. I want to grant every request, every meeting and it sometimes gets me in trouble. That’s definitely one thing I continue to work on.”
3.) What is the serving culture like at Crosspoint Church and how do you inspire others to serve?
“We take volunteers and serving very seriously. We wouldn¹t exist without them. I am constantly overwhelmed at the attitude and culture of our volunteers. In addition to the over 500 volunteers it takes each Sunday we have Serving Saturdays and many other opportunities to serve. We have a missions pastor on staff and someone who is in charge of first impressions for guests.”
4.) If you could go back and do one thing differently in your time of ministry what would it be?
“I would have said “no” more often. I let a lot of things slide in my early years of ministry because I wanted to make everyone happy. It created a lot of messes I had to go back and clean up.”
5.) Everyone has their own way of preparing for sermons, how do you prepare?
“Mondays are my writing days. I don’t come back to the message until Wednesday. I almost always have my manuscript finished before I leave on Thursday and then I use the weekend to memorize and become familiar with the content.”
Big thanks to Pete Wilson for being a great leader! Praying for you bro!
If you’re looking for an AMAZING worship album look no farther than this one! I bought “Consumed” months ago and it’s still rocking my world!
This CD/DVD is Filmed at Redding’s historic Cascade Theater. This comes with both CD and DVD when purchasing at the $19.00 price. The MP3 version is the music only.
With Chris Quilala, Kim Walker-Smith and Melissa How
1. Heaven Is Here
2. Burning Ones
3. Holding Nothing Back
4. Revelation Song
5. Dance With Me
6. Light of Your Face
7. Holy
8. You Are Faithful
9. Oh Lord You’re Beautiful
10. Obsession
This track number 2 on the CD/DVD and probably my favorite, “Burning Ones”!
One thing I really try to do is treat everyone like they’re important because they are.
I’m pretty sure I fail at times but I honestly try to make a point to leave people happier and closer to God than they were when I first talked to them.
A big part of my reason for doing this is knowing first hand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of an encounter with a person who doesn’t think you’re very important. Being down here in the deep south where racism is still heavy I get dirty looks from people all the time.
I can also remember trying to talk with people say at church, conferences, restaurants etc and the whole time I was trying to get to know them their eyes were darting everywhere looking for someone more important to interact with.
That can be a pretty hurtful thing and it’s something that I would never want someone to experience because of myself.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. (James 2:1)
We’re called to lift each other up, encourage one another!
How much value do you think you could add to the people in your life if you starting trying to treat each of them like they were a rock star as you talked with them?
Late in the winter of 1569 Dirk Willems found himself running from the Dutch authorities. Although no one today would see his beliefs about baptism as radical or threatening, leaders at the time regarded them as heretical and illegal.
Fleeing for his life, Willems came to a pond covered with thin ice. After safely making his way across, he discovered that his pursuer hadn’t been so fortunate. Responding to the officer’s cry for help, Willems ran back, pulled him out of the frigid water and dragged him to shore. The guard then seized Willems and escorted him to prison. Soon afterward, authorities burned Willems at the stake.
Willems took seriously the teaching of Jesus to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (verse 27). His action of saving his purser certainly defied what we might call logical reasoning.
Chances are you’ll never have to make the kind of life-changing decision Dirk Willems faced. But life still presents plenty of opportunities to apply Jesus’ Challenging words. An crazy driver might cut you off the next time you’re on the road. You might be stabbed in the back by that person you thought was your friend. Tension might come to a head with a coworker who seems bent on making your time at work miserable.
Few of us would call loving our enemies “natural.” Jesus didn’t say we’d enjoy it. But no matter how we feel, we can honor Jesus’ command to “pray for those who mistreat you” (Verse 28).
A friend of mine Chris Hadsell who is an amazing writer wrote a note not too long ago and an awesome quote stood out to me. “Nothing that we despise in the other man is entirely absent from ourselves. We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or don’t do, and more in light of what they suffer.”-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I don’t know if that resonates in you the way it did me but I thought it was amazing. Often people don’t really mean harm when they hurt us. It’s usually stemming from something else that’s going on in their life. So friends I challenge you, that we would pray for our own attitudes so that we can respond in a Christ like way when we feel hurt.
And if people really are out to get us then we can ask God to change their hearts and draw them closer to God.
I don’t know if you’ve read today or not. Or if you even like reading.
But if you love to read I have a book you should dive into.
For the people who don’t like to read because it’s “boring”, would you read a book if you knew it was about…
murder…
Lies…
Forgiveness…
Grace…
Sex…
Cheating…
Love…
Heroes…
Wars…
Would you read a book about all these things?
I mean you gotta admit, it sounds interesting right?
Ohh and I forgot, more than SIX BILLION copies of this book have been sold making it the number one selling book of all time!!!!
It’s the Bible folks!
“The goal of reading scripture is not to simply “get through” the scriptures but to get the scripture through us!”Philip Bixby
If you read it with that mindset and apply it to your life, it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!
Take some time today and read the BEST SELLER!!
Now I’ll go ahead and let my boy Rich Wilkerson Jr tell you what he thinks about this book as well…
David is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. He was known as a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:13-15) and yet he sinned miserably. Most people are aware of his sin with Bathsheba, and his futile attempts to cover up his sin. The attempt to cover his sin resulted in
another sin: murder!
How can an adulterer and a murderer be called a “man after God’s own heart?” I believe it is because when he failed, he repented and then turned back to God (see Psalm 51). I love the fact that this man who failed grievously could still be called a man after God’s own heart. This is good news for all of us who want to honor and please the Lord and yet fail in our Christian walk. And ALL OF US FAIL!!!
David wasn’t the only person in scripture who played a major role in advancing the Kingdom yet messed up miserably.
-Noah was a drunk
-Abraham was too old
-Isaac was a daydreamer
-Jacob was a liar
-Leah was ugly
-Joseph was abused
-Moses had a stuttering problem
-Gideon was afraid
-Samson was a womanizer
-Rahab was a prostitute
-Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
-Elijah was suicidal
-Isaiah preached naked
-Jonah ran from God
-Naomi was a widow
-Job went bankrupt
-Peter denied Christ
-The Disciples fell asleep while praying
-Martha worried about everything
-The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
-Zaccheus was too small
-Paul was too religious
-Timothy had an ulcer
-Lazarus was dead!!!!!
The thing that I don’t understand are this…
If these people were alive and walking the earth today I really wonder how they would be treated. The world that we live in seems to be really judgmental, unforgiving and not too compassionate!
I’ve seen some job requirements from Churches that not only these people but that Jesus Christ himself wouldn’t even qualify for! It read something similar to this…
Senior Pastor Wanted…qualifications…
* Must be a seminary graduate
* Must be married
* Must have at least 10 years experience in the ministry
Acts 4:13 says the Apostles were unschooled, ordinary men who had been with Jesus…and THOSE are the guys He used to change the world.
I wonder how Paul, David, Samson or Elijah would be treated if they were here on earth today? I’ve heard tons of people say these are some of their favorite Bible Characters but with their past I think it would be interesting to see how people would react to them.
-Would they be gossiped about because of their past?
-Would people show them Grace and Forgiveness?
If so why can’t we forgive the people who walk among us today but make mistakes? Why can’t we see them for the person they’re becoming and not the mistakes they made in the past?
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love”
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tell me something, how does CJ Spiller not get an invite to the Heisman Celebration? Being a Die hard Clemson fan this one was pretty upsetting.
Despite not being among the Heisman finalists, Spiller’s stats are impressive and he is the ACC player of the year. In case you haven’t seen his stats I’ll add those for you along with a video!
Odd, the things that make us feel like a failure! Earning 30 grand instead of 60. Not being a part of the “in” crowd. Getting an answer wrong. Missing a game winning shot. Even odder, the things that make us feel like a success! Earning 60 grand. Being in the “in” crowd. Getting an answer right. Making a game winning shot.
Paul’s well-known explanation of love shows just how mixed up our ideas of failure and success can be. No matter what grand things we might accomplish, no matter what fine vision we might believe, no matter what deep and difficult truths we might learn, if we leave out love, it all means nothing. All of our imperfect accomplishments will fail.
One thing, however, will never fail. Of the realities that remain when all else is gone, only one is supreme: LOVE.
There it is. Without LOVE, we fail. With it, we can’t help but succeed.
Does that sound too easy? Well, people who’ve never tried it might think so. But this love is different from the natural love we’ve experienced. This kind of love combines virtues such as patience, honest, forgiveness, trust and good manners. Further, it rules out self-interested motives.
This kind of love isn’t easy at all. In fact, only one man has ever completely accomplished it. He knows and stands ready to forgive every rotten act you’ve ever committed. He always tells you the truth, and while the words might hurt, he desires only to heal. He sets an impossible pace but comes to your aid as you stumble along behind him. Despite the fact that you don’t deserve such a sacrifice, he even gave his life for us.
This kind of love doesn’t represent an out-of-the-way tangent or minor application of our faith. It stands as the central characteristic of faith. Jesus takes it a step further when he commands, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).
Jesus doesn’t say that people will recognize us by our knowledge of Scripture or by our ability to spout memorized Bible verses or even by stands we take against the evils of our culture. While those actions have their place, Jesus simply says that others will recognize us by our love as belonging to Jesus.
There it is. Without love, we fail. With it, we can’t do anything but succeed.
Passion is four days long and there are great speakers and amazing worship music leaders. Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, David Crowder Band, Hillsong United, Charlie Hall, Francis Chan, Beth Moore, and John Piper are among the many that participate in this conference and may very well be returning for Passion 2010!
Students will be arriving in Atlanta from all across North America and the world for Passion Twenty Ten, the next national/international gathering and four days that just may shape your future. Back in Atlanta, at Philips Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center, downtown, will be flooded by university faces from all fifty states, and (as a result of their 17-City World Tour), they hope, those representing many nations around the globe.
The dates of the conference are January 2-5, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. Sign up and I’ll see you there!
Clayton Stanton McDonald went home to be with the Lord March 16, 2009 at 8:33 am just 40 days shy of his 19th birthday. He impacted more people in his short time on earth than many do in 75 or more years. He loved people and spent his days investing in people’s lives, always thinking of others before himself. Everyone who came in contact with him always considered him a close friend even if they only knew him for a brief period. Clayton was diagnosed with leukemia at 7 and under went 2.5 years of chemotherapy, had two plus years of good health and then relapsed in 2003 and underwent a bone marrow transplant. He again experienced a 2+ year period of health and fell out of remission September 2006 and then underwent a second bone marrow transplant in January 2007, and was able to enjoy his senior year in high school with his classmates, even participation on the diving team and qualifying for the CIF championships. After a productive summer working with junior high youth ministry at Atascadero Bible Church and participation in a mission trip to Costa Rica, he began to feel anemic. A trip to Stanford in October 2008 indicated that the leukemia had returned for a fourth time. At this point it was clear that a cure was not possible. Clayton chose to forgo treatment and live out his final days without chemotherapy. He then took the opportunity to tell his story to all who would listen, speaking at Atascadero Bible Church, Cornerstone Church of Simi Valley and multiple schools and youth groups throughout the county. Finally on Wednesday March 11, 200 he spoke to over 900 of his peers at Call Poly. Clayton is survived by his mom and dad Wendy and Stan McDonald and his brother and sister Zack and Samantha, his grandparents and two great grandmothers and extended family.
Clayton is a man who “got it”!
Who truly got what it means to live out the tough verse in James 1:2!
You see this man of God defines what my definition of a stud is!
A stud isn’t the person with the most money, the most “things”, most followers on twitter, having the coolest blog, or driving the coolest car.
To me a stud is the person who has the least because they realize that it’s not about things! A stud realizes that the most important thing this life is about is dying to ones self so that Christ is gain! And a person that carries out Matthew 28:19!
You see Clayton wasn’t focused on the things that the world tells us we should be focused on. Clayton was focused on spreading the Gospel to the world!
What energy wasn’t spent on weekly blood draws and platelet transfusions, was spent reaching out to church youth groups and speaking about his faith.
So I just want to ask you guys today, What is living a life that truly matters all about to you?
Are you living the life that you feel that God is calling you to live?
What’s keeping you from living that life?
What if we all sold out and lived each day as if it were last?
Guys lets catch on to what it means to truly live a life that matters and flip this world upside right for Jesus Christ!
