I’m pretty jazzed about this.  I think we have 41 new folks coming (plus all of our wonderful volunteers!)  What a honor to get to share the essence of who we are & where we are headed w/ people that GOD is connecting to Harvest Church!  I’m convinced that NO ONE can mature spiritually without the ingrediant of COMMITMENT!  So, my hat is already off to our New Comers whether they “join” our church or not.  They are seeking God’s will for their lives, & that is a MUST for “Discovering Your Destiny!”

See you tonight at 6:30!  If you haven’t already call & RSVP:  251-471-2914 ext. 16 (Linda)

Blessings,

Pastor K

Knocking out art work this week & my producer in Nashville is finishing up the Master.  I’m hoping to send everything off to be pressed & printed before I leave for India on the 30th.  That means it SHOULD be ready around Dec 15th.  Just in time for you all to be ready for Christmas!

I’ll keep you posted.

KC

www.kevincooley.com

1. What is required of me? (Things high on priority that if I don’t do them I will lose my job.)

PRIORITIES - (List them below)

2.What gives me the greatest return? Am I doing what I do best and receiving a good return for the organization? List these:

i.e.:  Develop relationships with key leaders etc.

3. What is rewarding personally? What do I enjoy doing most?

Priority Principles

Evaluate- every 3 months review your dream & work ON it (not just in it.)

Eliminate- what am I doing that can be done by someone else?

Estimate- what are the top projects you are doing this month and how long will they take?

Practice the “art of knowing what to overlook and neglect”.

Know what you want! This is 95% of achieving anything.

Major goals are not achieved because we do second things first!

The good is the enemy of the best!

Headed there (Pastor Trent’s house) tonight!  Lonnie Shrader will be speaking.

Look forward to seeing many of you there!  We have a great time each month!  Men need to hang out.

PEACE,

PK

Adrienne & I are cheering our guts out today at our son Gavin’s last soccer tourny of the year!  He’s playing in the “Governor’s Cup” up here north of B’ham.  We are having a ball… no pun intended.

Lonny & Dana Schrader are ministering back home for us at Harvest Church!  They are a treat!  Be sure & attend or check out their unusual style on the web at http://harvestmobile.com

Blessings!

Pastor K

Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain)

“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” ~ Kimberly Johnson

“An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything.” ~ Lynn Johnston

“Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past.” ~ Tryon Edwards

And more

“To the person who does not know where he wants to go, there is no favorable wind.” ~ Seneca

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” - Hellen Keller

“The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust 

“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” - Thomas Jefferson

“Wherever you go, there you are!” (You can run from everything and everyone, but not from yourself)

I agreed to make a Bruno’s run for my wife today, and I brought home a few bag!  I knew it would be a nice little jaunt taking all those bags up the stairs & into the kitchen.  As I arrived home, I saw my good friend Lafe (who happens to single ladies!) parking at our curb.  He helped me take all the groceries up, and we did it all in ONE trip too!  Then we had a quick lunch & Lafe was off to peddle door hangers for his great new business.  (LifeHouse Productions) 

Isn’t it nice to know that you live in a COMMUNITY of Faith!?!  That may be at least one of my favorite parts of this whole Church/Christianity thing!   

Thanks for helping with the groceries Lafer!

KC

There was this guy I really poured a lot into some years ago.  He was a blessing to me too.  So when, from MY perspective, he betrayed or abandoned me it really hurt.  Sure you try to protect yourself but I honestly didn’t see this one coming.  It caught me off guard.  So then the temptation is when some one is in need to say, “Good luck with that!”  (Cause you are on your own pal.  I’m not doing that again.  Ouch!)

Unfortunately, as a Pastor, you get lots of chances to “get back on the horse & ride again” because you get thrown off quite often.  But it’s ride or die - because bitterness will kill you!  The greatest freedom came for me when I stopped trying to figure out WHY people do what they do because I realized that most (of these people) don’t even know why they do what they do.  God knows; & unless He reveals it to me - that’s enough.  I’m learning to balance getting deeply involved in people’s sometimes messy lives without getting “lost.”  (Love can be very messy & dangerous!)  I do have my own life too, my own children, my own marriage, and part of that life of mine is helping others with theirs - even though it occasionally hurts.  But the rewards are magnificent too!  At the end of the day though they have to own their issues IF they are going to see lasting, positive change.  Life is still about choices.  We can’t choose to NOT try to help & love others just because it can be dangerous.  But we have to also choose to NOT project their problems as our own.  JESUS is the “need meeter.”  We are simply His humble assistants.

So this guy comes walking into our offices the other day - after years…  I was suprised at how difficult it was at first for me to face him.  But I did.  I hugged him, blessed him, loved him… that was my choice.  I feel alot better.  I bet he does too.  Forgiveness is a beautiful thing.  (Choose LIFE!)

kc

10 Things I learned from my mentor Jim Wideman:

1.  Learn to be a listener. (The best ideas usually come from the folks actually doing the work.)  Also, Empathy is a powerful tool for leaders to have:  not just hearing what people are saying but also understand how they are feeling.

2.  Evaluate & observe.  You can’t fix what you don’t evaluate.

3.  Identify where ministry is being done alone.  Anyone who builds a (sports) dynasty has depth in all key positions.  Build for expansion!  Relationship makes transition smoother.

4.  Teach & model how to live.  Constantly put into the level of leadership under you.

5. Teach & model policies & procedures.  If there are constant exceptions to the policy then change it:  its a bad policy.

6.  Qualify helpers by abilities (the farm league approach.)  Let folks prove themselves.

7.  Delegate the right things.  There’s a lot of places the buck can stop BEFORE it gets to you.  This frees you to do what only you can do.  The rule of delegation is if someone can do the job at least 85% as good as you can - then let ‘em.

8.  Obey the voice of wisdom.  The voice of God & the voice of wisdom are the same!

9.  “Push Authority Down.”  Ministry that is effective gives authority along with responsibility AND then lets them do the job!  Put your heart in people and then let them do it… Release them.

10.  Never stop confronting others to grow!  Come up with a plan then be the accountability and give them a deadline (& hold them to it.)

kc

Everyone on your bus (team) should be able to articulate their responsibility (not their title.)

You have to kow what things to NOT de each year.  If you have more than 3 priorities then you have no priorities.  For every “to-do”there must be a corosponding “not-to-do”.  It’s like accounting:  there can’t be new “doings” without “stop-doings.”  (see www.jimcollins.com for his audio section on this and other great leadership topics.  But look for the one entitled “How NOT to Do.”)

Now go figure out what NOT to do!

KC