Influence

John Maxwell’s signature saying is, “Leadership is Influence--Nothing More—Nothing Less.”

One of our core values at YPC is influence. In 1 Samuel 22 we read a really cool story about David:

1Sa 22:2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Think about it......400 people who were frustrated in life, in debt, and freaking out. (That is not a real desirable group of people to be around.) Yet if we keep on reading we see that in the very next book David has developed these Mighty Men of Valor!!! Where did they come from? These where the same guys who were the undesirables in the last book!!! David tapped into these guys and harnessed their God-given abilities.

What makes a person so influential? Why do people choose to follow certain leaders?
David was willing to get his hands dirty first--the lion, the bear, the Giant, and now leading an army.
We have to be people who lead by example.
We can't ask people to do something that we aren't willing to do.
Is God actively moving in our own lives—in a measurable way?
Are we believing God for some BHAG's (Big Hair Audacious Goals!) and seeing them come to pass?
Are you experiencing divine health, success, peace, joy? Or are you sickly, poor, frazzled, and depressed?
People want to follow something that gives them hope.

Our message is not going to be a doom and gloom message--The Bible says “it’s the goodness of God that leads men to repentance,” not the sorrows of man.

In Closing: I believe that our mighty men are the ones God is leading to join our Launch Team now! You may not see yourself as being all that mighty—but neither did David’s men when they were 400 discontented, in debt, and distressed people. All they needed was a place—a place to shine, to be used, to be tapped into—greatness lay in each one of them.

Come find YOURplace in God at YOURplaceCHURCH

God Bless

Darian

Twitter

Hello everybody,

I just found the latest and greatest thing....Its called "Twitter." For those of you who think "that is so last week" forgive me I am still trying to stay Tech Savvy and at times it takes me a little bit to discover.

go to www.twitter.com and search for me...click follow and lets do life together

God bless

Darian

Relational

Have you ever ask yourself, “how come I made it?” Think about it. Out of all the people who have begun a life with Christ and then, for whatever reason, have fallen away; why did you stick? What made you continue your life IN-HIM?

When I was still serving in a supportive ministry role, one of my job descriptions was expansion and development. I took it upon myself to research why people “made it.” What made them stick? Well obviously we know that the bible says that in Isa 55:11 “That's how it is with my words. They don't return to me without doing everything I send them to do."

All my research showed that people stuck for one of two reasons:
1.They either had a bottom of the barrel experience and out of a last chance desperation called out to God and He met them there, or
2.They simply had a relationship with someone who believed and was nurtured into a relationship with Christ.

I knew a guy who seemingly lost everything he was working towards. He lost his wife, his job wasn't fulfilling to him, he lost his daughter in the divorce, and with everything else lost his will to live. He had one of those “staring down the barrel of a gun” moments when as a last ditch effort he called out to God for help. Praise God!!! Today he serves on staff at a church and is helping people day in and day out. This is scenario #1

85% of everybody else I interviewed said that it was because of a friend, loved one, or co-worker that they are where they are in their journey today. Think about it, who better to lead someone to Christ then a person you trust. I was introduced to this life by a cute little, dark-haired, curly headed girl that lived around the corner from me. She was HOT!! That is why I wanted to meet her, but ultimately she led me to Christ. She is now my wife, and I thank God every day for putting her in my life.

John 1:42 says, “Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, ‘Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.’ This name can be translated as ‘Peter.’”

John 1:45 then says, “Philip then found Nathanael and said, ‘We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.’”
John 1:46 goes on, “Nathanael asked, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’ Philip answered, ‘Come and see.’”

Relationships are a breeding ground for life change. Your guard is down, you have seen God work in their life, you recognize that your life stinks and theirs is better. It sparks questions, observations, thoughts and again ultimately life change.

SO think about it. How are you being relational in your life today? Who are you leading to Christ by your actions? What kind of questions are people asking about God because of you? Be purposeful in your relationships (not flaky-we already have enough of those around).

As the old saying goes “you may be the only Christ someone will ever meet.”

God Bless

Darian

Authentic

In a world of fakes, want-a-be's, and masquerades, its hard to decipher what is true, genuine and authentic.

Dictionary.com defines Authentic as:
genuine, real, veritable share the sense of actuality and lack of falsehood or misrepresentation. Authentic carries a connotation of authoritative certification that an object is what it is claimed to be.2Corinthians 6:6 says “But we have kept ourselves pure and have been understanding, patient, and kind. The Holy Spirit has been with us, and our love has been real.”

2Timothy 3:5 says “Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.”These scriptures sum up what we are trying to communicate when we say we are authentic. We are tired of “playing church;” no more “Fake it until you make it.” I am in no means discounting faith in its purest form, I believe that without faith it is impossible to please God, but all to often people are trying to “look the part” so much that they don't allow anybody to know they really are hurting and genuinely need some help!

One of the greatest things I ever heard was by a good friend of mine named Dan. He is a CEO for a large food chain and prides himself on hiring only the best. He said, “Darian, what is the most important part of communication?” Of course all my years of book reading mustered up a complicated but seemingly true answer, only to find out that I was wrong! The most important part of communication is “listening,” and not just listening to hear what they are saying, but genuinely putting yourself in the shoes of the person you’re talking to and seeing it from their point of view.

This form of listening takes effort. It’s not easy, it requires that you put yourself, your beliefs, your thoughts aside for a fraction of time and genuinely see things from their point of view. Easier said than done. It is said that if you were to suck all the air out of this room right now, your greatest need in life would be oxygen---well, next to air alone, the single greatest need in a person’s life is to be “understood.”

At YPC we are Authentic in our worship, in our service, and most importantly in our life. We don't just “Clock-In” when we get to church, we live it every day of our lives. We genuinely want to know people and display the REAL love of Christ to everyone we have the opportunity to meet and talk with.

Take a step back today and ask yourself the question, “Am I living an authentic life in Christ?”

God Bless

Darian