Vince Recommends...

Maybe you're an entrepreneur, or dream of someday being an entrepreneur.  And I would count church planters as kind of spiritual entrepreneurs, so if you're thinking of starting a church, you're included.

So, if you're one of those, you must read The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.  Gerber explains why some new businesses succeed while others fail.  And why some entrepreneurs can start a single location, but lose it when they try to franchise what they're doing.

By the way, if you're not an entrepreneur, but are into systems thinking, you also must read this book.

And, you're welcome.

And ... We're Live!

Our brand new website for Vault is now up, you can check it out at:  www.vaultconference.com.  Vault is a small conference we put on in October with unbelievable feedback.  It's focused on church planters and pastors who want to reach people who are really far from God.  The content is unlike any other conference out there.  And we intentionally keep it small, so we can get to know each other.  In fact, we're capping Vault at 120 people - the first 120 people who register and pay are in, everyone else is out.  So hurry up and register!

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my birthday and every year my wife asks what I want and I say, "Nothing.  Seriously, don't get me anything."  (Part of that is because I am very cheap, and she would be spending my money.  If you want to get me something, go right ahead!)

So this year I said nothing, and she never accepts that.  So then she got an offer for incredibly low priced tickets for the Lion King musical at Mandalay Bay and I said, "That's what I want, I want to bring the kids to that for my birthday!"  So tonight we're going to see Simba.

Hakuna matata!

this weekend @ VERVE

This weekend we conclude our Reel Prayer series and we're going to talk about two life changing skills.
 
What are those two life changing skills?  Well, wouldn't you like to know!  But nope, I'm not telling.  You need to come and learn these skills for yourself.

Are they really life changing?  Yup, they're really life changing.

So you're telling me if I show up this weekend at Verve, my life will be changed?  I'm telling you that if you show up AND listen AND apply the message by actually using these skills, then yes your life will be changed.

I guess I better be there.  I guess you better.

World's Dumbest

I have a confession to make:  Sometimes late at night, before I go to bed, I ... watch a show called, World's Dumbest on TruTV. Have you seen it? The show features idiotic people doing idiotic things. Like, "Seriously? No one could possibly be that dumb" kind of stuff.

I have another confession: I also check out the world's dumbest almost every morning. Except in the morning I read about idiotic people doing idiotic things ... in the Bible. And lots of days I think, "Seriously? No one could possibly be that dumb."

Okay, one more confession: I also see the world's dumbest during the day. Like in the mirror. Or when I look at people, like you. We're all idiots. And we all do idiotic things.

So I've got an idea. Maybe we should all stop looking down on others and just be ridiculously glad we get to be the recipients of God's grace.

Why I Give

I give a minimum of 10% of my pre-tax income to Verve, and I thought I'd share a few of the reasons:

(1) God commands it. Really, this is reason enough. In the Old Testament God told us to give ten percent of all we bring in back to Him. In the New Testament Jesus talks more about money than just about anything else. I want to live my life for God and do whatever He asks, and so giving generously is actually something that gets me excited.

(2) There's nothing more important I can do with my money than support the mission of our church. The money I spend on me tends to be on temporary, inconsequential items. But when I give to Verve it goes to changing lives. And that has eternal significance. Every time I hear about a life that's been impacted at Verve, I know that my giving contributed to that.

(3) To be an example to my kids. I want my kids to live for God. I want them to obey Him. I want them to be generous. And I can't expect any of that unless I set that example. Some people may argue that kids don't know how much their parents give, but I think kids know more than we realize. And either way, I want to be the kind of person I want my kids to become.

Heard at Dinner Tonight

My 9-year-old daughter, Marissa:  
               I think someday I'd like to be 
              the first woman president of the 
              United States.

Me:         Well then, do it.  You could do 
               that.

Marissa:  Yeah, but I also want to be a   
                hairstylist.

VERVE Happs

I missed Sunday morning because I was speaking at a church in Park City, Utah as part of the opportunity God gave me to be part of some ministry happening with the Sundance Film Festival.  The church, Mountain Life, was great and were so supportive of what we're doing at Verve. I was impressed and grateful.

Got to experience our service on Monday night, and it was great.  Robb did an awesome job helping us to think of why God may not always answer our prayers the way we want Him to.

For the third time in our ten month history, and the second week in a row, our Monday night service had the highest attendance.  I still think that's pretty crazy and amazing.

I'm psyched for the campaign we're launching in March!

Vince Recommends...

Okay, so I'm about to give you the best recommendation ever.  And the timing of this is very strategic.

If you live in Vegas, or ever come to Vegas, you must go get cupcakes at Retro Bakery.  Right now click on that link and look at the flavors, then come back with me.

Oh my crap, did you see those flavors?!?  Wow!

So here's the strategy with my timing.  My birthday is January 29th.  That's this Saturday.  What do I want from you?  I want Retro Bakery cupcakes!!

You're welcome.

Sundancing

Getting to be in Park City for Sundance has been great.

I came for more ministry reasons, and have been able to meet with some fascinating Christian up and coming filmmakers.  One of the interesting things is that some of them came to film making later in life (like in their late 20's or early 30's) but are already achieving success.  (It's not too late for you to do something new!)  I also met with a great pastor here.

I think God had me here for another reason I didn't expect.  My wife is in graduate school to get her degree in Counseling, and wants to work with girls who have been rescued out of sexual slavery, and I have met a bunch of people who have some connection to that (like a guy who is making a film on the subject).  We'll see what comes of it...

I did get to see a series of five short films - which were horrendous!  And the debut of a full-length called Win Win.

Almost Time To Say I Told You So

I hate to point out my brilliance, and I realize we're still not quite there yet, but I feel the need to point out that I predicted before the NFL season started (on this blog) that the Super Bowl would be the Jets and Packers.

Man, I should move to Vegas...

this weekend @ VERVE

Last week we talked about how God promises to answer and unleash His power through our prayers.  And we looked at some amazing biblical and current examples of that.

BUT

What about when it doesn't seem like God has answered our prayers?  What about when we ask (and ask, and ask, and ask) but nothing seems to happen?  What about that?

We'll talk about that this weekend.  See ya then.

Pictures From Park City / Sundance

Check out these amazing pictures Robb took of the freakish beauty of Park City and downtown on the first night of Sundance:

Antonucci Stuff

Tuesday night we went to see Recycled Percussion (for free!) at the Tropicana.  They are a band that came in third on America's Got Talent.

On Tuesday I also did something I never thought I'd do - I decided to sell something of mine to make a little extra money for the family.  It was something I never could have imagined selling.  No, not my blood.  ...  Books.  I love books, LOVE them, everything about them.  When I buy a book, it's like it just joined my family.  I read a lot, so I have a TON of books.  And I basically treasure them.  But I picked 100 out to sell.  That's crazy.

Sundance

I'm kind of an independent film nut. I love them. In fact, way back in Virginia Beach, in 2008, when I first realized that we were really going to move to Vegas to start Verve, one of the things I did in that first week was to see how far Park City, Utah is from Vegas.  Park City is the location for the Sundance Film Festival, which features first showings of independent movies.

So last year I spoke at something, and a guy came up to me after to explain that he leads a ministry bringing spirituality to up-and-coming film makers. He asked me if I'd come with him to Sundance to lead discussion groups with film makers after viewing movies. He told me there was a church in Park City that I would speak at on Sunday.

Wow.  Honestly it was a difficult yes - I've been only agreeing to speak at places that are supporting Verve or might support Verve, and I didn't see that connection here.  But ... who knows?  And my wife was like, "Are you stupid?  In the first week we realized we were going to move to Vegas you talked about driving to Park City for Sundance!  God is giving you this as a gift.  You have to say yes!"

And I don't argue with my wife.  ; ).

Shouldn't Following Jesus Look Like...

Yesterday I mentioned that we've lived here for a year, and the question we always get is, "Why did you move to Vegas?!"  As in, "Why did you leave your great church in a great place to live, to move and start a new church in a difficult place to live?"

Well, maybe I'm nuts, but I think we're supposed to orient our lives around Jesus and what He wants to do in the world. Isn’t that what it means to follow him?

Seriously, what if instead of, “I’m moving to Orlando because I got a new job there,” it was, “I’m moving to Detroit because I’m convinced God wants me to live there. I don’t know what I’ll do for work, but there’s got to be something. I don’t know, but I trust God.” Or what if instead of, “I live in Louisville because my family is all here,” it was, “I live in the French Quarter of New Orleans because there are so few Christians, and God needs a presence here.” Or what if instead of, “We chose to live in this neighborhood because the schools are really good,” it was, “We chose to live in this neighborhood because the schools are really bad, and we want our kids to be missionaries to them.”

 Shouldn’t following Jesus look like that? Our decisions governed not by what’s best for us and what we want, but by what’s best for God and what he wants. Even if we have to face down fear, no matter what the cost. And isn’t that what makes life an adventure, and worth living, as we become a part of something bigger than ourselves, something better than we’ve ever experienced, something more beautiful than we’ve ever dreamed.

VERVE Happs

This week we continued our brand new Reel Prayer series with "What If You Prayed?" as we talked about how God asks us to ask Him for things, and how His power is unleashed in our lives and our world when we pray.  If you missed the message, you can listen to it here.  (Also, if you still haven't listened to our State of the Church Address you can do with that same link.)

I'm excited for some upcoming events at Verve, so mark your calendars:

• Verve University is about to start up, and you can sign up now!
• The Super Bowl Party at Verve is gonna be fun, it's on ... yeah, Super Bowl Sunday.
• We are doing:  Verve's Amazing Race: Las Vegas on Saturday, March 12.  It will be a blast!
• We are doing our second ever Verve Kickball Game on Saturday, April 30.

Why I Moved Here

Two years ago today my family arrived in Las Vegas. And, if you'll allow me, I'm going to vent a little.

So I started writing a book about my experiences in Vegas, and it was turned down by Christian publishers. I was told that Christians prefer to pretend Las Vegas doesn't exist, and don't want to think about it.

One of the things we miss in Vegas is Chick-fil-a. It's a Christian-owned restaurant franchise (they aren't open on Sundays so employees can attend church). My wife loves their chicken sandwiches and ice tea. There are Chick-fil-a's everywhere, but not in Vegas. On a recent trip to California we stopped in one, and my wife asked the manager why there were none in Vegas. His answer, "Putting a Chick-fil-a in Las Vegas would go against our company's core values."

Well ... the reason I moved to Vegas is the same reason most Christians ignore it, and Chick-fil-a refuses to come here. It's because it's Sin City. It's because light shines best in the darkness. And ... thank God Jesus didn't have the same attitude as most Christians and Chick-fil-a or else He never would have come to Earth for us.

Vince Recommends...

Have you heard about Brave New Voices?  It's a national youth poetry slam, with about 50 teams competing from around the world.

I heard about it from a friend of mine.  Then I was in a hotel room, and a party was raging below me.  It was keeping me up in the middle of the night, so I turned on the TV, started flipping around, and saw three teens doing a choreographed poetry slam.  It was Brave New Voices, and it was really good.  If you can watch it, or go and experience it, I would.

You're welcome.

Latecomers

In the book What Good Is God, Philip Yancey tells about his friend George sharing with him the difference between A.A. and most churches:

... in church if someone comes in late, people turn and look at the latecomers.  Some scowl, some smile a self-satisfied smile - See, that person's not as responsible as I am.  In A.A., though, if a person shows up late, the meeting comes to a halt and everyone jumps up to greet the latecomer, aware that the tardiness may be a sign that the addict almost didn't make it.  As George put it, "When I show up late, it proves that my desperate need for them won out over my desperate need for alcohol.

What if churches became places devoid of judgment and instead were marked by traits like humility, dependence, acceptance, and gratitude?  I don't know about you, but I'd want to go to a place like that.

Cry With Me

Awhile back my wife and I watched a (so) horrible movie (it made me want to put a bullet in my head) called Motherhood. (I actually wanted to go into my TV and kill Uma Thurmond. I'm not sure if I wanted to put her out of her misery, or myself.)

One of the not funny jokes in the movie is there's a mother who whenever her child starts crying, she starts crying with him. She explains that it's supposed to help the child calm down. It's obviously a ridiculous parenting technique.

But I must admit:  When you've got to cry, it's not so bad to have someone to cry with you.  In fact, Jesus kinda lived life that way, didn't He?

Bible Reading Plan

It's been a cool first couple weeks of 2011 because I am constantly hearing from people who are following the Bible Reading Plan we created for 2011, which can be found at our www.vervecatalysts.org site.

My family has been doing it together.  Every morning we all sit down and individually read the chapter, then answer any questions our kids have, then we each share our "Now What" - the application we need to make to apply what we read that day.  This morning, with Mark 10, so many of the stories had to do with power vs. serving.  This world tells us to be prestigious through gaining power, but Jesus teaches us to be significant through serving.  What a counter-cultural way to live, but it's the Jesus way and the only way that ultimately works and satisfies.

I really appreciate Tommy who is writing the notes for each chapter on the VerveCatalysts site.  They've been really informative and helpful!

this weekend @ VERVE

Last week we started our new series Reel Prayer and we talked about how allows us to pour our hearts out to God, and God to pour His heart into us.  We said that prayer is love, and it builds our relationship with God and grows our intimacy with Him.

But prayer is even more than that.  Like the fact that prayer works.  God actually answers prayers, and there are things that happen on earth and in human lives that only happen because someone prayed for it to happen.

This week we'll talk about that.  About the power of prayer, and what God might be able to do in our lives if we just prayed.  Sound like something you need to hear?  Then be there!

Amazing Churches ... For Christians

The Barna Group recently reported the results of a 2010 study in which they discovered that very few people admitted to any change in their religious beliefs or practices over the last five years.  The group experiencing the least amount of change were those over 26.  And more people reported moving away from Christianity than growing in their faith.

I realize there are a lot of issues involved, including a person's growing inflexibility as they age but ... one significant factor too often ignored is that churches "do church" for people who like church, rather than strategically designing what they do to connect with people who are far from God, and bring them closer to God.

I have been to a lot of great, amazing churches ... for Christians.  But I can probably count on one hand the churches I've seen that are truly doing church in a way that can effectively reach people who are far from God and lead to significant belief and life change in them.

If you are serious about reaching non-Christians, and having a church for people who don't like church, I might be able to provide some coaching, and you should come to our Vault conference in October.

Just Thinking

I've always been a big fan of thinking. I believe it's one of my strengths - I've got a quick mind, which helps when necessary, but if possible I like to take my time with decisions and really, well, think them through. I've tried to develop my thinking abilities. In college I minored in Philosophy and took classes on deductive logic, epistemology, etc.

So why do I bring this up? Because I just don't think enough people, well, think. In their personal lives, in church leadership, all the time I see people make decisions and I'm like, "Seriously?" How much thinking went into that? Did you look backwards and learn what you can from the past? Did you consider all of the circumstances you're currently facing? Did you play out the decision to determine how it might impact the future? Did you get wisdom from others?"

So it may seem like common sense, but it's not that common, but I encourage you to think. Go as slow as the decision will allow and think as much as you can. At least think about it?

VERVE Happs

This week we started a brand new series, Reel Prayer.  We're looking at some movie scenes with people praying, most of whom obviously don't have a clue about prayer.  And together we're exploring what prayer is, and why it's important, and how to make it more effective in our lives, so it can change our lives.  Talk about an important series!

Sunday night we did our first ever Verve State Of The Church Address.  Honestly, it was a little weird for me.  First, because I had to make a few announcements I guess I would have rather not had to make.  Though I do know ultimately they're for the best.  But even more, because we have some really cool, really fun possibilities for 2011 and I didn't share them.  Why?  Because still in our first year, our church is at a critical stage, and I knew there were just much more important things we had to talk about.  And if you're a part of Verve but weren't there, you need to listen to the podcast this week.  You can do so here.

2011 is gonna rock at Verve.  God has great things in store for us.  Get ready!

Vince Recommends...

Do you like to grill?  Are you into steaks?  Do you struggle to know if your steak is done the way you like it?  Or you're cooking for guests and they want theirs medium, and how do you know when it's medium?!

Well ... there is a whole way to figure this out by using your hand.  Poke the fatty part of flesh under your thumb.  That's what a rare steak should feel like when you touch it.  Make a tight fist and poke that same spot.  That's what a well done steak should feel like.  Etc.

But if you'd like a much easier way AND you have an iPhone, get the Steak Time app by Omaha Steaks.  You enter in a few facts and it will help you cook your steak perfectly.  Finally, our hi tech world is doing something good for my belly!

You're welcome.

State Of The Church Address

You know how every January the President gives the "State Of The Union Address" where they talk about how our country is doing, and their goals for the upcoming year, and everyone keeps jumping to their feet and clapping, whether they want to or not?

Well, tonight we start a new tradition at Verve, a vision night we're calling the "State Of The Church Address."  Does that mean I'll be wearing a suit?  No.  Does it mean I'll share how our church is doing, and our goals for 2011?  Yes.  And does it mean you have to keep jumping to your feet and clapping?  Ohhhh yes.  If you are a Verver, please don't miss this important event.  Tonight, 7:05 - we should be done by 8:05.

Swayless Leadership

I loved the book Moneyball, which details the way Billy Beane (General Manager of the Oakland A's) leads his team. One of the most interesting points is that Beane refuses to watch his team play. The reason is he doesn't want his emotions swayed. If he sees a player hit a monster home run, or make a diving catch, it would be easy for him to overrate the player because of his memory of that one play. And so he only looks at the stats, and makes all his decisions based on them.

So if you're in leadership ... what can you learn from his example? Where might you be swayed and making decisions based on emotions rather than reality? And what are the cold hard stats you can examine to get a better view of what's really going on?

The Makings Of A Church Planter (6)

This is the last post I'm doing on what I see as the critical characteristics of a successful church planter. You can read the first five by clicking on the "Church Planting" label in the categories on the right.

So what's number six?  You must have support, loads of support. What kind of support?

1. The support of your spouse. If your spouse isn't passionate about starting the church, just don't do it. Trust me on that.
2. The support of financial backers. Unfortunately it takes money to start a church. If you don't have financial backing, you're church will be in trouble. And if you can't raise money, you're in trouble. Why? Because the same skills necessary to raise money are necessary to start a church from scratch. If you struggle raising money, you'll struggle in lots of other ways.
3. The support of prayer partners. Even if you're the perfect person to plant a church, you still can't do it. Only God can. And so you need lots of people committed to asking God to help you.
4. The support of a team on site. There are a few examples of someone starting a church by themselves, but personally I think that's nuts. In the Bible we see Jesus send people out in two's, and in the book of Acts we see people go out in groups of two or more. You need a team, whether they're paid or volunteers, they need to be committed to the mission.

What should you do if you don't have this kind of support? Get it, or find something else to do but certainly don't start a church.

Want to learn about church planting, especially how to start a church for people who don't like church? Come to our next Vault Church Planting Lab!

Framework First

Sometimes when I sit down to write a message, I already have kind of an outline I've created.  I've noticed that when I've already organized my thoughts, I am WAY more productive and creative as I write.

Sometimes when our Creative Team sits down to plan out a series, we already have some ideas on paper to guide the direction we're gonna go in.  And I've noticed that when we have that, we're WAY more productive and creative as we plan.

So ... I've changed my approach.  I will write out the sequence of ideas for my message before I ever sit down to write the message.  And we will brainstorm ideas for our creative meeting before we ever start really brainstorming creative ideas for a series.

I wonder if there's some way you can apply this to your life and your creative endeavors?

Reset

The satellite box on one of our TV's has some kind of problem that once in awhile the TV gets all glitchy and doesn't look right.  The only thing I can do is hit the reset button on the box.  Then it will go through some phases where everything is reset, after which, we're golden.

I find the same to be true in life.  Once in awhile things get messed up and just aren't right.  When that happens, you need to hit reset.

So ... my family begins every year with our "Family Dream Session" where we revisit our family's core values and core culture, review the last year, and dream about the the future God has for us.

And this week I'm doing a three day retreat with just me and God.  I'm working on a Life Plan, and just taking a lot of time to pray and make sure things are right in my life.

I wonder if you need to hit reset?  How could you do that in the near future?

Go Nevada!

Fast Company recently had an article entitled "Just What Does Your State Do Best?"  Most of the answers wouldn't surprise you:  Iowa produces the most corn, Kansas the most wheat, Louisiana the most crawfish.  West Virginia has the highest percentage of toothless adults.

So what can my state of Nevada boast?  (By the way, did you know that the population of Las Vegas makes up about 2/3rds of the population of the entire state?)  Here's what the article says:  "Nevada is #1 in teen pregnancies, home foreclosures, and meth use, but it also has more mountain ranges than any U.S. State."

VERVE Happs

I know this is weird to say, but I loved my message this weekend.  We talked about the church, and I want to be a part of the kind of church God wants us to be.  I want to be a part of a church that takes seriously it's role as a Dating Service, God's 12 Step Program, God's Emergency Room, and the Body of Christ.  If you missed the message, you can listen to it here.  And if you're a part of Verve, let's make God's desire for the church our reality.

Loved how Verve came together to help a single mom this week.  It was beautiful.

Getting excited, and nervous, about the State Of The Church Address on Sunday night.  If you care about Verve, don't miss it.

Vince Recommends: 2010 Movies

Of the movies I saw in 2010, here are my tops

1. True Grit
2. The Social Network
3. King's Speech
4. The Fighter
5. Inception
6. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
7. The Karate Kid
8. Toy Story 3
9. The Town
10. Date Night
11. Winter's Bone
12. Exit Through The Gift Shop
13. Paper Heart
14. The Ghost Writer
15. Secretariat
16. Alice in Wonderland
17. The Other Guys
18. Despicable Me
19. Shutter Island
20. Green Zone
21. Shrek 4 Forever After
22. Knight And Day
23. MegaMind
24. Black Swan
25. The American
26. Catfish (Yeah, not so much)

Movies I wish I had seen: 127 Hours, Get Low, Greenberg

VERVE Happs

The Church, So Simple...

Excited because today I'll be teaching on the church as we conclude our Christianity For Cavemen series.

I think so many people have wrong ideas about what church is - and that statement is an understatement. This may be better: I think most people have vastly wrong ideas about what church is. And I'm not just talking about people who are far from God. I'm also talking about people who attend church regularly.

It's obvious by the way people dress for church services, by the things they say ("We're just not getting fed here"), by the way they act, by the people they look down on, by the way they watch but don't contribute, by the reasons they leave.

Can you tell this gets me riled up? So, again, excited to talk about this this morning and tomorrow night.

Happy New Years

I hope you have a happy New Years day.  But way more important to me is that you have a great entire year, that 2011 might be your best year yet - a year where you grow way more into a love God, love people kind of person.

But how?  Well, one of the best ways to do that is by reading the Bible everyday.  If you'd like to know why the Bible matters, and how to read it so it really impacts your life, you can listen to a message I did on the topic here.

So what will you read?  Well, we've developed a 2011 Bible Reading Plan that will take you through the entire Old Testament and part of the Old.  You can get it at our www.vervecatalysts.org site.  Follow it, really digging in and applying what you read to your life (using questions like Say What?, So What?, Now What?) and it will change your life.  Guaranteed.