Dan O’Deens Blogspot

“Not Guilty Anymore” The new album and title song by Aaron Keyes captures the heart of God and is my constant reminder that God’s blood has accomplished all that He desires.  That I have been freed from sin and the chains that Satan wants me to think I am shackled in, but the Cross set me free!  I love it!  Blessings for today, live in freedom, not guilt!  The price is paid!  Listen to the tune  http://virb.com/aaronkeyes

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, doesn’t matter what you’re coming from,  it doesn’t matter where you’ve been.  Hear me tell you, I forgive.

You’re not guilty anymore.  You’re not filthy anymore.  I love you, mercy is yours.  You’re not broken anymore, you’re not captive anymore.  I love you, mercy is yours.

Can you believe that this is true.  Grace abundant I am giving you.  It’s cleansing deeper than you know.  All was paid for long ago.

You’re not guilty anymore.  You’re not filthy anymore.  I love you, mercy is yours.  You’re not broken anymore, you’re not captive anymore.  I love you, mercy is yours.

There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Jesus.  You’re not guilty anymore.  You’re not filthy anymore.  I love you, mercy is yours.  You’re not broken anymore, you’re not captive anymore.  I love you, mercy is yours.

You are spotless.  You are holy.  You are faultless.  You are whole.  You are righteous.  You are blameless.  You are pardoned.  You are MINE!  You’re not guilty anymore.  You’re not filthy anymore.  I love you, mercy is yours.  You’re not broken anymore.  You’re not captive any more.  I love you, mercy is yours.”

Vernon M. Whaley has nailed it!   What a fantastic theology for those who love worship.   Vernon covers how worship applies to the believe and the one who has not yet believed.

He walks us through the pages of Scripture from cover to cover unveiling this God who longs to have relationship with His creation.  It is a manual on how to be a better worshipper.   It is a resource to help us see how others have worshipped.   All of us are here to worship!

The impact of this book has the potential to move the church from being self-centered, to being Christ-centered.  To be effective worshippers corporately, we must engage in personal worship on a daily basis.

It is always a pleasant journey to walk through the pages of Scripture, but to do so while focussing on the sole purpose of life, to ascribe to Him worth, was simply amazing.

You will be a more informed and deeper worshipper when you read this theology of WORSHIP!   A must read for all who want to be Worshippers!

Marcus does what he does best!  He sticks to his strength.  You would expect that from an expert “strength strategist.”  He is able to move our focus to identify our strengths and devise the right strategies to put those strengths to work.   He is a master at looking at the individual.  ”Each person is born different.  You must do everything in your power to capitalize on this difference.”

His section on SIGNs of a Strong Life is a great guide.  Successful, Instinctively looking forward to tomorrow; Growing and learning and Needs fulfilled.  A great grid to put ideas, decisions and direction through!

The books ability to interact with helpful resources found online will help improve your serve as you pursue excellence in leadership and understand where your strengths lie.  Play in your strength and everyone wins!

A great book for self leadership.   Especially geared for women or understanding how women process.

I love Donald Miller.  He makes me think.  He makes me laugh.  He makes me wonder.   This book made me realize that ’story’ is a part of our lives.   We are the story.  We are “a” character in the story that is part of a much bigger story!   He says, “A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it is the basic structure of a good story.”  He later explains, “It’s not a book; it’s a movie.  We have to show it.   A character is what he does.”

That was far to revealing.  My character is more than my desire and my thoughts.  It is my belief’s, desires and thoughts put to action.    It is true that we are whole!  But people’s perceptions of us are based on what they hear us say and what they see us do.   They know nothing of what we think or feel.   A great story should include all of these areas.

All of us are writers.  Every writer knows what to do.  ”You put something on the page.  Your life is a blank page.  You write on it.”  Doing what we feel and desire is difficult.   The most often repeated commandment in the Bible is “Do not fear.”    We have to overcome our fears and do the things that God has placed on our hearts.

Miller has done an outstanding job of helping us understand that our lives tell a story and our story plays a significant part in a grander story.  We choose to put the story into ‘play.’

This is a great read.   Hang in there for the first 4 chapters as he sets the stage.  It will be worth your while and you will have a story to live and tell!

How arrogant and narrow really is the Statement:  ”I AM the way, the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father except through ME.”

One has to put this statement through the reality of the GOD-MAN!   The one who said that about himself sent that message, not from a lofty throne as a powerful king who was exercising his arrogant authority.

He had left the splendor of heaven.  He stooped down.  He came to our place of residency, planet earth and He is knocking at our hearts door, asking to come in.

This message instead came from a lowly manger, from a humble servant, exercising sacrifical humility.   He risked and ended up losing his life over that statement.

The TRUTH:  Your eternal destiny hangs on the thread of what you do with that statement.  Eternity hangs in the balance.  The choice is yours.  You choose life – heaven by believing in that statement or You choose death – hell by not believing in that statement.  The choice is yours!

Perhaps the most amazing theologically mind boggling truth is that the ONE person (GOD) who could make me do right…or chooose right…doesn’t!

I hope you will choose this day to follow Jesus!  He really is the only way, the truth and He so wants to give you life….in fact…LIFE ETERNAL – HEAVEN!

Great leaders who are dependent on God bring great words.  We are all life long learners.

I am learning a lot today at ‘the Nines’ conference.

X and Y by Elizabeth Pace is certainly a targeted book for those who are interested in ‘marketing.’   That said, the book is a must read for any leader of any organization that desire to better understand and attract both males and females to their organization.

It is also a fantastic book for couples to understand how we operate as male and female.   Little nuggets of truth are all over this book; “He prioritizes while she maximizes”; “He sees like a laser, she sees like a lighthouse”; He’s more sensible, she’s more sensitive.”

As a male I am not sure I love the remark as much as I resemble it.  ”A woman’s guess is much more accurate than a man’s certainty.”

Much research has been undertaken to write this insightful book.   I think it is a worthwhile read for those of you who are still trying to figure out the opposite sex!

I have to start out by sharing my disdain for the term “First Impressions.” At first the phrase is catchy.   …And then, you read into it and it appears to be a bit “Shady.”  What I mean by that is that the term seems to convey an un-honest reality.  We will work hard at the façade and the ‘gimmick’ to get you in, and then it’s business as usual.   I will for this blog sake, assume that we are all genuine and truly care for each person that is checking us or God out!   I might also throw out a better name for your “First Impression Ministries.”  I like “GUEST SERVICES.”

With that said, it is true that people make their decisions based on what they see first.  So, in that light, let’s revisit the subject of “marketing.”

At the core of Marketing is:

•The ability to understand how people perceive you

•A vision of how you would like to be perceived

•Making the necessary adjustments to execute the desired outcome

A “GUEST SERVICE MISSION STATEMENT: “Helping people take their next step toward Christ and on toward a life of full devotion.  We purpose to create an atmosphere of warmth and personal acceptance; providing a “safe” environment for people to see, know and follow Christ.

First Impressions Matter

•First Impressions are Automatic

•First Impressions are Lasting impressions

•68% of customers who go elsewhere do so because of their perception of indifference

•96% of customers tell others –not the organization about a bad experience

Queen of Sheba – For those who like to see what the Bible says!

When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed. She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. (1 Kings Chapter 10)

When we begin to consider what we’re “showing” in the little things, maybe we can understand why people do not see our churches the way we do.  We know our intentions, they only see our execution.

“Taking It To The Streets” Marketing or communicating to the outside continues to support those on the inside and provides confidence to those “salespeople” who truly love the “company” they work for.

Perception Contrtibutors

•Name

•Website

•Vocabulary

•Decor

•Dress

•Style of Service

•# of cars in the lot

•Type of cars in the lot

•Leadership “team” vs. “board”

•External promotion techniques

•Current membership

•Past membership

•Signage

NEXT: Create An Open Forum for IDEA Exchange on Better Ways/Creative Ways/Successful Ways To MARKET the CHURCH!

Perceptions can be formed from 2 major components:

1. What people see and hear about us

2. Where they are in life

The un-churched cannot be expected to understand

our intent from the outset.  Why would a person visit

your church?  What is it about you that would make

them think you have “the answer” ?

Would you be embarrassed to invite someone to your church?

Marketing must affect who we become before it can

affect who we are pursuing.  What is the result if this

is not achieved – we are perceived as hypocrites.

The Starbucks Experience

Remarkable organizations grow because of two main reasons:

1. People discover them, they not only become great fans but they also tell

others

2. Their customers, clients, members and visitors find more reasons to

come back and come back often

NEXT: First Impressions

Over the next few blogs I want to think and discuss ‘outloud’ the value of marketing the church.  What is marketing?  Should the church be involved in marketing?   Is there any value in marketing?  How do we market the church?

In short:  Marketing is simply letting people know that we are here and that we have something  to offer.   It is the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.

For the church we might say that we should be involved in managing people’s perceptions of the Gospel toward a hopeful end that they will respond positively to it.

So the real question:  Is my church or is the Gospel worth promoting?

Let me hear your thoughts.

NEXT:  PERCEPTIONS…They Matter Too!