#1 - DISCLAIMER:  Please consult a medical professional before starting any type of exercise routine. 

#2 - This is my routine, this is what works for me (I have made lots and lots of modifications over the past few years to this routine…if it works for you then AWESOME…if not, find something that will.)  

#3 - I do not talk to anyone in the gym—period.  I am not there for fellowship or to add events to my social schedule.  I’m there for one purpose—to try and physically destroy myself.  I don’t even have my phone with me while I am working out (still use an old school iPod nano) and I turn notifications off on my watch.

#4 - You will notice as you read through this I don’t do legs—because, I hate them!!  I’ve had people tell me, “But you have to do legs!”  Actually - I don’t!!!  My legs are in the best shape of my life (when you are doing sprints at a 15% incline, as you will see, trust me, your legs will develop quickly.)  

#5 - None of this matters if you don’t get your nutrition right - you cannot outwork a bad diet!  I became serious about my nutrition in the fall of 2017…and since have lost 6 inches in the waist, 40 pounds—and have gone from wearing a XXL shirt to a Large.  

Here is a link to what worked for me. 

This will get you started

This will REALLY get you started

 If it works for you - awesome, if not, then find something that does.  

#6 - Getting in shape is a process!  It doesn’t happen overnight - but - slow and steady actually does win the race.  

#7 - If you are just starting out - don’t try this program (especially the cardio part!)  This is an example of something you can use to build a program of your own.  

#8 - If you can’t run (my cardio examples), then do the elliptical, the stationary bike or even walk on the treadmill (there are days when I choose to walk instead of run—and actually get my heart rate as high as I do when running!!!)  

#9 - The MOST IMPORTANT thing (for me) when it comes to cardio is figuring out your heart rate zone (google it) and then making sure my routine takes me to the max, and then lowers to the minimum.  

#10 - ANYONE can get in shape, anyone, no excuses (I've made them all!)  Once a person makes up their mind and commits to the process - ANYTHING is possible.  (I am in the best shape of my life at 48 years old - it's never to late to begin!)  

#11 - If you notice, I do not have a rest day (scheduled); however, whenever I feel I need one, I take one (usually take about 4-5 per year!)  

Monday

60 minute HIIT cardio - as hard as I can go (in order to get the adrenaline out of my system from the day before.)  

Tuesday
Chest Day

Bench Press 

Adjust weight where can do...

One set of 10 reps

One set of 6 reps

One set of 4 reps

One set of 3 reps

Incline Press

Weight so that can do four sets of 6-10 reps

Decline Press 

Weight adjusted so can do three sets of 8-10 reps

Cable Chest Flys (High)

Three sets of 8-10 reps

Cable Chest Flys (Low)

Three sets of 8-10 reps

Alternate Workout:  

Incline Bench Press 

5 Sets with weight adjusted so can do following reps 

10 - 8 - 6 - 4 - 10

Incline Dumbbell Flys

5 sets of 8-10 reps (weight adjusted accordingly)

Bench Press 

3 set of 8-10 reps (weight adjusted accordingly)

Chest Flys (High) 

2 sets of 10

Chest Flys (Low)

2 sets of 10

Important Note:  I do a set of abs between every single set...so...while I am resting my chest, I am working my abs - and then go straight back to chest.

In other words - I am always moving, no talking or texting at all - I am in the gym for one purpose, to do work - period!  

After this I do a 40 minute HIIT workout (usually on the treadmill) 

Chest days it looks like this:  (We will call this…

CARDIO WORKOUT A

Time ——-> Speed ——-> Incline

2 min.               3.1.                     10%

1 min.               4.1.                      15%

2 min.               3.1.                      10%

1 min.               4.5.                      15%

2 min.               3.1.                       10%

1 min.               4.9.                      15%

2 min.               3.1.                       10%

1 min.               5.3.                      15%

2 min.               3.1.                       10% 

1 min.               5.7                        15%

2 min.              3.1.                         10%

1 min.               6.1.                         15%

2 min.               3.1.                         6%

(If you want to stop at a 20 minute HIIT - this is a great place to do so - if you want to pursue insanity and go for 40 minutes...be my guest!)

30 sec.            5.1.                         6%

30 sec.           5.6.                         6%

30 sec.           6.1.                          6%

30 sec.           6.6.                         6%

30 sec.           7.1.                           6%

30 sec.            7.6.                         6%

2 min.               3.1.                         6%

30 sec.            5.1.                         6%

30 sec.            5.6.                        6%

30 sec.            6.1.                         6%

30 sec.            6.6.                        6%

30 sec.            7.1.                          6%

30 sec.            7.6.                         6%

2 min.              3.1.                          3%

30 sec.           5.1.                          3%

30 sec.           5.6.                         3%

30 sec.           6.1.                          3% 

30 sec.           6.6.                         3%

30 sec.           7.1.                           3% 

30 sec.           7.6.                          3% 

2 min.              3.1.                          1% 

30 sec.           5.1.                           1%

30 sec.           5.6.                          1% 

30 sec.           6.1.                           1% 

30 sec.           6.6.                          1% 

30 sec.           7.1.                            1%

30 sec.           7.6.                           1%

2 min.              3.1.                           1% 

Wednesday 

Back day

3 Sets of Bent Over Rows (wide grip) 8-10 reps

3 sets of bent over rows (narrow grip) 8-10 rips

3 sets of cable pull downs 8-10 reps

3 sets of seated cable rows - 8-10 reps

Alternate Exercises:  

Dumbbell rows 8-10 reps (these are INCREDIBLE)  

Wide grip lat pull down (behind the neck)

Wide grip lat pull downs (bar to chest)  

Pull ups (both wide and narrow grip.  

And, once again - abs between every set!  

At the end of back day I usually do a 40 minute HIIT that looks like this:  

CARDIO WORKOUT B

Speed          Incline           Time

5.6                2.5%             1 min    

5.6                2.5%             1 min           

6.1                2.5%              1 min             

6.4                2.5%             1 min            

6.7                2.5%             1 min            

7.0                2.5%              1 min            

7.3                2.5%              1 min            

7.6                2.5%              1 min            

7.9                2.5%              1 min            

8.2                2.5%              1 min            

3.1                2.5%              30 sec        

5.1                2.5%               30 sec        

5.6                2.5%              30 sec        

6.1                2.5%               30 sec

6.4                2.5%               30 sec        

6.7                2.5%               30 sec         

7.0                2.5%               30 sec        

7.3                2.5%               30 sec         

7.6                2.5%               30 sec        

7.9                2.5%               30 sec         

8.2                2.5%               1 min         

3.1                2.5%               30 sec        

5.1                2.5%               30 sec

5.6                2.5%              30 sec       

6.1                2.5%              30 sec        

6.4                2.5%             30 sec        

6.7                2.5%             30 sec         

7.0                2.5%              30 sec        

7.3                2.5%              30 sec         

7.6                2.5%               30 sec        

7.9                2.5%               30 sec         

8.2                2.5%               30 sec       

3.1                1%                   1 minute      

5.1                  1%                 30 sec        

5.6                1%                   30 sec        

6.1                1%                    30 sec       

6.4                1%                    30 sec        

6.7                1%                    30 sec         

7.0                1%                     30 sec        

7.3                1%                     30 sec         

7.6                1%                     30 sec        

7.9                1%                     30 sec         

8.2                1%                     30 sec        

3.1                1%                      1 minute

 5.1                1%                     30 sec        

5.6                1%                     30 sec        

6.1                1%                      30 sec        

6.4                1%                      30 sec        

6.7                1%                      30 sec         

7.0                1%                       30 sec        

7.3                1%                       30 sec         

7.6                1%                       30 sec        

7.9                1%                       30 sec         

8.2                1%                       30 sec

3.1                0%                       1 minute

5.1                0%                       30 sec        

5.6                0%                       30 sec        

6.1                0%                        30 sec       

6.6                0%                        30 sec       

7.1                 0%                        30 sec        

7.6                0%                         30 sec       

7.9                0%                         30 sec       

 8.2                0%                        30 sec        

3.1          0%                            1 minute

Thursday 

Cardio Day

45-60 minutes of HIIT cardio, usually go about 85% of my max on these days

Friday

Shoulders

Lateral raises - 3 sets, 8-10 reps

Upright rows - 3 sets, 8-10 reps

Front raises - 3 sets, 8-10 reps

Bent over reverse fly - 3 sets, 8-10 reps

Alternate exercises:  

Dumbbell press
Side raises  
Set of abs between every set!  

Finish with HIIT Cardio B routine (see above)  

Saturday

Arms (my favorite)  

Biceps

Wide arm curls - 3 sets, 6-10 reps

Close grip curls - 3 set, 6-10 reps

Concentration curls - 2 sets, max reps

Alternate exercises:  

Hammer curls

One handed machine curls

Triceps

Overhead press - 3 sets, 6-10 reps

Rope pull downs - 3 sets, 6-10 reps

One arm overhead extension - 2 sets, max reps

Finish with Cardio A routine (see above)  

Sunday

45-60 minutes of cardio (before preaching) - usually go between 70-80%, want to get the blood flowing, but do not want to exhaust myself.  

I’m still here!  

I’m not at a place in life I used to dream about; in fact, there have been times I’ve begged God to let me wake up from this nightmare…

…but what has happened has happened, and as much as I wish I could—I can’t change a thing.  

However, you need to know—although I would have never chosen the hell I’ve gone through—I’m a better person for it.  

Where I used to lack empathy—it now have it in abundance.  

Where I used to be judgmental—I now realize I actually have no rocks to throw.  

And where I used to think the Lord used me because I was good—I now understand it was HIS goodness all along.  

It’s weird walking into a room, have people stare at you, turn back to their table and then everyone at the table stare at you.  

It’s weird having people who used to talk to me all of the time randomly see me out in public and stumble over words to say (things like, “you know I love you, don’t you P?  Actually - I don’t, when you never call, or ask to hang out—then we happen to run into each other and you only speak because it would be more awkward to not speak—then no, I actually don’t think you love me at all.  But - if you need to say it to clear your conscience then I’m fine with it.)  

And to those people who look away in disgust—I get it, I used to be the same way.  

However, one of the things I’ve learned is every single person on the planet has crap in their lives…

…and when the pretend world you’ve built up comes crashing down all around, call me (my number hasn’t changed) and I’ll do my absolute best to be there for you. 

Yep, I’m still here - and, I’m still messy.  

I haven’t gotten all my “ish” together (and never will have it so on this side of eternity.)  

But, I am trying, one day at a time, one step at a time.  

And although I’ve lost nearly everything I used to have - I’ve gained a deeper understanding of what it means to be fully known—and fully loved. 

So - no pressure, if you need to look down then look down.  

If you need to look away, then look away.  

But please don’t feel the pressure to lie and say it’s good to see me!

And please don’t pity me, because Jesus is doing a work in me that is absolutely transforming me in ways I’ve never imagined.  

I’m not where I once thought I would be - but am exactly where Jesus knew I would be, and my comfort is in the fact He knew everything about me before He called me, loves me in spite of my imperfections and, for some reason still chooses to use me.  

I’m still here!  And I see you (whether you see me or not!)  

I’ve made it through so far - and with His strength and by His grace I am still holding on to the belief that the best really is yet to come.  

... I lost everything, and felt both hopeless and worthless.

The walk since that time towards healing has not been easy...

...I’ve had to fight through lies, skepticism and self doubt unlike never before!

But - Jesus is faithful, and good - and really can take a mess and turn it into a miracle.

I know I am not where I need to be (healing is a process) - but I am so much healthier than I used to be!

A huge “thank you” for all of the encouragement and support so many of you have given me...

...and for those who feel like you are walking through hell, keep walking - hold your head up - because what you see as a breakdown...Jesus will use as a breakthrough!

Three Lessons I Learned In My Season of SilenceIt was so great to begin the leadership podcast again.  (I have not recorded an episode since February 11, 2019.)  

In this episode I talked about five principles I have been learning (or relearning) as well as three lessons I feel I’ve been taught, so here we go.  

Principle #1 - God often reveals WHAT He wants us to do before He reveals WHEN He wants to do it, HOW He wants is done or even WHO will do it with us.  

Question:  What is it that God is putting in your heart to do?  

 Principle #2 - When you don’t know what “it” (that thing God put in your heart to do) looks like - just take the practical next step.  (Me filing paperwork for church to get started)

Because…the separation is in the preparation.  

Principle #3 - If we are not willing to take risks—our leadership will hit a lid (and so will the people and organizations we are leading.)  

Side-note:  At this portion in the podcast I talked about opportunities—and that when an opportunity is placed in front of us we need to ask, “Is this opportunity a door or a distraction."

Principle #4 - If it’s God’s Will - It’s God’s Bill!   (What the King wants—the King pays for!)  

Principle #5 - Staff members (and volunteers) want to be led—not driven!    

Out of all of this there are three lessons I am learning...

 #1 - Be Thankful For What You Have Right NowIf we are not thankful with what we have now - why in the world would God trust is with what is next?  

As we express thankfulness in front of our staff and volunteers—it helps to establish a culture of gratitude.  

#2 - Don't Be Afraid To Start Small

Moses did not think he had the capacity or ability to lead - so God asked him a simple question in Exodus 4:2, “what do you have in your hand?”  In other words—Moses’ leadership began with something small.  

One of the greatest miracles in the Bible (feeding of the 5,000) started with five loaves and two fish!  

Often times—small steps of faith lead to incredible results! 

 #3 - The Pain People Are In Is Far Greater Than We Could Ever Imagine

The church must create environments where people are not punished for being vulnerable.  The only way healing can take place is for the pain to be confessed - and only when people feel safe will they admit their pain.  

Discussion Questions For You & Your Team

#1 - Out of the five principles—which one stood out to you the most, and why?  

#2 - What are the things right now that you are thankful for when it comes to your church/department?  

#3 - What are the 2-3 biggest opportunities in front of your church right now—and are those actually doors—or distractions?  

...and had NO IDEA what to do.  

She did not feel safe going to the church; after all, she had seen how people who had been sexually active had been shamed (usually disguised as "church discipline") - and knew if she confessed to what she had done she would become an outcast.  

She didn't feel safe going to her parents; after all, they "raised her better than that."  (And deep down she knew her parents cared way more about their image at church than the actual hell she was going through.)  

She knew abortion was wrong--but she felt trapped, suffocated by shame, religion and confusion - and so she made the choice to "terminate the pregnancy."  

It's something she's never gotten over - it haunts her 'till this day, and every time she hears the abortion argument raised she feels waves of condemnation crash over her.  

The deal is - I know this girl.  

I've seen her wrestle through this - even though its been years since its taken place.  

And so when I hear church people scream about abortion - my mind doesn't automatically go to Bible verses and pithy sayings, but rather how many women may have chosen a different path...if the church was known more for their compassion than their condemnation.  

Maybe Planned Parenthood and the Democratic party are not to blame...

Maybe the church has responsibility as well!  

HOWEVER - it's easy to criticize and condemn a group of people--it's much harder to actually sit down with someone, get to know their story and weep with them while they weep.  

He is gay!  

And - he's always been that way, at least that's what he told me.  

He tried to be attracted to women - but - he just can't.  

He been called a "fag" and a queer" most of his life (from...people who claim to be Christians.)  

But - he's finally comfortable with his sexuality--and really does love Jesus.  

"But how can a person be gay and love Jesus," you ask?  

Well - how can a person be fat and love Jesus?  

As I read about the seven deadly sins found in Scripture - gluttony is listed, abortion and homosexuality are not.  

What if the church became as passionate about eradicating gluttony as they are abortion or homosexuality?  (Obesity, if not dealt with, will eventually bankrupt our health care system.)  

"Wait Perry," you may say, "I know people who are overweight - and when they read what you have written they will feel bad."  

Exactly!  

You KNOW someone who wrestles with weight - and you feel bad for them.  (Even though it actually is listed as a sin in the Bible!)  

What if you were actually friends with someone who is gay, or trans, or who has had an abortion--I would argue you would feel the same.  

(AND--let me pause and say--PLEASE don't come at me with the whole, "Genetically predisposed to be obese" argument...because - doing so would be hypocritical.  BECAUSE...when someone claims that people are genetically predisposed to be homosexual--"Christians" say, "no way!"  So - genetics cannot be an excuse for one issue and not be given the same treatment in all other areas.) 

If you've read this as a pro abortion, pro homosexual post - you've missed the point.  

It's no a pro anything- it's an "anti-jackass" post.  

When people outside the church see the church yelling about issues rather than loving people--well, it's no freaking wonder a new study comes out nearly every month talking about the fact that church attendance is declining in America.  

We've been so obsessed about being correct - that we've lost our sense of compassion, and, in a sense the church "gained the world" (look at the Moral Majority of the 80's and 90's) - and lost our soul.  

We've got to get back to the essence of Jesus - to the fact He said we would be known by the way we LOVE one another (not by our boycotts and protests!)  

We've got to sit down and talk with people who are "practicing the sin" we may despise - and do so for the purpose of understanding where they come from rather than changing their minds.  

The more I read about Jesus - the more I am certain He is a God of unconditional love and radical grace - not hate filled sayings and the leader of the "moral elite!"  

The Lord has really humbled me over the past three years - and has actually used some of the very people I used to look down on to show me more love and compassion than I could have ever imagined.  

And my prayer for me personally and the church I am privileged to pastor is we will always care more about people and their individual stories rather than putting people in categories, demonizing their behavior and then forcing them to "pay the price"--the price Jesus has already paid.   

What was the question?  

"Who Should We Contact In Case Of An Emergency?"  

I had not filled out paperwork like this in years, so, at first I didn't think anything of it - until I began to actually answer the question.  

Why?  

When I used to have to fill out this type of paperwork I had 3-4 names that automatically popped into my mind that I could write down with zero hesitation...

...but those people are no longer in my life because they chose to walk away.  

My mind froze - and in that moment I literally could not think of anyone to write down, and, without any warning my tear ducts began to empty and it was all I could do to absolutely not break down.  

I pulled myself together - actually listed myself as the emergency contact and drove home, feeling more alone than I've ever felt in my life.  

Please don't misunderstand - this is NOT an article where I am asking someone to please step up and be my emergency contact.  (And - later on I did actually think of a few people I could have written down, my mind just froze in the moment!) 

But rather it's me sharing my thoughts on the subject of trust and loneliness.  

Years ago I would hear the phrase that went something like, "when you die, if you have five good friends, you are blessed and successful."  

Whenever I would hear that I would laugh - because I knew I had at least 15-20...

...however, time, circumstances, bad decisions and bitterness quickly reduced that number...

...and slowly but surely something happened to me, where I used to trust people so easily it began to become more difficult to trust anyone at all.  

Along the way there have been people who have stepped into my life who have seemed to have a common thesis; however, I've learned the hard way that the harder someone tries to convince you to trust them - the more they are trying to simply get some dirt on you - and will throw you under the bus the first opportunity they have.  

So - the natural thing to do is focus inward, to trust no one - to spend as much time as possible alone and isolated, that way I never get betrayed, hurt or disappointed.  

After all, all I need is Jesus, right?  

Jesus said He would never leave me or forsake me - that he would always be with me - so why do I even need anyone else?  

Simple:  Because I cannot do life alone.  

Yes, I need a strong, growing relationship with Christ, but I also need a strong, growing relationship with others if I am truly going to experience the abundant life that Jesus promises.  

It's hard, there is significant risk, I can get betrayed, hurt and abandoned all over again.  

But, just because it's hard doesn't mean I should not try.  

So, in the process of rebuilding my life, I am also trying to build new relationships.  Some have not gone so well as trust has been completely blown to pieces at some point.  

But, others are going ok - and slowly and cautiously I am learning that if I want to take significant steps forward in life - I have to have the help of others.  

The purpose of this article isn't for me to find new friends, to have people say, "awe, pastor p, we love you."  

But rather to speak to the person out there who feels isolated and lonely - you don't want to feel that way, you wish things were different--but for whatever reason bridges have been burned, lies have been told and you just don't see how in the world you could ever trust anyone again.  

I get it - I'm in that fight with you...

I understand both the first half and the second half of Proverbs 18:24 - "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

...and I'm telling you that though it isn't easy, it's worth it.  

True healing never takes place in isolation, but within the context of a group of people who will stand with you and love you - no matter what.  

Are those people hard to find?  

Absolutely!  

But, when you do find them - I can promise you will one day look back and know it was worth the effort.  

Please don't isolate yourself because of lost hope.  

And please don't simply make superficial friends who you always feel like you have to pretend to be someone else when you are around them.  

Every time I read II Samuel 23:11-12 it nearly moves me to tears.  

¹¹ Next to him (David) was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. ¹² But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

David was in a battle, it was intense - and all of Israel's troops fled and left David in the middle of a field all alone, surrounded by the enemy.  

But there was Shammah...

...he wasn't the guy who always told David, "I've got your back," but rather stood back to back with him when everyone else ran - and they (together) brought about a victory.  

After this battle David could have mourned the loss of "all his friends" - OR - he could have celebrated the victory he and the one friend who stood with him won.  

Personally, I think he chose the latter.  

I'm not sure how much time the Lord will give me on this big ball of dirt we call earth - but - as long as their is air in my lungs I am going to do my best to try and be a good friend - and continually beg the Lord to give me wisdom and discernment so that one day I can truly say the friendships in my life are real and not based on anything except a true love for Jesus and one another.  

#1 - “They Are Just Trying To Get Attention!”  

Have there been cases where this is true?  

Of course…

…however, I can promise you it is the exception—because no one who has EVER truly battled with anxiety and made any progress would want to get attention in this way.  

In fact, if someone is REALLY wrestling with anxiety/depression - their tendency is to NOT try and get attention, they withdraw, stay silent and often allow their mind to become the devil’s playground (speaking from personal experience here!)  

#2 - “A Prayer Will Handle The Problem!”  

Prayer is awesome - and definitely helps to refocus our attention; however, there are times when it really does (GULP) take more than prayer.  

Stick with me…

Have you ever broken a bone?  

If so - did you immediately go to the church and ask for prayer—or did you go to the ER to get things dealt with?  

And - after the bone was reset…did it heal immediately…or was it a process?  

If we know this is true when a bone is broken—then why would we not think the same thing if something is broken in our minds?  

Yes, we should pray—but we should also do whatever else it takes to step into healing.  

#3 - “A Pill Will Handle The Problem!”  

I believe in medicine; in fact, I believe it’s one of the ways God heals people in the world today (as He gives human beings the wisdom to continually discover new cures!

And, I REALLY do believe in taking medication for anxiety and depression (as I have done before.)  

However, if the root cause that is causing the anxiety/depression is not dealt with…then the person taking the medication will experience feeling numb, but will never be able to REALLY enjoy life because the root cause hasn’t been dealt with (once again, I know this from personal experience.)  

#4 - “Therapy Is Garbage!”   

I have encountered so many people who say they spoke with a therapist and It did not do them any good.  

When I inquire as to how many times they saw the therapists their answer is usually “once or twice!”  

As someone who has participated in intense therapy—and who is seeing a therapist on an ongoing basis, I can promise you that therapy is not garbage, it’s gold - and over time it really does help the healing process move along.  

#5 - “They’ll Always Be That Way!”  

Some people struggle with anxiety/depression for a season—and some struggle their entire lives.  (I’ve had an ongoing battle with it for over a decade!)  

Often times when a person wrestles with these things—we can often think things will always be this way, that we will never get better…

…but that’s just not true.  

No matter who you are—no matter how deep the darkness is, progress can be made - and if I can make progress…ANYONE can…

…which is why I tell people to pray, talk with your doctor, seek out a therapist and find people who will provide you with encouragement rather than pity.  

This is one of the reasons I wrote my latest book - Overcoming Anxiety, I wanted to take people on a 30 day journey where the focus would be help and hope.  

We have less than 300 copies of the book available - so, if you want to get one you can go here and do so (and yes, we have an eBook as well!)  

And - for all of those who battle with this - trust me, I understand - but, my prayer is you will not give up, you will not lose hope—and you will believe with me that—for your life, yes, YOUR LIFE, The Best Is Yet To Come! 

Being overwhelmed, wrestling with anxiety - those were things people who had no faith wrestled with, and if they would just pray, read their Bible more and get the unconfessed sin out of their lives - they would get better.  

Then I had my first panic attack…

…followed by a dark season of depression.  

Honestly, I thought I was a spiritual failure, that I was the one who didn’t have enough faith and I had to have been a HUGE disappointment to God.  

But then one day I was reading through the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane - and in Matthew 26:36-38 the Bible says…

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Wait!!!  

What?  

Jesus (fully God, fully man) was “overwhelmed.”  

How could that be explained; after all, could I tell Jesus that He needed to be…more like Jesus?  

I say all of this to hopefully encourage those who may be dealing with anxiety and/or depression…

…so you will know that Jesus is not mad or disappointed in you…but actually understands you, will meet you exactly where you are and walk with you through whatever is going on.  

If you are wrestling the anxiety - or dealing with depression and want to begin a journey towards healing, then my newest book is for you and I take you on a 30 day journey towards overcoming what has overwhelmed you for far too long.  

As I always say when talking about the book - I want to warn you - it’s very real, and very raw (I self published it so my voice would not be silenced.)  However, I can honestly say it was written from a place of transparency and vulnerability as it’s my desire to help as many people as possible who wrestle with this.  

Go here and get your copy - there are less than 300 left.  

#1 - They Feel Alone

And loneliness is a breeding ground for anxiousness!

#2 - Insecurity overrides their willingness to ask for help!

After all - leaders have to have it all together—and asking for help is a sign of weakness, right (Wrong!)

#3 - Comparison

Often times leaders cannot enjoy their success because we are so focused on the fact that other people are doing what we do - but seems to be achieving greater results.

#4 - Neglect Self Care

Because leaders care about the cause and about other people - the last thing on their “priority list” (if it’s on the list at all) is self care (because it's seen as selfishness.)

#5 - The “Get In The Box” Syndrome!

Often times we get in the box of who others want us to be rather than in the place where we thrive (This is a REALLY big deal!)

#6 - Avoiding Difficult Decisions

It’s not that leaders lack wisdom (most leaders I’ve met are incredibly smart) - it’s just we lack the courage to do what’s right - thus delaying the decision (which always leads to chaos rather than stability!)

#7 - We Allow The Outer Circle To Have Inner Access

When we allow those who don’t know us to define us - we will never escape the cycle of being overwhelmed.  (Discovering this was a breakthrough for me personally - and I will go in depth on this at the upcoming event!)

#8 - Trying To Do Too Much, Too Soon

Often times leaders have lots of great ideas - but when we don’t prioritize them and take it step by step and instead launch all of them at the same time - we wind up drowning in the pool we filled up!

#9 - The Inability To Say “No!"

The word “no” is a complete sentence - but often times we can’t say “no” because we don’t want to disappoint people.

#10 - Pressure

Pressure and leadership hold hands - it’s not how to get rid of the pressure—but rather how to deal with it in a way that actually motivates you rather than overwhelming you.

We are going to discuss all of these (and a lot more) at my next leadership event on March 27, 2019 called “The Overwhelmed Leader.”

Because…I am tired of overwhelmed leaders hitting a wall, crashing and dropping out of the game altogether.

You can attend the event in person (limited to 100 people) - it will be on March 27, 2019 at the Second Chance Church facility in Anderson, SC from 9:30 until 12:00 - and after the event there will be a tour of the facility, lunch and a Q & A time where we dive into specific questions you have.

The cost to attend live is $59 per person (but goes up to $89 at midnight on Thursday.

Or you can join us from anywhere in the world online - you can watch the broadcast live—or at several different replay times throughout the day AND the next day.  (It would be a great event to get your team together around!)  

Go here to get registered asap!  

(Early bird rate ends in about 48 hours!)  

 
For far too long I did my best to try and “get out” of my battle with anxiety!  

I prayed, had people pray over me, read large portions of Scripture, took medication and met with a few therapists.  

I had this idea that one day, POOF, the feelings of anxiety would just magically disappear and I would be all better.  

However, after years of thinking like this (and constantly feeling discouraged because nothing seemed to be working) I finally realized my approach was wrong…

…I was trying to “get out” when my focused should have been on “getting through!”  

The issues that cause anxiety in our lives are usually not one time occurrences but rather a series of events that build upon one another over weeks, months and years.  

And, in our technologically driven culture - we are so used to having WHAT we want - WHEN we want it…

…however, it doesn’t work that way with anxiety and depression.  

Because it took weeks, months and years for these issues to add weight to our lives - it may take the same amount of time for the weight to be lifted.  

I don’t know you, or your situation; however, I know victory over anxiety and depression begins in the mind - where we focus our thoughts…

…and this book was written so people can have a place to focus their thoughts in the right direction.  
“Overcoming Anxiety” was not written to be a cure - but rather to be a first step someone can take on their journey towards healing and victory.  

If this is you - if you are tired of being weighed down and stressed out - then go here and order your copy and let’s get the journey started.  

If I can make progress in this arena of life - then you can too!!!  

PS -  I do believe in miracles, and I believe that people CAN be miraculously healed - but, the reason they are called “miracles” is because, well, its not the norm!”  So, for those who are praying for deliverance - I don’t want to discourage you from praying - but - often times God works WITH us as we pray/  

Praying for deliverance from anxiety but not being willing to take steps towards healing would be equal to praying for God to let us lose weight, but not going to the gym or adjusting what we eat and drink.  

And - just another observation - I believe Jesus leading someone through their anxiety issues over time and bringing them to a place of deliverance is just as much a miracle as Him delivering someone out of anxiety!

Yes pray, yes have people pray with and for you - but participate in those prayers by taking the right next steps.  

Here are 7 myths that are often said about leaders who are overwhelmed…

#1 - There must be sin in their lives (the “bad people” myth).  

#2 - They are not doing enough spiritually (reading Bible, praying, etc.) 

#3 - The reason they are overwhelmed is because everything is going wrong (when, in reality, many times leaders get overwhelmed because everything is going RIGHT!)  

#4 - They have simply hit their leadership lid and can’t go any further (and are often replaced!)  

#5 - They are not operating in their area of gifting/passion; after all, passionate people never get overwhelmed because they love what they do.  

#6 - They are leaders - so, they will figure out how to stop being overwhelmed on their own.  

#7 - The reason they are overwhelmed is because they are doing too much - so, if you take some things off their plate - they will get better.  

As the title of the article said - these are MYTH’S (meaning they are NOT TRUE!)  

However, at some point in my leadership journey - I’ve believed these myths (either about myself or others.) 

Which is why this is the first lesson we will be diving into on Wednesday, March 27 from 9:30 - 12:00 pm (EST) at our “Overwhelmed Leader” Event!  (This will be the first live leadership event we will be hosting at Second Chance Church!)  

BTW - we will also talk about: 

• 10 Reasons Leaders Get Overwhelmed
• 5 Dangers of Being Overwhelmed
• 5 Steps To Take In Order To Step Out Of An Overwhelmed Life

There are two options to attend this event - the first one is to attend live (only 100 spots available, and they are filling up pretty fast.)  The cost is $59 and includes admission to the event, a tour of the Second Chance Church facility and a Q & A lunch.  

The second for those who want to attend - but may not want (or be able to) travel is to attend online - (there are several replay times on that day, as well as the next—so you will have multiple opportunities for viewing.  

Go here and get registered ASAP.  

…your stories have made me stronger (and encouraged me WAY more than you could imagine.  

As you most likely know - the book is self-published…and I only ordered 500 copies initially (honestly thinking it would take MONTHS for them to sell).  

They sold out in less than two weeks.  

So - I ordered 500 more copies - and they shipped out to us TODAY—which means we should have them by the end of the week—and hopefully begin shipping them out to those who have already purchased a copy by next Tuesday (March 12).  

Here’s the crazy thing - out of the 500 copies that we ordered, 100 of them have already been sold - and we are hoping/praying that the other ones will go quickly as well.  

So - if you wrestle with anxiety and want to make SURE you get your copy - then go here ASAP and order it—and we will ship it to you next week.  

(OR - you can purchase the eBook for immediate download.)  

This book will help you in your battle with anxiety - I know so because I wrote about the things that helped me begin my journey to overcome it (and if I can overcome it—you can too!)  

At this event we will dive into 

• 7 Myths About Overwhelmed Leaders
• 10 Reasons Leaders Get Overwhelmed
• 5 Dangers of Being Overwhelmed In Leadership
• 5 Steps To Take In Order To Step Out Of An Overwhelmed Life

For our live event there are only 100 spots available (and 20 spots have already been sold!)  

The cost is $59 per person (until March 14 - when it goes up to $89 per person) and it includes admission to the event, a tour of the facility, lunch and a time of Q&A I will be hosting during/after lunch.  

If you cannot attend the live event - then you can join us online - either for the live broadcast of the event (9:30 - 12:00 EST on Wednesday, March 27) or, if that time is not convenient then you can watch a replay of the event at the following times.  

Wed. March 27

• 1:30 - 4pm (EST) 
• 5:00 - 7:30pm (EST)  

Thurs. March 27

• 9:30am - 12:00pm (EST)  
• 1:30 - 4pm (EST) 
• 5:00 - 7:30pm (EST)
• The price to attend online is $49 and it's something you can get your whole staff/volunteer team to watch with you!  (Early bird pricing ends on Thursday, March 14 - where it will increase to $69.)
  

We are all super excited about this event as I really do believe it's going to help a lot of leaders from being crushed by the weight of leadership.  

Go here to get registered ASAP (especially if you want one of those 100 spots!)

Nearly every church on the planet says they are friendly; however, our hearts desire is not to merely say it…but show it by making sure people know we really are excited to see them each and every week.  

(A special “thank you” to our parking team, greeters and ushers for setting the tone in regards to this - y’all are doing an amazing job!)  

#2 - That We Will Have An Incredible Children’s Ministry  

A house is built brick by brick—and it’s the same with our church.  

Because we are a church plant - we had to begin with what we knew we could do well, which is a nursery for babies from 6 weeks up to two years old.  

However, the vision is for us to have a children’s ministry that makes a significant impact on the incredible kids (and their parents) that attend Second Chance.  

And, as we recruit & train volunteers—as well as see our giving increase, we will have what we need to dive into our next step (which is having a fully functioning pre-school ministry each and every Sunday.)  

Here's where you can go if you are interested in being a volunteer!

#3 - That We Will Experience The Presence of God As We Sing This Sunday

I know from personal experience that, as I sing (even if I don’t feel like it) - my receptivity to what God wants to say to me increases exponentially. 

#4 - That The Giving At Our Church Will,Be Generous

I cannot say “thank you” enough to everyone who has given to Second Chance—your generosity has allowed us to move from an iPhone in a living room on Facebook to actually having a physical space where people can gather together every week.  

Here's where you can go if you want to give to Second Chance

#5 - That People Will Clearly Hear God Speak Through His Word This Sunday

If you hear me speak - you might me challenged, or maybe amused—but if we hear God speak, we will be changed!  

#6 - That Second Chance Will Be A Place Where Hurting People Feel Free To Ask For Help…

…without fearing being judged, condemned or throw out.  Pray that people will receive Christ—and those who have done so but maybe walked away (for one reason or another) will find our church to be a safe place to come home as the prodigal son did in Luke 15.  

This coming Sunday we start our new series, “Only God Can Judge Me!”  

Can’t wait!  

But you can’t - because you’ve came too far to turn back now.  And God gifted and called you to lead (and will always complete what He begins!)  

“But how do I stay in the game when the pressure is paralyzing my ability to even live,” you ask.  

This question (along with several other factors) is what led to me putting together an event coming up at the end of March called, “The Overwhelmed Leader.”

At this event we will take a look at…

* 7 myths about overwhelmed leaders  

* 10 reasons leaders get overwhelmed

* 5 dangers of feeling overwhelmed in leadership

* 5 steps to take to step out of an overwhelmed life.  

There are two options for attending this event:  

1 - You can attend online - the date it will be aired is Wednesday, March 27 from 9:30am - 12pm (EST).  (With several playback times throughout the day—as well as on Thursday.)  

The cost to attend online is $49 - and you can have as many people as you want to watch the event.  

or…option #2 (super excited about this)  

2 - You can attend LIVE - this will be our first live event we have done in our new facility at Second Chance Church - it’s limited to 100 people, the early bird rate is $59 (until April 14—then goes up to $89.)  

The live event will be on Wednesday, March 27 from 9:30 - 12pm (EST) - and afterwards there will be a tour of the facility, a catered in lunch and I will host a Q & A session.  (And…the Q & A session will be limited on this day to those who attend the event live.)  

I really do believe this event is going to help leaders (both business and church leaders) to identify where they are (in regards to feeling overwhelmed) as well as establish a plan to move from merely surviving to absolutely thriving.  

Go here to get registered ASAP - can’t WAIT for this event to take place!!!  

Another order for 500 books has been placed  -and we should have them in hand ready to ship out by Monday, March 11.  

What’s a bit crazy is that 50 of those books (the new order) have already been purchased  - and more and more are being sold everyday.  

So - if you want to make sure you get a copy - go to the website and pre-order one now and we will get one in your hands as soon as we get them (and every copy will be signed by me—that’s a promise.)  

OR - you can purchase the eBook for immediate download!  

Who is the book for?  Simple - for anyone who has ever wrestled with anxiety and wants to take their first step on a path towards healing, actually having a peaceful mind rather than one that is always seemingly at war with your joy.  

Like I said - we will get them out ASAP - thanks for both your purchase and your patience! 

Do you have any of the following characteristics?  

1. 
   #1 - High rates of anxiety
   #2 - Trouble sleeping
   #3 - Chronic and overwhelming feelings of sadness
   #4 - Feelings of hopelessness or even depression
   #5 - Panic attacks
   #6 - Increasing rates of nervousness  
   #7 - Anger (so much so you are having imaginary arguments with people in your mind over and over.)

At this point you are probably thinking I am going to say something along the lines of these are seven things that people in leadership positions have identified they struggle with…

…which MAY be true (to an extent); however…

…this is not a list of characteristics describing people in leadership (or ministry) - but rather a list of things people suffer with who have been placed in some sort of solitary confinement.  

The best definition I could find for solitary confinement was - “the practice of isolating people in closed cells for 22-24 hours a day, virtually free of human contact, for periods of time ranging from days to decades.”  

“But wait,” you may be saying, “the seven characteristics describe many leaders I know—including me!”  

Maybe it’s because you feel you are in a state of solitary confinement.  

As vast as this world is and as different is people are - one word can be used to describe how most leaders feel—ALONE.  

It does not matter how successful a leader is; in fact, often times the more successful leaders becomes the more isolated they feel - because they really begin to question who is with them because they love them…and who is with them because of what they can get from them.  

In the Scripture Elijah had an incredible victory on Mt. Carmel in I Kings chapter 18 when he literally called down fire from heaven.  However, we see him In I Kings 19:3-4

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Why was he like this?  

How did this happen?  

Because after the incredible worship service in I Kings 18 (where fire literally fell from heaven) - everyone went home - and he was all alone and even left his servant behind (verse 3) because he didn’t even know who he could trust.  

On a personal note - my heart hurts for leaders who feel they are all alone, who secretly are shackled to pain and shame and are confused, literally struggling with whether or not they want to keep going -  but feel as if they do not have a safe place (or safe people) to talk to - because - as soon as they do they fear people will try and get rid of them (all in the name of helping them.)  

BUT—if they stay silent and do not deal with what is destroying them from the inside - they will self destruct, and, unfortunately, solitary confinement then becomes not merely a feeling but rather a reality as Christians are the only army that leave their wounded to bleed out on the battlefield (often saying they are just getting what they deserve.)  

But there IS a way through all of this - and personal destruction doesn’t have to be the way!  

This is why I am hosting an online event on Wednesday, March 27 from 9:30 - 12:00 EST entitled, “The Overwhelmed Leader.”  (If you can’t make the broadcast time—there are several replay times on that day—as well as on Thursday.)  

At this event I will be hitting things head on such as...

7 myths about overwhelmed leaders 

10 reasons leaders get overwhelmed

5 dangers of feeling overwhelmed in leadership

5 steps to take to step out of an overwhelmed life.  

This event will help ANY leader (in the church or business world) that feels completely overwhelmed to begin to see there is a way out that doesn’t involved a “crash & burn!”  

Go here and sign up ASAP - the early bird rate to attend this event is $49 (until Wednesday, March 14—after that it goes up to $79.)  

This will be an incredible event to watch with your staff (and have some discussions after) - or - watch by yourself so you can really dig in without worry about others watch your reaction as you take in the information.  

I personally think some of the loneliest people on the planet are leaders (especially church leaders.)  Because, not only are they expected to lead, but are expected to live perfect lives as well.  And—as soon as the perception of perfection begins to fade, often times the result is them being hurt, not helped (thus placing them in the darkness of despair.)  

Leaders need safe places - and safe people - where they don’t have to pretend or hide, where they can REALLY express their own hurt, struggles, doubts, concerns and short comings.  I am afraid without environments like this, feelings of solitary confinement will continue to increase and cripple leaders at an accelerated rate.  

And - I really do believe the Overwhelmed Leader event will be an incredible step in the right direction for so many who really do wrestle with feeling alone and overwhelmed.  

OR - have you ever allowed people to talk you out of something you really felt like you should do?  

If the answer to both (or either) of these is “yes” - then…me too!  

My latest book, “Overcoming Anxiety” was FINISHED in May of 2018.  (When I say “finished” it was completely written and edited.)  

However, I didn’t move forward with in; in fact, I pretty much dismissed it and, while I enjoyed the writing process, told myself I was never going to let anyone actually read it.  

Why?  

The two reasons I mentioned before.  

The first was I was scared it would not sell—that people would reject a book written by me.  And I learned - if we allow fear to camp out in our minds, it will eventually build a home and turn into full blown paranoia.  

The second was an agent who was trying to work with me, after trying to talk to Christian publishers about me, said the sentiment towards me was that it was “too soon” for me to begin writing books again…

…and, I allowed those who don’t know me or my story to determine the direction of my life for a season.  

But—God would not let me let go of this idea.  

And I would not say “yes” to Him because fear of rejection and “fear of man” were stronger voices in my life than His.  

But - God is good, and is relentless in His pursuit of us.  He would not give up - and, so I hesitantly said “yes” in November - worked with a team to get the book typeset and such—and didn’t try to sign with a publisher but rather paid for the book to be done out of my own pocket.  

“Why did you only order 500 copies,” someone asked me earlier this week.  

“Because I wasn’t sure if I would sell them,” was my very honest answer.  

“After all, who in the world actually wants to read a book about anxiety,” I thought.  

Well - as in every case - God was right and I was wrong!  

All 500 copies of the book sold in two weeks - and I’ve placed an order for 500 more (many of which have already been “pre-ordered.”  (By the way - the eBook is available for immediate download on the site!)  

The biggest surprise to me thus far has been all of the incredibly positive feedback.  I thought because the book was pretty raw and real that there would be a lot of people offended by the way I said certain things, or by certain words or phrases I chose to use…

…and while I am sure some have (and will be) offended - the overwhelming majority of people have told me the main thing they loved about the book was how real and vulnerable it was.  

In all of this I can see the blessing of not going down the road of traditional publishing - in all of my previous books I felt my voice was scrubbed/sanitized to make them as “Christian Bookstore Friendly” as possible.  

You won’t find my latest book in a Christian bookstore (or anywhere else - it’s only available online and at Second Chance Church on Sunday’s).  

BUT - if you do wind up getting a copy - what you will find is a very honest and Biblical approach to the subject of anxiety - and how to begin to walk through in instead of feeling trapped inside of it.  

Go here to order your copy - and we will get them to you as soon as we get our next shipment in (which will be in about 2-3 weeks.)  

And…one more thing.  

To the person out there who KNOWS what your next step is—but you won’t take it because you are afraid of rejection…or have been told by someone who knows a lot about the Bible but knows nothing of your story - I say - go for it!!!  

Seriously - life is WAY TOO SHORT to allow regret to be the emotion that dominates us.  

If it’s from the Lord and it’s the right thing - seriously - don’t miss out!!  Take it from a guy who almost did!  

I first learned this in 1982 when my mother died.  

When we found out she had cancer I prayed like crazy (because, if we pray, the bad goes away, right?)  

However, in spite of my desperate pleadings for her to live - she passed away.  

I can remember being told by a church leader there were most likely two things wrong with my prayers...either...

#1 - I Wasn't Praying Hard Enough - (you know, because if we "do more, work harder" - then God HAS to do what we ask!")  (Eye roll)  

#2 - I Didn't Have Enough Faith 

I felt like a failure; in fact, I carried guilt around for quite a while that I was somehow responsible for the death of my mom because I didn't have enough faith that God would heal her.  (I now know that is complete BS!)  

This lie (if you pray - all the bad will go away) dominates the conversation around anxiety.  

Don't get me wrong - I believe in the power of prayer, AND - I believe in miracles as well; however, I've also discovered that healing is a process that does include prayer--but also so much more.  

When I first began to battle with anxiety I prayed like crazy (but didn't tell anyone!)  And - the harder I prayed, the more anxious I became.  It took me back to the situation with my mom - maybe I wasn't praying the right way or didn't have enough faith...

...I finally broke down, admitted I needed help and sought out a therapist--who was able to show me a major reason for my anxiety actually came from my inability to process grief (as well as a few other things.)  

Once the problem was identified - the proper way of treating it began, thus allowing me to enter into the process of healing.  

I'm not a clinical expert by any means; however, two things I know about those of us who wrestle with anxiety is...

#1 - There is a reason

#2 - Healing is a process

Which is why I wrote, "Overcoming My Anxiety, " which is a 30 day guide a person can use to step into the process of healing.  

Honestly, out of all of the books I've written - it's my favorite...because, I self published it--which means it did not get scrubbed and sanitized so it could occupy safe places in Christian bookstores.  

It's raw - it's real - and I believe it will help someone who wants to at least get the process started.  

Go here and get your signed copy now!  

And - just so you know - the book has sold way better than I expected, which is AWESOME; however, this means we are running low on copies and expect to be sold out in the next week or so - so - if you want to get your copy you'd better get it ASAP.  

When we sell all the books will we do a reorder?  Absolutely!  But - that will take 2-3 weeks before we can actually have another shipment ready.  

So - like I said - go here and get your copy (or get someone a copy) ASAP.   

Here are three lies anxiety told me - and - if you wrestle with anxiety, I am sure it has told you these as well.  

#1 - “You Are Not Enough!”  

Nearly every person I’ve met (and who has been willing to be honest wrestles with not feeling enough…

Pretty enough

Smart enough

Good enough

However, worry has a way of dominating our thinking to the point where we feel we are not enough—PERIOD.  And, even though we may know Scriptures that point to the contrary…we wind up believing they are true for other people—but we can’t seem to believe they are true for us as well. 

#2 - “You Are Not A Good Christian!”  

The reason I suffered in silence in regards to anxiety for so long is because I feared the shame often associated with people who confess this issue.  

I really did love Jesus, read my Bible everyday, prayed, worked in a church—and when that just didn’t seem to work, I dove in deeper, thinking, “do more, try harder” was the way out (when in actuality it caused me to dig myself deeper into the pit I was in.)  

You really can love Jesus—and wrestle with anxiety.  

Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “Do not be anxious about anything…” Philippians 4:6

Often this is a “Bible bomb” that people drop on other people, thinking in doing so their anxiety will magically disappear; after all, it says “don’t be anxious” in the Bible…

…however…

…let’s look at this verse from a different vantage point.  

Paul was writing to THE CHURCH in Philippi - so, these were people who LOVED Jesus, who were deeply committed - and he tells them not to be anxious.  

if “Christians” did not wrestle with anxiety (even 2000 years ago) - then why did Paul even need to say such a thing?  

This verse is not a rebuke, but rather an encouragement (and I think Paul showing empathy as well.)  

Reality is—we can LOVE Jesus—AND wrestle with anxiety—period.  

#3 - “I (anxiety) Will Always Cripple You.”  

There was a time I literally thought fear/anxiety would dominate me for the rest of my life - and, as a result it caused me to withdraw from relationships and begin the destructive habit of self medication (just to make the pain go away.)  

It took my life getting blown up for me to see anxiety may be a part of my life - but doesn’t have to define it.  

I’m 47 - and can honestly say I am in the best physical, emotional and spiritual health I’ve ever experienced in my life…

...AND—I had a panic attack just yesterday (2-6-19).  

I felt it coming on - I knew what triggered it and was actually able to work through it without doing anything dumb.  

Will it ever go away?  

I’m not sure (some of my super charismatic friends say it will - and some of my super realistic friends say it won’t!  

I wish it would - however, if this is a part of my life - instead of allowing it to define and defeat me, I am learning to continually deal with it as it begins to creep up on me - and actually defeat it in the moment rather than being driven into despair.  

And…if I can do it - you can too.  

Which is one of the reasons I wrote, “Overcoming Anxiety.”  This book is a 30 day guide (can read a chapter each day) on initiating the movement in your own life to winning the war with worry.  

As I’ve said so often - it’s real, it’s raw (I self published it so I could keep my voice and say exactly what I wanted to say) - but - my hope and prayer is that in reading this book it will take your focus from you anxiety and put it on hope.  

For the first order I bought 500 copies (self publishing also means you pay for all of the expenses.)  AND—I am happy (and surprised) to say we have about 100 copies left before we have to reorder.  

So - go here ASAP and get your copy!  We are starting to ship them out today (2-7-19) - and…the eBook is actually available as soon as you purchase.  

I’m super excited as I believe this book will help so many take their first step from shame towards hope - so - go here and let’s get started.  

For me - sleep is about the most peaceful thing in my life right now - because when I am asleep I don’t have to deal with stuff...

...like pressure, or self doubt - or loneliness.

I’m understand why I am lonely...

...a part of it has to do with the mistakes I made...

...a part of it has to do with the fact that I was absolutely abandoned by some...

...and a part of it has to do with the fact I have a hard time trusting people (used to not have that at all!)

However - in all of this God has used the loneliness to really focus my attention on Him...

...and on the fact we really do need other people in our lives.

So - as I continue to rebuild my life - I will approach friendships cautiously - but with hope as well!

Because - if I truly believe the best is yet to come - then I have to believe it for friendships as well!

Then I had my first one...

...and I realized they are no joke and can leave a person feeling confused and abandoned (by God and others!)

Anxiety kept me in a prison of shame and silence for years; after all, I felt if I admitted I was battling it - I would be looked down upon (like I had looked down on others!)

However - I’ve learned over the past decade that there is a way to overcome it - that we don’t have to live in the shame of silence anymore.

Which is why I wrote “Overcoming Anxiety” - a 30 day guide to start winning the war against worry!

It all begins with a mindset - and I cover in this book some of the thoughts that have gotten me to a much better place - and I know they will do the same for you.

Anxiety doesn’t make you a bad person, it doesn’t mean you do not love Jesus - it’s real, it’s a battle - but - you CAN overcome!

Go here and order your copy now!  

This comes back to the belief that sounds awesome - and would look great on a Christian coffee cup - but just isn’t true - “If we will just pray, then ‘it’ will go away!”  

Let me be very clear—I believe in the power of prayer.  

I know prayer has changed my life—and I’ve seen it change the lives of other as well.  

However, when a person is dealing with anxiety - while prayer is definitely a part of the process—it’s not the magic pill that makes all the bad go away.  

Jesus, in Matthew 26:36-38 lets us see this very clearly.  

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Jesus was…wait…”overwhelmed” (His words, not mine) - and this continued throughout His time of prayer as we are also told in Scripture that He literally began to sweat drops of blood.  

If you have tried to pray your anxiety away—and feel horrible because it hasn’t seemed to move - it doesn’t mean you are a bad person, it just means there are other things that need to be included in your journey towards healing as well.  

#2 - People Who Battle With Anxiety Don’t Read Their Bible Enough

I honestly can’t really recall very many days in the past 29 years that I have not read the Bible.(Reading the Scriptures is my primary way on connecting with Jesus.)  

However, my battle with anxiety did not come about because I was NOT reading the Bible; in fact, when I first experienced symptoms of anxiety I felt guilt and shame—and actually began reading my Bible MORE, believing that somehow I could work my way out of what was happening to me.  

(Side note - when this did not work—it actually increased my anxiety because I thought I was doing it wrong!)  

The Apostle Paul - who had the Old Testament MEMORIZED, and who actually wrote most of the New Testament said the following to the church in Corinth in his second letter to them…

II Corinthians 1:8 - "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself."

So - here we have a guy who knew more Bible than all of us combined - and he admits to being in a situation where he (and those with him) even despaired life itself!!!

We can know every verse the Bible says about not being anxious, we can tell ourselves and others Jesus said not to worry - but - when anxiety is triggered, it’s not what we know that consumes our mind—it’s what we feel.  And getting past feeling overwhelmed in the moment takes time—it’s a process that often times will include Scripture—but believing the Bible will beat the anxiety out of us will only leave us beaten up!  

#3 - People Who Battle With Anxiety Do Not Have Enough Faith.

This myth crippled me for years - and it caused me to suffer in silence because I knew if I admitted I battled with anxiety…or even (gulp) had to go on medication—it would clearly demonstrate my walk with Jesus was not where it needed to be—and that I did not have enough faith.

Looking back…if I am completely honest, the seasons I wrestled with anxiety the most are the times where my faith grew the most as well.  

Because…when anxiety screams “stay in bed,” it takes faith to put your feet on the floor.  

When anxiety screams, “stay at home,” it takes faith to walk outside and go to school or work.  

When anxiety screams, “don’t trust anyone,” it takes faith to open up to a friend about what you are wrestling with.  

The people who actually lack faith are the ones who choose to suffer in silence (I know because I did this for far too long!)  

Remember - overcoming anxiety is a process - it’s one anyone can begin…but there has to be a place where it is said, “right here is where the journey started for me!”  

Which is one of the reasons I wrote my new book, “Overcoming Anxiety!”  

While I do not make you the promise that, after reading it, you will never worry or fear again—I do promise you will be more equipped to deal what life throws your way.  

Go here and pre-order it ASAP - expected release date is February 11 - hoping and praying with all my heart it helps so many people - and that we truly can adapt the mindset that THE BEST IS YET TO COME!  

Here are FIVE thoughts I've had all week.  

#1 - I Have NEVER Felt So Under-qualified In My Life!  

I used to believe the Lord blessed my ministry because I was a good person, you know, read my Bible every day, prayed and didn't say (a lot) of cuss words.  Overall I would have said I was a good person.

Um, I don't really believe the whole, "I'm a good person" anymore.  

I have said things I never thought I would say, done things I never thought I would do and my life took a turn to places I never thought I would be.  

I feel like the ONLY reason the apostle Paul could claim the title, "Chief of Sinners" in I Timothy 1:15 is because he didn't know I would be coming along.  

If the Lord only blesses "good pastors" - well, I'm pretty much screwed.  

However, an overwhelming awareness of my sinfulness has brought about a level of empathy and compassion in me that I can honestly say I've never experienced in my life.  

I'm always going to be an easy target for people who use the "unqualified" argument (heck, I agree with them) - but - as long as the Lord gives me opportunity I figure I should use my gift rather than bury it just to impress people who don't actually know me.  

#2 - I Know I Will Let People Down

I hate disappointing people--I mean...REALLY hate it!  However, I also know if I become everything that everyone wants me to be--I will absolutely get swallowed up in the expectations of others and lose sight of who the Lord has actually called me to be.  

Someone has already made a comment to me about how I need to be at the door greeting people - and, as hard as it was--I had to simply let them know that wasn't going to happen.  Not because I think I am above it - but because I am SUCH an introvert (wrote about that here) - and shaking hands and posing for selfies with people causes me a tad of anxiety.  

I'll say some things people don't like...

I'll take stands (or refuse to take stands) that will offend certain groups of people...

I will do things that cause people to shake their heads...

...I simply will never be the pastor that has all of his stuff together.  

That used to bother me; however, I am getting more and more ok with it - because, at the end of the day there is a calling on my life...but it's not to please as many people as possible.  That being said - I really hate disappointing people, but I would rather disappoint that pretend to be someone or something I am not.  

#3 - I'm Scared

Seriously...like...to death!  

I've done this before - and while I experienced some of the best days of my life, I also experienced a train wreck.  

Not pointing fingers - I have taken responsibility for my part and fought like hell to get better.  

Getting a proper diagnosis was KEY to this (I was actually diagnosed with PTSD when I was in treatment and not as an alcoholic--they told me alcohol was my coping mechanism for me to deal with traumatic issues I had buried since the age of around 5.)  BUT - once you are labeled (especially in "Christian world") - it sticks with you for the rest of your life.  

When I was 28 I was full of energy and certain I could do just about anything...now I'm 47 and know I am definitely not Super Man (heck, I don't even think I could be Clark Kent!)  

I know there are people who are watching and waiting on me to fail - so they can pounce with their "I told you so" arguments.  

I know there are people who are screaming this is "too soon!"  

I've experienced hurt and confusion on levels I never thought I would see - and I've cried more tears than I thought I had in me.  

BUT...here I am doing it again.  

Why?  

It's simple - I just can't get away from it.  I tried - trust me, but the Lord just keeps bringing my busted up, broken, sinful self back to the idea that the local church really is the hope of the world - and I'm supposed to be right in the middle of it.  

#4 - I Honestly Don't Know That Much

When I started a church the first time I had vision statements, mission statements, core values, statements of beliefs - I knew what we were going to do if/when just about any situation happened.  I knew where I stood theologically on just about every position out there...

...but today, well - we have a church name (Second Chance) and our vision is to reach people far from God and help them to follow Jesus step by step.  

That's it right now - not a lot of theological stances or 150 page membership books (honestly don't know if we will ever have official membership!)  

What I do know is people need a safe place where they can come--and be fully known (don't have to fake) and fully loved.  And - Second Chance will be that place.  

The rest - I guess we will figure it out as we go along.  

#5 - A Part Of Me Wonders If Anyone Will Actually Show Up.  

I can't even begin to emphasize how honest that statement is.  I know people have said they are coming, and I believe some people will show; however, I guess because of my personal insecurities - and the fact I've screwed up so bad - I battle with it.  

However, I can honestly say - whether 50 or 250 show up...I'm going to give it my best shot.  I can't believe Jesus, with all He knows about me, is actually letting me do this again.  So - whatever He gives me, I'll take it and pray I will be a great steward of the calling He's placed on my life.  

I've started with nothing before - so - I believe because God has called me to this, He will see me through it as well.  

So - there you go - raw and real - those are my thoughts on the eve of our opening.  I hope that if you took the time to read all of this--you'll maybe consider saying a five second prayer for me--I know the Lord will use it.  

This isn't where I thought I would be at 47...but...the Lord is NOT surprised by this--and so I will take this opportunity He has given me, knowing and believing with all my heart that the best really is yet to come.  

No, not beer - abs!  

It’s not because I am young (I’m 47) - or because I won the genetic lottery (trust me, my family has had every disease known to man!)  

It’s because of a process!  

About 18 months ago I wanted to see if I could discover these so called muscles that existed in my abdomen area.  

It took two things…

Desire and discipline!  

First, there was the desire - it’s something I wanted for me (not something someone else wanted for me!)  Other people’s desires for us will only take us so far - and, if their desires are not our desires we will inevitably let them down.  

Then there was discipline - I made up my mind that exercise and proper nutrition were going to be a part of my life every single day—even when I didn’t feel like it.  

It wasn’t necessarily a program—but a process that took a while.  However, I finally accomplished my goal.  I can’t tell you the exact day my abs showed up - I just noticed them one day (which totally motivated me to dedicate to the process even more.  

What does this have to do with overcoming anxiety?  

A lot!!  

Overcoming anxiety is not the result of a magic prayer, or memorizing a pithy saying - but rather a process that takes both desire and discipline.  

First - there is desire, we have to WANT to be free of anxiety.  

I say this because, unfortunately, there are some who want to hold onto it because they find their identity in it.  No judgment here - I understand, getting our identity from anxiety does get us attention from other people—but their pity soon becomes anger and resentment when they realize all we want to do is complain, but never actually take any steps to get better.  

Other people can’t wish or pray our anxiety away…it’s something we must want for ourselves.  

Second - discipline, we must be willing to do whatever it takes.  

If we need therapy - we go!  

If we need to take medicine to help - we take it.  

If we need a support group - we dive in.  

And even when it gets hard and seems like all hell is breaking loose - we keep on going, because eventually we WILL begin to see light breakthrough - no matter how dark things may seem.  

Which is why I titled this book, “Overcoming Anxiety” and not “How To Overcome Anxiety.”  

Overcoming anxiety is a process - and while this book will not cure you I believe it will get you started on the journey.  

I wrote it so you can easily read a chapter a day for 30 days in a row - and in so doing it’s my prayer the Lord will begin the process of renewing your mind so you can escape the shackles of shame that anxiety tries to place on you - and really dive into the abundant life Jesus promised us in John 10:10.  

You can get the process started by going here to pre-order the book (expected release date = February 11) - and, if you are in this fight—know that you ARE NOT alone!  

However, most of us don’t need to read about it - we actually are dealing with it.  

Both from my research and personal experience - here are six signs that are common for those who wrestle with anxiety.  

#1 - Excessive Worrying  

All of us worry about things (will the traffic be bad today, will my picture get likes on Insta, will Donald Trump stop tweeting!)  

However, anxiety sets in when we fixate on something and we simply can’t let it go - and our minds takes us down the rabbit hole of worse possible scenarios until we find ourselves weighed down by things that have only happened in our imagination.  

We know Jesus said not to worry (Matthew 6) - but that just adds to our anxiety as we feel guilty for worrying, but can’t seem to stop.  

We know that “He has the whole world in His hands,” - except for maybe this ONE thing we are fixated on.  

#2 - Getting Easily Agitated

Everyone I know gets agitated at things (I once nearly lost my mind in a movie theatre sitting in front of a kid who kept kicking my seat.)  

But - when we are wrestling with anxiety we find ourselves becoming agitated way too easily - often “going off” on someone or something in ways that are a bit extreme (like using a cannon to kill a fly!)  

It’s not that we WANT to be like this - but - because our minds are in an unhealthy, occupied place - we just can’t handle the added stress of one more thing in our lives.  
#3 - Difficulty Concentrating   

I have A-D-D (maybe A-D-H-D) - I have all my life.  “Perry often daydreams and doesn’t pay attention in class” is a comment that was written on nearly every single one of my report cards in elementary school.  

However, one of the blessings of having A-D-D is that—WHEN people like us DO focus, we hyper focus and are actually able to accomplish a lot of quality work in a short amount of time…

…unless…

…we are wrestling with anxiety.  

Why is this?  It goes back to the first point - we are excessively worrying, and so when we do get in to a mode of “hyper focusing” - we do so on the thing we are worried about, not what we are trying to get done, which multiplies our anxiety levels exponentially.  

#4 - Fatigue

Far too many of us answer “tired” when people ask us how we are doing.  

But the thing is—it’s true.  

If anxiety is dominating our mindset, if we are getting easily agitated and are hyper focusing on all that we believe is wrong - it is both emotionally and spiritually draining as heck.  

I can remember a season in my life where, no matter how much coffee I would drink or how much rest I tried to get - I just always felt like I was dragging my butt around all day long.  

Emotional weight really does take a physical tole.  

#5 - Trouble Falling/Staying Asleep

This has been one of my biggest contributions to my battle with anxiety.  

I used to have SERIOUS trouble falling asleep.  I would literally lay in bed and just think.  I tried to pray, read Bible verses, think “godly thoughts,” but somehow the anxiety gremlins found their way into my thoughts and would keep me awake for hours.  

OR - if I did go to sleep and happened to wake up in the middle of the night—I could not go back to sleep because those same gremlins were patiently waiting to pounce all over me.  

A lack of sleep ads to the fatigue factor - and also causes us to be agitated easily as well (see how it’s all connected.)  

#6 - We Intentionally Avoid People

It’s not that we hate people - it’s that we don’t want for them to know what’s going on, either because…

A - They try to fix us - you know, the “take that frown and turn it upside down” people (to which we want to say, “I’m gonna take my foot and stick up up your @$$!”  
B - They minimize our pain and say things like, “Get over it, Jesus died on the cross—Paul was beaten in prison—Job lost everything, stop whining.”  (Let me pause and say that minimizing someone’s anxiety has NEVER made it go away—it only increases it.  

However, take it from the - the absolute WORSE thing we can do in these times is isolate ourselves.  Solitude is refreshing, isolation is destructive.  

What we need are safe spaces with safe people (full of empathy) who can walk with us through our mess rather than provide social and biblical commentary on it.  

If you wrestle with anxiety - I get it.  I’ve battled with it off an on all my life.   

Which is why I wrote, “Overcoming Anxiety” - because I understand that the battle with anxiety is so real - but, you CAN make progress, you CAN begin to experience peace, and I believe this book WILL help in that process.  

Go here to pre order it now (available on February 11) - copies are going pretty fast, so get yours ASAP! 
 

Too many of us are dominated by worry, restlessness, trouble with sleep and even panic attacks.

And while I do not believe there is a magic prayer we can pray to make the anxiety go away - I do believe there is a way we can begin our journey through the process.

Which is why I've written, "Overcoming Anxiety" - a 30 day guide to start winning the war with anxiety.

Warning:  This book is raw, some may even find a few words offensive; however, I felt it was time to really deal with the issues instead of dancing around the things that need to really be said.

I know what's its like to be paralyzed by the worry, fear and doubt that anxiety brings into our lives; however, I've learned how to walk through it without it absolutely crushing my soul - and I share a bit of my journey in this book because--if I can do it, you can too!!

Yes, you CAN win the war against worry - and this book will help you start that process.

Go here to pre-order the book (expected release date = February 11).

(Originally the opening date was scheduled for January 13, but had to be postponed due to a few building code issues that needed to be resolved.)  

A nursery for babies 6 weeks to two years old will be provided (and it is awesome!) 

And - at some point in the future we will have an incredible children’s ministry at Second Chance for children six weeks old all the way through the 5th grade…
…however, because we are a church plant we have to do things one step at a time.  

So - until we can recruit and train volunteers and make sure things are a clean, safe and fun as possible - children older than two are welcome to come into the auditorium with their parents.  

The location of the facility is in Anderson, SC - right off of Clemson Boulevard, behind the Verizon store, in front of Lowes and Target.  

The actual address for where we will meet is 140 Commons Parkway, Anderson, SC 29621

(We do not receive mail at this location - our mailing address is 210 South Main Street, Anderson, SC 29624)  

We will be streaming our services at 9:15 and 11:15.  

We do not have a student ministry at this time—but hope to have one in the future.  Our major focus at this point is to simply be able to provide a Sunday experience - and to take steps afterwards to make sure we are able to minister to people as effectively as possible.  

At this point there are no plans for other campuses in other cities.  

At the last church I served it took us eight years to launch our first campus.  

Would I personally love to have other campuses one day in other locations?  Absolutely - however, we are trying to move forward one step at a time - and getting Anderson up and running is our only goal at this point.  

We are super excited about Sunday, January 27, 2019 - and believe with all our hearts the best is yet to come.   
 

It used to confuse me, but after a while I began to understand why this seemed to be such a common comment…

…you see, I’m an introvert.   

If I walk into a room with a lot of people - I’m not trying to be the center of attention but rather find a corner I can stand in (preferably close to a door.)  

If I see someone in public that I know I usually just wave awkwardly, say “hey” and keep moving.  

Someone once told me, “you are way different on stage than you are just hanging out with people.”  

At first I sorta pushed back, but after a few minutes I paused to reflect on what he had just said—and he was right.  

When I’m on stage people have told me I come across as confident, bold (yes, some say arrogant) - the life of the party.  

I make people laugh, have funny facial expressions and try my best to relate to as many people as possible.  

HOWEVER…

…the thing I do on stage, preaching, for me—is so hard.  I practice for hours, writing and rewriting my notes over and over, praying over the message the entire time.  

Right before I get up to speak (no exceptions, every time), I check my zipper 496 times while my heart nearly comes out of my chest its beating so fast…
…but when it’s time for the message, something just happens (I would say it’s the Holy Spirit.)  I’m just able to do what I never imagined I could do - communicate to a room full of people.  

But then…I walk off stage, and I am exhausted.  

I’ve done all sorts of manual and intellectual labor—and for me, preaching is, hands down, the most difficult thing I do.  I wish it were easier—but it’s not.  

When I started my first church I used to walk out into the crowd after the service and chat with people.  Honestly, it was pretty easy - most of the people I knew pretty well.  

However, as the crowds began to increase I began to experience what is called social anxiety (which I still deal with till this day.)  People would line up to talk to me and I would begin to have slight panic attacks and being scared to death.  

So, after a few years of dealing with this I began to walk off stage after I was done and “retreat” back to a place to catch my breath and gather my thoughts.  (And when we got to the place we were doing four services a weekend this was SO needed for me to simply make it through the day.)  

Over time “legends” about me developed - that I thought I was better than other people, that I thought I was a “celebrity” and didn’t want to mingle—that I just didn’t love people…

…and none of that was (or is) true.  

Everything in me wishes I was an extrovert.  I have friends that are energized when they spend time with crowds of people - but for me, it feels like I’ve had the life sucked out of me.  

Just the other day someone communicated to me, “Well, I guess at your new church you are going to have to walk out and shake hands with people—since you are not all high and mighty like you were before.”  

I’ll spare you here the specifics of what I communicated back with them (I was nice—kind of) - but, the gist of the communication was that even though it’s a different church, I’m still the same person, a broken down, busted up introvert that gets nervous as heck every time I am about to speak - and afterwards I just need to go somewhere and hide for 10-15 minutes so I can catch my breath.  

It’s not at all that I feel “high and mighty” - it’s that I honestly don’t think I’m all that important enough for someone to have to talk to me.  

I’m an introvert!!  

I pretty much always have been…

…and am pretty sure I always will be.  

I used to let people “guilt me” into doing things (like standing in the lobby and shaking hands) - but I’ve pretty much decided by this point in life I’m going to simply do my best to do what I feel the Lord has called and equipped me to do - and let the extroverts do everything they can and fill the gaps where I admittedly fall incredibly short.  

It had nothing to do with God; in fact, I honestly feel closer to Him than I’ve ever felt in my life.  

Nor did it have anything to do with my understanding of the Gospel, my belief in the Scriptures or my desire to help people.  

It had everything to do with “God’s people!”  

One of the most unfortunate (but accurate) realities is that “Christians” are some of the most hateful, mean spirited, judgmental people on the planet - and possess as much apathy as Donald Trump possess restraint on Twitter.  

In all I’ve personally gone through over the past two and a half years - I haven’t received one singe negative/attacking comment by someone claiming to be an atheist or agnostic - but rather someone claiming to be a “Christian” who felt it their place to show me “tough love” (most of whom had never spent an ounce of time with me.)  

One guy (on his radio show) said the reason I was getting back into church work was that I missed the attention!  

Really!?!?!?

• I miss the rumors started (usually in the form of a prayer request)?  
• I miss the criticism of the type of car I drive or home I live in?  
• I miss the Monday morning sermon critiques - the ones who pointed out how I offended them?  
• I miss every aspect of my personal, private life being asked about?  
• I miss people pointing out how disqualified I am?  
• I miss people evaluating everything I say through their whitewashed eyes via social media?  

Really?!?!?!?!?

I miss all of that?  

No freaking way!  

In fact, I pretty much wanted to be done with church work.  I felt like I had served my time, gotten my scars and that season of my life was over.  

But then I began to meet people…

…people who loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him, but had screwed up, felt excluded and did not have a church they could call home.  

I met people struggling with addictions, who wanted freedom from the hell they felt trapped in - but - they were not free to wrestle through them in their previous church; in fact, they had been kicked out (usually in the name of “church discipline”) and told to come back when they had their “ish” together.

I met single moms who did not feel comfortable because of the judgmental glances they received every week when they took their kids to the children’s area of their church.  

And the Lord broke my heart for these people (because…I’m one of them!)   

Trust me - I tried my best to get God to let me do something else.  However, He simply would not let me get away from the calling to create an environment when everyone is welcome, no one is perfect and all of us believe that nothing is impossible.  

So - here we go - in less than 25 days we launch worship services in our facility - and it’s going to be about as simple as anything that anyone has seen.  
However, I believe by God’s grace that, over time, He will create an environment that is irresistible - one where people do not have to believe what we believe to belong, one where it really is ok to not be ok - one where we don’t use the word “discipleship” as a form of control or manipulation - but rather preach the Good News…and trust Jesus to change hearts in His time, not ours.  

The last time I planted a church—I did so completely excited—this time I’ve done so kicking and screaming. I’ve never felt more unworthy of being in ministry than I feel right now.  However, if God can give a guy like me a second chance—He can do it for anyone.   
 

This year we've seen...

• Over 300 people give their lives to Christ
• Over $250,000 raised for our worship facility
• Financial support given to help plant a church in New York City
• Hundreds of people who felt disconnected from Jesus & church find connection again. 

And I believe that is only a taste of what we're going to see Jesus do in 2019.  

We are currently scheduled to have our first meeting in our new facility on January 27, 2019 with two services, 9:15 & 11:15 AM

(And we will continue to stream our services online once we make the move into the facility - wanted to say this because so many people have asked.)  

We were originally scheduled to be in two weeks prior; however, we've experienced a tad bit of complexity in regards to getting our certificate of occupancy because of fire alarm issues (which we anticipate being solved really soon.  

I just wanted to take a second of your time to say "thank you" to everyone who has prayed for Second Chance - as well as those who have given so generously (to both our regular offering and our 250k fund.  Your generosity has absolutely made an incredible difference as we are going to be able to move into our facility debt free.  

I'm personally excited because I believe our church has so much potential to reach people who feel like they have "blown it" when it comes to a walk with Jesus...

...they desperately need to know--everyone deserves a Second Chance.  

Which is where I will ask you for two things regarding how you can make a difference as we wrap up 2018 and head into 2019.  

#1 - Pray that everything moving forward with building inspections will go well, that the fire alarm issue is resolved so we can have our first services on January 27, 2019.  

#2 - Continue to financially support Second Chance.  We've came so far--but there is so much more to be done--and every dollar makes a difference.  

(You can go here to give online - or get the address to mail your donation.) 

On a personal note - I wanted to say "thank you" for all of the encouragement and prayers.  Many of you will never know this side of heaven how much of a difference you've made in my life.  

I'm so looking forward to this Sunday as we step into a brand new series that will get us ready to step into our new facility!  

I love you guys - and believe with all my heart the best is yet to come!   

Which reminds me of my annual trip to the doctors office I took a few years ago.  

“Can you step on the scale Mr. Noble?” the nurse asked.  

I would have honestly rather had my head sown to the carpet than to step on the stupid scale.  

I saw the nurse give me a peak out of the corner of her eye that said, “really?”  

When I saw the number I thought the same thing.  

I left the doctors office thinking, “I’m tired of this crap—and I’m going to do something about it…one day!”  

I had great intensions - but the reason I stayed stuck in my overweight condition was I had no actual plan to get out of my overweight condition.  

In working with people over the past year to help them accomplish their weight loss goals - one of the number one things people have said was they knew they needed to get serious—but just didn’t know how.  

Walking into a gym “cold turkey” can be intimidating (and without a plan people usually last less than two weeks.)  

Figuring out what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat isn’t easy.  

Which is why I wrote my eBook, “I Can Win With Weight” - a 90 day journey that will literally transform the way you look and feel.  

It’s a simple but practical plan that, if followed, will absolutely change the way you look and feel about yourself.  

It seriously is the best $7 investment you can make in your personal health and nutrition.  

Go here and get started ASAP, you’ll be glad you did!   
 

And, this is the time of year all of us seem to battle with it the most.  

When I finally got tired of complaining I decided to actually do something about it—and the result was I lost 40 pounds and five inches in the waist (and am in the best shape of my life!)  

This week I am going to share four things that will absolutely help you to begin to shed those extra pounds (and I know these things work because they worked for me—and hundreds of other people since last year.)  

Weight Loss Tip #1 - Drink Water & Black Coffee (ONLY) For Two Weeks

When I say water and black coffee…I mean it…that’s it.  

No alcohol!

No diet sodas (they are actually horrible for you!)  

No non fat creamer…or artificial sugar…

…WATER & BLACK COFFEE ONLY, that’s it! 

It’s insane because I’ve been telling people this for a solid year.  

And—at least 95% of people who have responded have told me why they can’t do it (or—even more specifically, why they won’t do it!)  

However, the 5% who have actually followed through have lost at least five pounds (I actually lost 10 pounds the first time I did this!)  

It sounds simple (because it is) - but - it takes discipline to do it.  

The good news is…you’ll spend less money at Starbucks!  

And…you won’t be filling your body with empty calories.  

Give it a shot - I promise it will work.   

For more information check out an eBook I wrote here.  
 

On a typical work day I get between 3-5 requests asking for advice or my involvement in a charity or other project. Obviously these usually don’t end up becoming revenue producing ventures so I must be careful about which ones I choose because there are only so many hours in the day. So I thought it might be valuable to share a few of my favorite tips for getting face time with a busy entrepreneur or business leader.

1 - Email subject line “Looking to Connect”.

Gets  [��] �� me  [��] �� every  [��] �� time. Instead of using your event or start up name, go ahead and set your intentions clear. Plus, it adds a bit of intrigue - what are we going to connect about? Could this be some exciting new venture? Might be. Try it!

2 - Be direct, and make a specific ask.

I can’t stress this enough. Most business owners simply don’t have the extra hour in the day to spend emailing back and forth while pleasantries are exchanged and intentions are peeled back like an onion until you get to the core of what you want. So go ahead and ask! .

Instead of “I’m starting a podcast and someone like you could help it get off the ground” try “I’ve started a podcast where I interview business owners with the aim of giving advice to up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Interviews are 30 minutes each. Would you happen to be available on date X or X?”

Instead of “I’d love to meet for coffee and pick your brain” try “You seem to be an expert in (blank) and (blank). Could I get 15 minutes of your time to ask your opinion on (area of expertise) as it pertains to (upcoming event, business idea, etc”. This one is GREAT not only because you’ve set a time expectation, but if the person you’re asking doesn’t feel this is their area of expertise, they can point you in the direction of someone who may be.

3 - Once you’ve bagged the appointment, say you’re going to send a calendar reminder, and do it immediately.

If something’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t happen. Plain and simple!

PS - if you are looking to take your social media to the next level--you should definitely contact Leslie - go here to check out her home page.  

PPS - No, i DO NOT get a referral fee, I recommend her because she's good at what she does.  (Trust me--someone was going to ask!)  :-)

…however…

…there is a question that seems to be popping up over and over again about where the NEXT Second Chance campus will be (and many people saying, “can’t wait for you to open a campus in ______________” (insert city)  

While it is absolutely in my heart to reach as many people as possible, and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to fulfill the Great Commission, at this time there are no plans in regards to timing or locations for more campuses.  

Why?  

Second Chance is a true church plant, not a campus launch.  

In most occasions, when a church launches a campus they have support staff, finances and a model in which they are trying to duplicate.  

In a church plant everything has to literally be built from the ground up.  

Sure, I’ve started a church before that launched campuses - however, it took eight years at my previous church for us to launch our first extension campus (which was Greenville.)  It’s so easy for us to forget a times that what became “normal” used to be a miracle!  

We started Second Chance with nothing but an iPhone 7 and a Facebook Live feed - and it’s slowly but surely built momentum.  

However, the focus right now is not establishing a plan for multiple locations, but rather to do whatever it takes to get our Anderson location fully operational.  

We will still broadcast our services online once we get into our building; in fact, I expect the quality will go up a notch or two.  

But, for those who are expecting a Second Chance campus to open in your community soon - while the thought is super encouraging, at this point it’s simply not on our radar.  

Not because we don’t want to have more campuses—but because we can’t at this point.  

We are a true church plant, not a campus launch.  

So, if you are in Anderson (or close by) I am super excited about you being able to come and join us for a service.  

And, if you are located pretty far away and can’t be here every week - you can still continue to be a part of this ministry by joining us online.  

We are praying it will grow, and we are expecting the Lord to do incredible things—and because people have given so generously we’ve been able to do all of the work so far without accumulating any debt whatsoever.

I promise when/if we ever do launch another campus we will let everyone know (and celebrate like crazy!)  

But for now we are going to try to do our best to be incredible stewards of what the Lord has placed into our hands.   
 

We developed this resource to answer that specific question and more!

To date, this is still our most popular online resource at The Growth Company! And you have access to it for only $49!

As a token of our appreciation, and as a testament to our FOMO at the Growth Company, we want to offer our special "Cyber Monday" deal.

Click here to get $100 OFF OUR MOST UTILIZED RESOURCE!

#1 - Getting Better At Preaching (normally $199 - but TODAY = $99!)  Use code "double18" at checkout

This  resource will give our Pastors instant access to the following:        

• 7 content-packed teaching videos from Perry Noble
• Expanded Getting Better at Preaching 50-page ebook
• Getting Better at Preaching audiobook narrated by Perry Noble
• Plus, an hour-long video interview on preaching with Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church

#2 - Building A Generous Culture of Giving In Your Church (normally $149 - but TODAY = $49)   Use code "double18" at checkout

This video coaching series outlines the following:    

• A strategy for growing your budget immediately.
• Developing a long-term strategy to build a generous church culture.
• Resources to help you succeed in your preaching and communication about giving.
• 5 fears associated with preaching on giving, and how to overcome them.
• A theological outline to help you unleash your people from financial bondage to financial and spiritual freedom.

#3 - Leadership Coaching 101 (the most content I've ever put into a video series - normally $249 - but today = $149)   Use code "double18" at checkout

This is not a series of theories. Its practical, easy to implement information that will guarantee GROWTH in your church. 

• How to take POTENTIAL and turn it into a PLAN
• How to create a strategic marketing plan
• How to leverage social media and the internet to promote your ministry/church.
• How to create a generous, healthy and connected culture.
• Leading and leveraging volunteers.
• How to handle the critics
• Creating a strategic sermon calendar for a year's worth of sermons.
• A plan for small groups that work

Like I said earlier - this deal is good for today only - don't miss out on taking your leadership to the next level.  

Once again - in order to receive the discount -  Use code "double18" at checkout

• When is it time to launch another service?  
• When is it time to launch another campus?  
• Is it better to launch another campus or start another service?  
• Do we know our peak and off peak patterns?  

2 – What About Your Online Experience? 

• Is it ok for people to "attend online" and not actually come to the physical location?  
• What is the best way to engage the online audience?  
• What if our church can't afford an online streaming service?  
• Who do I think is the best in the world at an online experience?  (Hint - it's these guys!)  

3 – What About Giving?

• How in the world can the church raise more money when people are so skeptical of churches that teach on money? 
• When are THE BEST Sundays to actually preach on giving?  
• What is ONE THING you can do in your church that will absolutely FIRE UP the base of consistent givers in your church?  (Hint - this will work in every church, no matter denomination or location!)  

4 – What About Percentage of Budget to Staffing? 

• What percentage of your budget should be going towards staffing?  
• What should your next hire be?  
• What's the ONE THING you cannot do after hiring someone new?  

5 – What About Salvations? 

• What is the best way to track salvations that happen in your church?  
• What is the best way to follow up with people who accept Christ?  

6 – What About Baptisms? 

• When is the best time to do baptisms?  
• How can we actually encourage more people to take the step of being baptized?  

7 - What About Parking Spaces? 

• What are the three most important areas when it comes to making sure they have great parking?  
• What is the best parking lot spaces ratio if considering property/a new location?  

8 – What About Children’s Ministry? 

• What are the three values that are essential for the success of a children's ministry?  

9 – What About Social Media? 

• What is the best way to leverage social media for the church to engage more people?  
• How is social media going to completely change the way we approach mission work?

10 – What About Your Website?

• Is your website designed for people who want to visit your church - or for people who are already bought in?  
• What's the ONE THING that HAS TO BE clearly displayed on your website if you want to engage first timers?  

OK - so, that's more like 35 questions - but we are going to answer all of them (and a whole lot more) at our Online Event called "The Double Conference!"  (It will be held on Tuesday, November 13 from 9:30 - 12:30 (EST) with a replay time of 4:30 - 7:30 (EST)--and then two additional replay times the next day at 9:30 - 12:30 and then again from 4:30 - 7:30 - its an awesome opportunity for you, your staff and volunteers to watch together.)  

The early bird rate of $49 ends TONIGHT (Thursday, Nov. 8) at midnight--after that the price goes up to $79 - so - go here and register now!  

(AND...BTW...this is just ONE of the sessions--we're gonna cover a lot more than this!)  

Passing around a plate isn’t enough anymore. With most of your members carrying cards, it’s easier for them to simply tithe via an app or website instead of carrying cash to church. With 60% of churchgoers wanting to donate digitally, you need an online giving platform.

#2 - Worldwide, there were 2.46 billion social media users

That number is expected to grow to 2.62 billion in 2018. Social media gives you the chance to reach billions. Think of how many people might see a shared post or watch an engaging video from your church. A single post could be enough to engage someone who’s questioning their faith or hasn’t even thought about church before.

#3 - People Want Online Options

Google sees around 30,000 searches every month related to online church and church services online. You don’t have to switch to an online church to reach people. However, offering live streaming or uploading your sermons helps to reach more people and can boost online tithing.

Now it is time to grow your church 

As a leader you want your Church to grow and we want to help you. The Online Double Conference, held November 13th or 14th, is designed to help you identify key markers for growth, prepare for them, and cast vision for growth to your staff and key volunteers.

The conference will be hosted online and one ticket provides you, your staff and volunteers with four opportunities to watch.

The early bird price is $49 -- ends November 8th!

For more information or for purchasing a ticket, click here!  

Can't wait!

And, on Tuesday, November 13 from 9:30 - 12:30 EST that's exactly what we're going to dive into at our online Double Conference - how YOUR church can actually DOUBLE in size over the next 3-5 years.  

From now until midnight on Thursday, November 8 the price is $49 per church (after that it goes up to $79.)  

And...if you can't make the broadcast time - we will have replays of the event on the same day from 4:30 - 7:30pm (EST) as well as on Wednesday, November 14 again at 9:30 - 12:30 and 4:30-7:30 (and yes, you can watch it more than once if you want.)  

This is an awesome change for you, your staff and volunteers to experience an event together - and then develop a plan that helps your church reach more people (which should NEVER be apologized for...more people meeting Jesus is ALWAYS a good thing!)  

My awesome friend Joe Sangl is also joining me for this event to talk about the top financial challenges growing church face--and how to overcome them.  

Go here to get registered ASAP (or if you want more information!)  And don't miss the $49 deadline!!  

#1 - "Irresistable" by Andy Stanley 

Andy is, hands down, one of the most amazing leaders I've ever had the privilege of meeting in my life.  And--when I tell you this is the BEST BOOK he has ever written--I mean it.  If you want you get your church to thrive over the next 25-50 years (rather than die off and blame others in the process) then you've got to get this book ASAP.  

#2 - ""Dare To Lead" by Brene Brown

Just when you think, "there's NO WAY she can outdo her last book,"--she does.  

The first time I was introduced to Brene was through her Ted Talk on the subject of shame...and I've always loved and admired her work.  But - in this book she takes her research about shame an vulnerability and dives into how impacts (or should impact) leadership - and I am telling you if we could just take half of what she reveals and apply it in our churches/businesses - it would DRAMATICALLY change our work environments--and the attitudes of everyone who works with us.  

#3 - "Everybody, Always" by Bob Goff

What makes this book so incredible is...I know Bob.  And...this isn't just some theories he wrote down on paper so he could get a check from a publisher--but rather the story of how he really is trying to love people (and the highs and lows associated with trying to do so.  I can promise you will laugh and cry multiple times while reading through this book!  

#4 - "Crushing It," by Gary Vaynerchuk

PLEASE - don't email me about Gary V...yes, I know he uses "the F word" in his talks (he's from New York, I'm pretty sure you can't graduate first grade without knowing how to use the "F-word" in a sentence.)  

If you want to know how to leverage social media for your personal brand or business--there's not a better guide on the planet than this book.  (His podcast is pretty on fire as well.)  

#5 - "I Can't Make This Up" by Kevin Hart

Two things...

First - Get the audible version...trust me, Kevin reads in...and ad libs while doing so.  

Second - You might not want to listen to it around the kids...just a warning.  

Why would I recommend this book?  Simple - Kevin tells his story...and while doing so completely dismantles the idea of becoming some sort of "overnight success!"  I was completely surprised at his story, how hard he worked, how many times he fell down and got right back up.  

BONUS:  

"Unleash"

"Overwhelmed--Winning The War Against Worry" 

and...

"The Most Excellent Way To Lead!"  

I wrote these - I have limited copies of each on hand right now...if you want an autographed copy we'll sell you a copy for $15 (includes shipping in the continental United States).  

I don't have a link to a site to sell them yet (you can get them on Amazon if you want I think) - but - if you want an autographed copy--just email me - perry@perrynoble.com and we will be in touch about taking your order!  

…and usually in less than 30 days the overwhelming majority of them are GONE.  

However, a few of them manage to stay…and, over time, begin to make significant progress.  

What’s the main difference between the people who quit verses the people who conquer?  

Simple - the people who conquer do so because they have a PLAN…and they dedicate themselves to it.  

I’ve worked in church world for nearly 30 years, and I’ve never seen a church “accidentally” grow, or a ministry “accidentally” begin to thrive.  They usually do so because of leaders who are dedicated to hearing God’s voice and then taking action based on His direction.  

In other words—they follow His plan.  

What are the benefits of having a growth plan for your church?  

#1 - It Unifies Staff & Volunteers - One of the biggest barriers to growth in churches is people know what to do, but don’t always necessarily know why it’s important. 
When a plan for growth is introduced (with the “why” being clearly explained) - then everyone can focus their time and energy in the same direction, which, over time, builds incredible momentum for a church.  

#2 - It Keeps You & Your Church Focused - As a church experiences growth—it will also experience other “opportunities” introduced by others.  (Honestly - there are some that will see your resources as your responsibility to financially support their ministry idea!)  

When you have a specific plan - it really does allow you to say “no” to some thing that are good—so you can say “yes” to the things that are great—and that will have the greatest impact on God’s Kingdom.  

#3 - It Allows Us To Dream Big - For far too many churches, the “win” is to simply “make it through Sunday!”  And, while that is certainly desirable - I believe we, as the church, are called to way more.  

For far too long the church has allowed organizations like Disney, Coke and Tesla to have much larger dreams than us (in fact, many churches are shamed into thinking small!)   

However, when we put a plan out there that, unless God moves it just ain’t gonna happen, it stirs up faith inside of us unlike never before - and when we see God begin to turn dreams into reality, it causes us to dream even bigger dreams—where more people meet Jesus (which I just don’t think is EVER a bad thing!)  

With all of that in mind - what is your churches specific strategic plan for the first six months of 2019?  

Why would I ask?  Simple - I believe every church on the planet has the potential to DOUBLE in size over the next 3-5 years (most likely by making 2-3 difficult but necessary decisions!)  

And yes, this includes YOUR church.  

I believe in this so much I am hosting an online event on Tuesday, November 13 from 9:30 - 12:30 (EST) called the Online Double Conference.  (There will be replays on 11-13-18 from 4:30 - 7:30 pm EST and then again on 11-14-18 from 9:30 - 12:30 and 4:30 - 7:30 pm (EST).  

In this event we are going to discuss why it’s so hard to make hard decisions - as well as looking at what I call “The Circles of Success” that will give your church a laser like focus on what the next 6-12 months need to look like - as well and diving into whether it’s time for your church to add an additional service—OR even start a new campus.  
The early bird price is ONLY $49 (goes up to $79 on 11/8).  And the awesome thing is - you and your entire staff can watch it together (and maybe even some volunteers.)  

It’s honestly one of the most practical things we’ve ever put together at The Growth Company - and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that your church will absolutely benefit from this event.  

I’m super excited about having my friend Joe Sangl join me for a session as well (there’s never a dull moment with Joe!)  

Once again - go here to register (don’t miss out - $49 is a REALLY good deal!)   
 

Often times one of the greatest things as a church leader I experienced was attending conferences and events that absolutely stretched my mind and increased my capacity to dream big...

...however, it was often one of my greatest frustrations as well--because when I would come back and try to explain (or even put into practice) what I had learned I would receive resistance, NOT because the people resisting were BAD, but because they had not heard what I had heard nor seen what I had experienced!  (And - no matter how hard you try - you just can't expect them to feel the same way you feel.)  

So - after this happened a few times I began trying to take as many staff and volunteers to events as possible; however, over time the costs began to get quite astronomical and so we had to begin to reduce the number of people we would bring...

...which brought us back to the same issue we were having before, except on a much larger scale...

..which is one of the reasons for the Double Conference!  (I believe YOUR church has the potential to double in size over the next 3-5 years--yes, your church!)  

This conference is an online event - in other words - you and your entire staff, as well as volunteers, can watch this and then work through what you believe your church needs to do in order to take your next step.  

And...it's only $39 (the coffee and snacks you will buy will most likely cost more than that!)  

Go here right now to find out more information and get signed up - because tomorrow the price bumps up to $49!  

I’ve heard the alarmists, people proclaiming that the churches best days are behind us—and because we are now entering a post Christian society all we can do is pray and hope God performs a miracle.  

However, I don’t think the church is in trouble - I think the church has an incredible opportunity.   

And I don’t think all we’re called to do is pray - leaders are called to take action, to actually cast compelling visions that connect with the hearts of people because they can see that if those visions become reality - lives are changed.  

Instead of the church being in trouble - I think the church has the potential to double.  

Let me be more specific - I really do believe that in the next 3-5 years your church can DOUBLE in size!  (Yes, your church!)  

Which is why I am hosting the online Double Conference on Tuesday, November 13 from 9:30-12:30 (EST) with replays at 4:30-7:30 (EST) and then again on Wednesday, November 14 at the same times.  

It’s honestly the MOST exciting event we’ve developed since I’ve started the Growth Company.  

There will be four sessions during the event.  

Session #1 - Why It’s Time To Reinvent What We Do—And Then Reinvest In It.  

Even if we have a crystal clear Acts 1:8 vision - sometimes It’s not that easy to actually take the steps of faith to see that vision become reality.  

It took the early church about a decade to just begin scratching the surface on accomplishing what Jesus clearly instructed in Acts 1:8.  

With the introduction of the internet in the 1990’s and social media over the past decade  - I believe the church is staring down INCREDIBLE opportunities, it’s not that we lack the resources to fulfill the Great Commission - but often times we lack the courage.  

In this session we will talk about how to establish a clear Acts 1:8 vision as well as identifying the things that hold us back.  

Session #2 - The Most Practical Session About Church Growth I’ve Ever Taught.  

If you are a “numbers nerd” this will be one of your favorite sessions of all times as we are going to examine attendance numbers, attendance projections, offering numbers, children’s attendance and a ton of other things.  

Not only will we examine them…but you will be able to have a filter to look at your church through to determine if you need to start another service, add another campus, hire additional staff or even build another building.  

AND—we are going to talk about the BIGGEST MISSION FIELD on the planet - and how, if your church learns how to leverage it (instead of resisting it) you can reach more people with the Gospel than you ever imagined.  (Hint - it’s all about social media!!)  

Session #3 - The Circle of Success

Once you established your Acts 1:8 vision…as well as defined reality for your church - I will map out what I call the circle of success that will work in any church environment.  

(AND…just a side note - I personally believe it will one of the most encouraging/confidence building sessions for every leader and team that attends.)

AND…we will map out a sermon calendar for the first six months of 2019 that will help you build incredible momentum.  

Session #4 - How In The World Can Your Church Raise Money?  

If your church is going to grow - you are going to need the finances to do so.  That’s why I’ve asked Joe Sangl to join me for a very honest conversation about the mistakes churches make so often with their finances, as well as how to determine whether or not your church is actually ready for a capital campaign in order to raise the resources to grow.  

This is an event that you and your entire team can attend - from your own office (or home!)  

How much does it cost?  

$39 (for the next 48 hours - this price ends at midnight on Tuesday).  

And that’s NOT $39 per person—it’s $39 per church—you can have as many staff and volunteers watch with you as you want (in fact, the more, the better!)  
After the first 48 hours it goes to $49…until Midnight on November 8…where it goes to $79.  

I can promise this event has the potential to set your church on a growth trajectory unlike anything you’ve ever imagined.  
 

Just go to the “resources” tab on our site and you’ll see...

#1 - Getting Better At Preaching ($149 with code) - a �� interview with Pastor Steven Furtick as well as numerous other videos that will help you prepare better messages and built momentum throughout the year!

#2 - Building A Generous Culture ($99 with code) - in this resource you will see how to develop a strategy that will build your budget immediately.

#3 - Leadership Coaching ($199 with code) - Over 20
Leadership coaching videos with super practical information you can immediately apply to your personal growth as well as the growth of your team!

That’s “serve50” at checkout for $50 off - today only - don’t miss out!

Every single week I was expected to come up with something that was new, energetic and interesting…

…and often times the stress of all this drove me insane.  

UNTIL…I took some time and developed a system that allowed me to…

• 1 - Get ahead in message preparation (which set my team up for so much success)
• 2 - Engage with the people attending my church like never before.  
• 3 - Experience more confidence as a communicator.  

This resource (which took me 10 years to develop) is now available here.  With this resource you will get…

• 1 - Seven Content PACKED Videos (accessible on any device) on how to take your communication to the next level.  
• 2 - A 50 page eBook (and an audio book on the content read by me (in my southern accent!  
• 3 - A one hour video interview with Pastor Steven Furtick (which is SOLID GOLD) on the subject of preaching!  

And—a few more surprises/bonuses that WILL help your church grow.  

Ordinarily this resource is $199 - but for the month of October we are offering it at $149 - all you gotta do is enter the code growth18 at checkout and you will get the discount.  

Don’t wait - go here ASAP and take your first step towards getting better at preaching.   
 

#2 - If Clemson wins out the season, people will say this was the greatest decision ever - if a game is lost, people will say the coaches are idiots (because, after all, the critics are REALLY good at NCAA on Playstation!)  

#3 - The coaches (not the people who call in on sports talk radio) are actually in the best position to make the best decisions.  (And...is it just me, or has anyone ever wondered why it seems so many people have so much time to call into these talk shows?)  

#4 - In 10 years what is dominating Clemson news today will be nothing more than a sentence in a story.  

#5 - In 100 years this will not matter at all

I don't know how to coach!  

I could not design a defensive scheme if my life depended on it.  

Heck, I am not even sure I could be the "get back" guy for Coach Venables.  

However, I love football, enjoy the games and am excited about the future of the program under Dabo - people keep questioning his decisions, and he just keeps on winning.  

Go Tigers!  

First of all - I cannot even begin to describe how contagious the excitement is in regards to us FINALLY having a place to gather together on a weekly basis.  The emails, letters and comments on social media always remind me there are so many "Second Chance" people who are eager to get this started.   

Originally I had thought our move in date would be this coming Sunday (September 30); however, given the fact I know nothing about construction...and have always been slightly optimistic in regards to timelines and such - uh - September 30 is definitely NOT going to be the date.   

So when is it?  

Here's the latest.  

The general contractor is slated to finish up within the next 10 days.  They have done an excellent job getting the building renovated, repainted, carpeted as well as getting the electrical and HVAC where it needs to be.  

After they have completed their portion - the AVL (audio, visual and lighting) will need to be installed (which will take somewhere between 2-4 weeks, depending on the scheduling of the company we have under contract to do it.)  

AND...after the AVL install we will then need to purchase chairs for the auditorium, nursery equipment, children's equipment and supplies as well as several other things to make sure we can provide the cleanest, safest and most fun environment for children possible.  

So - how long is all of this going to take?  

Great question - the short (and honest) answer is - it all depends on the $250k fund.  

We were able to start this project, knowing we could get this far because of the amazing generosity of so many people.  We've been able to pay as we go, which has been such an incredible blessing.  

However, as I mentioned at the end of the message yesterday - so far we've had $176,598.02 given to the $250,000 fund - which is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE; however, it leaves us close to $75,000 short.  

There is no doubt in my mind the Lord will provide what we need in His time - He's opened so many doors for us along this path.  However, as we are doing our best to pay as we go - our move in date isn't determined by desire but rather affordability.  

Bottom line:  We are going to move in after we are able to purchase the remainder of what we need - get it set up and then train staff and volunteers on how to use it so we can provide the best experience possible for everyone who attends.  

I know this a bit weird for some, especially if you were around when I was at my last church - where we were able to launch campuses rather easily because of the people and resources that were available.  

However, as I've said so often - we are not a campus launch, we are a true church plant.  We started with absolutely nothing and are literally building things from scratch, which takes time (and patience.)  

So - once again, the most honest answer is - I have no idea when we are actually going to get into the building.  It's a matter of construction, an AVL instal and the ability to purchase the essentials we need to make church happen every week.  

Until all of this takes place we will continue to meet online (which I absolutely love!)  

A HUGE "thank you" to everyone who has been so incredibly generous and have helped us take major steps forward in our efforts to get into this building.  

I believe with all of my heart we are going to see Jesus do incredible things in this place - and people who have given up on God (or feel as if God has given up on them) are going to find hope, peace and a sense of belonging unlike they've ever experienced before.  

Even though we don't have a specific date set yet - I can say today we are one day closer.  So - keep praying the Lord will raise up people who will give in order that we may get to where all of us believe the Lord wants us to be.  

Love you all! 

Pastor P

PS - if you want to contribute to the 250k fund - you can do so online right here - or mail a check to...

Second Chance Church

210 South Main Street

Anderson, SC 29624
 

• I thought people who had panic attacks were making it up just to get attention.  
• I thought people who said they wrestled with anxiety were not godly and more than likely were not praying and reading their Bible enough.  
• I thought people who had to take depression medicine were weak and lacked faith…

…uh, yeah, I don’t think those things anymore.  

I can remember my very first panic attack like it was yesterday.  I was actually on stage preaching (it was a Christmas Eve service) and I could not stop thinking that someone was going to kill me…

…the thought raced to the completely illogical place of someone had poisoned me before I walked on stage…and my chest tightened, I could not control my breathing and began sweating profusely.  

I managed to walk off stage and had someone drive me home (thinking the whole time I was going to die.)  

Literally before I was about to dial 911 - I called a friend who I knew suffered from what he described as anxiety disorder (you know, the thing the “ungodly” struggled with) - and, after talking to me for a few minutes he assured me no one had poisoned me and I was not going to die.  

The panic attack caused me to think something was wrong with me spiritually (I mean, why else would I have had one.)  So, I began to read the Bible and pray more—and even tried listening to more “Christian music” than secular…

…however, over the next few months I could literally feel a darkness descending upon me and before I knew it I was in a full out battle with depression.  

When I say depression - I don’t mean, “The drive through line at Chic-fil-A is too long and I hate to wait” type of thing.  (I will conceded what some people call depression is nothing more than them not being pleased with circumstances in the moment.)  I’m talking about, “I hate living like this—and if this is how life is going to be I literally want to die…maybe I’ll just…”  

Yep, it was that bad!!  

And, after walking through one of the darkest seasons of my entire life - I gained a whole new perspective on mental health issues, one that is not as popular with some in the Christian community (especially those who say things like, “Don’t speak that over your life…” - the fact I was freaking molested when I was five, which began a traumatic sequence of events that led to my eventual battle with depression is not something I “spoke over myself” - it freaking happened.)  

Sure, I believe in the power of speaking positive things; however, if someone were to get shot - we would not say, “don’t speak that bullet wound over your life, just trust in Jesus to heal you!”  (Ok, some might…)  

We would do whatever it took to get them to the ER so they could get the treatment they desperately need.  

Anxiety, depression and general feelings of feeling overwhelmed are on the increase - and instead of making people feel guilty about it I think the church has an opportunity to step into it—and actually make a difference…

…the problem is, I feel like church leaders (myself included) are not equipped to handle many of these situations, and instead of admitting it try to cover deep emotional and spiritual issues in people with a Scripture passage and a prayer.  

Going back to the bullet wound - if you put a band aid on the bullet wound—but put a Bible verse on the band-aid, the person is STILL going to bleed to death!  It may look good for a moment or two…but it’s not the long term solution the world so desperately needs.  

“All people need is Jesus,” some say!  And, while I agree - I also strong believe that Jesus becomes real to people in many different ways - one of those ways being science.  

I mean, if all truth is God’s truth - and something is a scientific fact (not a theory) then it has to be categorized as common grace - God’s truth reveled to us all.  
And - the research on the brain, trauma and mental health over the past decade has been phenomenal - and for the church to ignore this is, at best - spiritual apathy and…at worse, spiritual abuse.  

So - how in the world does a person deal with mental illness?  

• Pray?  Yep!  
• Read the Bible?  Absolutely!  
• Listen to worship music?  100%

However, a person should also be willing to seek the help of a well qualified counselor who knows how to deal with issues of trauma and anxiety!  And - here’s the kicker—doesn’t matter if they are Christian or not!

I know that is pure blasphemy to some (don’t worry - won’t be the first time I’ve been accused of it) - however, I can only rest on my personal experience here…and…both of the therapists who helped me the most with my trauma when I was in treatment were not Christians!  There was no  magic verse or four hour prayer times - but rather deep work that was extremely painful emotionally - but set me on a path towards healing unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.  

One more thing before I finish - one of the reasons treatment was so effective for me is—it was a place where I could be 100% honest, with no judgment or shaming.  One of the biggest reasons many churches do not see emotionally sick people become well is because if the person were to confess the things they’ve done—or what’s been done to them—they would be kicked out, looked down upon and labeled as unspiritual.  

It takes an environment where a person can be fully known and fully loved for a person top truly experience healing - not a place where people feel like they can’t be real.  
If that’s how we are supposed to approach God—then that is the way we should be able to approach the church.  

If you wrestle with mental health issues and have been cast aside by the church - I apologize.  I can promise you that, in most cases, it’s because we (the church) did not understand.  

It’s my hope and prayer that as time progresses - so will the church in our understanding of this issue, and rather than seeing science as an enemy, see it as an ally and partner with it (rather than protesting it) so we can truly see people live in freedom.   
 

(And How Answering This Question Can Significantly Impact Giving In Your Church)  

Football season is FINALLY here!  

I'm a huge football fan and this is pretty much the only time of year I watch a lot of television.  

Every year certain teams are expected to excel, to outperform other teams because they signed a bunch of all stars in the off season...

...and every year many of those same teams significantly underperform, often times not even making it to the playoffs.  

All the while the teams that take their time, develop players and build systems seem to experience significantly more success.  

And when a team gets a reputation of not just building a great team - but building great people - the recruiting then takes care of itself.  

What does this have to do with the church or giving?  (Glad you asked!)  

When I planted my first church I thought God's plan to increase our offerings was in recruiting the "all star" giver, you know, the guy with a lot of money who could scribble a check if the church had a need.  

(BTW - "that guy" never showed up!)  

However, over time I realized a couple of problems with this approach...

#1 - My job was not to get money out of people - but rather help them take their next steps in their walk with Jesus.  

#2 - People who give a lot of money also want a lot of control - and if you are going to lead with vision...the vision can't be for sale.  

So - how do we build a team of givers (who are doing so because they are growing in their walk with Jesus - and not because we guilted them into it?)  

Simple - when it comes to giving - we ask them to start somewhere.  

I used to believe in asking for people for the tithe right off the top - 10%, no exceptions.  

Let me be very clear - I still believe in the tithe; however, if someone is brand new to your church, maybe even brand new to faith - asking them for 10% of their income (especially when most of them are cash strapped) will usually drive them away rather than drawing them in.  

However, asking them to start somewhere - that's something anyone can do.  

What would that look like practically?  

Simple - after a message on giving (or during an offering prep) you might say, "I understand that giving 10% might seem extreme to some in the room.  Heck, it seemed extreme to me at one time.  So, if that's you - I understand.  However, I also want you to learn you can trust Jesus in every area of your life - including your finances.  So - today - start somewhere.  Maybe you can commit to $10 a week, or maybe $20 - doesn't matter, I just want for you to try it and see if it works."  

Issue this challenge for 3-4 weeks in a row...and...understand the  KEY to this approach is follow up!  

Two or three weeks later ask the people in the room how many of them have tried giving - whether it's $10 or $20 - ask them, "Did you miss that money?  Do you feel you've been blessed over the past few weeks?  If so - then what is your next step when it comes to giving, what's the next level for you?  And, if it doesn't work for you - no worries, I am so thankful you gave it a shot."  

I can promise you this will absolutely engage more people when it comes to giving in your church.  You won't see an immediate spike; however, over time if you will commit to the process you will see a significant increase in more and more people trusting Jesus with their finances - and your church being funded so you can accomplish the vision God has placed in your heart.  

How do I know this approach works?  it's the one I am using now - with a digital campus (Second Chance doesn't even meet at a physical location yet!)  If it works online I know it will work at a live location.  

Give it a shot - and let us know how it goes.  

PS - I have an entire video based curriculum on how to build a generous culture in your church.  The normal price is $149 - but if you put in this code at checkout - Giving 09 - it will save you $50!!!  AND...if you get one person in your church to start giving in your church because of what you learn in these videos (and you will) the $99 investment pays for itself.  
 

To say I am slightly excited about all that Jesus is doing at Second Chance would be a HUGE understatement.

And...I know many of you are excited as well because of the emails, letters and positive comments on social media. However, I know there are several common questions that are being asked - and so I wanted to take a quick minute to answer the seven most common questions we receive.

#1 - Where Is Second Chance Church Located?

Second Chance Church is located in Anderson, right off of Clemson Boulevard, behind the Verizon store - in the shopping center in front of Lowes and Target. The literal address is: 140 Commons Parkway Anderson SC, 29621

#2 - When Will The Church Be Open (Physical Location)?

As of right now, it looks like sometime in late October or early November. It all depends on the 250k fund as we are trying to make this first move with no debt. So far we've received over $100,000 - and if we continue to be generous in our giving we should be able to pay for all that we need once we actually occupy the building. (Chairs, nursery equipment, children's toys, sound system...)

#3 - What Types Of Ministries Will The Church Have?

Since we are a true church plant, we have to begin small and work towards where we want to be. That being said - the main ministry we will focus on for the foreseeable future is actually having a church service on Sundays. We will have children's ministry (birth through 5th grade) each Sunday as well. As for now - that's it. Yes, we want to one day do small groups and student ministry - however, at this time we are choosing to focus on what we believe we can do well and give it all we've got.

#4 - Where Will Future Campuses Be Located?

Great question - the short answer is, I don't know! One of the things I am deeply hoping people realize is we are a true church plant, not a campus launch. We started Second Chance with nothing, and have had to build little by little to get where we are today. At the last church I served, it took eight years to launch a second campus, and the possibility it could take that long exists at Second Chance as well. We do desire to reach as many people as possible - but we also want to do it in God's ways and in God's time.

#5 - How Can I Volunteer?

Great question - we are in the process of setting up meetings with people who are interested in serving.  You can start by clicking here and filling out an interest form so that we can get you plugged in.

#6 - How Can I Give?

You can give online here or mail a check to: Second Chance Church 210 South Main Street Anderson, SC 29624

#7 - Will You Continue To Stream Your Services Online Once You Have A Physical Location?

Absolutely - I love the fact that online streaming literally allows us to take the gospel to the world. In fact, not only will we continue to stream online--but believe the quality of the service will continue to improve as well. Thank you so much for the way you have supported Second Chance through your prayers and your giving - we believe we are on the brink of an incredible breakthrough...and that Jesus is going to use our church to restore hope and bring healing to so many who thought all was lost.

The best really is yet to come!

Pastor P 

Two thoughts immediately popped into my mind:  

#1 - How beautiful!  

#2 - How dangerous!  

Is it really possible to show another person the parts of you that you do not love - and them not walk away?  

Because, I am discovering more and more often - people do not actually love you, they love their perceived image of you, or their self projected future version of you—and when either of those are disrupted by the reality of who you are—they walk away.  

There are very few people with whom you can be fully known and fully loved - which is why I think so many people hold back, because they know if they don’t love the real version of themselves…there’s no way someone else will.  

When we feel like we have to hide who we are…

…or we feel like we have to be someone other than who we really are just to gain acceptance, that isn’t love - it’s a performance…

…and all performances, no matter how great they are, come to an end.  

Successful relationships (of any kind) are built on transparency, forgiveness and empathy.  If just one of the three are missing there will be problems…

…however…

…when all three are present success is inevitable because love is unconditional.   
 

Being a great leader doesn’t mean we do not have struggles—it means we understand what they are and actively work to overcome them.  

Struggle #1 - Confidence

My struggle with confidence as a leader began in the 7th grade when I ran for class president.  All five candidates had to make a speech and afterwards the votes were tallied.  

The teacher called me forward so I could see the number of people who voted for me—and I never will forget looking down and seeing the number “1” written on the paper (which was super demoralizing because it meant I was the ONLY person who voted for me.)  

That was the day I began battling the “you don’t have what it takes” voice inside my head…

…and I’ve fought that voice every single day of my leadership life.  

I wish I could say there is a magic bullet that somehow supernaturally fuels our confidence levels to heights unlike we’ve ever experienced; unfortunately, that simply isn’t the case.  

So, how do I lead when I wrestle with confidence.  

I go back to my calling.  

At the end of the day, for some strange reason - I know God called me to lead.  Till this day I have no idea why He did, or what He saw in me - but for some strange reason He called me.  

And while I can easily quit a job - it’s impossible to quit a calling.  

Needless to say…my confidence has taken quite an @$$ whooping the past two years.  I am in a place in life I never thought I would be - and I’ve NEVER doubted myself more than I have in this season…

…however, the Lord has been relentless in reminding me of His calling on my life.  And, slowly but surely my confidence is increasing.  

When I find myself lacking confidence - I fall back on my calling - which enables me to step into what God has called me to.  

Struggle #2 - Comparison

I’ve always struggled with the fact so many people are so much better than me…

I’ll never be able to preach and then transition into a song like Steve Furtick.  

I’ll never be able to communicate and articulate like Andy Stanley.  

I’ll never be able drop leadership wisdom like Brian Houston.  

There are so many people who do so many things so much better than me…

…and if I focus on their gifts (instead of the ones God gave me) I will always feel like I am not good enough.  

The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:4, "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else."

Struggle #3 - Completion

I have always done a pretty good job at STARTING a project - but I often suck at SUSTAINING what I started.  

Why?  

I have leadership A-D-D!  (Most leaders do!)  

We walk into a room, announce a bold new vision and get the people around the table to come up with a plan in regards to how to execute what needs to take place.  
For far too long - in my mind, once this took place the project was over and I could then move on to thinking about the next bold leadership initiative I was going to challenge my team with.  

I remember once a team member asking me, “Hey Perry, for the past three weeks you’ve shared three different projects you want for us to be focused on.  Since we have limited time and resources—tell us which ones are the most important so we can all get on the same page - and please give us time to get the work done before we try something else.”  

It was one of the most sobering moments I’ve ever had as a leader—because I realized my job wasn’t to just START a project, but to SUSTAIN the encouragement, assistance and momentum of all that were involved until the project was complete.  

I wish I could say I have dominated these challenges - but all to often they sneak back into my life and leadership.  

However, as I am able to recognize them and then make changes - it definitely sharpens me as a leader and allows me to be more effective long term.   
 

Glancing at the menu board as the person taking my order asked me what I wanted, I saw a cup of cold brew coffee prominantly displayed.  

“I would like a venti cold brew please, no cream or sugar,” I said.  

“I’m sorry sir - we are out of cold brew,” was the reply, “can I get you something else?”  

Obviously disappointed, I actually did order something and then pulled around to the drive window to pay.  

“I’m sorry you didn’t get what you wanted daddy,” my daughter said to me.  

“It’s ok sweetheart,” I said, “they actually don’t have cold brew coffee here around 90% of the time.”  (Not an overstatement - the location where I was hardly EVER has it.)  

“If they don’t have cold brew coffee—then why do they advertise it so much,” she asked.  

I honestly didn’t have an answer - it was a great question, why would a company continually go out of it’s way to advertise a product (cold brew coffee) they actually did not have.  

However, it didn’t cause me to question the leadership it Starbucks - but rather caused me to think about the church…

…because…

…the church often advertises “grace,” but when grace is needed it seems to seldom be available.  

Yes, the church believes in the grace of God…for people who dress the right way, have G-rated weekends and always have a smile on their face.  

However…

• When a person is battling with depression
• When a person has an addiction
• When a marriage is falling apart
• When a girl becomes pregnant and isn’t married

…just like Starbucks and cold brew—the church is all to often out of grace.  

The reason most people in the South don’t go to church isn’t because they can’t find one—it’s because they’ve been to one.  

AND - when they were at their lowest, weakest and most vulnerable place in life—knowing bad decisions had been made and desperately wanting to make things right—they often received condemnation rather that experiencing the love of someone who cared enough to have a conversation and find out the “why” behind what was going on in their lives.  

I heard someone say recently said, “When the woman caught in adultery was brought in front of Jesus He said, ‘Then neither do I condemn you - go and sin no more,’ and yet today’s version of Christianity seems to say, “Go and sin no more—and then I will not condemn you.” 

And - in many cases people choose to win the argument over preserving the relationship - and in so doing drive people away, justifying it in many cases as church discipline.  

Don’t get me wrong - there are definitely times when lines have been crossed and correction is needed; however, when correction is rooted in a desire to be right rather than a genuine love for the person being corrected - then correction always turns into condemnation.  

How do I know so much about this?  

Simple - I used to be one of the guys who believed in grace - until someone actually needed it.  

Pride was the pedestal I propped myself up on, knowing the words to “Amazing Grace,” but believing I was such a good person that God somehow wanted me to be the one who chose who was and was not worthy of HIs grace.  In other words - I was advertising cold brew, but all I had was hot coffee.  

Then I hit a wall - hard, and realized that grace isn’t for “those people” - but also for the guy I see every morning in the mirror.  

And the people who made a difference in my life during this time were the ones who chose to show love instead of deliver lectures, to walk with instead of stand against - and the only reason I was able to make it through the most difficult season of my life was because of the people who believed in grace for me…even when I didn’t believe in it for myself.  

If you’ve been wounded by the church I want to say I am sorry.  In my quest for holiness and piety I steamrolled my fair share of people who needed mercy instead of me tearing them down.  

My hope and prayed is you will know that, even if the church showed you zero grace—Jesus still does.  

Jesus knew every sinful, self-centered decision we were ever going to make, and yet chose to create us anyway and arrange for our sin to be paid for.  

His love is unconditional.  

His patience is unbelievable.  

And His kindness is always available as a means to draw us to Him (Romans 2:4.)

I’m not sure if Starbucks will ever get their Cold Brew situation dealt with; however, I really do pray that as the church we will begin to see people as Jesus sees people, feel for people as Jesus feels for people - and draw them in rather than push them away with the understanding everyone deserves a second chance (and a third, fourth, fifth…)   
 

This isn’t just something I THINK is true - I’ve had the privilege of traveling all over the world and meeting church leaders from nearly every theological and philosophical ideaology - and that whole “Great Commission” idea Jesus came up with seems to still be resounding in the hearts of leaders whose hearts are connected to His.  

So, if this is what so many church leaders want - why isn’t it happening.  

Why are the overwhelming majority of churches in America (somewhere between 80-90%) either plateaued or declining?  

There are various reasons - but I want to focus on three...

#1 - Church Growth Shaming

In the 1990’s (when I was just stepping into church world) and in the early 2000’s there was actually a popular profession in church world called, “Church Growth Consultant.”  These were men or women churches would hire to come in and bring a fresh, outside perspective on the church and help them to put a strategic plan in place in order to reach more people. 

However, at some point in mid 2000’s the “missional movement” took over.  (“Missional meant, “Our church isn’t actually reaching anyone, but we need a cool name to call ourselves so we don’t feel bad about not making Jesus’ last command our first priority!”)  

(OK - I might have made that definition up!)  

Because of this movement (as well as a few other factors), pastors of churches that wanted to grow were nearly shamed into silence.  They were called “selfish,” or even accused of being “in it for the money.”  

And, rather than take merciless beatings from random strangers on the new phenomenon called social media that was emerging at the time - so many pastors simply chose to keep their desire to reach more people to themselves so that “bibleboy182” with 42 followers on Twitter would not say mean things about them.  

Let me be very clear to pastors and church leaders - it’s NOT evil or sinful for you to want to see more people have a life changing encounter with Jesus and then walk with Him for the rest of their lives.  (In fact, I would argue it’s a bit twisted to be a leader in a world changing organization, the church, and not want to participate in that change as well.)  

If you are a church leader and want your church to grow - OWN IT!  It starts with YOU!  (And…if you can’t own it—then “shut it” when it comes to leaders who actually DO want to grow their church—don’t project your insecurity (and disobedience) onto them!  

#2 - Imitation 

I am a BIG believer in learning as much as possible from as many people as possible.  

However, while I experience motivation because of what others are doing - I do my best to not slip into “imitation mode” (this is where I believe if I do exactly what another church did - I will get the exact same results they got as well.)  

If you are a church leader - then God called YOU to lead.  

You’ve got what it takes to lead!  

And - I would be willing to bet my last Bible you have an idea or two that you’ve never articulated (because it’s a bit scary) - but if you did, the people you lead would follow—and your church would see incredible results.  

I learned a long time ago the Lord didn’t call me to do it exactly like someone else was doing it.  He has wired us all with unique gifting and callings - and the more we lean into REVELATION instead of imitation, the greater the results will be in our churches.  

#3 - Don’t Know How

I recently purchased some video editing software - it’s supposed to be one of the top programs on the market.  

Here’s the problem - I don’t know how to use it!  

I’ve watched YouTube tutorial videos - and they made me feel like such an idiot (lots of language I didn’t understand.)  

I downloaded the PDF and…DEAR GOD…over 150 pages, and most of it completely foreign to me.  

So - I know a guy who is quite prolific in using this program, called him and arranged for me to spend two days with him for him to show me, step by step, how to get this done.  

It’s quite simple - I want to learn something, I don’t know how - so I arranged (and will pay) for someone to show me.  

If you don’t know how to grow your church - IT DOES NOT mean you are stupid…or even unable.  It most likely means you are so busy working in the church you hardly have any time to work on it.  

However, I can assure you that taking the time for you and your team to put a plan into place to grow and then having your team execute the plan they actually had input into will absolutely reignite fire and passion inside you, your team and your church unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.  

Which brings me to a couple of options…

#1 - You and your staff should attend our upcoming online church growth conference.  

Here’s the deal - I know how INCREDIBLE it is as a leader to go to a conference/event - get your tank completely filled and then come back and try to fire up your team—only to have your newfound passion seemingly hit a wall.  Because they did not experience what you experienced - they can’t feel what you felt.

However, to take numerous staff and volunteers to an event takes a lot of time and money.  There are hotels, meals, airplane tickets - it literally can become a big ticket financial item before you know it.  

Which is why this online event is $49 per church—period.  Doesn’t matter if you have 5 or 50 people in the room,, the cost is $49 (until this coming Wednesday night, August 8 - where, at midnight, the price increases to $79.) 

I will be covering three sessions in the conference…

• Session #1 - Why You Should Not Feel Bad About Wanting Your Church To Grow (Pastors, trust me - this session is worth the price of the event itself, especially if you can get your staff and key volunteers bought into this idea.)  
• Session #2 - What’s The Reason Many Churches Have Stopped Growing (and why are millennials dropping out of church in record numbers?)  
• Session #3 - The Three Foundation Issues Your Church Must Address If You Want Your Church To See Long Term, Exponential Growth. 

The times and dates for this event are all at www.onlinechurchgrowthconference.com - and, like I said, it’s $49 until Wednesday.  

(BTW - if you want to attend the event live there is very limited seating available.  We will only have a live audience on Wednesday, August 15 at 9:30am - and after the sessions we will treat you to an incredible lunch with a Q & A session - these seats are selling rather quickly, so if you want one you’d better grab it!)  

#2 - You and your staff should schedule a private workshop ASAP.  

One of the things I love to do as a leader is really take a deep dive into a church, listen to the heart of the leader and his/her team and then come along side and help develop 6-12 month strategic plan that really will result in healthy, sustainable growth.  

Usually a pastor will come in and bring anywhere between 3-5 team members - and by the end of the day the energy and excitement in the room is off the charts because we’ve been able to take what was in the hearts of the leaders and literally put on paper a way to make vision become reality.  

If you are interested in this (we have limited spots this fall) - then you can go to www.iwantmychurchtogrow.com and then hit the “schedule a call” button in the upper right hand corner - fill out the information and then Logan will get in touch with you ASAP (if she’s not been abducted by aliens.)  

At the end of the day - I REALLY want to see your church reach more people - and if there is any way at all I can be a part of that process, I would be honored to be involved.  These are the two primary things I will be focusing on for the next month or two in order to be able to pour into as many church leaders as possible - so, if one (or both) of them are something you are interested in - then let’s make something happen!  

Your church can grow - your church should grow - and we would love to help.  

...loneliness.

Its tough because, as you spend time with her (loneliness) she literally sabotages your mind and takes your thoughts down a path dominated by darkness.  

• "You did this to yourself!"  
• "You never had real friends!"  
• "No one actually wants to be around you!"  
• "You can never trust anyone again."  

If you've been here you know what's next...

You run through all of the situations that led to where you are...

• ...you blame others...
• ...you blame yourself...
• ...you ask questions...
• ...and sometimes you cry! 

You can find temporary relief from the loneliness with television or social media - but - it just does not fill the void we have for interaction with other human beings.   

One of the things I've always believed is Jesus never wastes our pain, and my season of struggling with this is teaching me so much...things such as...

1 - "All We Need Is Jesus" is a lie!  

I know it sounds really awesome, get's a few "amen's" and looks incredible on a coffee mug--but it's not true.  

The best evidence of this is, well, JESUS!  

If all we needed was Jesus - then Jesus would have isolated Himself from people during His earthly ministry...

...however, when we read the Gospels we always see the opposite.  

• He's always asking people to follow Him.  
• He's always hanging out with people who were nothing like Him.  
• He's building an inner circle of close friends (Peter, James and John!)  

If Jesus needed more than Jesus when He came to earth--then we do as well.  

2 - Work Through The Hurt

One of the things I've learned in life is Jesus never wastes pain...

...He didn't in His own life as the pain of betrayal, abandonment and ultimately death led to THE foundational element of Christianity (the resurrection.)  

Often times the temptation in isolation is to dive into self destructive behaviors; however, the temporary relief that doing so provides isn't worth the added weigh a person feels the next day.  

Instead of avoiding the pain - hit it head on - and ask the Lord for wisdom NOW so the same mistakes will not be repeated later.  

3 - Fight To Trust Again

Recently I was invited by a group of people to have lunch in downtown Greenville...

...everything in me screamed "NO"...

• "They will hurt you!"  
• "They don't care about you!"  
• "You can't trust people!"  

However, instead of listening to the voice of loneliness, I fought hard to say "yes"...

...and it was one of the greatest days I've had in a long time.  

I sat at a table with a great group of guys and gals - and we ate some great food, shared a tad of our stories and laughed (a lot!)  

Everyone at the table had been wounded by something or someone in the past - but they also understood that wounds do not make us worthless - in many cases, after a time of healing...they make us stronger.  
___________
When people ask me, "How are you doing," my answer 99% of the time is, "Better Than I Deserve!"  

It's true!  

I'm not at the place in life I dreamed I would be one day; however, things really could have been a lot worse.  

I'm not entirely sure what the future holds for me, but I know I can't do life alone - and I'm super excited about the friendships that are beginning to develop in my life.  

I can't do a thing about what has happened - and I cannot allow bitterness and anger to dominate my thinking in regards to who walked away...

...but I can choose to love...

...I can choose to trust...

...and I can choose to BE the best friend a person could have, knowing at the end of the day Jesus really does have the entire world in His hands--and He really is working out all things for the good.  
 

I hated that car!  And – because of my pure disdain for it I hardly ever washed it, much less cleaned out the inside. 

However, an occurrence was taking place in my life on one particular evening that was about as rare as a complete solar eclipse…

…I had a date! 

So, because of this I thought I had better clean out my car so the young lady I was going out with would not get lost in the pile of trash that had accumulated in my passenger’s seat—thrash that myself and others had left there for what seemed like decades. 

It took a while for me to get all of the trash out – and when I did my arms were literally filled with the garbage I had collected. 

I walked into my office and, as soon as I did, the phone began ringing (if you can imagine—these were the days when there were no cell phones!) 

I promise what happened next is not made up…

…I panicked! 

I remembered it was 11:00 and I was expecting a very important phone call, a call that was going to ultimately decide what my next step in life was going to be. 

However, I could not answer the phone because my arms were loaded down with garbage.  

As I stood there for what seemed like hours, looking at the phone helplessly and trying to figure out what in the heck to do a voice in my head told me, “put down the trash.” 

I know it sounds simple – in fact, you were probably thinking that all along.  However, at the time, for whatever reason that thought in particular had never occurred to me. 

I was able to find the trashcan, unload all of my garbage there and then pick up the phone and engage in one of the most important conversations of my life. 

I laugh as I look back on that story because, what seems so simple and obvious now was not clear at all in the moment…

…and that’s the way it is with life as well.

All of us accumulate “garbage” in life, emotional garbage, physical garbage, spiritual garbage (whether it’s ours or someone gave it to us.)

And, far too many of us carry that trash around like I carried it from my Camry that day. 

And when opportunities come our way (like the phone call) we can miss them completely if we choose to remain paralyzed, holding on to the trash, thus not allowing us to take a potential next step. 

So, I want to say here what that voice said to me inside my head so many years ago, “Put down the trash.” 

Or, a better way of saying it would be how Peter said in in I Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

One of the things I am learning is it is never a burden for me to take all of my trash and give it to Jesus. 

He doesn’t roll His eyes. 

He doesn’t put His hands on His hips and shake His head. 

He doesn’t say, “get that garbage out of here!” 

No – He wants it because He know it will crush the life out of us if we try to continually carry it. 

Going back to my car for just a second (I really did hate that car!)  I didn’t just clean it out one time and I was done forever.  Over and over again I had to take the garbage out and throw it away. 

Which is the way it is with the trash from our past and the anxiety from our current situation.  I wish I could say all we have to do it “give it all to Jesus” one time and we are good for life.  However, I find myself in situations over and over again where I am having to continually re-surrender my anxiety to Him…

…because…

…even though I have surrender certain situations to Him before—I find myself taking them back!   

It is so freeing to see this invitation in the Scriptures – to cast ALL of our anxiety on Him, why – because He cares for us! 

He has seen every tear we’ve cried. 

He has been up with us all night when we could not sleep. 

He has held the universe together when we felt like our world was falling apart. 

And when we can’t handle it anymore – He can! 

So, whatever you are carrying around that is weighing you down – take a few minutes and “cast your anxiety on Him” – He can handle it.  

SPACE IS LIMITED, SO SIGN UP TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT for the Coaching Network by emailing Logan - logan@perrynoble.com

P.S. Below are all of the dates and details…

June 13th-14th (Anderson, SC)

The Circles of Success: Covering the Why, What, Who, and Hows of growing ministries.
Planning Big Days: Everything covering planning, promotion, and execution.

August 1st-2nd (Anderson, SC)

Volunteers & Small Groups: Developing a strategy that serves people and works for the church.
Financial Strategy: Building a strategy that funds your vision through the Fall.

July 11th & August 8th (1-Hour Online Webinars)

These webinars will be available for you and as many staff and volunteers as you’d like.

• “The Ring”
• “The Exorcist”
• “The Witch”

For me it was…The Jungle Book

I know, I know, it was a Disney cartoon with a cute boy named Mowgii, a comical bear named Baloo and a protective panther named Bagheera…

…however it was the snake, Kaa, that absolutely freaked me out, so much so I can clearly remember leaping out of my seat into my dad’s lap, screaming like a banshee and asking him to take me home. 

It was the scene when Kaa was singing to Mowgii, “Trust In Me.”  (If you haven’t seen the movie – it’s terrifying!)

As Kaa was singing the song he was hypnotizing Mowgii with the intention of crushing and then eating him. 

I finally found the courage to look back at the movie screen and Kaa was just about to go in for the kill – and I screamed, “Don’t listen Mowgii, don’t listen – he’s going to eat you” (I think I might have embarrassed my mom and dad just a tad!) 

Nearly 40 years later I still remember that scene so clearly.  (And – when I showed that movie to my daughter Charisse I literally left the room when that scene came on as it still freaks me out.) 

However, as I sit here and reflect on that scene in particular – it is a pretty sobering reminder that if we listen to the wrong voices in our lives it can leave us paralyzed, perplexed and eventually lead to life being completely crushed out of us. 

Unfortunately – all of us have listened to the wrong voices at times; however, as we learn to silence the skepticism of negativity that barrages our minds and focus on the WORD that brings life, we really can accomplish “the impossible!” 

Take one of the most familiar stories in the Bible – David and Goliath. 

David had been anointed king by Samuel in I Samuel 16.  He knew God had called and chosen him for greater things that he was currently experiencing. 

And yet I believe his biggest battle was not with the giant – but with the voices that came against him. 

The first voice he had to overcome was the voice of accusation. 

He went to the battle line, heard Goliath mock God and the army of Israel and saw the Israelite soldiers run in fear. 

While some people were freaking out – David was finding out that the king would reward the man who killed Goliath.  When he began to ask about this his oldest brother said in I Samuel 17:28

When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

No doubt Eliab was angry he had not been anointed king (after all, he was the oldest).  And so we see him accusing David of being conceited, wicked and opportunistic.  (Something that was way more likely true of him than it was of David.) 

Had David given in to the voice of accusation, he would have never stepped into his calling. 

If we are not careful we can allow the voice of accusation to rob us of our potential, the voices telling us what we did is who we are, the voices that tell us lies about ourselves—lies we hear so often we actually begin to believe. 

However, David did not allow the voice of accusation to rob him of stepping towards the destination God had for him. 

Which leads to the second voice – the voice of discouragement. 

When Saul, the king of Israel at the time, heard David was asking questions he sent for him.  When he saw David and realized he was just a teenage boy he said in I Samuel 17:33

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

David had a vision of doing the “impossible,” killing the giant and setting Israel free from the enemy.  And yet when he gets in front of the king he is told, “you can’t do it!” 

When you have a vision to accomplish something significant you will always encounter people who tell you why “it” can’t be done—and even more specifically, why you can’t do “it!” 

However, notice that the person telling David he could not do something great was actually living in fear, paralyzed and unwilling to do what needed to be done.  (After all, he was the king, if anyone should have been willing to fight Goliath it should have been him!) 

Never allow anyone who has never accomplished anything significant to talk you out of what you know God has spoken into you. 

Often times they will disguise their disbelief in you out of “concern,” when it actuality it is most often their personal insecurity. 

The last voice David had to overcome in his epic encounter was the voice of fear.  As he was walking towards Goliath to face him the giant said…

I Samuel 17:43-44

43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

The enemy always speaks in worse case scenarios.

Pause for just a second – what Goliath said he was going to do to David was absolutely terrifying.  No one on the planet wants to be killed and then fed to animals.  What a horrible way to die. 

And if David had given in to the voice of the enemy he would have either retreated back to a life that was safe and predictable – or even worse, let his guard down and been killed. 

Yet not even the giant who was spewing out venomous verbal assaults could stop David, because the calling in his heart was greater than the giant in front of him. 

Pause – God has a calling on our lives, a plan for us to have an amazing future (see Jeremiah 29:11) – however, if we listen to the voice of the enemy we will never step into our destiny. 

David chose, in spite of all of the voices coming at him throughout this story, to choose to believe the calling God had placed on his life, which allowed him to overcome the voices of accusation, discouragement and fear. 

And because of this—he went on to accomplish far greater things that he could have ever imagined. 

And if David can do it – we can too!  The calling on our lives is just as real and just as significant as the calling on David’s – may we step forward in confidence, knowing that the “impossible” is all in a day’s work for the Lord. 

In that moment I felt like every cell in my body was about to explode at the speed of light.  I started sweating, my legs became weak and I literally had to fight back tears. 

“Are you serious,” I asked. 

“Yes,” she said—and then just walked away. 

]I could not believe what had just happened. 

We had planned this for months! 

I had my tux picked out (and had put down a deposit on it!) 

She was one of the hottest girls I had ever seen in my life – and the day she said she would go to the prom with me was one of the greatest days of my life…

…and then THIS day happened, which left me feeling as if I had been hit in the face with a bag of bricks. 

We’ve all had days like this – days when all hell breaks loose – days when we simply did not see it coming and, as a result, we are left confused and without hope. 

There is a guy in the Bible named Daniel – and his circumstances were a bit more extreme than my prom dating shattering my heart. 

Daniel was in the upper echelon of society, a leader who was brilliant and had a promising future when it came to the political landscape in Israel.  Everything was going his way…until THIS happened in Daniel 1:1-7

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.  5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

Daniel went from significance to slavery, from potential to pain – the world he had hoped for came crashing down around him – and he was immersed in circumstances that none of us would want for ourselves. 

When things like this happen it is so easy to become bitter, lose hope and want to give up. 

However, Daniel’s story didn’t end up that way. 

We know this because the Scripture we just read is in the book of…Daniel! 

God was with Him—even though his world had fallen apart. 

And all through the book we see God do the “impossible” over and over again.  (He sets Daniel and his friends up to thrive in Babylon in chapter one, works through Daniel to do something pretty remarkable in chapter two, delivers Daniel’s friends from the fire in chapter three and delivers Daniel from the lion’s den in chapter six.

I can specifically remember reading through the book of Daniel and writing down a phrase that has stuck with me through the years…

“My circumstances do not alter God’s character.” 

At times when our world comes crashing down (whether it’s a canceled prom date, or losing a job, or getting a divorce or losing someone close to you) it is so easy to question the goodness of God. 

However, the book of Daniel serves as a reminder that—when things are out of control, God is still in control—and He really does reign over every circumstance and situation.  

What happens when your world comes crashing down?  (time I thought I had a prom date and two weeks before she said no!)  Daniel’s world came crashing down.  Everything he had hoped for was gone…but name of book is Daniel—reminder God will bring us through. 

So, maybe you are reading this at a time when your world has absolutely crumbled and you have simply lost hope. 

Don’t feel bad – it happens to everyone (whether we want to admit it or not.) 

I cannot make you a promise that if you pray a prayer and say a Bible verse that you will be propelled out of your situation like a rocket…

…however, I can make you a promise that though God may not change our circumstances immediately – He will work out all things in ways we could never even imagine eventually. 

At the time the canceled prom date was one of the most devastating things that had ever taken place in my life – today I can’t even remember the girls last name! 

So…hold on…don’t give up – because in His time God can take your mess and turn it into a miracle. 

7 content-packed teaching videos from Perry Noble with titles like...

• Five Preaching Mistakes Pastors Make--And How To Avoid Them
• Six Concepts For Successful Sermon Preparation
• Four Principles For Preaching And Public Speaking
• AND...How To Plan A One Year Sermon Calendar (this will save you from going insane, I promise!)  

Expanded Getting Better at Preaching 50-page ebook

Getting Better at Preaching audiobook narrated by Perry Noble

Plus, the entire hour-long video interview on preaching with Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church

All of this is available today for only $149! So click here to buy now.

P.S. Don’t wait too long as the early bird price goes up to $199 on April 20th!

The more clear and specific the vision is, the more people can rally behind it.  

#2 - Unify Your Team 

When staff and key volunteers work with each other (instead of competing with each other) - unbelievable progress can be made.  

#3 - Execute Your Plan

Often times it isn't a lack of incredible ideas that hold churches back--but rather our unwillingness to execute what we know God has clearly told us to do.  

The good news is...ANY church on the planet is capable of doing this!  

One of the things we love doing at The Growth Company is helping churches figure out (specifically) what this looks like for them.  

Our Private Workshops that we have in Anderson, SC is THE BEST place to make this happen.  (For a pastor and up to five people from your team!)  

We only have two dates left in April - and the available dates for May are starting to fill up as well.  

If you want to SHATTER through your next growth barrier then go here - click the "schedule a call" button in the upper right hand corner and let's get a conversation started

These are three of the headlines I've seen just over the past couple of weeks...

...and if we listen to the noise we will be crippled by doubt, uncertainty and fear.

HOWEVER...

What seems to be true of many churches isn't true for all churches!  

Some churches ARE experiencing growth, seeing lives changed and impacting their communities in ways people could have never imagined.  

And your church can/should be one of those churches.  

However, I've discovered that growth doesn't happen by accident - there has to be a PLAN if we are going to see PROGRESS...

...which is why we do our one (or two) day private workshops at the Growth Company! 

I would love for you to come to Anderson (and bring up to five members of your team with you) and let's get in room, evaluate where you are and then put together a plan for your church to grow.  

Go here, click to schedule a call button and let's get started - your church CAN grow--and we would LOVE to help!  

Often times it's can fit into one of three reasons...

1 - No Plan

Several years ago I had a mentor tell me, "Fail to plan, plan to fail."  

Very few things in life ever experience a significant level of success without proper planning and execution.  

And far too often churches do not grow simply because there is no plan in place to facilitate growth.  

2 - Wrong People 

Having the wrong people in the wrong place, no matter how good the plan is, can lead to disastrous results.  

Let's say that the New England Patriots decided that for the upcoming season Tom Brady needs to play offensive line.  

Brady is an incredible athlete and, no doubt know how the role of an offensive lineman should be played.  Reality is...he just is not equipped to play that role, and placing him there would not be advantageous for him OR the team!

The same is true in our churches.  

It is ESSENTIAL to have the right people in the right places - especially when it comes to staff and key volunteers...

...because...those who do not have a growth mindset will do way more harm than good.  

3 - The "X" Factor

What is The "X" factor?  

Simple answer is - I don't know.  

There are so many reasons hit a wall when it comes to growth - and most of the time those reasons simply cannot be identified by a formula or a list...

...they must be discovered by taking a deep dive into the churches structure, plan and DNA in order to discover where the wall actually is.

For example, the issue one church I worked with recently was space.  They had stopped growing and could not seem to get past a certain barrier...and it wasn't the people or the plan (he had amazing people and a solid plan) - they just had grown so much they had no more room and needed to find another place to meet.  

With another church I had the privilege of working with the pastor had an enormous vision to reach 10,000, but had not articulated that vision for years because he knew doing so could result in a great deal of personal insecurity for him.  However, the more we talked about this the more he realized this was something he needed to do, and he told his staff the next day, the church the following Sunday - and they've been growing like crazy since then.  

If it's not the plan, or the people that's holding you back--it's most likely The "X" Factor...

...which is why we exist at the Growth Company.  

We really do desire to help your church SHATTER your next growth barrier as we believe Jesus' last command should be our first priority.  

We would love for you to bring your team to Anderson for a day (or two) and let us help you develop a plan that will move the momentum meter forward in your church.  

Go here and click the schedule a call button to get started--and let's get your church moving towards becoming EVERYTHING you believe it could and should be!  

Are you growing increasingly frustrated because you know you should be growing...but can't figure out why you are not?  

Has hitting this ceiling caused you to question your personal leadership ability?  

If the answer to any (or all) of these questions is "yes" - trust me, I completely understand.  

There were several times as a church leader I would stare at a particular growth barrier, scratch my head and even doubt my calling.  
However...

...being in a church leadership position for nearly 30 years has taught me a thing or two...

...and I would to help you and your church SHATTER your growth barrier by spending a day (or two) with you and your team to

1 - Evaluate where your church is!

2 - Identify the obstacles that are currently in your way, and...

3 - Customize a plan that will put your church back on track to reach more and more people.  

Go here, click the schedule a call button and let's get started!  

If Jesus can grow a church that I was a part of, then I am absolutely sure He can grow yours as well.  
 

...the question is...

...is your church ready?  

What is your promotional plan to get as many people as possible to your Easter services?  

And...what is THE most important thing you SHOULD communicate on Easter (besides the Gospel, of course!)  

Join me on The Growth Company's Facebook page this coming Monday (March 5) at 1:30 PM (EST) as I do a Facebook Live leadership event where I will walk you and your team through several practical things your church can do in order to maximize your potential this Easter.  

I believe this CAN be the best Easter your church has ever experienced!  

See you on Monday!  

...not a particular brand of theology...

...not denominational loyalty...

...not the style of their worship service...

The biggest difference in the leaders who are making the biggest difference is their desire to do whatever it takes to grow...

...because growing churches are led by growing leaders.  

So, do whatever it takes to take your leadership to the next level...

...read books, listen to podcasts, attend events and, by all means, never stop learning...

...because when we stop learning we will eventually stop leading!

However, it seems more often than not stress and ministry seem to hold hands quite often...especially in the area of money.   

Which is why, when it comes to raising resources in the church we need more than prayer, we need a plan!  

You can absolutely build a generous culture in your church.  Trust me - I started a church in the year 2000 with no money...and worse than that, no PLAN to raise money--and yet in a little over 16 years we were able to go from a $48,000 budget to a $63 million dollar budget, start over 17 campuses and reach over 50,000 people for Christ...

...and if I can do it, you can too!  

Because of the lessons I learned I've created a video resource for church leaders (in addition to a PDF will all of the video content in it) in regards to creating a generous culture in which you will learn...

Video #1 – Lessons I Learned About Giving – The Hard Way

I really did have some really ridiculous thoughts when it came to raising money in the church when I first started--and after those thoughts came crashing down all around me I had to come up with something else (or either shut the doors of the church--which WOULD have happened had we not changed things up!)  
 
Video #2 – Five Fears Associated With Preaching On Giving – And How To Overcome Them

The main reason I did not want to preach about money was good 'ole fashion fear!  

Let's face it - whenever we preach on money it seems people grow fangs and claws--and the attacks can get vicious.  

There are five main fears when it comes to preaching about giving (all of which consumed me at one time); however, I was able to overcome them in time, and I believe you can as well.  
 
Video #3 – The Gospel and Giving

To me one of the most difficult passages of Scripture to believe is when Moses had to preach his "stop giving" sermon in Exodus.  
This passage had me perplexed for years as I could not see why in the world people were so generous...and when I discovered the principle and implemented it - it really did take generous giving at the church I was leading to the next level. 

Video #4 – A strategy for building a generous culture

For far too long I allowed the "oh crap" strategy to dictate the direction of my ministry.  
You know, you realize something is wrong, say "oh crap" and then whip up a message (usually LOADED with guilt) aimed at "motivating" people to action.  

This is effective...for about two weeks, and things go back to normal (and in some cases, worse!)  

The "oh crap" strategy is not designed to maximize ministry effectiveness.  

Which is why, over time, I developed systems and strategies for nearly every area of ministry, but especially for the area of giving...
...and I sincerely believe the strategy I developed will work in any church of any size.   

You get these videos...PLUS two additional videos...

• One - How To Do An Effective Offering Prep Time In Your Service
• Two - An Actual Offering Prep Video That You Can Use This Sunday.  

All of this for and investment of $99 – which will more than pay for itself the first week you begin to implement this plan.  

Go here, make the purchase, work the plan and experience the difference a generous culture will make  
 

Anyone ever have issues with their cell phone?  

Several months ago I experienced one of the biggest debacles ever with Verizon.

Without going into detail about how bad the screw up was - I was, needless to say, very open to switching to another cell phone provider.  

Enter John Legere and T-Mobile...

Someone mentioned to me I should consider switching to T-Mobile and John Legere (The President) even reached out to me via Twitter and asked for my email address so his office could contact me about the switch.  

His office and I exchanged emails and phone calls for a few weeks and could never connect with one another, and so the potential switch simply did not take place and I stayed with Verizon...

...and recently they (Verizon) really dropped the ball again (their cell service is great, it's just when you need customer service that it gets bad!)  

So, I reached out to T-Mobile (again) to see if we could figure out a solution.  

And, once again, phone and email tag happened, and even though I tried my best to communicate specific windows of time I was available - we were not able to connect.  

Finally, someone from T-Mobile's office emailed me to essentially say, "sorry we could not connect" and that I should just go to a local store and see the deals they offer.  

So I did...

...and basically it's going to cost me $1,000 to switch my account over (I mean, I am angry with Verizon...but I ain't THAT angry!)  

All of this leads to a couple of thoughts....

#1 - Is there actually a cell phone carried out there that cares about the customer anymore?  It seems to me if cell phone carriers spent less on advertising to new customers and more on caring about the customers they currently have, their profit margins could actually increase (because they cared enough to create raving fans!)    

#2 - The appearance of excellent customer service (John Legere's tweets) and actual customer service are two different things.  I don't think it's Mr. Legere's fault at all, no doubt he was sincere when he reached out; however, it doesn't seem there is a sufficient follow through system in place - which (either unfairly or not) reflects poorly on him.  (People don't remember what you say--they remember what you actually do!)  

At the end of the day...I'm pretty much a "free agent" when it comes to cell phone service and providers; however, I think cell phone carriers have gotten so large that the individuals simply do not matter anymore.  

Which is a HUGE lesson when it comes to leadership of any organization.  

I'm not against growth (in fact, I CELEBRATE it at every opportunity); however, growth at the expense of taking advantage of current customers (Verizon) or assuming customers want to pay $1,000 to start doing business with you are simply not the best ways to make a positive impact.  

Whenever possible a leaders responsibility is to make a large organization seem small--and the only way of doing that is through excellent customer service...

...something the cell phone industry is severely lacking these days.  
 

#2 - Knowing THE BEST days to preach on giving (some days ARE better than others, and, by the way, one of the videos is dedicated to this.)  

#3 - Get Oprah and Bill Gates to being tithing to your church (we can always dream, right?) 

#4 - Understanding why people actually are not giving (there's a video in the series I created on this) and then doing something about it.  

#5 - Get your entire congregation to buy lottery tickets - and pray someone gets lucky!   

#6 - Preach messages where you call the people in your church "God robbers" for not giving, and tell them that if they don't give the church MAY have to shut your doors (actually, this one will not work--but you would be shocked at the number of ministry leaders that opt for this approach!)  

#7 - Pray for God to make it rain cash on your church!  (I mean, He CAN do anything, right?)  

#8 - Sit down with your team and watch/implement the lessons taught in www.fiveminutegivingincrease.com (by the way...it's FREE!)  
 

1 - They don't think about it!  

Often times we make the mistake as leaders of thinking everyone thinks about what we think about. 

2 - They do not think they CAN

As many are in debt up to their eyeballs!

3 - They don't know WHY they should give

When there is no vision in association with giving - the hearts of people are simply not moved.  

4 - They don't know how

Hardly anyone has a checkbook or cash anymore – so they must be told HOW to give (which means EASY ONLINE GIVING is essential!)

5 - They don't see a difference being made in their giving.

Which is why a 30 second "thank you" every 2-3 weeks is essential to keep what is happening in front of everyone. 

6 - They do not understand the blessings associated with it

The Bible says too much about blessings associated with giving for us to ignore it! 

7 - Pastors are afraid to talk about it

I get it – was scared out of my mind!!!  Had to overcome several fears in order to begin to preach on giving with confidence.  

I go over each one of these in more detail in a FREE video curriculum I created...as well as...

• The best Sundays in 2018 to preach on giving
• Five things an increase in giving will do for your church
• How to alleviate financial stress as a leader  

All you have to do to get these FREE videos is go to www.fiveminutegivingincrease.com , give us your email address and we will send one a day for four days in a row. 

I promise giving in your church will increase if you will do what I teach through in these videos.  (And--you've got nothing to lose by giving them a shot!)  

So go check them out - OR - stay freaked out financially!  The choice is yours!  

It’s not fun to experience a cash shortfall month after month – and when this happens it causes us to wrestle with whether or not we are a good leader...because we really do believe and feel called to do more. 

I completely understand because I started a church with no money – and, worse than that, no plan to raise money. 

However, over time I discovered several concepts that allowed the church I led to go from a $48,000 a year budget to a $63,000,000 budget – and in that time we started 17 campuses and reached over 50,000 people for Christ. 

Because of what I learned I would love to show you

• Six things an increase in giving will do for your church,
• Tell you seven reasons people don’t give
• Let you know the four THE BEST DAYS to preach on giving for the rest of 2018. 

All you have to do is go to fiveminutegivingincrease.com (number or spell it out) – give us your email address and I will send you four videos (one per day) – and I promise if you just take the information in these videos you will see an increase in giving in your church,
which will increase your confidence as a leader and allow your church to do more ministry. 

OR…you can continue to live in stress, uncertainty and have limited ministry impact. 

Once again - fiveminutegivingincrease.com  – I can promise it will be well worth the time you invest to watch these videos.  

...and here I am almost 20 years later doing it again.  

I learned a lot with my first church plant; however, because I am continually learning there are some things I am learning with this new church plant as well - here are five of them...

#1 - Appearance Matters

I Samuel 16:7 says, "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

I have always looked at this verse and thought about how God knows the heart - but - the concept I was missing was the Lord says people really do look at outward appearances.  

This doesn't mean we always have to purchase the newest, shiniest thing out there. 

Second Chance Church (the church I now pastor) is primarily a digital campus.  We do get a group of about 10-15 people together every single week so I am not preaching the message to an empty room.  

Last week I showed up about an hour early to make sure the temperature was comfortable and set up the chairs.  

However, when I arrived I noticed the floor was dusty.  

Honestly, I don't think anyone would have noticed.  However, I want to set the tone early.  So, I got the broom and mop and busted out my cleaning skills, because, while we don't have graphics and artwork - I want to set the tone early so when we do have those things we will take excellent care of them.  

#2 - Build the core before attracting a crowd.  

When I first started Second Chance Church I had quite a few people suggesting I purchase a large facility, saying if I did the church would fill it up the first Sunday...

...which would be problematic because...

...people would know WHAT we are doing,  but would not know WHY we are doing it (aka. THE VISION!)  

Jesus said in Matthew 7 that the foundation has to be SOLID or the house will fall, which means taking the time to build the core is essential.   

#3 - Listen To Millennials

I think this lesson is important for a couple of reasons:  

First - we spend way too much time making fun of them.  (Sure - the whole participation trophy joke gets a few cheap laughs--until we remember they didn't ask for them - insecure parents insisted on it!)  

And, side note, anyone who feels made fun of will eventually stop coming around.  

SECOND -millennials know how to reach millennials! 

Instead of criticizing them we should engage them.  Seriously - If we are SO CONCERNED about millennials dropping out of church - then instead of talking down to them them we should ask them WHY they are leaving and what would bring them back.  

#4 - The Importance of Online Giving

When I launched my first church in 1999 we didn't even have a website (most churches didn't!)

And to think someone would actually give via the WWW rather can cash or check was simply unimaginable!  

However, today is SO MUCH different (98% of all the giving at Second Chance Church is ONLINE.)

And, if churches want to continually see an upward trend in their giving - then engaging people in regards to online giving ie essential.  

BTW - if you are a church leader and want to see an increase in giving in your church, I have four free videos available at www.fiveminutegivingincrease.com - and I can promise if you will just do the information in the videos, you will see giving go up!)  

#5 - Community is Essential For Transformation!  

"All we need is Jesus" is a lie! 

We need Jesus and one another. 

Jesus didn't say, "will know disciples by the way you love me," but rather by the way you love one another.  

Andy Stanley says that "circles are better than rows," a lesson I didn't really buy into until I spent a month in a treatment center--where I learned that people who surround you with encouragement and support really do make a difference when it comes to making progress in life.    

This weeks edition of the Perry Noble Leadership podcast has all of this (and more) in way more detail - go here to check it out.  
 

At the same time, you're probably scratching your head trying to figure out what you can do to increase giving in your church.

According to some of the most recent statistics from LifeWay Research, only 26% of churches experience a budget surplus.

That means that nearly 3 out of every 4 churches (and church leaders) are struggling to raise the money their ministry needs!

The sad part is, when you look for outside help, either...

• ..it's really, really expensive!
• Or...it doesn't work!!!

That's why I created 5minutegivingincrease.com!

Four 5-minute teaching videos that actually work to help you INCREASE your giving and it's absolutely FREE!

If you head over to 5minutegivingincrease.com, you'll be able to watch my first video, "5 WAYS A GIVING INCREASE HELPS YOUR CHURCH."

Not only do I teach you how a giving increase will help your church, but I'll cover the...

• 7 Reasons people aren't giving to your church.
• The best Sundays to preach on giving.
• 4 Steps to alleviate financial stress in your Church.

Every single video is absolutely FREE and it will help you overcome the financial barriers that are keeping you (and your church) from fulfilling the vision God has given you! 

I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt this resource will help you grow as a leader - and your church grow in generosity.  

However, I can honestly say addicts can only be helped through COMPASSION rather than CONDEMNATION.  

I can make you a promise that an addict does not wake up everyday saying, "How can I destroy my life?  How can I hurt other people?"  

However, it happens...every single day.  

The church's message to addicts for far too long has been, "STOP IT!"  

Question - how's that working out?  

As I read about the life and ministry of Jesus--He didn't kick people out, but rather drew people in.  

The people who were not welcome in the temple (the blind, the lame, the lepers) were always welcomed with Jesus.  

I am NOT saying addicts should be given permission to continue in the way they are living - but - instead of saying, "stop it" it would be way more effective to actually ask "why" this is taking place.  

We will reach way more people with

• COMPASSION rather than CONDEMNATION.  
• Open arms rather than pointing fingers
• Reaching out instead of throwing out.  

Because - only when a person understand WHY they are doing what they are doing can they dig down deep and do the hard work it takes to get better.  

And one more thing...

Healing doesn't always take place in the timetable everyone wants it to take place in - someone who has wrestled with an addiction may stumble their way through getting better for years.  When they fall the thing they need is not to be kicked while they are down - but for someone to extend a hand and help them back up.  

I overmedicated on alcohol for far too long - it blew my life up and the cost, at times, still causes me to break down and weep.  However, because of a few incredible friends who have been willing to walk with me (and not posture themselves above me) I've been able to walk in freedom, healing and am slowly learning to actually forgive myself.  

So - if there is someone in your life who is an addict - my hope and prayer is you will approach them with an open hand rather than a closed fist, and walk with them instead of turning your back ON them - I can promise you relationships with people who really do love you will make a difference!  

I used to hate (I mean REALLY hate) Democrats!  

And...

I voted for Donald Trump.  

Now that I have most likely offended an overwhelming amount of people - let's move forward with the article.  

Like many Republicans, I used to binge on talk radio, allowing Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh to fill my head with hatred towards anyone who did not fall in line with a Republican agenda.  

Because of their influence I literally thought all Democrats were evil people who secretly wanted Karl Marx to be resurrected so he could lead our country...

...until several years ago I actually had dinner with a Democrat.  

I didn't really say anything to any of my friends; after all, if they found out I could have been accused of being a (GULP) "liberal!"  

As we made small talk the first divisive issue came up - health care!  

Let me pause and say I had been taught that all Democrats wanted to pretty much give everyone in the country free health care and that the rich people should pay for it.  

However, instead of asking my Democrat Dude "what" he thought about health care, I stepped into the discussion with a more thoughtful question - "why is healthcare so important to you?"  

What ABSOLUTELY shocked me was the reasons health care mattered so much to him were the same reasons it mattered so much to me!  We really did have the same goals in mind - it's just we didn't quite agree on how those goals should be reached.  

As we discussed the matter in more detail we disagreed on about 90% of what each other thought the solution was; however, instead of focusing on the 90% we could have fought over, we talked about the 10% we agreed on and actually had a very civil, informed conversation that didn't result in name calling and playing the blame game.  

So...we discussed another matter, and then another - and before the dinner was over we had talked about the military, immigration, taxes and global warming (aka - climate change!)  

Believe it or not we didn't fight one single time (which I didn't think was possible thanks to Sean & Rush!)  In fact, I learned a lot about what my friend described as the "Democratic agenda" by simply figuring out what we could agree on and building from there.  

Dang - I wish our country could do the same!  

What is REALLY sad is that, due to 24 hour news networks (with a heavy bias on either side) - the "other side" is presented as evil, stupid and insensitive - and are demonized without any discussion whatsoever.  

And, if you want to "tow the party line" (on either side) then you have to do your best to trash anyone on the other side.  

However, after watching, reading and listening to people on either side of the aisle - I would bet you $5 that having coffee with Kirsten Powers would be much more pleasant that with Sean or Rush!  (BTW - the story about her coming to Christ is AMAZING - check it out here!) 

Why would I say something like that?  It's quite simple - nearly every time I've seen any sort of interview with her she's thoughtful, respectful and considerate (which is way more than I can say for the other guys!)  And, even though I may disagree with her on some things, she doesn't come across as the type of person that would hate me because of it.

No matter what side of the political aisle you are on - I believe we would ALL benefit from having solution driven conversations with another rather than slander driven agendas about one another.  

There are some really brilliant, solution driven, incredible people who are Democrats!  (I know, something you would never probably think someone who has always voted Republican say!)  

In fact, many of my friends would identify as Democrats (who actually voted for Hillary!)  And - the last time I hung out with a couple of them--they picked up the check!   

Our country is in bad shape (in my opinion) and the more we give into the rhetoric TOLD to us about "the other side" without actually engaging them in a civil conversation - the further the divide is going to grow.  

So, if you are a Republican - set up a dinner with a Democrat!  And don't walk into the meeting with statements - but rather a sincere desire to learn why that person thinks the way they do.  

You might just wind up having respect for someone on the other side (and, they might pick up your check as well!)  
 

I froze!  

I hate hearing those words!  

Not because I am judging them--but because I know how it feels, how helpless, lonely and absolutely hopeless a person has to be to get to that place.  

As we began to discuss their desire it became apparent to me they were pretty serious--they had even researched the most effective and least painful ways to commit suicide.  

When I asked them why they ultimately wanted to do it - their reply was, "the uncertainty of death is way more attractive that the certainty of pain and shame I am going to have to face as I keep on living."  

What did I say?  

Let me begin with three things I did NOT say...

#1 - "You Will Go To Hell If You Commit Suicide" - this is a lie that has dominated church world for far too long.  A person's eternity is not determined by HOW they die--but WHO they know...in other words, it's all about a relationship with Jesus.  (AND PLEASE don't tell me people who know/love Jesus never lose hope!)  

BTW - this is not an effective deterrent as people who get to this point feel as if they are already living in hell - and heaping on fear and guilt doesn't make it better--it makes is worse!)  

#2 - "You Should Not Feel That Way" - I can assure you someone who gets to this point in their life does not WANT to feel this way!  They WANT relief from the pain they are in - and really do believe suicide is the only way they are going to get that relief. 

A person who is battling with depression does not WANT to be depressed! 

A person who is battling with anxiety does not WANT to battle with anxiety. 

And a person who has gotten to the point where suicidal thoughts are consuming their mind does not want to think (or feel) that way! 

#3 - "Just Pray & Read Your Bible And It Will Get Better" - This is a lie made up by "Christians" who have never battled with hopelessness or mental illness in their life (and often look down on those who have!)  

Often times when people are told this - they go and pray, read their Bibles more--and when it does not work it pushes them deeper and deeper into despair because they think if they were just better...godlier...holier then things would get better.  

(Oh how I wish the church would do way more research on mental health issues before speaking so irresponsibly about it!)  

So - what did I say to the person who was wrestling with this?  

"Tell me why you feel that way"...

...and then I sat back, shut my mouth and simply listened.  

In my conversation I discovered the person I was listening to actually wanted just that - to be listened to (not lectured!) 

They wanted to feel like someone actually cared - that someone was willing to sit there and hurt with them (rather than drop spiritual grenades on them over and over again.)  

When the person finished telling me "why" I leaned in and told them, "wow, I am so sorry, I can completely understand why you would feel that way."  

They stared at me in disbelief; however, I assured them I was serious.  The story they told me of the past five years of the life they had lived absolutely broke my heart.  

"However," I continued, "while I can understand why you feel that way, would you be wiling to hear why I think you should reconsider taking your life?"  

They agreed - and then I began to talk (only after being given permission.)  

After me giving them a few reasons as to why I did not believe suicide was the best option for them - I saw something in their eyes I wasn't sure was even possible--hope.   

(Let me pause and say that I will not be sharing the reasons I gave them - this is not a formula to memorize - each reason I listed for the person was deeply personal and had came out of the story they had told me.)  

By the time the conversation had ended the person had promised me they would not take their life that night (because they had it all planned out.)  AND - that we would circle back the next day and have another chat (when a person gets this deep in despair - one chat/prayer session isn't going to magically make them better!)  

Why did I write this?  

#1 - If you are at the point where you are considering taking your own life - please, reach out to someone.  If you don't think there is anyone out there - then please call 1-800-273-8255 (the national suicide hotline!) 

I understand what it feels like to get to this point - and I can promise you even though the world seems so dark and discouraging right now--eventually, light will SHATTER the darkness.  

My hope and prayer for you is you will not give up - but that you will LIVE--that you will feel HOPE and that your heart will one day experience JOY unlike never before.  

#2 - If you know someone who has gotten to this place in their thinking, please don't lecture them (which WILL make them feel worse!) 

Listen to them...and then lean in and, with compassion begin a conversation conveys you care--and that you are there for them, no matter what--doing this could save their life!  

...for the person who feels as if they want to give up...

...who, when by yourself you have cried so many tears, wondered if anyone cares and thought that maybe this world might be better without you...

...you are hurt, fragile and don’t even want to try anymore...

I get it!!  

I completely understand...

...but pause and ask yourself this question...

...why is the enemy so hell bent on trying to take you out?

Why is it he won’t leave you alone?

I believe it’s because he is scared of you..

...that he knows your MESS will eventually become your MESSAGE...

...and that WHEN (not if) you make it through this the Lord will use you in ways you would have never imagined.  

So, my hope and prayer for us today as we wrestle through this is...

Don’t give up, and don’t give in to the lies of the devil. 

Your not dead - so God’s not done!  

And the pain of our past does not rob us of the potential in our future!! 

Not only will you survive this - but will thrive because of it!!

You can overcome!!  

Don’t give up! 
 

However, a few people have gotten offended at, what they refer to as my use of profanity, in a couple of recent articles.  

• HERE 
• HERE 

What do I have to say to that?  

"Well, shit!"  

First of all--I know people who have never cussed--but curse people daily by the way they gossip about them.  

Second - I think, because of a desire to be really safe and sanitized, Bible translators have done their best to "clean things up" as much as possible so the Bible can be "family friendly." 

However, even a casual reading of the Scriptures shows the Bible is an awesome book, a book full of wisdom and truth - but it is NOT safe, and it is not sanitized.  

(For those who want to scream at me right now about it being clean - please explain the acts of genocide recorded numerous times in the Bible and tell me how that is safe?)  

First of all - Paul said the word "shit" in the Bible.  (Bet you never heard that one in Sunday school.)  

In Philippians 3:8 the NIV says, " What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ"

The word "garbage" is a very weak translation.  (The KJV says "dung" - which is closer).  However, the Greek word Paul uses here is "skubalon" - which is literally translated as "shit!"  So, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, dropped the "s-bomb!" 

And then in I Samuel 25:21-22 (KJV) 

21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

WHOA - David, a man after God's own heart, said "pisseth!"  I'll bet there was a comment or two left on his Facebook account.  

And then there is Ezekiel!  

First of all he says in Ezekiel 16:26, "You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity.

Bet that one didn't make anyone's children's Bible.  

But he didn't stop there - he went on to say in Ezekiel 23:20, "There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses."

Bet you never saw that one on flannel graph!!!  

I won't keep on going (although I could) - but just want to say one day I hope to be as godly as those who attack online when they see something they do not like.  

If my writing (and in the future my preaching) isn't your cup of tea - then please, unfollow me--I seriously won't lose any sleep...because...
...I believe what the world needs is someone who really is willing to be real, who is willing to say exactly how they feel--even if it goes against what people who are heavenly minded but no earthly good think.  

For me - writing is therapy - it's a way I process - it's a way I deal with emotions, and I spent way too long trying to "clean it up" to ensure the Christians masses approved of my message.  

But not anymore!  

I want to reach the world for Christ, I want people to experience Jesus and have a relationship with Him...and I am discovering more and more people want someone who is genuine rather than a whitewashed tomb.  

That's it for now - gotta go take a piss!  

"Hey Perry," the text began, "I just wanted to reach out and let you know I am praying for you"  

Anger...real, pure anger...

Confusion...

Disbelief...

...those are just some of the emotions I felt in that moment,  

Why?  

Because the person who sent me the text has not spoken to me in 18 months; in fact, they ignored my calls to them during that time--and I know for a fact they have gossiped, even told flat out lies about me!  

So why in the hell did they text me to tell me they are praying for me?  
It's quite simple (and, unfortunately the reason far too many "Christians" tell others they are praying for them!)  

#1 - It relieves their conscience - In many cases they don't actually care about you (if they did they would not have acted the way they have towards you or talked "ish" about you) - they are just trying their best to find relief from knowing they've turned their back on you - so the 'ole, "I'm praying for you" makes them feel better about themselves.  

#2 - It places them in a place of spiritual superiority over you - In some cases (not all) "I'm praying for you" is actually one of the most condescending things you can say to a person who has gone through (or is going through) a tough time.

Why?  

Because of the very first word in the sentence...

..."I"!  

The focus is on them...

..."let me tell you what I am doing"...

...or better yet, "Let me tell you how awesome I am!"  

And a party should be thrown in their honor, because, after all - they took the time to pray for a bucket of piss like me!  

Have people said this and been sincere?  

ABSOLUTELY!  

However, that has been the exception, not the rule...

...because, at the end of the day I am NOT going to remember the people who prayed FOR me, but were present WITH me during the hell I've gone through.  

(It's so much easier to pray for someone - that way you don't have to get near them!)  

"Well what should I say," you may ask.  

Great question!  

The most spiritually mature, caring thing we can say to someone who is hurting is...

"Would you like to go to dinner?" (or lunch, or coffee, or to see a movie...)  

Or, "is there anything you need?"  (BUT--be careful, asking this question could require action!)  

Jesus said people would know we are His followers because of the way we love one another
 
Love for someone always equals time WITH them--period!  The Gospels are LOADED with Jesus spending time with His disciples--and there are only a couple of occasions where Scripture mentions He prays for them!  

However, this is a challenge - it takes someone coming off their spiritual high horse and being willing to associate with those who are "less than!"  

It takes someone who is unafraid to be accused of being guilty by association.  

It takes someone who is willing to stop talking about you so they can actually talk to you.  

And that is simply too much for a lot of people to do.  

I write this not only out of frustration - but as a confession.  

For years I would tell people I was praying for them; however, as I look back I was saying it to make me look good (and, sadly enough, I actually didn't pray for them more often than I would like to admit.)  

Am I saying not to pray for people?  

NO - FREAKING - WAY!!!  I absolutely believe in the power of prayer!!!  

However, when we do pray for someone--we shouldn't have to tell them--period.  Because, if all we are doing is praying for people without having a relationship with those people--then we will naturally drift into what Jesus talked about in Luke 18:9-14

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray,one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Notice the Pharisee prayed with a self righteous attitude - and in his prayer pointed out how short the tax collector had fallen...

...which is what self righteous people do when they pray--ask God to let someone else to repent of sin without actually repenting of their own sin. 

This is such an incredible lesson for me to learn as I start Second Chance Church - the lesson to not just pray FOR people, but to actually be WITH them! 

Because, spending quality time with people allows us to stop viewing them as "spiritual growth community service" but rather see them as Christ sees them - a hurting person who isn't looking for a spiritual handout, but rather a real friend to spend time with them - and be interested in them rather than feeling superior to them!  

...where I was...

...what he said to "lure" me in...

...and how I felt when it was happening.   

I was around five years old - yet here I am 41 years later, and the memories of that day, at times, still torment my soul.  

I didn't tell anyone about it as I knew what was happening was not right.

So I kept it in, buried it down deep--for 17 years...

...and in my silence there was suffering, shame and the sense that what had happened was actually my fault.

I thought if I stayed silent about it then it would not happen again (it did) - that I would not get into trouble and that the memories associated with it would go away.  

Honestly, I am still embarrassed about it even as I write these words.  

So why I am writing this today...

Simple - to let those know who have been sexually abused that it is not your fault.   

To let you know you do not have to carry that burden buried deep in your soul.  

To let you know that talking about it with someone you love and trust is actually your first step away from the shame that has dominated you for far too long.  

To let you know the sooner you ask for help - the sooner you can begin to experience freedom from the pain that has paralyzed you . 

When I was in treatment a year and a half ago my therapist traced back the beginning of trauma that snowballed to an uncontrollable crescendo to this event--and one of my biggest regrets in life is not talking about this sooner.  

This is my story...and I share it hoping and praying it is not yours.  

That if you have experienced sexual abuse you will not bury it down deep and hope it goes away (it doesn't) - but rather step out of the shadows where shame has dominated you for far too long and ask for help.  

It was not your fault!  

Let me say it again - it was not your fault.  

And it does not matter if you were 5, 15 or 25 - it was wrong, and the enemy wants to use that event to do unimaginable damage to your soul...

...but you are stronger than his steady suggestion to stay silent...

...and there is an escape from the shame - I promise.  

I would be lying if I said I was completely over it - there are still days when I experience guilt, shame and even anger.  

However, today I live in freedom from thinking it was my fault - and my hope and prayer in sharing this is you will experience the same as well.  

What happened to you does not have to be the thing that defines you!

And asking for help does not mean you are weak - it's actually a sign of strength!  

...however, more often than not I would leave a conference and/or read a book and say to myself, "that's great, I have been told WHAT to do - but I have no idea HOW to do it."  

Then, several years ago I attended a roundtable event where attendance was capped out at a certain number and I was able to get specific questions answered--and saying it propelled me forward in my leadership journey would be an understatement - I came out of that event with much vision and clarity - and our church was able to take major steps forward.  

THEN...just a few years ago I hired a consultant to come in and work with our team on clarifying our mission - and because of the day and a half spent with this guy we were able to hit a financial goal that had evaded us for 16 years.  

Which is why one of the main things I am doing this year at The Growth Company is hosting private workshops for church and business leaders.  

What are the benefits?  

#1 - The Focus Of The Entire Day (or Two) Is On You And Your Church (or Business) - I won't be delivering any conference talks or stirring speeches - but rather we will dig down deep and focus on your organization.  

#2 - You Will Have Creative & Leadership Ideas You've Never Had Before - I promise this will happen, and NOT because I'm awesome (I made a 790 on my SAT) - but because you and your team are in a different environment having focused conversations - that is where the best ideas come from.  

#3 - You Will Leave The Event With A Plan - Not one that is "somewhere out there" - but rather one that, over the next 6-12 months will take your organization several steps forward.  

#4 - Your Passion Will Be Renewed - When vision is clarified and clear next steps are identified--passion levels increase like crazy!
I can promise it will be well worth the investment for you and up to five of your team members to get out of your normal routine and into a space/place with a person who can walk with you and help you develop a plan specific to your situation.  

Go here - click the schedule a call button in the upper right hand corner and let's talk.  We would LOVE to partner with you and your organization.  

PS - it's at least worth a phone call (which is absolutely free by the way!)  

PPS - I still do a very limited number of private workshops where I will come to your organization, you can details for that as well if you are interested when you call.   

Let's do this!  
 
 

And MAYBE you have considered it - but like me are a tad on the skeptical side and are wondering if the plan really world.  

Check out these stories that have been shared on the private Facebook group I've created for people who buy the book.  

"Pastor P thanks so much for this! I have lost 5 lbs already. I started doing this the day the ebook came out..." - Scott

"I started on December 13 the day after the ebook came out, even though I thought right before Christmas would be the worst time to start. The devotionals really inspired me and helped me to make better food choices. In addition, I have been using an exercise bicycle about 11 minutes a day. I could only use it for 6 minutes when I started. After attending 4 Christmas dinners and eating a week of amazing leftovers, I have still lost a little over 4 1/2 pounds... - Michelle

"Down 5 pounds week one from Jan 1-8. Vision - Desire - committed to loose on avg 2lbs per week going forward"  Kevin

"Read the book and started on 1/2/18. I have lost 6lbs and I haven’t even started exercising. Excited to see what happens when I add that step."  Bev

"I started before the book came out. The book & devotionals got me through Christmas. Lost 9 lbs. so far... - Carol

You can do this too!!  The eBook is only $7 - but the change it will bring about in your life physically, emotionally and spiritually will be worth so much more!  

Go here, click the "buy now" button in the upper right hand corner and let's get started - YOU CAN DO THIS!  
 

I was with a group of friends and we were swapping stories, telling jokes and laughing so hard my abs were starting to hurt...

...it was the day you just didn't want to end.  

And then I woke up...

...it was just a dream

...and I was all alone.  

This isn't a story of something that happened long ago - but rather just the other night.  

I tossed and turned, trying to go back to sleep; however, sleep would not come this night as the accusations of the enemy were slamming into my mind over and over again (he is quite relentless.)  

• "You had it--but YOU screwed it up!"  
• "You ARE a screw up!"  
• "You will NEVER recover from this!"  
• "No one actually wants to be around you!"  
• And - the "worthless piece of shit" one found its way back into my mind as well.  

I sat up in bed, sweating profusely, fighting back the tears because of the pain I had caused.  

And the next day it literally felt like a black cloud followed me everywhere.  

I call it "the disease of loneliness" - and I know I am not the only one who suffers from feeling this way--the feeling like no one actually cares about you and/or what you are going through.  

It brings me back to the lie we say (and hear) so often in our churches - that "all we need is Jesus."  I know saying this is a lie will get me thrown into the category of being a heretic (won't be the first time I've heard that one) - but - it really isn't true at all.  

What's my proof?  

Jesus!  

• If all we need is Jesus - then why didn't Jesus just keep to Himself while He was on earth?  
• If all we need is Jesus - then why, when asked what the most important commandment was, He replied, "love God, love others."  
• If all we need is Jesus then why did He take so much time intentionally developing community around Him?  
• If all we need is Jesus - then why does the phrase "one another" appear over 50 times in the New Testament.  

Yes, we do need Jesus--but we also need one another.  

At this point there is nothing I can do about the past.  I have wept, apologized, repented, and am trying my best to take steps forward (despite the people who are so quick to bring up what I did, quick to point out the steps I have taken forward are not enough--as well as those who are not scared to tell flat out lies about me!)  

And that's one of the reasons I am so excited about Second Chance Church...

...it's not because I feel the world needs my preaching (as there are FAR better preachers out there)...

...but rather because we all desperately need community, a group of people with whom we can be fully known and fully loved at the same time...

(Isn't that what we all desire?  Because, most of us feel if we were fully known we could never be fully loved--and if we are fully loved it's because we are not fully known.)  

...because being lonely absolutely SUCKS, and it is what the enemy wants for followers of Christ, because, isolation is one step away from destruction.  

I am so thankful Jesus hasn't given up on me - and is slowly but surely putting people back into my life who I can trust and who, for some crazy reason, still believe in me.  

I know what I am going through will not last forever.  (And it won't last forever for you either!) 

However, I also know that this time around I will have community that I can trust, who will love me despite the fact I fall down more often than I wish I did--and together we will do whatever it takes to reach as many people as possible with the Gospel.  


 

Unfortunately - someone in this world has way too much time on their hands and are creating fake profiles and pretending to be me.  

With that being said - I am on four social media platforms - and here is a list of the accounts that are actually me!  :-)  

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/perrynoble/?hl=en

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nobleperry/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/perrynoble?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

​Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/perry-noble-1bb7157a/

Any other accounts are fake and the result of someone who more than likely needs a full time job and/or a hug!  

If the answer is yes, keep on reading...

#2 - Are you discouraged when it comes to doing this because you've tried and haven't been successful?  

If the answer is yes, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, I completely understand!  

#3 - Would you like to try a plan that actually works?  

The plan I outlined in my eBook, "I Can Win With Weight" actually works...I know because it has worked for me!  

#4 - Would you like to join a group of people committed to losing weight and getting in shape?  

When you buy the book you are invited to a private Facebook group I am going to be leading - where there will be additional coaching as well as us being able to encourage one another.  

#5 - What are you waiting for?  

Seriously - let's do this!!  Go here and click the buy button in the upper right hand corner - it will be the best $7 you've ever invested in your personal health and fitness.  

She could tell by the look on my face I did not believe her, so she went on to explain, "No, seriously, it is - think about it, it's made with meat, cheese and bread--all things we need in our daily diet; in fact, I think you could actually lose weight by eating at Taco Bell for every meal!"  

(YES - this is an actual conversation I REALLY DID HAVE!)

We debated this issue for quite a while until I could see there was no convincing her otherwise.  She really did believe what she was saying - and I knew if she followed through on her belief and put it into practice--well--let's just say she would have never achieved her weight loss goals!  

All of us have been in conversations where people have said things we simply cannot believe...

...and...

..."People Who Love Jesus Do Not Get Overwhelmed" is one I've heard many people say - and they could not be more wrong!  

The funny thing is - I used to believe this.  I really did think if a person read their Bible, prayed, attended church and served they would never get overwhelmed--and that being overwhelmed was merely a sign of spiritual immaturity.  

And then I began to experience being overwhelmed in nearly every aspect of my life (so much so that it actually led to depression and all out anxiety attacks!)  

This was SO discouraging for me as I thought I was a spiritual failure - so I would read the Bible more, pray longer - heck, I even started journaling--and my feelings of being overwhelmed didn't get better--they actually grew worse.  

Pause - maybe some of you are experiencing the feeling of being overwhelmed right now.  

Life has thrown you a series of curveballs and you find yourself staring at situations you never dreamed in a million years you would be in.  
You don't know whether to cry, scream, throw things or simply give up...

...you are overwhelmed and feel like a failure.  

However - being overwhelmed doesn't mean you are a failure - OR that you don't love Jesus, it means you are human!  

Take Elijah for example.  Here was a man who heard from God, who followed Him with all his heart, who faced incredible odds and went toe to toe with the most powerful and influential leaders in Israel at the time--AND WON!  And who called fire down from heaven.  

And yet the Bible does not hide the fact that he became so overwhelmed that he actually prayed for God to take his life...check it out in I Kings 19:1-5a... 
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

And then there is the Apostle Paul.  

I don't think ANYONE on the planet would argue that Paul had Jesus at the center of his life.  He was one of the most passionate and influential men of his time (I would argue of all time.)  And yet we see him say...

II Corinthians 1:8
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.

If Elijah was overwhelmed, if Paul was overwhelmed - then we will experience it as well.  So, if you are overwhelmed, don't take it as a sign of spiritual immaturity but rather as an opportunity to lean in to the Lord.  In both of the texts I mentioned above - the Lord used the circumstances these men were in to teach them.  

When I am experiencing feelings of being overwhelmed I ask myself two questions...

#1 - What is the Lord trying to teach me about Himself?  

#2 - What is the Lord trying to teach me about me?  

Often times the answers are not immediate; however, over time there is always a lesson because God never wastes anything--including our overwhelming circumstances.  

AND...for those who are feeling overwhelmed and have no hope--I get it--I completely understand--however, let me encourage you with a verse the Lord reminded me of this morning...

Psalm 30:5
For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

The Bible does say we will weep in the night - but - it also promises us joy will come in the morning.  So...hold on...it may be so dark you feel as if you soul is being crushed--but, the morning is coming - don't give up--God's got this and God's got you!  
 

Here are three benefits...

#1 - I will provide additional coaching on the site.  

There will be additional workouts, nutrition plans as well as some Facebook Live events where I will do Q & A.  

#2 - You will get to share your story.  

Believe it or not - your story COULD BE the catalyst that causes someone to switch their mentality from "I can't" to "I can."  

#3 - We will celebrate progress. 

If you follow the plan I laid out in "I Can Win With Weight" you WILL make progress...and as you make progress we WILL celebrate like crazy!  (We are already seeing stories of progress on the site!)  

The only way to become a part of this private Facebook group is by purchasing my eBook, "I Can Win With Weight" (the BEST $7 you will ever invest in your personal health and well being!)  

After purchasing you will receive an invite to the group - accept the invite and then BAM - you're in!  

Go here and click the buy button in the upper right hand corner - we are just DAYS AWAY from activity getting CRANKED UP like crazy on the site...

...don't miss out!  
 

...and then it hit me...

...I mean REALLY hit me...

It was subtle at first, beginning with "I don't want to get out of bed today" thoughts.  

After that it was as if a dark cloud was following me around - and I just could not shake being in a sad mood.  

Did I tell anyone?  

Hell no!  

I was a pastor of one of the largest churches in the country, I was an author and conference speaker.  People wanted to hear from me about things like leadership, courage, strength and passion--if I let people know I was dealing with depression they would not want me anymore.  

So - I did what so many people with depression do - I internalized it and prayed like crazy for God to take it away.  

It didn't go away!  

Pretty soon the not wanting to get out of bed and being in a sad mood gave way to, "maybe this world would be better without me," and then eventually, "maybe I should take my own life."  

How INSANE is that - from an external point of view everything was going RIGHT - but internally my world was falling apart and I was losing my very will to live.  

Fortunately, I FINALLY let a few people know and was able to get the help I so desperately needed.  After a ton of counseling it went away and I was all better...

...or so I thought.

I came back - like one of the nightmares you just can't get away from.  And this time it was accompanied with anxiety attacks (I literally thought I was dying when I had my first one!)  

This time I internalized it as well, for - but - I could not shake it.  I did cry out for help--but feel like people just didn't know what to do -  thus causing me to dive headfirst into a habit that allowed me to experience temporary relief, but ultimately blew my life apart.  

In my battle with depression I've learned a few things - and hopefully this will encourage and inform people who have questions about the issue.  

#1 - People Who Are Depressed Don't Want To Be Depressed!  

I know there are some out there who would argue with me on this - but you would be wrong.  

As someone who has struggled with depression there is no way you could ever convince me someone actually wants to feel like shit every single day of their life!  

Everything about it SUCKS!  

As someone who has struggled with it at extreme levels there is no way someone actually wants to feel that way!  

#2 - Depression Cannot Be Prayed Away!  

Yes, there are instances where the miraculous has taken place!  

Yes, I believe Jesus can heal people!  

However, I also know that having people pray for your depression to go away--and then it not go away--makes you feel like a spiritual failure.  

Depression can be brought about by traumatic events that have taken place in a person's life - AND/OR by a chemical imbalance in the brain.  

Medicine and counseling are often needed to help a person work through what they are wrestling with.  

#3 - Depressed People Are Desperate For Relief

Why do depressed people dive into destructive behaviors?  

Simple - they just want relief!  

"But the relief they find is only temporary" someone once told me.  

While what they said was true - when you are in PAIN - temporary relief is better than no relief at all.  

Which is why we have GOT TO make the world a safer place for people who wrestle with depression to be honest/vulnerable!  

In Romans 12 Paul tells us we should rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.  Unfortunately the Christian community has tried to make those who mourn rejoice--and when joy cannot be experienced the depressed person is either looked down on, gossiped about or thrown out altogether.  

#4 - Depressed People Do Not Need Lectures, They Need Love.  

One of the most horrible things you can say to a depressed person is, "Just stop feeling that way!"  (And one of the dumbest as well!)  

As I said earlier - no one actually WANTS to feel that way!  

No one wants to immerse themselves in behavior that is going to destroy their lives. 

No one wants to feel sad and like they are not enough for their family and friends.  

And when people try to fix them rather than understand them they are doing more harm than good.  

Sometimes the best thing to do is listen, give them a hug and then help them find legitimate help.  

Final thing - depression CAN be overcome - but it won't happen overnight.  There is hope--but healing of any kind take time.  And - as followers of Jesus we need to stop trying to speak about things we really don't understand--and actually take the time to identify with the person who is hurting.  

That's right - very few people have the raw willpower to gut through the lifestyle adjustments it will take to experience significant changes in the way they look and feel.  

Which is why I didn't want to just write a book about losing weight - but also desired to create a community where we can share our goals, our struggles as well as our progress.  

When you purchase the eBook, "I Can Win With Weight" you will receive an invite to join a private Facebook group I've created (where activity will CRANK UP on Monday, January 8!) 

Not only that - but you will receive an email devotional every day for the 10 days after you purchase the eBook.  

All of this for $7!!!  

Go here, click the buy button in the upper right hand corner and let's get started - you are NOT ALONE in this - and you CAN DO THIS - let's get started!  
 

This was me for SO LONG - I would say, "one day" - and in doing so made an excuse that prevented me from making progress.  
The BEST thing you can do RIGHT NOW (if you want to do this) is pick a start date!  

Let me recommend one - Monday, January 8, 2018 - that's when I am jumping back on the wagon (and will be providing coaching and encouragement for everyone who has accepted the invite to my private Facebook group!)  

BTW - if you want in on this Facebook group then go here and buy the "I Can Win With Weight" eBook and you will be emailed an invitation!  

#2 - Refusing To Adjust Your Eating Habits

As I've stated so many times in talking about this - we simply cannot outwork a bad eating plan.  In fact - I would say between 75-80% of losing weight and feeling great is in making changes in our nutrition.  

AND - believe it or not - when we do nutrition properly we actually get to eat more, not less.  

(Yes - the ebook has lots of nutrition recommendations - and the Facebook site will have even more!)  

#3 - Doing Too Much Cardio

I was the king of cardio for such a long time - and even when I would run 5-10 miles per day I still managed to put on weight (yes, you read that correctly!)  

Cardio is necessary (and HIIT cardio is WAY better than traditional cardio!)  However, lifting weights is WAY more beneficial because it builds more lean muscle, which, in turn, burns way more fat throughout the day.  

#4 - Discouragement

If you are like me you have started a diet, not seen results in a matter of days and said "screw it" and went back to the way things were.  

Which is why COMMUNITY is so essential to making progress in this area (which is why I personally so excited about the Facebook group!!  I know we are going to all be able to encourage one another in a way that makes a significant difference!)  

#5 - Not Having A Plan

All too often I would dive into "losing weight" headfirst without having a CLUE as to how I was going to actually do it...

...that all changed for me not too long ago as I began to research, experiment and make adjustments to the way I did things.  

Our physical health, (or lack thereof), will happen by either default or design.  

Which is why I wrote, "You Can Win With Weight!"  This eBook isn't a book that will bore you with information you simply do not care about, but rather is filled with practical information that you can apply immediately.  

And...over time as you work the plan...you WILL see results.  

As I've said so often - if I can do this, you can too!!!  

Go here, click the "buy" button in the upper right hand corner and let's get started!  
 

However, I think it's AWESOME you want your church to grow...

...that you want to reach more people...

...that you want to see more lives changed...

...that you actually want to take Jesus at His Word and fulfill the Great Commission!

Not only am I pumped that you WANT to grow your church - but I believe you CAN grow it.

It all comes down to two things - leadership and execution.

Often times as church leaders we spend so much time working IN the church that we have very little time to work ON the church...

...which is why in 2018 I am going to be hosting private workshops for you and your team (up to five people) here in Anderson, SC.

In these private workshops we will...

1 - Assess where you are as a church.

2 - Set goals in regards to where you want to be

...AND...

3 - Establish a 6-12 month strategic plan to get you there (which will include sermon/series planning, raising resources and breaking through the barriers that have held you back for far too long.

Information about our private workshops can be found here!

I can promise you it will be well worth the investment as you will leave with confidence and clarity unlike you've never had before.

Oh, AND one more thing...

We are GIVING away a private workshop experience for someone who has purchased either my Video Coaching curriculum and/or our Building A Generous Culture video curriculum.

If you would like to be entered in the drawing - all you have to do is purchase one of these resources (which will absolutely impact your leadership AND the stewardship in your church) and your name will go in the hat.

The last day for this offer is 12:00 midnight on Friday, January 19, 2018.

I am so excited about this next year - and would be absolutely honored if my team and I could help your church put a plan into action that propels your church forward.

Here is the link to the coaching videos!

And here is the link to the Building A Generous Culture curriculum

When we pray, plan and put into practice the steps that need to be taken - we will see a SIGNIFICANT difference.

Have you ever wanted to lose weight - but didn't know where to start?  

Have you ever been so discouraged when it came to losing weight that you wanted to just give up on it altogether?  

If the answer to ANY of these questions is "yes" then I completely understand - because not too long ago I would have answered "yes" to ALL THREE as well.  

In July of 2016 I was weighing in at a little over 240, my pants were too tight and I wore really baggy clothes all the time to hide the rolls that were developing on me.  

AND - I was super discouraged (and confused) because I literally worked out (HARD) every single day...

...and yet instead of losing weight I kept gaining.  

I hated the way I looked--and I hated the way I felt!  

It was during this time I heard the phrase for the first time, "You cannot outwork bad eating habits."  

I dismissed the statement as stupid (because I didn't want it to be true); however, over time (and with some self experimentation) I understood not only was it true--but embracing it could absolutely change my life.  

Since that time period I've lost over 40 pounds (weighed in the other day at 199.5) and 4 inches in the waist.  

And I am stronger than I've ever been (lifting weights) as well as in the best shape (cardio wise) of my life.  

Back in late August/early September people began asking me how I had lost all my weight.  At first I thought it was just a few people noticing; however, over time the questions about it began to significantly increase - and I began to realize this is a pain point for so many people.  

Which is why I wrote the eBook, "You Can Win With Weight - A 90 Day Guide To Losing Weight & Feeling Great!"

This $7 eBook is an easy to read, easy to apply guide in regards to how to begin a process of eating right and exercise that will absolutely change the quality of your life.  

And - not only do you get the eBook when you buy--but you will also receive an email devotional for the first 10 days, as well as an invitation to join a private Facebook group where I will begin a ton of encouragement and coaching beginning Monday, January 8.  

Go here, click the "buy" button in the upper right hand corner and let's get started.  

If you do (and follow through) I can promise you that you will have...more energy, a better quality of life, a healthier self image and be on your way to being in incredible shape.  

OR--you can simply do what you've been doing, live in a world of frustration (like I was doing) and make excuses as to why things are not changing for you.  

The choice really is yours.  

I say let's do this!!!  Go here and let's get started!  
 

Just go here, click on the buy for $7 button in the upper right hand corner and you are on your way!

#2 - Accept the invitation that will be emailed to you to join the private Facebook group I've set up for everyone who buys the book (activity will become consistent on Monday, January 8, 2018.)  

#3 - Go ahead and take a "before" picture (because the after picture, if you follow the program, is going to shock you!)  

#4 - Write down your weight loss goals for the next 90 days (and be specific...instead of saying, "I want to lose some extra pounds," say, "I want to lose 25 pounds by April 1, 2018.)  

#5 - Read through the book and go ahead and take the steps you need to take so you can go "all in" on January 8 (join a gym, buy the right type of food, plan your meals, etc.)  

Seriously - we are going to CRUSH THIS TOGETHER!  Go here and let's get started!  
 

• It's the day you START winning with weight!  
• It's the day you START experiencing more energy!  
• It's the day you START building lean muscle, thus speeding up your metabolism.  

When you purchase my eBook, "I Can Win With Weight" you will receive an invitation to a private Facebook group...
...and on Monday, January 8 it's ON!  

• There will be coaching videos...
• Q & A sessions...

And, best of all, you will get to share YOUR transformation stories!  

For the longest time in my battle with eating right and exercise I simply said I was going to do something about it "one day," (thus allowing me to continue in my dysfunctional behavior.)  

However, there was "that day" when I finally decided to do something about it, when I knew no one was going to do it for me - I had to do it for myself!  

So, let's do this!  Go here and purchase the eBook, "I Can Win With Weight."  (You will also receive email devotionals for the following 10 days as well as the invitation to the private Facebook group). 

(It will be the BEST $7 you ever invest in your personal health/well being!)   

Read through the book, do what you need to do to get ready - and let's go ALL IN on January 8, 2018.  

(You are more than welcome to start before January 8 - that's just the day I am getting "back on the wagon" after being exposed to all sorts of amazing food over Christmas!)  
 

I know where this comes from...

...you've tried...and it just hasn't worked out!  

So you believe your past failures will hinder you from making future progress.  

Which is simply not true - if I can do it...you can too!!!  

#2 - Procrastination

"I'm going to lose weight someday" was a phrase I often recited...just to make myself FEEL good in that particular moment.  

However, I never actually would establish a "start date," thus proving procrastination is nothing more than punishing myself (because of delaying progress!)  

Let me set a date for you...Monday, January 8, 2018 (or, you can do it before if you want.)  

The reason I am setting this date is because it's going to be when we get REALLY active on the private Facebook group you will be invited too upon your purchase of the eBook, "I Can Win With Weight!"  

For 90 days in a row we are going to encourage AND challenge one another - and CELEBRATE like crazy the progress that is made!  

#3 - Not Having A Plan

"Fail to plan, plan to fail," a mentor once told me.  

So often I would want to eat right and exercise...but, because I didn't actually have a PLAN (just a thought) I would always drift towards what I had previously done.  

Which is one of the reasons I wrote the eBook, "I Can Win With Weight!"  I have tried nearly every plan/program out there--as well as purchased so many pieces of exercise equipment it isn't even funny!!  

However, the more research I did--and the more I experimented on myself--I know the plan I have developed is both simple and effective--in other words, IT WORKS!  

#4 - Telling Yourself, "It's Cheaper To Eat Unhealthy Than It Is To Eat Healthy!"  

This is actually true...for the short term...

...because while the double cheeseburger with fries MAY be less expensive than the grilled chicken salad--the triple bypass surgery you are going to need years down the road isn't going to be cheap at all (OR--MAYBE the years you take off your life by neglecting your health will be covered by the massive life insurance policy you will need to leave your family if you don't get this situation under control.)  

While that may be a bit harsh - it's true!!  If you don't do something about this area of your life then you need to go ahead and plan for your life to be shorter and way less impactful than you want it to be.   

Your health is exactly that - YOUR HEALTH - and only YOU can do something about it!  

You CAN WIN WITH WEIGHT - and there is NO BETTER TIME to begin planning/preparing for this than TODAY - go here, click the "buy now" button in the upper right hand corner and let's get started!!  

2018 is the year for you to get lean - trust me, if I can do it, you can too!!!  
 

Every year - I mean EVERY year at Christmas I absolutely obliterate as much food as possible, and this year was no exception...

...my Christmas Eve meal was brisket, shrimp & grits, mac & cheese, coleslaw just to name a few items, and...

...when it came time for dessert there were four options - sweet potato cake, chocolate pie, coconut pie and creme brulee...

...so I thought, "why pick just one when you can have all four?"  And so - I indulged.  

After my all out pursuit of gluttony was over I felt satisfied...for about 10 minutes...

...and then I started feeling full, I mean really full...

...and then my body became very angry with me, and it literally felt like there was sin in my stomach!  

I had obviously eaten too much, and...I absolutely took a detour away from eating clean...and as a result I really did feel guilty, I mean incredibly guilty!  

Feeling that way caused me to reflect back on when I used to eat like that nearly every single meal, and the guilt I always experienced after eating too much.  

I knew I was allowing food to dominate my life.  

I knew I was overeating.  

I knew I needed to STOP!  

I just didn't think I could (more accurately, I didn't actually want too.)  

Until - one day I simply got sick & tired of being sick & tired - and decided to do something about it.  

And, after quite a season of figuring out what did and did not work, adjusting the way I ate, figuring out the best method of working out/fitness and committing to this new lifestyle for the long haul - I am now in the best shape of my entire life.  

I don't say this to point to myself as some sort of weight loss hero - but rather to tell you that IF I CAN DO IT...YOU CAN TOO!  

You CAN win with weight!  

You CAN transform your body!  

You CAN get in great shape!  

You CAN have more energy than you've ever had in your life (no matter your age!)  

You CAN begin eating right (without having to commit to a diet of tree bark and asparagus for the rest of your life!)  

At the end of the day I wrote the eBook, "You Can Win With Weight" because I wanted to present a simple, yet effective plan for eating right and exercise that, over time, will produce amazing results.  

Becoming healthy isn't merely a program, it's a process of making the right decision each and every day.  

I can promise you no one on the planet loves food as much as I do, so for me to actually begin experiencing victory in this area of my life has been something I never thought would take place.  

So, let me say it again...you CAN WIN WITH WEIGHT!  

Go here, click the "buy now" button in the upper right hand corner and let's get started.  

(PS - when you buy the book you will receive a devotional sent to your email for the next 10 days--as well as an invitation to join a private Facebook group that is going to get CRANKED UP with activity on Wednesday, January 3, 2018!)  

You CAN get lean in 2018 - go here and let's get this thing started!  
 

Statistics show people are more generous this time of year, and compassion and love for others seem to increase as well (with being stuck in traffic as the obvious exception!)  

However, for some people, this is far from "the most wonderful time of the year."  

• While others celebrate--they are in despair.  
• While others gather together--they are alone.  
• While others laugh--they weep.  

And statistics also show that anxiety and depression are at their highest this time of year as well.  

So, if you know someone who may be in a bad place this year - don't just pray for them, reach out to them, invite them over for a meal, or meet up with them for a cup of coffee.  I can promise you that your effort to reach out to them (and offer to hang out with them) will be the most impactful thing you could ever imagine.