The Faces of My Best Gift (Part 3)

(This is Part 3 of a 3 Blog Series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.)

Each year at Timber Ridge Church, we receive a Christmas offering called My Best Gift. Basically, as a church we commit to giving our very best, most extravagant, most expensive gift to Jesus and His church. That means if we buy a $100 toy for the kids, we give $101 to the Kingdom. If we spend $300 on our spouse, we give at least $301 to the Kingdom. 

Our goal as a church this year is $30,000. 100% of the funds from this offering go toward church planting and global engagement. Through the My Best Gift offering, our church is able to make a significant impact for God's Kingdom in Texas and around the world. 

I wanted to share with you some people who are directly impacted by our My Best Gift offering:

Meet the children of San Sa Ho. San Sa Ho is the school we have adopted in SaPa, Vietnam. Through engagement and serving in SaPa and with these children, we are sharing life-changing love with these kids. One of the projects that My Best Gift pays for is to provide gate and fence to provide protection for the school from accidents that happen along the mountainside. Proper gates & fencing allows for the children to learn and live in a safe and secure environment.

As Timber Ridgers, when we give, we are raising the standard of living for these children in a very real and practical way. And we're showing them the life-changing love that's been shown to us in the process.

(If you attend Timber Ridge & would like more info on My Best Gift, or would like to contribute online, you canclick here.)

The Faces of My Best Gift (Part 2)

(This is Part 2 in a series of blogs. You can read Part 1 here.)

Each year at Timber Ridge Church, we receive a Christmas offering called My Best Gift. Basically, as a church we commit to giving our very best, most extravagant, most expensive gift to Jesus and His church. That means if we buy a $100 toy for the kids, we give $101 to the Kingdom. If we spend $300 on our spouse, we give at least $301 to the Kingdom. 

Our goal as a church this year is $30,000. 100% of the funds from this offering go toward church planting and global engagement. Through the My Best Gift offering, our church is able to make a significant impact for God's Kingdom in Texas and around the world. 

I wanted to share with you some of the people who are directly impacted by our My Best Gift offering.  

Meet The Yang's. Daniel, Linda, and their boys planted a church a year ago in the downtown area of Toronto. God is using Pastor Daniel, the Yang family & Trinity Life Church to change lives throughout Toronto and to impact one of the largest, most diverse cities in the world. 

Through our My Best Gift offering, Timber Ridge currently pays for the facility lease for the building that Trinity Life Church meets in each week for worship.

Pastor Daniel & The Yang Family

A group of adults recently baptized who's lives have 

been changed by Jesus at Trinity Life Church.

(If you attend Timber Ridge & would like more info on My Best Gift, or would like to contribute online, you can click here.)

The Faces of My Best Gift (Part 1)

Each year at Timber Ridge Church, we receive a Christmas offering called My Best Gift. Basically, as a church we commit to giving our very best, most extravagant, most expensive gift to Jesus and His church. That means if we buy a $100 toy for the kids, we give $101 to the Kingdom. If we spend $300 on our spouse, we give at least $301 to the Kingdom. 

Our goal as a church this year is $30,000. 100% of the funds from this offering go toward church planting and global engagement. Through the My Best Gift offering, our church is able to make a significant impact for God's Kingdom in Texas and around the world. 

I wanted to share with you some of the people who are directly impacted by our My Best Gift offering.  

Meet the Koenig's. Pastor Dave, his wife Heather, and their awesome family planted NewBrook Church in Fort Worth, TX just a couple months ago. God is working in big ways through NewBrook and the ministry of this new church. Through our My Best Gift offering, we are able to provide monthly financial support to the ministry of this brand new church. When you give to My Best Gift, you are helping see lives changed at NewBrook Church and other churches like it around our state and throughout North America.

Pastor Dave & His Family

Pastor Dave baptizing Nicolas, who's live was changed by Jesus @ NewBrook Church.

(If you attend Timber Ridge & would like more info on My Best Gift, or would like to contribute online, you can click here.)

3 Things Great Leaders Delegate

President Ronald Reagan once said, "Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out."

But for many leaders, delegation is a real, actual struggle. So many times, we see delegation in two lights:

•  If I delegate this, people will think I am trying to get out of work or that I'm being lazy. And no one follows a lazy leader.
• I can't delegate this because it's too important and someone else can't do this at the same level that I can.

While there are times where these excuses might be valid, more times than not our lack of delegation is an issue with us as leaders, instead of the people, volunteers, or employees in our organization.

So if we're supposed to delegate, what should we as leaders be delegating. MOST leaders delegate tasks. They simply hand of something from their over-stuffed to-do-list to someone in the organization. But GREAT leaders delegate more than tasks. 

3 Things Great Leaders Delegate

#1: Authority. Great leaders realize that you can't just delegate a to-do list. If you want to put your people in a place to succeed, you have to delegate authority as well. A task list without the authority to accomplish the mission of the organization while completing those tasks is a recipe for disaster.

#2: Responsibility. Great leaders also understand that you must delegate responsibility. If we delegate tasks, but anytime failure is at the doorstep, we become a "run-to-the-rescue" leader, then we're not allowing the people in our organization to really grow as leaders. We have to be willing to delegate responsibility, and place that responsibility for success and failure in the hands of those who follow us.

#3: Praise. Far beyond tasks, authority, and responsibility, great leaders understand that the most important thing we can delegate as leaders is praise. When delegation takes place and the outcome is a win, great leaders are sure to pass the praise down, making sure those they lead receive credit for a job well done.

Pastor Andy Stanley puts it this way: Don’t strive to be a well-rounded leader. Instead, discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else.

As leaders, we have to learn that delegation is dynamite that can explode our organizations to the next level by allowing others to take ownership. So don't just delegate "stuff"...delegate the right stuff!

3 Simple Ministry Reminders

There are times when ministry and leadership in the church can be incredibly difficult. And then there are times where we as leaders make it more difficult than it actually is. With that in mind, I wanted to pass along 3 simple reminders that have helped me in the past few months to simplify my ministry leadership.

3 Simple Ministry Reminders

#1: Remember Your Mission. As a church planter, pastor or leader in the church, our mission is what should drive everything we do. And in a culture obsessed with catchy vision statements and overloaded with the next new way to convey your mission to your team, our mission really is very simple. In Luke 19:10, Jesus lays out His mission, the reason why he came and lived among us with this statement: "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." That's the simple, clarifying mission of Jesus. And if we're following Him, it ought to be our mission as well.

#2: Remember Your Calling. Before you were ever called to a ministry, a church, or a mission, you were called to Jesus. Our primary calling is not something to do, but something to be: Children of God. One of the fastest ways to lose sight of this calling is to begin to listen to all of the criticism and complaints about your ministry/church/program/whatever. I've heard it said that listening to what others say about you is the fastest way to forget what God thinks about you. And that simply sidetracks us from the calling God's placed on our lives. Remember who you are and whose you are.

#3: Remember Romans 12:15. In Romans 12:15, Paul simply states: "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." There are tons of helpful ministry tips, tricks, and tools of the trade available in our culture. The opportunity for growing in your skills and ability to minister to, lead, and reach people are endless in the Western church framework. But don't miss out on the basics. If you'll learn to practice Romans 12:15 with the families and people God gives you to steward, you'll make ministry investments that are life-changing and kingdom-impacting. It sounds simple, but it's incredibly powerful.

As church leaders, our battle is fierce and our enemy is relentless. Let's not make it more difficult by missing the basics. I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment and share your top simple ministry reminder!

3 People We Should Listen To

A few days ago I wrote a short blog titled 3 People You Need To Ignore. If you missed it, you can click here to check it out.

But that begs the question: Who are the people we should listen to? 

Jimi Hendrix once said, "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens."It's important that we not only listen, but that we listen to the right voices. Here are some people who are helpful to listen to.

3 People We Should Listen To

#1: The Truth Teller. We all need people in our lives who will speak difficult truth to us. One of the greatest myths of our culture is that when someone confronts us about a personal shortcoming or area that needs growth, they are overstepping their bounds. Proverbs 27:6 says, "Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." Simply put: It's better to have someone in your life who cares enough to challenge and confront you when needed, rather than people who just flatter us.

#2: The Encourager. Life is hard. Life is messy. And no matter how smooth our life might be, there will be some point where it seems like there is no way we can win. That's why we all need people who encourage us. Don't forget to listen to the people who will build you up.

#3: The Investor. When it comes to giving unsolicited advise, it seems like we all have more than we need...or want, for that matter. But we always need to consider the source. If a person is deeply investing in my life and in who I am or what I'm trying to do, I always consider what they have to say. Why? Because they're investing in making me a better person. They have "skin in the game" so their words matter.

Winston Churchill said, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." May we all have the courage to take time to listen...and the wisdom to know which voices to listen to.

3 People You Need To Ignore

Steve Jobs once said, "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice." 

Edward Gibbon, an English historian & Parliament member from the 18th century, said "I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect." 

John, a disciple of Jesus said, "My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you." (1 John 4:1)

Jesus said it this way: "Pay close attention to what you here." (Mark 4:24)

Basically, they all agree on this: It matters who you listen to. The voices we listen to affect us. The people we regularly listen to shape our thoughts, opinions, attitudes, and life.

So who should we avoid? Here's a few suggestions.

3 Voices You Need To Ignore:

1. The Negative Nancy. Negativity breeds negativity. It spreads like wildfire. Be careful about being around people who are consistently negative. Negativity is a virus that is quickly contagious.
2. The Constant Complainer. These are the people who ALWAYS have something to complain about. You know these folks. The guy you could give $1,000,000 to and he'd complain that you gave it to him in $100 bills and not $20s. These people can quickly drain the joy, happiness, and hope out of your life.
3. The Gossip. The best definition of a gossip I've ever heard is this: People who talk about you, without you. Gossip always hurts people. It never leads to good. So don't be a part of it. In fact, here's a great test of whether or not you're listening to a gossip. Do the people you listen to consistently talk about others when they're not around? If they talk about them when they're not present, you can bet that they're talking about you when you're not around.

The voices we listen to help mold us into the people we become. Guard your ears...because in doing so, you are actually guarding your heart and life.

Confucius Was Wrong

I've heard this quote hundreds of times in my life: 

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. 

The quote is credited to the uber-wise Confucius. And while I typically don't make it a habit to blatantly disagree with people considered to be some of the smartest humans to ever live, let me just say this: Confucius was wrong.

That's right. Confucius was wrong. Because here's the truth: If you choose a job that you love, that you're passionate about, that is your life's dream, you should work harder at that thing than anything else.

If you are really doing something you love, you will work your tail off because it means that what you are doing MATTERS and MEANS SOMETHING to you.

When you are doing something you love, it's not just a job. It's not just a career. You're working out your dream. You're doing something your passionate about and that you know makes a difference.

So don't buy into the lie that one day you'll stumble upon some dream job that won't take any work and you'll live the rest of your days in a state of bliss.

If a dream is really a dream, it will take work. 

If a dream is really a dream, it will be WORTH the work.

So don't just work. And don't just dream.

Work the dream.

4 Things Leaders Must Be Willing To Do

I've been thinking lately a lot about leadership. To be honest, I'm striving to grow in my own leadership, as well as work through what my leadership development of others looks like.

I think leadership development is crucial in any growing, life-giving organization. As I've thought about it recently, it seems there are certain things that any given leader must be willing to do.

Here's the 4 things:

1. Leaders must be willing to be first in the water. - I was watching Shark Week a while back and in one of the shows, a rookie crew member mistakenly left the anchor rope in the water when the motor was started. That led to the rope getting tangled in the motor in the midst of shark infested waters. There was no safe way to deal with the situation. The only solution? Dive into the water and get to work. What I noticed was in this life-or-death, crucial situation for this team, it wasn't the rookie that got thrown into the water. It was the ship's captain who jumped in. The task was crucial and deadly. So the leader went first. Leaders have to be willing to be the first in the water...especially when there are sharks!
2. Leaders must be willing to be misunderstood. - If you lead in any way, you WILL be misunderstood. People will misunderstand your motives, your decisions, your vision, and your direction. Leading others means making hard choices, which are often misunderstood by the crowd.
3. Leaders must be willing to make tough decisions. - Leadership requires a commitment to the good and the vision of an organization above anything else. That means, from time to time, there will be hard decisions and tough choices that must be made. A real leader is willing to DECIDE, not delegate in the toughest of situations.
4. Leaders must be willing to act before they are comfortable. - Leadership means navigating waters that are often unexplored. Leaders often are called to act before they, or others, are comfortable in order to continue to chart a course for the vision and future of the organization.

Leading is tough. It requires a certain amount of courage to lead well. But if your willing to put it all on the line for the vision and mission of your organization, leading can help you leave a legacy far beyond your life.

21 Day Fast

Hey Timber Ridgers,
If you missed our weekend worship experience last Sunday, we announced that, as a church, we're entering into a 21 day fast. You can check out the message from Sunday as well as the explanation of the fast by clicking here.

Basically, fasting is making a personal sacrifice in order to ask God to move in and on our behalf. We've decided that we're each choosing something to fast from in order to pray and ask God to move in three ways:

1. In Us - Asking God to move in our personal lives in a new and fresh way.
2. In Others - Asking God to use the Easter season as a tool for us to invite our friends and neighbors to Timber Ridge and for them to respond to the message of Jesus' love.
3. In Our Church - Asking God to guide our upcoming move and to show us as individuals how we can personally be involved with investing in this new facility.

In case you didn't know, our first Sunday in our new facility is April 13th. That gives us a chance to "kick the tires" prior to Easter Sunday. Then, on Easter Sunday, we're committing to go all out in inviting our friends and neighbors to join us as we worship God together. We'll also be taking our first offering going toward our new facility that day.

I hope you'll join us in this fast as we ask God to move in us and through us in our community. To download the MAKE ROOM Fasting Guide, just click the image below. And feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week

This week's Timber Ridge V.O.W. is Sabrina Carter. If you're ever looking for Sabrina on Sunday mornings, you'll most likely find her loving on kids and teaching God's Word in creative ways to our elementary aged kids in our Timber Ridge Kids worship experience. Sabrina uses her talent and time each week to make a difference in the lives of our children and to help them know they are loved by God. We're blessed to have Neely and Sabrina and their awesome girls as a part of the Timber Ridge family. THANK YOU Sabrina for all that you do to serve at Timber Ridge Church!

Pastor Nic & Sabrina Carter

(If you're interested in volunteering at Timber Ridge, click here to get more info and sign up!)

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Volunteer of the Week at Timber Ridge Church is Clayton Iley. Clayton and his wife Jenny are making a huge impact at Timber Ridge. Clayton serves as a host in our worship experiences, helping people feel welcomed each week. He also serves on our Guest Services team on Sunday mornings. Thank you Clayton for all your investment and service at Timber Ridge!

Clayton & Pastor Nic

(You can make an impact by serving at Timber Ridge too! Click here for details on how to get connected on a ministry team.)

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week is Leslie Killingsworth. When I think about young adults who are making a huge impact at Timber Ridge, Leslie is at the top of that list! Leslie serves on Sunday mornings as a leader and teacher in our Kid Ridge ministry for elementary kids. Each week you'll find her loving on kids and teaching them God's truth. She also serves during the week by hosting and leading a LifeGroup for college girls in her home. Thank you Leslie, for using your time, talent, and ability to make a difference for the Kingdom! 

Leslie & Pastor Jordan

(If you're interested in making an impact by volunteering at Timber Ridge, you can get more info here.)

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week is Ashley Lindsey! Ashley has been faithfully serving on our Guest Services team for almost as long as we've been a church. Each week you can see her smiling face serving in the Cafe, serving up some great coffee and tasty donuts. Ashley and her husband Matt also serve each week by hosting and leading a LifeGroup and are fantastic leaders, who help minister to others within our church family.

Thanks Ashley for all that you do to serve & make an impact at Timber Ridge! You're helping others connect with Jesus! You ROCK!

(If you'd like to find out more info about using your time, talent, and energy to make a difference by serving others at Timber Ridge Church, click here.)

The Art of Timing

I must confess: I am growing to absolutely love the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Why, you ask? Because it is jam-packed full of practical, put-into-action wisdom for our daily lives.

This morning I read this:

If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse. - Proverbs 27:14

Immediately it hit me: So many times in life WHEN we do something is just as important as WHAT we do. In short, timing really can be everything.

Think for a moment about what this proverb is teaching and you'll see it's completely true! No one likes a neighbor who loudly and obnoxiously blesses them with a way-too-early wake up call. The proverb is saying that even if you're trying to bless someone or encourage them, it can be done at the wrong time.

Consider this:

• You need to address a failure or misstep on the part of a co-worker or staff member. It's probably not best to do it in the immediate aftermath of the mess. Give the situation some time to cool down.
• You want to encourage your child to do better at a specific task. That's great! But having that conversation 2 minutes after they've just failed that task is probably not the best time for the rah-rah speech.
• You want to call and have a long conversation with an old friend. It's probably not best to call during family dinner time.
• The list goes on and on....

Here's what wisdom is: It's doing the RIGHT THING in the RIGHT WAY at the RIGHT TIME.

It's not just about WHAT we do. If we're really focusing on blessing others, we'll also consider the WAY and the WHEN of how we go about it. That ensures that the blessings we want to pass on to others stay as real blessings and aren't taken as something else altogether!

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Timber Ridge V.O.W (Volunteer of the Week) is Tyler Gilbert. I'll never forget the first time I met Tyler. We were still meeting at the hotel and a mutual friend had introduced Tyler and I via Facebook and recommended our church to him. He sent me a message to get some info on the church and found out we started setting up around 5:45am on Sunday mornings. A couple days later, on his first Sunday to ever check out Timber Ridge, he showed up at 5:45am to help set up chairs! He hadn't even been to a church service & he was already serving.

From the set-up team during our portable days, to currently serving in our Timber Ridge Kids ministry and on our Guest Services team, Tyler makes a big impact at Timber Ridge. He has a heart to serve others and make a difference...and that's why we keep him around even though he's an OU fan!

We love ya' Tyler! Thanks for all you do to serve God & serve others! 

Tyler & Pastor Nic

(If you attend Timber Ridge and would like to put your time and talents to use in serving God and serving others, you can get connected by clicking here.)

More Vs. Your

There's an interesting dynamic in leadership that I've noticed in leading and in working with church planters and pastors over the last few years. Here it is: Lots of leaders want MORE responsibility.

Let's be honest: We're all busy. Our schedules are all swamped. If it's not a work meeting, it's a kid's soccer game. If it's not a soccer game, it's a neighbor's birthday party. We've over committed ourselves. It's the nature of the beast of the world in which we live.

So it's almost counter-cultural for leaders to crave more. More responsibility. More areas of ministry. More opportunities to lead and stretch themselves.

But leaders know this truth: More ministry means more impact. And that's why good leaders choose to lead in the first place. They want to make an impact. They want to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

If you're a leader who constantly finds yourself wanting more, can I offer you the very best way to get more influence, more leadership, and more responsibility in your organization, business, church, or group? 

It's a very simple principle: If you want MORE leadership be faithful in YOUR leadership.

The best way to get more influence in ministry and more opportunities to lead is to be faithful with the ministry and leadership you've already been given.

If you want MORE responsibility, then rock out YOUR responsibility.

When you're leading and raising up other leaders in a faithful and consistent way with the responsibilities you've already been given, more leadership is sure to follow.

3 Lessons For Every Church Planter

As we have planted Timber Ridge Church over the past two years, I've been fortunate to learn some solid lessons about church planting. Some I've learned from generous guidance and wisdom poured into me from other pastors and planters. Some I've learned the hard way...from life experience.

As I think back to some of those most important lessons I've learned, here are 3 things I would say to every single church planter out there.

#1: You will greatly overestimate what you can accomplish in the short term and greatly underestimate what you can accomplish in the long term. I have a great friend and mentor who reminds me of this truth often. In his words, "Church planting is a marathon. Not a sprint." 

#2: Church planting is hard...but it is worth it. Planting a church will be far harder than you can ever imagine. It will require sacrifices from you, your spouse, and your family. It will mean facing criticism, making difficult decisions, and challenging yourself in ways you've never imagined. It's hard. But Jesus will change lives...and that is so worth it.

#3: God's love for you isn't based on your growth or success as a church planter. Probably the most significant lesson I've learned in planting a church is this: Before we were ever called to the ministry, before we were ever called to plant a church, we were called to Jesus. That is our most important calling. And the love of Jesus has absolutely nothing to do with our performance - even in church planting.

(If you are interested in church planting, but don't know where to get started, please contact me at nic at timberridgechurch dot com. We love to help church planters!)

Merry Christmas from The Burleson's

The message of Christmas is this: When we couldn't get to God, He stepped out of heaven and came to us. Here's wishing you a Christmas season filled with the hope, peace, and joy of Jesus, the Immanuel, God with us.

Merry Christmas From The Burleson's

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

 and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, 

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government

⁷ 

and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, 

establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness 

from that time on and forever.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Daily Christmas Funny