Mark Driscoll spoke on fear in the opening session of Catalyst Atlanta.

He began by stating: Every leader is afraid of something.

Fear in the mind causes stress on the body.

Your body will start to manifest that stress. Some suffer with depression, can’t sleep, eat or drink too much, they get stomach problems or headaches. Or some just start reading lots of books on the rapture thinking “God, aren’t we done yet?”

Jesus said, “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to your life?”

Fear is not always a sin, but it always is an opportunity. We can fear or trust in the Lord.

Questions to consider addressing fear:

What are you afraid of? - Some of you are afraid of conflict or failure.

Who are you afraid of? – Often someone other than God takes that place in your life. We start giving glory to them by attempting to satisfy them. We place people in positions of fear and we make them functional gods. Proverbs says the fear of man is a trap.

To examine that question more consider: Who’s opinion matters way too much to you? Is your appetite for praise unhealthy? Are you committed to people or things that God didn’t call you to?

Mark then shared 5 statements about fear:

Fear is vision without hope - (Fear is how we see things in the worst case scenario. This is the future and it’s going to be painful, so I’m stressed about it and living in dread toward it.)

Fear is not always rational, but it is always powerful – (It has a huge impact on us.)

Fear is about getting what we want or don’t want. (It’s self-absorbing.)

Fear preaches a false gospel – (We look for a solution we must find to save us rather than relying on God.)

Fear turns all of us into false prophets – (We predict a future that will never happen causing ourselves stress.)

Then Mark asked us to consider: What’s the solution?

The Bible gives a simple answer: FEAR NOT

It’s the most frequently mentioned command in the Bible.

God didn’t simply give us the command. Throughout the Bible God reminds us, “Fear not, for I am with you.”

Everything may not be okay in your life, but if God is with you, you’re going to be okay.

Driscoll closed with a story about his son being afraid. He comforted him by reminding him, “Fear not, your daddy is with you.”

This was a great reminder not to live in fear as believers. It’s especially timely for many of the pastors I know…including me. God is calling us to huge tasks. I see fear as a major stumbling block to following God’s will. We must not allow fear to disrupt or derail us.

Since this issue is on fear, and I suspect some may struggle with this, I refer to a couple posts I’ve written on fear:

7 Questions When Facing Fear

5 Reminders for Ridding Your Life of Fear

Ben Reed is a note-taking genius. He’s also one a great small groups pastor, leader and friend. He writes a great blog too! Check it out HERE.

I had some pastoral work to catch up on tonight, so Ben was gracious to guest post for me for the last session at Catalyst today:

Here is a guest post from Ben Reed:

Judah Smith, presented the closing session for Thursday night at Catalyst 2011.

Jesus is the Glory of God

If that statement is true, that Jesus is the glory of God, then you will leave with a surplus, an overwhelming feeling that you have everything you need for leading, living, pastoring, and loving people.

Thursday nights are date nights for Judah. But he wishes someone would’ve told him that women have rules. And that they don’t have to share their rules…men are just supposed to know them. If you really love women, you will know and abide by their rules. This is the love language of women. And women are under no obligation to let you know when they change the rules.

When Judah’s wife recently changed the rules and asked Judah some questions, what she was saying was, “I don’t just want to do stuff with you…I want to know you. I want to know your inner reality.” Marriage isn’t just about being in each other’s presence…it’s about really knowing one another.

And Moses is thinking along the same lines when he asks of God, in Exodus 33:12-23, “Show me your glory, Lord.”

Moses musters a little courage, and asks for something he’s never seen before. He asks for something more. “I don’t just want your presence or your power. I want your glory.”

This was a risky and dangerous request.

But God must have been pleased with his child, who was, in essence, asking to know God.

The Bible says that God is radiant in glory and beauty and righteousness, and all of that emanated from Him in that moment…so much so that Moses’ face glowed for days after he caught a glimpse of the back side of God.

The request from Moses, though, wasn’t fully answered by God. In fact, throughout the ages, Moses’ request stood unanswered. Because Moses only got a glimpse. And it was only in Jesus that God would fully answer that request of Moses.

We get to see something better than Moses was shown!

Hebrews 1:1-3 tells us, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Jesus is the greatest sermon ever preached.

Moses asks to see beyond the curtain, to see what it is that makes God God. When Jesus comes, we get to see who God really is.

We have everything that we’ll ever need in Jesus.

At the age of 30, Judah was asked to take over leadership of his church in Seattle (The City Church: http://www.thecity.org). And he was incredibly overwhelmed. He didn’t feel like he was ready for it. He began looking for the secret to dispensing great sermons.

And after searching but not finding that secret, he asked himself:

Do I realize what I have in Jesus?

In John 4:26, Jesus responds to the woman at the well with this, as she questions speaks about the coming Messiah: “I am he.” In other words, you don’t have to wait any longer or look any further. And this should be applied to every youth leader, every mom, dad, aunt and uncle, every business person and pastor. You don’t have to look any further. There is no secret potion. Jesus is the answer. He is your counselor, your pastor, your friend.

He is everything you ever need in this life! You’ve got Jesus!

Pastoring your church isn’t about you. In fact, God loves your city more than you do.

If you offer your life to Jesus, He’ll do something in you that you can’t even do in yourself.

Since when was Jesus not enough?

Since when do we have to supplement the Savior? When did we start to have to add to his divine sufficiency?

To pastors: you lack nothing. God has granted you all spiritual blessings in Jesus. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden. I will give you rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Do you need to ask for forgiveness for looking past Jesus?

Francis is passionate about God and His glory. Anyone having ever reading his books or listened to his messages would confirm that fact.

Francis started with a confession. He struggles with being present. (The theme of this week’s conference.)

Has that ever been you? (I’m guilty of that.)

Francis says, “There’s nothing worse than having a conversation with someone who is not present.”

The title Catalyst gave Francis for his talk: His presence matters...

Francis wondered, as He reflected on what he called “the understatement of the year”…

Does anything else matter?

Then Francis Chan shared some nuggets of thoughts on the presence of God in our life:

• Right now, if God decided to make His presence known, isn’t that all that would matter?
• When God’s presence is here, amazing things happens.
• “The Spirit gives life…the flesh is no help at all.” John 6:63
• David, after an enemy took his wife and children captive, the people were tempted to stone him because of what happened…how did David respond? He strengthened himself in the Lord…1 Samuel 30:1-6 (How would I respond?)
• One thing I have asked, and one thing that I seek… to dwell in the House of the Lord. Psalm 27
• Satan knows everything depends on my relationship with God, so if he can distract me…
• Are you present enough in your prayer life that He actually hears you?

Wow, I’ve been challenged in my walk with Christ! Thanks Francis!

Dave Ramsey is becoming a culture-changer. His methodical and wise approach to living has put him in a influential position within society. The mega money management advisor shared Biblical principles, quoting Proverbs frequently, as he challenged the Catalyst audience to live wiser.

Dave shared five things that matter today in any organization:

People matter – In the middle of a transactional culture, you need to be intentionally relational.

A culture of excellence matters – We do not have a choice as Christians.

Slow and steady matters – In the tortoise and the hare story…the tortoise always wins.

Money matters – Don’t advance your army past your supply line.

A higher calling matters – You have to care deeply about the “Why?”

This was a great session. My friend Tim Schraeder took even more detailed notes on each point. Read his post HERE.

Notes from Jim Collins, the best-selling author of “Good to Great”, talk at Catalyst:

Jim says he loves young leaders and is excited to share findings from his newest book “Great by Choice”, which was produced after 9 years of research. The book aimed to find out what separates some decisions from others; good leaders from great leaders.

He stated:

• Greatness is not a function of circumstances, it’s in how you respond to circumstances.
• Greatness is primarily not an event of random circumstances but primarily of conscious choice and discipline.

What distinguishes those characters who achieve greatness in leadership?

Their study revealed:

It’s not personality or charisma…

It is about humility…

Humility + Will is the Essence of Leadership

Is humility and will enough in a world of turbulence? No, Collins contends that leadership greatness requires:

Fanatical Discipline – Be disciplined. The greater the chaos, the more discipline required.

Empirical Creativity – Creatively solving major problems…that’s what the world needs.

Productive Paranoia – You have to be prepared for what you can’t predict. Always asking “What if?” Instead of being afraid, we must channel that into productive paranoia.

Collins challenged us as he closed:

We face uncertain times…how do we make ourselves useful in those times?

I’m looking forward to reading Collins’ new book. He’s an incredible mind with a passion for improving leadership.

Andy Stanley was the first session speaker.

Andy began by saying, “My favorite pastor is present today. He was my pastor the whole time I grew up.” He was paying tribute to his father Charles Stanley. I love when he does that.

Keeping with the theme of Catalyst this year to Be Present, Andy challenged leaders to consider their presence with these statements:

The more successful you are the less accessible you will become.

Andy contends this is not a bad thing. To continue to be effective in ministry, we have to learn this principle.

Then he said:

Refuse to face this reality and burn out by trying to be accessible to everyone.

Andy reminded us that we can’t be fully present except with a very few people. It’s impossible to be fully present with everyone, as much as a pastor may want to be.

He then warned us that:

Sometimes people use their success to become more inaccessible than necessary.

Every conversation begins with “I know you’re busy…” so people give you an excuse you can take advantage of if you choose to do so. Over time, these people become no longer present to anyone.

Andy admitted the burnout that pastor’s naturally feel from being pulled in so many directions and feeling the weight of so many people’s burdens. Sometimes, Andy explained, “unawareness is bliss.” It would be nice if we didn’t have to know all the burdens, but our desire to be fully present  keeps us striving to be engaged with people.

Andy encouraged us from Scripture:

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10

Andy said, “You can’t shut it all out…but…you can’t take it all on.” Don’t hide out in your office…but don’t think you can handle it all either.

We must manage the tension. We will never solve it. If we solved it then our heart has grown cold.

Andy coined a phrase that has helped him manage this tension in his life:

Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.

To do this, Andy suggests we:

• Go deep rather than wide.
• Go long-term rather than short-term.
• Go time, not just money.

This is definitely a message every pastor needs to hear to maintain the health of their ministry. You’ll need to buy the DVD of this one when it’s available and keep it in your library. Andy shared some personal and very practical illustrations to illustrate his points.

This is a challenging message to me, because I feel the tension of a growing church in a world of accessibility. The larger we become, the more discipline I have to place in my life to continue to be effective. I never, however, want to lose the passion I have for people and meeting personal needs.

Thanks Andy!

I’m at Catalyst Atlanta this week and will be trying to get my notes live as soon as I can.

David Kinnaman, President of the Barna Group, shared his latest research and the basis of his newest book “You Lost Me” at a Catalyst Lab today. The information was timely for me in some of the thought processes God has been shaping in me. I’m passionate about reaching the next generation and would love to see revival come from them.

This information is a must have for all pastors desiring to reach people under 30 years of age for Christ. As the father of a 23 and 20 year old boys, I found the information dead-on with who they are and the desires they have for life.

In summary, Kinnaman says this generation needs:

Intergenerational relationships – They need adult mentors. They need to be personally discipled; not by large groups but by individuals who care for them and want them to succeed. My boys go looiing for these type relationships. I love it, but realize the church needs to get better in this area. The intergenerational discussion is desperately needed in the church today.

Vocational input – They need help discovering their calling in life. What should they do with the skills and talents God has given them? I see this question resonating with my sons.

Purpose – They need wisdom for life. Who is God calling them to be? What’s the overall purpose of their life? Why did God create them?

I’m glad we have a generation asking these questions. Kinnaman closed by saying, “We have a great opportunity to guide this next generation in a positive way.” In my opinion, the churches who meet these needs will see their efforts in Kingdom-building explode.

What do you think? Do you see Kinnaman’s observations in your world? Do you agree?

I’ve been a proponent the principle of “Be Present” a long time. Mostly that was a term relative to my family experience. I believe intentional parenting involves a consistent effort to be present. I’ve never seen successful parenting happen in front of the television. (But that’s the subject of another post…actually THIS ONE.)

I’ve also learned that being present is critical for success in leadership..

Unfortunately, like many of the hardest lessons of life, I learned this first through mistakes I made early in my leadership. I wrote about it HERE.

I’ve learned that whether in good times or times of crisis people look for leadership that is present. (Read more of my thoughts on that subject HERE.)

That’s why I was excited this year to learn that the Catalyst Conference theme is BE PRESENT.

The best rates end this week…so lock in now. Go HERE to register now!

Take ownership of you situation…leadership. Join me at Catalyst East this year!

Leave a comment and let me know if I’ll see you there.

By using Random.org, Scott Savage won the pair of Catalyst One Day Phoenix tickets. Congratulations Scott!

I’m giving two tickets away to the next Catalyst One Day! To win, simply tweet this post and comment on the post with your name. I’ll choose one winner for two tickets tomorrow morning. (Your chances to win are great!)

Catalyst One Day is coming to Phoenix! Next Thursday, November 18 at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona. Join Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel for a one day leadership event focusing on the topic of Momentum. How to create it, how to sustain it, and how to implement systems and tactics in your organization that will fuel momentum on a continual basis. This practical leadership experience includes Q and A, dynamic worship and music, and a full day of practical insight from two of the principal voices on leadership in the Church today.

I have been to one of these one days, and let me warn you, you will be motivated! Don’t miss this opportunity to impact your ministry in a powerful way!

Win or not, you need to participate in this day. Visit www.catalystoneday.com to register to attend. Use special Rate Code ONEDAYAZ to receive a discounted ticket price of $99.

Here are the most read blog posts this week:

Catalyst 2010 Recap
Craig Groeschel – Generational Tension
Church Growth: When Size Matters
7 Suggestions for Planting a Church in a New Community
God WILL Allow More Than You Can Bear (Alone)

Thanks for reading. I love when people read blog posts from months past. Thanks Google!

Is there a subject/issue in Christian leadership you believe I would like to see me address?