Matt & Michelle Brown

Past Week at MN District Family Camp

We had an unbelievably great week this past week ministering in 10 services over 6 days at the MN District Family Camp for the Assemblies of God in Alexandria, MN at Lake Geneva Christian Center.  I preached for the youth services, a young adult service and several morning devotions and had so much fun.  I sensed a greater anointing as I preached, and Michelle and I both feel that God is about to do something huge in our evangelistic ministry.  We had dozens of students make a first time commitment or rededication of their lives to Jesus throughout the week.  

We also drove home Wednesday night to fulfill a dream, speaking at our home youth ministry - JCP.  I was more nervous than ever before, but God came through and enabled me to speak clearly and boldly, and we saw a great response to the Word of God.  

Also, during the week we attended many services in which we were not ministering, with pastor Jim Raley, evangelist Allen Griffin and pastor Dan Betzer, all ministers from Florida.  Specifically on Tuesday night, after weeping at the altars for people without Christ, I prayed with my close friend Luke, and we had an encounter with God more powerful than anytime in the past 2-3 years!  There was an unexplainably strong Presence of God and a deep stirring to make a difference for eternity.

Thank you for your prayers for us.  If I could only introduce you one by one to the students lives who have been changed, I know you would be blessed.  Thank you!

The Rule of Five Swings

This is quite possibly one of the greatest success principles I've every learned:

"Millions of people, including me, have been inspired by the stories in Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield's Chicken Soup for the Soul books.  I think most people would assume that publishers were breaking down their doors for the opportunity to get those books to market.  Not a chance.  It was a huge struggle.  Hansen and Canfield had a very difficult time getting anyone interested in publishing the first book.  Then, when the book was in print, they had a tough time getting anyone to buy it.  They did a lot of research and talked to a lot of successful authors.  But what finally helped them turn the corner was advice from a teacher name Scolastico, who told them, 'If you would go every day to a very large tree and take five swings at it with a very sharp ax, eventually, no matter how large the tree, it would have to come down.'  

From that advice, the authors developed what they call the 'rule of five.'  Every day they did five specific things that would move them closer to their dream of selling books.  They write:

'With the goal of getting Chicken Soup for the Soul to the top of the New York Times Best-Seller List, it meant having five radio interviews or sending out five review copies to editors who might review the book or calling five network marketing companies and asking them to buy the book as a motivational tool for their salespeople or giving a seminar to at least five people and selling the book in the back of the room.  On some days we would simply send out five free copies to people listed in the Celebrity Address Book - people such as Harrison Ford, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Steven Spielberg, and Sidney Poitier.  As a result of that one activity, I ended up meeting Sidney Poitier - at his request - and we later learned that the producer of the television show Touched by an Angel required all of the people working ont he show to read Chicken Soup for the Soul to put them in 'the right frame of mind.'  One day we sent copies of the book to all the jurors in the O.J. Simpson trial.  A week later, we recieved a nice letter from Judge Lance Ito thanking us for thinking of the jurors, who were sequestered and not allowed to watch television or read the newspapers.  The next day, four of the jurors were spotted reading the book by the press, and that led to some valuable public relations for the book.  We made phone calls to people who could review the book, we wrote press releases, we called in to talk shows (some at 3am), we gave away free copies at our talks, we sent them to ministers to use as a source of talks for their sermons, we gave free 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' talks at churches, we did book signings at any bookstore that would have us, we asked businesses to make bulk purchases for employees, we got the book into the PXs on military bases, we asked our fellow speakers to sell the books at their talks, we asked seminar companies to put it in their catalogues, we bought a directory of catalogues and asked all the appropriate ones to carry the book, we visited gifts shops and card shops and asked them to carry the book - we even got gas stations, bakeries and restaurants to sell the book.  It was a lot of effort - a minimum of five things a day, every day, day in and day out - for over two years.'  

Was using the rule of five effective?  You be the judge.  The Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise has 170 titles published in forty one languages and has sold 112 million copies.  If you can have similar kind of tenacity and consistency for that duration, I bet you'll see great progress toward your dream too!" 

-Put Your Dream to the Test, John Maxwell, pp. 178-180

Put Your Dream to the Test

 Just finished Put Your Dream to the Test by John Maxwell.  I've read probably a half dozen or more of Maxwell's incredible leadership books, and this is definitely one of the best.  Many of his books have repetitive themes, which is unavoidable, but Put Your Dream to the Test has a different feel than Maxwell's past books.  He writes more realistically and practically about dreams than he ever has before, challenging the reader to base their dreams in reality, strengths and daily habits.  Here are some of the questions I found myself asking through the book:

1. Is my dream really my dream?

2. Is my dream specific?  Can it be described vividly?

3. Does my dream line up with my strengths, habits and potential?

4. Do I love it?  Would I love to do it even if I never got paid?

5. Where does my dream start, end and what comes in between?  What needs to be my daily action?  How can I remove non-essentials in my life?  How can I embrace challenges & failures before they come, as a part of the process?

6. Am I enlisting others? (cannot do it without them)

7. Am I willing to pay larger and longer prices for this?  What prices am I not willing to pay? (some prices are too high - family, values).

8. Will I move forward no matter what? 

9. Would I be content with the journey even if I didn't reach my dream?  Do I enjoy the day in, day out process of working towards it?

10. Will my dream bring a helpful benefit to others in the world?

Finally, one of my favorite parts of the book was in chapter 8, but I'll save that for a future blog: the principle of the five swings.

Best book I've ever read on dreams.  Right up there next to Visioneering by Andy Stanley.  Check it out.

In Good Company

I'm not currently going through a difficult time, but one of the most encouraging thoughts concerning life's difficulties came to me recently in my quiet time with the Lord, while reading the Psalms.

Nearly half of the Psalms are songs of worship and thanks, and the others are almost completely songs of lament.  King David and the other Psalmists cry out to God asking him to hear their prayer, to answer quickly and to take away the deep anguish they are feeling in their current situation of life.

For some reason it is extremely encouraging to think that such a great man of God as David (called a man after God's own heart) and the other Psalmists who were chosen to write down the Spirit breathed words of Scripture came to these common places in life where they cried out to God, "Why?" and "How long?"

Even the greatest men of God experienced deep frustration, discouragement, struggles with self and with God's timing and promises.  We are in the company of greatness when we cry out to the Lord from the despair of our hearts.  We are in harmony with the age old cry of men and women of old who in dependance and longing for the Lord, cried out for his promises to be fulfilled in their day, their generation.  

Don't be afraid.  Don't be ashamed.  Don't despair.  Lift up your song to God, whether it currently be a song of thanks, or even a song of lament.  This is part of a healthy, vital relationship with God, as with any friendship in our lives.  God is big enough to hear both our praise and our lament, and he welcomes it.  Come near, cry out, sense his heart, go away in new strength.

My First Book

After hundreds of hours ...

Dozens of books ...

Two editors ...

A dozen recommendations ...

and five years ...

My first book is in it's final editing.  It is titled Revolutionaries: Men and Women in Every Century Who Advanced Christianity.  

We will keep you posted when it is fresh off the print and ready to buy if you are interested.  We are aiming for it to be ready August-September of this year.

Addicted to Facebook

I was convicted recently while reading this blog by Greg Stier of Dare 2 Share.  He quotes the blog of Mark Oestreicher about his own conviction of wasting too much time on the web.  "I'm referring to the underestimated underbelly of the internet known as neverending web surfing and social networking .. in other words: wasting massive amounts of time on the web."

This stuck with me.  Because of this, along with several other reasons, including the Lord speaking to my heart shortly before reading the blog, I am skipping out on some of my regular web time.  I've committed for a period of time not to check my personal email, facebook, twitter, or blog. before noon every day.  The sole purpose for this is to break my habit of unnessecary internet use so I can focus on Christ and his purpose for my day.  Can't tell you how much more time for devotions each morning this leaves for me.

Time is too short.  All that matters is the leading of the Holy Spirit and his daily work for us to reach the lost.

Burning Hearts

No, this post is not about heartburn.  Scripture tells us to fan the flame of Christ in our hearts and lives, and this is all about that. (2 Tim. 1:6)

I've had some incredible conversations recently that have made be burst inside with such an incredible desire to know God more and to fulfill his purposes for my life in my generation.  Some of these were with friends, some with strangers.  

The Scripture shares in Luke 24 about two men who had a similar conversation with a stranger, who they later realized was Jesus speaking to them.  After he left, and they realized it was him, they exclaimed, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (v. 32).

I love when this happens; when I realize God is speaking to me and setting me on fire with a passion for his plan.

Sometimes this happens through conversation with others, but more frequently a way this happens is through spending time in the Word of God. There are two ways to read the Word of God during our prayer time, and both are relevant.

Quality - I've heard of a guy who read the same book over and over for a month.  A. W. Tozer, an incredible man of God also writes about how important it is to really go in depth with certain books and passages that are speaking to us.  Bottom line, it's not about getting through the Bible, but rather letting the Bible get through us. 

Quantity - reading through the Scriptures en masse is also so important.  As you read large portions of Scriptures, you start to see correlation between books and passages.  Biblical interpretation happens best when we compare specific passages to the rest of the Bible.

Quality + Quantity (in the Word of God) = Burning Hearts

Praying Like George Whitefield

Been reading the 800 some page journals of George Whitefield, famed preacher around the same time as John Wesley.  Both started off as close friends in an accountability group, are proported founders of the Methodists (although Wesley with his organizational skills methodically did much more of the administration - thus the name).  

Whitefield is arguably the greatest preacher in world history.  He had an uncanny ability to speak to the heart of his listeners and an indellible anointing and gift of the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel.  It was Whitefield that first began field preaching in his era, and Whitefield's success in this that launched Wesley onto the national scene.

So far I've enjoyed reading of Whitefield in his early years and I've appreciated what I've seen.  A man of humility, discipline, purity of heart, dedicated endurance to reach lost souls and a man of impassioned prayer.  Whitefield constantly wrote in his journal that he spent time interceding in prayer for the salvation of absent friends and all mankind.

Several times throughout my life I've watched friends who once loved the Lord turn away from their faith in Christ.  It is like a slap in the face, when the reality of God looms so strongly in your own heart.  I've been through these frustrations recently, and been encouraged by the thought that God wants these people saved more than I do!  So I will pray like Whitefield in daily intercession for the salvation of absent friends.

Whitefield didn't stop there.  Many people stop with personal prayers and never move beyond self.  God's heart is clearly for all of humanity, across the world.  It is no wonder Whitefield was used so greatly for God in his later life, when his early life was spent saturated in broken cries for a lost humanity, apart from Christ in his generation.  When you intercede for the world so much, God just might use you to shake it for his glory.  So I will pray like Whitefield in daily intercession for the salvation of all mankind.

Have You Had Your Break Today?

It is vital to our productivity in any job or assignment to take needed times of rest.  Over the years of many various jobs, part of me thinks I can just push myself harder and surprise myself with the capacity of my strength.  

The kicker is that for those in ministry seemingly essential ministry opportunities pop up constantly.  There is always someone in need, urgent items to get done, and more work to be done for the Lord.

Enter Jesus. 

The author and finisher of our faith, who for thirty years of his short life here on earth spent anonymously in hiddeness as a humble carpenter, away from his call to save humanity.  His mom basically had to force him to un-mask his divinity and do his first miracle, showing that miracle power had been resting in him all along.  He was God in the flesh, the exact representation of God, and he rested 90% of his life among us.

We must couple our evangelistic urgency with a strong sense of God timing.  Christ's life, death and resurrection was timed exactly since the creation of the world.  So too, our lives, must be well rested and well groomed for the work the Lord has prepared for us at certain times and seasons.  Taking breaks long enough to enjoy what we do can be some of the most beneficial time we ever have - time to refocus, shift our eyes on our Lord and remember we are in this for the long haul.  Out of these breaks flow productivity, fresh perspective and a new anointing.

We must make breaks a priority in our lives.  It was God who invented the Sabbath, not man.  Take a little time to schedule in breaks in your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly routine.

Twitter Etiquette

Over the past few months I've been thinking of some thoughts on proper twitter etiquette, as well as proper etiquette of other technology.

twitter etiquette:

If you are running a personal twitter, the only real etiquette is your personal preference, although if someone you know follows you and you don't follow them back, you should probably have a good reason.

If you are running a ministry or business twitter, I'd suggest you follow almost everyone.  On our ministry twitter we choose to do this.

Don't set up an automatic direct message (DM) on your twitter account, because this makes your twitter impersonable.

facebook etiquette:

If you are adding someone as a friend and they might not know you, it might be good to send a message explaining where you know each other from.  If the person is famous, you probably don't need to do this.

When people comment on your status or write on your wall, especially with something that appropriates a reply, you should reply.  This way you build relationships and show that you care.

email etiquette:

When people email you (or call), you should probably have a time management technique in place in your life to be sure you get back to them.  I try to email back right away or keep it in sight so I continually see it until I do.  Another idea would be to write down on a post it note or to do list who you need to remember to correspond with.  With phone calls I have it easy via the iPhone to leave my Visual Voicemail messages undeleted until I return the call.

Hope this helps.