Dave Bowman

Thriving During Tough Times

Last year I read a little book that just rocked my world called, The Energy Bus. It's a great read and I would highly recommend it. Since then I've been following a blog by the author, Jon Gordon. Today he posted about Thriving During Tough Times. You can read the full post here, but here's the short version...

1. Refuse to participate in the recession
Focus on business as usual and while others allow fear to paralyze them you will charge forward and move ahead of your competition.

2. Increase marketing and advertising
People will still be buying goods and services and they will buy from those who they trust and see in the marketplace. This is a great time to win new customers and stand out.

3. Innovate
GE, Disney, and Microsoft were all born during recessions. I believe when times are tough we are more open to new ideas, new products and new ways of doing things.

4. Become a talent magnet
If you are a leader or manager there is no better time to find, attract and hire the best talent.

5. Think big, take action
Consider that both the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge were built during the Great Depression. Now is a time to think big, create your vision and take action.

Great thoughts! And they apply to the church too. We can't be paralyzed by fear. Now is the time to reach out like never before. We should be looking for creative ways to do ministry, gathering more people to our teams and thinking big. People still need Jesus. Now is not the time to hunker down!

So I'm curious...what are you doing to thrive during tough times?

No Pain, No Gain

OK, those of you who aren't golf fans will have to bear with me on this post. Tiger won again this weekend. It's his 14th major tournament win. And he did it while still recovering from knee surgery...in pain...wincing on many tee shots. It took an extra 18 holes and then sudden death to win it, but once again Tiger toughed one out to win over a great competitor, Rocco Mediate.

Then word came down today that Tiger has to have more surgery and he's out for the rest of the season. AND...he was playing with a stress fracture in his left leg that he didn't tell us about! And he still won the U.S. Open, the toughest golf tournament in existence.

So how does he do it? Well, obviously he has incredible golf skills. But more than that, Tiger has a different mental gear that he can shift into that nobody else seems to have. He just refuses to quit because he wants to win so badly. He literally finds a way to win.

What if the Church thought that way? What if we just refused to give up until every person we know has a chance to hear the gospel? What if we shifted into a mental "game gear" every Sunday where we just leave everything on the playing field? What if we just refused to lose?

Winning the U.S.Open is a really big accomplishment. But winning people to Jesus is bigger!

Changing Chik-Fil-A

If you're a parent like me, you probably have a close relationship with Chik-Fil-A. It's always at the top of Arianna's list of choices when we're heading in the direction of fast food. And Susan and I like it too. The food is always good quality, the places are always clean and the service is good. And can you say, "Waffle fries?"

But even the best has to change. As the culture changes, tastes change. People today (myself included) say they want healthier choices at fast food restaurants, although marketing surveys show they still buy the same old unhealthy food. I guess we just want the OPTION to eat healthy, huh?

So, having said all that, Chik-Fil-A is getting ready to roll out some big menu changes on Monday - in the midst of a time when everything is going great. Reading the article made me think about some big changes we're working on at NHC. Just like a good restaurant, our "menu boards" have to change every once in a while. And even though things are going great, we're always looking for ways to make them better.

That's one of the things I love about NHC and our staff. We never settle. We're always looking for ways to be more effective. That's why my blog has been filled with stuff about trips to conferences and meetings with consultants lately. We're working very hard to make NHC better. Not just so we can say we changed something, but so we can more effectively help people encounter God and engage in community.

Say Hello

Say hello to my new friend, Sam Douglas. Sam is a coach who works with pastors, churches and leaders to develop their visions and strategies. Sam and I met through one of those "God thing" connections that is just too wild for me to describe here. Today he flew in from Dallas and spent the day with us and stretched us, challenged us, encouraged us and truly became a new friend of NHC. Thanks, Sam, and we're looking forward to a continuing and growing relationship!

Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!

I've been sharing some thoughts on taking risks (here and here). One of the things I've decided I never want to do is just play it safe. Just so you know, I'm not talking about wild-eyed risks. I'm not the sky-diving, bungee-jumping type or anything. But I never want to be one of those leaders who says things like, "I'm praying about it," and uses it as an excuse for not doing something. Sometimes someone has to just stick their neck out and do something or nothing gets done.

In 1 Samuel 17 Israel is being held at bay by Goliath and for 40 days he calls them out but nobody steps up. The Bible says they were "dismayed and terrified." I'm sure the "mature" people were praying about the giant. The "balanced" believers were conducting Bible studies on How To Kill A Giant. The so-called leaders were checking their strategic plans but they just couldn't find contingency plans for dealing with something like this. The result? Nobody did anything. They just stood there day after day. It wasn't until David showed up and DID SOMETHING that Israel was set free!

Christians often use prayer and "waiting on God" as an excuse to just stand still and play it safe. Here's a different perspective - maybe God is waiting on you!

David took a risk, won the day and set a nation free. What is the risk that God wants you to take? God has called YOU to do great things, so don't just stand there - DO SOMETHING!!

Risky Business Pt. 2

Yesterday I kicked off a series of posts about risk with the idea that maybe, just maybe God wants to bring some risk into our lives and that it's not His job to keep us safe and secure all the time. Risky territory is faith territory.

So my question is what happened to the church on this one? When you look at the New Testament church in the Book of Acts they were definitely risk-takers. In fact, look at what Paul says in Acts 20...

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24

In other words, following Jesus and "completing the task" means putting my very life on the line. That's where Paul lived and it's where the New Testament church lived on a daily basis. They weren't playing it safe. They were in risky territory.

I'm pretty convinced that's still where Jesus wants his church to be today - in risky territory. Unfortunately, for many churches today the greatest risk they'll take is painting the women's bathroom green instead of blue! Or worse - buying new carpet instead of new choir robes!! Oh my!! Wouldn't want to tick off the choir, now would we?

That's one thing I've always loved about NHC - we're willing to take risks. I've sat in leadership meetings where we looked at each other and said, "We don't have the money for this, but God wants us to do it so we're going for it!" Every time we have stepped out and took the risk God has met us there. I remember once saying, "If it doesn't work we'll go out in a blaze of glory." We took a risk but we didn't go out in a blaze of glory, and God GOT the glory!

That's why God leads us into risky territory. It's all about Him getting the glory. When we're in unsafe, unsecured territory we have to depend on God. If he doesn't show up we're dead meat and that's where he gets his greatest glory. We can't take any credit so he gets it all!

NHC, we have not been called to play it safe. God is not glorified when we're safe and secure. He's glorified when we say, "God, we'll do whatever it takes...we'll go wherever you say to go...we'll do whatever you say to do...we're all in!"

I have no idea where God is ultimately taking us, but one thing I know for sure - God is asking us to take some risks...to go places we've never been before...to lay some things on the line...to go to another level of ministry that we've never seen before.

It'll be risky territory...faith territory. I'm nervous, but I'm so excited I can't see straight! Lord, lead us into risky territory!

More tomorrow...

Risky Business

Risk-free living...it's what we seem to be in pursuit of in America today. We want the government to take care of us from the cradle to the grave...we load up our lives with "safety features" designed to protect us from every perceived danger...we buy things from those who promise a "money back guarantee if not satisfied." It's as if risk is the greatest enemy we face.

When it comes to following Jesus, though, there always seems to be risk involved. I'm reading in Luke for my daily quiet time right now and today my reading took me through Luke 21. Listen to what Jesus says...

"...they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name...You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me."     Luke 21:12-17

Sounds like pretty risky stuff, doesn't it? Even though I haven't experienced those kinds of risks, I have learned that following Jesus always involves some kind of risk. When we started NHC it was a HUGE risk. Susan, Heather and I left a comfy position at a large, growing church. That means we left behind our only source of INCOME! We came to a community that had a record of being a tough place to plant a church. (The year we started we counted 8 other churches who were trying to start at the same time. We're the only one still standing!) We didn't know anyone here and the only place we had to meet was in a dirty hotel ballroom where we had to clean up the beer glasses and cigarette butts from the night before.

But we knew God had called us to Durham to plant this church. We took the risk because we couldn't shake the sense of God's calling. We took the risk because we knew God would provide. We took the risk because we knew we could trust Him and he's proven himself over and over and over.

So what is God calling you to do?
    • Start a new business?
    • Join a new ministry team?
    • Step up to a leadership position?
    • Put Him first with a full tithe?
    • Change your major?
    • Stay home with the kids?
    • Join or lead a Community Group?

Maybe what God is calling you to do doesn't make sense. When is the last time God asked you to do something that made sense?

Maybe you don't have all your questions answered. When is the last time God answered all your questions before he asked you to obey?

I'm convinced God is not in the business of taking the risk out of living. In fact, I think he leads us into risky propositions to put us in faith territory.

So what risky business is God leading you into? More on this tomorrow... 

Stop/Start

Last week at our staff off-site we did a little exercise where we identified some things we each needed to stop doing and start doing. It's really pretty simple. We all have a tendency to pile up a bunch of things that we think are necessary for us to do and it keeps us from doing the things we really need to be doing. So every once in a while we all need to put together a stop/start list - what are the things I need to stop doing and what are the things I need to start doing.

As a leader I've had to realize that you come to choke points where if you don't make some decisions to strategically let go of something you become the bottleneck that slows the organization down. Over the last several months God has been telling me to let go of some things and trust my staff more and let them do what I know in my heart they can do - LEAD!  So we've been making some shifts behind the scenes that would enable them to do more of the things they do best so I can do more of what I need to be doing.

Today I sat in staff  meeting and listened to some of the decisions our team is making and I was so proud of them! They're making decisions that will enable us to reach more people. They're making decisions that will enable us to create better environments for people to encounter God and engage in community. They're making decisions that will raise the bar on excellence in our ministries to a whole different level. And they made many of those decisions without me!

But you know what? It felt good! It felt REAL good to sit there and not have to worry about those decisions. It felt real good to know that I could walk out of that staff meeting today and concentrate on hearing God for our next sermon series (which, by the way, is going to be an incredible series that is going to help lots of people in a big way...more on that later). It felt real good to stop doing those things so I could start doing what God wants ME to do.

So, what do  you need to stop/start? Take a minute and make yourself a "not-to-do-list" and then just see how God frees you up to be who he really wants you to be!

Will The Pope Be Here This Sunday?

One of my favorite bloggers, Seth Godin, wrote a post today about the Pope's visit. In case you haven't been paying attention, the Pope is visiting the U.S. this weekend. I didn't know this, but it's only the third papal visit to the U.S. in history. Pretty big deal, huh?

Seth says in his post that whenever someone this important visits your business you instinctively take things up a notch. You work harder, try harder and make sure everything is done with excellence. And nobody minds. After all, the Pope is coming!

But here's the punchline...

The Pope isn't coming to your place of business this trip. He won't be reading your blog or calling your customer service line either. Sorry for the confusion. Go ahead and rent out that room or give away that table you were saving.

But since it's so much fun, why not do it for someone who isn't the Pope? Like your next customer?

OK, NHC'ers...what if the Pope was coming to NHC this weekend? Would you make sure your ministry team was ready to go? Would you save the best parking spot for the Popemobile? Would you offer to do whatever is needed to ensure the Pope had a good visit?

Here's the punchline...why not do it for someone who isn't the Pope? Like our next guest?

Wake Up & Smell The Coffee

While I was traveling a couple of weeks ago I read a great article about Howard Shultz's return as CEO of Starbucks. I love the Starbucks experience and I love reading anything about leadership so this article struck a couple of nerves with me.

Howard returned to the helm in January of this year because the Starbucks brand was suffering. Traffic was down, sales were off, stock prices slid 40%. But most problematic of all - Starbucks had become something Howard never envisioned. Instead of keeping the main thing the main thing (coffee) you could now buy a McDonalds-like breakfast sandwich, a CD, breath mints, chocolate covered graham crackers and even a teddy bear at Starbucks. Starbucks had lots its soul and it was showing up in sales.

So Howard is back and here's the steps he's taken so far...

• He gathered 4000 Starbucks headquarters staff together and told them very bluntly, "We need everyone to believe in the mission. If you don't you shouldn't be here."

• He moved very quickly. Within one month 100 stores were closed. Breakfast sandwiches are gone, breath mints are gone, new WiFi plan with 2 free hours of use.

• He assembled a new management team that is committed to the mission.

• He took radical steps to reinvigorate the "experience," shutting down all locations for 3 hours to totally retrain baristas.

• He's taking big risks - free upgrades on lattes...free drip refills. With this move they're leaving a lot of money on the table, but their attitude is, "We believe it's worth it."

• Howard understands something that is huge - remembering who you are is the key to becoming who you should be.

Remaking or recapturing the culture of any organization is a tough slog. I've been through it twice in my ministry and it's never pretty and it's never easy. But it is necessary. It requires a willingness to change and toss out things that aren't on mission - even some good things that seem to be working. It requires a total commitment to the basics of the mission...to the values that matter. It requires a willingness to move quickly, take risks and make decisions.

The Church needs to watch and learn.