I am PASSIONATE about helping people accomplish far more than they ever thought possible.

What many of you may not know is that IWBNIN has started a fledgling book publishing company.  I love helping passionate people accomplish their dream of having their book published.

With that news, I would like to CONGRATULATE William G Bliss [Bill] on the upcoming release of his new book, Leadership Lessons From THE BOOK – Applying Biblical Lessons For Today's Leaders.

Bill has provided executive leadership consulting services for over 25 years and is passionate about connecting biblical principles with practical application.

Personally, I was challenged by this book and was inspired and equipped to apply these principles to my business.  If you are a leader, I recommend you purchase a copy today (FREE SHIPPING through 10/1/2009).

Below is a small sampling of the praise for Leadership Lessons From THE BOOK:

"Bill has drawn on years of effective leadership consulting to produce a book full of rich biblical insights coupled with practical tools and suggestions so you can implement what you learn. Clearly written by someone who knows what he's talking about."

─ Richard Blackaby, PhD, President of Blackaby Ministries International

"Bill is a very accomplished business leader who has studied these topics extensively. He does continual research and the presentation of his years of work and research are worth reading! The topics are as old as creation itself but his fresh approach is a treasure you will want to uncover."

─ Dave Rae, Chief Operating Officer of Crown Financial Ministries

"As a leader, I discovered the Bible as the best manual for business, leadership, family, and life. Bill's insights are so unique because as a Leadership Coach he has seen it all first hand: the potential, pressure, and complexity of leadership – and the joy of studying the Bible. Bill's book offers a truly inspiring and practical perspective. It will be one of those which I pick up again and again in order to improve my effectiveness."

─ Daniel Hoster, Managing Director of Deutsche Bank AG

Today, I had the unbelievable privilege to speak at the Stewardship Challenge hosted by Crossroads Church (Pastor Brian Tome).  I was the mule invited to the Kentucky Derby.  The line-up was:

• Rick Campbell (Injoy Stewardship Solutions)
• John Maxwell (EQUIP, Author, Leader's Leader, INJOY, 16,000,000 books sold (true statement))
• Brian Tome (Pastor of Crossroads - unbelievable church, author, passionate leader, influencer)
• Me.

So what did I do?  I took advantage of the opportunity to LEARN!  I LOVE LEARNING!  I scribbled notes so fast that the pen made a huge dent in the side of my finger (has that ever happened to you? – it is weird!).

Here are some outstanding nuggets I learned from John:

• Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
• In the beginning, dreams are free.  That's why we love them so much!
• The only way some people could get excited is if they could get away from themselves.
• John confirmed his retirement plans: when he dies
• When he stopped pursuing vision, the resources stopped.

Here are some outstanding nuggets I learned from Brian:

• Vision is recession-proof!
• Develop a culture.  Don't raise a budget.
• Passionate about FREE.  Give away everything.  (Crossroads has their atrium open all day long with free wi-fi, fountain drinks, coffee, and other outstanding amenities)

Here are some oustanding nuggets I learned from Rick:

• Be strong and courageous
• Be strong and very courageous
• I will share the rest in a later post – awesome devotional to start the day

A great day!

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A friend of mine recently released his first book, Church Giving Matters, and I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to him publicly.  His name is Ben Stroup, and he is passionate about the topic of giving.

I was provided the huge honor to preview this book, and I believe that Ben is dead on with his observations of giving within the local church.

This book was written for church leaders and every leader who reads it will be challenged to view their role in a new light.  Ben has been the pastor of a small rural congregation while also leading LifeWay's Giving Envelope Service.

It was also just announced that this book has sold 6,000 copies in the first ten weeks!  Outstanding – especially when one considers that less than three percent of books ever sell more than five thousand!

Here is what I love about Ben – he is all about providing PRACTICAL information that is RELEVANT and can be IMMEDIATELY APPLIED.  If you have ever participated in any event I am a part of, you KNOW how much I value PRACTICALITY and RELEVANCY.

If you are a church leader, you would do well to PURCHASE BEN'S BOOK.

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I am PUMPED to tell everyone about three upcoming Stewardship Challenge events that I believe hold the potential to completely revolutionize church leaders' thoughts on stewardship.

These events are one day and are focused on equipping leaders to create a culture of generosity.  These one-of-a-kind, exclusive events will be held in three cities: Cincinnati, OH (8/18/2009), Charlotte, NC (8/20/2009), and Orlando, FL (10/15/2009).

Here is why YOU should attend one of these events:

• John Maxwell  The leader's leader will be speaking at each conference
• The Speakers
• Brian Tome (Cincinnati, OH)  Pastor of Crossroads Church
• Steven Furtick (Charlotte, NC)  Pastor of Elevation Church
• Tom Mullins (Orlando, FL)  Pastor of Christ Fellowship
• The Topics
• Capital stewardship (seeing the vision become reality)
• Annual budget (seeing the vision fully funded
• Personal finances (equipping people to win with their money – my favorite!)
• Free Stuff  Early bird registrants will receive a free copy of Generosity (Gordon MacDonald)
• I will be there  And I want to meet you!  Of course, I will be talking about equipping people to win with their personal finances.  It is my PASSION (I'm sure you are surprised).
• More Free Stuff  First ten to register at each location and send me an e-mail (HERE) will receive a free copy of I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. and its related Group Study!

In I Was Broke. Now I'm Not (you can read the intro HERE), a key principle that I share is the following fact:

INCOME – OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO

I am debating holding a free seminar in Washington DC about this fact (maybe my representative will invite me).  It seems that we have COMPLETELY neglected it!

This is a not a political statement.  This is purely a statement of fact.

I submit my evidence:

• The national debt (which continues to increase – view it LIVE)
• Unfunded Social Security (My Social Security statement says that I can expect to only receive 70% of the stated benefits)
• Tax revenues are way down so the "fix" is to raise taxes – not cut programs
• When the OUTGO is clearly more than our INCOME, we have decided that this is not OK.  The cure?  Spend nearly $2 TRILLION dollars – using debt!

I am a simple person.  This means I have to look at this in a simple way – using my own life as a learning tool.

Simple lessons I have learned …

• When I run short of funds, I have to stop spending or I will incur debt!
• No matter how much money I have, I possess an uncanny ability to spend ALL of it.
• When I run short of funds, I have to cut out spending – even on things that I really want!
• If my OUTGO does not include "saving money for emergencies and known, upcoming expenses), my financial plan will fail when emergencies happen or when the known, upcoming expenses occur.
• I have NEVER seen my bank account balance go up when I "saved money" at the store.
• Huge debt is always a recipe for disaster.
• A balanced budget requires sacrifice and compromise – from me, my bride, and my daughter
• It is never fun to say, "NO!"  Especially to something we care a lot about.

What are your thoughts?

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Recently, Casey Graham (Founder of The Change Group) sent a book to me and told me that it had a major impact on his life.

It is a book called "The Go-Giver".   It is authored by John David Mann.

It took me a couple of months to sit down and read it, but I wish I would have read it sooner.

Seriously, it is a fictional story the relays POWERFUL business (and personal) concepts related to giving.  It could even be called a framework for how one can have an amazing life.

I LOVED this book.  Here are some of the reasons why:

• It focuses on giving.  I love giving.  My wife loves giving.  I believe that everyone loves to give.
• It is highly focused on a few principles.  This book does not attempt to share too much.  I read this book one chapter at a time over a period of several days.
• It has caused me to reflect on how this applies to my crusade.  And I am making changes as a result of this book.
• It was short and to the point.  For some reason, I have difficulty developing the willpower to pick up a four-inch-thick book.
• I have seen it at work in my friend's life.  Casey (you should follow him on Twitter) has been applying this stuff as well.  He is FIRED UP about it!  So am I!

Have you read this book?

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Dave Ramsey spoke at Catalyst on Friday morning.  He spoke about unity.  He is my hero.

Here are some statements that I wrote down during his message.

• Don't talk about your problems with people who can't fix them.  That's gossip!
• No one got anywhere by saying, "Ready, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim …"
• We bale our hate mail
• Christian hate mail ought to be an oxymoron

Dave has built a team from the ground up and now has 250 people crusading full-time to teach people how to win with money.  He is the key reason I am debt-free and able to crusade full-time to teach people how to win with money.

At the end of his message, he shared his thoughts on the economy.  His thoughts?

• God is in control.
• Fear is driving the market.  God is not the author of fear.
• The market has always recovered in the past – even in extreme, dire circumstances.
• Gold is worthless in a failed economy.  Take New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina for an example.  Gold bars were worthless, but bottled water and cans of gas were unbelievably priceless currency!

Thanks, Dave, for doing what you do.  You are my hero.

The Catalyst main sessions on Thursday and Friday were incredible.  Here are some key points I took away.

Andy Stanley – Leader of North Point Community Church – Atlanta, GA

• The people who influence the most are those who have no authority over us
• Moral Authority is when there is alignment with what you SAY you believe and what you actually DO
• Our moral authority is of incredible value
• Prioritize the role only I can play over the role that others can play (From Andy's book Choosing To Cheat)
• I love the fact that Andy is building a legacy by continuing to challenge his own self to grow.

William Paul Young - Author of The Shack

• A story written to his children that has taken on a life of its own
• I love hearing stories of how a "nobody" becomes "somebody" just because they were doing something they were passionate about

Jim Collins – Author of Good To Great

• Jim said, "I am passionate to be here today with you."
• You will find a culture of discipline in a great organization.  You will not find it in good organizations
• Most overnight successes are the product of twenty years of effort
• Overreaching is the number one reason that once great companies fail
• Signature characteristic of Level 5 Great Leaders is humility
• You can download a FREE copy of the Good To Great Diagnostic Tool HERE
• Work is infinite.  Time is finite.  The appetite for work is a prescription for a nervous breakdown.
• The nerd engineer in me LOVES the fact-driven, research-based approach.

Brenda Salter McNeil - Leader of Salter McNeil & Associates

• Author of Credible Witness
• The Church was always intended to be multi-ethnic AND global!
• I loved Brenda's energy and passion for her calling

Steven Furtick – Pastor of Elevation Church

• I Kings 18 – How to keep a hold on your vision when there is nothing there!
• The time between the PROMISE and the PAY-OFF is a refining process
• Steven Furtick's message was most impactful to me.  I know what the PROMISE is, and I am so PUMPED that I can actually see the PAY-OFF coming to pass!  This crusade has experienced explosive growth, and what is coming next is going to take this thing to an entirely new level!

Seth Godin – Thinker, Blogger, Author

• Tribes matter.  Everyone belongs to a tribe.
• People ask two questions: "Who else is going to be there?" and "Who is going to lead us?"
• We all lead a tribe
• It is all about leading – not controlling
• He said a statement that I am still trying to figure out.  He said, "A dumpy version of K-Mart."  I can't even fathom what a dumpy version of K-Mart looks like!
• At the end of the session, Seth gave away a copy of his latest book, Tribes, to every person who attended Catalyst (around 12,000!).

Craig Groeschel - Founder and Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv

• Talked about "IT" a lot
• Ruin me.  Heal me.  Stretch me.
• If you have lost "IT", you have to do something drastic.
• Wrote a book called It
• About halfway through Craig's message, I noticed that at least 1/8 of the entire audience was crying.  They knew what it was like to be in the zone and have "it", but they have lost "it".  It has been a long time since I have seen a message impact that large of a crowd in such a personal way.

I am saving an entire post to reflect on my hero's talk – Dave Ramsey himself.

I went to the Catalyst Labs extra sessions on Wednesday and saw the following speakers:

• Dave Ferguson – Lead Pastor and Spiritual Entrepreneur with Community Christian Church and the NewThing Network of Chicago, IL
• Perry Noble – Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC (and my leader/primary vision-caster!)
• Reggie McNeal – Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, TX
• Mark Batterson – Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC

My Thoughts

Dave Ferguson

Dave talked about five key church planting lessons.  I would say these lessons fit for anything new that you might be starting. 

• Vision – Got to have it.
• Strategy – It should fit on a napkin.  SIMPLE = REPRODUCIBLE
• Finance – Money always follows vision.
• Innovation – Lead with a "Yes".  Ask "How" later.
• Reproducing – Take risks on emerging leaders.

Perry Noble

Perry honed in on leadership – primarily directed toward THE leader

• If we don't have vision for what we are doing, we are as useless as Zaxby's (regional fast food chicken restaurant) without chicken.
• As leaders of churches, are you spending time in the Word and listening for what God wants you to do?
• Are you taking risks?  Your church may be one step away from a breakthrough.  What is the risk?

Reggie McNeal

I had no clue who Reggie was, and frankly, I went to this session because the hall was too crowded to get anywhere else.  I am so glad I went to this session!

• We are DESPERATE for GREAT leaders!
• We need to be lifelong learners.  We also need to be lifelong UNlearners. (awesome!)
• I beg you to be a great leader.

Mark Batterson

Pumped to see Mark.  We traded e-mails way back when I was struggling with the decision to seek a publisher vs. self-publish I Was Broke. Now I'm Not.  His advice was so helpful at the time.

• Talked about his latest project, Wild Goose Chase. (My review of that book is HERE.)
• 97% of books sell less than 5,000 copies.  (Wow.  I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. is headed into the 3% category.  Yet another humbling reminder that this whole thing is way bigger than me!)
• Sometimes my lack of encouragement is astounding – to me!
• Attendance was so low that I used to close my eyes during worship because it was too depressing to open them.

Had a great time at the Catalyst Labs.  Highly recommend them.