A New Focus and My CPM Influences

I've been away from blogging for a while, and I'm sure all 2 of you who read this blog regularly have really been upset! :)

I'm introducing a new focus today!! For the next 6 months or so I have given up my MBA classes and will be using that time to focus on developing a plan for my church to facilitate church planting in India. (Before you give me extra credit for giving up MBA classes, you need to know that Sprint cut my reimbursement. God has a funny way of showing us the direction we should go!! )

I will be travelling to India in October to kick off the strategy so until then, I will be writing about what I am learning. I'd love for you to follow along on the journey with me.

First things first ... my thoughts on church planting have a bunch of influences. As I write, I'm sure I will not adequately give credit where credit is due so I thought I'd take care of that up front. Here is a list of people - both famous and not so famous - who I have learned a great deal from.

Ken Lumley - He would likely be shocked to see his name here, but he was the first person who taught me to spend daily time with God and how to share my faith. He also introduced me by email several years ago to an author named Dallas Willard who has greatly influenced the way I think about God and His Kingdom.

Bob Anderson - He reinforced in me what it means to be fully committed to a God. He demonstrated for me that God is worthy of our complete trust. I would not be the same person today without Bob's influence.

Jeff Lewis - I heard a talk from this man while in college that revealed to me God's heart for the nations in a way that has impacted me ever since.

John Piper - His book - Let the Nations Be Glad - is an amazing look at the desire of God to see all peoples find joy in Him.

Erwin McManus - His book - An Unstoppable Force - is the vision of what a church movement could or should be. His writing and speaking have greatly influenced me.

Matthew Nance - My friend and coach. He taught me that nothing is too bold. I have never met anyone with more of a 'just do it' attitude. The Kingdom needs more of that! Most of us have a 'just sit on my rear and listen to the pastor talk' attitude.

YK - The author of T4T which you will here a lot about. He is a humble, unimpressive man on the outside who relatively silently, in his own part of the world, may be doing more than any other person to expand the Kingdom.

Bill S. - The person who introduced me to CPM, T4T, and other strategies that are working internationally. An incredibly passionate and no-nonsense man who I admire very much.

Countless IMB Friends - I can't possibly list all the people I have learned from during conferences, training, and conversations around a dinner table. There are truly great people at the IMB.

Neil Cole - The author of Organic Church. A true practitioner of multiplication church planting principles in the USA.

Dallas Willard - A philosopher and writer whose thoughts on the Kingdom of God have changed the way I think about Christianity.

David Garrison - The author of Church Planting Movements. A man who took time to research what God is doing around the world and write it down in an understandable and doable way. I will refer to his book a lot.

Floyd McClung - I have just recently met Floyd. I have heard him speak and visit his blog from time to time. He is living all of this stuff out in South Africa. He's a great teacher and the Kingdom is benefiting greatly from his work.

Schaun Colin - A man who simply loves. He loves God, loves kids, and loves serving. I've learned a lot about love, justice, and mercy from him.

Peter and Joshua - two great friends in China who I miss dearly and who I learned a lot from in my two years there.

Matt Adams - A man passionate about following Jesus within community. I learned a lot from him about leading small groups in a U.S. setting which although I didn't realize it at the time, translates beautifully into church planting in an international setting.