Posts by Steve Peschke
There’s No Place Like Home
Don’t you love it when you get a chance to sit down with a old friend you haven’t seen in forever and you are easily able to pick up your relationship right from where you left off? Getting caught up on the happenings of life is fun but what’s really fulfilling is the connection — knowing someone and them knowing you. It’s then you realize that time and distance doesn’t change that. Recently I was writing an email and asked the…
That You May Tell
Love the exaltation of Psalm 48. You can’t help but sense that their deliverance is fresh and that in the face of impending doom their God not only protected them but also routed their enemy. It is the song of one who is on the backside of threat, trial and attack. But it is also significant that the song was not just a celebration of the now but also a powerful declaration to the generations that would follow – Great…
Multipliers
The following are some notes from The Global Leadership Summit (Willow Creek Association) presentation by Liz Wiseman taken from her book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. As leaders in Christ’s church we are stewards of those that Jesus calls to join our team including their talents, creative ideas, and passions. Liz says that leaders can either be a Diminisher or a Multiplier. The diminsher actually has a draining influence of those they lead. They shut down others…
How to Lose Your Best People
Patrick Lencioni shared a presentation at Willow Creek Association’s Global Leadership Summit from his book, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Business Parable. Lencioni’s focus was on employees but the principles he sets out also apply to volunteers. This makes the implications of these observations critical for church leaders and pastors. Patrick nailed three signs of a miserable job that destroy a work culture and lead to separation – Anonymity, Irrelevance and Immeasurement. Anonymity Lencioni – People cannot…
Come Check Us Out
While reading Psalms 66 I was reminded of the interplay between the purposes of our public gatherings and the invitations that we extend to our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to come and check us out. We recognize that our public services will be one of the front doors of NineSevenZero Church and that each gathering must be planned and designed with those we haven’t met yet in mind. Anticipating and preparing for guests in our public gatherings will give…
Lessons from the Vineyard
The Grand Valley of Colorado is known agriculturally for the quality of the fruit that it’s orchards and vineyards produce. The unique sediment soil, abundant sun light, protection by the massive Mesa and Book Cliffs mountains, and the life giving flow of the Colorado River make this desert fertile and productive. Recently while walking down the rows of vines, I was reminded of the parable Jesus told his disciples in John chapter 15 and some of the faith-life lessons that come…
This Is NOT What I Expected
Have you ever come to a point in a job, a relationship, your marriage, with your children, your first semester or planting a church when you wake up one day and say, “This is NOT what I expected?” This must have been how the disciples felt at their last celebration of Passover with Jesus. They were convinced that He was the Messiah and would soon be crowned King. They had been talking among themselves for weeks about their place in…
Only Now at the End
There’s not much good about growing old except the advantage of historical perspective. Some people call it wisdom but most of the time it’s just that we know a bunch of stuff that doesn’t work (because we’ve tried and failed). However, the longer I walk with the Lord the easier it becomes to believe and trust. Not because the challenges are less but rather that God has proven himself faithful in the past and sufficient for my need. I love…
The Greatest Miracle of Azusa
The Azusa Street Revival that began on April 9, 1906 is considered by most church historians to be the genesis of the modern-day Pentecostal movement. Life magazine and the USA Today have listed the Azusa Street Revival as being one of the top 100 nation impacting events of the 20th century. The Azusa Street Revival unleashed Christianity’s “next wave” growing to over 500 million adherents world-wide. What happened at Azusa Street during the first three years was to change the…
The Heart of the Shepherd
I love Luke chapter 15 where Jesus tells three parables that are incredible windows into the heart of God and His mission to the world. Three stories about something valuable that was lost and the depth of the effort that went into its recovery. There was a woman who lost a coin, a father who lost a son, and a shepherd who lost a sheep. But while reading this passage recently my attention was drawn to the fact that the shepherd…
Prayer Partner Update – 04/22/2013
NineSevenZero Church Prayer Partner Update – 4/22/2013 Thank you again for being willing to intercede on behalf of the planting of NineSevenZero Church, the team members and their families. No team member or partner is more important than you. Planting a new church is a frontal assault on the gates of Hell and Satan does not give up ground without a fight. We know that these battles can only be won through prayer, fasting and courageous faith and that we are unable…
That the World May Know (part 2)
I love how Jesus cuts through all the pretense and “wisdom” of men and exposes the heart of the matter with powerful simplicity. When confronted by the Pharisees and the scribes, He reduced all the law and the prophets to two incredibly clear and succinct statements (Matthew 22:37–39); You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You…