The Hillsong Experience & Daddy Daughter Workday #ThoughtsFromTerry
Happy Friday!
Back in the States, jet lag is behind me, and that’s a good thing. Monday was a rough day. Sunday night my body decided to switch back to Sydney time, and I slept approximately two hours total. Yea, that wasn't fun. Nevertheless, all is back to normal now!
Tuesday was such a fun day. Reese came to work with me, primarily to learn more about interior design. She has taken an interest and liking to interior design learning through YouTube, blogs, etc., so I wanted to encourage and assist with her growing passion. I asked Amanda, a coworker at the office who I knew was an interior designer before joining the Life.Church staff, if she would meet with Reese and she quickly volunteered. Reese had a blast, learned a lot from Amanda, and has some new areas of focus as she grows and develops her skills. So proud of that kid! We also had Chick-fil-a for lunch, and Braum's ice cream...winning!
The Hillsong Experience
As most of you know, Brian, Bobby and I traveled to Australia last week for the Hillsong Conference and some Bible Society meetings. The trip was full of activities, meetings, and events, so I was not able to unpack the trip in much detail. I don’t plan on a play by play storyline - however, I want to share about the Hillsong experience.
The Hillsong experience is the best language I can use to describe the culture and atmosphere around the church and the conference. Over the years we have developed solid relationships with many of the lead pastors and ministry leaders. I have personally visited Hillsong London, but I had never visited Hillsong’s home base in Australia, and never attended “conference.” Yes, they refer to the Hillsong Conference simply as “conference”, and with the quality level, I think it deserves to own the brand of “conference.”
When I think about Hillsong, here are the words that come to mind: worship, global, hospitality, warm, excitement, excellence, anticipation, faith, creative, audacious.
I am sure if I continue to think, more words will come to mind, but I believe that you get the gist. During Pastor Brian Houston's talk, he told a little of his story and the birth of Hillsong. Nearly 40 years ago, a vision was birthed inside him and his wife, Bobbie, for Hillsong. A small group gathered to start the church, and they crafted this vision statement four decades ago. The vision and mission statement existed when there were just a handful of people.
Hillsong Mission Statement
To reach and influence the world by building a large Christ-centered, Bible-based church, changing mindsets and empowering people to lead and impact in every sphere of life.
This alone encapsulates Hillsong - the audacious faith and belief that God was going to do something big in and through the church, and leading and living in expectation of the vision to come to life. Well, as we know, the vision has become a reality. However, that doesn't translate to any feeling of complacency or the stance that "we have arrived." The mission is still alive and driving the ministry forward at a rapid, blessed pace.
My Hillsong experience leaves me believing for more, reminding me that we live in a large, diverse, and interconnected world that needs Jesus desperately. It encourages me to keep praying, pushing, driving, creating and believing God can and will do infinitely more that I can hope, dream or imagine. I am left beyond thankful for Life.Church, and the blessing it is to serve and lead at this incredible church. Finally, the Hillsong experience reminds me how beautiful and diverse “The Church” really is, and reminds me again that we are stronger together! I am so thankful for Hillsong, Life.Church, and so many other churches who unite on common Kingdom values to reach people for Jesus.
So how about you? What, or who, is your Hillsong experience? What or who in your life pushes and stretches you to see differently? To think bigger and bolder? We all need it for our growth and development. #GetStretched
Books & Podcasts
I started two new books this week with Reese and Reia.
Next Generation Leader, by Andy Stanley
I am reading this with Reese. I read this a few years back with Reia, and it was outstanding. Reese might be a little young for it - but we are going to try it. I might call an audible after we discuss section one on Sunday. I am looking forward to this...it’s my first leadership type book study with Reese.
Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper
I am looking forward to reading this book for the first time with Reia. We just finished reading The 7 Habits of HIghly Effective Teens, and we both thought it was really good. I gave Reia options for this read, and she landed on this book. I really like Piper, and look forward to walking through this with her.
Scaling Product | Fireside with Joe Gebbia (AirBNB) and Reid Hoffman
I love learning from a big thinker who knows how to execute. For me, big ideas without the ability to pull it off don't appeal too much to me. Joe Gebbia, founder of AirBNB is a big idea guy who has pulled it off. This interview is a must watch! Points I loved included:
Do Things that Don't Scale
Move Fast!
Designing for the middle of the bell curve.
Design and Trust culture (how do you protect the core culture)
Hiring - find people who believe what you believe
Products & Services
Capital One 360 (TEEN) Money Checking Account
A year ago we needed to get Reia a debit card so she could start managing her spending and money. I think it’s essential to get kids engaged in fully understanding how money works in the real world. It’s a digital world; kids need to learn how to manage money digitally. After searching around, Capital One had the best option for teens, so Reia now has a checking account/debit card. She can deposit her checks, has a card to purchase things as she needs, and has a Life.Church account linked so she can tithe via text message when she receives her bi-weekly paychecks from the gym.
Strong app (Recommended by Ben Haan)
Ben recommended to me Strong a while ago, and I have loved it! I quickly signed up for Premium on iOS, and like it.
From Ben: Available on iOS, and recently Android, and helps me keep things organized and on time at the gym. You can create full routines or just do a workout and add things as you go along. The data it shows is pretty awesome too. As you record your sets, it will give you an idea of what your one rep max is, it gives you a breakdown of your progress on each exercise, and you can have it calculate warm up sets based on what your working weight is going to be.
It also has some nice convenience features like a plate calculator and a rest timer.
Recommended Weekend Reads
Development opportunities in the everyday
How do you spend your free time?
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Have a great week,
Terry