Steven Furtick and the crew at Elevation Church have hit another home run. I’ve been dreaming of an 80′s series for years. Steven’s team actually had the guts to pull it off. Very clever way to communicate the vision of the church. Check out the Steven’s explanation, but make sure you click and watch the video trailer. Makes me want to figure out what I did with that pair of parachute pants.

We had a wild experience at NewSpring last night. Over 1,300 middle school and high school students showed up for Pulse 07. There was a DJ, Lee and the band, the chaplain from the USC football team and iGive-a-ways. After the message, we saw over 270 students accept Christ last night. Alden and Brad helped spearhead an incredible, life-changing event for students. Here are some pix from last night.

So far, 66 churches have been nominated to be one of "America’s Most Innovative Churches" by Outreach magazine. It’s not too late to nominate a church. But hurry. I’ll be sending this list to the panel who will be compiling the final list right after Labor Day.

What are the churches we haven’t heard about? What are the churches that we have heard about that should be listed?

Here are my thoughts and highlights from Zephaniah as I continue my journey through the Bible:

• "Seek God’s right ways. Seek a quiet and disciplined life."
• God has set a precedence for dealing with "arrogant leaders." They’re not his favorite.
• We accept that God is love, but we tend to forget he’s also just. "God remains righteous in her midst, untouched by the evil. He stays at it, day after day, meting out justice. At evening he’s still at it, strong as ever."
• God is present among us. "He’ll calm you with his love."

I’m looking for excuses to get to these cities in the U.S. Though I’ve traveled a good bit (a lot of it by minivan), these are places I’ve never visited. Here they are in order of preference.

1. New York, NY — This is my top priority. I’m hoping to get the kids to Yankee stadium next summer before they move into the new ballpark.
2. Honolulu, HI — Emily and I almost pulled the trigger a couple of years ago, but we decided to wait. I’ve actually spent a few hours in the Honolulu airport, but that really doesn’t count.
3. Miami, FL — We’ve been up and down the Gulf coast, but we’ve never made it to South Beach.
4. Seattle, WA — I know it’s cool and rains a lot, but I hear they have great coffee. Now that Emily and I are hooked on Grey’s Anatomy, we have to go.
5. San Antonio, TX — At least one time, I need to take my wife to the Emily Morgan Hotel.
6. New Orleans, LA — It’s hard to believe I haven’t had the opportunity to see the French Quarter.
7. Portland, OR — It’s just an excuse to get close to the Pacific coast in Oregon which I understand is gorgeous.
8. Salt Lake City, UT — People have said that it’s one of the most beautiful places in the country.
9. Philadelphia, PA — I’ve always wanted to visit Independence Hall.
10. Anchorage, AK — I hate the cold weather, but I’m intrigued by an Alaskan cruise.

Perry brought his copy of Outreach magazine down to me this afternoon and pointed out that my name is in it. I’ve circled it in red. Yes, it’s in the fine print, but I am speaking at the National Outreach Convention in November.

I’ll be a part of a general session panel with author and researcher Ed Stetzer, Michael Lindsay, professor of sociology at Rice University, David Gibbons (who I’ve always wanted to meet) from NewSong Church in Irvine, CA and Kem Meyer, my good friend from Granger.

Yes, if you’re doing the math at home, I realize that I have the smallest IQ on the panel. Please don’t rub it in.

Hope to see you in San Diego in November.

I’ve had some conversations in recent days that have reminded me…

• Vision is easy when you launch.
• Vision is what distinguishes one organization from the next. Both may be great organizations. They just have unique visions.
• If you grow, eventually, someone will try to shift the vision in a different direction. That’s a guarantee.
• People need to be reminded frequently of what the vision is and where you’re going next.
• Sometimes you have to confront people and their agenda when it’s not in line with the vision. Doesn’t necessarily mean their agenda is wrong. Just means it’s not your vision.
• Sometimes you have to ask a leader to step down if they can’t fully support the vision. Doesn’t mean they’re not a good leader. Just means they’re not your leader.
• Vision challenges can rock smaller organizations and go almost unnoticed in larger organizations.
• There’s more vision stability in a larger organization, but also more opportunity for complacency.
• The vision needs to be big enough to capture the hearts of leaders.
• The vision rarely changes, but the immediate objectives for accomplishing the vision must constantly be defined.
• The top positional leader has to be the loudest voice and the most passionate champion for the vision. That role can’t be delegated.
• Vision unifies.

What would you add to the list?

Here are my thoughts and highlights from Habakkuk as I continue my journey through the Bible:

• "What’s God going to say to my questions?" Isn’t it kind of reassuring to know even people in Bible days had questions for God?
• "This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming next." There are times when God reveals a vision for what’s coming next. He directs certain people to share that vision with others.
• My timing is not always God’s timing. "If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time."
• "But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive." That’s the kind of life I want to live.
• "I’m singing joyful praise to God. I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength." I’m really not all that hip on the gymnastics for Jesus movement. I can’t even do a round off.

It’s been several days since I just downloaded what I’ve recently discovered or thought about. Try this list.

• "Not innovating is more dangerous than innovating. The opposite of
  innovation is not death; it’s mediocrity. In fact, death–or a
  near-death experience–might be a better outcome than mediocrity
  because people are forced to rebuild or move on. By contrast, people
  can cling to mediocrity indefinitely." Quote from Guy Kawasaki in a recent interview with the Willow Creek Association.
• I took Emily and the kids to Charleston for the first time this past weekend. We spent a couple days on the nearby beaches and ate a couple great meals in downtown Charleston. My highlight, though, was seeing the "The Avenue of Oaks" at Boone Hall Plantation. Majestic!
• My NewSpring teammate, Joe, got to meet Dave Ramsey last week. I wonder which one of them picked up the tab for lunch.
• In case you missed it, Mark Batterson’s Lion Chaser’s manifesto is worth a read and reflection.
• Perry gets "naked." Now that’s scary.
• Jacob and I are ready for fantasy football season to start. We’ve got a few secret weapons in mind for this year’s team.
• I’m looking back at my recent content and thinking I need more "top ten" lists and more comedic relief. I’ll try to take care of both.
• My friend, Mark Waltz, is a magazine cover boy this month for Outreach magazine. Here’s an excerpt of the cover article.
• Speaking of Outreach, I have a secret concerning this event. It’s still a secret.
• And, finally, I have a little blog contest planned for the future. Yes, you’ll be able to participate. I’m just waiting for the right time to unveil it. I think it might become an annual tradition. Hmmmm… What’s a blogger to do? So many things to blog about. So little time to blog.