Evening Download

Today I made my way up to check out the staff of NCC and Pastor Mark Batterson.

A few quick thoughts:

- Everything from Va Beach to D.C. was flooded today.
- I love seeing new places and visiting old ones but driving wears me out.
- It took me 90 minutes to go 25 miles this morning from Odenton, MD to NCC.
- Note to self: "Don't park in front of a stop sign in Washington D.C. The police like writing tickets." Yeah. It would have been cheaper to walk in the rain.


Okay... On to NCC

- Tim Eleza was great leading up to my visit and I appreciate him taking time to make everything happen.
- Ebeneezers is a cool place to be in D.C.
- NCC has some of the coolest staff I've met
- NCC has some of the smartest staff I've met
- Mark was very kind and I appreciate his time and his ear. He gave some great cousel I hope to employ.


The Big Idea Meeting at NCC

The meeting I was in was a "Big Idea" meeting. It was a brainstorming of sorts. I won't get into much detail b/c it's stuff they are still kicking around but I did have some observations.

- A relaxed vibe among the team. During the nearly 2 hour meeting laughter was common. It was cool to see a team getting a job done and having a great time doing it.

- A casual approach to the meeting. I've been in a ton of meetings with tons of personalities. This "Big Idea" meeting was more of a brainstorming session and as such it was run very well. Mark and Joel gently guided thought but it definately came across that everyone's thoughts mattered. Some ideas were followed and others weren't. I liked how relaxed the meeting was lead. It gives permission for people to jump in and out. As a result it was very productive and creative.

- A respect for one another. The team at NCC are all very talented in their own right. I got the feeling that there is a very mature respect for each other. It reminded me of all-star sports teams from when I was a kid. You know everyone is great so you trust your teammates to make plays. Everyone is relaxed and just getting things done... not working for rank. I think this speaks well to Mark and his team for their focus. God can get glory on that team.

- Focus on the right place. The Big Idea meeting is all about communicating the Gospel in compelling ways. Mark didn't start from a cool idea and work to scripture (as I see far too often these days) but rather worked from the scripture he (and Joel) is meditating on out to the cool ideas. I personally believe this can make the most difference in how well a Spiritual point is made. You can be as creative as you want but if you start with a "cool element" and try to fluff it up with the bible... that's what you'll get. If you start with God's word however and then build creatively... you'll amplify the word, not overshadow it.


I want to thank Mark, Tim, Heather, Joel, Steph, David, Paul, Josh, Amanda, Jimmy and the rest of the crew for allowing me to join you today. I truly respect what you have done and are doing in the Kingdom. Keep up the great work!