That’s the whole concept of being a servant leader. You lead with the understanding that you’re going to serve somebody else with your leadership skills. And then the transformation comes easy. Now you enjoy your job.

You’re not just going through the motions. You’re not just saying, “Well, I’m making tons of money, so I guess I’ll keep doing it.”  That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. It’s not necessary to live that way!  Ask yourself, why do you do your job? If your only reason is that you make a lot of money doing it, then I don’t understand. I mean, making a lot of money is great. That’s great! But are you going home, looking at yourself in the mirror, and feeling miserable? There’s no point in that.

In March 2012, Headwaters Natural Products will launch a bottled tea that will protect the Amazon and fight human trafficking.

Check out those people that enjoy their jobs because they’re helping. Think about it. They go home fulfilled. As a result, they’re better husbands and wives. They’re better parents. They’re better in their families. All because they’re fulfilled in their jobs. All because they’re not just working to make ends meet. They’re not just working to make tons of money. They’re doing that, sure, but they’re also working because it helps other people.

Here’s the consequence of servant leadership: your soul literally is healed. Your soul is healed simply through helping other people. You feel better as a person. You know exactly why you walk this earth. There’s a reason for you to be here, and you feel like you’re fulfilling your mission. You feel a sense of accomplishment. It’s addicting!

We’re starting to figure it out. Now we are developing companies that are committed to a cause, and we’re finding out that when we do, people want to buy our products. We’re founding companies, producing goods and services, and creating jobs, for the purpose of service.

This isn’t driven by greed. It’s driven by serving-oriented people. You’re starting to see a new generation of people who are saying, “We’re tired of just making money for ourselves. We’re tired of all these things. You know what? I’ve got a gift. I’ve got a gift of marketing, or I’ve got a gift of invention. I’ve been given a mind that can design a product, or a concept, or an idea. I take pleasure in that, personal pleasure, and I take pride in it. I even make a living doing it. But above all, I know that it’s going to help somebody else, and this is why I want to continue doing it.”

You see, it’s addicting. What happens once you get past the whole do-it-for-yourself mentality? What happens when you start a business or take on a job simply because you’re helping somebody else? What happens when you do this, and your concept works? You want to continue to do it! Try it out. Leave a comment and share your experiences. And see you Wednesday.

Last time I said that Jesus Himself would work to distribute the One World Futbol, because it’s unpoppable. Why would I say that?

When you visit a poverty-stricken community, the first thing you notice is also the most obvious thing. They can’t afford anything. In many parts of the world, people have grown so poor that they really can’t even afford to eat. Their voices are silent.

How we can help them? Whatever we decide to do, the results need to be sustainable.

Jesus’ whole concept was sustainment. Think about when Jesus was at the well with the Samaritan woman. He told her, “I’ve got water that will allow you to never thirst again.” This was incredible news to the Samaritan woman. She couldn’t believe that she would never thirst again! Sustainment is such a novel concept to someone who is thirsty all the time. But you look at that story, and you see how Jesus thinks.

Perfect Joy

I think Jesus sees a group of poor kids and says, “I’m tired of watching them wrap up trash bags into little balls and kick them around. I want to give them something that’s going to last. If they drink of the water I give them, they will never thirst.” So I think one of the things He’d give them is a soccer ball.

If you give poor children a soccer ball that pops in two days, they’ll continue to thirst for a toy. They can’t place a quick order by phone or pop down to the store for a replacement.

So you give them an indestructible soccer ball. That way they don’t have to keep re-wrapping trash bags just so they’ll have a toy. They don’t have to try to make something they need that’s just not there. The One World Futbol is always going to be around. No matter what you do to it, it holds its form. The only way you can destroy it is to tear it up.

Obviously a soccer ball is not going to ever take the place of Jesus, but it’s sustainment. It’s a ball that children can play with for a long, long time. It provides them with a consistent, long-lasting ability to dream. This is sustainment.

Imagine giving children something better than a trash bag to play with. Imagine being the first person to introduce them to a One World Futbol. You wouldn’t have to explain it to them. You could just show them. Imagine it! You bring them a ball, and you kick it into barbed wire, or you take a knife and slash it right in front of them. They’ll expect it to pop. Instead, it holds its form. They can still play with it. They will be so excited, you know?

And the amazement on their faces, man, it just feels so good! You and I see this soccer ball and we say, “Oh, that’s cool!” But for these kids, it’s not that plain and simple. For these kids, it’s something mind-boggling. They feel so much joy and so much peace because someone cared enough to give them a ball that will never pop.

I’m just in awe that there are people in our communities thinking about things like that. And I think that’s what Jesus would support. If He saw a group of people that invented an indestructible soccer ball strictly because they wanted to help poor children have fun, then He would be involved. So that’s why I’m involved. Because sustainment is Good News!  See you Saturday.

You’ve probably seen pictures of kids in refugee camps or slums receiving soccer balls as gifts. But what happens when the balls pop? Those children don’t have lush soccer fields to play on. They play right in the road. What happens when they kick the ball into a barbed-wire fence? Or into some thorn bushes? Even if they avoid those scenarios, the ball skids over the rocks in the road. Eventually it tears a hole and pops, or a stray dog gets hold of it and bites through it.

The One World Futbol is immune to all that damage. You can kick it into a barbed-wire fence and go right on playing. I saw someone slash right through the middle of one with a knife and it still held its form. They tested it by giving one to a German shepherd for a year and the dog couldn’t pop it. I gave one to my dog, and she gave up trying because she just couldn’t do it. And then I drove over it in my truck! It popped right back up and filled with air again.

Check out how happy this little girl is! Her school in Cameroun has just received its One World Futbol. It's a ball that can't pop!

What could possibly destroy this ball? Nothing! The only way to destroy it is to tear it into a bunch of pieces, which kids wouldn’t do. It’s amazing!

It won’t always be perfectly round. It’s pretty much round, but it can get a little off. The ball I have is a little bit more off than usual because I drove over it in my truck.

But you know nothing’s going to be perfect in this scenario. You see kids wrap trash bags up into a ball and kick that around. That’s their concept of a soccer ball. Who needs perfection? Give a ball to kids in poorer areas, within the US or abroad, and help them play. It gets their minds ticking. It gets their competitive juices flowing. They learn to have fun again.

And I think that reestablishes their ability to dream. I think all dreams start when you’re small, and a lot of the kids we help have been trafficked. Their dreams are killed, or they’re emotionally just destroyed from the trafficking issues. So creating the opportunity to help them play is awesome. They learn to have fun, rather than living in fear. Play can reestablish the creative side of the minds of these kids that were trafficked.

I think that is what Jesus would do. When He was here, when He walked the earth, I think He would have tried to figure out how to get these soccer balls into kids’ hands. Because they don’t pop.

Yes, I said it! Jesus Himself would work to distribute these balls.  He would love them because they don’t pop. Want to know more about that? See you next week.

And I really don’t want my sons to grow up thinking that life is all about money.

I don’t want to raise them to think that success is something we achieve only for our own sakes. I just don’t want them thinking that way.

I want my sons to be financially successful. Of course I do! But I also want them to know that financial success is not the point of life. You know what I say about money? Go ahead and make a ton of money, if that’s what you really want to do. Sure! Great! Just remember that you’re not going to find a ton of joy in it.

St. Francis was said to be so humble that he could preach to the animals and they would listen.

I understand if you want financial success and to live a life of great material wealth. I understand if you want to have tons of money. I don’t think that those are bad goals to have. But my question to you is, why do you want all that money?

Remember, money is not necessarily the best thing. You will see a lot of wealthy people that are not very happy. And they always need more money. They just don’t understand why they have it. So you need to understand what it’s for.

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18

The Bible says God has given us the ability to gain wealth in order to to establish His covenant. That’s part of bringing the Kingdom to earth. That is His goal for us, His goal for financial success.

I also want my sons to know that there are things you can learn by not having anything. Listen to what Paul wrote to the Philippians:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

Like Paul says, I’ve had it all, and I’ve lived in need. I’ve been poor, and I’ve been rich. And in all things I’ve learned that it’s all about Jesus. He’s the fulfillment of everything.

Listen, you can have all the material wealth in the world, and still have nothing. And then you can be like St. Francis of Assisi, who lived a life of poverty. He probably would tell you he had everything. You can even be like the people that had tons and tons and tons of money, and they were happy because they lived a life of Jesus. They gave the money they had to build the Kingdom. They were happy because they understood why they made money.

This is the mentality that I want my kids to have their whole lives. It’s not about how much money you make. It’s about what you do with the gifts you’ve been given. Whatever gifts you’ve been given, whatever areas in which you excel, however it is that you enjoy success, live the lifestyle of Jesus.

Have you heard about One World Futbol? See you Tuesday!

I’ll tell you what living like Jesus is not about. It’s not about health, wealth, and prosperity. These are things that God chooses to bless us with as he sees fit. Whether you are blessed with them or not, you can still be fulfilled through the discipleship lifestyle.

Living like Jesus is also not about your best life now. Not all the time. I know sometimes Christians say that once you’re saved, everything’s going to be hunky dory. But that’s a tactic they use to get you saved. And it works! People hear that, and they get saved. They think they’re going to become rich!

And when they don’t become rich, they say there is no God.

We get into this salvation mentality. We think we just have to get people saved, and we’re done. I truly don’t believe that’s where it ends. I truly, truly, truly believe that salvation is just the beginning of a discipleship lifestyle that we live. It’s living out an understanding of what the Gospel means.

What is the Good News? I mean, what is the Jesus Gospel? That you have to accept Christ or rot in hell? I’m sorry, but you’re seriously telling me that sounds like good news? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

The lifestyle of Jesus, the one He lived and taught us to live, is good news. The discipleship lifestyle is the Gospel. Salvation and justification are part of it. They are our beginning. But we’re called to live it.

You hear people ask, “Did Jesus speak the Gospel?” And some people will say He didn’t. They’ll say He couldn’t have. They’ll say the Gospel didn’t come until after Jesus died.

That’s a little mind-boggling to me! I mean, Jesus is the Gospel! Jesus is the good news! Whatever Jesus did was good news. He was IT! Of course He preached the Gospel, because He did it! But people don’t think like that.

That just shows me where we’re at. We’re stuck in this salvation mentality. We focus everything on Jesus’ death. We think we’re done being Christians when we acknowledge His death for our sins. But what about His life? How can we ignore that, when the Bible contains a detailed account of all the things He did and all the things He said, and all the instructions He gave to everyone who would be His disciple?

Sometimes I ask myself why I live the way I live. That’s it. That nails what I’m saying here. Why do I live the way I live? I don’t ask myself why I am the way I am. I know the answer. I’m saved. I’m justified by Christ. But I don’t assume that means I’m good. I’m not necessarily good. I’m not necessarily right. I’m not necessarily on the right path.

Do I mess up? Yes. Am I always good? No. Am I always on the right path? No. But when I get off on the wrong path, I ask the Spirit to lead me back. And I believe that the Spirit does, because I want the discipleship lifestyle. I want to be deeper, I want to go further, I want to be on His path. How do I know when I’m on His path? I’m fulfilled, I’m happy, I’m full of joy.

I have more to tell you about abundance and wealth. See you Friday.

Abundant life! What does that mean? Well, abundant life is a life that is not in need. You don’t need to find food, you have it. You don’t need to find water, you have it. You don’t need to find a place to live, you live somewhere. You don’t need to find a job, you have a job.

It doesn’t mean you have millions of dollars. I think abundance is having enough, plus some for somebody else. And if you have enough, and you have extra, then you live in abundance.

Consumerism can actually kill people. You can get caught up into buying more stuff for yourself, stuff you don’t even need, while there are people who will die if they don’t get your help.  That’s the situation we’re in.

I know people are going to tell me, “Well, Jeremy, you have trinkets.” It’s true! I have an iPad, an iPhone, and a laptop. I’ve got three things that get on the internet all at once. Maybe that’s excessive! But I also give to other things that are more important.

Clean water is abundant life. We saw the joy clean water brings when Generation Alive built a well in a Ugandan village.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have anything. But if you never even have a mindset to help someone in need? That’s shallow. I’m not saying that you should never buy anything for yourself. I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying that if our drive, our heart, our focus, is simply to make sure we have what we need, then we have the wrong heart. If we’re always saying, “I want this and I want that, and I know I could live without it but I’m going to get it and I’m going to get that too,” and we don’t have a thought for anybody else, then we have the wrong mindset.

An abundant lifestyle is so much more than having a lot of consumer goods. We think “abundance” and we see dollar signs. I think that’s America. But abundance can mean something really different in other parts of the world.

You could go somewhere else in the world and ask, “What does abundance mean to you?” And they’ll say, “You know when I have abundance? It’s when I’ve got a home. I don’t care if it’s a 600 square foot home. It’s a home. My family now doesn’t have to live on the streets. I’ve got that, my kids are going to school, I’ve got a job, we’ve got food on the table, I’ve got a fresh water well to get well water from, my kids aren’t dying of dysentery. That’s abundance. I know what it was like to not have these things, and so now that I have them? And my family’s safe? That’s abundance.”

We need to help make that happen. We’re ambassadors for Christ! He said He came so that we may have life and life abundantly. He gave us the message, He gave us the example, and He gave us that quality of life when He was on earth. These things didn’t leave with Him when He left. He gave them so that we’d live by them, and if we are to represent Him, we need to do a better job of bringing abundance to others.

I think we’re used to thinking in terms of numbers. It’s only human to play the numbers game. I mean, think about it. In the baseball world, or anywhere in sports, the concept is, “How many fans can we get in the seats?” After all, that’s where the business is. And so we see it in the churches. “How many butts can we get in the pews?” After all, there’s our tithe.

And you see that a lot, man! You see churches saying, “Fifty people got saved today!” Or, “One hundred people got saved today!” But being a Christian is a lifestyle that we live, not a decision that we make. It doesn’t end with being saved. That’s where it starts. We should be asking, “How are we going to get people to live a life of Jesus?” That’s the concept, because that is joy. That is true joy.

Too often someone will say they’re a Christian because at some point in their life they said, “Oh, I believe Jesus is Lord.” They made that decision at some moment in time. But how does it affect their lifestyle throughout the next 30, 50, or 70 years of life? It doesn’t. I think that’s why you see Christian marriages failing at the same rate that you see non-Christian marriages failing. Using this type of salvation theology, Christianity is not a lifestyle that people live. It’s just a decision they made.

Confessing that Jesus is Lord is not what makes you a Christian. No, no. Confessing that Jesus is Lord is what says that you’re saved. Yes, congratulations, you admitted that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins and rose again three days later. The resurrection is what empowers you. It gets you the salvation that you’re looking for. Justification by faith, great, that says you’re in the family of God. That means you’re justified. But justification by faith does not fulfill you.

The life of Jesus is a life of discipleship. A disciple of Jesus is someone that lives this life by living as Jesus lived. Scot McKnight expands on these exact same concepts in his latest book, The King Jesus Gospel. McKnight writes that if you end by confessing that Jesus is Lord, you’re not going to feel fulfilled in this life.

If being saved, justified by faith, was the whole of Christianity, then the world would be a completely different place. In the Psalms it says that the King’s throne is made up of justice and righteousness. If salvation is all that’s needed, then Christians would all live a life of justice and righteousness, by virtue of being saved. And we don’t do that very well. You can see that. Not all of us have that mentality.

If the life of a Christian began and ended with confessing that Jesus is Lord, then love and mercy and grace would be lived out through all Christians everywhere. Salvation alone would make us God’s instruments of love and of mercy and of grace. That decision we made to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior would be enough. We wouldn’t have to do anything else.

But we don’t love very easily. We don’t do that. We don’t show much mercy. In fact, McKnight talked to a number of non-Christians and found that they’ll tell you sometimes Christians are the meanest people they’ve ever met!

So it can’t just be justification and salvation that makes us different. I believe it is a Spirit-led lifestyle. If you feel empty, like you can’t accomplish something in life, it’s because you don’t understand why you’re here. I believe it is the lifestyle of Jesus that helps us understand. See you Friday.

It’s not necessarily that Jesus died on the cross, although if you don’t get that concept, that’s part of the injustice. But I think the greatest injustice is simply to not know Jesus. And I think the church, in some ways, has tainted our view of Jesus.

When you live like Jesus lived, will you make mistakes? Yes, you will! The mystery of God is the church, but the church is part of man. We’re not perfect. We fail, sometimes a lot.

Jesus had turmoil around Him all the time. People tried to kill Him all the time. And yet, even hanging on a cross, He looked over at a guy and said, “Today you’ll be with me in paradise.” He understood what it was to love a human being. He knew the hearts of people and He said, “I love those hearts. And even though they’re bad at times, I still believe in them and I’m going to love on them enough to where they’ll change.”

I think Jesus looks at us now and says, “Look. I’ve redeemed sin on the cross. I’ve taken sin away. However, you’re still going to make mistakes.”

My sons make mistakes. They make them all the time! But they still feel loved. And while they live in my home, they will feel safe. I fear that a lot of people don’t feel safe in their own homes. I think that’s why they don’t understand their purpose in life. Even in their own homes, they don’t feel safe. Living the life of Jesus can change that. There is freedom in Christ Jesus. There’s no condemnation in the life of Jesus.

I believe that is why the Word says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I know we put that phrase on our hats. We tattoo it on our arms. You see that a lot with athletes. They rely on the strength it delivers. But it means so much more than mere strength. It’s not simply, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me physical strength. That’s why I can be a professional athlete.” No, no. It’s a lot more than that. You can do all things in Christ because you live His lifestyle.

And if you truly lead that lifestyle, you’re strong in all areas. I walk in the lifestyle of Jesus. Things are not always going to go right, but I’m confident that I’m always going to be able to deal with problems. I’m always going to be able to overcome obstacles. And it’s because of who I am in Jesus. In His family, I’m always safe. Even when bad things happen, Jesus is always going to love me. He’s always going to help me, He’s always going to encourage me to move on, and I’m going to press on. I’m not going to look back. I’m going to look ahead.

Jesus says, “You might experience trials and tribulations, but you belong to my family. Will things go wrong? Yeah sure, things will go wrong on earth. But because you’re in my family, you will still feel safe. You will still feel joy. You will still feel empowered. When trials come, you can meet them.”

See you Tuesday. Happy New Year!

I believe that there is something after I die. While I live on this earth, I live because of Christ. When I die, I gain the Kingdom. I gain heaven. I gain a new relationship with God that I don’t have here on earth.

But until that happens? I truly believe what Jesus said when He taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I believe we’re supposed to bring the Kingdom to earth. I live under that understanding. While I’m here, I’m an ambassador who is supposed to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. And I believe that I can help do that. I believe that the Spirit of God helps lead you into areas where you can help. The Spirit will lead you, that is, if you’re living a lifestyle of Jesus.

That’s what the disciples did. They lived the lifestyle of Jesus. Jesus foretold it. He told the disciples, “Greater things will you do after I leave, because you will be empowered by the Spirit.” And after Jesus was gone, they did.

Author Scot McKnight has had a huge impact on how I think about discipleship.

The proof is in the persecution they suffered. I mean, no one dies for a decision. There’s no way you can tell me the disciples were hung upside down on crosses, were martyred, jailed, stoned, and beaten, simply because they were trying to get people to say they accepted Christ. For the disciples, conversion wasn’t just a matter of saying that Jesus is Lord. If that’s all we had to do, there’s no way anyone would die for it.

No, you accept that Jesus is Lord and then you live a life of Jesus. That’s what the disciples did. They not only accepted Christ as Lord, they lived like Jesus lived. They lived in a relationship. They lived with a discipleship mentality. They walked the walk, and they died for that. They died for the way of life. True life. They died with an understanding that when they accepted Christ as Lord, when they believed that He was the Savior, life did not stop there.

What was that life? It was the “love your neighbor as yourself” mentality. These guys wanted to make sure that they brought the Kingdom to earth. They wanted to live like Jesus lived. They wanted to love people like Jesus loved people. That’s what they died for. They died for the lifestyle that they knew was the right. And to me, if I’m going to die for something, I’m dying for something that I know is right.

I think the disciples knew true life. Paul said, “Take joy in trials and tribulations.” How are you going to take joy in trials and tribulations? Who does that? But they didn’t find their joy in the physical aspects of life. Life for the disciples wasn’t hunky dory on the outside. It wasn’t that they were joyful because they never had anything bad happen to them. They always had something bad happening to them! Their life was never turmoil-free. There was a lot of stuff that went down.

So why did they challenge people to live a life of Jesus when they knew they would die for it? Because it was fulfilling. They had true joy. They had happiness. They said, “Things may go wrong around me, but I know where my joy is and it’s in my Savior. I know what it’s like to love people.”

And I believe that’s the way to live. The way to live true life. See you Friday.

But if you think about it, we all have our Christmas routines. We go to Christmas Eve services, we light candles, and we sing carols. We sing all of our “Mary Did You Knows,” and our “Joy to the Worlds.” And we have manger scenes and all that stuff. I think it’s all good. It’s all real and part of the spiritual message and part of church history.

But seriously, why do we do all this? Why do we have manger scenes? Is a manger scene just something you put in your yard or on your stage when you do your Christmas Eve production? Or do you really think about what it means? Do we really understand the message?

We’re singing “Joy to the World,” but what’s the joy here? That Jesus came and then He died? Perhaps you believe that the Gospel happened after Jesus died because His death was the means of our salvation. Well, that’s part of the Gospel, but there’s more to the Good News than that. Jesus wasn’t born just to die, you know. The Gospel started with His birth on December 25th – if that’s the actual date – and we’re still living it. That’s Good News too. That’s Gospel truth! That’s joy that the world needs to know.

As I’ve been stewing on this concept of the life of Jesus, or the life of discipleship, I’m starting to see the Christmas message in a whole new light. Christmas day – the day the Good News was born into the world, is the day He started discipling people. Christmas is the day our new lifestyle started. At last, we understood the concept of life.

This understanding is true joy! We proclaim “Joy to the World” because now we understand why we have life. This was a significant moment in history when redemption began to leave its mark. Christmas is when it all started. Christmas is when it all happened. Two thousand years ago, or a little more than that, the Gospel came into the world and gave us the good news that judgments have been taken away. The Gospel gave us the good news that this man Jesus came down from heaven to walk this earth.

And in so doing He answered all questions and fulfilled all thoughts. Now we have a reason to live. Now we know why we live. Now we know how to bring joy to people. Now we know how to love unconditionally. This is the joy we proclaim! I’ll sing “Joy to the World” this year, and it won’t be routine!

Merry Christmas! See you Tuesday.