A stamp printed in Great Britain shows image of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien circa 1998.

[this is part of the series “A.P.E. in the Movies” read the other post here]

In three weeks time, the first of a new trilogy based on JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit will be released in cinemas. If the film is anything like the book, then it will be a great movie to go see with an emerging leader you might be mentoring.

In the first chapter of the book, Bilbo Baggins is relaxing at his home and blowing smoke rings as he enjoys his pipe. He is completely unprepared for the arrival of the wizard Gandalf:

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On our InterVarsity Divisional Leadership Team we have been doing something very powerful.

The last few times we have met we have asked a leader to come prepared with a scenario in their ministry that they want to let the other people on the team speak into and give them advice about.

This might seem simple, but it has been so powerful!

Today was my turn to go and I presented a case study about Greek Ministry in LA and how I am doing with hitting my goals. I am in charge of starting new ministries to Greek students on 17 campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. It is a giant planting mission and we have some great stuff going on two campuses and a couple of others emerging after just a few months. There are a couple of complexities bubbling up and some decisions to make about how I should use my time best.

So I presented the scenario to the team and they broke into twos and talked about and messed with my plan for 15min. Then we gathered back and team by team they offered me up their thoughts.

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How do you feel about surprises?

Some people love them others hate them.

I am growing to love them and I think that is an important thing for planting.

One of the major things God has been teaching me and showing me over the last few months as I start this work in Los Angeles is to embrace surprise and learn to expect it. Planting has so many ups and downs, so many unknowns, that if we don’t live with a welcoming heart towards surprise, we just can’t make it.

We have to have the faith and expectation that God will surprise us with great results and new opportunities.

We have to have the faith and expectation that God is still good and in control when things crash, change, or fall apart.

Planting new works of God means many surprises…some good, and others bad.

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That was a fun contest and great to hear the responses about what people are shaping with Jesus! I really was impressed with how you all are pusuing God and letting him use you around the world.

I really felt a strong burden to pray for you as I read the comments and I also felt a strong excitement about this A.P.E. community and what God is doing!

I felt very grateful for this blog space and that you all have taken the time to comment and let us into your world!

This really is shaping up to be an online community and that was one of our dreams in starting “Release the A.P.E.”

It has been very exciting and motivating to read these dreams.

The Winners

Hey Everyone!

I am starting a new thing on this blog where I will pick different Fridays to give away some free stuff!

Alan Hirsch and I were at a conference the other week together and he generously gave me a box full of books!

So I am going to share some of that wealth with you and give away two free books today!

“The Shaping of Things to Come” by Alan Hirsch & Michael Frost

I have not read this book myself so I cannot really comment on it. But I know it is about mission and imagination for the future of our church. I cannot wait to read it myself.

Here is how you can enter…

• Tell us in the comments what kind of thing you are trying to shape!
  • what is a dream or vision you are working on to bring the world to a better place in Christ’s name?
    • give us the 2-3 sentence version 🙂
• Tweet this post for a +1 entry
• share the Facebook Post on our page on your timeline +1 entry

Today I was coaching the staff on my team planting Greek ministry at UCLA. His name is Nick Kwok and he is a great leader with a desire to see God move big time in the Greek system on campus.

But he is also a new planter and is learning on the job how you create, with God, ministry from scratch. Like I have all people under my leadership do, Nick is reading through “Exponential” by Dave and Jon Ferguson and we are talking about what it looks like to develop leaders inside of a movement. How do we reproduce ourselves and others under us?

Well today, he came to me with conviction and said,

“I don’t think I am doing anything that Dave says a leader should do.”

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This guy has no problem at all!

[This is part of the A.P.E. Pitfalls series. Check out the other posts here.]

Athletes, who work out and lift hard, always take rest seriously.

Why?

Because any serious athlete will tell you that it is actually the rest days that help the muscles grow more. Lifting weights helps of course, but the days off when you are sleeping, eating right, and resting the muscles is what gives space for the muscles and body to grow.

WOW!

As an athlete (yes golf is a sport and I did play it in college) this analogy spoke to me.

How am I as a Christian minister and child of God taking regular rest days to let my spiritual muscles grow?

This started to bother me.

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