Ha, thought that headline might grab attention – I’m joyfully married, but I’m also being blessed this week at engage08. It’s being hosted by Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. We’re hearing from some amazing speakers, including:

• Kerry Shook, Pastor of Fellowship of the Woodlands outside Houston, Texas.
• David Jeremiah, Pastor of Shadow Mountain Church in San Diego.
• Jack Graham, Pastor of Prestonwood.
• Jonathan Falwell, Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia.
• Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Fellowship.

Anytime I’m at a conference like this, I like to pass along to you (at least for the sake of my own mental notations) what I’m learning. The problem is, with this conference, it’s inspiration overload. On this first day, I’ve learned these things (and will probably expand on them in future posts)…

From Dr. Jack Graham…

• Leadership is relationships. It’s about Lordship and stewardship too, but at the end of the day, we lead people, not organizations. So love and grow people.
• Great churches are always led by strong pastoral leaders.
• Strong pastoral leaders assume authority, they don’t ask for it, and then they lead with love.
• You can’t be over (in leadership) until you’ve learned to be under (Lordship of Christ).
• You should always be able to put your sermon into a sentence.

From Kerry Shook…

• Be real and authentic.
• Overcome the communication barriers of boredom, unfriendliness, and selfishness.
• If it reaches a person for Christ, it’s worth the investment of our creative talent.
• Twice per year, find a reason to call everyone – get the whole staff involved.
• Shoes. (more on this later)
• Hollywood conveys a worthless message with tremendous creativity and we convey God’s wonderful message with very little creativity sometimes, so let’s get creative.

From Dr. David Jeremiah…

• America is in chaos, so what do we do? We stay centered on Christ, connected to the church, consistent in our lives, calm in our spirits, and committed to the Word.
• People need a sure word from God.
• People need a serious word from God.
• People need a sensitive word from God.
• “Don’t be offended, I just preached it because it was next.”
• When we preach God’s Word faithfully, it is always “still warm from the mouth of God.”

Then, there was a bathroom moment… I mean, I was standing in the bathroom looking at the mirror, my mind reeling from everything I’d heard. In these moments, it can be almost frustrating to think that I’ll never be able to implement it all and that I may never lead tens of thousands like these great men of God, but God whispered in my ear, “Brandon, I’m still teaching you…” I realized I’m still in training and have so much to learn.

To sum it up, Jack Graham inspired me to lead well. Kerry Shook inspired me to be creative. And David Jeremiah inspired me to preach well and stick faithfully to God’s eternal Word.

I praise God for this time of growth! More tomorrow, if I have the time.