In order to notice what is happening with people we first notice what is happening with God. Jesus said it like this, “I only do what I see the Father doing” (John 5).
How do we build noticing into our lives?
First, S-L-O-W down. The lyrics of a 60s song put [...]

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In order to notice we need to become new kinds of people, the kind who pick up on the little things that most others don’t see, hear, feel.
Here’s how it works.
Jesus spoke of the “main thing” boiling down to this:
1. Love God with all our beings
2. Love [...]

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Human nature being such it is difficult to stay “on focus” for any length of time.
We all would rather take the easy way forward in the day to day of life and simply slug our way from place to place, person to person. But that is not the way progress is made… [...]

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Step Three:
Let your natural curiosity and ability to notice guide you.
In other words, if you approach connecting with people in a left-brained way, you will never succeed at this.
Those who are best - in fact, the only ones who really succeed at this are the ones who play this naturally. [...]

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Step Two:
Give up on your fear of people.
Start being a respecter of people in the best sense of the word.
Start introducing yourself to EVERYONE you run into.
It is simpler than you might think. “Hi, my name is Steve. What’s your?”
Then follow it up [...]

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Being a person of forwardness starts with simple caring. Being someone who loves people.
After being in ministry for over 25 years and being around pastors in training situations a LOT, I have an observation. A lot of us are burned out. We need a break, a vacation. We need [...]

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Confession Time:
Due to various influences in my life I am not a 100% naturally forward person.
Still today when I take a personality inventory I usually score somewhere in the middle between an Introvert and an Extrovert. My wife Janie is about finished with a Masters degree in the psychology of personality [...]

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I remember as a first grader, my prim and proper Swedish grandmother, who was on paper an American but internally never really got off “the boat.” If you have parents or grandparents like this who came from the Old Country you know of what I speak. That is, deep down they really do [...]

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This is just the barebones outline of a presentation I made recently to some D.Min. students.
1. Invite Jesus’ presence in a big way to your gatherings.  2. Invite the city to come to church.
A. lots of peopleB. on a large scaleC. all of the time
3.  Prepare your people for newcomers a bit in advance [...]

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If the church was a mission to the moon, and I was the commander of the mission, my call to Mission Central would be: "Oh God, we have a problem!" The problem is that when the vast majority of people think of the Church, or of a Christian, their thoughts are negative!
The Church in America [...]

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