Mo's Advice

Yesterday I got choked up at our TSC leader's meeting. We said good-bye to a few staff people, who gave their farewell advice to our leaders. Mike Mogard's ("Mo" as we call him) was so money, I had to post it. He did it in the form of a top ten...

 10.  If you want to get close to someone, go on a trip and have an experience where the main activity is laughing.

9.  There is a glorious fire coming...so stop every once in a while to make sure you are building with gold and not straw.

8.  The amount of fun you have has everything to do with who you're with and little to do with what your doing.  Spend your life accordingly.

7.  With that said, some of the best leaders meetings/connection groups involve brightly colored discs and metal baskets (disc golf).

6.  If you find yourself ministering to someone and you realize you don't truly care for that person, think back to the beginning of the conversation, and realize... it was at that point where that person realized you didn't care.

5.  Before you tell someone they are dead in sins and separated from God and deserve judgement, ask yourself why your life hasn't already brought them that revelation.

4.  If you lift weights to the point where the circumference of your neck and waist are the same, it is time to stop lifting. (Below: I took a picture of myself and cropped in Mo's head. It's amazing what can be done with technology)

3.  A short parable.  A man came along who lived by the principles of God and couldn't decide whether he should feed the hungry, heal the blind, or preach the Gospel.  He chose to preach the Gospel because it seemed more important.  Then a man came who lived in the presence of God.  When faced with the same decision, he asked God.  The man decided to heal a blind man. The healed blind man then gave his testimony to the king.  After the king heard the blind man's testimony, he believed and threw a celebration and fed all of the hungry in the city.  Live out of the presence. 

2.  If people don't show up at an info meeting because Mo is scary, its time to unfold the arms and smile more. 

1.  If you ever stand to give a word in front of a group of people who have impacted your life in such a profound way that you know you could never repay them, just tell them thanks.  Thank you for everything.