Getting Out Of The Box, On the Edge, and Going Big

So often we toss around these axioms that really have no meaning. I find this mentality most often within church cultures, business cultures, or creative cultures.

Here are 3 examples:

• “Out of the box”. You can not be out of the box, if you can not define the actual box. And according to whom does said box apply? If everyone is out of the box, would not being in the box actually allow one to be totally different than the “new norm”?
• “Go Big or Go Home”. Jay and I talk about this mentality all the time. Usually this is type of phrase is followed by a lot of ego and a lack of execution. History proves it is better to start small, grow systematically, creatively, and intentionally and sustain over a long period of time. Usually the Go Big folks end up Going Broke, thus Going Home and never have the impact they intended, if they thought that far ahead.
• “Cutting Edge”. Where is the edge? How far “out on the edge” do we have to get. Would it not be more important to leave a solid, powerful impact in the lives of those in our community, regardless of how cutting or edge they are? Purpose and process mean way more than cutting an edge.

Be less worried about what all the cool churches or people are doing. Stop trying so hard to be something you are not. Define who you are, what your mission is, and who you are called to reach. Find out what the people around you need, what will make the strongest impact in their lives, and deliver that to them. Discover the language of your community and learn to speak that language fluently.

If doing those thing end up being considered creative, cool, “out of the box”, “cutting edge” and “big” great. If not, WHO CARES.

Results are what matters. In ministry, business, and life. Create an impact. Leave and impact. Do the thing that YOU are called to do, and do it better than anyone else. What works for Him, Her, or Them may not be the best thing for you. God has a plan. He designed you for this and he wants you to go out there and do what he created you to do…You will succeed and you will have impact.

The most creative, cool, awesome thing you can do is be original. Be who you are. Be authentic and allow God to use that realness to change the lives of the people you meet everyday. That’s out of the box.