Every one of us faces a temptation on a daily basis to focus on our immediate needs and desires instead of the long-term vision and mission that God has given us.

The problem with this temptation is that it feels incredibly justified!

I can't tell you how many times I hear from pastors that say, “Well I would invest in myself in my church but I just have too many things going on right now! “

“We just don't have the money to do something like that.”

“I don't have the team around me to support me.”

“We’re not big enough to do that.”

“Oh, that wouldn’t work in our city.”

On and on it goes.

Excuses that excuse you from success.

Without being mean… I’m gonna get real with you…

If you don't plant seed today you'll never enjoy the fruit tomorrow!

Think about it…

We teach the church about sowing and reaping and thinking long term but then we turn around and fail to use it.

Here’s the good news!

You can change!

Praise God…isn’t He good? He gives us the opportunity to immediately repent (change our mind) and start going a new direction!

And I think a whole lot of pastors/leaders need to do exactly that.

Repent of thinking short-term. Repent of thinking small. Repent of stinking thinking!

And start believing that if you SOW you will REAP.

I love the old quote from Casey Treat, “If what you have is not what you need…it’s not your harvest…it’s your seed!”

If you don’t LOVE the church you have right now then SOW it as seed so it becomes the harvest of the future.

This is the law of harvest.

If what I have in my life is not what I want or what I believe God has for me I don't hold onto it I seek to invest it or plant it until it matches the harvest I believe He’s promised.

Why settle in the land of stuck? Why settle in the land of frustration? Why settle on the other side of the promise?

C’mon I’m preaching now through this keyboard and I sure hope you’re sending me back an AMEN!

Why don’t we as pastors and leaders get back to living by faith and looking for places to sow finances, energy, and time?

Why don’t we seek out fresh challenge and opportunity instead of putting up with mediocre?

The good news is there’s a tribe of pastors that are absolutely REFUSING to stay stuck in their leadership. It’s called UpLevel Leader.

We’re not stuck. We’re growing. We’re not stuck. We’re going somewhere. We’re not stuck. We’re planting seed. We’re not stuck. We’re seeing people come to church. We’re not stuck. We’re seeing the church grow! We’re not stuck. We’re having a lot of fun!

Come join me and a bunch of incredible pastors in the UpLevel Leader community here.

Talk soon,

Pastor Jake

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Right now I’m helping churches get connected with a firm that assists them determine their eligibility for the ERC tax credit. The average check to the church we’ve seen is $18,000 per employee. Incredible right? It’s already been a HUGE blessing to hundreds of churches across the US. But there is a TON of misinformation, misunderstanding, and even scams out there so getting the right help is important. If you’d like more information please click here.

Free Resources

Here’s a couple of cool FREE resources I’ve come across that I wanted to share with you!

• Want to write, publish, and profit with your own book? This will show you the process.

The Pour Over: Politically neutral, Christ-first, news source.

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Eat God’s Way: FREE Newsletter

Daily encouragement to ditch the Standard American Diet, get healthier & happier, and save money on groceries... without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!

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FREE Book - The Story Grid: How to Write Stories Readers Will Love

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Telling better stories means being a better communicator and inspiring people to change and grow!

Recommended Tools:

Here are some of the best tools I use for business and ministry!

1) Email Newsletter Software - Beehiiv

Want to start your own newsletter? For church communication, leadership development, discipleship, or something else? Beehiiv is my go-to tool. I use it everyday and it works great. Totally FREE up to 2500 subscribers!

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2) Group Software - Skool

Skool is hands down the simplest, easiest, and BEST group software available right now. I use it for UpLevel Leader coaching and it’s fantastic. Community. Classroom. Calendar.

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