As many of you know, I have recently left my position at Sagebrush Community Church. I love Sagebrush! I love all my students and volunteers like crazy. It has been an amazing ride. I have learned so much.

Watching this ministry grow to where it is now for the last 3+ years has been nothing short of amazing! I will never forget this time.

But for years I have been preaching to everyone, “Take you next step! Take your next step! Take your next step!” Well… I have been feeling God’s call for me to take my next step.

I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t step forward in faith like I have been urging everyone else to do. So I am jumping into seminary full time. Getting a Masters Degree in Divinity is something God has been prompting me to do for a while, but I have been putting it off because I loved what I was doing so much.

It is time for me to take a step of faith. So here I go! It is crazy. It is scary. But when has God called anyone to do anything comfortable?

So… back to my new speaking page. For a way to help pay for books and maybe some of tuition, I am looking for speaking gigs. If you or anyone else you know are looking for a Christian speaker for you next event. I hope you will consider me.

Thanks everyone!

Somebody always said something, looked some way, thought something, or didn’t do something and the the drama queen (or king) is all hot and bothered about it.

As they walk your way, you think, “Oh no. Here we go again. Wonder who peed in their Corn Flakes today?”

Somehow every conversation ends up about them and their life problems.

It seems like some people just always have a cloud of drama hanging over their head.

Working with teenagers, I see this all the time. But sadly many adults are just as bad.

Sometimes I just want to grab these people by the shoulders, and shake them while shouting, “WAKE UP! What is the common denominator in all your problems?”

Because the answer is simple… “YOU!”

They are causing 99% of their own problems, but they are blind to it. Somehow it is always everyone else’s fault.

A passage of scripture I came across recently reminded me of this.

Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
Proverbs 26:20 NIV

People who are always feeling burned need to check that their tongues are not adding wood to the fire. The cloud of drama over them is usually smoke from the fire they keep burning.

Do you want to end the drama? Do you want most of your people problems to go away? Close your mouth.

Quit gossiping. Quit whining. Quit talking about it. Move on.

It’s that simple. If you quit throwing wood on the fire, it will burn out.

So if you feel like you are always surrounded by drama, realize the only person always around you is you. Stop adding wood. Let the drama die.

People are starting to get crazy about politics. One mention of the name Obama or Romney can set off a war.

Both candidates are painting themselves as the savior and the other guy as the enemy. The mudslinging is coming from both sides. Many see it as a battle of good versus evil. And if we aren’t careful, we start treating these presidential candidates like the only hope for America.

HERE IS A NEWSFLASH FOR YOU – NEITHER WILL SAVE YOU.

Obama is not the answer. Romney is not the answer.

Now, before you get upset and send angry emails, please hear me out.

I am not advocating one political party over the other. That is not what this blog is about. I have my opinions and you should form your own.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t care about the presidential race. I actually think this presidential race is very important for the future of the United States of America. Everyone should educate themselves on the issues. Everyone should vote.

HOWEVER, please don’t be so naive as to think that one man is the solution to all of our problems. If all our hope rests with one man, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

WHY DO I SAY THIS?

Because the Bible says it:

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.
– Psalm 146:3-4 

One day these men will pass away, just like every other man before them. Their power has a shelf life. Their plans won’t last forever. Eventually someone else will come along and change what what have done for better or worse.

That is why one man is not the answer.

BUT, THERE IS HOPE! 

The Bible continues to say:

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the godly. The LORD protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
– Psalm 146:5-9 

Every great man’s life is temporary. God is eternal.

Men change their minds. God never changes.

Men lie. God always speaks truth.

Men fail to keep promises. God always keeps His promises.

Plans fade away. People fade away. Entire nations fade away.  But God remains the same.

We don’t need Obamacare or Romneycare. We need some Jesuscare!

Jesus is our only hope. Not any one politician. In God we trust.

Do you agree?

I was perfectly happy with my iPhone 4 until I saw the 5. I wanted it bad, but my rational side said “Your phone works fine. Save your money.” Sadly, I had to agree. Stupid rational side!

However, by divine providence, the church I work at, Sagebrush, decided to cross over from the dark side! We had seen the light and were switching our work phones from AT&T to Verizon! As part of the deal we were all promised a new iPhone 5 to be held on the day it released!

On the morning of the iPhone 5 release, people camped out at  stores nationwide hoping to be the first to get it. They waited in lines for hours. Some got it. Others didn’t.

But I slept in, had a big breakfast, and the slowly drove to the store. When I pulled up hours after opening, there wasstill a line around the building! I thought, “Dang! This is what I wanted to avoid! Now I would have to wait in line for hours!”

Then doubt crept into my head as I saw more and more people getting into line. “What if they didn’t have one on hold for me? What if they just meant that I could get one when it was available? Uh oh. Am I not getting it today?” 

I walk to the entrance. Verizon employees stand like bouncers, only letting in a handful of people at a time.

The guy at the door says, “Can I help you?”

Nervous I reply, “Um, yeah… I work at Sagebrush. I was told that we had this deal to get the new iPhone today…”

He looks at me and says, “You’re with Sagebrush?”

“Yes sir.”

“Come on in!”

He opens the door!

I’m sure everyone in line is thinking, “What! Why does this guy get to go in? I’ve been waiting here for hours.”

I go in. They ask my name. It’s on the list. I get an iPhone 5!

That is when I realized that this is a lot like how Heaven works. No, not that we all will get an iPhone 5. (It will probably be more like the iPhone 777.) What I mean is that you don’t get in to Heaven because of anything you have done. Getting in to Heaven is about who you know.

Jesus is the only way to Heaven. (John 14:6) You cannot get in with good deeds. You cannot get in just by trying to be a good person. It’s not about what you do. It’s about what was done for you.

God’s standard to enter Heaven is perfection. All of us fall far short of that standard. (Romans 3:23)

Everyone who puts their faith in Christ gets their name written in a big book (Revelation 21:27). Like a VIP list, everyone who’s name is on the list is covered by Jesus. They don’t fit the standard of perfection, but they know someone who does.

Just like the price for my iPhone was paid for me. Jesus already paid the price for us to enter Heaven. He lived the perfect life and died in our place. All we have to do is accept his free gift.

One day all of us will pass away. The only thing that will matter at that point is are you on the list t?

Too many people live their whole lives spinning their wheels trying to be a good person, but they never know Jesus. And, tragically, in the end they are left on the outside looking in.

It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you know.

Do you know Jesus? Have you put your faith in Him? Is your name on the list?

I work in a very large church that works hard to lead thousand of volunteers every single week. I have seen how difficult it can be to cast vision to other and make it sticks. I have experienced how divisive people can stir up all kinds of trouble. I have witnessed attempted communication to a mass audience be misunderstood. But despite all of this, I am still by far the most difficult person I have to lead day in and day out.

Not only am I the most difficult, but I am also the most critical person that needs my attention. People care far more about who they follow than what they follow. As goes the leader, so goes the team.

5 Areas To Lead Yourself Better

Laziness – The number one cause of laziness is lack of comfort. I naturally gravitate towards activities I am comfortable with and push off things that make me uncomfortable. For example, constantly checking email and Facebook instead of getting on the phone and making the tough call.

Time management – Have you ever worked hard all day only to get home and wonder what you actually accomplished? In most cases I feel this way when I have been reactive rather proactive. Think architect, rather than firefighter. If you spend all your time putting out fires, nothing will get built. Yes, some fires need your attention, but not at the expense of stopping all forward progress.

Attitude – It is surprising the difference a good attitude can make. When I find myself stuck in a bad mood I am less productive, less happy, and more stressed. On the days that I am in a good mood I feel more productive than ever. Most people fall victims to their attitudes and fail to realize that attitude is a choice. You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it. Also, the leader sets the tone for their team. If the leader is having a bad day, everyone is having a bad day. You are the catalyst for the moral of your troops.

Vision – Without vision, people perish (Proverbs 29:18). As the leader, it is your responsibility to carry the vision. If you don’t, other people will. And that is how leaders wake up and find themselves running an organization they don’t even like. Or in ministry, a church they wouldn’t want to attend if they weren’t the pastor. All vision drifts over time. Whether it is being distracted, allowing other people hijacking the vision, or never searching deep enough to fully know what the actual vision is, leaders must constantly fight to keep their vision on target and burning red hot.

Temptation – Every leader must set up guardrails so they don’t swerve off a cliff. No matter how strong of a person you are, every leader will eventual be tempted to exploit their power, cut corners, use people, bend the truth, or gratify their own selfish desires. Just look at the recent downfalls of “great” men like Tiger Woods or Joe Paterno. It only takes one lapse of character to forever tarnish your legacy. For most leaders, personal integrity is a daily battle. And one loss can cost you the war.

So if you feel like leading yourself is a struggle, you are not alone. This is nothing new. Even the great Christian leader, Paul, had the same frustration. (Romans 7:15,19)

What is your biggest self-leadership challenge?

Lately my family and I have been going through a rough time. I have prayed and prayed that all the junk would just go away. But when I opened my eyes it was still here.

Is God not listening or something? I mean, He is the all-powerful God of the universe. It’s not a question of whether or not he could do it.

With the snap of His fingers He could make all of our troubles disappear. But God rarely seems to fix things immediately.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that He doesn’t still perform miracles. He does. But some times it seems like all the stories of miraculous things happen to other people but never us.

So why does God allow bad things to happen to us?

I bet that if all of us looked back on our lives, we would agree that it was through the most difficult times that God has shaped us the most.

It was in the rough times that we were driven closer to Him. It was in the struggle that we learned invaluable life lessons. The conflict has shaped us into the people we are today.

When my wife and I were newlyweds in college we literally lived on ramen noodles, because we had no money. I grew more in my faith then than I did in the times that we have had money. I had no other choice but to rely on God to help keep the lights on.

Years ago I found myself out of work and searching for a new job in a bad economy with a baby on the way. In that time I grew more in my faith than when things have been stable. I had to believe that God had a better plan and a better job. (Which He did!)

The worst times in my life have been some of the best times.

We have to understand this: God won’t always deliver us from our problems. But He will deliver us through them.

Do you see the difference?

We want God to swoop down, sprinkle some fairy dust and make our problems disappear. But He rarely does that. Instead, He works through the problem.

I’m a proud guy. So, for the first week after surgery it was frustrating not being able to go to the bathroom without someone helping me get there.

It is killing me not being able pick up my little girl. I miss chasing her around the living room and giving her piggyback rides.

It Is frustrating that I get winded just crutching to the kitchen and back.

I get mad that doing the simplest thing like pouring a glass of water, taking a shower, or taking out the trash has become next to impossible for me without asking for help.

Needless to say, I have had better days. Patience is not one of my strong points. Waiting for my leg to heal is killing me.

And if you have ever been through a rough patch, you know that you always hear the same advice from well-meaning people. They all say, “Look on the bright side.”

If you are like me, that drives you crazy. Doesn’t it?

I don’t want to look on the bright side… I’M IN PAIN! I don’t want to look on the bright side… I WANT TO WALK!

I have every right to be a little frustrated. I have every right to be a little sad right now. Don’t tell me to look on the bright side! You have no idea what I am going through…

Unfortunately, as much as I don’t want to hear their advice, deep down I know they are right.

At some point I have to crawl out of my hole, put on a weak smile, face reality and move forward. But it takes time before I am ready to get there.

Well, I turned the corner recently and decided it was time to make the transition to looking on the bright side.

I decided to look for the blessings in the bad. I even made a list.

1. When I go to Walmart, I can now ride motorized shopping cart! You know you have secretly always wanted to do that. Admit it.
2. On my crutches I am building a ton of upper body strength. I will soon be able to drop jokes like, “Do you have a band-aid, because I’m cut.” (flex biceps)
3. I am blessed that it is my left leg, because with my right leg I can still drive a car… if I’m not on medication.
4. God is teaching me things like humility and patience,
5. I get all sorts of cool nicknames like gimpy, tripod, frankenankle and the one-legged pastor.
6. The worst part is over. Every day I am little better than the day before.
7. God is teaching me that I am not invincible. My body will eventually fail me. But God will never fail me.

The Bible is right when it says: 

A cheerful heart is good medicine, 
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
– Proverbs 17:22

I feel better when I shift my perspective to all the blessings God has given me, instead of whining about the bad. As much as I don’t like the advice, it’s true. At some point you have to look on the bright side.

The next time life deals you a bad hand, maybe you should make a list too.

What blessings have come from the bad in your life?

I just got back from 2 weeks out of town for summer camp and a family reunion. We found out that my amazing wife is pregnant with our second child! WOOHOO! And to top it all off, I’m having surgery tomorrow morning.

I was in a bad sports accident 5 years ago that completely shattered my left ankle.

Tomorrow we will be evicting the steel plate and 8 screws that have been taking residence in my leg for the last 5 years.

The surgeon will also remove a bone spur, clean up scar tissue, and check into what might be a degenerative bone bruise.

Depending on what they find when they go in, it will either be 3 weeks or 3 months before I walk again.

So, as you can imagine, I am really looking forward to it. (sarcasm)

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. And please disregard any crazy blog postings or tweets over the next few days… that will be the meds talking.

When life is crazy, God is still in control.

The focus of the night was missions. Enjoy.

Brandon – HS Camp 2011 from Brandon Hilgemann on Vimeo.

It doesn’t matter how sweet or nice the mother is, it will not go well for you.

In fact, I firmly believe that every mother has super powers.

No joke. I have seen it first hand.

My wife is one of the sweetest, nicest women I know. But when my daughter was first born, there was a time when my wife felt someone posed a threat to our baby. I watched in horror as she instantly transformed from a lovely lady into the Incredible Hulk.

Seriously, she turned green, grew bigger, yelled “Hulk smash!” and everything.

OK, maybe she didn’t turn green. But it really was scary. I feel sorry for the poor fool that ever tries to mess with my baby.

DO NOT MESS WITH A MOTHER’S BABY!

And if you think messing a human mother is scary, how much worse would it be to mess with a mother bear?

Mother bears can weigh up to half a ton! You don’t want to be on their bad side. Do not ever pick up a cute bear cub in the wilderness. It will not be a good day for you. You are going to get mauled!

Now, as scary as that thought is, the Bible says there is something else we should be more afraid of.

Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
– Proverbs 17:12

You are better off in a cage match with an angry mother bear than hanging with a fool who is bent on doing foolish things. That is how scared you should be of fools. You have better odds against a momma bear missing her cubs.

You see, a bear might harm you physically, but a fool will do more than that. Fools lead you into making choices that will ruin your life. You will get messed up physically, relationally, financially, or spiritually. Maybe all of the above and more.

Do yourself a favor and surround yourself with wise people. Fools might be good for a few laughs, but they will eventually bring you down with them.

How many of us have learned this lesson the hard way?

So next time you think about hanging out with fools, go ahead and pick a fight with a mother bear instead.