​Success Defined  
It is safe to assume that most of us possess the desire to be successful. No one has ever wanted to fail or be looked at as a failure. The question is not, do we want to succeed? The question is, what is true success? You could ask ten different people and find ten different definitions for success. For some it’s based on how much money they make, the position they hold, or material things. Some define their success by how popular they are. Do those things really define success? Based on these measures, one can never become a true success. These measures are so misleading and change according to a person’s opinion. 
I don’t claim to have all the answers concerning this topic, but I do think it’s important to define. If we are reaching for success, then we must be able to define what we are reaching for. I will attempt to define what Godly success looks like in three ways: 
 
To Obey God’s Will: 
In 2018 my family and I moved to Hernando, Mississippi to start DeSoto Life Church. We had dreams in our hearts of all the souls God would save. We started in September of that year and after three months of working hard, praying, and evangelizing we had astounding success of… NO new converts. To say that I felt like a miserable failure would be an understatement. Nobody was calling asking what we were doing to see this great success. One Saturday evening I went to the store front building to pray and read my Bible. I was reading in Zechariah where Zerubbabel was rebuilding the temple. God began speaking and said: 
Zechariah 4:8-10 ERV
[8] The LORD's message to me also said, [9] "Zerubbabel will lay the foundations for my Temple, and he will finish building it. Then you will know that the LORD All-Powerful sent me to you people. [10] People will not be ashamed of the small beginnings, and they will be very happy when they see Zerubbabel with the plumb line, measuring and checking the finished building. Now the seven sides of the stone you saw represent the eyes of the LORD looking in every direction. They see everything on earth."
All of a sudden, I felt God’s Spirit all over me. What looked small and unimportant to them was great in God’s eyes. While everyone was waiting on the Temple to be rebuilt to celebrate, God was celebrating while the plumb line was still in Zerubbabel hand. With tears streaming down my face God impressed on my heart: 

“You are waiting to celebrate when all the people come. But I celebrated the moment you stepped out on faith and obeyed.” 
That changed the way I viewed success that day. No one would have walked in that night and said, “Wow, what a success!” But God views the success of His children when they obey His voice. We see this in Samuel’s rebuke of King Saul: 
1 Samuel 15:22 KJVS
[22] And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Success is defined by obedience to God!
 
Being A Good Steward Of What God Has Given Us: 
The second way we can define success is found in Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25. He called three servants together and divided them his goods to steward in his absence. He gave one servant five talents, another two, and the last, one. The one who had the five went, traded, and gained five more. Likewise, the servant with the two did the same and gained two more. Then the last servant took his talent and buried it. Upon the return of the master, he calls the servants to give an account. The first two give an account and the master says: 
Matthew 25:21 KJVS
[21] His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
As he calls for the account of the last, the servant comes and gives back his talent and speaks of his fear and laziness. The master sternly rebukes the servant and takes the talent from him and gives to the one who now had the ten talents. 

In this parable we see Jesus defining success not on what the servants produced. Because the servant with the five and servant with the two received the same reward. He rebuked the servant with the one talent because he was lazy with his talent and did not use it to reach for his potential. We see Jesus defining success on them being a good steward with what he gave them. 
Comparison is a success killer! We cannot compare what God has given us to what God has given another. Whatever talent, time, calling, or resources God has given us should be valued, stewarded, and used to glorify the Lord! Laziness never honors God! Diligence with our time, talent, treasure, and calling will honor God and let “our light so shine before men”. 
John Wooden was basketball coach at UCLA in the 50s,60s, &70s. He coached high profile players that became hall of fame. He would often be asked who the best players that he coached. He said that many would expect him to call out some of the well-known high impact players he coached. But he would surprise them by calling names of lesser-known players and state: 
“Who is the greatest player you ever coached?” Although I have heard this question hundreds of times, I’ve never answered—picked a greatest player—because I do not like this whole business of who’s number one? Speculation of this kind may be harmless amusement for outsiders but identifying an individual under my leadership as being better than the others—the “greatest”—runs contrary to my bedrock belief about success. I believe that personal greatness is measured against one’s own potential, not against that of someone else on the team or elsewhere.” John Wooden
God measures our success by our true potential, not by comparing us to others. Success is doing our best for God and using our time, talent, and resources for His glory. If we can say yes to these, that is success.
Loved Most, By Those Who Know You Best: 
A few years ago, my family gathered on Easter Sunday to take a family picture. This picture makes it to Facebook to let the world know how perfect our life is. Because no one shares a picture on Facebook that doesn’t show them in their best light. So, there we were, my wife, our three children (at the time) and myself. The picture was taken, in our Sunday best, but when you looked at the picture you saw our four-year-old son crying and screaming at the top of his lungs! That’s how life is, the smile doesn’t show the full picture. We often seek the respect and admiration of those that don’t truly know us. We want everyone to think we have it all together and the grass is green over here because of fertilizer and not the stench. But at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what the crowd thinks. It matters what those who know you best think. Mark Batterson a well-known author stated: 
“I want to be respected most by those who know me best.” 
I can fool the crowds that are at a distance, but I can’t fool my family or those I am close to. At the end of the day who really cares what someone on social media thinks of you? Strive to be loved most by those who know you best! At the end of this life, we want our family to be able to say he wasn’t perfect, but he did his best. He lived for God in private just as much as he did in public. We want the people we go to church with to say things like, they lived the life of Dorcas in Acts 9. They spoke out on her behalf showing the ways she had impacted their life: 
Acts 9:36-39 KJVS
[36] Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did. [37] And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. [38] And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. [39] Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
 This is a defining mark of success. To be respected and loved by people who truly know you. 
I hope this helps you understand the true definition of success. At the end of this life if I can say: 

• I obeyed God. 
• He says, “Well done good and faithful servant.” 
• I am loved and respected by those who know me best .

I believe that will be a successful life. 
 
 

Kind of like when you're getting married and some people want to tell you how terrible it is, that's the same advice you get with church planting. "It's really hard," "Most churches fail in the first two years,"or "You're going to ruin your kids because they will grow to hate it." We heard it all! 
​Church planting involves your whole family. Our children are church planters just like their parents are. We've always had those negative words in the back of our minds, but after 6 years of planting, I can say that we haven't ruined them. They love planting as much as we do! They show up, work hard, and greet saints and visitors alike. They rejoice when a soul is won and weep over one lost. 
It's been a hard journey at times. Recently, they lost all their close friends at the church due to one reason or another. It's the hardest thing they have faced yet. Through the heartache we are building faith and trust that God will continue to supply all our needs.
Church planting is hard, but most things worth doing are! I can say it's the best thing we've ever done for our kids. 

      If you feel a call to church planting, there are a few things you can do to prepare for the journey ahead. Boy, what a fantastic journey it will be! Knowledge from those who have gone before you is a valuable asset. We read many books from apostolic and non-apostolic church planters that helped give insight. You won't always agree with everything an author says, but can still find ideas, truths, and help within their words. Here are the books we loved and recommend: 

Growing a Church - David K. Bernard
Active  Duty-  Scott Armstrong 
Revival in a Plain Brown Wrapper- Carlton Coon 
Church Work - Rodney Shaw
​How People Grow- Dr. Henry Cloud (Not church planting specifically but helpful.)
One Size Doesn't Fit All - Gary L McIntosh
Be Mean About the Vision -Shawn Lovejoy
Follow to Lead - Stan Gleason
Five Reasons Churches Thrive - Eugene T. Wilson