Characteristics of an Uncomplicated Verses a Complicated Leader

An Uncomplicated Christian Leader

- Loves God with all his heart!

- Loves the church!

- Sees work is an honor and says; "thank you very much for having confidence in me!"

- Works with joy and says; "No problem!"

- Has an undivided loyalty!

- Has humour and laughs a lot!

- Always do the little 'extra', walks an extra mile!

- Takes responsibility when wrong and does not blame others!

- Is meticulously on time and respects his co-workers!

- Has a forgiving and generous attitude!

- Takes life easy and says; "Get over it!"

A Complicated Leader

- Sees 'ghosts', ie things that do not exist...

- Hear things that have never been told...

- Does not want to work really, is on his way towards something better...

- Always blames someone else...

- Speaks about the 90% that he does instead of finishing the 10% that still isn't done...

- Always feels misunderstood...

- Divides his time into little bits and pieces, time with family, time for work, time off etc...

- Sees the church as a bank of resources instead of an opportunity to invest...

- Is never on time...

Brian Houston, Hillsong Church, Sydney Australia

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We are Advancing!

Yesterday we gathered 700 people in three different gatherings at our Kick-off Sunday for this fall at SOS Church Stockholm! Chris Gilkey roared wildly, Julia danced and lead worship anointed and with incredible passion and power! It was a sweaty and wild Sunday that has a thick, great after taste of well-being from heaven :)...

We presented three long-term project goals as well in SOS Next Step!

SOS Business Class

- 70 new businessess in 10 years (2012-2022)

SOS Rehab

SOS Refugee Home

- Our own home for refugees

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Exciting Week!

I am so enjoying that everything starts now... The kids have started school, everyone is back to work and Stockholm is alive and on the go again... The sleepiness of summer is gone and replaced by fall-excitement :)! The fall term starts this week, high air, new books, new classmates, new working collegues, changes, new beginnings etc - I am just sooo happy! I don't like summer-Sweden's laziness, looseness and confusion, but enjoy routines, set times and fall-discipline; that's just how a warrior works :)!

New recruites start at SOS Mission Bible College and SOS Leadership School tomorrow - large classes! More than 60 students so far! Come tomorrow, apply and start right away :)! You can start tomorrow - we begin at 9 am!

Pastor Chris Gilkey, Lead Pastor of Reach Church in Austin TX has just arrived - sooo much fun! He is one of my best friends since many years! You cannot miss this weekend's activities with Chris Gilkey!

Chris and I went to the gym today...

Friday at 5-8 pm we are shooting clay pigeons and having a BBQ! All our students (both schools), their spouses, teachers and SOS staff will meet in Sursta at Kurt Pettersson's ranch, just north of Märsta in northern Stockholm.

Saturday between 11 am - 1 pm we will have serious self defense training lead by ex Marine Chris Gilkey :)! The training is held at SOS Church on Kungsholmen.

On Sunday it's our KICK OFF! We will start with a leadership gathering for all our leaders at SOS Church at 11 am to 2 pm. Emma Gustafsson and I will teach! Our Kick Off Celebration starts at 4 pm, Chris Gilkey is preaching then! We will focus on our vision and also see how far we have come with our sub targets for 2011 and then set up new sub targets for the "sprint" until Christmas! At 7 pm our vison meeting starts. We have called this SOS Next Step, here we will present new long-term projects for the church.

Don't miss this weekend! Switch your time at work with your collegues, or take off so you can come! Don't go anywhere! You don't want to miss this Sunday for the world!

See ya!

Salvation Army

I'm preaching and teaching three days at Gullbrannagården (a modern conference center and camping site) right outside the city of Halmstad in southern Sweden... We are a part of a regional summer conference called "The Building"... Lovely! Such wonderful people! Simple foot soldiers for Jesus, lots of newly saved and youths. Many youths were saved last night and today I'm having Bible studies on the Book of Acts... I am here with my family and also Andreas and Jenny Jensen, our Kids Pastor at SOS Church Stockholm. Andreas, Jenny, Alicia and Adam are having childrens meetings, taking care of the kids and in the meanwhile Maria and I are trying to wash the feet of the kid's parents :)...

Thank you Jesus for your people in Sweden! Thank you Jesus for the beautiful and good work done by the Salvation Army in Sweden. Outcats, poor and people in need are helped by Jesus' own soldiers :)!

See ya!

Vacation album 2011

Reflections from my vacation…

There are traces of Jesus everywhere in a Western society. The modern chronology begins with the birth of Jesus, the rhythm of the week and the highlight of the weekend is Sunday – the day when Jesus rose from the dead. Our holidays are connected to the life of Jesus – Christmas, Easter, Pentecost etc. Our names of often Biblical – Daniel, Maria, Mathew. Some of our most common names are those of the disciples; Andrew, Peter, Thomas and so on…Jesus is often quoted even though people don’t know that the expression or quotation comes from the New Testament. Our laws, ethics and morals are built upon the foundation of the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ message of love. Forgiveness is a natural concept, as is being given pardon and having a second chance – all of which comes from Jesus. In Sweden you would be reminded of the influence of Christianity like 15 times a day if you would be a bit observant…

Church steeples rises up toward the sky, jewelry crosses hang around people’s necks and the Swedish flag is really just one big yellow cross on the blue background…On tombstones, in the obituaries and beside roads where there has been a lot of accidents you’ll find crosses – Jesus’ and His disciples’ symbol of victory!

Yes, diversity is beautiful, but let us also take care of our Jesus culture and stay connected to that amazing heritage as we build our future!

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August vacation

We have been to the big water park of Skara Sommarland. Now we’re swimming in the sea, living in my father-in-law’s summer place outside of Halmstad on the west coast of Sweden. Playing cards, watching movies, talking and spending time with my kids…We go shopping in the cheap mall of Ullared. Soon we’ll go pike and crawfish fishing. Will try to shoot a roe deer too if I see one through my barrel. The annual August leave is so nice and late summer is the best part if you ask me.

God has given us so many beautiful things! How did things get this good? Thank you dear Lord for my awesome wife and beautiful family. I couldn’t have wished for more in life. All are healthy and happy and we love each other genuinely…

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You can start a new life!

I’m on vacation...Have been to Skara Sommarland with the kids and right now we are in a summer house in Halmstad…Took a swim in the ocean yesterday; 12 C in the water, 15 C in the air (my approximates), storm, hail and soaking rain while driving home…Took me all night and about four cups of hot coffee just to unfreeze, you know :) Swedish summer – wonderful!

Tonight I dreamt that 50 gypsies got saved and were shining from joy – just baptized and transformed. I love gypsies! SOS Church Stockholm is a place where anything can happen!

The Bible School and the Leadership School is about to start! You have applied, haven’t you?! So many have come to SOS through the years and had their lives changed or begun the spiritual adventure of their lives with us! Tim and Manuell Zürcher from Switzerland graduated in June and started working as pastors in a small church in Bienne, which gathered 35 people. On Monday the Zürchers called and told me that last Sunday they had double that number when they gathered more than 70! Awesome! Aren’t you gonna get on the bus with a bag of clothes? Just pack your little life into your car and come! :) You can spend a year in a church where every week people’s lives are changed and where people are baptized practically every weekend! The book of Acts can become your life style! We’re longing for you! Apply here!

Bible School Trailer- Ma-jo from Mission SOS on Vimeo.

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40 days of prayer and fasting!

This fall we will floor it in SOS Church! Our church will put on the Monster Truck tires and gear down to gain more power to accelerate! After our Kick-off Sunday on 28August with the American pastor Chris Gilkey, we will begin our 40 days of fasting. We’ll pray for one thing – MIRACLES!!! Miracles in your body, in your soul, in your economy, in your business, miracles when it comes to barrenness, your adoption, our mission trips, our festivals, our missions bases, miracles when it comes to the future of the church and bigger facilities! In other words; a fall of miracles and breakthrough on all levels! Restored marriages and families! Restored relationships and restored dignity! Miracles for our newly saved disciples and our Bibleschool students!
We’ll endour “prophet fast” and the 40 days of holy solitude with a miracle weekend and Super Sunday with the Kenyan Dr Wilfred Lai from Mombasa on 8-9 of October!


Looking forward to this fall!

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The most important thing!

I had a Bible study with my kids this morning and we read about the life of the violent judge Samson in Judges chapter 13-16…

“The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat.” Jud 14:6

Some time later Samson found a swarm of bees and honey in the lion’s carcass. When Samson is about to get married he gives his guests a riddle to solve. He says: “Out of thee ater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” The answer to his riddle was a cryptic question; “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?”.

We spoke about this text for a while in our family and we came to the conclusion that the whole story is prophetic, just as so many other stories in the Old Testament. Our interpretation was a simple Jesus interpretation! Jesus – the lion – died. When Jesus died the Holy Spirit –honey – came. We said that the only thing that can be both sweeter than honey and stronger than a lion is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives!

The most important thing is the death of Jesus! Through the death of Jesus we received forgiveness and victory! The most important thing must also be the Holy Spirit who came instead of Jesus – His presence is as sweet as honey and His power is stronger than that of a lion! That is the most important thing!

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Routines and disciplines!

During vacations people tend to become depressed, confused and blunt… It’s not good to turn the clock around and just relax for weeks in a row… Personally I believe more in spreading the vacation over the whole year, instead of the classic five weeks “divorce vacation” during the summer months :) Summer is actually even more dangerous in the otherwise so cold Scandinavia than in latitudes more south.

Here follows some advice on how to avoid the “summer sloth”:

• Maintain good routines and disciplines even when you’re resting.
• Don’t turn the clock around. However, do take a few hours extra in bed and even an hour or two in the hammock.
• Watch good movies and read books
• Read the Bible and speak with the Holy Spirit regularly
• Maintain hard physical work out and take long walks.
• Do things together – go fishing, visit an amusement park, play some cards etc…

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The multi ethnical church!

Do you realize that there actually is a place free from racism in the midst of such a cold Stockholm? A colorblind and safe home for all people. Our different cultures enrich, and create a wonderful and generous atmosphere! We love to try new things. We enjoy the shifting scents and tastes. We speak more than 50 languages already. We live in a kingdom where no one is judged by class, education or sex. We believe that every single one is a gift and a key that the Holy Spirit has given us as a church! We believe in mission until the last people group has heard! We all have the culture of Jesus and we want to live in the book of Acts. I am proud over my African, Asian, Latin American and American brothers and sisters and best friends! I believe in the future! I believe in the multi ethnical church! Long live diversity.

On Sunday 31st of August another five precious people prayed a prayer of salvation and two people buried their old lives in water baptism! We hugged and greeted so many new friends! Thank you Jesus for SOS Church Stockholm! Thank you that I get to be a part of this, even though I’m white, quite cocky and an Austrian citizen :)

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How to start reading the Bible!

Back home in Stockholm again... Counselling, marriage counselling and meetings with new believers... So much fun!

Are you a rookie when it comes to reading the Bible? How about some tips and advise from your priest?

1. Start in the New Testament (part 2)!
2. Start by reading the Gospel of Mark! It is short (16 chapters), straight to the point and you will get a quick survey of the life of Jesus. Jesus is the main character of the Bible, God in human body and the one every disciple wants to be like... Jesus is our greatest example and our great role model!
3. Then read the serial by one and the same author, part 1 and part 2 – The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. The Gospel of Luke will give you a repetition and some more details on Jesus’ life and disciples, and then as you read the first history book of the Christian church – the Book of Acts – you’ll learn about the first 30 years after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
4. Then I think you should read the Gospel of Mathew and the Gospel of John. John is quite deep and a bit philosophical and requires a slow and thoughtful reading.
5. It is always good to read with a Bible Atlas available so that you can see and follow where everything happened. Travel with your index finger while reading, sort of...
6. Take notes, write interrogation marks in the margin of your Bible and ask your older brothers and sisters in faith or your pastors and priests about what you don’t understand.
7. Then read the different letters one at a time. Take your time and make sure you know a) who is the receiver of the letter, b) age determination, c) the reason and purpose of the letter, and finally ask yourself the question; d) what are the basic ideas and main message of the letter?
8. Finish by reading the thrilling depiction of the last time, written by the disciple John – Revelations!
9. Once you think your getting the hang of the New Testament you can start reading the Old Testament... The Old Testament should preferably be read in the light of the New Testament, or else it might be difficult to understand...

I will get back you to with a guide in what order I would suggest you read the very exciting and so rich and important Old Testament... Good luck with reading your Bible!

I hope I’ll see you on Sunday in SOS Church Stockholm at 4 PM!

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