CHIPOTLE CHURCH

I had an epiphany today that I feel compelled to share with whoever might stop by this page over the next few hours or days - I finally discovered what a chipotle is.

To the best of my knowledge or at least within my personal tiny world, I lived at least the first 55 years of my life without ever having tasted chipotle sauce. Then suddenly it appeared on a menu in some restaurant or other, some place or other - and it tasted pretty good (bit of a kick to it). Next thing you know, everyone and his brother serves some kind of sandwich, burger, or fried chicken livers, complete with chipotle sauce. It's like it's mandatory.

So what is chipotle?

Are you ready? - A chipotle is a fully ripened and smoked jalapeno pepper.

Anyway, this rambling is going somewhere, so hold tight.

Did you know that one of the most succesful restaurant chains in this country at present is Chipotle Mexican Grill?

Did you know they only have three - yes three - items on their menu? You can have a burrito, a taco or a salad and that's it. There's no cookies, ice cream or even flan to go with it. No sandwiches, fries or vegetarian alternatives.

The success of this chain is put down to one simple principle - they stick to doing three things well.

I know a church like that. Okay I'll tell the truth, I pastor it. One of the reasons our church continues to flourish, when decline is the national trend, is we stick to doing a few things well. We're not full service, we don't try to cater to every taste, we offer what we offer and do those things increasingly more effectively.

1. Our main Sunday event and all it entails.

2. Our small groups.

3. Our outreaches at home and overseas.

That's it.

We're focused - the Chipotle Church!!!