Thoughts on Life and Leading

I hope to be able to motivate you toward an important process in the new year.  I am two days from reading the entire Bible again this year. I began at Genesis on January 1 and will finish the Book of the Revelation on Friday. It’s been a great journey and there is satisfaction in knowing I have met a goal. Honestly, there were some boring readings (some of the repetitive laws and genealogies) but it has been a great discipline for my spiritual growth. I have grown a lot and can tell a definite change in my life as a result of the reading. It will be satisfying to wrap it up. But I am even more excited to start all over again on Saturday.

Let me encourage you to do some kind of a Bible reading plan in 2011. You don’t have to read through the entire thing to get some great results out of it. There are various plans available that will cover everything from a few verses a day to in-depth, multiple version options. The important thing is for us to spend some time looking into what God says to us. Lay out a strategy that will work for you and stick with it. And when you forget or get tired of it and miss a day or two, jump right back in. The key is consistency.

If you are interested, take a look at some of these options:

Bible Gateway reading plans

30 Day Challenge

You Version

Our church is suggesting a nice 30 day plan that is doable for anyone. Check it out on our site.

Utilize your Kindle (they have a free app for PC and iPhone and iPad) or use your Nook. You can always do it the old fashioned way – pick up the family Bible and read cover to cover. About 4 chapters a day will do it. If you know of other options, feel free to post a comment. And please be sure to send this post along to a friend.

Let’s read the Word of God in 2011 and enjoy what God does as a result.

It’s time for some new plans. New year, new decade, new ideas.

If new is going to happen, some old will have to depart.

So, I am curious, what thing(s) do you plan to change for 2011?

Me? Allow me a chance to spew a little ambition.

I think I’ll try to change my habit of looking and waiting for someone else to change things that really need to be changed in my life. I’m going to take charge of some decisions, shake some things up, risk more and complain less. How about fewer excuses and more faith? I plan to confuse a couple of people, raise a few eyebrows. I will let go of some things that have brought me security but have held me back. I will focus on spending my limited resources on that which will change lives instead of the usual nonsense. I’m going to work on relationships that encourage me to go for it and pull away from those that don’t. I plan to lighten the load, simplify and streamline.  I want to make this new year memorable, in fact, pivotal as it relates to the rest of my life.

Sounds like an ambitious new year, huh? Don’t bring me down. I’ll be the first to admit it if/when the above doesn’t happen. But I want to go into the new year with some momentum and vision.

How about you? What are you going to change?

I hope you can change something big in your life.

Letha and I wish you a blessed Christmas. Tonight, at our annual Christmas Eve services at Cross Community Church,  we read a blessing over the people there. If you weren’t able to be with us, read through and accept it as our prayer for you.

Christmas Blessing:

May you receive joy for Christmas: joy that goes beyond the holiday and is so deep, it can never be taken away.

May you enjoy peace: peace that settles your heart and mind, peace that remains, peace that is never shaken, but endures all year long.

May hope permeate your life: hope so powerful that nothing can get in its way, nothing can stop it, hope so strong that the world around you is changed by it.

May you grow in faith: a deep confidence in God that makes the impossible possible, that makes mountains move and faith so strong that miracles become an everyday part of life.

May you be gifted with love: God’s love which is the greatest love. God’s life-transforming love. So much love that it simply must be shared with those around you.

And this Christmas season, may you be closer to Jesus than you’ve ever been, so close that He leads every step, guides every decision and blesses every direction.

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the World,

Amen!

Something new and very close to our hearts will be launching at the beginning of the New Year. On January 1, 2011, the website for International Orphan Support will go live! This is a non-profit organization we established to address the needs of orphans around the world.

I will be pushing this hard at the front end of the year. We will, unashamedly, be looking for donations. So get ready.

We can make a difference in the lives of some children. Let’s get this thing done.

Letha and I are investing some time in a young leader who has what it takes to do something only a select few courageous people manage to do. She is abandoning a secure job to pursue her passion.

It was been fascinating to watch it unfold. It started years ago when she began going on short-term missions trips. She was a part of a couple of teams we led. She engaged, on a deep level, with those she was going to serve. You could tell that she was in a process. A few years went by and this leader began to feel increasingly restless and dissatisfied with her career. She worked long hours with increasing responsibility but she wasn’t fulfilled by her employment.

Finally, she had enough. After some strategic planning, she gave her notice at work, much to the dismay of some of her employers. She walked away from a good paycheck, leadership responsibilities and the hopes of advancement. She no longer has her job, but she is now free to pursue her passion. By the way, her passion doesn’t pay very well – actually nothing at all – she will need to raise her own salary. And there are no benefits. And she has to start this entire thing on her own.  But she is very happy. And she is full of dreams.

I say, kudos to anyone with enough guts to go with their heart! We celebrate this young leader. We think she is a world-changer in the making. We could be wrong – she could fail miserably. She may give this a shot for a few months and come up flat broke.  But I don’t think so. Either way, she has more courage than 99% of the people I know. Succeed or fail, it can never be said of her that she was afraid to chase her dreams.

Are you chasing any dreams?

(picture from Monte Rico, Guatemala, April, 2010.)

I was broken by something we saw on TV last night. ABC launched a project on 20/20 called Be the Change (saveone.net).  The effort is to gather the strength and resources of people in America to address the needs of malnourished children and those lacking basic health care around the world. From their site: “Be the Change: Save a Life is devoted to gathering stories, offering solutions, and acting as a clearing-house for people who want to know more, get involved, or volunteer.” They shared several powerful stories of people who are making a huge difference, one family or village at a time.  I encourage you to watch the related videos and do something.

The very encouraging thing to me was the emphasis on what great change can come from such a small investment of time and money. People are in place and trying to help these kids, but they need support.  ABC and supporting agencies have established a very simple process whereby anyone can get involved, it is totally streamlined.

One of the videos strikes close to home. The children featured in ‘Tortillas and Coffee’ as Baby Food? are from Guatemala, in fact, some of them from Antigua, a city I have visited many times. Our daughter and her husband run an orphanage just 15 minutes from Antigua. As much great work as they are doing, there are still so many kids who need the help that we can provide.

Take a look and do what God is telling you to do.

 

I recently had a discussion with some young leaders about their responsibility to motivate the people with whom they are working. The question was, “how do we encourage people to do the things they may not want to do but that are necessary in order for us to reach our God-given corporate goals?” They shared how it is sometimes frustrating to have to convince people to do the necessary and meaningful tasks associated with mission success. Many leaders struggle in this area.

I thought about one of the more effective leaders I know. This guy is a successful Pastor and, every place he goes, he draws a crowd. I don’t just mean people come to hear him speak, I mean people come to partner with him to accomplish his dreams. He has the uncanny ability to convince people to sacrifice and commit on a level that makes other leaders envious. I thought about what a great motivator this man is. I considered how he can get people to do some pretty impressive things, things they normally wouldn’t do. And I also thought about how the line between motivation and manipulation is sometimes blurred.

First – two definitions (mine, not Webster.com).

Motivation: inspiring people to do good things that they normally wouldn’t do, for the purpose of accomplishing a worthwhile goal.

Manipulation: coercing people to do things they wouldn’t normally do, for the purpose of benefitting a leader or organization.

When trying to distinguish between the two, a few questions may assist us:

Whose agenda is being followed, whose kingdom is being built?

If the establishment of God’s kingdom is the priority, manipulation just can’t happen. If people are being controlled in ways that are unhealthy, the kingdom of God is not involved. Leaders who are building a career or are seeking advancement in their field will probably fall into exploiting others for their own good. Followers become marionette puppets on a string used at the whims of the leader. Listen: Never use other people to advance yourself.  Check your motives.

Are the people being respected?

Leaders must respect their followers so as to never finagle them into areas that will result in hurt. The woods are full of people who have been taken advantage of by ministries and pastors, and there are serious negative consequences.  A leader must put the best interest of her followers first. God’s plans are always in the best interest of His people. To get people to cooperate with and participate in God’s plans for them is to offer great respect to them. Respect your followers.

How does it feel when you are the one being manipulated?

Many of us have been victims of some super-leader who controlled us like a pawn on a chessboard. And it doesn’t feel very good. You give, you serve and the goal is to make the leader look better. If you are ever in doubt as to whether you are motivating or manipulating, put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Remember, this whole thing is all about God and His people.

Great leaders motivate, great users manipulate.

Come on guys, we’ve got to learn how to motivate, and we can never be guilty of manipulating.

The messages I am delivering tomorrow at Cross Community Church are based on my recent recovery from a big misassumption that I’ve been making about Christmas.  I kind of assumed all along that love was at the core of most people people’s celebration. The gifts, the travel, the decoration – seemed to me that, if people are going to go through all of that trouble, there must be strong feelings of love for others. Turns out, at least in some cases, I was wrong.

Now I understand that, for many people, love is the missing element in Christmas. This explains a lot of “anti-Christmas” behavior. It also explains why so many people just can’t “get there” when it comes to celebrating.

Without love, Christmas is nothing more than a pressure-packed, stress-filled season of over spending, and under-enjoying! It’s not that people are full of hate.  The absence of love is not hatred, it is emptiness. So bless their hearts, people are empty. And they go through the motions of Christmas.

This revelation leaves us with the responsibility to: 1. understand love and, 2. share love. But we have to make love tangible. It’s not enough to feel the Christmas love. The only one who benefits when you just feel the love is you. You’ve got to show the Christmas love.

So what are you going to do to show some love at Christmastime?

If you want to change someone’s Christmas – give them love as a gift.

Join us tomorrow for worship. If you can make it, check out the message online on Sunday afternoon.

I really want this blog to make a difference for people. It is basically geared to those who are in some type of leadership position: at church, in business, in the community, at home. I came across a resource yesterday that I think will help most of us. It is a list, actually a site put together by Evan Carmichael that lists the top 50 leadership blogs. I thought I would provide the link and let you take a look.

Click here and enjoy!

Who knows, maybe one day I’ll make the list (of the top one million leadership blogs)!

Have a great Friday.

The question for ministry leaders is not “what do we want to do?” but rather, “what do the people we are trying to reach need us to do?”

I came across an excellent interview which explained survey results regarding ministry to the homeless, especially during the holidays. Churchmarketingsucks.com (I think the name is in poor taste but the site is very effective) interviewed Mark Horvath, who is an advocate for the homeless and needy in America. Some of the best takeaways are…

“If we see a hurting person, pray for them and say God will take care of them, but we don’t take any action ourselves, we use prayer as an excuse to not take action ourselves.”

“We need to get our hands dirty and start caring for our neighbors”

“…people don’t need a word. They need their mortgage paid. They need food. They need jobs. Here’s the word: Shut up and do something tangible to help others.”

I appreciate the urgency with which Mark operates. I hope to be that passionate about the things God has called us to do. I try to remind myself often to stop talking so much about doing the work of Jesus and just start doing the work of Jesus.

We launched our Christmas series today at Cross Community Church. It started with “One Word that Can Change Your Christmas: Hope”. If you weren’t able to be with us, you can listen to the message here.

 

If you are in the area of Palm Beach County, Florida, please come be our guest for an upcoming worship event. Christmas 2010 is going to be great! More details can be found at crosscommunity.cc.

In an unrelated story… Time magazine featured an article back in September about a new kind of insurance that is gaining popularity. “WedLock, as it’s coyly named, is a new type of casualty insurance that gives the unhappily married policyholder a payout after he or she is unhitched.” Check out the story here.

I am thinking that this is very sad. With every mention of divorce, with each additional plan B that is introduced, marriage is less likely to succeed. I think prenuptial legal arrangements and divorce insurance are pretty sure ways to assure that your marriage fails. If you are not absolutely sure that the person you are marrying is the right person, DO NOT GET MARRIED. I mean if you think there is a chance that the marriage won’t last, don’t do it. Some will say, “it is impossible to know for sure.” While that is true, if you think it might not work out, it won’t. Bet on that.

I have never paid a dime in alimony or child support. I have never lost a million bucks to a former wife. I have never been sued for divorce. No credit to me. God blessed me with the right woman. If you’re still single, He has the right person for you. If you’re already married, work it out – with God’s help.

Effective vision development, or deciding what we want to accomplish, is one of the most crucial elements of leadership. Knowing that our vision is laser-focused is even more difficult to nail down. Even the word vision conjures up mystical, otherworldly pipedreams for some. If we are going to get something big done, we have to be razor sharp, we don’t have time to be wishy-washy. We have to know that we are dead-on with our plans. So let’s put some teeth into the concept.

How can you know that your vision is on track?

It probably is if…

There is resistance/opposition

The very nature of vision is expanding and stretching. People generally don’t like to be made uncomfortable. But growth never happens without some discomfort. Effective vision challenges the status quo. And people will resist what pushes them out of their comfort zone. If you have no pushback with your vision, you probably need to boost your goals, raise the bar.

There is fear

The unknown is scary. Vision has the power to cause people to look ahead. But the future is absolutely unknown.  We feel safe with the current known. Even if it is less than ideal, the here and now is known and, therefore, risk-free. Vision demands that we embrace the unknown. Unless someone is afraid (you or the people in your life), your vision may be anemic

There is risk

True vision takes you to edge of the cliff, close enough to look over and see the amazing potential that lies just ahead. The trouble is, when you get that close to the edge, even the slightest of miscalculations can send you careening down the mountainside. What are you risking with your vision? Are you risking losing something important if your vision fails? Your reputation? Your pride? Your job? If not, your vision needs a boost.

There is pressure

Not all pressure is bad. We all need to have something expected of us. There is no such thing as vision without expectation. You need some pressure to perform. A clearly articulated vision will put you under pressure to fulfill the vision. You need that. If you can’t take pressure, give up on the idea of being a visionary.

There is success

There is no greater joy than to see the realization of one’s vision. It may take 10 years, it may take a lifetime. Eventually, we have to produce something. Unfulfilled vision is bad but not as bad as no vision at all. But I encourage you to hang on to the dream that God has given you. Fight for it, die for it, if necessary. See it through to completion.

So don’t get discouraged if you’re living through some of the stuff I’ve mentioned (especially 1-4!). They may be indicators that you are right on track.

Vision: without it, we’re done.

Secure leaders are not in need of continual applause. In fact, many effective leaders would rather not receive public recognition. On the other hand, we are not robots – an occasional “attaboy” can go a long way.

Last week, we received two very encouraging stories. The cool thing is, we received these two separate story within 3 ½ hours of each other. Without divulging the personal info of these 2 people, I will provide a couple of tidbits so you can get the idea:

“You have welcomed us into your church family with open arms and have opened our eyes to a new spiritual life with God. I can’t quite put this into words how we feel, but you have changed our lives more than you will ever know. We were very “lost” in the spiritual world for quite some time. Growing up (another faith), we were into a Sunday “ritual” but then everything went out the door the minute we walked out of the church doors. It never felt right to us and we knew we needed to make some drastic changes in our lives. This year, we are especially thankful for the two of you and for opening our hearts to Jesus Christ and for teaching us how to have a personal relationship with God.”

And another…

“I wanted to share something with you because I cannot even believe that it happened to me.

Looking back I think I knew something was missing in my life, I just did not know exactly what. When we started our family I definitely felt that something was calling me and that I was missing something. We decided to try a (worship) service and we have been coming since the beginning of June. I have accepted Jesus into my life and my life has been changing ever since.

My Doctor called me back at the end of last week with (potentially bad) news (about our unborn baby) … I was immediately devastated. I was crying and all worked up. I did not expect those results as I am sure no soon to be mother does. I could not sleep for the next few days.

Well Sunday is a day I WILL NEVER forget. In church … while we were standing up singing I felt this presence which I know was the Holy Spirit. There was a voice which was directly in my right ear and this is what I heard whispered ‘Do not worry, …, everything will be fine.’ Ever since then I have had peace … I have never had the Holy Spirit come to me and cannot even believe I was lucky enough to be graced with his presence. I know the story was long but I felt it was time to share with you.”

As you might imagine, these stories made our day, our month! We talk all the time about life-change. Well, this is it! God’s plan is working. People are being transformed!

I can’t think of anything more affirming. We are where God wants us to be and we are doing what He wants us to do. What a treasure.

Richard Whitter, our Missional Pastor at Cross Community, is dealing with an interesting topic tomorrow. He will basically be asking the question, “who is Christ to you?”

You’ve got to answer that.

I suppose any effort to define or categorize God is futile and somewhat arrogant. The greatest presumption is to know everything about Jesus. Much damage has been done by those who assume that Jesus is exactly what they want him to be. Most of us assume that God always agrees with us and is always on our side. Let’s humble down and know this about Christ: He can never be fully understood, contained or manipulated. But He can be experienced.

The clip below can’t be used in a worship service because it is offensive – but it makes a great point. Jesus is not whoever you want Him to be. He is God, don’t mess with that.

Check out Crosscommunity.cc for more details.

Lamentations 3:33 “Great is His faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

This Thanksgiving, I want to focus on some things I have this year that I didn’t have last year. Of course I am grateful for all the old stuff, too, but these additions are especially close to my heart.

A new baby is coming to our family. Our daughter Jessica and her husband Josh are expecting a child in early June. Life is precious and a gift from God. This will be our first biological grandchild and we are humbled by the gift.

Jess and Josh have been appointed as directors of Casa Shalom, an orphanage in Guatemala. This is a significant step for them and we are blessed by it. We are proud of and thankful for them.

My nephew Richard joined our ministry staff this year as Missional Pastor. He and I have always been especially close and I have wanted to work with him for years. We finally have that opportunity and I am grateful. It’s good to live by family, the first time we have in many years.

I had the honor to visit Haiti this summer. I now have an open door to do more work there in the future. We plan to work in an orphanage in Dufailley. I am grateful for the new opportunities.

Our non-profit organization became legal this year. In fact, we are weeks away from the public launch of International Orphan Support. Thank God.

We were able to change the name of our church. The name Cross Community Church becomes effective next week, December 1. It was a long time coming and we are celebrating.

I have some new young friends, church planters and pastors that we are able to help a bit. It is great to be able to be an encouragement to people who have a ton of years of effective ministry ahead of them.

I am able to serve my “tribe” in some new ways. I was selected to be in a mid-level leadership position in our denomination, the Church of God. While I don’t aspire to climb the religious/corporate ladder, I am honored to have a voice in our efforts to turn around a diminishing organization.

New friends, new influences, new additions to an already very full life. New answers to prayer, old and new. God has been good to me.

Thanks, God!

I have a disease that is killing me.
Leprosy is nasty flesh-eating sickness that most people think is something from back in the Bible days. But people all over the world still suffer from this deadly disease.

My disease is not a skin condition.
My disease is a sin condition.
My disease, the disease that is killing me, is more deadly than any physical ailment.
I have a type of spiritual leprosy.
Little by little, my sin disease is destroying me.
Eating me alive from the inside out.

In Luke 17, Jesus healed 10 guys who had leprosy.
If I have to have leprosy (I have no choice, I am born into sin), I want to be like the 10 guys whom Jesus healed. And He has healed me, forgiven me of my sin.

In Luke, only one of the 10 lepers bothered to come back to thank Jesus. So, if I have to be a leper and I get to be one of the 10 who are healed, I for sure want to be like the one guy who said “thanks” to Jesus.

I want to come back and get very close to the One who saved me, the One that, previously, I could only shout to from a distance.

I want to look in His eyes and say “thank you, God”.

(excerpts from today’s message at Cross Community.)

This week someone expressed concern that I may not be feeling well. Two other people said I looked tired. Here’s the thing: I feel great.

I have a little theory about what’s going on.

I can recall a lot of times in the past when I was especially passionate about a particular message I was delivering or a project in which I was involved. People asked me if I was mad at someone or if I needed a vacation. My strong feelings toward some topics can sometimes lead people to mistakenly think that I am angry or frustrated. That’s on me… I need to smile more.

I am just dialed in right now. Our recent name-change process at Cross Community Church has generated a lot of energy and passion. There are some aggressive decisions we are making and intense directions we are taking. New opportunities are being explored with a new sense of adventure. I’m realizing some awesome things we can get done with a lot of hard work and vision. We are watching a lot of puzzle pieces come into place. This is a great season and I love every second of it.

So relax, I’m not mad. I’m not tired. And while I’d like a vacation, I don’t need one.

It’s nothin’ but a little thing called passion. And there’s more where that came from. But I will try to smile more. 🙂

I was in a meeting today where the leader was seeking to be trusted. Some great dialogue ensued about what trust requires and demands. We know well, gone are the days when we trust people because they are in leadership or have authority over us or they ask for trust. Experience tells us, we have reason to distrust based on this criterion.

Talk is cheap. Earning trust will cost you something. There are some important characteristics you have to consider if you hope to be perceived as trustworthy: You have to be authentic. Duplicity won’t cut it. Loyalty and respect come to mind. You’ll have to lay down some flesh and blood in order to get most people to buy into you. And I just can’t trust a person who doesn’t trust me.

Let’s be honest, we distrust people because we have learned some hard lessons. And frankly, not everyone deserves to be trusted. So my simple advice – travel down the trust road with caution.

Excuse my cynicism but I think I’ll be a bit stingy with dispensing any new trust right now. There are some solid folk in my life who are above any distrust. They have proven that they have my back.

You new guys will have to hold off for a bit…