Thoughts on Life and Leading

This week marks the beginning of the pastoral ministry of the Richard Whitter family at Maranatha Church. Rich joins us in the role of Missional Pastor. As such, he will lead our efforts to make the love of God obvious in our community and around the world. He will not be doing our missional work, he will be teaching US how to do our missional work.

Rich, Janet and Grace come to us from LifeChurch in Bloomington, Minnesota. Rich has been my nephew all of his life and most of mine.

Let’s welcome them to the Maranatha family!

This is day 58 of the BP oil fiasco. An environmental crisis of epic proportions.

At this point, I beginning to wonder if there is anything that can be done by the people who hear from God. It may sound like lunacy but maybe someone who has the special gift of the Spirit like prophecy or word of knowledge (ref: I Corinthians 12) can offer some insight.

As crazy as it sounds, God can do anything. One of the more interesting Old Testament stories I know is found in II Kings 6:1-7 (NLT)
1 One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. 2 Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.”
“All right,” he told them, “go ahead.”
3 “Please come with us,” someone suggested.
“I will,” he said. 4 So he went with them.
When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees. 5 But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”
6 “Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. 7 “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.

So I say, if God can make an ax head float, He can give some kind of solution to this current crisis.

What do you think?

Letha and I were in a large worship gathering last night. At the conclusion of the teaching of Scripture, the speaker mentioned that he would like to pray with those who had children who were not living for Christ. He asked for a show of hands and asked that these individuals come forward for prayer.

I was stunned to see how many pastors came forward for prayer. These people are leading local churches in faith development, but their children are without a relationship with Jesus. It was a sobering and heartbreaking moment.

A few points I took from this experience:
I am very thankful that our adult daughter loves God and lives for Him.
We can lead thousands but if those closest to us do not follow, we fail.
We need to pray for spiritual leaders in our communities, the task is not easy.
Just beneath our personal relationship with God, our relationship with our family is top priority.
God has no grandchildren.

Intense.

I am in Tampa this week and it is blazing hot here. I thought this would be a nice time to take a look back at a few pictures from our recent trip to the Inca Trail in Peru. I hope you enjoy.

Paul makes an interesting statement in 1 Corinthians 16:9 “a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” (NIV) It seems that the fact that some were opposing him was evidence that opportunity was present. Interesting perspective, don’t you think?

I am in a season of little opposition right now. The team is with me, our leaders seem connected, even those who generally like to resist are quiet. And I am a little nervous about it.

Here’s the thing about unopposed leaders:

When everything is going your way. When everyone is on board. When your ideas are all good ones. When there is no pushback, no naysayers, no one shooting holes in your ideas.
Life is good.
Or is it?

When you are a leader and have no opposers…

Either:
1. You are really good and everyone believes in you and supports you.
Or
2. You are a mean ogre and everyone who opposes you is afraid to tell you (or anyone else) for fear of repercussions.
Or
3. You are not available to hear or are oblivious to feedback or have your head in the sand.
Or
4. No one cares enough to let you know.
Or
5. You are doing nothing of consequence, nothing important enough for anyone to oppose.
Or
6. The dam is about to break and bad news of opposition is just around the corner.

Personally, I am really hoping for option #1.

Leaders need some resistance from time to time. Our ideas do not need to go unchallenged.

Do I like it when I am opposed? No, I hate it. But is it valuable and necessary and it does inspires growth. I am not asking for someone to come against me. But when it happens, and it is only a matter of time, I will do my best to embrace the benefits.

As part of our current teaching series at Maranatha Church, we developed a list that you may find helpful. It addresses the topic of addictions and recovery.

Be honest with yourself and with God.

How do I know if my habit is a harmful addiction?
Here are 10 questions you can ask to help you determine if your habit is a destructive addition:

Does it impair my judgment?
Does it numb my pain?
Does it enable me to cope?
Does it hurt other people?
Am I overly defensive/sensitive about it?
Do I tell myself and others that I can quit any time I want?
Does it create a false sense of well being or courage?
Does is cover or hide an inadequacy in me?
Do I regret it after the fact?
Is it a replacement for God in my life – in other words – am I asking this habit to do for me what God wants to do for me?

Answer “yes” to one or more of these and you may have an addiction that needs to be addressed.

Get help now.

This is the last of our three part report on our recent trip to Peru. Dad (Rick) and daughter (Jessica) had an amazing experience!

by Jessica Whitter Hanson and Rick Whitter

Don’t let the jerks ruin your trip. We were part of a group of 16 people who hiked the Inca Trail. As is always the case when you get in a group, there was one person who rose to the top as the group creep. One woman made it apparent from the beginning that the trip was all about her. She was late the first time we picked her up on the bus, and several times thereafter. She talked incessantly. She dominated every conversation. She was loud, she was crude and she was inconsiderate. But she did not spoil our trip. We made a decision pretty much immediately that we would, to the best of our ability, ignore her. A few times, this was a difficult task, but we managed.

It is not possible to eliminate all the jerks from your life. There will always be someone who dominates and does their best to make your life miserable. Don’t let them do it. Don’t give them that much control. If possible, ignore them, if not tolerate them. But don’t lose the purpose of your journey. By the time we were finished with our trip, we were feeling sorry for this lady – she had some real issues. But when we think back to the amazing things we experienced on this trip, this woman doesn’t even make the list.

You can overcome phobias if you focus. I (Rick) am afraid of heights. Getting on a roof is a major accomplishment for me. The thought of hiking up a mountain may seem insane for someone who is acrophobic. But I made a determination to not let my limitation prevent my enjoyment of this trip. Along the trail, I had zero issues with height. We were climbing stairs, crossing over old wooden bridges over rivers, squeezing by narrow ledges high above steep drop-offs. Jessica was quite impressed that I jumped up on a couple of ledges for photo ops. The only issue I had was at Machu Picchu, while we were taking a tour of the city. I got a little edgy when we were standing on a ledge and had to relocate for a bit. I got over it.

You don’t have to be controlled by your fears. Don’t be held in the bondage of preconceived ideas. Get over your phobias and get on with life.

Effective leaders sometimes need to present a filtered view of the vision. Let’s be clear: we are not saying that leaders should lie to those who follow them, nor should they sugarcoat reality. But sometimes, presenting followers with all the information about a challenging situation can intimidate them or weaken their resolve to complete the task at hand. Example: during our hike, our main guide, Henry, was famous for presenting a much nicer picture of the trail than what we actually encountered. At the beginning of the day, he would tell us about “a few hours of rolling hills” that “weren’t too difficult.” After a few hours of hiking those rolling hills, we realized that they were difficult, but that by presenting us with a rosier view of the day, Henry has kept us all from despairing. If we had known exactly how difficult those rolling hills were going to be, many of us would have become discouraged, or maybe even have decided to give up before the challenge even began. Don’t lie to those you lead, but presenting the cold, hard truth isn’t always beneficial.

You can go potty pretty much wherever you have to. Without getting graphic, the restroom facilities along the Inca Trail are less than civilized. They were nasty. At the beginning of the trip, this bothered both of us quite a bit. But as we got into the spirit of the journey, we adjusted. Before long, we just did what had to be done.

The life-lesson are obvious. Sometimes things aren’t pleasant but they have to be done. Our advice, take a deep breath (maybe literally) and get it over with. It’s not that bad. Plus these experiences really make you appreciate the comforts of home.

If you want to see Machu Picchu in person, there are 2 options: 1 – you can take a few-hour, air-conditioned bus ride. 2 – you can hike for 3 and a half days, sleep in a tent, use very questionable bathroom facilities, and have your feet go numb from so much walking. Both options lead you to the same Machu Picchu, but are about as different as night and day. For a lot a people, this is a no-brainer. Why bother with all the hiking, camping and sweating if you can reach the end goal (the ruins) without all the work (the Inca Trail)?

When we arrived at Machu Picchu, we laughed about the obvious differences between us and the people who arrived by bus. They were clean…we weren’t so clean. They smelled nice…we didn’t smell so great. They looked fresh and rested…we were exhausted to the bone. Yet, we had seen things the people who took the bus will never, ever see. We interacted with the Peruvians and their culture in a way the bus travelers didn’t. We saw half a dozen other ruins, waterfalls, bridges and animals that gave us a greater appreciation for the country. We passed through the Inca Sun Gate at dawn, getting a first view of Machu Picchu from high above the city. Best of all, we connected with each other and with God, as we experienced His creation, and many challenges and difficulties, along the trail.

We hope you enjoyed our observations about our trip. Hopefully, we will be posting some great pictures over the next couple of days.

All in all, the Inca Trail trek was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for both of us!

This is a continuation of our application of lessons learned while hiking the Inca Trail in Peru.

By Jessica Whitter Hanson and Rick Whitter

Trekking poles are essential. Trekking poles are like ski poles. They assist with balance, they keep you stable and they supply support while going up and down the hills which takes pressure off of your joints. Prior to the hike, we debated even bothering with trekking poles. Thankfully, a couple of more experienced hikers advised us to make the investment. What an absolute lifesaver! We used the poles 90% of the time we were on the trail.

What I got out of this: Some things we think were optional, aren’t. If we don’t take them along, we won’t finish the trek of life. You’d better know what those things are and take them along.

The porters make it happen. We signed on with a trekking guide company for our trip. You can’t even hike the Inca Trail without a licensed guide, for obvious reasons. The men who were responsible for carrying our cooking equipment, food and extra gear were amazing. They sometimes literally ran the trail ahead of us to set up camp prior to our arrival. They were quietm, unassuming guys but they made the trip so much better.

I was reminded of a few things from these hard working men: it’s not the glamour people, not those who demand or require a lot of attention. It’s not those who work for the applause of the people. The ones who make it happen are those who throw the load on their back and do the job. When no one is looking, when nobody is clapping, they go about the business of making the world work. They don’t complain, they just do it. Here’s to the “porters” of the world. God bless you!

Travel light. Get rid of some crap. My pack weighed somewhere around 35 pounds, more or less depending on how much water I was carrying. Our whole family are over packers. I like to be ready “just in case”. Because of this tendency, our packs got very heavy, especially during descents. The pounding on our knees and hips was substantial on day two, when we ascended and descended Dead Woman’s Pass (at 13,800 ft), I wanted to throw my whole pack off the cliff. It’s not so bad to wear the same clothes for four days or to leave the toiletries at home. Did I really need those chemical cold packs in case of a swollen ankle? Apparently not, I brought them back unused.

Think minimalist in life. We don’t need so many things. For a lighter load and a smoother journey, drop some dead weight.

We are better ascenders than descenders. On the first day of the trek, one of our guides asked us if we prefer going up the mountains or going down them. We thought this was a funny, ridiculous question – we were working so hard to climb up these hills and who in their right mind would prefer ascending instead of descending? On day two, we changed our tune. We spent the first half of the day climbing Dead Woman’s pass to an altitude of 13,800 feet and we thought it would be the hardest hours of the trek. We spent the second half of the day going down the other side of the pass, and found it to actually be more difficult than climbing up the mountain! Going up was hard on our lungs and hearts, but going downhill was hard on our bodies, putting constant pressure on our joints and feet.

Lesson learned: You think that after you’ve reached the summit, you’re home free. But sometimes, the downhill is harder than the uphill. Just because you’ve reached the summit doesn’t mean you can afford to kick back and relax. Be prepared for the challenges of descending.

Come on back in a few days for one more installment of “takeaways”. By the way, I have a ton of pictures from the trip posted on my facebook profile.

While Jess and I were hiking the Inca Trail this week, we developed a list of observations. Some are new revelations, some are simply confirmations of things we already knew but that were brought home to us in new ways.

Below are some of our “takeaways” from the journey.

Peru: 5/28-5/31, 2010

Part 1:

You can go farther than you think. The trail pretty much pushed us to the point of exhaustion several times each day. We never once thought about quitting (not that this was an option) but we got REALLY tired. Calves, thighs, shoulders and feet take a beating. Air is very thin the higher you go and breathing with less oxygen complicates everything. Add in the extreme physical exertion and you burn a ton of calories. By the way, foods rich in protein are essential – we ate a ton! One advantage of climbing this time of year is cool weather. Camping at night in a 6 by 6 tent when it is cold is another thing altogether. Heavy sleeping bags and warm hats while we sleeping helped. During the day, it was hot in the sun while we were at lower altitudes which caused us to lose a lot of fluids. This is why we had to carry so much water, it was recommended that we drink 2 liters every day. Keeping ourselves hydrated, strong and healthy made the trip manageable.

If the trials of your journey make you want to quit, concentrate on some basic aspects of continuation – you can go farther than you think, despite the obstacles.

It’s easier when you go with someone. It’s better to share the experience than going it alone. We were part of a group of 16 hikers. While I didn’t spend much time interacting with the others, Jessica and I were pretty much inseparable. We encouraged one other, laughed with each other and complained about aches to each other. I would never want to have an experience like this without someone I love with me. It made the trip so much more memorable – something we will never forget.

Don’t do life alone. We need each other.

Slow, steady with breaks is better than full speed. Our guide, Henry told us about an annual race of the Inca Trail that used to take place years ago. Professional runners from around the world, as well as local porters would gather to see who could finish the course first. The record is 3 hours and 37 minutes! This is a 26 mile, unbelievably challenging course that took us three and one half days to hike! Of course we stopped at various ruins sites but the thought of running the Trail is astounding. For us, it was not about speed. It was slow going, pacing ourselves. If we had gone fast, we would never have made it.

Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Pace yourself. Otherwise, you will burn out and quit. Although our trek was not a race (everyone was encouraged to go at their own pace), Jess and I were the first trekkers to complete the journey, we arrived at Machu Picchu with our guide before the other hikers. Not bad considering I was the oldest hiker by about ten years. No, it was not a race, but it feels good to win!

Take care of your feet, change shoes. We both got blisters on our feet but we had good first aid treatment with us in our packs and made the necessary adjustments. We changed shoes which meant the extra weight in our packs of extra boots/shoes. It was well worth it. Sometimes, it’s about the socks. One day, Jess wore regular athletic socks rather than good wool-blend hiking socks. That’s the day she got a blister. She was able to change and her feet improved.

The lesson is, there are just some things you can’t scrimp on. You will pay in the long run. Make sure you invest in quality essentials.

You have to take time to look back. Obviously, when you are climbing uneven, slippery steps, you have to focus on what is just ahead of you. But every few minutes one of us would stop and say, “whoa, check out that view”, as we looked back. Where we had been was awesome, but we could have missed it had we only looked ahead. Take time in your efforts to recall what got you where you are.

Even though we don’t plan to backtrack, it is inspiring to see the beauty over your shoulder. Take a look from time to time.

Come back soon for part 2 of Inca Trail Takeaways.

I am sorry I have not been able to stay in touch during our trek. Not surprisingly, there was no cell reception in the Perivian jungle. We completed our journey on the Inca Trail this morning and are currently in route back to Cusco. We are in the back of the bus driving down a bumpy gravel road in the dark.

I will certainly have more to say in coming days but Jess and I enjoyed the trip of a lifetime. The hike was as physically demanding as anything I have ever done. But the absolute wonder of God’s creation and the explorations of the ruins of ancient civilization made the journey well worth the effort. I would recommend this experience to anyone who is physically fit and who has an appreciation for ancient history. This was the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

We were sucessful in our connections with Pastor Lopez and his children’s ministry center. Thanks to many generous people, we delivered $5000 to take care of needy kids.

Jessica and I had a wonderful father/daughter experience. She is one of the strongest and most courageous women I know.

A few days after our return, I will start posting some pictures and stories.

Thanks so much to all of you who supported us and prayed for us.

Tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM, we are USA bound!

Tomorrow morning at 5:20, my daughter Jessica and I leave for our Inca Trail trek. This is a four day, 26 mile hike through the Andes Mountains. The altitudes will exceed 13,000 feet and our backpacks are full. What a blast!

Please say a prayer for our health and safety. On day four, we will end the hike at Machu Picchu with a celebration. I will try to post from the trail. And there will be lots of pictures upon our return.

Grace to all!

Rick

In some of my personal leadership development processes, I try to measure how I am doing as it relates to influencing other people. Dictionary.com defines influence as: “the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.” There is nothing wrong with trying to have this affect on other people, as long as the influence is positive in nature.

Below is a list of some things that I think are vital to being a person of influence. Read through them and ask yourself how you are doing with your family, your friends and in your faith community. Are you a positive influencer?

Bring value: be sure that you add to the lives of the people around you. Are they better off because you are there? Make sure to add, not subtract, from the people in your life.

Encourage: build up the folks you know. There are enough downers in life. Once someone knows you are an encourager, your influence will grow immensely.

Share wisdom: when given the opportunity, give out lessons you’ve learned and advice you have received. Most of the time, we have to be invited to do so or else we become overbearing. But if something you know can prevent pain in someone’s life, share it.

Be steady: Huge emotional swings will destroy any credibility you may have. Conversely, if you are perceived as balanced and steady, people will trust you enough to allow you to influence them.

Be consistent: there is no substitute for a proven commodity. Time reveals strength. Pay your dues and stick with it over the long haul. You will find yourself being influential.

Succeed: It’s simple- if you produce, people will listen to you. Failure has a way of wrecking our credibility.

Display integrity: be honest, be fair, have character. Enough said.

Be loyal: if you can show that you have someone’s back, you will earn the right to be heard by them.

Serve: the display of a servant’s heart is a great way to win the confidence of someone you would like to influence.

Care: show that you truly care about people. If they know that you are not in this to get something in return, you will gain influence in their lives.

These are just a few ideas on how you can increase your positive influence in the lives of the people around you. And isn’t that one of the reasons we are put in this earth – to influence in a good way?

I know you can access these teaching videos from Maranatha’s website, but I am hoping that convenience will increase participation.

Take a look at these videos from Than and Megan and from me. The topic is humility, something we all need to learn.

Let’s keep going on our quest to Save our Families!

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11966039&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Humility – Than and Megan from Maranatha Church on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11964965&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Humility – Pastor Rick from Maranatha Church on Vimeo.

I had an interesting discussion with the girl who cuts my hair. I refuse to call her a hair stylist, I prefer “barber”, but she would probably be offended. She is from Russia and since I have been there, she likes to talk to me about how life is there, as compared to America. This morning, she told me that people who work at churches in Russia have to be old. Younger people are not trusted because they don’t have enough life experience. She referred to the movie “Gran Torino” in which a young priest is mistrusted by the main character, for the same reason.

Got me to thinking: Am I old enough and seasoned enough to be trusted by most people? I certainly recall the days when people asked if I was the Youth Pastor or when I had to grow a mustache to look older. Don’t have that problem anymore. But do I present old enough and mature enough to gain the trust of most people I am working with? I hope so.

It also made me think about how short the season of effective ministry is in our country. For too many people, you can’t be too young and you can’t be too old. The perfect age is, I would guess, somewhere around 35-45. I probably have about 15 more total years left to work vocationally in the ministry, but truly maybe only 5 years or so before most folks think I am out of touch. Wow. I plan to work hard to stay in touch.

In a few years, prop me up, and I’ll do my best to be trusted.

When you are finished reading this, take a few minutes to watch the family video devotional below. This is the next in the series that we are producing as part of our 30 Days to Save Your Family series at the Gardens campus of Maranatha.

What are you good at? What gifts and talents do your possess? Now what might God want you to do with those abilities that will bring honor to Him? He does not give you a talent just so you can enjoy it. The purpose behind every gift is the sharing of that gift. I have always heard it stated this way: we are blessed to be a blessing.

If God has given you money, he expects you to share it. If you can sing, sing for God. If you are wise, don’t use that wisdom to gain the respect of others, use it to help others. This is a biblical concept and one that will result in great fulfillment.

Now utilize these ideas as they apply to your family. Check out the video devotional. Let me know what you think.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11855434&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Family Ministry – Pastor Rick from Maranatha Church on Vimeo.

We have a very strong leadership team at Maranatha Church. I am honored to be able to work with quality, gifted and integrous people. With excitement, we are announcing an addition to our staff. Next month, my nephew, Richard Whitter will become a part of our pastoral staff. Richard comes to us with an extensive background in ministry, having served for several years as a missionary and local church leader.

Rich will be preaching and teaching, leading our outreach efforts, will be instrumental in training and leading missions efforts and providing overall leadership to the church and community.

Richard, Janet and Grace will love Maranatha, and we will love them. We are all about to go to a new level.

Be watching for specific details about the arrival of the Whitter family, part 2.

Once again, we are focusing on improving our family relationships. 30 Days to Save Your Family is our effort to encourage everyone to strengthen the foundations of our homes. This video is the latest installment of our video devotionals for families. Than and Megan also have prepped a great devotional for families with kids. You can find it on Maranatha’s website.

Theme today: Honesty

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11786887&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Honesty – Pastor Rick from Maranatha Church on Vimeo.

News stories like this will make you believe in miracles. This baby was protected by God in a terrible accident. The mother had failed to restrain the baby properly and he was ejected when the car turned over. Amazingly, the baby is fine. Watch the news report (sorry about the commercial).

DayPortPlayer.newPlayer({articleID:”20334″,bannerAdObjectID:”5″,videoAdObjectID:”4″,videoAdConDefID:”2″,playerInstanceID:”24FAD9E0-DC70-2532-414F-7E6F051C4C2F”,domain:”wptv.web.entriq.net”,rootCategory:””,categoryID:”3″,accPos:”CCTVI.NEWS”,accSite:”WPTV”});
Get the idea that God has something for this little guy to do in his life? What a story! A miracle!

When I was a teenager, a burnout was a guy who smoked too much dope. Now, it is the person who doesn’t know how to say “no” to an opportunity and winds up sick and tired of doing anything.

Today, in my Covenant Group (a group of seven pastor-friends who meet once a month for community, accountability, and goofing around) discussed a book we all read – Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy the book all that much because I don’t have that much of an issue with overdoing stuff. There were some interesting and helpful parts, however. If you are in ministry and have issues with expectations and boundaries, it may be a good read for you. I read it in about 5 hours on a recent flight.

I brought a resource along to share with the guys that I received from my friend and colleague, J Simms. It was from author Donald Miller’s blog. The article was called, “Knowing Your Work Style Can Help You Avoid Burnout“. You can take a look at it here. I really like Miller’s work and this post was pretty helpful, considering our topic.

If you are cooked and have no more energy for life, take a break. Read the book. Check out the blog. Let God refresh you. Life will be fun again.