What are you griping about?

Let me just say a BIG amen to this post by Ben Arment.  Check this out…“What you complain about is your calling to fix.“  Come back and let me know what you think.

What an opportunity for God to release creativity into your life for ministry.

What are you complaining about?

What are you going to do about it?

Self-pity…

Self-pity is a pit and leads to bondage.  The worst pits are the ones you dig yourself.  

There is no room in leadership for self-pity.  It will drag others into the pit with you.

Self-pity is sin.  ”…and whatever is not of faith is sin.”  Romans 14:23   When we dwell on our situation looking for pity and wallowing in it, we prove our doubt in God’s sufficiency. 

Self-pity is fleshly and carnal minded.  Joy is the byproduct of the spiritual life.  Galatians 5 tells us that one apect of The fruit of the Spirit is joy.  It’s the fruit of abiding in Jesus and walking in the Spirit.  What is not of the Spirit is flesh.    “Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out, into the open, into a spacious, free life.”  Romans 8:6 (MSG)

Self-pity leads to bondage.  “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”  II Corinthians 10:4 (KJV)  If this preoccupation with self in our state of pity is carnally minded and leads to death but faith in God leads us out into the open to freedom, then self pity puts us in bondage.  It creates a stronghold bound by walls and chains doubt.

Self-pity seeks attention.  It seeks to get it’s needs met by attention from others instead of faith in God to be our deliverer.  It can also be seeking to get God’s attention through pity.

Self-pity leads to sinful behavior.  Self-pity will digress into seeking attention through a victim mentality and blame.  This can turn into gossip and slander and bearing false witness.  We can excuse all kinds of behavior when we seek pity.  Unfortunately, others will go there with us.  They will crawl into the pit with us.  Missery loves company.  It can also develop into self-righteousness or a false righteousness.  You think you are right, after all you are the victim.  You tell others of the wrong that has been done to you because it elevates you and dismisses you behavior and focuses on others.  It’s a shift of blame.  You feel justified but never feel satisfied.

Self-pity is self-deception.  It is blindness. You don’t realize the spiritual state you are in because of your flesh fest.

Self-pity stunts spiritual growth.   It stops you dead in your tracks.  It holds you in that and to that moment.  It will bring you down and not let you move forward.  Pity holds on to the past. and drops an anchor in your life causing you to be battered by the storms of life unable to navigate free of other dangers. 

This will have to be Part 1.   Check back for part 2 and “The way out of the PIT.”

Close Encounters of the God Kind…

I had an awesome encounter yesterday.  I just stopped in to Port City Java to get a cup and check my e-mail.  A guy came over and sat down at my table.  He asked me if I would write an entry in his journal.  I thought this was a little weird and for some reason it was a little uncomfortable.  He said he had noticed a book on my table and he asked me what it was about.  I said it was a book written by a Pastor about the journey of following Jesus.  He asked if I was in ministry.  I told him I was a Pastor.  He asked a few other small talk questions then said that he would often ask other people to just write something in his journal and that I could take my time and write anything I wanted.  I felt God move me even though I was tentative.   So I agreed.

Now was the big thing.  What do I write?  After all this is not my journal and I don’t know anything about this guy.  It was a real step of faith.  I prayed to myself asking God to guide me in my thoughts.  Then-I began to write.

What I wrote did not seem as significant as what took place after I finished writing.   When I was done I went over to his table and handed the journal back.  Then I sat down.  I asked him what he was reading.  He explained that it was a book on Zen meditation.  Many thought were firing through my brain at lightning speed.  What do I say to that?  I said “That’s cool.”  Sounds brilliant!?  Was that the best I could come up with?  Truthfully, it was the only thing that came to mind.  He looked at me, backing his head up a little with a questioning smile, and said “I’m surprised you would say that being a Pastor.”  I said “Well the Bible says a lot about meditation.”  He asked where.  I said the book of Psalms in particular.  He said show me.  So I got my Bible and read to him from Psalm 119 about meditation on God’s precepts and fixing our eyes on His ways.

This sent us into a conversation over many issues about Christianity and following Jesus.  For an hour we talked.  It was obvious that something had painfully shaped how he felt about church and Christians.  His mom was christian in a very legalistic denomination and his dad was Buddhist.  They divorced over religious issues and probably others, when the kids were grown.

I told him as our conversation was coming to a close that I really enjoyed the time with him and his openness.  He told me that he hoped he did  not offend me.  I said to him that when it is our agenda to always convert people instead of knowing people we offend them or at least walk away disappointed because we didn’t reach our goal.  When it is our chief desire to connect and know people and we value them as created by God even if they don’t know him, it opens doors through relationship that will never open through trying to argue or convince people. 

God is so good.  If we stay open to people and to His leading we will experience some incredible things and He will use us in the process.

What great encounters have you had lately?

What are you doing about it?

What are we waiting for? 
Jesus said, (John 4:35) “lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest.” As followers of Jesus and especially leaders in ministry we cannot lose sight of this fact.  We can be confused about the difference between waiting for the harvest and preparing laborers for the harvest.  The harvest is always there.  Jesus said in this same passage that we say “four more months then the harvest.”  He then reminds us to look, it’s ready.  The implication is that our eyes or focus is on something else and we are missing the fact that it’s ready.  We have to keep our eye on the harvest. 

Jesus also say that we get to reap from what others have already prepared and labored for.  I like that.  We don’t have to wait to see fruit.  We just have to get out into the field and reap.

This harvest is happening so fast and is so ready that He said the sower and reaper get to rejoice together.  There is a place for all of us in the harvest.

We need to be harvest ready.

How are you laboring in the harvest?

Risky Business…

My highlight from toady’s message - I got to show a clip from the movie Transformers.

I mentioned in an earlier post that me and Jesus were on a journey.  One of the things I’ve been pondering is found in a quote from this movie.

“50 years from now, don’t you want to say you had the guts to get in the car.” - Sam

This is a defining moment for Sam and Makala, will they go home or will they become a part of living the adventure? Will they take the risk?  Will they take the road less traveled?  Or will they play it safe?

Maybe it was not so theatrical and with no building music in the background but this is exactly what was going on when Jesus spoke to Peter and Andrew on the shore of Galilee saying, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”  This was a defining moment.  They had no idea what was exactly ahead for them. 

3 years down this road Peter was so in love with Jesus, he said he was willing to go where ever Jesus went even if it was to the cross.  In John 21:15-22 Peter has now witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and failed miserably by denying that he knew Him.  He was probably evaluating Jesus call to “Follow him.”   After the resurrection,  Jesus comes to Peter and has a little breakfast with him on the shore.  Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?”  Peter replies “Lord you know I do.”  Jesus says “Feed my sheep.”  This He does three times.  Then Jesus describe the kind of death Peter would suffer and then again as He did in the beginning, He says, “Follow me.”  Peter goes on to ask “what about John.”  Jesus says “What is that to you if he lives or dies, you follow me.”

Jesus call to us to follow Him.  If we choose, it will be a life filled with meaning, purpose, adventure, mystery, and danger, perril, sacrifice, and unlimited posibilities.  We don’t know all that will happen.  Each persons life and journey is unique as is their purpose.  But will we “get in the car?” 

I don’t want to settle for a life without meaning.  I want to say I had the guts to risk it all, where ever Jesus takes me.  I want to Follow Him!  Will you?

Have you had a defining moment?

Did you have the guts to take the risk?

 

What Great Leaders Are Made Of…

Amy and I took the kids to see Prince Caspian last night.  One of the greatest lines of the movie came near the end.  After the Talmarines are defeated, Prince Caspian, Peter, Edmund and Susan kneel before Aslan.  He says “rise kings of Narnia.”  They all rise except Prince Caspian.  He says again, “I said rise kings.”  Prince Caspian responds, “I do not believe I am ready.”  Aslan says, “It’s for that reason I know you are ready.”

Humility is the key to great leadership.  I know my greatest moments have come when my King has spoken and I feel like I’m not ready.  God can do more with my weakness through humility than all the strength and pride in the world.  It is only through my humility and weakness that God can do His greatest work through me.  When I am weak, He is strong.

This reminds me of an old song, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

When have you felt weak and not worthy and God did great things through you?

Me, Erwin, Jesus & Java…

Just so you know where my head is right now, I’m in my Tuesday Office meeting with Erwin McManus and Jesus.  OK, Erwin is not actually, physically here.  I am so excited about my devotional and study time.  The other day I was in the bookstore picking out a couple of things to read.  I felt really drawn to a specific author, Erwin McManus, who is the Lead Pastor of Mosaic.  Something in me got excited like me and Jesus were about to embark on a great journey.  So I am stoked.

Go pick up a copy of one of Erwin’s books.  It will bless you or maybe I’m just on my own little trip.

What good books have you read lately?

Saturday Morning with My Boys…

“Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:19

Been fishing lately?

Caught anything?

Who are you teaching to fish?

Leading with clarity…

The ability to lead has so much to do with communication.  The lack of clear communication creates confusion and insecurity. 

I recently realized a habit I have that was creating confusion in leadership.  After a conversation with one of my leaders on the phone, my wife pointed out to me that I have a habit in my communication that may be sending unclear signals to those I have expectation of.  It’s a two letter word - “WE.”  In my efforts to make my leaders feel my support and like I’m in it with them, I will say “we” when I should be saying “you.”  For example, “We need to send out a follow up to all the visitors from this past month.” or “We need to set a date for our small groups to begin.”  You get the point.  In doing this I am creating mixed signals.  Does he really trust me?  Does he really expect me to do that?  When I was unaware of this I realized I was frustrated thinking there was something wrong on the part of my leaders, who possibly could not do what was expected or possibly it was a lack of initiative or motivation.  Maybe they didn’t agree and just didn’t want to tell me.  I found that the problem was me and how I was not leading with clarity in how I communicated my expectations.

Man, what a difference one word can make.  We must continually evaluated how we are communicating in leadership or we might find ourselves talking only to look back and find we are only talking to ourselves.

What have you learned about leadership and communication?

Feed me…

For about 230 US dollars you don’t ever have to leave your high chair.  Theoretically, you’d never have to leave the chair - just keep adjusting it to fit you.

That sounds ridiculous doesn’t it.

My point is, there comes a time when you move from the high chair to the table.  And, there is a time when you move from being dependant on someone to feed you to being able to take responsibility for yourself and become a self-feeder.

Is the Church learning this lesson?  Are we as leaders and those in ministry being effective at teaching our people to take responsibility for their own spiritual lives?  Are we giving them the right tools?  Or are we caught up in building our churches and ministry trying to keep up with providing something new to be digested, while we miss the fact that they should be taking some of the responsibility for themselves?  Are we perpetuating the expectation of being fed?

I am finding that people will allow you to do for them what they can and should do for themselves as long as you will do it.  They will do for themselves when they have to.  The biggest issue we as ministers have caused by supplanting our peoples responsibility is the developed expectation that we should do for them.  Many ministers I talk to battle with this expectation placed on them and know it’s pressure or frustration. 

Everything seems fine and people are growing and seem to be maturing to fully devoted followers of Christ until you hear that all familiar phrase, “I’m not being fed.”  It’s difficult to watch people you love and serve move from church to church looking for what they expect and never permanently finding it. 

The truth is, they won’t find it and we do them and ourselves a disservice if we don’t teach them to feed themselves.  If they don’t learn this then they will become disillusioned by unmet expectation and blame those who are serving and feeding them. 

Here is how Willow Creek Association is addressing this issue in their Churches.

Do you recognize a dependency on others where you should be doing for yourself?

If you are a leader, How are you addressing these issues in ministry? 

 

Leadership (pt.2) Will you go the distance?

What makes for longevity in ministry?  I read a figure yesterday, that 1500 ministers a month drop out of ministry.  Why?

If you are a minister thinking about quiting, please listen.  If you are in ministry, listen.  If you are in a church and are being ministered to, please listen.  I want to share the secret with you.

Ministry cannot be founded on a love for people no more than a marriage can last on a couples love for each other alone.  Ministry cannot last on talent, giftedness, or drivenness - unless you are Superman, and we know the answer to that.

I won’t drag you on with a long devotional today.  Here it is:

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;  and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”   2 Corinthians 5:14-15

The Apostle Paul tell us that the key is the love of God.  It was the love of God that controlled what He did.  The word controlled is also translated constrains.  I know the force of that word.  It is a word that pushes from the inside out.  It’s not contolled by the love for people, though you need to love people.  But, people will fail you.  If you are in ministry, you know how you can be ministering and serving people who at the same time expect you to while abusing you, hurting you, not listening to you and turning on you.  Sounds like being a shepherd to sheep.  Shepherds tend and care while the sheep bite them, bite each other, go the other way and all the while expecting to be fed and cared for.

I know what it’s like to not want to and then the love of God pushes from deep within me, constraining me to press on for His sake and the sake of those He loves, died and rose for. 

If you are in ministry you must put your focus on Christ and His love.  Let His love drive you and direct you.  Let His love energize you, sustain you, and hold your focus.  If you don’t, you can find yourself one amongst the 1500 or so casualties of ministry.

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.”   2 Corinthians 4:5

If you are one being ministered to and served, have grace and mercy on us.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.  Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.”  Hebrews 13:17-18

Qualities of people you entrust leadership to (pt.1)…

I want my leaders to do great things for God.  I want them to have an impact in the lives of people.  The Bible describles where this greatness comes from in Matthew 20:26b. (msg) “Whoever wants to become great must become a servant.”

The Apostle Peter said we each have received a special gift from the Lord and that we should use it in serving one another as those who have received God’s grace. (1 Peter 4:10)

When I am looking for leaders, I first look for those who have a heart to serve.  These are the ones who don’t have to be asked.  They are eager to do whatever you need.  They just want to serve.  Their joy is in giving to others as Jesus has given to them.  They don’t shy away for lack of experience or because it may cost them something.  They trust God and are thankful for the privilege to serve.  They serve God, not man.  They know God will reward them in due season.

Our churches today are full of those who are eager to receive.  They show up every week with their hands out and their mouths open for the next serving being dished up.  There is a fatness in the body of Christ that is unhealthy.  When all we do is receive and take and never give and pour out, we become like those whose bodies have become overweight and unable to do the things they used to do.  We become led by our appetites.  We find ourselves eating alot and doing little. 

However, when we are active serving, it increases our apetite and brings a healthy balance to our spiritual life.  There must be an inflow and outflow of the Spirit in our life.

Servant leaders are not always the most gifted or mature.  However, they mature quickly and are used greatly by the Lord.  God blesses those who serve and these are the ones I am looking for.

Why we do this…

This is the kind of stuff that makes it worth it. 

Today I performed a wedding ceremony for a couple who came to me and said they finally realized that they could not walk in God’s full blessing unless they quit living together and got married.  They realized God could not bless disobedience.  But that was not the best thing.  They both wanted to commit their lives to Christ and be baptized.  So we had a sea shore wedding and then got baptized. Dude.

That Rocks!!!!  God is so good.

This makes up for so much religious junk that you have to deal with in church.  It’s about relationships.

Congrats to Utah and Kim.  God bless you.  It was my honor.

Who’s Your Daddy…

“Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ I became your father through the Gospel.”  I Corinthians 4:15

We have a lust for knowledge in our world.  We always want to know and we feel an obligation to help everyone else to know what we know.

There are many people who know about Christ but don’t know Him.

What we need is not more spiritual teachers, but rather, more spiritual fathers.  Being a spiritual teacher and being a spiritual father are two different things.  One only takes responsibility for giving information but not for the development of that person as they process and work through that information.  A Father takes responsibility for the process from birth to maturity.  Teachers will come and go but a father is always a father to his sons and daughters.  A teacher has a job.  A father has a relationship.  A teacher doesn’t have to feel anything.  A father feels everything!

This is the investment God is calling us to make; to be fathers to sons and daughters of the Kingdom.

Who’s your Daddy? 

Who are you a spiritual father to?

A Sure Footing…

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”  Proverbs 10:9 (NIV)

Amy and I just got back from a week in San Antonio, Texas where we were invited to speak at a retreat by a great friend and his wife.  The time we spent with Robbie and Annie made me think of the first part of the verse above.  Robbie is a Youth Pastor with 412 Youth Ministry at Trinity Church.  and was a part of the camp ministry we were involved in over the last 15 years.  We have had the pleasure of watching Robbie grow into a man of God and one of the best Youth Pastors I know.  Over the last week I felt like a proud parent as I watched Robbie handle very trying issues with the utmost integrity. 

Integrity is a most precious commodity.  It is Kingdom currency.  While others around you compromise and operated dishonestly, men and women of the Kingdom of righteousness must walk in integrity.  Integrity enjoys the favor of God.  It sustains you in the pleasure of the Father.  It keeps you on a sure footing.

A lack of integrity robs your security and any attempt to hide dishonest or compromising ways will be short lived.  God’s plan for our lives is too important to the Kingdom for Him to leave us living lives that lack integrity.  He will allow us to go in the wrong direction in order to deal with what is lacking or needed in our lives in order to make us more effective for the kingdom.