One of the key responsibilities as leader in this age is to help people make the choice of whether they will choose fame (and all that comes with that such as riches) or greatness. It’s a struggle of the soul to say the least.
Someone once told me “fame is what you accomplish for yourself, greatness is what you accomplish for others.”
Jesus said that if you want to be great then you must learn to serve.
Service isn’t the pathway to greatness, it’s the essence of greatness.
A friend of ours, Ed Stetzer, wrote a book called “Breaking the Missional Code.” It’s a good read that any follower of Christ should consider as they look to learn new ways on how to love the culture around them. For our church planters, these really are invaluable questions (if it’s an already “churched” area) to use to help get your community moving forward.
In the book, Ed suggests asking the following questions to people you meet in/around your neighborhood/community:
*What do you think is the greatest need in this area? How could a community work together to help meet that need?
*Why do you think more and more people are refusing to attend the church?
*Do you attend a local church? If not, why not? If so, why?
*If you were decide to give the church another shot what would you look for?
*What would you say to a “pastor” who really wanted to make a difference for the people around him? How could this “pastor” help you today?
The responses that many church planters have gotten from these questions is amazing. People really do want to share, but they need to know you really want to learn and listen. If you decide to ask these questions make it a learning exercise, not a faith-sharing one.
Godspeed on breaking the code!
Over the summer I have been determined to pick back up the One Year Bible and read it every day. I hope this process continues through the end of year, but I am at least committed for the summer.
If you aren’t familiar with the tool I would suggest you grab one. The OYB is a great way to read parts of the Old Testament, New Testament, a Psalm and a Proverb everyday. I find that in “full time ministry” I can often be reading the Scriptures for everyone else, but find very little time to enjoy the Word for myself. The OYB helps me do just that.
Lately I have been amazed at all the killing that is going on in Kings, the “bigness” of God in the Psalms, the simple nuggets of wisdom in Proverbs and the boldness of Paul in Acts.
It’s been a good discipline for me and I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone. Enjoy!
This morning I awoke to read about a 41 year old painter who was beaten to death by a group of people in Austin. Apparently the man’s friend (who was driving) accidentally bumped into a 2 year old, and as the driver got out to check on the toddler, the crowd turned violent. The other man jumped out to help his friend but was fatally beaten in his effort to help his friend.
I think maybe the most discouraging news of this report is that while all this was happening not one person (out of the hundred that watched this occured) called 911 for help. Amazing.
There hasn’t been a time in recent memory that we have had some much potential staring us (both in my family and in our faith community) in the face.
We are on the verge of some really cool things for God and others. And yet for every exciting thing that could happen, there is the risk of knowing these things could fail just as easily. Changing the future weighs heavily on us as leaders doesn’t it? And yet Christ reminds us that His burden is light. I am not sure I truly understand that verse just yet, but maybe it simply means that “succeed or fail” in these future endeavors, everything will be alright. It will all be good because as we move forward He not only goes with us, but He is already there. And where He is, is always a great place to be!
The exact count will never be known, but the amount of lives that have been given up so that this country could be free is in the hundreds…of thousands! It remind me today of that true adage that ‘Freedom isn’t Free.’
Today we all should pause, reflect and thank God that brave men and women from the beginning of time have been willing to die for freedom. I only hope I would have the guts to do the same.
Today in the Mosaic Alliance leadership conference call, a few of heard from Rick Yamamoto (elder at Mosaic LA and leader of the Mosaic Alliance) about the importance of growing personally as a leader.
Rick shared some truth from a study done at the Center of Strategic Leadership. Bottom line in the study was that great leadership doesn’t happen through books, studying and/or conferences. Leaders become great through experiences.
Here were the 5 highlights that great leaders need to be about to have the most influence (good stuff)
*Take on early stretching assignments (don’t shy away from the tough jobs/assignments)
*Cultivate relationships. Period. People are why we are here as leaders.
*Executive Temperment. Learn how to recover from your mistakes. Learn how to deal with power and ambiguity.
*Self Awareness. 3 questions every leader needs to ask/answer- “What am I weak at?” “What am I good at?” “What am I great at?” Play towards your strengths (the things you are great at).
*Values. What are you building your life on/around? What are you teaching others?
Great times learning from other leaders around the globe today. Thanks to the Mosaic Alliance and especially Rick for sharing these thoughts with us today!
It’s 72 degrees on this May evening in Texas. The clouds surround me as a mother hen stretches over her chicks. The outdoor deck is cleaned, the pool water crystal blue and the tiki torches are fulfilling their dual duties of providing the right atmosphere while also keeping away any unwanted insects. The wind is blowing on my face as the chimes dance to the beat of Sting coming over the outdoor speakers. My dog is resting at my feet while I sip on a tall glass of iced cold water (Arlington tap water is really pretty good). This is a really good night of time to read, reflect, thank God and write.
I have been blessed more than I know and deserve.
Tonight I spoke briefly with a friend from high school who has had a pretty successful ministry in church planting as a “#2″ leader (a guy satisfied to help the lead visionary carry God’s heart for the church). This guy worked his tale off to start a new community of faith. 2 1/2 years of giving, sweating, praying, sharing, learning and loving. Then out of our blue the main visionary decided to “go a different direction” and relieved my friend of all his duties. I was both sad and mad when I heard the news.
Which leads me to this question- “When is it right for the main leader to move a guy who is holy before God, serving others with sacrificial love and passionate about the vision of the church out of leadership?” It seems to me that more and more leaders are about building their own kingdoms rather than His.
I pray that if/when I am placed in that situation that I will remember what this stuff is all about. In the meantime pray for my friend.
Today I will pick up my son from his school (4 hours early) for a day out at the Ballpark in Arlington (where our beloved Texas Rangers will play host to the 1st place Anaheim Angels).
The school administrator will probably remind me that this will be an unexcused absence. An excused absence would be seeing a doctor, dentist, going to a funeral or being sick. But this, well this is fun with your old man on a sunny day. This is life!
One day when my son gets older I am pretty confident he won’t remember what he learned today in 1st grade. But I hope he will remember the times he and his dad caught an afternoon game at the ballpark. Besides in my mind, excused absences tend to be overated. Too many kids graduate high school without every missing a day of class (the infamous “Perfect Attendance” award) but they miss out on life in so many other areas. Life is more than learning at school. I pray Harrison and I learn that together today, again.
