Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Plate overflowing, mind over-saturated with to-do's, and more problems to solve than you had time to even consider?I had the chance to get away for a vacation back home (Alaska) recently and then did a little road trip on the west coast. It was gorgeous. It took a few days to truly unplug - to get over the guilt of not being productive, the haunting thoughts of "what's not getting done while I'm away" and all of those other distractions. Once I got over the hill, then it was truly a time of refreshment, relaxation and recharging.
One day while I was driving I began to sift through my thoughts and began to feel overwhelmed as I tried to sort through all of the needs, opportunities, projects, situations, and "things" waiting for me back home. Family, Grace Point, the Church of San Antonio, the cause of Christ across America, my role in fixing it all or figuring it all out...Stop! Right as all of those weights were getting stacked up, God hit the pause button for me.
We stopped in the Big Sur area of the Los Padres National Forest in California and hiked to see the Pfeifer Falls shown below:
Isn't that a gorgeous picture? Literally a waterfall colliding with a perfect sandy beach in a quiet cove with a redwood forest on one side, the Pacific on the other and beautiful cliffs enclosing it. It is one of those places you don't want to leave. You want to just put a tent and lawn chair out and call it good!
God made that. The same God who created the universe, who unleashed creative power with a few words yielded scenes like this. That same God sent His Son to kick His long-running mission of redemption into high gear and is presently installing His Kingdom incarnationally through the transformed lives of those who follow His Son, via a thing we call "the Church."
That same God doesn't really need advisers, consultants, architects or assistance in figuring it out. Much of the weight I was carrying was from trying to "help God" with His mission. In that "pause" moment, God reminded me that I was overwhelmed trying to carry His burden instead of focusing on my actual calling to follow, rest, obey, serve and participate in the supernatural work He wants to do in and through me. I don't own the outcome, I own the journey of dependent surrender and unrestrained engagement.
In Acts 20 the Apostle Paul is saying farewell to a church plant he helped start in Ephesus. It was still young, had a lot of kinks and challenges but his time had come. In leaving he doesn't wring his hands over all that remains to be done, nor does he boast in having accomplished everything - he says he is simply confident in leaving because he knows he "has not shrunk back" from doing and saying the things the Lord sent him to. Because he was obedient, he had peace in trusting God with the mission of saving the world.
I know that moment with God triggered a sense of release and freshness for me. (Being around a lot of really pretty places along the coast didn't hurt!)
What are you overwhelmed with that is not truly your cross to bear? What are you claiming responsibility FOR instead of TO to your own demise?
Jody Harris gave a mother's day talk at Grace Point this morning, and embedded within the broad scope of her content was a mention of the need to "find rest in Jesus." She was referencing the famous passage where Jesus invites those following Him to find a perpetual rest, what Eugene Peterson referred to as the "rhythm of grace."
Anybody in leadership knows the burden of responsibility, the exhaustion of continuous exertion, the weariness that can come with struggle, and the elusive ideal of rest. It is easy, as a leader, to reach points where there is an inclination to toss ones hands up, walk away, and seek much anticipated rest. Of course, by leaders I mean all stripes and types - mothers, pastors, teachers, fathers, husbands, small group leaders, managers and everything in-between. Sometimes there is a part of each leader that wants to just sit out an inning and let the rest of the team swing the bat for awhile...Yet, that's not always realistic, appropriate or necessary. A husband cannot sit out a season, a mother cannot pass of the raising of her children, a leader cannot afford to just take a pass.
Here's where the real gem of sustainable, high-caliber leadership lies - the ability to find rest. The diligence to learn, renew and operate out of a rest that truly nourishes is what high leadership - fully leading, fully alive - hangs on. The question is not whether we will need rest, but whether and where we will find it? Nobody can provide this for us. Nobody will look out for us adequately to ensure we do not drift into hazardous anemia. It is our responsibility as leaders to find our rest, to invest in our leadership quotient, to keep ourselves in a place out which we will have the capacity to lead well.
Where do you find your rest? How do you find renewal?
I received a testimony email this morning about an Ugandan pastor who was resilient. He wasn't a formal pastor, but when 100 Christians were imprisoned in a hostile Muslim uprising he was the eldest and most determined to praise God in the circumstance. He refused to deny his Savior and instead rallied the other Christians to praise God in their gruesome confines. After years of this he was considered a pastor and as people were released hundreds and thousands began to be reached with the Gospel. Resilient light that pierces the darkness.
Peterson's The Message paraphrases 2 Corinthians 3:18 like this: And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
Chamber's Utmost entry for yesterday reminds us followers of the Way to look at the face of God for ourselves and let that glory radiate un-hindered, untempered, un-restrained to everyone around us. Whether we are a solo radiating face or whether we are in a host of witnesses who echo and share our glorious radiance.
Leadership - whether 1st chair, 2nd chair or from the caboose always brings wrestling with herd mentality hazards. The tempo and mindset of those around can become a force we permit to distract our hearts and minds from the glory of God, and thus our own leadership (i.e. influence, stewardship of the gospel) is passively retarded.
We do not "feed" off of the crowds around us - we feed off of the glorious riches of the Father through the Son and His Spirit Who indwells those who call Him "Abba," who live dependent upon Him. May we be discontent with anything less. Relentless. Resilient. Radiant.
Hey Folks, there are some awesome opportunities to learn, grow and experience new things in April. Here are just some of the highlights:
1. God's Library - a 5 week survey of the entire Bible, taught by Jim Kingery on Monday nights beginning April 20th. Cost is only $5. Childcare is provided at no cost.
2. Spiritual Warfare - a 5 week study about the fundamentals of spiritual warfare, the Christian response and general Biblical tenets taught by Steve Stoner. Begins Sunday, April 19 @ 9:30. Cost is just $5/person
3. One on One - 2 part workshops on how to practically disciple someone. Co-taught by Michelle Brand and myself with Sunday morning and Monday evening date options in April & May. NO COST. This is a mandatory equipping experience for all Life Group Leaders and then the goal is to see all of Grace Point go through the training so that not only can we share our One story, but we can facilitate each new believer growing in "everything Jesus has taught us."
4. Town Hall for Hope - Thursday, April 23 from 6:30 - 8:30pm we will be hosting a LIVE national event by Dave Ramsey regarding how Biblical financial principles can provide hope and an alternative to the recession environment we're in. It's a FREE event. Register online - bring your group and come check out the fun. Hundreds of people from across San Antonio will be joining us for this special event!
To register for any of these event drop an email to Toni @ toni.renfrow@gracepoint.org or visit www.GracePoint.org. Take advantage of these laser-focused courses we are rolling out to help supplement the learnings of group life and provide venues for equipping YOU as leaders!
Economic times are notoriously uncertain. Job losses, financial devaluations, banks shuddering, capital constricted and the general haze of uneasiness can be paralyzing. What are you doing in 6 months? Nobody knows how to answer that question anymore. Most organizations and individuals are playing a short game until things "stabilize."
The truth is - change is constant, uncertainty is always dominant (just veiled by trends), and risk is always an abundant resource. Adversity certainly demands reorientation. Uncertainty demands clarity. If necessity is the mother of invention, crisis is the mother of leadership. If there was ever a time that the church needed to rise up and lead well in a season of crisis it is now. This is a time of underscored urgency to lead effectively and diligently.
Now, here's where we need to work smarter not harder to take advantage of an event like The Leadership Summit: stretch your dollars. Why should you, your team, or leaders you invite pay more than they have to? Why not help everyone you know stretch limited resource dollars - and hopefully create the opportunity for more people to experience the leadership infusion for the same total cost!
.
Here are some things to know:
.
1. Register HERE
.
2. If you register before 3/31 you'll have access to the cheapest rates EVER
.
3. Students/Faculty/Administration (at any level) can register for over 50% off ($75)!!
.
4. Military (active/retired/reserves/spouse) can register for just $95
.
5. Groups - 10+, 25+ and 50+...lots of incentives
.
6. Magazine Deals - find an ad in Christianity Today, Leadership Journal and others for promo codes that can save $10 or more off of each registration
.
7. Bottom Line - don't let $$$ stand between you and advancing your leadership quotient (LQ), or a friend and theirs, or your team and it's collective LQ. Contact Mike Sharrow for ideas if you're trying to get someone to Summit but hitting a hurdle.
.
How will you lead in these times? How will you stretch Kingdom resource dollars to benefit entire organizations, local churches, and the region?
Guest Blog by Wesley King (thanks Wes!)
What is the monetary value of your human body? Some researchers, with too much time on their hands, have estimated that the monetary value of the elements that comprise your body is about $4.50. Can you believe that? Even with the recent changes, that's still not enough to buy a cup of coffee and a pastry at Starbucks!
But as with most things, when I ask God the value of my human body He gives me a completely different answer. God reminds me through the Psalms that I have been wonderfully and fearfully made. Genesis helps me understand that the very breath of God flows through my lungs. Colossians teaches me that by and for Christ Jesus I have been created. Revelation reveals to me that I have been created for His pleasure. In Galatians, the Holy Spirit illuminates to us that God has called us...so that...
So that, what? Moses was called by God so that He could lead His people out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Joshua was called by God so that he could lead the congregation of Israel. Esther was called by God so that the Jews would be saved from the hands of a mad-man. John the Baptist was called by God so that he could be a voice in the wilderness preparing the way for the Savior. Mary was called by God so that the Savior of the world could become flesh and dwell among us; secure redemption; abundant life. Paul was called by God so that he might preach Jesus among the Gentiles.
As a Christ-follower, each of us has been called… so that we can lead others in the fulfillment of a God-redemptive purpose. He has called you to influence others with the transforming power of Christ Jesus. He has called you to lead where you are.
But you may say, “I’m not a leader!” And I would reply, “That’s simply not true.” I believe that we are all leaders. One definition of a leader is someone who has influence. And surely, in many areas of your life, you are a person of influence; a leader.
As you embrace the fact that you are a leader you’ll find yourself wrestling with the gift you have been given by God. You will realize your insufficiency. You’ll probably come to the sober reality that in and of yourself you are incapable.
And that’s the point where your greatest leadership achievement is realized. Make no mistake about it: the influence you steward has been fore-ordained by the hand of God. It is not His plan for you to be a renegade acting on your own compulsions. Rather, His desire is for you to live fully in Him so that His purpose is realized through the effective stewardship of His leadership gift. The gift of leadership is a huge responsibility. Remember, you have been called…so that!
As you lead, you will soon realize the need to pursue the advancement of your leadership gift so that Christ’s redemptive influence will be potently experienced. Bill Hybels suggests four ways through which you can grow your leadership:
1. Read everything you can on improving your leadership.
2. Go where leadership is taught.
3. Get around leaders that are better than you and ask them questions.
4. Lead something.
There are a variety of resources available to help you keep your leadership edge razor sharp, however, I believe there is none better than The Leadership Summit, a Christ-centered, Church leader focused annual two-day conference led by the best world leaders across many disciplines. The Summit is a high challenge and high intensity infusion that will stretch your thinking and provide practical skills to help you lead where you are.
The value of your life is far greater than the chemicals that are contained within. When you fully surrender and choose to live in the reality of who you are in Christ, you hold dear the one life in which you have to be a leader of redemptive potency. You value every task, conversation and seemingly coincidental encounters. As you lead, you experience the fulfillment of God’s promise to a hopeless world flowing through your surrendered life. You begin to lead like your life really matters. It does. You’ve been called…so that!
But as with most things, when I ask God the value of my human body He gives me a completely different answer. God reminds me through the Psalms that I have been wonderfully and fearfully made. Genesis helps me understand that the very breath of God flows through my lungs. Colossians teaches me that by and for Christ Jesus I have been created. Revelation reveals to me that I have been created for His pleasure. In Galatians, the Holy Spirit illuminates to us that God has called us...so that...
So that, what? Moses was called by God so that He could lead His people out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Joshua was called by God so that he could lead the congregation of Israel. Esther was called by God so that the Jews would be saved from the hands of a mad-man. John the Baptist was called by God so that he could be a voice in the wilderness preparing the way for the Savior. Mary was called by God so that the Savior of the world could become flesh and dwell among us; secure redemption; abundant life. Paul was called by God so that he might preach Jesus among the Gentiles.
As a Christ-follower, each of us has been called… so that we can lead others in the fulfillment of a God-redemptive purpose. He has called you to influence others with the transforming power of Christ Jesus. He has called you to lead where you are.
But you may say, “I’m not a leader!” And I would reply, “That’s simply not true.” I believe that we are all leaders. One definition of a leader is someone who has influence. And surely, in many areas of your life, you are a person of influence; a leader.
As you embrace the fact that you are a leader you’ll find yourself wrestling with the gift you have been given by God. You will realize your insufficiency. You’ll probably come to the sober reality that in and of yourself you are incapable.
And that’s the point where your greatest leadership achievement is realized. Make no mistake about it: the influence you steward has been fore-ordained by the hand of God. It is not His plan for you to be a renegade acting on your own compulsions. Rather, His desire is for you to live fully in Him so that His purpose is realized through the effective stewardship of His leadership gift. The gift of leadership is a huge responsibility. Remember, you have been called…so that!
As you lead, you will soon realize the need to pursue the advancement of your leadership gift so that Christ’s redemptive influence will be potently experienced. Bill Hybels suggests four ways through which you can grow your leadership:
1. Read everything you can on improving your leadership.
2. Go where leadership is taught.
3. Get around leaders that are better than you and ask them questions.
4. Lead something.
There are a variety of resources available to help you keep your leadership edge razor sharp, however, I believe there is none better than The Leadership Summit, a Christ-centered, Church leader focused annual two-day conference led by the best world leaders across many disciplines. The Summit is a high challenge and high intensity infusion that will stretch your thinking and provide practical skills to help you lead where you are.
The value of your life is far greater than the chemicals that are contained within. When you fully surrender and choose to live in the reality of who you are in Christ, you hold dear the one life in which you have to be a leader of redemptive potency. You value every task, conversation and seemingly coincidental encounters. As you lead, you experience the fulfillment of God’s promise to a hopeless world flowing through your surrendered life. You begin to lead like your life really matters. It does. You’ve been called…so that!
I'm a big fan of Sam's Club and Costco. Not just because you can purchase ridiculous quantities of household items (the sense of power from walking out with 96 rolls of toilet paper, or 56 pounds of sugar) - but because of the sacred cow of wholesale box stores....SAMPLES. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the highly anticipated samples. Stopping by one of these seemingly harmless warehouses during the lunch hour can land you a practically free lunch. That is of course assuming you can sample without buying. Therein lies the hazard...samples stir up an appetite intentionally left unsatisfied by the free morsel betting that just enough of us will break down and buy a box of the "special."
I've gotten pretty good at putting mind over matter when it comes to edible temptations. I can walk away. I can eat the bite and leave the rest to imagination. Then there are these things called "Books," and they can just scuttle my boat. It is with this critical piece of intelligence in mind that the folks at Zondervan and Leadership Network have started dripping these "sampler" books that give you just a taste-test from a proverbial buffet of ideas...with a trail of breadcrumbs leading you back to Amazon.
Misery loves company, so with that, let me share with you all my latest source of temptation: the Leadership Network Innovation Series Sampler for the spring of 2009.
So some guys in the network world graciously pulled together an anthology of sorts of the leadership related blog entries by some of the top bloggers in the church planting, pastoring, leadership, church ideation world. You can read it, print it, keep it and kick it around HERE.
I've discussed the distinction between "leadership" and "discipleship" before. They are two disciplines/functions that have so much interplay that they are often blended together, which can be hazardous at times.
In a recent discussion about cross-cultural leadership/discipleship issues within the context of global missions, Keith Anderson reiterated how much a healthy understanding of the relationship and distinctions between L&D is to the deployment of healthy practices - particularly with church planting.
Before referencing some outstanding scholarship that has been produced recently around cross-cultural leadership dynamics (GLOBE project), he highlighted how the sequencing and confusion of these 2 practices can play out in church planting contexts...
(1) You can focus on leadership principles alone. You must wrestle with effectively transmitting the principles in ways that are transferrable to that culture, of course. (something Enrique Fernandez succinctly captures in his teaching on Leadership Extrapolation) The hazard is that you can create dynamic organizational structures and learning systems that fail to draw people to Christ, transform the world or truly touch the Kingdom agenda of God. Certainly, followers will be created ("disciples"?), but not necessarily growing towards Christ and by Him.
(2) You can focus on discipleship. This is most commonly the practice in church-planting, and logically so. You send a team, proclaim the Gospel, teach people to read, pray and go share the story of Christ, rinse-lather-repeat. A by-product of this is certainly that "leaders" are generated as the recipient of the Gospel who turns and shares with others inherits leadership responsibilities and influence over them. This is the primary commissioning of Christ-followers and is the ground floor for reaching new people groups. However, the practices of initially seeding disciples are not effective at cultivating healthy leadership that is sustainable, replicable, and developmental in nature.
(3) You can disciple with a plan for intentional follow-up and leadership development. This is (as you've guessed) the recommended approach. In this you lead off fundamentally, but have the discipline and commitment to follow it up with continued learning, investment and equipping so that indigent leaders can be supported in their generational work of living out our shared Commission in their locale.
I've certainly seen these principles validated - in Haiti, Honduras, Argentina, Mexico, Ireland and the US. Myopic emphasis on just L or D creates an organizational anemia that hinders the Body and creates cyclical resource expenditure by congregations that fail to accumulate for net progression. There is incredible opportunity, however, when a healthy outlook is achieved that allows for seasons, stages and a metamorphosis-based approach.
The principles are not just a function of scale - it works down to the ministry team, small group and similar level. As a leader, are you differentiating between the functional purpose of development efforts - to disciple, to infuse with leadership to further the cause of Kingdom advancement, additional discipleship to provide the depth from which to lead spiritually even further, etc? Have you seen hazards from L&D being confused, or a lack of any intentional plan to develop along either tracks?
Enrique Fernandez was asked for some key axioms pertaining to the local church effectively engaging cross-cultural missions, leadership and discipleship based upon his work and experience. His response:
The local church must take the "s" off of Missions, and instead focus on the Mission of God (singular). The world-wide mission of God is one of restoring all people to relationship with Himself and ushering in His Kingdom. The work of the local church is to participate in this universal Mission. The implication is to approach each culture, destination or people group with a mindset of discerning what His work is in that place and determining our role in participating.
This kind of mindset demands a vulnerability to reflect upon our own agendas and presuppositions of culture and consider that of our surroundings. it requires us to commit not to a single location as much as God's work there, listening and learning. It involves thinking about sustainable efforts and long-term investments that are about seeing God's design fully lived out in that place over attainable projects for us to come back from having touched.
Certainly this axiom, while spoken in relation to outbound missions, has application for leaders in any context. How often do you step back and wrestle with the Mission of God for the people you're interacting with, versus making "a mission" out of your efforts? How effective, when working with people from another culture, are you at discerning between the form of your own American culture from the essence of Christ in evaluating their situation?
*Quote from goLead Cross-Cultural Leadership & Discipleship Symposium (2009, Wayside Chapel)
I have enjoyed the game of chess since I was a kid. Not that I'm necessarily a chess wizard, but it's just a fun game and I enjoy strategic thinking. Playing chess with my wife, however, is frustrating. You see, she does not strategize in chess - she just "plays." While I'm anticipated 6 moves ahead and how she'll react and then counter-act my moves, she's taking each move as they come with the general intent of winning but not worried about knowing every move between her and victory. The result is my assumptions of "what she'll do next" is usually wrong. She's not trying to decipher my long-term strategy, and her short-term moves prove highly effective at putting a kink in my plans!I am frequently reminded of how easily we allow ourselves to get bogged down in relational hubris that drags on our inertia without any notable gain. We play games - dropping subtle hints, reading signals, and employing a host of telepathic interpretations, often in vain. It's tiring, creates awkward impasses when theories clash with reality and we discover our gameplan was disconnected, and just doesn't yield good results. Quoting my bride again, who's known for saying, "I just don't have the energy for that kind of thing!"
Whether in business settings, ministry teams, family scenes or my own marriage - I have found tremendous success when cutting through the fog of relational chess and just asking the question, naming the pink elephant in the room and moving on. It's much more effective to invest effort and energy into the actual resolution of any situation than on the self-imposed long runway of cat-and-mouse moves.Chess only works when 2 people are truly playing. When tied up in knots about how to win the game, consider calling a trump by not playing. Live in the present, seize what is before you and don't let the present opportunities be consumed by phantoms of what "might be."
1. What are areas you are letting games paralyze you?
2. What relationships are stalled because you won't walk out into the field and call the person out?
3. What opportunity are you forever waiting to get because you're hoping that particular person somehow "knows" you really want it?4. What discipleship relationship is stunted because you keep dropping hints at the truth needed hoping the implications are understood instead of laying it on the line? In the gospel of Matthew it says some folks stopped asking Jesus questions because they were afraid of what His answers would be. He was pretty direct and tended to mess up the communication and faith games people insisted on playing. We could learn a lot!
Concept Cloud
