Some friends at another church in town are releasing devotionals for Lent, and this is today's entry...good for us all to celebrate and remember...

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Recently I was explaining to a friend that algorithms (a fairly simple procedure for solving complex mathematical problems) and allegories (a convoluted method of teaching simple truths through symbolism) had similar Latin roots. The major difference was that Allegories had a double “l”, which made it more complex. She suggested that I was crazy (probably true), she did not know what algorithms were, except that they were mentioned in the TV show NUMB3RS, and they were not simple. To prove my point, I showed her that the word alga (or algae) started with the same sound as algorithm; and alga were simple one-celled plants, while allegro had the double “l” and meant fast (complex). She countered that I could allege anything I wanted, but it did not make it true.

While my friend will never accept that algorithms are simple, she knows a lot of allegories from the Bible:
Jesus’ parables,
Jesus as the Good Shepherd,
Jesus as the Lamb of God,
The symbol of the cross which stands for the blood that was shed at Calvary.

Meanwhile I will go through life praising God and thinking that algorithms and alga are simple, and allegories and allegro are complex.

Lord, thank You for making Your truths so complex that scholars have trouble understanding them, but so simple that a child can understand them. Amen.

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)

Pastor Jeff has been teaching a great series of thoughts that God has put on his heart. He ended the year strong and is kicking off the new year equally strong. It is an honor God allows us to be a part of what He is doing in the local Grace Point body, city and world.

I enjoyed the "poker game" and the concept of being "All In". Easily understood and the point made that God desires us to be all He intended us to be. Through our obedience, we experience His abundance. Through our abundance, we have opportunity to "Pay it Forward" and kids will have a stellar opportunity to find Christ and grow in His Spirit while enjoying a new facility.

Exit the poker game and enter "One". We are introduced and encouraged to be a part of the "One" campaign. Pastor Jeff and ministry staff will be leading us down a path of maturity in Christ while experiencing God through "oneness".

With the new year here and myself looking for God in it, I stumbled across the concept of being a thumb. As it is a God Spot, I unashameably push you to my blog 37Stories to read about it. In a nutshell, I think the leadership of Grace Point can be described as a "thumb of one".

There are many fingers in the body of Grace Point, but there are only a few thumbs. Statistically, that would be about 20%. Count the fingers on your hand. One thumb for every four fingers. I'm told in other churches 20% of the people give 80% of the money. 20% of the people volunteer to do 80% of the work. Again, the thumbs have it.

So with the new year I want to say, "Thank you for allowing me to me a 'Thumb of One'." I look forward to running the race to win with all the other thumbs at Grace Point.

I was reading a brilliant blog site's recent article, which mentioned something in the world of cybernetics known as "The Law of Requisite Variety," which is: the survival of any living system depends upon its capacity to cultivate (not just tolerate) adaptability and diversity in its internal structure...failure results in the inability to cope successfully with variety that is introduced by external sources.

• Parker Palmer wrote a little book addressing leadership, and in it he challenged readers to take the Ortberg "Shadow Mission" principle a little further and vulnerable ask what fears or ills may be driving (and limiting) the way in which you lead. One striking example, was when the "fear of death" in a leader that drives us to keep and demand programs, projects, ideas and ways of doings things kept alive well beyond their shelf life...afraid that in turning the page of history and letting something once great die, in some way we die with it. It's a very human feeling, but it hurts our leadership - it's flesh constricting Spirit with a well-justified package.


• I heard a leader of a very successful organization, when invited to a leadership development opportunity, retort, "Why would I look outside of my own team of people for ideas on how to lead better?"


• A stud of the faith, Oswald Chambers, once advised, "Don't make a fetish of your own convictions." Ouch. Os just says so many wise things...


• I saw a church whose aim was to be a "refuge" against the world...far cry from prevailing upon the world around it!


• I've sensed that in the spirit of "taking a stand" for or against things, often times what we as Christ-followers settle for is a game of "cultural isotonic recovery" - trying to "hold the line" of a culture war in tension, instead of radically, pervasively, relevantly bursting the membrane of tolerable cease-fire in a way that transforms the landscape from the soul level


• Spoke with a retired youth pastor who shared how back in the day he'd tell large groups of youth that listening to Keith Green and his "wild rock and roll" was terrible and something to be opposed to protect our culture. Ten years later he changed his mind and began fighting against the next change the represented unknown.


• Chrysalis is a great picture of the stages, seasons of God's work both in a person on the journey in Christ as well as communities