Knowing the Will of God

I found an interesting post on Knowing the Will of God that connects beautifully with the discussions we've been having in my "church without a name" (see previous post). Please click the link Knowing the Will of God and let me know what you think.

I find it interesting that God can and will use almost anyone in almost any situation to accomplish HIS WILL to the exact extent to which that person makes themselves available to Him. His "will" is not a destination, it's an attitude of "willingness".

Labels: "A sticky situation"

This post is a result of a friend's suggestion that we write a book together about our "church without a name". Thanks Rick, for your suggestion...who knows, maybe this will be the future introduction to our "book". :)

I was asked by someone the other day regarding the name of the church gathering I attended. I love it when I get asked about our church's name because it gives me the opportunity to share about my "fellowship of the heart" with others. I also hate it when asked this question, because I feel like most folks think we are attending some type of "cult" or something. "drink the koolaid! drink the koolaid!" Nothing could be further from the truth!

Our little "fellowship of the heart" doesn't have a name on purpose. We frankly don't like labels. As the title to the post reflects, labels tend to stick to a person or group of people and rarely effectively represent a true picture of said person or group. Labels limit. Labels reduce the essence of a living being down to a controllable size. Labels are not what God intended for His people.

I answered the question, "what is the name of your church gathering?", with "it's the Church that meets at the Coffee Company downtown on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m., come in the back door." My friend laughed and said, "that sure is a funny name for a church, but it is descriptive." I wish we humans didn't have some innate need to label everything. I wish we didn't feel the need to compartmentalize everything, but I guess that is an "easy" way out. Applying compartmentalized labels to everyone and everything keeps us from having to get involved; keeps us from having to get "messy", but it also becomes a "sticky situation" when we consider the thing that Jesus pushed us toward: Living in REAL RELATIONSHIP with God and with others.

Be careful about applying labels, it can become a sticky situation! One in which you do not want to get "stuck"!

Leadership: "P" is for People

The People factor of leadership is perhaps the most important and most complex of all the leadership factors.  People are important to leadership, because without people nothing happens.  People are complex.  Even when attempting to lead a small group of people toward a common goal, you will have as many different opinions as you have group members on certain issues.  So how is the leader to overcome the complexity of working with "people" who have differing views?

To understand any creation to the fullest, you must first have a close relationship with the creator.  For example, to understand art, know the artist.  To understand music, know the musician.  To understand and work with other people it only stands to reason that you'd attempt to know the One who created them.  This is one of the most complex concepts for leaders to grasp, mainly because it is so simple it's often overlooked as a valid means of leadership.  If we focus on everything that people want or don't want, we will never lead them to success as a team.  Just like if we focus on everything a child wants or doesn't want and on always making that child "happy", then we will never truly lead that child to a place of success as a person.

The same holds true for those following us as leaders of organizations.  If we are constantly worried and concerned and focused on the "things" that will make those we are leading "happy", then we loose our ability to lead them.  If, on the other hand, we focus our attention on the Creator of people, and attempt to get to know Him, we are then able to begin to lead those around us as we follow Him.  If our focus is on growing a relationship with a "knowable" God, in and through His Son, Jesus Christ, we can truly know and love others.  And as we learned before, we must love those we lead.

As we close out this LEADERSHIP series, I want you to consider one thing about people.  Every person has at least one thing in common: God created them all.  If we are to ever understand and truly lead people, we must rely on our personal relationship with the Creator.  All our relationships are in direct relationship to our relationship with Jesus Christ.  As a leader, we can never forget from where we get our strength, our abilities, and our LEADERSHIP!

I have really enjoyed this journey through Leadership, and I pray that it has been an encouragement to those three people who actually read it.

(I realize that some who read this post, may not agree.  That's okay.  I don't ever want to cram my beliefs down anyone's throat.  However, I still think you should consider getting to know the Creator, and not equate that with your previous religious experience.  Jesus changed my life, and He continually changes my world when I boldly follow Him.  I am not a religious man, but I attempt every day to become a "JESUS" man.  Some days, I actually come close.)

Leadership: "I" is for Influence

It has been said that Leadership is influence. To some degree I agree with that statement. When you get right down to the heart of the matter, if you are unable to “influence” others, you are not really “leading”. Just as importantly, you must never seek to be a leader by controlling those you hope to influence. That is tyranny, not leadership.

There are many who debate on the side of the issue that Leadership is really about “control”. I couldn’t disagree more! Look at the greatest leader of all time, Jesus Christ. He actually controlled no one (although He has that divine power to do so, he didn’t and doesn’t), but his actions changed the course of history. True leadership is not about “control”. We mistakenly think that it is at times, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Control is an illusion. The only thing we can do is focus on our own actions. How do my actions, as a leader, influence those around me? What can I do to influence and motivate others to action on behalf of the cause/organization I am appointed to lead? When a leader focuses attention primarily on control, history almost always shows that leader removed from leadership soon after. When a leader focuses on serving and helping and influencing others, the results are dedicated followers who have been greatly and positively influenced by their leader.

With this type of leadership/influence comes great responsibility on the part of a leader. One who leads truly must also love truly. This requires attention be given to the people with whom you have been entrusted to influence by your leadership.

Next post we will finish up with “P” is for People, one of the most important factors in leadership.

Leadership: "H" is for Help

"The key element is that the servant leader/follower relationship must be viewed as a reciprocal one...which leads us to the next post in this series: "H" is for Help! We, as leaders need the help of others."...(from the last post)

Both of the participants in the leadership process must contribute service as well as become humble enough to let someone else "serve" them. If we become so prideful as leaders that we cannot see true value in the relationship with the person we are serving, even if they do not "advance the cause" in which we are involved, we cannot truly lead effectively. On the flip-side, as a leader responsible for a specific "cause", we also cannot allow others to become parasites to the "cause" and stifle our ability to lead the committed followers. Therefore, we must find balance.

The fact is we need "help" from others if we are to be effective leaders. One of my favorite leadership quotes is from John C. Maxwell (I'm not a HUGE fan, but he make some good points)..."He who thinketh he leadeth, yet hath no followers, only taketh a walk". There is no single human who becomes a great leader without the help of others. Look at any great leader you know, and you'll see a team of competent leadership "helpers" all around them.

As I type this post, the president of the community college where I'm employed recently announced his retirement. After 13 years of expansive visionary leadership, he has lead the school from a glorified high school to become a leader in higher education in our region. Is he a great leader? Yes. Are there many, many "helpers" around him who have made this incredible growth and improvements to the school? Most definitely. He admittedly states, and has repeatedly told the staff and faculty that "they are the real leaders". Dr. William W. Locke is a great leader because he is humble enough to know that he needs the help of others to make a wonderful vision become reality.

Utilizing (without abusively using) those who choose to follow is one key to great leadership. And it can only happen when the leader realizes the need for help from others to truly lead.

Leadership: "S" is for Serve

In the book “Servant Leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness”, Robert K. Greenleaf speaks of the importance of servant leadership. There is some element of service in all leadership roles. If we refuse to truly serve those we are leading, chances are we are not leading them at all. Instead we are using them to accomplish our own selfish goals. That is not serving nor is it leading.

What does it really mean to "serve" those we lead? In order for anyone to lead, there must be a level of trust involved. If we intend to lead anyone anywhere in anything, they must first willingly trust us, even if they have their reservations about our trustworthiness. So, there is substantial risk involved in this servant leader relationship, on both the servant and the one being served.

When we serve others by investing time in their lives we place real value on them and thus increase the trust they have in us as "their" leader. For example, if we say that we value others we must invest our life into their life. This leads to a type of sharing of life together that is hard to attain and even harder to maintain. The good news is that it can be done and it is worth the hard work!

The key element is that the servant leader/follower relationship must be viewed as a reciprocal one...which leads us to the next post in this series: "H" is for Help! We, as leaders need the help of others...next post coming soon!!

Leadership: "R" is for Respect

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner state in their book “Leadership Challenge” that “CREDIBILITY IS THE FOUNDATION OF LEADERSHIP”. If you do not have credibility it is impossible to truly lead others. The key in any relationship comes down to respect and credibility. This fact is crucial for leaders. If you are a leader in any organization, church or business there is ample opportunity for abuse of power. Once you abuse the power you have been given by “positional leadership”, the loss of credibility is often permanent.

When a leader looses respect those following feel a betrayal of sorts and will understandably cease to follow that leader. Trust in the leader is the main reason that people follow and one way you can be a leader in whom people place their trust is to value integrity. If you respect yourself, and are honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, then you will gain respect from others. No one expects perfection from a leader, but everyone expects honesty and integrity from those leading. Even when the honest answers are hard to hear, they are accepted much easier from someone who has earned respect and has credibility by past actions.

Respect is earned and rarely is done so in a short time. It is hard to respect someone fully when the relationship is new because there is no pattern of behavior established. Once someone “proves” themselves to be a credible leader, then with every hurdle of integrity securely jumped the amount of respect increases and it becomes easier to trust in the future. Remember, above all other leadership qualities, you must be a leader who has the respect of your followers…and that only happens once you have proven yourself to be credible.

Leadership: "E" is for Exposure

Exposure is vital for any leader. If you are not willing to risk failure and take on the big challenges of your leadership area, you will never be successful as a leader. By exposure, I mean to put your neck on the line to advance your organization/company/church. You never put your neck on the line without doing your homework in research and planning. However, you will not have the luxury at all times to have ample time for the proper research to take place. Therefore, you must be willing to be exposed for who you really are as a leader. Your decisions will be based on your values and if you are exposed those values will be on display. Those who agree will follow and those who disagree will go away.

To expose yourself as a leader requires great personal strength and vulnerablity. History tells us those leaders who took huge risks and exposed themselves to great failure and/or great success. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, most of our country’s Presidents are just a few examples. To the extent that you expose your leadership is equal to the potiental success and/or failure of your leadership. You must expose yourself to opportunities for growth….but there is risk of failure. Let your values be your guide on the extent of your exposure. May your exposure reflect high values and great leadership.

Leadership: "D" is for Develop

To develop into a true leader takes time. It also takes the ability to learn from your mistakes. As you lead, you will inevitably fail in some capacity or another. To learn from those failures is crucial to your development as a leader. When you make a mistake, you realize what needs to be “fixed” the next time you attempt a similar task. Therefore, learning the lessons of letdowns is an important step in the process of your leadership development. Taking notes of what when wrong and a possible solution that would have prevented the failure is a great way to prevent the same things from going wrong in future endeavors. You cannot get “bogged down” in the past failures, but you must analyze them to a point in order to learn the lessons from failure.

While learning from your own mistakes is vital, even more useful is to learn from the mistakes of others. As you watch other leaders go through leadership missteps, watch very closely. Don’t obsess, but do learn the lessons others can teach. If you see a leader make the mistake of not loving and listening to his or her constituents’ concerns, then you can learn the lesson needed to succeed by simply being observant of the shortcomings of others. Never sit in too strict of judgment on others’ failures, just learn the valuable lessons from the situations and remember that you are no more immune to failure than the one you are observing. Remember to learn from your own failure, and when possible, learn from others’ failures and develop into a great leader.

Never forget that you are either developing all the time, either into something better or something worse. Along the leadership journey, pull over and take a look at the big picture once a month to see where you can learn from the things which you have failed and the things that you have observed others failing at. You may be surprised to find out how much you can learn by simply observing yourself and others. Develop yourself and others…be a leader.

Leadership: "A" is for Advancement

Advancement is the word for growth in leadership. Growth can mean increased size, but more importantly it means that you increase in your understanding of how leadership works. So the important thing isn’t that you are leading the largest group, but that your understanding of leadership is continually advancing.

To advance in your leadership understanding there will many times be painful experiences of failure. However, this failure is rarely fatal to your advancement. In fact, more times than not, it is vitally necessary for your advancement as a leader that you experience “growing pains”. It is in the times of failure that true leadership is easily spotted and solidly formed. In the face of failure, the true leader will get up off the ground and advance toward the goal, having gained the knowledge of a misstep.

As you continue in your leadership journey, remember in the times of the deepest despair you have an opportunity to use that painful situation to advance in your leadership ability. Advancement will not always mean that you are ahead of those around you either. You may be considered by many as a non-leader at your times of apparent failure. However, it is at those times when you advance in your leadership ability and see what is not apparent, learning the lessons of the pain and experiencing true advancement.

Leadership: "E" is for Experience

Nothing takes the place of experience. As I type this sitting in a Starbucks coffee shop, I am reminded of the “experience” that this company really sells to its customers. Make no mistake, the coffee is good, but it is not the coffee that the folks here are selling. They are selling an “experience” that a cup of perfectly good java at your house doesn’t have. Experience is hard to explain and even harder to reproduce for the masses as Starbucks has been able to consistently accomplish, thus making them arguably the leader in the coffee industry.

In leadership the experience is just as much a part of your product or service as is any more tangible element contained within. As a leader you are constantly branding yourself and your organization. As the potential follower perceives you, so they perceive your company, church or organization. And we all know that perception is reality when it comes to leadership/followership.

As you grow in your leadership, you must consider the “experience” that you want your potential client, church member, or customer to have when dealing with your organization. Even if the product or service you have to offer is the best in the world, you still need to remember that nothing takes the place of experience.

Recommended reading is “The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary” By Joseph Michelli

Leadership:"L" is for Love

Love is the most difficult word to define in the English language. Mostly because it has almost as many different meanings as there are people who use the word. From saying, “I love those shoes” to “I love you mom”; there are many different meanings and levels of meaning for this word. When focusing on love in Leadership, the word would be used to define one’s passion for those they lead and the mission of the group.

Without love there can be no leadership. Many mistakes can be forgiven in leadership, but to not love those you lead and the values and purposes that they hold dear can be the unforgivable sin. If you, as a leader, do not truly love those you are leading, you cannot expect anyone to follow. Would you follow someone that you did not think cares about you?

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” --1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV) The words we use in Leadership are important, but not nearly as important as the motive of the heart with which they are spoken. So, as we pay attention to the words we use, may we pay even more special attention to the motives of our heart when dealing with and leading others. Love is the most important trait that a leader can ever have because without it, no one will follow for very long.

Leadership Series (intro)

I have been reading several books over the last few years about Leadership. From these wonderful books, combined with many attempts at being a great leader, I have gained some insight into some significant traits of most great leaders. Over the next few months, I hope to post some of my thoughts about my findings and see if all three of the people who read them will give me your honest feedback.
I will begin by giving you somewhat if an introduction to where I intend to go on this journey. Keep in mind that most of the time I intend to go somewhere, God simply changes the plan. So consider yourself warned…I will follow His lead on where this goes. The funny thing about following Him, it becomes apparently less about the destination and more about the journey itself. So, go get a mug of coffee (or your favorite beverage) and think about leadership with me.
Here is a brief rundown of where I want to attempt to go on this journey, and I ask that you please not make too much fun of my acronym for Leadership. I am not usually big on using acronyms, but I am finding I need some structure to help me be focused enough to actually post more often and finish what I start.
The 10 attributes of Leadership
1. Love if you don’t have passion, you can’t lead
2. Experience to lead; you must experience it, no sitting on sidelines
3. Advancement growth will be painful, but you must go forward
4. Develop as you fail, learn from your mistakes (and other’s mistakes)
5. Exposure you must expose yourself to opportunities for growth (and failure)
6. Respect without credibility, you cannot lead
7. Service become a servant leader, or die
8. Help you can’t lead if no one follows; you need others
9. Influence if you’re not influencing others, you are not leading
10. People if it’s all about a task, you will lose people; without people you can’t
accomplish a task

Please continue to read as I post my thoughts on Leadership, and join in the discussion by posting a comment.

Disconnect

Does anyone really care? Do I even care anymore? How can this happen to me? I am all alone, so where do I go now? Where do I go from here? How did I get so disconnected?

If you have ever asked yourself the above questions, you are not alone. Sometimes we feel an overwhelming sense of disconnect from the rest of the world. Especially, at times, with those who should be the closest to us. I am not sure what specific thing causes us to feel this disconnect. In fact, I think it is more likely many different combinations of people, places, and things cause this feeling. It could be a lost job, a failed task, a broken relationship or a number of other factors crashing down on us to cause the great disconnect. One thing is for sure, we can all relate to it in one way or another.


Each situation is different, yet similar. One thing is always common among the disconnected times in my life and the disconnected times in your life....we are focused mainly on ourselves. It is my opinion that selfishness breeds disconnect. After all, a connection is really a relationship, and it is not possible to be in relationship (connected) and disconnected at the same time. Once we begin to look at what we don't have and at what others do have, we drive the wedge in the relationship. When relationship is broken, we are disconnected...and miserable.


We cannot be disconnected when we are focused on the well-being of others around us. Therefore, it is impossible to be serving others and disconnected at the same time. If you are focused on one, the other suffers. So, we must fight the urge to be a loner and break all connections with those who care about us. It is our natural tendency at times to run from the very thing that we need the most. Why would we run from relationships? Because it requires us to risk being hurt. It requires us to be vulnerable and transparent. If real relationship was easy everyone would be doing it in every church. Real relationship is hard, risky and messy...but if you have ever experienced it, you know that it is well worth the difficulty, risk and dirt to be a part of it.

I encourage you to run to Jesus and allow Him to fill the void in your life and reconnect you to what really matters. Trust me, it is not just a series of religious meetings that will get rid of your disconnect...it is true biblical fellowship beginning with fellowship with the Father. Don't disconnect from the very thing you need to survive. Relationships/Connections are the key to life. Your relationship with God and with others will determine everything else in your life.

And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." --Luke 10:27 (ESV)

Personal Touch

The missing element for many people in business is “personal touch”. I am talking about the feel for personal service that comes from your local small-town (you fill in the blank) ____ shop. I used to work in a small men’s clothing store in my home town. We handled the mid to upper-end suits and men’s dress clothes. It was my first taste at sales and marketing on a level that shamed my “formal” education in marketing class. There are a few lessons that I learned working at that store that have served me well in many years of ministry and business that I’d like to share with you today.

First, customers didn’t need anything we had that they couldn’t get somewhere else (maybe even cheaper). Men in that small town could have driven a few miles down the road and purchased the exact quality suits from one of the “big retail” mall stores for the same or less money, but they didn’t. They bought it from a “crazy” guy named David because he gave them the personal touch. When they went to our store, there was a sense of belonging that overwhelmed you…..even if you were a “newbie”. David made you feel as if you were the most important person anytime you shopped there, and he taught his employees to do the same.

Second, I learned to never judge a book by its cover, or a commission by a man in a ragged work outfit. Once a man walked in with mud on his boots (which he respectfully removed before entering the store) and he wore an old pair of ragged work coveralls. He told me he needed a suit. I wrongly assumed that he would just look until he saw our prices and then humbly leave the store with a “well I’ll have to look around some more.” However, I treated him as well as I would have any of our fine regular customers and he seemed thankful that I would even ask to help him. Unexpectedly, he turns to me after trying on a particularly expensive suit and says, “I will take this one, and that one, and that one too,” as he pointed to two other similar suits. I guess my jaw dropping was enough to send my mentor, David, into action. David stepped in and helped me close the sale (I was new at the selling thing). As the humble man reached into his pocket and pulled out several one hundred dollar bills to pay for the suits, he asked me to pick out shirts and ties to match each suit. I also found out that the man was the owner of many properties and owned a prominent business in town. David waited until he left the store then informed me that I had just learned a valuable lesson about sales: Never judge a book by its cover, and never judge what someone will buy from you, by the appearance of what they already have. Treat everyone with respect, and you will reap the benefits. That day I reaped the benefits of personal service and the respect of someone who “appeared” to be poor.

Another important lesson I learned while working in the store was the value of doing my part and not someone else’s. One day, I was placing a sizable order from an outside salesman when my boss walked in and “busted” me (an employee) acting as the manager/boss. He didn’t embarrass me in front of the salesman. He showed me the personal touch and took the opportunity to help me learn that valuable lesson. He waited until the store was empty and asked me to look on the front window of the store at the name. The name of the business was HIS name…not mine. He then stated that my job was to do what I was assigned to do, and his job was to do what he was assigned to do.

Many times in the past 20 years I have used the lesson of roles clarification I learned that day. Know the mission that you are involved in with others, and know your role in helping to accomplish that mission. Don’t try to manage if you are the employee. Don’t be the errand boy if you are the manager. In order to show the personal touch in any endeavor you must first know your own limitations and strengths, and then work from those strengths. So, no matter what you do, always do it with the personal touch. We could all learn a lesson from David and the small town clothing store where I learned how to sell based on relationship marketing with that “personal touch”.

Great Life!

These are the words from a sticker found on the computer of a friend who recently passed away. He lived his life in such a way that it made you want to be a better person. This was a gift to those of us who had the privilege of meeting Mark Keesecker. If you had never met my friend, let me tell you about the type of guy that I knew him to be; the type of guy who traveled 2 hours or so to watch about an hour of a nephew’s ballgame, the guy who always responded promptly to emails and voice messages, the guy who looked like he stepped out of a page of GQ Magazine…yet oozed with humility, the guy who got the most awards in his career…yet loved nothing more than passing the accolades on to his coworkers, the guy who always made you feel like you were the most important person in his day when you had even minor contact with him (just the fact that I am writing about him only having brief contact with him is proof of this). He was the guy with the great sense of humor who once told my wife that they were moving in 100 single-wide trailers across the street from our new house when they were actually building another neighborhood with homes similar to or larger than ours just to get her reaction. Mark was the basic all-around “great guy” who lived (on purpose) a “great life”.

The loss is tragic and almost unbearable to our entire neighborhood. A testament to this fact is how long it has taken me to blog about this event. He was found on April 19, 2007 at the bottom of a 50 foot embankment where he had crashed his jeep. This was a freak accident to say the least, and a devastating blow to the entire real estate community. Yes, Mark was a realtor and not only was he a realtor, but he was the best. How do I know? Because he wasn’t even “my” realtor (never made a penny off of me and my wife) yet he served us as though we had bought a 5 million dollar home off of him. He was available to us when we had “new home owner” questions. Mark went above and beyond what was expected. He regularly sent birthday, anniversary, and Christmas cards to those who bought a house from him. He also filled a bucket with cleaning supplies and “new home” items as a house warming gift for many (if not all) of those who bought homes from him. He gave freely of his time, talents and treasures and everyone noticed.

The loss has actually made me and many who knew him reevaluate our lives. “GREAT LIFE” was his mantra. He woke up every morning just looking for that “greatness” about life in everyone he met…..even those of us he met who had plenty of “not-so-great” things in our lives. If he couldn’t find it in us, he would make us great with his actions toward us. He had a great life because he lived it serving others. It didn’t matter who you were, he just loved and served you. The challenge given at Mark’s funeral by his brother Matt was to carry on that selfless serving of others. I, for one, have vowed not to let the impact of Mark’s legacy die with him. There are some immediate things that we are doing to honor his memory in our neighborhood. However, I am challenged more to do as Mark did (as Jesus did) and give my life in service to others. Some might say that I have done this to some extent, but I have not “in my own eyes” given as freely to others as I could have. I will change. I have been changed by an example of one imperfect, human man. So whenever we think our actions on a daily basis do not matter, may we think of Mark and his actions to those of us who knew and loved him. We can change the world we live in, if we will simply make the effort and truly care about other people more than ourselves. And that is what I think Mark had in mind when he challenged himself daily to live a GREAT LIFE! Mark’s best friend read from Philippians 2 at the funeral and it was very appropriate: “let your attitude be like that of Christ Jesus”…….and Mark’s attitude was just like that every time I had any contact with him.

Mark, I will miss you. But I will not let the things you taught me slip away. I vow to love God by loving others! Thank you for the challenge and example of your life that was captured perfectly by the quote, “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” –Albert Pine.

Great life, my friend, GREAT LIFE!!!

Neighbors

This Spring has been very interesting in "the hood". I started a new job. Melissa and I got an early start on the mulching of the flowerbed....heck, we even expanded it some. We also got three trees in the ground (transplanted from my nephew's farm). As I type this in the coolness of the basement, I am in the middle of wiring up our outdoor lighting for the Summer....well I am actually taking a break from that at the present.

As I look back at the events of the Spring so far, I see just how important Neighbors are to us here in Magnolia Grove. As I pulled into my driveway with the trees to transplant, one neighbor yells out, "I'll be right over!" And within twenty minutes there was four or five neighbors out in my yard, and the trees were planted. I am not even sure if I ever even touched a shovel either! They did it all!

I really can't explain the neighborhood we live in. It is not a common thing to have such caring and wonderful people as neighbors in today's society. However, I am convinced that your environment is pretty much what you make of it. As a friend (and neighbor) recently pointed out to me as I was going on and on about how good he had been to me; Melissa and I were one of the first in our home. So, we went around with Doug & Melanie and Tim & Kelli to introduce ourselves and give each neighbor as they moved in a welcome gift which included a Lowe's gift card. (if you own a home, you know just how important that was!!)

You see, just a little (it wasn't much money) act of kindness as each family moved into our neighborhood has gone a really long way in building the type of community that I grew up in nearly 35 years ago. Where everyone kinda watched out for each other and we all kept in touch with each other (especially during the Spring and Summer when it was warm). Now, it is not uncommon to have a meeting in one of the yards almost every evening with some of our friends and neighbors.

So, when you think of the mission of the Church and loving your neighbors as yourself.....don't make it more difficult than it ought to be. Just invest a little time and friendliness (sometimes a little help with the yard work) and the return on your investment will reap incredible payoffs. Some of my neighbors may not even believe in God, but now I have a real relationship with them. They have a friend who is a believer. Who knows what God can do when we give him the chance to work through our "ordinary" lives. Now, I have not just people who live around me. I have friends. I have neighbors. I have people who are there for me when I need them, and who I can be there for when they need me. Maybe the Church should move out of their building and into their neighborhood.

I don't have any ulterior motives. I just love my neighbors and love God, and the results are up to Him. If any of them ask me the reason for my hope in Jesus....I will tell them. But it is not my intention to "be nice to them, so they will come to my church." It is my intention to treat them as Jesus treats me.....to give them access to my real life. To be their friend. To be a true neighbor.

Overwhelmed

Well, this is my first week on the new job (well it is actually my third week now, but I am just now posting this blog) as Coordinator of Student Development and Activities at a local Community College. This first week has been a little challenging, but exciting. It seemed to start off slow….then I got my email account, and that changed everything. I began to feel a bit overwhelmed and wondered if I would really be able to do this to the level that my predecessor had done for the last 17 years. My confidence was about to hit the bottom, when I was handed a “stack” of new things to work on. (Those of you who have ever worked for a government institution can relate to the amount of paperwork “stacks” one can go through in a single day)
As I walked back to my office with my newly assigned “stack” of paperwork, I realized for the first time I was feeling overwhelmed. Then I thought of the book of the bible that I am currently reading through in my daily readings: Job. (This, ironically, is spelled the same as job) Job surely felt overwhelmed as his world seemed to fall apart right before his eyes. My minor “stack” of trouble could not even compare to the difficult “stack” of things facing Job. By remembering this difficulty that Job faced and how God never left him or gave up on him, gave me the strength to get through that moment of “overwhelmed”. I also recalled a verse from John 16:33 that states “here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (NLT)
As you go through your daily walk, there will be times when you feel overwhelmed. During those times, just remember the One who has overcome your overwhelmed moment….no matter what. We must live in the reality of our position in Him: the One who overcome the world. So, the next time you feel overwhelmed, overcome!
By the way by the end of the day, I had been able to accomplish all that was laid before me in my “stack” of stuff before the end of the day. Mainly because of my attitude shifting from the “overwhelmed” to the “overcome”

Blog Changes

After a noted absence from the blog-a-sphere........I'm back! Well, not really. I am only back to let you know I will be making some changes to the blog as many things are going on in life right now. I am possibly starting a new job soon (in fact the interview is today at 1:45), I am involved in a new church plant (http://www.radiustricities.com/), I am getting ready for the launch of my relationship coaching practice and ministry at connectionpoint, and I am loving every minute of spending as much time as possible with my lovely wife and best friend, Melissa.

So, for now, I will not be posting on this blog unless the urge hits me from time to time. I am studying in Romans now, so there may be a few posts on my studies there. Until then.......

A Form of Godliness

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self‑control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
-- 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Recently I have been studying this text for a community group gathering, and I am faced with this question. Do we as the American Church have the form of godliness, yet no power? There are many websites, blogs and articles that comment and debate on such things. Many are “right” and many are “left”, still more have no direction at all. Some just complain about whoever is attempting to attempt the Christian life. I am just simply writing to make us all who claim the name of Jesus Christ as Lord to think about where we, ourselves, are in the journey.

Have we allowed the traditions of men and religions of the world to override the “power” found only in relationship with the one true, loving and just God? It is about so much more than I read in most blogs and articles. We are more concerned with image and what everyone thinks of us, than we are about whose we really are and what God himself wants from us in our daily walk with Him. What makes us think that if we get the “form” or image of being godly, we are home free from the responsibility of actually being a disciple (root word = discipline)? The traditions and religions are man’s effort to reach up to God and God’s grace and salvation through Jesus Christ is God reaching down to us. Not all religious traditions are “bad” and to throw out the baby with the bath water is not “good”. However, the bath water is in desperate need of changing. Why? Because we have only the “FORM” of godliness….without the power. The power is found in a daily appointment with God. How often do you truly sit alone with God and “taste and see that He is good”? When is the last time you were moved deeply to action by a quiet-time or devotion? Better yet, when will be the next time…or the first time?

Re-read the 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and think about the similarities and differences in our American Church culture today. Think about the similarities and differences of how you live your life today? I know from my reading of this passage I have been moved to evaluate where I really stand with Jesus and get rid of some “junk” in my life. I do tend to love myself more than others. I have been guilty of loving money, being boastful and prideful, ungrateful and loving my own pleasure rather than loving my God.

What if the Church in America really took a deep look in the mirror of Jesus Christ and found the true POWER of the New Testament Church? Imagine what could be. Maybe I am foolish to believe that the same God who’s Spirit empowered the Apostles can empower us today to accomplish Jesus’ mission in our world, but I do believe. I believe that Jesus came to die for much more than “a form of godliness” without power.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7