Why I write.

I love to celebrate the success of other people. One of my great joys in life is to see others free to pursue the passions that God has placed in their heart. For my brother Mo, that passion is to present Jesus to people in parts of the world that have never heard the good news. It really blows people's minds when I share where he and his family are moving too, and I should probably add that their concern is well founded. I just get excited whenever I think about the path that his family is traveling on. I know that they are pursuing the passion that God has placed in their heart. Their decision to go is motivated by compassion and love, and it may be crazy and it may be radical but it is living life the way that it is meant to be lived.

I know many people who have a gift to craft words and a desire to write a book, yet for whatever reason they are not developing that skill in their life. In some way I am hoping that my own writing may inspire others to pursue their passions.

As I was traveling back to central NY from NC I was listening to a message from Lance Wallnau in which he quotes an author saying, "remember, ugly sells." You don't have to be perfect at what you do to make a difference. The danger of perfectionism is that it can prevent you from taking the risks necessary to really be a part of something great.

Perhaps you have a dream, a desire, a passion. Today seems just as good a day as any to start the journey.

Momma Knows Best

It has been a thrill this week to spend time with my family and to witness what a wonderful job my siblings do in parenting their children. Throughout my travels I have been able to spend time with each of my three brothers and their families. Tonight as we were sitting on the back patio at my brother Russ' house the younger cousins were all playing on the trampoline. They had been doing a wonderful job of playing together all day but as the evening wore on the relationships began to get strained. Several attempts were made to set rules and expectations for their play on the trampoline, however the effectiveness was diminishing. Suddenly my sister-in-law got up and said to her children, “Okay. Its time for bed.” You see the kids were simply tired. Momma knew the limitation of their energy and what needed to be done to preserve the peace in the house. She understood that tomorrow is a new day filled with many more opportunities and the most important thing for everyones happiness was to put the kids to bed.

• “Wisdom is to know the limitations of my strength and energies.” - Bill Johnson

I have the above quote written in my office and need to remind myself of it often. I believe that exhaustion can be the greatest hindrance to my effectiveness. In this condition the problem is not that I don't have a good strategy, that I'm not talented or that the solution is impossible. The problem is that I am overtired.

This became clear to me while playing basketball this week. During the winter I was very fortunate to have been able to play in a basketball league and to play pick-up games once a week. During those times I played some of the worst basketball I have played in the last 15 years of my life. It was horrible and very frustrating. However this week I have played great. I believe the primary difference in my play is that this week I am not tired. Isn't it amazing the difference you feel when you are not tired?

Furthermore, weariness can lead me to do stupid things that have long term consequences. It can cause me to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and in the wrong way. One of my favorite quotes from The Princess Bride says, “if you haven't got your rest, you haven't got anything.”

We all need the voice of momma in our head at times to say, “Okay. Its time for bed.”

Father I pray today for those reading this blog. I ask that you would give them rest in their lives. Especially for the single parents and those who give so selflessly in serving. Guard us Lord, guard our tongues, guard our hearts, guard our relationships. Give us time to rest and the wisdom to know when to stop our labors. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness and your steadfast love.  

Maximizing your Potential

Today I have some thoughts on how to maximize personal effectiveness.  A common pitfall for leaders happens when they wrongly allocate their time and energy.  We are each uniquely created with gifting and talents and have a responsibility to manage these gifts.  Joy and fulfillment comes in our labor when we connect our calling with the careful management of our time and resources.  This process begins by discovering and understanding individual strengths.  The creative person is most effective being creative and the administrative person is most effective being administrative.  Each finds value in his or her gifting while also being called upon to perform outside of their gifting from time to time.

The person who maximizes their abilities structures their time so that their best energies are spent developing their strengths.  For example, the creative person should allocate their time toward creativity when they are most creative.  All too often we spend our best energies on our weaknesses and "get by" with our talent.  As a result we never reach our full potential because we devote so little time to develop our gifts.

I believe a slight change in thinking can be very helpful to a person struggling in this area.  This happens when we see that time spent on necessary tasks, that fall in areas of weakness (ie. administration for the creative) enable us to be our best when we need to be our best.  For example, the creative person spends time on organization so that when they are being creative they can be their most creative.  They are not organizing to be more organized, they organize to be more creative. 

We see this played out in the life of the best professional athletes.  Their entire lives are structured for small moments of time.  The food they eat, the time they go to bed, the friends they associate with are all factors that lead to the success of their performance.  They understand that managing those areas of their life let them be their best when they need to be their best.

Each of us is given a short period of time and a measure of gifting and talent.  Father, help us to manage the time and the gifts that you have given us.  May we learn to honor you with all of our time and talents.  

Father to the Fatherless

Yesterday morning I had the privilege of visiting Church Alive in Fuquay Varina, NC where my brother serves as the children's pastor. The music was Jesus Culture and Bethel church, which is right up my wheel house, and it was very easy to enter into the presence of the Lord.

As we were singing the song “How He Loves Us” I found myself thinking about the kids in my church back home. The ones that run up to give me a hug, the ones who want a hug but are too shy to come and ask, the ones who hesitate because of their wounds. I wished that I could have been there to give them a hug and I was saddened by the distance between us. Then the Lord reminded me that He is the Father to the Fatherless and that most importantly each of us needs to know and experience the love of God the Father directly from God himself.

At some time or another all of us will be in a place where we want a hug from someone who is not around. That is the very moment that the God of heaven desires to come down and embrace us. This happened very clearly for me my junior year in college. I was feeling very lonely and discouraged and one Sunday morning I was kneeling at the altar of the church crying out to God. In that place the Lord met me and it was like warm arms of love just wrapped themselves around me. When I left that morning I knew the embrace of the Father. He has continued to embrace me and I am learning to walk in the realization of his abiding presence.

As I continued to worship the Lord yesterday I offered all those kids up to Him, that they would experience the Father's love directly from their heavenly daddy. It seems that for many parents entrusting God with their children is one of the most difficult things to do. I would contend that it becomes natural when we have a revelation of the goodness and love of our God and Father, because God loves them more than any man or woman ever will.

Father I pray today for the revelation of your love to be released in every heart. Help us not to carry worry or fear, but to learn to trust you and walk in faith.    

The four attitudes you meet in your life.

Today I was listening to the Gospel of Mark where Jesus explains to his disciples about the four types of people that they will encounter.  The master teacher is using a parable to draw his disciples into a deeper pursuit.  He had been telling about a farmer that sowed seed and some fell on four different areas.  After telling the parable to the crowd he meets with his disciples and he begins to explain its meaning to them.  The meaning is prefaced with a word of wisdom in the introduction.  

Mark 13

¹³Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 

He's saying 'pay attention, this is important.'   As a teacher I can relate to these introductions.  It is like a teacher saying, 'write this down.  This is important, its foundational to this course.'

With that introduction he continues;

¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.¹⁷But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

Jesus gives an insight into the four types of people (or attitudes) that they will encounter, laying a foundational teaching to understand their own attitudes and the attitudes of others.  I like to think of them in this way;

Attitude number one is the disinterested.  This attitude won't sit long enough to process anything.  It knows something happened but dismisses it just as quickly.  Its similar to the person who cuts you off because they were talking on their cell phone and never realizes what happened.  Everything happens to this person but they never happen to anything.   

Attitude number two is 'the one hit wonder.'  This attitude lacks wisdom and perspective.  They are just as likely to have a great week as they are to have a horrible week.  If you're friends with this person you think they are bi-polar.  They move from one thing to the next failing to recognize the process that is required for a truly significant contribution to be made.

Attitude number three is selfish.  This attitude falls prey to the subtle lies that they deserve better.  This attitude loves to take hold of its captives and is willing to take however long is necessary to capture.  It comes through thoughts such as "you deserve a break, no one else works as hard, others do it and are okay, etc"  Jealousy is a close relative of this attitude working hand in hand.  

The fourth attitude is the producer.  This attitude is not afraid of the truth.  It embraces truth leading to life.  It loves correction and discipline because it sees past the present into a future reality and perseveres to its fulfillment.  It always believes, always hopes, always loves.  

Father, I ask you tonight to give me an attitude adjustment.  

Perseverance and Perspective.

Today was a tension of wanting more time to think and reflect on specific moments while desiring to see the next thing. Washington D.C. is filled with much more than one day can contain, but we did our best. Throughout the day I was atuned to a theme of sacrifice and committment. The memorials underscore the reality that true learning far surpasses the scope of any four walled classroom. Seeing a vietnam veteran ask the park ranger to transfer the name of a friend onto paper frames the "conflict" in a different light. Reading Lincoln's second innagural address demonstrates the saturation of scripture in the culture. It's hard to understand those things if you have not experienced them yourself.

As I reflect upon today I am reminded of the need to not shrink back from challenge. I'm thankful for the men and women who have gone before me and whom have not let their fears direction their actions. Bravery is not the absence of fear, but it is not letting fears control you.

This morning I was reading (listening actually)1 Thesalonians 2 and this theme was also present. Here's an excerpt;

"1You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. 3For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else."

With the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.

I wonder about the legacy that I will leave. Will it be one that others look back upon and say, that in spite of strong opposition, he dared to speak the truth? May it so be.

Carpe Diem

This year I am fortunate to have an extended spring break from work and a chance to visit my brothers.  As a result I've purposed to set aside time for written reflection in hopes of stirring my latent blogger desire.  

After a healthy dose of last minute preparations day one has brought me to my oldest brother's beautiful A-frame house nestled on the hillside of a modestly sized eastern ski slope.  I have been refreshed by the company and the atmosphere of this place.  My brother Gooch has a thoughtfulness and perspective that I admire.  His passion for life and the joy he shares with his children makes me proud.  The excellent dinner we shared was a small piece of the fabulous hospitality that he and Liz have demonstrated.  Their company is one that I too seldom share.

This morning as I was reading from the book of Exodus something really stuck out to me.  Here's the passage:

Exodus 3

¹ Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."

 ⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" 
      And Moses said, "Here I am."

God always desires to speak to us, and sometimes I wonder if I'm tuned to hear.  In the past when I have thought about this piece of Moses' life I rarely have thought about what would have happened if Moses didn't go over and look.  It makes me wonder if I miss moments when God is wanting me to come and take a closer look?  Leonard Ravenhill says that, "Opportunities of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity." 

I imagine this was an awkward decision for Moses, one of discomfort and uncertainty.  That is often the case when God is leading us into a deeper place of knowing Him.  At first it looks strange and uncertain.  Perhaps we chose to ignore the sign, the thought, the leading.  However when we respond glorious adventures are presented to us.  Reading this helps me prepare for those moments.  I'm okay with being inconvenienced and setting aside my agenda for the opportunity to experience the glorious. 

Father, keep me sensitive to these moments, day by day, I pray.