A Right Turn

Thinking about extremes from yesterday....

....the hard times of life will usually cause people to go to one extreme or the other. I'm talking hard times that we have no control over as well as the ones we cause ourselves by our own selfish or stupid choices. We come to this crossroads of crap. This moment of pain, suffering, stress - caused by outside forces or by our own stupidity. Either way, the situation leads us to decision time.

Standing at that crossroads, I've seen plenty of people turn left and go to the extremes of trying to solve the problem or fill the void in their own way, with their own solutions. This always only leads to more pain and problems. I've also seen plenty of people turn right and head to God for His solution. The right turn will eventually lead to joy, peace and life - but it's often the harder turn because it's not an instant, "feel good" turn. The left turn usually makes US feel good quicker. But in the long run, that left turn, leading us further and further away from God's life, takes us to an empty, hollow, painful death.

In any situation that causes us distress, the right turn, the turn to God and head His direction will ALWAYS lead to life. It never, ever, ever fails. Even when by our own choices we've ended up at this tough crossroads - or maybe I should say, "especially" when by our own choices we've ended up there. That's when God's at His finest. Mending us on His terms in the midst of our brokenness is what He does by His grace and love - like nothing or no one else.

At that crossroads, always turn right, always follow His path to wholeness, to repentance, to the fullness of life. That's an extreme that will never fail to give life.

Extremes...a little Billy Joel on a Monday never hurt anyone

Extremes. Billy Joel sang about going to extremes, yet not really knowing why. He said, "If I stand or I fall, it's all or nothing at all", but he doesn't know why he goes to extremes.

Highs, lows, hot, cold, stand, fall, all or nothing. Extremes. I guess it was some chick that drove good ol' Billy to go to extremes. But that's nothing.

Following Jesus should make us go to extremes. His love should prompt us and move us beyond the extreme edge of our comfort zone, way beyond what is safe and socially acceptable. His love compels us. His love stretches us.

What kind of extremes are you being stretched to because of Jesus' love?

2 Corinthians 5:11-15

I'm good with that

I understand the need to know - the need to understand. I get it. But really, I, me personally, I don't want to know. I don't want to fully understand. Some may say that's irresponsible or lazy. That's ok. I've been called a lot worse. I really don't want to "get it" and make sense of it.

When I turn on a light switch, I don't need to know all of the inner workings that take place between me flipping the switch and the light illuminating. If you explained it, I'd listen and be interested. But I don't really need to know. I just need to know when I flip the switch the light will come on. If it doesn't, I'll change the bulb, check the breaker or call an electrician for help. But I don't need to be able to figure it all out.

Peterson says, "It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going." The NIV says, "We live by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5) The "yet" in Peterson's translation implies that one day we will see and know fully what we need to see and know fully. For now, much of what is not explained in God's Word, I'm ok with not having those in the flesh explain it to me. I'm good with just walking by faith. It's trusting without seeing. That puts it all back on God who I need to be fully relying on. Call me irresponsible. That's ok. I'd rather still walk by faith than be able to scientifically explain away the mystery of the Holy.

2 Corinthians 4:18, "For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I'd rather live for the unseen, the eternal. I believe in the God who causes the sun to stand still, waters to part and also gush from a rock. I believe in the God who created out of nothing, saved the world through one man's family in the midst of a flood and sent fire down from Heaven. I believe in the God who causes the blind the see, the lame to walk and the dead to live. I may not be able to explain all of that, but I believe it....fully.

I may not be able to explain or reason much of what happens around me today, but I trust Him who I cannot physically see because He is good and grace filled. I'm good with walking by faith rather than sight and explanations. Yeah, I'm good with that.

A Lighting Bolt Over Lunch At A Chinese Restaurant

In a recent conversation over lunch at a Chinese restaurant in town, two good friends and I were chatting about a specific subject that impacts all of us at that table. My two friends shared more in common about this subject as it is something that they both seek to further every day in their specific callings. One friend works in the school system and the other in the church.

My friend in the school system is a specialist in this particular subject and he was sharing tons of insights with us on this subject. In relation to one particular group of people he works with in his field of expertise, he said something quite insightful that has stuck on my brain. Off the cuff, he said, "I have found that there are 2 different kinds of people in this area - those who control and manage and those who enable."

....those who control and manage and those who enable....

This was like a lightning bolt for us as we sat at that table and then as we returned to the office processing all that we had heard. It resonated with us because our experience in this area has been with those who control and manage, and we have experienced nothing but frustration in this area. Our friend had identified a key to unlocking some of our frustration. In this particular area, we need less control/manage and a whole lot more enabling.

This resonating insight is not limited to this particular field however. It really translates well to leadership in general. There are those leaders who look to control and manage people, processes, systems and situations. These leaders are frustrating to work with and for. These leaders may have followers, but I question the loyalty and longevity of their following.

On the other hand, leaders who lean into enabling others, have real followers who become leaders who have real followers who become leaders. When we control, we limit; when we enable, we multiply. I want to be a leader who enables, not controls.

If we are truly after something much bigger than ourselves, if we truly want the whole to be greater than individual, then why in the world would we not want to share knowledge? Why would we not want to champion what we know and have learned? Why would we not want to maximize every ounce of effort? Why would we not want to risk security for a chance at realizing something off the charts incredible? Why would we not want to leverage every resource for maximum impact?

Why would we not want to enable and ditch control/manage?

I'm thankful for my friend's insight, for enabling leaders and for good General Tso's - extra spicy.....even if I never did get my spicy mustard.

I really can't wait to see what happens next

I got to spend a couple of days with an incredible group of leaders. Our executive team spent the last 2 days at a lake house for some time of studying scripture, praying, dreaming and planning together. We spent a few hours studying Matthew 26-28 and John 15. We made a list of 50 words that came to mind as we thought about Jesus. We let those 50 words drive the rest of our time together. Great stuff.

We prayed....a lot. We prayed for God to lead us to big things as a church. We listened. We spent a lot of time putting what we were hearing down on a flip board. I am so excited about what we saw on that board. I can't wait to see what happens next.

It's so good and peaceful to work with 5 other leaders whose hearts are completely sold out to what God wants without a hint of selfish motives. 6 people around a table who really want to witness a revolution of transformation in the lives of people by the power of God. The humility, sincerity, passion, wisdom, walk and compassion of this team is so fresh. It's no mistake that this group of leaders has been assembled by God for this time in history.

I really can't wait to see what happens next.

The Gift of a Hard Time

The definition of "hard times" is that they are "times in our lives that are really hard." So profound huh. Hard times are hard. Times of trials and sufferings are painful and difficult. Jesus says we are going to have hard times. It's inevitable. None of us are promised lives of pain-free living. How in the world do we make it through them?

Paul addresses hard times and our posture through them in 2 Corinthians 1. He suggests first of all that God is with us in the midst of hard times (v.4). Then, as if that promise isn't enough, he shares insight that can significantly change our outlook in these hard times. Paul says that perhaps the hard time we are going through is actually for the benefit of someone else on the other side of our hard time (v.4 MSG). Our hard times are redeemed as we have the opportunity to minister to others out of our experience.

Since this is true, as we endure hard times, perhaps we should not be praying to be delivered from the trials. Maybe our prayers should be more along the lines of:

1. God, please enable me to experience this suffering to the fullest degree so that I can witness Your power and minister through it to someone else;

2. God, keep me in tune to what you want me to grow through this trial;

3. God, send someone across my path today who is in the midst of this trial so that I can stand with them;

4. God, make me available to help this person to the fullest extent possible.

If God is truly with us in the midst of our trial and He is allowing us to go through it to minister to another, then He's also in the midst of their trial while we walk with them. He'll guide us and sustain them as we walk through the trial together.

Our trial is for the benefit of another.

The cool thing is that Paul reminds us that sure, we have plenty of hard times, but that we have equal, if not more times of comfort from Jesus in our lives (v.5-7). That's a promise to hold onto in the midst of trials - We have great comfort and we are the vehicle to minister this comfort to another in their time of need. Take joy in the midst of the hard times. It may be a gift.

No Room For Me

As Christ-followers, we must be a lens which God's grace shines through. God generously gives us His grace, we accept. From that point forward, we let that grace shine through our lives in all that we do - like a light shining through a lens.

One thing that will dim the heck out of that light is entitlement. When we start living like we deserve God's grace, defending ourselves, looking out for ME and comparing ourselves to others, we dim the light that is to shine through us. We cheapen God's grace and drive up the cost of it all at the same time.

As leaders, especially Christian leaders, entitlement not only dims the light of God, it covers it completely and renders our leadership completely ineffective. There's no room for entitlement in the life of a leader. When we start leading out of entitlement, it's time to downshift, get away, evaluate, re-calibrate and re-engage. If we can't do that, then it's time to resign. Seriously.

God gives His grace based what we need, not one what we deserve. There's no room for ME, no room for entitlement in my life as a leader or my life as a Christ-follower.