You’re Late

March 5, 2015

Let’s take a look at some personal disciplines that will help you become successful however you define it. And personal disciplines spill over into spiritual disciplines.

Here is a story from a business book I once read. It seems a young man had a promising professional/managerial job. But he seemed to be going nowhere. He wasn’t really motivated. The bosses seemed to forget about him when thinking about people with promotion potential.

Problem was, he was always late. He was late to work. Late to meetings. Late with reports. He was always frazzled, disorganized, fuzzy thinking.

Then one day he faced up to his problem and decided to change. He set the alarm to get up 15 minutes earlier. He got to work early and organized his day. He arrived early at meetings and was prepared for the discussion.

His demeanor grew calmer. He became more organized and confident.

It worked so well that he started getting up an hour earlier so that he could read things that filled his mind spiritually and intellectually.

He began to be the executive that no one would have ever imagined just a few short years before.

It all began when he decided to not be late all the time.

Changing just one bad habit can change your life.

The Possibility of Tolerance

March 4, 2015

I have a friend who is a walking enigma. He was born in India and looks like someone born in India. He was also born into a Catholic family (there is a lot of history in that area of western India that was settled by Portuguese many years ago). He’s also an electrical engineer who founded a company and then sold it.

Jim Pinto wrote articles about automation for me for 10 years. His writings now have broadened into a more general social commentary. His latest blog post is an impassioned plea for tolerance.

He says, “Tolerance is the appreciation of diversity and the ability to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards those whose opinions, practices, religion, culture differ from one’s own. Genuine tolerance is respect for the dignity of others. It focuses more on our common humanity than on our differences.”

The early Christians understood how to live in a diverse society. The apostle Paul once said that what happened to people outside his communities, his ekklesia groups, was God’s business, not his. He was concerned with building the faith and knowledge of those in the community and attracting new people into the faith.

But Christianity eventually became the official religion of the Roman empire, and then of many countries even until today. Many today don’t know what it is like to live in a diverse society. Everyone around them is the same race, color, religion. Sometimes they are intolerant of others simply through sheer ignorance and lack of experience.

I routinely interact with people whose origins are from most places around the world. They may reflect at least a half-dozen religions, not to mention all the varieties of Christian flavors.

Toleration does not mean bending my faith. It means, like Jim said, treating other human beings with dignity and respect. It is like Martin Luther King, Jr., said that his dream was that we’d all judge others by the strength of their characters, not the color of their skin.

Jesus related to Jews, Samaritans, Greeks, Romans. But he blasted things such as hypocrisy, self-righteousness–in other words, weakness of faith and character. He’s a good example.

To Whom or To What Do You Link Your Contentment

March 3, 2015

Someone shoots off a remark. It affects you.

There is someone you wish to please. When they are unhappy, you are unhappy.

If only you had that new article of clothing, a new car, a new house, a new spouse, ah, then you would finally be content with life.

To whom or to what do you link your contentment?

The apostle Paul addressed that to a degree both in 2 Corinthians and Philipians. He linked contentment to spiritual maturity.

If I am “in Jesus” (one of his favorite phrases), then my contentment is in him.

Paul said he had learned to be content what ever the circumstance. When he had plenty to eat; when he had little. When he had money; when he had none.

Americans like to think that they are completely independent beings. They are “the captains of their ship, the masters of their soul.” 

We are actually neither. Psychologists have discovered what is ancient wisdom. We serve someone or something. Either sin is our master, or God is our master. Sin is any emotion, thought or action that takes us away from God.

Comparison is one root cause of sin. And a root cause of discontent. I compare to a picture in a magazine or an image on TV or on the Web. My body isn’t as good. My house isn’t as good. My car didn’t cost $100,000. I can’t travel the world in luxury at all times. My life is a shambles because others have it better.

Maturity comes with following Jesus and being content with where you are.

I do have to mention that Bill Hybels is on a series of messages about “Holy Discontent.” He doesn’t mean being discontented with your life. He is talking about looking around and seeing a need or an injustice and not wanting to let that lie. You just have to do something about it or the spirit will just not let you rest.

There is a good discontent. It motivates you to live out the gospel. Serve orphans, abused women, lost people, people in prison. Work to stop violence, poverty.

Lord, let us not depend on others or on comparisons for our contentment. Let us find contentment in you. But also spur us with a godly discontent that sets us on a path of service.

Paradox of Faith

March 2, 2015

Jesus is the Lamb of God. Jesus is a powerful healer and speaker able to take on the most powerful men of his time and place.

Wait a moment. He’s meek, led to slaughter, bleating? Or, is he powerful, a healer, tremendous inner strength, leader?

I love paradox. I love how seemingly contradictory attributes can both be correct.

Some people need one or the other. There were some strands of thoughts in philosophy that began especially in the 16th and 17th and 18th centuries with disastrous results in the 19th century where the focus on Jesus was only as a bleating lamb not understanding the power of the gospel. 

Some people still fix their thoughts on one or another attribute. Sometimes we don’t understand people because often people are walking paradoxes.

Paul said that he often does what he doesn’t want to do and doesn’t do what he wants to do. 

His actions, like ours, don’t always reflect our beliefs. We don’t always do as we say.

As long as we keep trying to do what’s right, that’s OK. We are born as a paradox and life is a paradox.

As a youth I was targeted to be an engineer. I loved technology from the time I was quite young. But I hated school. I’ve worked as an engineer. But I discovered I don’t have the typical engineer’s personality. They tend to like certainty. They like things to be black and white. I revel in shades of gray (not 50, that’s the topic of another article).

The point is, can we all come to grips with paradox? Can we accept a Saviour who is both meek and powerful? Can we be both meek and powerful? Can we live with people who are living through things and cannot be defined in just one word? And say, that’s OK.

Understanding that we all often fail to do what we want to do.

Leaders Empty Your Cup

February 27, 2015

Andy Stanley, founder and pastor of North Point Community Church in suburban Atlanta, thinks and communicates leadership as well as anyone speaking today.

He participates in one of those huge, fill-the-arena leadership events that tours the country. I’ve actually spent the couple of hundred dollars to sit in the cheap seats and watch.

Some of his latest thinking focuses on enabling the next generation of leaders. He calls it emptying your cup. You need to share all you know with the next generation. Not all they need to know–something you probably can’t fulfill. But all you know.

Here is a video clip that is actually a teaser for the Leadercast program. But it succinctly captures this one idea.

Enjoy.

People You Can Live Better Without

February 26, 2015

From Proverbs:

18:24 — Some friends play at friendship but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.

22:24 — Make no friends with those given to anger.

I saw this blog describing people you can live without.

Other people can cheer you up, or they can drag you down. Did you ever consider how long it takes to recover from a chance meeting with a negative person? Even if you try to maintain a level personality, a few words can bring down your emotional well being and cause grief.

It is difficult to be productive with such an attitude. A negative co-worker is like an anchor weighing you down to the bottom of the sea. A negative friend does not help you succeed. A needy person can suck all the energy out of you.

Take a lesson from Lidiya K as well as from Proverbs. These are people you can live without. Try to sever relations as quickly as possible.

Here is her list. Can you add to it?

  1. Complainers.
  2. The ones that are with you only in good times.
  3. Those who don’t believe in you.
  4. Victims.
  5. People who gossip.

Look instead for people who build up other people. People who are servants. People who are wise.

Being the Church Not Necessarily Being At Church

February 24, 2015

For those of my readers who belong to a church, do you know the people who seem to always be in the building whenever the doors are open?

Some people have been so dedicated, or something, to their church that they feel they must be involved in everything. Committee meetings, choir practice, kitchen duty, fold bulletins.

There is a value to some of that. But, at some point you have to pause and ask why you feel the need to be away from the family that much. Or, maybe like me, you just feel a need to serve. That makes it difficult for me to say the “N” word–NO. I’m learning. I’ve been pushing things off on others in one form or another for years. I call it developing leaders.

When we were called to be the church, we were not called to be at the church at all times. The spiritual discipline of service should not be skewed into service within the four walls of your building. In fact, it’s hard to be the church when you are at the church building.

Being the church calls outside. To meet with those along the way. Heal, teach, help, listen. Do as Jesus did as he walked the land. He is master; we are disciple. We are called to practice as the master practiced.

Our congregation offers many ways for people to be the church locally, regionally, internationally. But even that should not be a limit. Wherever we go, there  we are the church.

To Go or To Be

February 24, 2015

“All I want out of church is to go every Sunday and hear a good sermon.”

The man approached me rather assertively. He wasn’t happy with the missions and service–the request for people to do ministry that I lead–since it was a burden for him.

There are two types of people in church, I guess. Those who want to “be fed.” And those who want to feed.

We know that Jesus had the custom of going to the synagogue. But I can’t find one instruction where Jesus told us that the purpose of spiritual life was going and sitting.

Rather his stories were about prayer, having a heart set on God, and relations with other people.

I guess it’s an old story, but it just came home to me again. 

Do we just go to church? Or, are we the church?

A Call To Men To Be Clear

February 23, 2015

Adam should have spoken up. He didn’t. We’re all screwed.

That is the problem statement of “Men of Courage” by Larry Crabb and others. Men are too often silent when they should speak up.

I had the privilege of working as part of a small team of local men who had an idea for a men’s conference. Call to Convergence was held this past weekend. We had no clue how many men would show, but we picked 75 as a good target number. 70 registered. It was a good weekend.

Our principle speaker used that book as the starting point of his talks. Men are called to speak up, to share. Maybe not sharing every emotion like women seem to be wired to do. But, as one person said after the Friday night talks, it’s all about transparency. Not hiding.

The solution part of the book calls men to mentoring. We are called to intentionally find someone who could use a mentor and take action. Invite someone for breakfast or lunch. Ask. Listen. Guide. Help them on their journey.

By the way, we live in a small county. Population of about 56,000. To have 70 people come out in the snow was a great blessing. We all felt that the event wasn’t about us, but about God. And God blessed the gathering.

Men asked about what to do during the year until we have the second one. Always a great sign when people ask for action steps.

Reading the Bible

By the way, you might want to re-read the story of Adam, Eve, the serpent, and the metaphorical tree.

When we read the Bible (or anything, really), often we let past memory guide us and fill in the blanks, so to speak. Did you realize that Adam was present during the whole episode? Not my memory either. When I read it later after learning about the story, my memory took over and I didn’t read the passage clearly.

The passage clearly implies that Adam was right there. It doesn’t say that Eve went to him sometime later. It says she turned to him and offered him the fruit. Adam heard the whole conversation. Surely he knew better. But he didn’t speak up.

Two lessons:
Speak up when you see someone going off the path.
When you read the Bible, clear your mind and read what it really says.

Leaders Are Observant

February 20, 2015

While I was in an airport last week, a story about a man in Detroit played. Seems he lost his car, couldn’t afford another one right now, but he wanted to keep his job. So he basically walked 21 miles a day to get to work.

I don’t know how a TV reporter discovered him. The result of the story playing was that someone donated a car so he could make it to work.

The result was gratifying. But, I started thinking about all the people around him. Leaders where he works. Church leaders around him. Did no one see his plight, yet with his willingness to persevere, and try to help him?

There was a church leader, a senior pastor,  who seemed to know everyone. Someone need help? He’d point someone in their direction to help out. Trying to start a ministry? He could point out several people who might be interested in that same ministry.

A good business leader is aware of the people in the company, as well as top talent in competitors’ companies. They know whom to ask for which projects. Who to help out when someone else needs a little expertise and guidance.

Where do you fit on the observer scale? Are you oblivious to most people? Or do you see talent, desires, needs, places to help?

Sharpen your observation skills and watch your leadership quotient zoom.