Wayne Hedlund

Category: Personal Growth

  • A Moment with Robert Morris

    I had the great honor to have spent a few moments with Pastor Robert Morris and his wife, Debbie, this past week during Elim Fellowship’s Leadership Conference. As the Service Producer I had the chance to touch base with him on his needs/plans during each of the sessions as well as to engage in just a few moments of friendly banter. I treasure these moments. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of doing the same with Bill Johnson, Jack Hayford, David Ireland and Larry Stockstill.

    I wish I could have spent more time with them. However, I think I spent enough to at least get a first impression of their personality and character. Here is a summary of some of those ‘first impressions’, particularly regarding Pastor Robert.

    Humble.
    Robert unapologetically preaches with authority and confidence. He told the audience that he had a measure of authority and confidence as well – especially in the area of giving and finances. Yet his attitude was not haughty or proud, in my opinion. I think one mark of a humble person is an awareness of his strengths and the confidence to engage those strengths with confidence.

    Transparent.
    Transparency is a quality I highly value and admire in others. When I speak of transparency, I’m speaking of that inclination to be exactly who you are no matter what venue you find yourself in. In other words, you’re the same in the back hall as you are when on-stage. You don’t have two persona’s. You simply are who you are, wherever you find yourself, whether in public or in private. I saw Robert’s love for the Word of God, sense of humor, and desire to please the Lord in the green room just as much as we saw it on-stage.

    Accepting.
    I’ve been around enough “important” people to experience the unpleasant feeling that I am invisible or unimportant despite being present and accounted for. (Note: I am not speaking of the other great leaders mentioned above.) From the moment I met Pastor Robert I never felt like he somehow considered himself above myself or anyone else with whom he spoke to. In fact, in watching him interact with the few people who made their way to him before or after the service I saw the same exact thing. He seemed to genuinely consider others just as valuable as the next guy.

    Understand, I don’t know Robert Morris personally. These were just the general impressions I got in my few interactions with him. I’m inclined to believe that my impressions are fairly accurate. I don’t think humility, transparency, and acceptance are traits that are easy to ‘fake’.

    What about you? What are the ‘impressions’ people get upon first meeting you? If you were to evaluate YOURSELF in the above 3 traits, how would you rate yourself? In fact, what people in your life do you think would honestly say those three characteristics describe you?

    I don’t know about you, but I aspire to excel in these areas of my life. I hope you do as well.

  • One Sentence Can Change Your Life

    One sentence. That shouldn’t be too hard to write, right? It’s just a handful of words. If you are reading this right now, it’s likely you could be writing a sentence. So I have a challenge for you. Some of you will probably read this challenge and think it’s an interesting idea – but not do it. You are busy and although this is a good idea (perhaps even a great one), it’ll save for a rainy day when you have the time. We all know when that day will come. So try this out, right now if possible.

    The Challenge: Write out your job description in one sentence.

    I think you should be able to do that. If you can’t, then I respectfully suggest that you are very likely busy doing a lot of things that may not be touching the most important thing. Remember Jesus’ words to Martha?

    “‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.’” Luke 10:41-42

    How many things are you ‘doing’ that aren’t really needed? How would you know? One of the best ways is to write out your primary purpose in the ministry context you find yourself in (whether you are a pastor, elder or usher). You should do it in one sentence though. It needs to be short, clear, and concise.

    You’ll need to think about it a lot first. You’ll probably start with a paragraph (or maybe a page); but don’t break the rule – one sentence only.

    Here’s what I think you’ll discover about yourself and your ministry, perhaps even your calling...
    A lot you didn’t realize. I think you’ll discover that you are doing many things you shouldn’t. I think you’ll find out that the things that are really important for you to do are sitting on the shelf to get done, ‘someday’. Here’s a scary thought: you might actually find out that you really don’t know what your supposed to be doing.

    Try it. If you succeed, please either post your sentence here or email it to me at transformingleader@elimgospel.org. I would love to read it and celebrate with you.

    Note: Andy Stanley talks about this very idea in his podcast entitled, “High Performance Teams“. Good stuff.

    Image compliments of floortje at istockphoto.com.

  • Creating a Trust Culture

    Have you ever had a volunteer, employee, or friend tell you she would do something, and then totally bomb out and not do it – even to the point of not TELLING you she wasn’t going to do it? Have you ever done that yourself? When that happens, trust is broken. Trust should be an extremely important and well-guarded part of your church and ministry. If you don’t have it, then I respectfully submit that your ministry is in a very dangerous place.

    Jesus highlighted how important it is that we be in honest and open communication when he said in Matthew 5, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Jesus is expressing here that the broken trust in this relationship is critical to fix, right away. Stop what you are doing (even worship) and go reconcile.

    I listened to Andy Stanley talk about this yesterday and felt the need to encourage you to listen to it as well. Please consider taking 25 minutes out of your day today (before you forget and get too busy) to listen to this podcast by Andy entitled, “Trust vs Suspicion”.

    Click Here to Listen to “Trust vs Suspicion” by Andy Stanley.

    If you are interested in subscribing to Andy Stanley’s Leadership podcast you may do so right here.

  • Pastor Jack Oats

    image compliments of Matthew Stumphy

    I know you have a given name and title at your church. I’m sure you are proud when you hear them spoken (most of the time at least). However, is it possible that you could also go by the name Pastor Jack Oats. If so, you are very likely ignorant of the fact. If you aren’t ignorant of the fact, then perhaps you need therapy.

    OK. That wasn’t very helpful. You are free to go by the name “Pastor Jack Oats” if all or most of the following is true:

    • You preach every Sunday of the year.  Bonus: you lead worship each week too.
    • You teach every Wednesday of the year.
    • You also teach a Sunday School class almost every week.
    • You create the bulletin and/or sermon note-taking guide each week. Bonus: you make the PowerPoint too.
    • You run sound on Sunday mornings.
    • You count the offering each week (with or without someone else present).
    • You are available 24/7 to your congregation in case someone needs to talk.
    • You order and organize the Sunday School curriculum. 
    • You provide ongoing counselling to several people each week.
    • You lead the youth ministry on Friday nights.
    • You created and maintain the church website.
    • You organize and run VBS every summer.
    • You do a lot of the cleaning and mowing around the church. Bonus: shoveling too.
    What do you think? Does that hit pretty close to the mark? Does this describe a good chunk of your weekly activities? If so, then I hereby dub you, Pastor Jack Oats. How did I know? Just check out the first word of every bullet above. You.
    Andy Stanley has said, “Devoting a little of yourself to everything means committing a great deal of yourself to nothing.” 
    Here’s the deal, YOU can’t do everything Pastor Jack Oats! (aka: Pastor Jack Of All TradeS)

    “WAIT! You don’t understand! I serve in a small church and have to do all of those things!”

    I know there’s a chance I may have just offended a few of my readers. Please understand that I’m not trying to offend. I am trying to challenge. I know you have a lot of responsibility and there are a lot of things you need to do. I know that often you are the ONLY person who can or will do them.

    However, sometimes it’s easy to get into a rut in thinking that you are the only one. The fact is, if you have a congregation of 12 people, it’s possible to ‘spread the responsibility’ of ministry around. (I didn’t pick the number randomly . . .) I’ve come across a few pastors over the years who:

    • Have gifted people in their church, but don’t think to ask them to serve.
    • Assume everyone is too busy to do some of the things they do.
    • Are afraid to ask others to get involved.
    • Enjoy doing lots of things and are unwilling to give them up to others.
    • Want to be in control and prefer to do things themselves.
    • Don’t trust others to do things the way they want them done.
    • Believe they don’t have time to recruit and train others to do things. It’s easier to do it themselves.
    • Believe they don’t have anyone in their church who can do the necessary tasks.
    Friend, if this is you then I urge you to reconsider. There are gems sitting in your pews and in your communities who God has called and gifted to serve His body alongside you. It is His plan that you equip your people to do the ministry. That is what you are called to do. It is a holy and biblical mandate from God himself (remember Ephesians 4:11-13). 

  • Pastoral Ministry by Paul

    Have you ever talked with someone about something and just assumed they knew what you were talking about? Probably. I suppose you wouldn’t know if you think they know what you’re saying. Hopefully, that’s not a ‘weekly’ experience for your congregation on Sundays! I was reading 1 Corinthians the other day and came across the below passage. It’s a great Scripture full of all kinds of good stuff. However, I stopped and began reading between the lines, specifically asking myself the question, “What can I learn about pastoral ministry from this excerpt?” I was mildly surprised with what I learned.

    6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:6-11

    Putting the passage in context, Paul was reprimanding the Corinthians for acting like babies (verses 1-2). Evidently, they argued a lot over who they should really be ‘following’, Paul or Apollos (verse 4). Paul was reminding the church to get their priorities straight and set their sights on Jesus Christ.

    OK. So that’s the context. Now I’d like to pull out a few interesting facts (and raise a few questions) out of the content.

    1. Paul acknowledges that man has an important part to play in the work of God (verse 6) In this case, planting and watering. If you were to take a guess, which part do you think YOU play in the ministry you help lead? Planting or watering?
    2. The church body should not consider the planter or the waterer as the focal point of their attention or lives – but God alone (verse 7) Paul considered this attitude an immature one. Earlier in the passage he said that they could only be given milk, not solid food, because of their pettiness in these areas. Does your congregation spiritually rely on you as their pastor, or on God?
    3. Only God can prosper the work of man (verse 7) In Isaiah 30:1 God warns, “‘Woe to the obstinate children,’ declares the LORD, ‘to those who carry out plans that are not mine.’”  It is quite possible to be planting and watering seeds, and staying quite content and busy while we are at it, but NOT see anything grow. Is God making things grow in your ministry?
    4. The planter and waterer have unique roles and purposes in the church (verse 8) I suspect it would be easy for us leaders to fall prey to thinking that the role we serve is the most important or perhaps even the only role there is. I think it’s also possible that we leaders may try to take on both the role of planter AND waterer. Paul seems pretty adamant that they are unique functions. Are you making room in your ministry for differently gifted people to shine and fulfill their calling?
    5. There are rewards associated with the work of the ministry (verse 8) Cool. We all like the idea of having rewards for our work. Of course, this passage also implies a judgement. In verse 14 Paul writes, “If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss, he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” Umm. Can I just say, he’s talking about you and me here. Are you giving your all for the work of God or do you take your role for granted?
    6. The work of the ministry is just that . . . work (verse 8) Paul states pretty simply that it’s work. Ministry is not a walk in the park. He called it “labor”. The thing is, many pastors have a choice whether or not they will actually ‘work’ or not. I know it’s not true for most, but I’ve come into contact with enough to know that ‘work’ for some pastors takes place Friday through Sunday and the rest of the week is counted as an extended sabbath. Do you serve your church body with integrity? Are they getting everything you have to give?
    7. God is working alongside us (verse 9) How humbling to realize that, according to Paul, we are God’s fellow workers. I love that. It means God is on staff too. He’s working right alongside me. He’s not doing my job, He’s doing His job. I get to be part of what He’s doing by partnering with him and fulfilling the function He designed me to fulfill. Do you acknowledge, honor, and call on God as an integral part of your ministry each and every day?
    8. God has included us in the building of his church (verse 9) Again, how humbling. The object of God’s attention in this passage is HIS field or HIS building. Paul is talking about the church right there; that’s the bride of Christ, His beloved. And God has invited US to participate in preparing His bride for her wedding day. Do you view your congregation through your own eyes, or the eyes of Christ each day.
    9. We are to serve as experts in God’s work (verse 10) Paul described himself as an expert or wise builder. I suspect he considered Apollos in the same light. Experts don’t come cheap. Experts are the result of thousands of hours of learning and experience. Experts are rare. Most people stop at the Novice phase because it’s just too hard and too uncomfortable to press through to become an expert. Are you an expert in your role as a minister of the gospel? If not, why not?
    10. The work of ministry MUST be taken seriously and carefully (verse 10) Be careful how you build! Watch your doctrine closely. Serve the church humbly. (Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”) Keep Christ central. This passage also says in verses 12-13, “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is.” If Christ visited your office today and told you what you were building on his foundation with, what do you think He would say?

  • Leaders are Readers

    There was a time when I absolutely dreaded reading anything besides fiction (including the Bible, I am embarrassed to say.) I would occasionally be assigned to read some book on leadership by my boss at the time, Mike Cavanaugh. It would sit on my desk at work or my nightstand at home unread for weeks at a time. Every once in a while I would open it up and give it a token effort, perhaps getting through the first 2 or 3 chapters. Then Pastor Mike would kindly but firmly give me some extra incentive, like remind me that quarterly reviews were coming up soon. Ugh. So I would finally plot the appropriate hours and plow through.

    As is often the case, the book usually ended up being a great help to my life and ministry; but it was a bear to get through! Perhaps you relate. Maybe it’s not a motivation issue so much as a life management issue. When are you supposed to find time to read in the midst of everything else going on in your life!

    You’ve probably heard people quote Harry Truman, “Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader.” I would qualify that statement by adding, “every growing leader is a reader.” I am so glad to say that I’ve finally figured out ways to incorporate reading into my life and ministry. I’d like to share some pointers with you; perhaps one or more of these ideas will help you as well. Some of you may be interested to know that I don’t set time aside specifically  to read each day or week, yet I get a lot of reading done each month.

    Learn how to skim.
    This is a skill I have developed over the years that has served me very well. For some books, blogs, or articles, I will simply skim over them. I have successfully “skimmed” 300-400 page books in just a couple of hours and sometimes less than that. I can still tell you today what I learned from some of those books. Sometimes I will skim a book first, and then read it word for word later. Skimming is a lot easier than you think (as opposed to speed reading, which is an acquired skill.) Here are two articles I would recommend that will give you the basics:

    Determine when to read and when to skim.
    I evaluate every book I read to determine if it’s a “really read this book” or a “skim and get the meat book”. Sometimes I will decide to skim a book and realize within the first chapter or two that this is a “really read this book.” At other times I will “try” giving a book a solid word for word and find I am just not interested or motivated, so I switch to the skim method. Here are a few of the criteria I use to make this determination:

    • A leader I highly admire/respect requests or recommends the book: READ. (Pastor Josh suggested I read the book, Next Generation Leader, by Andy Stanley. I read it and now highly recommend it.)
    • The content is very engaging and interesting to me: READ. (I started to skim the book, Crucial Confrontations and found it so engaging that I ended up reading through it word for word.)
    • The content is important to me (though not necessarily engaging): READ. (I found the book Getting Things Done sort of hard to read, but I knew the information was important and would help me, so I read it all the way through.)
    • I want the information, but don’t have time for a full blown read: SKIM. (Sometimes if I’m preaching or teaching in a few days I may skim to get some extra info on a topic. If I found the book really engaging, I’ll set it aside to read through more in-depth later.)
    • The author hasn’t impressed me in the past, but I know he/she has something good to say: SKIM. (For whatever reason, I’ve never been able to get into Max Lucado’s books, though he’s a best selling author, so I’ll often skim his books for the good stuff instead.
    • I have already read the material before, but want to remember what it was about or get some quotes/illustrations: SKIM. (I recently skimmed the book, Thinking for a Change, by John Maxwell which I read last year in order to prepare for a lesson I was about to teach.)
    • The topic is something I am already very knowledgeable in or the material is stuff I already know: SKIM. (I read a blog a while back that was talking about a key principle I’ve already learned and implement from the book Eat That Frog, I skimmed through that article.)
    • The topic is not something I need to be well-versed in or I already know the gist of the book: SKIM. (I have the book Drive, by Daniel Pink on my reading list. I’ve already watched him present the content from this book, so I’ll likely just skim it.)
    • The book has been sitting on my bookshelf forever and I’m dreading reading it: SKIM. (I purchased the book, Brain Rules more than two years ago. If I actually get to it, I’ll likely skim it. If I don’t read this book within the next year I’ll likely just give it a 15 minute leaf through and either sell, give away, or throw away.)

    Notice that I have more criteria for skimming than reading. You’ll also realize that not only do I skim quite a few books, but I also read more than just books every week. See below.

    Strategically mark up books when you can.
    I know and have used a myriad of methods for tracking information in books, or marking them up for future use. I’m still not sure which methods are the best. I have taken notes from books and created my own “cliff notes” on some books. For others I’ve highlighted/underlined and placed a number next to sections with notes on the back inside cover telling me what that particular section/highlight was about for future reference. I am a big believer in underlining key sentences, highlighting headings or sections I want to stand out, and writing in the margins several words that summarize the selected text for easy retrieval. The point is, find a method for marking up books so that you can quickly get the meat out of it when you need to.

    Go digital.
    If you already own an Blackberry, iPhone, Android phone, an iPad or a phone with regular internet access, then I urge you to begin taking advantage of the digital options available to you. For example, you have the basic tool you need to begin reading blogs (see next point). Additionally, Amazon will let you download kindle apps for free on your blackberry, iphone, ipad, or Android phones, which can then be used to purchase and read audio books. This year alone I have read about 5 books on my phone using the kindle app. In fact, I read the entire book, Crucial Confrontations, on my phone each night during a 15 minute slot in my day when I was doing nothing else, but didn’t have a book handy nearby.

    Discover the power of blogs.
    This is the original reason I wrote this blog today. I know many pastors and leaders who are afraid of the word “blog”. It’s an unknown so it’s intimidating. It’s something for the younger generation, right? Not true. I’ve discovered that reading blogs is one of the best ways to stay fresh on just about any topic or issue without stealing time. In fact I read an average of 10-12 blogs a day (sometimes as many as 25), all within chunks of time when I wasn’t going to be doing anything else important anyway. Here’s a couple ideas to get you started:

    1. GOOGLE READER: If you aren’t a blog reader yet, then I recommend you start with Google Reader. Yes, there are a myriad of other readers out there, but you’re already intimidated so just trust me and start here. It’s very easy. If you already have a Google account then just log in and find “Reader” on the “More” drop-down. If you don’t have an account, it’s free to set one up. Once you get to the reader, just click on the “Add a Subscription” button and perform your search and then subscribe (for example, type ‘transforming leader’ or ‘Wayne Hedlund’ to find my blog). Once you start playing around with it you’ll discover it’s quite simple to use. You can then set the page up as a shortcut on your desktop or a favorite you visit regularly and wala, you’re on your way. You can also download an app on your phone giving you easy access to your blogs.

    2. Blogs and Email: Let me just say something about the idea of subscribing to blogs via email. Just about any blog worth reading will give you that option. If you really don’t have regular internet access, then this is the way for you to go. A couple of suggestions:

    • If you use Outlook 2003 or earlier for email, create a folder labeled ‘blogs’ and then create a rule that pops all your subscribed blogs into that folder. If that’s too complicated for you, simply drag the blogs into that folder for reading later when you have time, instead of mucking up your inbox.
    • If you use gmail, then do the same thing but with the label functionality. I don’t know about other email applications on the web, but most of them will allow you the ability to create rules, filters, folders, and labels.
    • If you use Outlook 2007 or later, read more about the built in RSS reader. This is how I got started as a blog reader. Again, don’t worry about the intimidation factor. Like just about everything these days, once you’ve learned how to do it, you’ll be amazed that you waited so long to take advantage of it. Try this online training to learn more.

    Here’s the main thing you should understand about blogs if you are new to them. Don’t read every one. That’s right, unless you’re only subscribed to mine (joke) you’ll want to look through the list of blog titles that pop up in your reader or email each day or week and decide which ones sound or look interesting to you. You’ll then skim or read those as you see fit and mark the rest read. Every once in a while (almost daily for me) you’ll find one you really like and want to either forward or keep for future reference. If that happens, I recommend you take care of it right then, or it will likely not happen at all

    Take advantage of dead time.
    This may seem obvious, but it actually takes diligence, preparation, and intentionality to take advantage of the dead time in your life (time that you aren’t really doing anything valuable). One of the best ‘dead time’ tools is, as I already mentioned, a phone with reading materials available on it like e-books or blogs. If that’s not available to you, I recommend you try to keep one or two books with you at all times that you can pull out to read whenever you have a few minutes. If I stay focused, I can read a whole book in one month just by taking advantage of the white space in my life.

    Become a bathroom reader.
    Uh, well I just covered this above, but thought perhaps it was worth mentioning specifically. Most of us can often spend anywhere from 4 to 24 minutes on the throne. Other than the obvious, there’s not much else to do in there. It’s a great place to get some reading done. Even the four minute sessions can be valuable if you pick the right kind of book – one with short chapters. For instance, I read Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and Axiom from start to finish in the bathroom. Find a good book that will work, or some magazines that are relevant to your life or ministry, and just leave them in the bathroom. Don’t read them except when you’re umm, you know, busy in there.

    Kill your guilt.
    I used to get so frustrated with myself if I didn’t finish a book or if it took forever to read. I’d even feel guilty if I was reading the book (which someone else told me was awesome) but thought it was real boring. My suggestion . . . don’t be so hard on yourself. Some books are going to hit you as amazing, relevant, and inspirational, others won’t. Don’t worry about it.

    Read a whole book in 8 pages (or listen in 20 minutes.)
    OK, I guess you won’t actually read the whole book, but there is an awesome way to get all of the relevant highlights and major points of hundreds of popular books on leadership, management, marketing, etc. Last year we stumbled across www.summary.com. It’s not a christian organization, so far as I can tell, but it has been an awesome resource to our team at Elim Gospel Church. Basically, you pay the fees you feel are appropriate for your situation and find yourself with access to all sorts of great book reviews. You can download them as pdf’s – each one being 8 pages long or you can listen to someone read the summary in a 20 minute period by downloading the mp3 version. You can even subscribe to them in a blog if you want. For me, I occasionally walk to work. It takes me almost exactly 20 minutes. I can listen to one book review in that one walk. It’s awesome.

    Read while exercising or commuting (audio-books).
    You already know about audio-books. I actually don’t utilize them myself too often, but have several friends who do very successfully. Audio-books are perfect for your 15 – 45 minute commute, for when you exercise, or when everyone else is watching that program that you just aren’t interested in. I also know that the national literacy rate is about 14%, which means some people just don’t read very much. Additionally, I have friends who can read fine, but hate doing it. Audio-books are a great alternative.

    How about you? What other ideas might you suggest on how we can stay sharp as readers and leaders?

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

    Images courtesy of istockphoto

  • Being Spiritual

    George Washington’s Prayer at Valley Forge

    I spent the last month focusing almost solely on “Being Strategic”.

    What about “Being Spiritual?” Where does God fit into the mix? Important question. The answer to that question will ultimately determine “the path” you take in all of your plans. God has always been very clear that His purposes and His will are what we should be seeking, not ours.

    “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purposes that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

    “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city the guards stand watch in vain.” Psalm 127:1

    “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3

    Job gives us a great reminder that we should always remember to submit our plans, ideas, and dreams to the Lord. It’s vital that every step we take is God inspired and God ordained.

    “Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” Job 38:1-3

    Here’s my challenge for you . . . . Pray. . . . Seek God. . . . Dedicate yourself to listening to His voice. . . . Fast.

    Recently my pastor was speaking to our leadership team about prayer. We are gearing up right now for our second annual 21 day fast beginning in January. We’re calling it “Fast Forward 2011”. Check out some of these quotes from Pastor Josh’s message to us:

    • “Prayer is the single most resisted activity by the enemy.”
    • “Prayer is one of the highest forms of spiritual stewardship.”
    • “Jesus said, ‘Without me you can do nothing.’”
    • “Prayerlessness is not because of busy-ness, it’s because of pride.”
    • “Prayer is the ultimate surrender.”

  • The Big Road Block

     

    Road-ClosedI’ve heard it said that there are two seasons in Upstate New York: Winter and Construction. We’re feeling it right now in the small suburban town that I live in. Every day several handfuls of construction workers magically appear to repave our roads and rebuild the local bridges.

    The bridge construction, in particular, has been quite frustrating. An entire section of road will be shut down for 3 weeks to a couple of months. Ugh. The first local bridge they worked on required a long, convoluted detour. I even discovered that the construction crew went on some sort of strike for a couple of weeks. I don’t know the details, I just remember thinking, “This is really ridiculous! We have a well traveled road that can get me to my destination in great time that is not being fixed and has been road-blocked indefinitely!”

    That said, here’s what I discovered: I GOT USED TO IT. It was a mild annoyance, but eventually I adjusted my expectations and plans and just used the detour all the time. I had no idea when the road would reopen so it became pretty irrelevant as I adjusted to the new pathway. A new pathway that was long, tedious, and not very productive.

    I’ve discovered that many of us have a road block like this that needs to be overcome before we see any meaningful changes in our ministry and at our church. It’s a road block that we don’t think about very much. We just bypass it, deal with it, live with it, adjust to it, even forget about it. We’ve gotten used to doing ministry the long, tedious, and not so productive way. This road block can be a major key to launching change. You get this particular road opened and you may discover a brand new path to effective and powerful ministry.

    The road block is YOU. Think about it. If you are the primary or even secondary influencer in your church or ministry, who is really stopping you from fulfilling the calling of God for your church and on your life? It’s so easy to blame the conditions around you, to describe all the reasons or excuses that stand in the way, to determine that the solution is beyond your control and external. In fact, it’s easy because it means you don’t have to take responsibility. You just convince yourself that there are good reasons why certain things can’t happen, and you just have to live with them.

    But what if the real problem was a wrong mindset that you believe? What if the road block is your way of viewing your ministry and situation? Perhaps the bridge is out and you’ve gone on strike…indefinitely. While on strike you’ve adjusted how things work so that the ministry continues – but it’s entirely ineffective. What if your predecessor is the one who created the detoured path you are on because his thinking was on strike and you’re now following the same path?

    I’m not saying that there aren’t limitations and natural barriers to the fulfillment of your God-ordained vision. I’m just saying that ONE of those barriers may very well be your perceptions and internal dialog about how you can reach that vision.

    I’d like to propose that it IS possible to see God’s purposes and vision fulfilled. After all, if it’s a God-ordained vision, then He’s interested in seeing it fulfilled even more than you are! It’s not your responsibility to MAKE that vision happen, it’s your responsibility to fulfill your part of that vision and let the Holy Spirit breathe life, prosperity, and blessing into it.

    Maybe I’m missing all the ingredients, but it seems to me that at least three primary ones would be:

    1. FAITH. You need to believe it’s from God and live and act like it will happen. I think it’s OK to have doubts. We see plenty of that in the Bible. What’s not OK is forgetting that God is the overseer of your ministry, not you.
    2. A PLAN. We would all love it if God would just step in and make it all happen. Alas and alack, he wants us to do the planning part, with His leading, instead. Nehemiah made plans to build a wall. David made plans to conquer a nation. Joseph made plans to overcome a God-revealed famine. The disciples made plans about where they would go, when they would leave, and often what they would do while they were there. And of course, Jesus lived out a God-sized strategic plan for the salvation of the world.
    3. COMMITMENT. That means you are willing to press through the dips, the valleys, the rough times. It means you’re willing to work hard, to read a lot, to ask for help, and to make changes that will require a level of self-sacrifice that will be uncomfortable. It means you’ll take risks and fail sometimes and then get up and try again. It means you won’t give up.

    HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE IN THE WAY? How about starting by asking three questions:

    1. Do I have faith that God can and will lead me to where I believe this ministry is supposed to go?
    2. Do I have a plan to get there?
    3. Am I willing to make sacrifices on the way?

  • Bill Hybels & Humility in Leadership

    It is becoming increasingly clear to me as time goes on how important the attribute of Humility is for leaders in organizations. Not just THE leader, but all of the leaders in your church or ministry. This year at the Willow Leadership Summit, Jim Collins, author of the book, “How The Mighty Fall” and “Good to Great” said:

    “The single greatest leadership signature we found in organizations that moved from good to great and who stood the test of time for decades was this: Personal Humility.”

    After listening, as well, to one of the greatest leaders in this generation, Bill Hybels, I was reminded again of how true this is. Bill has made a huge, exponential impact on God’s church that may never stop until the Lord’s return. And yet, he stands before hundreds of thousands of people and says, “Sometimes I am just not sure if I’ve got the right stuff to lead.” He then told the story of how critical it is that he leans and rely’s on God.

    The man has tremendous humility.

    How about you. Do you see yourself as a person with humility before God and man? Or as someone who’s ‘got the stuff’ and entitled to the place you now serve? How about your leadership team?

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”