Tag: Leadership

Spring Ahead

Well, we made it. March Break is past, and the first Sunday of Daylight Savings Time came and went. The snow is melting, and it won’t be long before the grass is green and waiting to be mowed.

But first, we’ll go through a season of transition. The weather will be fairly unpredictable: some days you’ll need your winter coat, and other days a jacket will be fine. You’ll look out the window and see the increasing strength of the sun’s rays, but the wind will still bite those who step outside unprepared for its’ teeth. Yes, it will be a few days yet, but summer is on the way. I tried to encourage some UNB students from Nigeria with that hope yesterday. I think my idea of ‘warm’ differs from theirs.

Yes, summer will come, but first the transition of spring.

For as long as I can remember, that’s the way it has worked. To go from one season to another means passing through change. Anniversaries fly past; the calendar turns; and birthdays keep showing up, ignoring our orders to cease and desist. Growth means transition. Growth means change. Spring ahead.

In the next couple of posts I’m going to share with you how we’re walking through the season of growth here at Evangel. Please pray for us and with us as we’re working to tell everyone we know the Good News. Spring ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Just Caught Up to the Lion

Sometimes I am such a late-adopter. I’ve been hearing all sorts of good stuff about Mark Batterson’s book since it came out in 2006. It’s been on my ‘Read’ list for a long time, and I finally picked up a copy and started reading.

Mark talks about facing your fears head on, and poses the question: ‘What if the life you really want, and the future God wants for you, is hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure…your greatest fear?’

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is an amazing read. Here’s a few quick hits about what I’ve been chewing on:

  • ‘two sets of footprints in…one set of footprints out…’
  • ‘to the Infinite all finites are equal’
  • ‘Goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right.’
  • ‘The more we grow, the bigger God gets. And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions become.’
  • ‘one of the greatest things to happen to you is for your fear to become a reality’

Check it out. Chase your lions.

What’s Your Most Valuable Possession?

Some possible answers: Money? Family? Medals/trophies? PS3? Car? Kids?

I think the best answer is time.

Each morning, you’re given 24 hours. It’s renewable, but not repeating. You’ll get another 24 hours tomorrow, but it won’t be the same 24 hours. There are no mulligans with time.

Don’t you think Grant Balfour would like to turn back time? Relive his time on the pitcher’s mound last night against Geoff Jenkins?

Don’t you think Stephane Dion would like to go back in time to spend it differently?

We’ve only got 24 hours every day. And I’ve been being challenged to use it wisely. I have a habit of over committing myself–taking too much on, not saying ‘no’ to things and getting too much piled up on me. Then I lose time on so much that I don’t have enough to spend on things I really want to.

I’m needing to cut out some stuff from my schedule that costs me time better spent with other things. I’m sharpening my scissors and getting ready to slice it out. You better stand back.

How are you spending your time?

12 Months

It seems like the older I get, the ways I look at time are changing.

For example, when I was a kid, I thought time would go on forever…

  • The school year was forever.
  • December was 78 days long.
  • Basketball games seemed 120 minutes long.
  • Time seemed to stand still when I was hunting with Dad.

But now it seems to fly by.

It’s been nearly a year since I experienced a change of plans. I had my life mapped out. I was enjoying what I was doing, where I was doing it, and who I was doing it with. But about a year ago, things headed in a direction I never saw coming. Some days the time stood still. Other days have been faster than a fat guy getting in line at Ponderosa.

I’ve been trying to process the things I’ve walked through in the past twelve months. If I get brave enough, I just might pull back the cover and let you see what’s been going on.

Time has kept on ticking, and hopefully I’ve gained some experience and wisdom along the way. If you’ve been reading here looking for sordid details, I guess I disappointed you. Yeah, it hurt, but those are things best left in God’s hands. To be honest, I’m more concerned about what God is doing in me than what He’s going to do about the past.

Paranoid Leadership

Are you leading a group, a ministry, a family? What’s your leadership style? How do you make decisions?

It finally happened. If you’re a football fan, you’ve probably been hearing what’s been going on in Oakland this season. The Raiders’ head coach, Lane Kiffin, has been under seige from the owner of the team, Al Davis. There has been a lot of speculation and discussion about how long Kiffin will last under Davis’ thumb. Well, today we found out.

Fired. Publicly skinned alive in the media. Not given a chance to talk with the team, the coaching staff, or, as far as we know, his office staff. Just, ‘Kiffin, you’re done.’

Now, I’m not a fan of the Raiders, and I have no clue all it takes to coach a football team. I’ve no idea how to manage a football team, but I think that when the ownership messes with the coaching, and everyone in the organization is constantly looking over their shoulder to see if they’re keeping ‘the big guy’ happy…everything is headed for a crash.

It looks like Davis just can’t trust anyone else to do what needs to be done. Does he meddle out of paranoia?

Is your leadership paranoid?

  • Are you always looking over your shoulder, seeking the approval of others?
  • Do you work to make someone else happy, or do you work to do the best job you can?
  • Do you have a hard time giving control to others?

You might be a paranoid leader.

Ask the Question

Some people think there’s no such thing as a stupid question.
Other people think there’s no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people.
I think that if you never ask, you’ll never know.

A couple of times when we were senior pastoring, we held what we called ATP (Ask the Pastor) nights.  They were cool.  They were fun. They were, for some people, very intimidating. They were, for others, a safe way to ask the questions that had been on their minds about some aspect of congregational life.

I’m going to open the door again for any of you readers to throw some questions my way. I’m not saying I have the answers (I’m not that smart), but I am saying I’d love to talk with you about what makes your wonder-er start wondering.

  • So, here’s the deal. Email me with a question that’s been bugging you about church, God, life, anything…
  • I’ll post your questions (without posting your name) and we’ll take a closer look at what’s on your mind. We all just might learn something from this.

Here’s a question to start things off: why are we afraid to ask God questions?

Allez, Allez-allez, Allez, Allez!

Well, I guess it’s now official: les Canadiens have clinched first place in their division, and are gunning for top spot in the eastern conference going into the NHL playoffs! Woot!

I’ve never been much of a Habs fan, but I’m slowly getting converted. Of course, I’ll stil be rooting for the ‘Nucks, but I’m 99% on the Habs bandwagon for the playoffs out east. I realize I’ve probably alienated most of my friends (who for some reason still cheer for the Toronto Maple Leafs), but I can handle the abuse. I can take it.

Had another good Sunday to kick off the week. Paul talked about the lost art of ‘tarrying‘ for God’s promise and the blessing of the Holy Spirit. One thing jumped out at me, and I’ve been chewing on it for the past few days…

The Greek term, <homothumaden> (loosely translated: to rush along in unison) is repeated 10 times in the book of Acts (the written account of the birth and development of the early Church). Each instance the term is used in describing the followers of Jesus, and it conveys the image of moving together, working together, creating heat, and friction.

Have you ever watched a flock of sparrows flying along?

They move in unison, changing direction and altitude without crashing into each other–they’re moving as one. Homothumaden. Rushing along, not stagnant or standing still. Not leaning on the wall and blending in to the surroundings, but moving along in such a way that altering course/changing direction isn’t a slow process, but an exciting one. (Can you imagine how sparrows would get from one place to the next if they had to have a committee meeting about where to go and when to turn??) Comical, but homothumaden is the way Jesus intended the corporate assembling of His followers to move.

So, what’s your method of moving along with the rest of the people around you? Is your office, home or classroom just a bunch of people rushing madly off in all directions, or are you moving together toward a common goal? Sure, there might be some friction, but that’s to be expected when homthumaden is working.

Allez!

The 21-Day Experiment

Somebody once told me it only takes 21 days to form a habit.  I have no idea how they can prove it, or if there is any scientific data to back up their claim (kinda like the whole frog in a kettle thing…I mean, that’s just weird–what kind of sicko puts frogs into different pots containing water at varying temperatures to see if it would jump out or get boiled??  And why did they settle on a frog?  Did they first try it with a horse??  Sick people, those statisical scientists!)

So, back to the habit thingy.  I can’t back it up with empirical data, but it sounds pretty good–it makes sense:

  • do something long enough and it will become part of your routine.
  • do it long enough and it will modify your behaviour.
  • do something long enough and it will change the way you live.

For example, spending time in India broke an old habit for me.  I used to chew my nails, but some time spent in an environment where I had no idea what germs found their way to my fingertips changed my behaviour.  I don’t chew anymore (except Trident gum.)

Last night at Young Adults we jumped into a challenge: for the next 21 days, we were to treat everyone we interact with as though they were asking the question: ‘I want to see Jesus. Can you help me?’  They might never say those words audibly, but we are to treat them like they did.  I’ve got a feeling that these next 21 days are going to change a lot of lives!

Pioneers

Here’s a little bit of history for you NHL hockey fans, Maritimers especially.

Pioneers.  Trailblazers.  Forerunners.  People who play the point, and aren’t stopped by the naysayers, the bigots, the ‘small’ people of the world…these pioneers must be honoured.

By the way, do you know how you can pick out a pioneer from a crowd?  Just look for the person with arrows in their back.