Seven Words

One thought led to another. The profound truth of a single statement consumed me as I sat in the window at the coffee house. John Crotts in his book Craftsman: Christ Centered Proverbs for Men said "Everyone becomes like that which surrounds them."

Seven words.

"Everyone becomes like that which surrounds them."

The truth is evident everywhere.

*Surround a positive person with critical ones and the positive spirit becomes more critical.

* Surround an enthusiastic person with apathetic ones and watch how easily passion is lost.

* Surround an outward-focused follower with self-focused believers and watch the burden for the lost diminish.

"Everyone becomes like that which surrounds them."

Sure there are exceptions. Fish that swim against the flow of those in the school. The man or woman of unshakable principle that does not bend, does not waver, does not compromise.

But. . .

Most of us are like the "everyone."

And "Everyone becomes like that which surrounds them."

So today what will surround you? What will surround me?

Which friends, which co-workers, which fellow-followers will be the influences in the "surrounding" of our lives?

It matters.

Living Life Unwrapped

How do you say you want to live your life? Which of these statements resonates with
your heart?

--I want to live a life that matters.

--I want to make a difference.

--I want to count for the kingdom.

--I want to know Him and make Him known.

Or maybe you are more modern in your jargon.

--I want to live an authentic transformed life with Jesus.

--I want to live in community with others and God.

--I want to live a Missional lifestyle.

--I want to journey the different path.

Most of us who claim the name of Jesus, most of us who are in a relationship with Jesus can likely sum up how we desire to live our lives in a statement like one of those. They inspire us. They challenge us.

I read a great quote today about how we live our lives. Leaping off the pages of the book I was reading was this quote:

"How we live our days is ... how we live our lives." -- Annie Dillard

How I lived yesterday, how I live today and how I will live tomorrow determines how I live my life. A simple thought. A profound reality. The life I live unwraps before me each day. The daily decisions of what to do, the day after day expressions of what I value paint the picture of my life.

How do I live my life in the day by day reality so that it matters? Jesus summed it up in two commandments. He made it all about the vertical and horizontal.

Love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength and
from where those disciplines take you, love everybody else.

Game on! Goal set. Target in sight. Unwrap the life that matters.

Love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength and
from where those disciplines take you, love everybody else.

Today, as a leader, as follower, how are you intentionally unwrapping a life that matters?

Stunned

I was watching one of those reality TV shows where belligerent speeders are being arrested. A 17-year-old young woman was pulled over for speeding and possible intoxication. She adamantly refused to cooperate with any request the officer made, let alone the request to get out of her car. Finally having had enough of her defiance, the officer removes his taser and informs her that she will be tased if she doesn’t get out of the car.

The driver still laughs at the officer and even says “right, your gonna tase me. Sure go ahead.” Warning her one last time the officer tases her when she fails to comply. Stunned, she is dragged from the car and falls face down on the ground.

Ezekiel had a vision by the river Kebar. In chapter one he spent 27 verses describing the experience. Finally he declares, “That is what it was like. It turned out to be the Glory of God.” (MSG) Having had that epiphany, stunned he falls on his face to the ground; an instant response to the sovereign God.

What does God have to do to you, to me, to get us to comply to His authority, His lordship, His dominion over our lives, our ministries, our work?

Who are you more like, Ezekiel or the 17-year-girls? When God exercises His sovereignty, do we recognize His authority and respond? Or do we force Him to use the “taser” on us?

May this be a year in which we avoid the “Taser.”

Darn it! There Goes My Favorite Expression!

I've got a fickle electronic lock on my van door. It's the sliding door on the driver's side. At least once week when I press my unlock button on the car remote or the electronic button inside the car it fails to unlock. Sometimes locking and unlocking again will correct the problem, but every so often even that fails to work. The only way to get the door unlocked is the old fashioned way of reaching in and pulling up the lock.

Since this only occurs when I need to get in the back seat for some reason or the other, the electronic lock failure is inconvenient. Really inconvenient! Because of the inconvenience I've noticed that I've developed an attitude about the situation. Whenever it occurs, my mouth is quick to utter, "Darn it!" I have begun to express immediate frustration when the door lock fails.

Immediate frustration?

It's a minor problem with an electronic convenience, and when it fails I immediately express frustration!

I didn't get it. I didn't see the picture. I didn't put two and two together until the other day I heard my daughter use the same expression in the kitchen. As her father and mentor I was about to encourage her with a "It's not a big deal," "Let it go" and a "Don't let the little things bother you."

That was when the Holy Spirit hammered me. "Preach it brother." "Preach it directly to your heart."

There I was standing in my kitchen under the conviction that I had grown so use to convenience that even a small problem led to "immediate frustration."

James said to consider it all joy when you encounter various types of trials. How will I ever consider a big trial joy when just the small ones were leading to "immediate frustration?" Since that day the Holy Spirit has been leading me through a series of heart checks. He's is challenging me to remove the favorite phrase from use, not substituting it with another. Instead to simple accept the inconvenience as just that a little thing.

There will always be frustrations. It's a part of life. And as leaders we open ourselves up to more frustrations with the responsibilities we carry. Have you found yourself quick to be frustrated in recent days.

This leader had, and The Leader wants to correct it.