Another Lesson by the Stream

This last week I was meeting with a group of pastors I coach. It was a time for me to lead a group of leaders in a good self-evaluation, challenging them to press onward and inward. We met at a trout club in front of the fire in a man cave of a lodge. Lots of dead fish and game mounted on the walls. Rustic décor. Natural setting. It’s a great place. We talked about calling, the posture we take before God, how the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. We compared how we prepared sermon notes, how we preached, and talked about getting input on our preaching skills from an associate or a trusted elder. We committed to asking an open-ended question to our wives about future dreams and hopes. We prayed earnestly about our callings, our roles, our character. It was a valued and powerful time.

But the greatest lesson I learned that day, the greatest reminder of my calling didn’t come at the meeting. It came by the stream. After lunch before I settled behind the computer for a little work I hit the trout stream. Threw a pearl luminescent streamer, silver bead head, red tread. I caught ten trout in an hour. I then went in and tackled some computer project by the fire.

Around 4pm I wanted to hit the stream again before I left. When I left the lodge, I discovered that another group (salesman on a district sales training day) were having a team competition fly fishing on the streams. 20 + adults who had no experience fly-fishing. With my fishing vest on I was mistaken right away for a worker at the lodge. “Hey lost my fly can I get another?” Not wanting to watch this group just be frustrated, I set my rod aside and for the next hour retied lines, taught casting, put individuals on good spots and holes, coached how and where to cast to and worked the stream.” An hour later a group of rookies had caught 16 trout. 14 were caught by individuals I was coaching. I didn’t catch any. I didn’t wet a line.

Driving home it hit me hard. That was the real leadership lesson of my day. Leaders come alongside others, share their knowledge, they encourage, they challenge, they equip, they coach, they direct others that they might succeed. Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” THE LEADER, made leaders. Leaders pour their lives into others. That they might succeed.

Who are you coming alongside? Who are you teaching to fish?

So how do you think of yourself?

I had one of those incredible moments in the Word the other day.  One of those moments when something so often overlooked jumped off the page at me.  It was one of the defining leadership moments.  One of those moments when all I could do was say,  “yes Lord I hear you.”

Most leaders have a clear understanding of their calling.  Some are called as pastors, some as entrepreneurs, some as international workers, or children’s workers, youth leaders, labors, doctors, elders, administrators.  For many leaders they become accustomed to identifying themselves by their calling.  I’m a pastor.  I’m an international worker.  I’m a banker.  I’m a businessman.

I admit I do that all the time.  Every Sunday I introduce myself to our congregations as the “Lead Pastor of Norwalk Alliance Church.”  

So on Thursday in the window at the coffee house I’m focusing in on a new devotional study I wanted to undertake.  Seeking insight into Paul’s leadership I planned to do a slow and deliberate study, pouring over the Book of Romans.  Using the English Standard Version I dove in.  I managed to get all the way through the first verse before the Holy Spirit opened my eyes.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,  (Rom 1:1 ESV)

There it is.  Huge isn’t it.  

Do you see how Paul thinks of himself?   Look at his introduction.   It isn’t “Paul, the Apostle, the carrier of the Gospel to the Gentiles.”  No it’s “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle.”  

Apostle was what God choose for Paul.  It was the calling he laid upon him.

Servant was what Paul chooses for himself.  It was the posture, the identity he assumed.

Wow!  Paul identified himself first as a servant.  Not just a servant a slave, a doulos, a bought for and owned bond slave.  How Paul thought of himself was vastly different than how I normally thought of myself.  If you’re like me it’s easy to think of yourself as leader with a calling.  Paul saw himself as a servant with call.

How do you think of yourself?