Reorganized by Grace

I’ve been reading from the Book of Exodus in recent days. A statement lifted off the page to a vibrant new significance. Just as God begins to reveal his plans to destroy the firstborn of Egypt and to “Passover” Israel, he makes an incredible declaration to Moses. “From now on this month will be the first month of the year for you.” Exodus 12:2 God was about to do something so significant that it was worthy of the entire Israelite people reorganizing their lives around it.

Leaders know that there are few things worthy of re-organizing our lives around.

#1 Our marriage to our spouses.
From the day we say I do, for the day the document is signed, from the moment when two become one, our lives are forever reorganized around that new oneness we are chasing.
#2 The birth of children.
From moment they come crying into the world, from the day they are brought home schedules are altered, future plans amended as our lives flow with these new currents.
#3 Never discovered by some, but leaders know it as truth.
From the moment we discover who and what we are meant to be everything changes. When we discover who we are – objects of the Forgivers great love, those who are destined to discover both grace and our role in the story of grace, everything changes.

Just as the Passover changed everything, the discovery of God’s grace and our purpose in Him changes everything.

Embrace the story of Grace, your story and let your life flow from its depths.

Daily Update

My computers all run the same antivirus software. It runs in the background protecting my work from all sorts of malware and problems. I tend to take it for granted.

Every morning when I start my computer the software begins its work scanning files I open, checking emails and keeping a wall of protection up as I sign on the web.

But every morning my software does another thing automatically; my antivirus software connects with the internet and updates itself. It never misses a day. Yesterdays updates may not be enough for today’s threats so day after day it updates.

Leaders are like that. They know the need to update daily with the great leader Jesus. They seek to connect with him uploading new definitions, new solutions, new management principles, new understanding. Leaders know the value of the daily update with God. Don’t take if for granted, be sure to connect for a daily update.

Lesson From the Woods 3

I was deer hunting recently. On Tuesday afternoon of gun season I was sitting in a camp chair high atop hay bales overlooking a field. Winter clover was in abundance and I had laid out corn the previous week. Tracks revealed that the corn had been discovered and regularly visited.

At 20 minutes to 5:00pm a large doe and two yearlings began to make their way out of the woods. Ever cautious, they slowly walked the edge of the field coming my way. At 85 yards they stopped, the doe staring in my direction. Frozen in place, sighting down the scope, I waited. When she turned and showed her side I took the shot.

MISSED!

Missed? How did I shoot under that deer? I’m an experienced marksman, expert medals to prove it. I was sitting still, elbow propped on my knee, but I shot under the doe. I went home frustrated and perplexed.

Wednesday was warm and sunny so in the afternoon I took the shotgun to another field, set up a target and checked the sighting on the scope. At fifty yards I was dropping 3 inches. The night before at 85 yards I may have dropped as much as 5 inches.

Three clicks up on the scope. More shots, this time grouped around the center.

By 4:00pm I was back in the field, sitting in high brush under the outstretched arms of tree just 25’ from where I hunted the night before. Nothing to do but sit and wait.

4:40pm – a buck wanders out in an adjacent field.

4:45pm – three deer wander the far edge, close enough to be seen, no chance for a shot.

4:50pm – a huge doe leads five other deer out of the woods. They move my way. I’m uncertain if they will make it to my blind before sunsets at 5:10pm.

4:55pm – three of the deer including one big doe linger in the corner of the field.

4:58pm – The largest doe leads two others toward the corn. Safety off, I watch them through the scope.

5:00pm – The large doe stops in one of my shooting lanes. I squeeze the trigger. She’s hit just behind the front shoulder. Clean through the chest.

En route to the processor that night I’m struck once again by a leadership truth. Preparation and opportunity are not enough. Clear focus, vision, for the objective is essential. The only difference from Tuesday’s failure and Wednesday’s success was a refocused scope. Vision made the difference.

Leaders know success is a combination of preparation, opportunity and focus. Leaders lead – so lead.

Lessons From the Woods 2

I sat a lot in the woods recently hunting deer. One interesting thing about deer hunting is that good preparation doesn’t equal success. It’s an element of success but it doesn’t equal success.

The Saturday before gun season a friend and I headed out to set up a hunting blind. Trekking across the field we jumped two bucks on the way into the sight. Traveling the edge of the field we saw track after track, scrapings and rubbings. Expecting great hunting we set a blind up overlooking the corner of the field and a well worn trail into the woods. Scattering apples down the shooting lanes we were satisfied we had done everything we could to be ready for opening light.

Early Monday morning we walked into the woods. Settled into the blind and waited out the predawn hour, each of us convinced we would soon take a deer.

6 hours later and still no deer.

I was being reminded that success is a mixture of many things not the least of which is opportunity. Preparation is critical, without it opportunities are missed. But preparation without opportunity is just as futile.

So what do leaders do when opportunity fails to come? The same thing hunters do.

Hunters--They stay prepared.
They return to the woods.
They patiently wait.

What do leaders do?

Leaders--They stay prepared.
They stay involved.
They wait patiently for the next opportunity.

Leaders lead.

Lessons From the Woods 1 - Cold Feet

Sat in the woods a lot last week, enduring the cold waiting for a chance to take a deer. I know some people may be opposed to the idea of hunting, but the days in the woods reinforced some basic things that leaders know.

Leaders know preparation is critical.

Tuesday morning was bitter cold -- 25￮ with wind chills dropping into the teens. I donned liner pants, heavy jeans, three shirts, a sweatshirt, a fleece vest and my thermal coveralls. Add a warm fleece hat, a turtle fur neck warmer and a heavy duty pair of hunting mitts, and I thought I was ready for anything.

I left the house at 6:00 am, left the car at 6:15, and was set up in the woods on my camp chair by 6:30 am. Legal shooting time started at 7:07 am.

My feet were cold by 7:00 am. My winter boots were failing me. By 7:20 my feet were feeling stiff. By 8:00 am they hurt. By 8:30 I was walking out of the woods, defeated by the lack of the right boots.

I knew my boots were suspect. My feet had been cold on Monday, but I had hunted eight hours.

Tuesday, however, was a different day, different circumstances. I was unprepared for the cold. Failed due to a lack of preparation.

It’s a simple thing--preparing for the circumstances we are going to face. So simple. So easy to take for granted.

This leader was reminded again of what all leaders must learn.

Preparation is critical.

Leaders lead. How’s your preparation been?

Whatever

The word rings derision and dismissal. Whatever! It’s often accompanied by eye-rolling arrogance and conceit. We’ve all seen it. The teen that flips it off at a parent. Whatever! The worker who uses it with a coworker. Whatever! The friend who cuts short a disagreement. Whatever!

Whatever

But the whatevers are important. There is no “whatever!” There is only whatever.

Whatever

To be a Christian is to throw yourself into whatever you do with passion and devotion because of whose you are.

Whatever

“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Whatever

How are your whatevers this week?

May the Sons of Issachar Arise! Part 4

So what is my prayer? So what is it about the Tribe of Issachar that makes them so needful? Why is that prayer vital to leadership?

In 1 Chronicles 12 is a listing of the army that gathered to support David’s battle to become king. Tribe by tribe they are listed.

Judah – 6,800 armed for battle
Simeon – 7,100 warriors
Levi – 4,600 troops
Benjamin – 3,000 warriors (relatives of King Saul)
Ephraim – 20,800 brave warriors – each famous in his own clan
half the tribe of Manasseh – 18,000 men
Zebulun – 50,000 skilled warriors
Naphtali – 1,000 officers and 37,000 men with shields and spears
Dan – 28,600 prepared for battle
Asher – 40,000 experienced soldiers
From east of the Jordan came Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 120,000 troops armed with every kind of weapon.

Nearly 370,000 warriors gathered with David’s mighty men to make him king.

Whom did the might of Issachar send? Perhaps the greatest contingent of all.

“From the tribe of Issachar there were 200 leaders of the tribe.”

Yes! They sent just 200. But look at what type of men they were..”all these men understood the temper of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.” 1 Chron 12:23. Men who understood the times and knew how to respond!

May the tribe of Issachar arise!

What does the world need? Men committed to God. Who understand the temper of the times and know how to respond!

May the tribe of Issachar arise!