Fall arrived on Monday morning. It had me thinking of life and leaves. It seems that the power of a life is not lived in the moments for they pass like leaves falling to the ground. The impact of a life is found when those moments are seen together as a meaningful whole, like sitting in the shade of a towering elm. The shade is the result of the composite of each leaf on each branch.
Therefore, while the little choices I make today may seem inconsequential—like a leaf falling to the ground, each choice contributes to the composite, the whole. I hug my wife. I praise my daughter. I listen to the heartache of a friend. I pay a bill. I write a note. I do a chore. I worship the Creator. Little choices—leaves falling, passing, seemingly unnoticed.
I lie to a friend. I cheat on a time card. I lust for another. I entertain the racist joke. I berate my son. I flee from the challenges. I shun my wife. I give up hope. I embrace bitterness. I ignore the Creator. Little choices—leaves falling, passing. Leaves that point to a tree—a life lived well or poorly.
Fall arrived on Monday. It reminded me that a life lived well, tends the leaves.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
If only my heart will yield.
2 Corinthians 5:17 -- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! NIV
Yesterday has no power over me, it was broken at the cross, tomorrow has no power over me, it must yield. It must yield to the new man, the new creation. Nothing now looms over me, no ill fate, no dire circumstance that will not yield to the seed of righteousness sewn in my heart. Alive! Redeemed, bought back from death, bought back to life. Accounted righteous, purged in holiness, reflecting the invisible, image of the Justifier.
Everything will yield. Everything. If only my heart will yield.
If anyone is in Christ, he is new. Let the new come!
Yesterday has no power over me, it was broken at the cross, tomorrow has no power over me, it must yield. It must yield to the new man, the new creation. Nothing now looms over me, no ill fate, no dire circumstance that will not yield to the seed of righteousness sewn in my heart. Alive! Redeemed, bought back from death, bought back to life. Accounted righteous, purged in holiness, reflecting the invisible, image of the Justifier.
Everything will yield. Everything. If only my heart will yield.
If anyone is in Christ, he is new. Let the new come!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
SHADOWS
Wall Street is in an uproar. Hurricane Ike’s battering of the “oil coast” in the gulf has left refineries off-line and rigs toppled. Gasoline has jumped 70 cents in a week. Wind storms have leveled trees, downed power lines and hammered homes.
Clouds overshadow not just the storefront in which I write, but they seem to be overshadowing the community.
Tenneco lays off. Norwalk Furniture closed. Insurance is cancelled. Jobs are few. The shadows, the clouds, they seem to darken.
Jeremiah wrote in his days of darkness; in his time of lament. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lam 3:22-23
Therefore today in my time of shadows, Jeremiah continues, “I also will say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lam 3:24
In the wake of job loss, in the midst of job searches, “I will wait for him.” When the weight of the bills exceeds the limits of a checkbook, “I will wait for him.” When I fret over insurance and the loss of benefits, “I will wait for him.” In the days when the shadows hang heavy, “I will wait for him.”
If this week finds you in the shadows, say to yourself, The Lord is Good, I will wait for Him.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Walking with Inhumans
Okay, I’ve been thinking about leadership again. This time from my childhood.
As a kid I read a lot of comic books. For a while I enjoyed reading The Inhumans, a fictional race of royal superhumans. Each possessed some power of immense magnitude, yet each was also marred in some significant way. Each had some handicap or frailty. Black Bolt, their king had the power to generate quasi-sonic energy through his voice. As a youth, to protect the community, Black Bolt was placed inside a sound-proof chamber and given an energy-harnessing suit and never allowed to re-enter society until he vowed never to speak. Gordon possessed immense strength but with feet of hooves. Karnak had the ability to find the weak point in any person, plan or object, but possessed no other powers. Many of their adventures concerned how to accomplish their mission making best use of their powers while compensating for their weaknesses.
When a random thought recently sent my mind wandering down these dusty memories, I began to think of how similar the Church is. We are a group of redeemed people (royal priesthood), each given unique talents, gifts, (God giving power) yet each of us handicapped, and sometimes hamstrung, by our innate weaknesses and frailties. We have been charged with an incredible mission, the great commission, the battle for humanity. Together we learn to utilize each other’s strengths to the greatest benefit while at the same time compensating for each other’s weaknesses.
What made reading comics like the Inhumans so intriguing is that no matter what the challenge, they figured out a way to get it done. Real leaders know this- incredible teams (churches) rise to the challenges before them using their gifts and talents, overcoming their weaknesses and frailties to advance the mission.
Hmmm! I’m in the mood for a comic book.
--The Man in the Window!
As a kid I read a lot of comic books. For a while I enjoyed reading The Inhumans, a fictional race of royal superhumans. Each possessed some power of immense magnitude, yet each was also marred in some significant way. Each had some handicap or frailty. Black Bolt, their king had the power to generate quasi-sonic energy through his voice. As a youth, to protect the community, Black Bolt was placed inside a sound-proof chamber and given an energy-harnessing suit and never allowed to re-enter society until he vowed never to speak. Gordon possessed immense strength but with feet of hooves. Karnak had the ability to find the weak point in any person, plan or object, but possessed no other powers. Many of their adventures concerned how to accomplish their mission making best use of their powers while compensating for their weaknesses.
When a random thought recently sent my mind wandering down these dusty memories, I began to think of how similar the Church is. We are a group of redeemed people (royal priesthood), each given unique talents, gifts, (God giving power) yet each of us handicapped, and sometimes hamstrung, by our innate weaknesses and frailties. We have been charged with an incredible mission, the great commission, the battle for humanity. Together we learn to utilize each other’s strengths to the greatest benefit while at the same time compensating for each other’s weaknesses.
What made reading comics like the Inhumans so intriguing is that no matter what the challenge, they figured out a way to get it done. Real leaders know this- incredible teams (churches) rise to the challenges before them using their gifts and talents, overcoming their weaknesses and frailties to advance the mission.
Hmmm! I’m in the mood for a comic book.
--The Man in the Window!
Friday, August 15, 2008
40 Hour Call
The last few weeks have been filled with what I usually call the madness of the Fall season. The New Year’s still 4 months away, but for many of us the Fall always feels like the new year.
• The kids go back to school.
• The vacation season is over.
• The church gears up for a new season of ministry.
• New programs are introduced.
• New series are begun.
Like every leader in a church, I always feel the weight and excitement of the “New Year” unfolding in front of us. I find The Call compelling me to retool, refit so the season turns from summer to autumn.
I’ve learned something in these times, a hard truth, one that could seed frustration. The Call – The purpose of our lives doesn’t fit a 40-hour work week. Every August ends the same way, many meetings, many hours of administration and much planning on top of what is normally required.
I’m in my 3rd week of the joke of a 40, 45, or even 55 hour work week and it’s not over yet! I still battle my emotions during this season. I get tired, the load seems great. Patience is thin. It becomes too easy to feel robbed of time off.
But I’ve learned that my frustration is heightened because I’ve been lulled into thinking The Call – the purpose of our lives fits into a 40-hour week.
Leaders – real leaders, those ones who rise and get it done. They know a deep truth.
The Call – The purpose of our lives was never intended to fit into a 40-hour week. Or a Sunday morning, a Sunday evening youth meeting, a Wednesday night study or 2 hours of children’s ministry.
The Call – The purpose of our lives is who we are and what we are.
Sometimes it fits neatly into clearly defined schedules and time limits. Other times it asks for more. And leaders get it done.
Why?
“For the Sake of the Call!”
For every leader who in this season is getting things done. May you know the smile of the Author of the Call.
• The kids go back to school.
• The vacation season is over.
• The church gears up for a new season of ministry.
• New programs are introduced.
• New series are begun.
Like every leader in a church, I always feel the weight and excitement of the “New Year” unfolding in front of us. I find The Call compelling me to retool, refit so the season turns from summer to autumn.
I’ve learned something in these times, a hard truth, one that could seed frustration. The Call – The purpose of our lives doesn’t fit a 40-hour work week. Every August ends the same way, many meetings, many hours of administration and much planning on top of what is normally required.
I’m in my 3rd week of the joke of a 40, 45, or even 55 hour work week and it’s not over yet! I still battle my emotions during this season. I get tired, the load seems great. Patience is thin. It becomes too easy to feel robbed of time off.
But I’ve learned that my frustration is heightened because I’ve been lulled into thinking The Call – the purpose of our lives fits into a 40-hour week.
Leaders – real leaders, those ones who rise and get it done. They know a deep truth.
The Call – The purpose of our lives was never intended to fit into a 40-hour week. Or a Sunday morning, a Sunday evening youth meeting, a Wednesday night study or 2 hours of children’s ministry.
The Call – The purpose of our lives is who we are and what we are.
Sometimes it fits neatly into clearly defined schedules and time limits. Other times it asks for more. And leaders get it done.
Why?
“For the Sake of the Call!”
For every leader who in this season is getting things done. May you know the smile of the Author of the Call.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
When Mentors Mentor
Last Sunday, a Ministerial student preached his first sermon ever. I was privileged to not just have him do it in my pulpit, but to have walked with him through the process of sermon development. This Sunday, a mission student will share his first sermon. Again, I have been intimately involved in his preparation.
Both young men felt the weight of responsibility and the weight of significance of preaching as they prepared. Both have battled feelings of inadequacy, fear and nerves. While they each selected their own passages to exposit, I have had an impact on how they prepared and how they deliver their messages. With both young men, I have grown closer and we now share things that others will never understand. The crafting of a proposition statement, preaching keywords that guide a sermon, the power of story to connect with listeners. All these we now share.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They increase their impact on the world and the kingdom, and they share with others what they have learned and know about their gifts.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They develop deeper relationships with those in whom they invest.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They enjoy the satisfaction of watching others succeed in areas they have traversed.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They lead.
Both young men felt the weight of responsibility and the weight of significance of preaching as they prepared. Both have battled feelings of inadequacy, fear and nerves. While they each selected their own passages to exposit, I have had an impact on how they prepared and how they deliver their messages. With both young men, I have grown closer and we now share things that others will never understand. The crafting of a proposition statement, preaching keywords that guide a sermon, the power of story to connect with listeners. All these we now share.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They increase their impact on the world and the kingdom, and they share with others what they have learned and know about their gifts.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They develop deeper relationships with those in whom they invest.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They enjoy the satisfaction of watching others succeed in areas they have traversed.
What happens when mentors, mentor?
They lead.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Call to Lead
I buried a friend last week. A West Virginia, Ohio steel mill worker who for 40 years impacted the kingdom of God by faithfully serving alongside a line of pastors in a local church. I was privileged to have been one of those pastors.
In my wife’s words, he had always been the pastor. Those of us paid to do ministry there simply joined him. Not that he lorded it over people. He simply shepherded the flock. He was a faithful leader. In his local church they will feel the loss, not just in grief but in ministry impact.
What do leaders do when one of their own dies in their midst. They look to the rest, to the others left behind and wonder, will another rise to the challenge of the task? Will another be raised up to shepherd, to lead? The Holy Spirit will nudge others, tapping them on the shoulder. Will they respond to His call? It’s your turn now.
Leaders lead, and when their day is done, others will need to shoulder the task. When your turn comes, when you hear His voice urging, will you rise and lead?
In my wife’s words, he had always been the pastor. Those of us paid to do ministry there simply joined him. Not that he lorded it over people. He simply shepherded the flock. He was a faithful leader. In his local church they will feel the loss, not just in grief but in ministry impact.
What do leaders do when one of their own dies in their midst. They look to the rest, to the others left behind and wonder, will another rise to the challenge of the task? Will another be raised up to shepherd, to lead? The Holy Spirit will nudge others, tapping them on the shoulder. Will they respond to His call? It’s your turn now.
Leaders lead, and when their day is done, others will need to shoulder the task. When your turn comes, when you hear His voice urging, will you rise and lead?
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