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?

Addicted

The leader of leaders said, “Come, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Interesting thing about fishing, it gets addictive. My wife and my son are now battling their own addictions with it.

Cheryl and I were fly-fishing recently and she was having a good day. Using a side cast, her left hand technique was perfectly dropping an egg pattern under the boughs of a low hanging pine. Time and time again she coaxed a trout out from its hiding place, enticed by the potential of a tasty morsel. For the first time, my wife was in a double digit tally count. I knew that she was addicted. It was apparent when late in the day as it approached the time to leave after catching and releasing another fish, she said to me, “I guess once you get started you keep wanting to catch just one more.”

Addicted.

Followers of the Forgiver are meant to be addicted. Once we discover the satisfaction of catching men, leading individuals into the journey with the Forgiver, we find ourselves compelled to continue casting, working the streams of life, yearning for yet another one to catch-one who is enticed by what we share, and picks up the offering, not to be caught but ultimately set free.

How’s your addiction? He will make us addicted to fishing for men.

What happened?

Gas hit $4 a gallon for the first time this last month. I’ve noticed a number of things.

When gas hit $3 a gallon, people complained and griped a lot! But they drove. They searched for cheaper gas stations and saved up their fuel perks. They may have combined a few more errands in one trip, but they drove.

When it hit $4, people complained but other things began to happen.

 I saw people walking home with grocery bags.
 Bikes are everywhere.
 I saw a middle-aged woman riding her bike in the rain.
 Motor scooters are in vogue.
 People are staying home.

What happened? The price of gas got high enough that we knew we had to make changes.

Sometimes as leaders we approach challenges the same way.

First, we complain about the problem. We acknowledge it, we talk about it, but often that is all we do.

Then when the situation is finally tough enough, critical enough, we figure out a way to address the problem.

Once the issues create the challenges in your life, your calling, your ministry, how long will you wait until you address them?

Lost your edge?

It was my wife’s birthday and she wanted me to create a special dinner centering on a salad. So after a trip the store, I decided on a Surf & Turf salad with a champagne vinaigrette dressing.

As I was searing a NY strip in Cajun spices, I went to slice some tomatoes for the salad. My 5-inch chef’s knife was dull.

I was faced with a number of choices
 skip the tomato
 let someone slice them
 saw away at them
 mash them up

OR
I could get out my steel and put a new edge on my knife.

Sometimes every leader gets a little dull. He is faced in that moment with a number of choices.

 ignore the issue
 let someone else do it
 accept poor performance
 pretend it doesn’t matter
 make excuses

OR
Do what is necessary to sharpen the skill once again. Read a book, evaluate with others, refocus, refresh.

Lost your edge?

Leaders know when it’s time to hone their skills.

Marking Time

Just marking time.
Just counting the days.

It’s the attitude a high school graduate feels in his final weeks of school. Papers are done, tests are finished, and all that’s left is graduation.

Just counting the days until, “it”, the big day arrives.

That’s an okay attitude for a high school senior with only a few days until graduation. But would you hire someone with that attitude on life?

“I’m just marking time until payday, until the weekend. I’m just putting in the days until my next vacation. I’m just waiting on retirement.”

Followers of the Forgiver often fall prey to the same attitude. Often it occurs late in May as we look toward the summer. Sometimes we can find ourselves saying, “I’m just marking time until my summer break”, “When fall get’s here. . . “ , and “After vacation . .” It has become so easy for us just to mark the time during the summer.

The writer of Hebrews said, “Let us run the race set before us.” No marking time in a race. No “just coasting” until the finish. Nope. If you are in a race, you may pace yourself but you are running to win.

So one leader to another, on the edge of another summer season, run hard.

The race is on.

Distractions! Argh!

They may be the bane of my existence. I can be distracted by so many things. I go outside to mow the grass and I’m distracted by the stoop that needs painting. The screen door needs washing. Before I know it, I’m rushing and striving to accomplish everything. Mow, weed, fertilize, clean the garage, trim, fix the edger, repaint the concrete, replace the bricks, till the garden, make the fire-pit, trim the shrubs, and power-wash the siding.

Why did I ever decide to go outside to mow?

Right now all of those chores are on my maintenance list. Actually there is probably a lot more.

What’s the use? Every time I walk outside numerous items beckon for my attention. So what do I do? I tackle the mission critical things first. Grass has got to be mowed. The other things need attention, but the grass has got to be mowed! Then a little evaluation helps me make the next choices.

I’ve got another hour free, what can I accomplish in that hour that will have the biggest bang for the effort?

 Fix the edger and edge
 Paint the trim
 Build a fire pit

The edger won the day. But if we were having a BBQ it might have been the fire-pit. If we were having an open house, it would have been the trim.

Leaders understand this principle. What do they give their time to in a world where so many distractions call for their attention?

Mission Critical takes priority
– The A list is a smart evaluation of time, resources and circumstances that determine…
– The B list which is the “getting done” list, that leads to…
– The C list which is “when the time is right” list.

Good leaders succeed because they are good at their ABC’s.

He Must Increase

He must increase, I must decrease. John 3:30

He gives me my truest dimensions in a world of pretenders.

“Love is my legal jurisdiction.” David Teems
-- The margins that surround my life, the guardrails that limit the road I travel. The compass rose upon the map that defines my life. It must be my book of etiquette, the Book of Hoyle, my worn Robert’s Rules of Order, the by-laws of my character. Without its refining power in my life, I become a clanging cymbal, a blasting horn, a blowing wind.

Love must permeate my being, saturate my soul, season every relationship, scent every act, flavor every moment. It must be my highest goal, my greatest dream, my purest pursuit, my self-fulfilling prophecy.

To be self-actualized in love—transformed—an agent of transformation—to be love in an often loveless world.

For me to live is, no must be, Christ.