online devotional tool – examen.me

i used a new online tool today for my daily devotional time, and i couldn’t be more excited. i’ve actually been waiting for something like this for a few years and was excited when a friend shared it with me last week. it’s called EXAMEN.me. 

this is a simple-to-use web site that fosters your personal interaction with God. the site guides you to “examine” your life as you meditate on scripture, pray, and journal your reflections. you can choose from several different options, including a Gospel, NT, OT, or Psalm devotional. I have yet to tinker with the prayer or journal options, but look forward to experimenting with them this week.

you should take it for a test drive. would love to know what you think.

becoming vs. doing

in our first leadership lyceum the other day, the topic of “becoming vs. doing” briefly entered the discussion.  even though this is a leadership subset of the family life team whose responsibilities include an excellent execution of ministry, the purpose of our weekly gathering is to focus on character issues and who we are becoming in Christ, as opposed to what we are accomplishing in our respective ministry areas.  we don’t talk about ministry attendance, volunteer recruitment or retention, etc…  we talk about character integrity and who we are at the core.

i have a belief that just as form should follow function from a design perspective, that doing should follow becoming.

see, the world defines us by what we do, but God’s Word centers on who we are in Christ (a new identity) and tells us to express this new identity in what we do.  make no mistake that becoming and doing are clearly interrelated, but the Biblical order is critical.  what we do should flow out of who we are.  otherwise, our worth and identity are determined by our accomplishments. the trouble with that is that once we stop performing, we cease to be valuable to ourselves or the organization. if you answer the question, “Who are you?” by what you do, the world has a sobering way of responding with “What have you done for me lately?”

the parable of the vine and branches (John 15:1-10) is a great reminder that to accomplish things for the kingdom we must be consistently in relationship with, and abiding in Christ. as a matter of fact, these verses seem to imply that if focus on becoming (abiding), that there is no limit to our doing.

i believe with all my heart this team is on the verge of something spectacular. not because of what we will do (or God through us), but because He will honor who we are becoming.

stay tuned.

for more on leadership development, you should attend this conference:

leadership and character

Donald Miller spoke in Dallas at the Echo Conference this past week. In his session he was talking about the power of story and was quoted with the following – “A character is what they do, not what they feel or think or want to be.”

When it comes to leadership the same is true. Our leadership character is defined by our actions and not our ideals. 

I can read all the top books on leadership that I can get my hands on. I can attend all the best conferences. I can espouse all the theory and recite all the great quotes from the greatest leaders.  I can surround myself with the greatest mentors and leaders.

But, if I don’t live it out, it doesn’t matter.  As a leader, I am only as good as what I do, not what I desire to be.

And what I do is not defined by results either. It’s who I am. See, results can be deceiving.  Results are numbers. You can make numbers say anything you want.

Paul writing in Romans 12:3 –

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

Character is who you are at the core. Not what you think about yourself. It is a reflection of Christ in you. And you can’t make it say anything other than what it is.

saturday ramblings

Here’s some stuff on my brain:

• My 14 year old got braces last week. Don’t tell her I said this, but i think they make her look cuter than she already is. She wants them out. now.
• Last night’s Rock Camp concert was the culmination of an amazing week. About 400 people or so attended the show which allowed the students to display their hard work. To hear and see the talents of the kids was such a great experience. See you next year no doubt.
• My kids made me so proud at the concert. Caitlin loves the mic and the spotlight. Parker is so laid back, he should be a bass player instead of a guitar player. They did great.  
• I get the opportunity to speak at church tomorrow. I’m not really nervous, but I am not feeling very well – allergies I think. Pray for me if you think about it.
• My topic for tomorrow is divorce. Did you know God has been divorced? see Jeremiah 3:8 
• I changed office locations yesterday. Looking forward to seeing if my new paperless office idea works. I have no desk, no filing cabinets, and no books. Just a couch, 2 chairs, and a coffee table. Oh, and a lamp.
• We leave for vacation on Monday. We are headed for sunny Scottsdale, AZ just outside Phoenix. Or, as one friend described it - the surface of the sun. It’s gonna be hot, but that’s what pools are for right?

false leadership?

I’ve been reading through Jeremiah for the last month (which really seems like a year). A week or so ago I read chapters 27-28. In these chapters there is an interesting story that has gripped me and won’t let go.

In chapter 27, Jeremiah receives an instruction from God to place a wooden yoke around his neck. This is a symbol for submitting to the authority of the Babylonian king.  Those who do this and serve the king will live, those who do not will perish. God even warns them to not listen to prophets and others who will come along telling the people not to submit to the king. God is planning on restoring the vessels taken from the temple which the king of Babylon currently possesses.

In chapter 28, Hananiah (also a prophet) comes along and tells Jeremiah that God has already taken care of business and in just a few short years God will restore the vessels to their proper place. Jeremiah responds with an “Amen brother!” and allows Hananiah to break the yoke that God commanded Jeremiah to wear.  Turns out that Hananiah is wrong, God comes back with a yoke of iron, and Hananiah dies a short time later because of his false prophecy.

Here’s what I’m wrestling with:

• Why did Jeremiah seemingly agree with Hananiah’s prophecy and allow him to break the yoke? Was he fooled?
• Have I ever been duped into listening to a word from God by a false prophet? If so, whom? Is he still living? Did he suffer some kind of punishment?
• Have I ever been a false prophet?
• Have I given leadership advice to others that wasn’t part of God’s plan for their life?

Oh man, my head is spinning. I’ve got lots of questions. Thoughts anyone?

leadership does not have to be lonely

I’m taking a class in seminary  right now called The Theology and Practice of Fellowship.  This is basically a class on God’s purpose for fellowship and the doctrine of the church.  It’s been pretty thought provoking.

I find this whole subject absolutely fascinating. How God himself lives in community (trinity) and that it takes community (man & woman) to create a life that is in community (with mom) while in the womb. Yet, once we are born we spend the next 20+ years trying to become independent.

I subscribe to the notion that during the Creation, Adam spent a long time alone. Maybe even measured in years. I figure it would take quite a while for one man to name all the animals and at last count, there’s a bunch of animals on this planet (more than you could name in a day or so anyway). So Adam’s looking and sees community all around him. He looks up and sees more than one star, he sees more than one drop of water, he sees more than one blade of grass, he sees more than one type of animal. It appears that there are at least two or more of everything, but only one like him.  I think he is sad and lonely. And God says this is not good.

There’s no talk of personal quiet times in the Scriptures. There’s no talk of the priesthood of the believer – it’s believer(s). There’s no talk of my individual walk with Christ. The early church would have no concept of these things. We are for each other.

And finally a word for pastors: Leadership does not have to be lonely.  God did not intend it to be that way.  If you’re lonely, that’s your bad and not a symptom of leading an organization. Leadership is tough and demanding for sure, but it doesn’t have to be lonely.  You were not meant to be alone. 

jeremiah is killing me.

I’m currently reading through the book of Jeremiah.  It’s laborious to say the least.  It’s taken me a few weeks to get through chapter 25 – with 27 more chapters to go!  I really believe God has something good for me here, I’m just struggling through it for now.

does it show?

This morning at breakfast (Chick-fil-a), Parker and I were reading from Exodus when I was reminded of a great story from the life of Moses.  After spending 40 days and nights with God rewriting the new covenant on Mount Sinai, something was different about Moses appearance.  The scripture says-

29 When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord.  30 So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him. (Exodus 34 – NLT)

This verse made me wonder if other people can tell whether or not I’ve been spending time with God? Can they see it on my face? Can they tell by the way I treat others? By the way I speak to those around me – my wife, kids, co-workers, the guy working the counter at Chick-fil-a?  Is there a visible and physical difference reflected in my life directly related to the amount of time I’ve spent in prayer, Bible study and other spiritual disciplines?

I also love that the scripture says that Moses didn’t notice the change that took place. Could it be possible that spending time with God is not for our own personal benefit but for others?