Things God Has Taught Me In 2008 (Part 1 of a bunch)

Sorry for the lack of action on my blog lately. However, the break has been nice. Sometimes we need to reflect, soak in, evaluate what God is doing in us and through us. Sometimes it’s good to be silent and quiet. 

It’s crazy to think that in just 18 days we will be donning those party hats and those oversized 2009 glasses and bringing in a new year! 

God has taught me a ton in 2008! I think we look forward to each new year so much that we forget to look back to see what God has taught us. To see how far God has brought you, you need to look back. I’m not talking about dwelling on the past. I’m talked about evaluating the past…there’s a BIG difference. Dwelling on the past becomes a “pity party” and evaluating the past can become a “praise party” for what God has taught us.

I’m gonna post a series of things that God has taught me in 2008. This is my list…I hope that you make a list of your own.

#1  (in no particular order) – To be comfortable in my own skin

This has been a breakthrough for me this year. When you are new at something and are learning, the tendency can be to seek out someone in your field that you view as doing a good job, and take on their persona. This happens subtly and usually with good intentions to model their successful qualities, but instead becomes copying the person, not just the transferable qualities that you see in the person. I’ve learned to ask myself the question…

 Am I transferring a quality that I admire in someone or am I trying to copy this person?

The truth is, God created me to be me and He created you to be you. He wants us to learn and grow without us losing us in the process. I think that’s what it means to be comfortable in our own skin.

The more we learn to be comfortable in our own skin, the more we can be who God created us to be!

Pastor’s that I appreciate

October is Pastor Appreciation month and I was thinking about the Pastor’s in my life who I appreciate and have made a difference in my life. I dedicate this post to honoring those that I consider my pastors. These men add value to my life in incredible ways. They stretch me, challenge me, and sharpen me.

Pastor Dan O’Deens - Dan, thank you for being a great friend and speaking into my life beyond words. Thank you for believing in me and seeing potential in my life, even when I didn’t see it. I’m pretty confident that I would not be a church planter today, if you were not in my life. Thanks for having my back!

Pastor John Cremeans – John, you are one of the most encouraging men I know. Thank you for always being concerned about how I am caring for my family. I appreciate how you are able to lead strong, but also lead vulnerably. You are a very thoughtful and giving person, and I’m proud to call you my friend.

Pastor Jim Snavely – Jim, I always look forward to our times together. Every time we’re together, you always take the conversation to the cross of Jesus. You are an evangelist that walks the walk. You have modeled for me how to “notice” people right where they’re at. You speak into my life more than you realize. You are one of the most Godly men I know. I feel like when I have been with you, I’ve been with Jesus.

I appreciate each of you and count it a privilege to have you in my life.

When email is NOT a good idea

I’ve always been one to encourage people to not send an email that carries lots of emotion. It’s too easy to be misunderstood and misinterpreted in the translation. I call it “drive-by” communication. It’s usually passive-aggressive…it’s cowardly…and it’s a cop-out for handling conflict or difficult conversations.

Email is a great tool that has the potential to save tons of time, and help us get things done quickly & efficiently, but pleeeaaase don’t use it to communicate something that you know should be communicated face to face. 

By the way, This would be one example of when NOT to send an email to someone. Before you hit “send” ask yourself, should I handle this face to face, or at least over the phone? If you have to think about it, it’s probably best to hit “delete” and meet face to face…no matter how difficult the conversation may be.

Are “They” the right “They”?

On Monday, a few of us went to the Creative Church Conference hosted by Northway Church in Upstate NY. My pen was on fire as I scribbled down leadership insights that will take me weeks to process!

Ed Young talked about having the right “they” on your team if you are going to be able to carry out the vision that God has given us as pastors & primary leaders. Ed gave us an acrostic for “they” and I’ve added my thoughts on each letter. This acrostic helps us determine where we are weak, where we are strong, and when we might need to move someone along. It also sets a high expectation for our leaders. Here we go…

T = Tough 

The right “they” are tough. They don’t melt under pressure. They provide solutions not just tell you what the problem is. Being tough means not allowing conflict to overwhelm you, but to understand that conflict is a natural part of the spin cycle of leadership. No conflict means no growth. Tough leaders understand this. They might not like it, but they understand it and they deal with it in a healthy way.

H = Honest

This might seem obvious, but what about the less obvious forms of honesty. Like being honest about your limitations as a leader, or being honest about when you as a leader drop the ball. Leaders own their mistakes and don’t try to point the finger. The right “they” are not always right, but “they” are always honest. Honest in the small things as well as in the Big things.

E = Encouraging

The right “they” are always encouraging. They are always encouraging the primary leader as well as the rest of the team. If “they” are not encouraging, “they” are discouraging. It’s either one or the other and there is no middle ground. Even in the difficult times and during the hard conversations “they” are encouraging. Leadership brings enough discouragement of it’s own without the “they” being discouraging. There is “0″ room for a discouraging person on the team.

Y = Yielded

• Yielded to God – The right “they” are yielded to God. If they are not yielded they will make selfish decisions that honor themselves not God. If they are not yielded to God, they will not “get” the vision since the vision comes from God. The right “they” read their Bibles. The right “they” pray instead of “fray”. The right “they” are growing and maturing not suffering from spiritual atrophy.
• Yielded to the Vision – The right “they” understand the vision, they care about the vision, they carry the vision, and they protect the vision at all cost. 

The vision and mission that God has given us is way too important for us to not have the right “they” on the team. It’s the difficult job of the leader to make sure that “they” function on every letter. If even one letter is missing, “they” might not be the right “they”.