We're Wired to Change in Community

Here's a pattern I see lived out much too often in Christians:

1. My life's a mess -- I need to CHANGE!
2. I work hard at changing, but I come to realize I can't change ME by changing my checkbook, calendar, mission statement, etc.
3. Somebody shares with me that if I try Jesus, He'll REALLY change me!
4. I decide to give Jesus a try and become a Christian (I think).
5. Other Christians tell me now that I'm a Christian the key to REALLY changing is to go to church a lot and read the Bible a lot and hang with other Christians a lot.
6. I try all of that and even enjoy some of it, but I'm frustrated because I don't CHANGE like I think I should.
7. After awhile, I get mad and try hanging with some OTHER Christians because the ones I'm hanging with aren't doing a good job changing me.
8. My next group of Christians try but THEY don't get the job done either so I try somewhere else!
9. After changing scenery, changing friends, changing Bible study methods, etc., I'm still leaving a "trail" behind me filled with disappointment and broken relationships and the same STUFF I've been dragging around for years.
10. Now what?

Sound familiar to you? I'm tired of seeing this lived out all around me in His church. I believe the key to real, lasting change is RELATIONSHIP: 1) Marriage (Covenant) relationship with Christ, and 2) transparent relationship with other Christ followers.

Here's the rub: I'm a work in process, others around me are works in process, and because we're in the process of BEING changed, we don't handle everything right. We get mad at each other and take off and in the process, run away from the horizontal relationships He (our vertical relationship) wants to use to CHANGE us.

So, we end up frustrated because we don't CHANGE like we think we should!

How 'bout we try hanging in with the people He's surrounded us with and surrender to His plan to change us? Sound like a plan?

Wonderful Counselor

We're into a multi-part series on the Names of Jesus on Sunday mornings at CLA. Last Sunday we spent a good portion of the morning looking at "Wonderful Counselor" from Isaiah 9:6 --

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

From the original language, here's a peak at the two words "wonderful" and "counselor" --

• pele' (peh'-leh); beyond understanding, too wonderful for words.
• ya'ats (yaw-ats'); to advise, to consult, to guide.

In other words, we have a Guide that's WAY beyond our ability to describe! If that's the case, how should we interact with our Counselor?

1. Be totally transparent with Him -- lay everything on the table.
2. Listen to what He tells us.
3. DO what He says!

Can you imagine how our lives would look if those GUIDE-lines were at the center of every day?

Lead by SURRENDER

"And he said, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27)

One of the most powerful truths any leader can learn is also one of the most difficult to master:

“YOU don’t have all the answers, YOU can’t pull it off!

The classical, Type A leader believes they have to be all things to all people, overcome all obstacles, leap tall buildings in a single bound, and GET IT DONE! Some people are more successful at living that charade than others. However, no single human being can accomplish as much as a servant leader effectively serving/leading a team of individuals. The servant leader has moved away from manipulation by charisma and intimidation, and gives himself to the growth and development of the team members. As THEY grow and develop, the team becomes more effective.

The key isn’t a hard forehead – the secret to success is ABSOLUTE SURRENDER to God’s will. We get there by admitting we cannot accomplish our life purpose on our own. No matter how talented we are, we’ll all get to the brick wall at the end of human will. When we reach the wall, remember it’s a good place! At the wall we don’t have any “Plan B.” We’re out of options and that’s EXACTLY where God wants us – He’s brought us to that point because He wants us to learn to SURRENDER & ask God to pull off all that we can’t.

Before we ask God to FILL us, let’s ask Him to help us empty ourselves of the desire to run our life on our own. Once we’re emptied, He can fill us and accomplish amazing things through us!

The whole "tongue" thing

Here's a scripture I recently referenced from Proverbs 25:18 (Living Bible):
"Telling lies about someone is as harmful as hitting him with an axe, or wounding him with a sword, or shooting him with a sharp arrow."

In my Life Application Bible, here's the note that's attached to this verse:

"Lying is vicious. Its effects can be as permanent as those of a stab wound. The next time you are tempted to pass on a bit of gossip, imagine yourself striking the victim of your remarks with an axe. This image may shock you into silence."

For more background, jump over to James 3 in the New Testament. In this chapter, the power of the tongue is compared to a "small" rudder on a huge ship. Such a small member of our body (our tongue) has the capability of "turning" our entire life! How many people with huge talents and passionate hearts have been disqualified from walking out their life purposes because they never learned to tame the tongue?

Also, James compares the tongue and the damage it can do to a roaring firestorm. A fire needs oxygen and fuel. Gossip needs somebody to supply their tongue, someone else to provide their ears, and it REALLY gets going when others toss dry kindling into the situation and fan the flames into full force. Once gossip gets going, it has the potential to suck the oxygen it needs from those close and can leave behind damage that lasts for generations.

Why doesn't anybody use the word "Advent" anymore?

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How many times have you heard the word "Advent" used in a conversation lately? More importantly, how many times have you heard it used in regards to our Christian faith?

Sadly, it seems we've lost track of one of the most meaningful words in Christian tradition! So what does "Advent" really mean? Here's what Merriam-Webster says: "1) the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting, 2) a: the coming of Christ at the Incarnation, b: second coming." WOW! Though the church has forgotten the meaning of the Advent season, it seems the folks at Merriam-Webster have not!

I noticed a couple of keys in the Merriam-Webster definition. First, they note that Advent is a SEASON (not a one-day thing) and the season is observed by "some" Christians as a time of prayer and fasting! How many churches in the Western World today set aside four weeks prior to Christmas to fast and pray? The other important thing to note in Merriam-Webster's definition is Advent should point us BACK at the birth of Christ and FORWARD to His second coming.

Why don't we celebrate Advent like we used to? I believe in many cases, we've allowed other parts of life to get in the way. If we think we're competing with Hollywood to attract as many people as possible into our auditoriums, it's hard to imagine calling people to prayer & fasting attracting much of a crowd!

What's gotten in your way this year? Are there things you've allowed to creep in that keep you from focusing on JESUS as the reason for the season? If so, maybe an Advent season between now and Christmas can help you refocus.

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Your Word is Your Bond

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I was in construction management/consulting for 10 years after college. Times were a hair different then - we actually had a category in our financial statements called, "Backlog!"

As we finished a project, we'd walk through the entire facility with the designers and owner to identify items that needed completed/corrected before final payment. We had just completed an addition to the Parker Brothers ("Monopoly," etc.) plant and they were having trouble controlling the air conditioning in one portion. We all suggested some ideas that might improve the situation. Some of the ideas were thrown out and we decided to implement others. In a few cases, the changes had to be made because the designer had specified other methods. So, as the general contractor, I asked the designer who was going to pay us for removing what he'd specified and adding items that were above and beyond the original design. He stated in front of all us, "Well, these are my mistakes so our design firm will have to take care of it."

We completed the work and I invoiced him for the extras. After waiting well beyond our "payment due" date and sending duplicate invoices, we still hadn't received payment. So, I picked up the phone and called him. I asked him if he'd received our invoices - "Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, I have them right here on my desk."

How about that? So I said, "That's great - what were you planning on DOING with them?"

He responded, "Well, I was hoping you'd forget about them."

I explained it would be nice to be able to work for free, but we expected payment for the work he'd instructed us to perform and reminded him he'd told us his firm would pay for it.

Here's his response: "I think the mistake you made was taking me at my word."

I'll never forget my reply - "You're exactly right - and I'll never make the mistake of taking you at your word again." UNREAL!

This instance amounted to a few thousand dollars. On a large manufacturing project, it's small change. But, I can remember a multi-million dollar, 500,000 square foot office building I completed and was paid for BEFORE I signed official contracts. We completed the entire project on a handshake!

In our current culture, HOW do we live out the title of this post? "Your Word is Your Bond" sounds great, until giving your word COSTS you. When situations change, or unforeseen circumstances arise, is it ever okay to "adjust" what we've committed to?

"Follow Your Dream and CONTRIBUTE!"

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Someone asked Alan Mullaly, President/CEO of Ford Motor Co. for his best career advice. Here's his answer:

"Don’t manage your career. Follow your dream and contribute. Think about just exceeding expectations of every job you’re being asked to do. Continually ask for feedback on how it’s going. Ask everybody involved what you can do to do an even better job, and the world will beat down your door trying to ask you to do more and more."

What a great endorsement of the first priority of LeadersHeart! We just returned from a powerful time in Guatemala with an awesome group of leaders. I'll be posting some video clips on our LeadersHeart network as soon as I can finish editing them. These Central American & Caribbean leaders told me how much our call to Lead From the Heart and live CONGRUENT lives resonated in them!

If we're trying to "manage" our way through life, we're hollow, our message is hollow, and we won't impact the people around us. Leaders who are going HARD after the dream God's downloaded into their heart CONNECT! People are hungry for significance and managers don't call significance out of peoples' hearts.

I want to help change the world. Most of all I have come to know that NOTHING will fulfill me like giving myself completely to God's purpose for my life. I WANT HIS WILL - NOT MY PLAN!