Gearing Up

So the holidays are winding down and I am gearing up for next year. I have always enjoyed the Christmas break. I am also a big fan of new years. In my mind I know that there is no real distinction between December 31 and January 1, but somehow it just feels like new possibilities come alive on that day.

I will be taking time this weekend and early next week to "gear up" for the New Year. One thing I try not to do is come out of a holiday season on a downward motion. It is too easy to just get into the "relax" mindset and lose some crucial time and momentum with the New Year. It may sound silly, but I guarantee you that people who actually start their resolutions on January 1 are more successful at completing them than those that say they will just start sometime in January... or maybe February if things are too hectic. Of course, the fact is March is always a better time to really kick in with a new routine, what with Spring coming and all. Then again, Easter marks the beginning of new life, so maybe I should just plan on starting then...

You see how it goes, and perhaps from experience you know how it goes. It may sound like a small thing, but if you will have your plan ready and just a couple of action steps that you will commit to come January 1, you will see a huge increase in your success.

For me one of my big goals with the new year is in leadership development and networking. I want to meet more mentors and peers and pour myself more fully into those I lead. So, I will be setting action steps of who, when, and what for January 1. These steps can be small. In fact they should be since you will be planning on doing them in what most people still consider the "holiday". The important thing is that they require movement, and that the movement carries you closer to your overall goal.

So, I hope you will join me in Gearing Up for the New Year. Don't let April roll around while you are still trying to get yourself motivated to get started!

Capable of many... Created for one

This last year has been a year of searching for me... which sounds so 80's movie cheesy since I am in my mid-30s. But, the truth is I was a 32-year-old pastor who still had some things to figure out about life and myself. After this little journey I am hoping I can say the same when I am 42, 52, and so on. I hope that the discovery never ends and that I never find the "end" of my purpose here on earth.

But, the road of discovery is not always an easy one, and it seems to be filled with many detours and off-ramps. As I have been learning about who God made me to be and what He wants to do through me I sometimes get nervous. Some of His asks are big. Some of His asks are difficult. Some of them are flat out frightening. And, it almost never fails that at the same time I see God making a big, scary ask that I see a side road appear. It is a road that seems to be heading in the same direction... or at least close. It is just not so steep, not so busy, not quite so extreme. I am often tempted to wander down those roads.

I have come to the realization that in God's creation He has made me capable of many things. There are many jobs I could do and succeed at; many projects I could lead that would be fruitful; and many ministries that I could support that would do great things. But, the more I look at who God made me and what He plans for me I become more and more convinced that though I am capable of many things, I have been created for one thing.

A fish scaler can do a passable job at cleaning plaque off of your teeth. But, over time it will do a horrible number on your gums. Just because I can operate in a certain realm does not mean that I should. And, even if the path God is leading me down seems more difficult at the beginning, I can rest in His goodness and know that it will be more fulfilling in the end. I want to live the life I was Created for, not just the life I am Capable of.

There is just news... no good or bad

It does not happen as much as it used to, but I still find myself gleaning wonderful truths from animated films. We recently discovered "Kung-fu Panda" and my son enjoys it... so we have watched it more than once. Do not feel bad if you miss the deep truths that abound in movies like these, because many times it is necessary to view them 10-20 times before the mysteries really settle in.

The first lesson that we learn from the Panda is that there is no charge for awesomeness, or attractiveness. That one cut me pretty deeply and I feel the need to reimburse many of you that I have charged both for my Awesomeness and my Attractiveness.

The next line is one that I actually struggled with a bit, but that has spoken to me about my faith in God and how that faith actually works itself out in my real life. The line comes after a villain has escaped from prison and one character says to another, "I have bad news." "There is just news, no good or bad", is the response. "But, [the villain] has escaped from prison!!" "Hmm, that is bad news, if you do not believe our hero is strong enough to defeat him."

I started wondering about all of the times that I hear things and attribute to them Danger or Worry. How easily do I hear news and say, "Man that is bad news", when what I should really say is, "Wow, that sure would be bad if God were not as powerful as He is!" That may sound corny, but the truth is that Bad news often works its way out of my mouth and into my heart. I often start believing the news, which means that I believe that the situation that is Bad is more powerful than my God, who is good.

Romans 8 talks about this, and Paul tries to get the believers in Rome to realize that there is nothing "bad" that can overpower the Good that exists in God. If He is for us, then no matter what comes against us, it will work out for good... because God is just that strong.

When I find myself slipping into doubt or despair over bad news I need to remember that it is only bad if I do not believe my Hero is strong enough to win in the end!

Beginnings and Endings

Have you ever experienced "The Big Buildup!"? This is what happens when you have that big choice to make or that big project to complete or perhaps a new stage of your life is about to begin and you have to tell your loved ones about it. Whatever it is it only counts as a Big Buildup if it happens over a few weeks or months... things that happen in one day just don't count. Well, not that they don't count towards your life, they just do not have the same effect on our lives as the Big Buildups do.

There is something that is true of most Big Buildups in my life; I cannot wait for them to be finished, completed, shared, whatever. And, once they are finished... I don't know what to do with myself. It was always that way in college after finals season. I spent a TON of time focused on the end of the semester and then after one last final... it was over. It generally took me a day or two just to figure out what I was supposed to do next.

I think that is because I often forget that every Ending is in fact a new Beginning. I too often treat life like it is broken into nice little pieces, and I just have to focus on one of them at a time. Though that might be a good time management tool I don't find it to be a good life management tool for a couple of reasons:

1. The bad times seem worse than they really are. When I only focus on one bit of my life or the next Big Buildup then it is just too easy to magnify the issue into something larger than it really is. The decision seems larger than life, the test seems as though it will affect the rest of your future, or the project seems impossible to complete. This does not happen so often if I will remember to step back and look at this Big Buildup in light of the rest of my life... my history and my future.

2. I too often have a Big Letdown following a Big Buildup. Whether the project was a success or a failure does not really matter. The letdown can be internal and emotional depression or it can be external reckless celebration. Either way I have often found that I bring unnecessary pain upon myself because I put so much focus on the Buildup that I have a Big Letdown.

Those who may know me well might think that I am advocating a life devoid of emotion and passion... which is entirely untrue. If anything God has been increasing my passion and emotion towards life this last year and I love it. What I am advocating is a life of perspective in which I give more attention to the vision of my life than the plan I am currently working on. Plans will come and go, succeed and fail... but vision continues through it all. A focus on vision will mean less Big Buildups and less Big Letdowns. I will still have beginnings and endings, but they will flow into each other more smoothly since my focus will be on the bigger picture as well as the smaller details. At least, that is my hope. This is most definitely a work in process for me as I attempt to attain a more holistic view of my life and God's calling for it.

Again and Again and Again and...

I was reminded recently that in order for a message to stick I have to say it again, and again, and again. Sure I have to find creative ways to say it so that the repetition does not drown out the message, but the fact remains that the message must be repeated over and over until the people hearing it know it as well as I do.

It is so easy to believe that everyone surrounding me has already "caught" what I am infected with. The truth is that most of the time this is just not true. That presents a very real danger... that I will move on and build upon a foundation that does not exist.

The foundation of my movement is my vision. The systems that I use to carry out that vision are merely the tools that help people connect with, share, and accomplish the vision. I am trying to avoid the trap of building systems before the foundation is complete. People must have a solid, unshakable understanding and commitment to the vision before it is safe to focus on systems.

I am reminded of the story that Jesus told about two men, one who built his house on the rock and another who built his house on sand. When the Storms of Life hit only one house survives. So, what are the Storms of Life? Well, think of a time when multiple emergencies hit your family and your budget can only cover one of them. At this point your systems (budgets, emergency funds, etc.) don't do you any good, it is Vision that helps you determine direction. We can all be committed to the tools, but if we are not committed to the same vision then that storm will begin to eat away at our foundation. It is similar in the church when you face a scarcity of space, volunteers, or financing. Systems do not decide where we go and what we do and why... Vision does.

Though vision is not a One Time Thing that you build and forget, it must be the First thing that is built. Everything else rests upon it, and without it everything that is built will fall apart as soon as the first real storm hits.

PS - For any music lovers who have 15-30 minutes to spare, you would do yourself well checking out THIS little gem.

Tribes... borrowed

I picked up a copy of Seth Godin's new book "Tribes" last night. (Actually I had my wonderful wife grab me a copy since she was near the bookstore) It is probably a good thing I asked her to purchase it because I don't know if I could have spent $20 on this book. Don't get me wrong, I am sure it will be filled with many wonderful and practical things that God can use to speak truth into my life... but the thing is like 90 pages long. And, these are not even REAL pages... they are like kiddy pages. I read several reviews of the book and figured that I must read it. The one part missing from all of the reviews was the advice to borrow it from a friend because you will be able to read it in one sitting.

Then again I remember another small book that happened to change the way I viewed management back in college. The "One Minute Manager" really altered my view of why things happen and what is really important... and it was a rather small, easy read too. I guess I still fall into the old trap of assigning value based on Style rather than Substance. I think that is one reason God is trying to teach me not to Dismiss any calling as too small or Derail any calling that is too big. Every calling that comes from God is huge, and every calling is possible, regardless of the packaging.

If God calls me to be a Husband and Father, and that is all He calls me to be, then that is an awesome calling that could take all of my energy and focus for as long as I live. If God calls me to reshape the face of the Christian church in America then that is entirely possible in His grand scheme of things. I don't want to miss out on God's work because I am too big for certain things and too small for others. Instead I will just... do what He asks me to do and not worry so much about how it all looks on the outside.

And, now I suppose I should spend some time reading this horribly overpriced little book! :)