Making Ideas Happen

Have you been one of those people or on a team where plenty of ideas are presented but there never seems to be execution?  Scott Belsky published a book called "Making Ideas Happen" Here are some tips from his book that may help you or your team follow through.

1. The way you organize projects, prioritize, and manage your energy is arguably more important than the quality of the ideas you wish to pursue.

2. Extremely productive and accomplished people and teams capitalize on the power of community to push their ideas forward.

3. Putting one person in charge of managing next steps tends to not work.  When tasks are written in your own handwriting, in your own idiom, they remain familiar and are more likely to be executed.

4.  You need to say "no" more than you say "yes" and you need to build a team and culture that helps kill ideas when necessary.

5.  The process of creation is deeply consuming and lined with narcissism.  We fall in love with our ideas and become both certain and protective.

6.  Accountability, one of the most crucial benefits of engaging with your community, is what binds you to the relentless pursuit of your ideas.

Let those creative juices flow!  But remember.  The name of the game is execution.

The Power of the Towel

The one thing that divides people in a church, a marriage, or family is a lack of servant leadership.  A servant's heart is the divine requirement for gaining the power of leadership.

I have been reading a wonderful book called "Firestorm".  It is a must read.  In it there is a chapter on servant leadership.  It clearly expresses through the illustration of Jesus washing even his enemy's feet that servant leadership is where the power is.

So what does it take to be a servant leader?

1.  It takes preparation.  Somebody once said that, "Character is the product of a lifetime and not an instant gift."  God teaches us over time that self-effort doesn't cut it.  The only legitimate authority is divinely bestowed.  That can take a lifetime of sifting and shaping.

2. It takes broken boldness.  There is a plaque that says, "No Cross, No Crown".  Before anybody can be exalted to leadership there must be learned obedience through suffering.  Jesus was exalted after he went to the cross.  Boldness is not arrogance.  It is finding the the surety of the Holy Spirit not in yourself.

3. It takes confession and repentance.  A servant leader must always first look within.  We must first defeat satan in our own hearts before we can defeat him in the conflicts of relationships.

Washed any feet lately?

Friendly or Hospitable?

There were many times that I would talk to people who attended our church for the first time who would say that we were a friendly church.  That was really encouraging to me.  However friendly doesn't necessarily mean hospitable.  Romans 12:13 tells us that we are to "practice hospitality".  

Hospitality goes beyond friendliness.  It is a word associated with strangers and extends to us the thought of going beyond a hand shake or a smile.  The good Samaritan demonstrated true hospitality when he went the extra mile, crossing over ethnic barriers.

First the verse tells us to practice hospitality.  That is not a command only for those who are extroverted and are willing to take risks.  In many cases it takes practice.  Some folks are better at it than others, but we all need to work at it.  Remember the saying, "practice makes perfect".

Secondly hospitality means particularly to  those who are new or strangers.  This means getting out of our comfort zone and reaching out to those who are new to our group, not in our same social strata, or ethnic mix.  There is nothing more debilitating than to go to a church and see all the cliques enjoying one another and sending a message to an outsider that they don't fit in.

So many churches complain about the revolving door syndrome.  People come and they go.  Why don't they stay?  I wonder if it is a lack of hospitality.

Maybe if the church would stop being just friendly and everyone took hospitality seriously, we might stop the revolving door?

How about next Sunday you get out of your comfort zone and invite a stranger in your church out for lunch?

RELIGIOUS FOG

How much of Evangelical Christianity is merely a religious fog?   There seems to be a mist out there that is difficult for those who are trying to navigate through life.  I wonder as Christians how much we have contributed to the spiritual dew point.  Unfortunately we have often substituted Christian culture for real Christianity.  Evangelical Christianity can be cloaked in its own language with religious talk and religious activity.  Good intentioned believers who could never take their message into a hostile or secular arena.

So how does this religious fog happen?  John Eldridge writes in his book "Beautiful Outlaw" about how the religious is operating.  I will list those areas where we have a tendency to pull out the fog machine.

1. We live a clean life, attend church faithfully and are considered to be good Christians but fail to really fall in love with Jesus.

2. Knowing about God is substituted for knowing God.  Many worship at the altar of knowledge assuming knowledge alone transforms hearts.

3.  Active service is confused with commitment to Christ.  If we are only busy doing for Christ we may miss knowing Christ.

4.  The holiness of God is taught by making Him unknowable or untouchable.  God becomes just a philosophical, intellectual, existential, and an aloof being, instead of a personal approachable and intimate God.

5.  Holiness is substituted with rule-keeping.  This is sort of a technical righteousness based on external expectations rather than internal convictions. We are so worried about what others think we fail to take a risk.

These kinds of behaviors can inoculate people against Jesus.  Certainly Jesus broke the mold.  Maybe we should?

Loneliness

There is no doubt that all of us periodically struggle with loneliness.  It is a simple fact that comes with human existence.  To be missed, or misunderstood. to be judged unfairly. To be wanted for what you can do, rather than who you are. To go on for years unappreciated, even unknown by those closest to you.

For those of us in any leadership capacity, we run the risk of being lonely with greater frequency.  The saying that, "It's lonely at the top", is really true.  I am reminded of the time when Jesus expressed his frustration with Philip in John 14.  Philip said, Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don"t you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?"
This is such a microcausm of what Jesus dealt with all the way to the cross.  Even his 3 closest friends couldn't stay awake with him in Gethsemene.  Imagine living your entire life in a world where the people closest to you don't get you.

What I have had to learn in my own life is this.  When I am feeling the most misunderstood and lonely, I have learned to take advantage of those times to draw closer to the one who does really understand.  Loneliness is a test of whether we really mean what we say when we call Jesus our best friend.

"EQ"?

What does "EQ" stand for?  Emotinal Quotient.   After being in full time ministry for the past 40 years I have discovered that most conflict in the church is a result of a low emotional quotient.  To put it in another way; emotional immaturity is usually at the core of every conflict.  It never ceases to amaze me how so-called Spirit filled people can't resolve differences in a mature matter.  Pride and insecurities of some sort are usually the culprits.

Pride refuses to listen and validate.  It is unapproachable, and lacks vulnerability.  It can't say I'm sorry.  It has to be in control and must win at all cost.  However pride can be a smoke screen for some insecurity. It has been said that some prideful people are egomaniacs with an inferiority complex.  For whatever reason,  it gets in the way of harmony in relationships.

On the other hand there are several causes of conflict that are precipitated by various fears.  Fear of failure, fear of confrontation, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of exposure. The list could go on.

So what should be the basis of a healthy "EQ" ?  The very core of a healthy "EQ" should be a healthy humility.  But how do you know if you are on the right track to a healthy humility?  Let me suggest several qualities that need to be present:

1.  A healthy intropspection.  We must not be afraid to ask God and others to search our hearts.  Most low "EQ's" have blind spots that go undetected.

2.  A  healthy understanding of the unconditinal love of Jesus.  This fosters an attitude of nothing to prove and nothing to lose.  This can alleivate our insecurities.

3.  A healthy perspective on empowerment.  Truly humble people have no problem releasing control and seeing others succeed.

4.  A healthy track record of personal transformation.  If we are not becoming more Christlike day by day then we are not allowing God to change us.

Roadblocks to Intimacy

I have been reading a book called "Achieving High Performance Friendships" by John Vawter and Jim Wetherbe.  It was written primarily for male friendships however, there was a portion of the book that spoke to me regarding the roadblocks to intimacy that I would like to share.

1. Belligerent and argumentative--Some men simply refuse to be corrected or even consider they might be able to improve on something they are doing. Often the response is being being belligerent and argumentative rather than considering what their friend has to say.

2. Always correct or subtle arrogance-- Some men always have to be right-regardless of the subject.
(the foremost authority syndrome). These people have really no interest in what others are thinking.

3.  Passive aggressive-- Some men are deflective and refuse to talk about anything of significance.  The are very skillful at avoiding any talk that would get close to their deepest emotion or allow anyone to get close to them.

4.  Shop talk-- For some men, the extent of their conversation is professional or ministerial shop talk, primarily about their work or hobbies.  They seem incapable of talking about love for their wives or kids, their fears for the future or what is on the inside.  It is hard to be intimate with such people,

Being in leadership is lonely enough without these roadblocks to intimacy.  I trust you are not guilty of these barriers, because God designed all of us to have intimate relationships.