I am so PUMPED about today and going to Unleash hosted by Newspring Church in Anderson, SC. I am attending with Josh Wyatt from WAC and will be posting Twitter updates throughout the day and maybe a video update or two. You can watch the main sessions live for FREE by clicking here.
Category Archives: Leadership
Looking back should drive us forward
Remembrance should always lead to pursuit.
Psalm 44:1
We have heard with our ears, O God;
our fathers have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
When we look behind us to see great things God did yesterday, it should drive us forward in pursuit of His calling today. Looking back is good…as long as it pushes us ahead.
Pausing to remember great things God did on our behalf yesterday is helpful and should cause us to trust His working on our behalf today.
It should not cause us to get stuck.
When a church, organization, family, or individual believes their best times to be behind rather than ahead – well…that’s when death begins.
I’m looking forward!
Close isn’t close enough!
In Exodus 10:24-26, Pharaoh offered Moses “almost” what God required. He was willing to let the Israelites go, along with their families. There was one catch: they had to leave their livestock behind. This was a deviation (a seemingly minor one) from God’s plan. It may have sounded like a good offer. It wasn’t.
Close isn’t close enough when it comes to obedience. What if Moses had settled for “close“? What if he had accepted that this was “almost” what God had in mind?
God let Israel wander for 40 years and would not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land because of a little disobedience along the way. The results from this kind of blasse compromise could have been catastrophic!
Moses stuck to the plan God laid out and refused to settle for almost. So should we.
A birthday and THR3E
I am pretty dang pumped about this!
February 15 was my 36th birthday and some wonderful people (my parents and in-laws) paid to send me to THR3E! That’s awesome!!!
Basically, this event is the behind the scenes story of the now THR3E year old Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC) and their under 30 Senior Pastor, Steven Furtick (Monks Corner, SC & North Greenville graduate).
I am pumped about getting to go to this “non-conference” conference. You can read more about the purpose behind the conference from Steven Furtick on his blog.
This sounds a lot easier than it actually is!(#4 – last one!)
This is the final post in a series centered around Ephesian 4:15 and the difficult issue of speaking truth in love.
Here’s what we’ve covered so far: (and a link to the whole series of posts)
Post #1 – Speaking truth in love is hard but necessary for spiritual maturity.
Post #2 – Many speak truth but few do it in love.
Post #3 – Speaking truth in love requires direct interface with the person in question – not gossip with others.
Now let’s look at the final piece of the puzzle: What if you are the person about whom truth is being spoken?
How do you handle that?
Wow! That’s a tough question. I remember my parents saying on rare occasions “do what I say, not what I do“. That’s probably good advice here. No one can honestly say they enjoy criticism. You think things like: If they only knew what I have to face…you think I’ve got issues, take a look in the mirror buddy!
But, since none of us are perfect, we will probably all face a certain level of criticism at some point. Here are some things to consider:
1. Consider the source – Criticism can come from all sides. While God can give anyone insight into a particular situation, I very naturally trust the counsel of my close circle of influencers more than the comments of a stranger. Why? Because they know me and have more insight into my motives.
2. Get a second opinion – Ask someone else you trust to consider this. This is not a good exercise for a mom or that friend who would never disagree with you. I love having people in my life that feel comfortable calling me out! It’s why I always maintain a relationship with an accountability partner. Someone who has open access into any area of my life and will be honest with me – even if it’s not what I want to hear.
3. Lay it down – THIS IS HUGE!!! This is a common place for breakdown. It’s at this point you have to bare your soul to God and repent first. David confessed it was against God and God alone he had sinned. Spiritual reconciliation has to occur before any real or meaningful relational reconciliation between individuals. Recognition before God that an action, attitude, or behavior is sinful places it consciously under the power of the cross! That’s where the blood of Jesus can transform a situation and develop the new creation He has made us in Christ!
4. The human factor – Sometimes there may be relationships or situations that need mending. This cannot be adequately dealt with until the spiritual issue in #3 is taken care of, but it cannot be skipped either. Sometimes we just have to say “I’m wrong”. This is also a good time to recognize the one who brought the matter to your attention to begin with.
5. Move forward – There is no way to predict the response of people. Some will embrace you – others never will. Some hearts are wired to hope for the best – others just need something to talk about. There will come a point in time (and it’s different for every situation) where you simply have to accept that you have done all that you can. You are right with God and you have made every effort to be right with people. Then you have to move forward. There is no condemnation in Christ and no time for you to hang your head!
6. Check-ups – It’s probably a good idea to keep a check on your progress in dealing with an attitude or behavior. Again, it’s critical at this point to have meaningful relationships with people that will hold you accountable. It’s also a good idea to ask God how you are doing in this area.
This is not exhaustive and there are unique situations…but this is a good outline when you are the one that has to deal with truth being spoken to you.
