The Gift of Trust

What are you going to give the members of your team for Christmas this year?  In almost a quarter century of ministry leadership, I have annually given gifts to my ministry associates and assistants.  Sometimes a lot of thought has gone into each gift.  Sometimes it has been a matter of convenience (or a "good deal" on a bulk purchase).  This year's tangible gift has not yet been determined, but I have been thinking about a larger gift that will multiply our ministry.  I suspect there is an application in your ministry setting as well.  I am talking about giving the gift of trust.  By "trust" I mean celebrating and empowering that team member's ministry.


I am thinking of an incident recorded in John 21 when Jesus asked Peter three times,"Do you love me?"  Three times Peter answered in the affirmative and three times Jesus pointed him toward ministry.  "Tend my lambs ... Shepherd my sheep ... Tend my sheep".  This incident came a few days after a colossal failure on Peter's part.  Peter seemed to be convinced that his ministry was over and that his best option was to go back to his previous profession.


I see what Jesus did with Peter as being more of an affirmation than a command.  In a sense, Jesus was saying, "Peter, I trust you.  I value your ministry.  I've got your back."  He didn't promise Peter smooth sailing.  In fact, he promised him martyrdom.  But he also awakened Peter's sense of purpose.

What would it be like is the members of our team knew that we trust them and we value their ministry?  That we don't see them simply as those who assist us with our ministry, but as those with whom we partner for the sake of the Kingdom? 

Whose ministry can you celebrate and empower today?  To whom can you give the gift of trust?

What can we learn from critics?

Not long ago I read this passage in my personal devotional time: Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool (Ecclesiastes 7:5, NLT).  I posted the verse on Facebook, along with this comment: We don't learn much by listening to our fans.  What if we asked God for wise critics?

Seems a little masochistic, doesn't it ... asking God for critics?  But, think about it.  How much have you ever learned from the people who always tell you how wonderful you are?  Our encourages are certainly valuable to us.  We probably spend waaaay too much time serving as the complaint dumping ground.

But, what if we started intentionally asking God what we could learn from those who criticize us?  What if we were able to put our defensiveness on hold and listen for the kernel of truth that may be found within the chaff of a complaint?  What might happen if we see the dissenting voice as valuable?

Certainly, we don't want to just accept and internalize every criticism (just as we don't want to get too puffed up by the kudos).  The key is to be teachable and open to a new perspective that just might show up from an unexpected source.  Are you willing to ask God for wise critics?

With an eye on the Harvest,
Gerry

Who's on Your Team?

Last night I watched my Dallas Mavericks wrap up their first NBA Championship. I say "championship" with certainty and "first" with hope. Much of the local sports talk has been that it was a victory of a TEAM that played together, depended on each other, had one another's backs, didn't care who had the ball at crunch time ... and, other than Dirk Nowitzki, had no superstars. The other team seemed to be a collection of superstars that couldn't figure out how the pieces fit together. They couldn't decide which one of them should be the "go-to" guy and take the game over, imposing his will to win on his teammates and his opponents alike. I am not jumping on the "evil Miami Heat" bandwagon. I am just intrigued by what it meant for the Mavs' MVP to have a TEAM. Dirk had arguably his worst game of the entire playoffs. At the end of the first half, he had 3 points and had missed 11 of 12 shots. Yet, amazingly, his TEAM held the lead. They scored when they needed to, they played monster defense, and they never lost trust in him when he was missing all those shots. When he found his shot in the second half and scored 18 points, his TEAM kept doing what they had done before and scored 34. If you are a leader in your church, ministry, or organization--especially if you are the senior leader--I have some crucial questions for you:

Who's on your TEAM? Who has your back? Who can you count on to step up when you are not at peak performance? Who trusts you enough to keep passing you the ball until you find your shot?

If you can come up with a few names in answer to those questions, good for you! So, how are you using your TEAM to increase the effectiveness of your church or organization? What help to you need to develop that kind of TEAM? With an Eye on the Harvest, Gerry

Vision or Memory?

Almost 20 years ago, I had a good friend come and conduct a Sunday School teachers' training for the church where I had been pastor for a few months. As a part of the weekend of training, he asked an open ended question ... What is your vision for your church? It was surprising (or maybe not) that many of the answers given had a common theme. The vision that folks had was for the church to be like it was when they were growing up. It made for an interesting discussion of the difference between vision and memory. Now, as a teenager of the late 1970's, I can tell you without reservation that the best music ever recorded happened in that time period (ok, maybe with the exception of the disco thing). You don't agree? Must be because you are not in my age bracket. I can also look back and tell you some really meaningful and powerful connections that churches made in my formative years. It is tempting to look back and say that things would be better if we would only go back to _________________ (you fill in the blank). Here's the question ... Are you living out of vision or memory? Can you identify where God is leading you and your congregation (or ministry organization)? Or do you have to rely on memory to identify the work of God? I am reminded of the words of Philippians 3:13-14 ... But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus. (Holman Christian Standard Bible). One more question ... how can your memory serve you in moving forward into the vision to which God is calling you? I would love to hear your answers. With an eye on the harvest, Gerry

No Fear

Do you remember the No Fear t-shirts and stuff from a few years back? I think the idea was about living life on the edge ... taking risks ... going out on a limb ... getting out of your comfort zone. It was kind of inspiring and they had some really cool logos. Those of us who have opportunities to speak to churches and other ministries can talk a good game when it comes to challenging people to get out of their comfort zones. But when our own comfort zones are challenged, the game changes ... our fears show up ... we begin risk analysis ... we step back from the edge ... security and safety come to the fore ... and before long, we suffer vision paralysis. When vision paralysis sets in, we begin to become guided by what it will cost rather than what the Lord is asking us to do. We worry more about what a failed risk will cost than we do about what the status quo will cost. We begin reacting to the whims of people rather than responding to the inspiration of the Spirit of God. I did a quick concordance search (NIV) to see how many times the words do not fear or do not be afraid show up in Scripture. The answer - 69 and 18. Then I did a search to see how many times be careful and be safe and be cautious show up. The answer - 50, 3, and 0. None of the "be safe" occurrences were commands. They were all in the middle of a larger phrase ... you will be safe ... I will be safe ... no one will be safe. Most of the occurrences of "be careful" did not give the idea of caution, but of attention and focus ... be careful to do ... be careful to follow ... be careful not to neglect. Certainly this is not an exhaustive and systematic study of Scripture, but I think it gives a pretty good indication that God usually doesn't encourage us to put our energy into playing it safe. It was actually a sermon that I preached a little over 3 years ago on living dangerously that boosted me out of my comfort zone of being a Senior Pastor and led me out onto this skinny branch of seeking to empower vision and impact in leaders and churches. So, here's the question of the day - What are you afraid of? What ministry are you afraid to begin? What conversation are you afraid to have? What passion are you afraid to pursue? What step are you afraid to take? And what is the Lord saying to you about it? With an eye on the harvest ...

Looking Through New Lenses

Eight years ago I went to the doctor to see if he could fix an unfortunate impediment ... my arms had gotten too short. I couldn't hold a book far enough away to read it. That guy didn't even look at my arms. He suggested that I needed bifocals. To see life as I wanted to, I needed to look at it through new lenses. Two years ago, after a few months into my new ministry as Director of Missions of Harvest Baptist Association, I started writing this blog. An Eye on the Harvest was born out of my desire to celebrate what the Lord was doing in our churches. The idea was that the sharing of stories of what happened in one church might be an encouragement to other churches. Rather than focusing on what we need, we would focus on how we see the Lord at work. It is the idea of looking at church life through new lenses. After a few months, I began using this blog to share some things regarding the mission, vision, and values of Harvest Baptist Association. We were looking at the association through new lenses. Well, it is time to look through new lenses again. I still plan to celebrate and share stories as the Lord gives me opportunity. I still plan to focus on sharing the mission, vision, and values of our missional network of churches. But I also have sensed the Lord's direction to look through new lenses once more. In the weeks and months ahead, this blog will focus on Empowering Kingdom Focused Vision for leaders of churches and other religious organizations who choose to network with us. I love sharing my vision and passion. But what excites me even more is the vision and passion I have for encouraging and empowering your vision and passion. I can't wait to share this journey with you.