Category Archives: Connection

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Being Jesus For Another

Practicing Missional Presence

In his 1948 book, The Seven Storey Mountain: An Autobiography of Faith, author Thomas Merton recounts a conversation with a Hindu man who was living a monastic lifestyle. The Hindu discussed the minimal impact of Christian missionaries in that region. There were many reasons, but Merton recounts one particular reason, “The Hindus are not looking for us to send men who would build schools and hospitals, although these were badly needed at the time and were very useful. The Hindu continued; the locals want to know if you have any “saints” that you can send us!” (p. 197). Keep in mind the context is 1948, however, there is something about that statement that draws us into reflection about being Jesus in a COVID world.

The Hindu’s question is really a question that speaks to the real priority of the call of God. Engaging in our world begins not with activity, but with a life in God. A deeply formed missional life is first about who we are becoming before what we are doing. Let’s face the truth, a vaccine is not going to cure hatred, racial prejudice, and sin. 

Currently 50% of faith leaders find it difficult to have a devotional life. Only 21% of faith leaders are satisfied with the time they spend on themselves. 52% of faith leaders practice weekly solitude. 55% of faith leaders read their bible weekly including sermon preparation. The Psalmist 27:4 (ESV) states; One thing of the Lord I have asked, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I may gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. There are two key terms to examine.

  • GAZE – This term occurs 51x in the Old Testament. The primary meaning of the word is to fix your line of sight upon God and also to attune your ears to the prophecy regarding God.
  • INQUIRE – This term occurs only 7x in the Old Testament. The dominate aspect of this term is diligently go after understanding and comprehension of God.

Spiritual and intellectual formation are tied together in the Psalmists words. Being precedes doing! Our world is upside down in ways that we could not have imagined 24-months ago. We are very distracted and disengaged currently. We need only look at the disciples in John 20. Christ was crucified and the disciples had failed. Despondent and discouraged, Jesus showed up and showed them his hands and side and stated; “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me even so I am sending you. And when He had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit…..” Instead of Jesus pointing out their mistakes, He instead sends them on a mission. 

The words of the Hindu in 1948 ring true today, “Do you have any saints that you can send to us?” Our COVID world is not looking for a program to attend, they are searching for someone who can connect them to the spiritual longing of their heart and a Jesus they seek!

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Leadership In A Blizzard – Pt #6

Plan For A New Future

Roadmap For Blizzard Conditions

Explicitly name the fundamental assumptions you had about your industry, geography, customers, partners, funding sources, and your team one year ago, and contrast them with new ones. Use these questions as a prompt:

  • What was possible that may not be possible for some time?
  • What was global or national that may need to be local for an extended time?
  • What seemed important that may feel superfluous now?
  • What was undervalued that may hold greater value now?
  • What “margin” or “lack of margin” was built into organizational or industry norms?

Modify your expectations! If you were anticipating 3-6 months, plan for 9 months to one year. Perhaps you need to decrease your budget more than anticipated. New hires may be postponed. New construction will be delayed. Answering these types of questions about the next year of operations and physical gatherings you are arriving at design insights that you will now incorporate even if your situation proves to be a minimal interruption. As you clarify your assumptions and move them to design and implementation consider the following.

  • What role must our organization play locally nationally, or globally?
  • What relationships of trust can be built on and strengthened in the next few weeks or months?
  • What are our greatest assets assuming this pandemic and economic disruption continues for an extended period of time?
  • What will be the long-term changes in society that I would like to be part of bringing about through our organization?

You need both divergence and convergence when it comes to developing new ideas in your organization. Too much divergence creates and endless stream of ideas that make it hard to prioritize and to understand what is most important or urgent. Too much convergence eliminates ideas with an authoritarian approach. This does not give the team members an opportunity to show their possibility.

Do not go it alone! I would encourage communication between the funders, stakeholders and shareholders all of whom have reason they have chosen to partner with you in the first place. COMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE!

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Leadership In A Blizzard – Pt #5

Resilience Is King

Roadmap For Blizzard Conditions

How agile is your team?  How fast is your team? Blizzard Leadership conditions reveals the ability to pivot to new innovations and adapt to rapid changing conditions. As a leader scramble the assignments and teammates to optimize around prototype workflows. Base these changes on passion over position and do not assume that rank correlates to authority. If your team is committed and understands your situation.

Even in a willing and high-functioning team, this kind of redeployment will create stress. Your most important steps to manage this stress are to:

  • Celebrate agility, experimentation, and essentialism over perfection.
  • Make it clear what existing tasks, projects, and workstreams are suspended; conscientious workers will not easily lay down their current responsibilities unless you give them explicit permission.
  • It’s possible that only you can see across teams, so they will rely on you to adjust cross-team priorities as new insights emerge. Consider deputizing someone as an interim chief of staff to help you integrate work across interim streams.
  • Identify where you or other executives are a bottleneck to innovation and pace to market, and free people to experiment with less interaction where possible.

Understand that blizzard leadership conditions are a great time to assess your team buy using a chosen tool such as DISC or Enneagram. Your team has been thrust into a war-like environment and it is important to know the skills of your team such as “self-initiative.” Raise up the most agile of your team members during this time.

In the midst of such rapid innovation and re-organizing, don’t forget to take the time to ask your team how that you can pray and serve them. In addition, you can lead your team in prayers of lament. The truth of the matter is that you and your team have lost something that was familiar but has changed and does not exist any long. That is cause for lament. What you have lost is control! Prayers of lament is not only remembering what is lost, but it is also about moving forward and embracing innovation.

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Leadership In A Blizzard – Pt #4

Prototype Everything

Roadmap For Blizzard Leadership

If you can manage cash well enough to maintain a strong team, and you can learn at a faster rate than ever, you are likely to “find the new business” that will advance your mission and serve your stakeholders for the long term – Andy Crouch Praxis Journal

Pause for just a moment and consider the things that you did quickly to cope with the Blizzard that we all have been thrust into. Do you remember those changes from March 2020? Those innovations have a short shelf life. The Blizzard conditions taught us to be socially distant, sanitize our hands more than ever, quarantine ourselves, and wear masks. Beyond the political debate, just pause for a moment and consider how these new concepts have thrust us into new ways of acting, thinking, and behaving. We look at our most trusted friendships differently now, almost with suspicion. Here is a key thought, what you are doing now as a leader for your organization in order to engage each other and remain socially distant will be short-lived in the big scheme of life. However, your missional purpose is what lives on well beyond your life span, that is what you protect. 

Since you have been thrust into this season uninvited, what can you reinvent and innovate that will allow you to excel past previous victories? Prototype everything – programs, services, goods, delivery methods, structures, and messages. Your organization is much more forgiving at the present. That will not last forever, you will need to demonstrate innovation and methods that makes the most sense in your community context. Organization ABC that copies Organization XYZ on the other side of the country will not make sense any longer. This blizzard has awakened people’s sense of awareness of their immediate world – Does anyone care about me? In isolation people are more aware of their true friendships versus acquaintances. Understanding this aspect of the blizzard will cause innovation to emerge to demonstrate authentic love and genuine care for God’s creation. This will give way to lasting innovation that will become strategy at a later date.Situations are changing more rapidly than previous years of leadership experience. This is why that innovation should look at 10-14-day trends instead strategic ideas that are 90-120-day trends.

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Leadership In A Blizzard – Pt #3

Financial Insights During A Blizzard

Roadmap For Blizzard Leadership

One of the most loving and important things that you can do right now in this COVID journey is to CONSERVE CASH! We have all heard it said that cash is king. During this blizzard leadership condition without cash you do not have a missional purpose and you are not going to survive. Cash gives you options on how to support and develop people over time. If you don’t conserve now you will go out of business and not be able to help anyone inside or outside your organization.

Whatever was valuable yesterday but is not valuable today should be pruned as quickly as possible. This includes new hires. If you can’t commit financially and you are not sure what they are capable of, drop that plan immediately. All contracts should be negotiated. All outside contracted work should be brought in house as much as possible. 

The painful reality is that a combination of headcount, salary packages, and benefits will need to be made in order to survive as an organization. I personally know of leaders and pastors that are facing this reality even as I write this article. To those staff that remain your message and instructions to them should be that of “New Beginnings.” As of today, this is a new organization that will be moving in a new direction – the past is the past. To those who may be leaving, move quickly as possible while attempting redemptive support for those who leave in this economy.

Additionally, I would suggest that you, your executive team, and Board members become very finance centric. Maintain a cash surplus, know what that number is and fight for it. Maintain clear comprehension on the cash flow for the next 30-60-120 days is going to be. When deciding on what to spend – do not spend at all if possible. What you will learn from this action is that your decisions will become better and more in alignment with your missional purposes.

Keep all financial commitments if possible. At any point those commitments threaten the stability of the organization, then an immediate conversation should happen between all parties being impacted. Understand very clearly your needs and constraints and the needs and constraints of others. Use these occasions to forge empathy and courage. New solutions can be forged in this conversation context that will honor the original commitment.

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Leadership In A Blizzard – Pt #2

You Are God’s Image-Bearer Called To Lead

Roadmap For Blizzard Leadership

So that we do not miss the obvious, as a Faith Leader and Entrepreneur I bear the image of God in the context of leadership. This COVID journey is part of our story, my story. Honestly you and I have been training for this moment for years and perhaps decades. Every morning that you rise, do so with thankfulness and gratitude that you get to use your gifts and talents for the purpose and cause of God’s people.

Your role is to safe-guard and protect your organization and/or church, not to preserve it. By preserve I am implying that the goal is to keep as much of the function, operations, team and funding models. Instead “protect” your organization by creating as much capacity as you can. This implies new funding models, operations, teams, that all help you fulfill your mission next month, quarter, year, and beyond. There are two schools of thought; change as little as possible or change as much as necessary so that your missional purpose can be advanced.

Make sure that you give GRACE to yourself first. It is likely that you and your leadership team are going to make mistakes in a blizzard season. I am sure that at this point of our COVID journey that you have under-estimated your interpretation of the facts. Give extra grace for those who are exploiting, making mistakes, doing the wrong things at the wrong times.

In a blizzard condition you are responsible for your response period. You can only make the wisest decision based upon what you know in the moment. Here are the most important things you must know; your identity in Christ, your organizations assets and mission, and the needs of the stakeholders. Simon Sinek’s leadership maxim is important at this point, “Leadership is not about being in charge, it is about caring for people in your charge!”

Andy Crouch states that because this season is a marathon conducted in sprints, you need habits and practices that sustain your reliance upon God and not yourself. Every day will bring new information and unforeseen challenges, and you’ll often be fighting through low reserves of physical and emotional energy. Yes, it is true your tank will be empty at multiple occasions in this blizzard. Do not panic! In the words of my Theology Professor Dr. Wes Gerig; do not doubt in the darkness what God has previously shown you in the light! In apparent seasons of God’s silence stay true to what God has already stated and performed in your life.

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Leadership In A Blizzard

Blizzard, Winter, or Ice-Age?

I remember clearly my thoughts at the moment of the Corona Virus shutdown in Mid-March 2020. I literally jumped from my recliner at the announcement that everything, but essential industry would remain open. Churches went dark overnight without a single question being raised. Now what do we do? I knew in an instant the COVID journey would be more than an interruption, rather, it would be a serious disruption! Now that we are in January 2021 and looking back I seriously under-estimated my original feeling and assumptions. We lived through and continue to live in a BLIZZARD!

Using the winter motif allow me to define some terms for better communication on how to lead in blizzard conditions. Here are three terms:

Blizzard: You can’t go out — zero visibility and hostile conditions. Need to shelter.

Winter: You can go out, but not for long. Wear protective clothing and check the forecast for storms. Need to survive.

Ice Age: Things don’t grow the way they used to — but we’re finding new ways to live and even to thrive. Need to adapt and rebuild.

In mid-March 2020 with the realization there would be shut-downs, the thought of survival immediately came to the fore-front of our thinking. Organizations, Schools, Churches, Travel, and Food Service all began to imagine what is it going to take to survive these blizzard-like conditions? By mid-April 2020 it was understood that 10% of organizations would be unaffected; 10% would see this time as an unprecedented opportunity; the remaining 80% realized their operating playbook and strategy does not translate during these blizzard social conditions.

Some of the most trusted faith leaders and content creators in mid-April last year stated three key steps to survive that are more true now in 2021 than when fist spoken.

  • Sustain your core mission in a time of scarcity
  • Prototype everything for a different reality and future
  • Compound the trust and reputation of your organization

Out of this foundation for Redemptive Leadership to be significant there are three questions that demand a response. These questions emerged 45 days after the shutdown in 2020 and they still demand a response in 2021.

  • Where do we have newly unlocked freedom to be creative?
  • Where are these newly possible opportunities to restore broken norms, flawed assumptions, hurting people, and inefficient channels?
  • Where can we as leaders and organizations take risks, even sacrificial ones, for the sake of others?[i]

[i] The Praxis Journal has been an invaluable resource during 2020. There content can be accessed at journal.praxislabs.org. I would especially draw your attention to Andy Crouch as a significant contributor to Praxis Journal.

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The Fragility of Democracy

Fallen Man Vs. God’s Theocratic Kingdom

When you step back and examine the long arch of time from the beginning of man to the Theocratic Kingdom of God at the Second Coming of Christ; Democracy is only a small blip on the radar of time and eternity. The Old Testament writer, Daniel had a perspective that can teach us how to survive the uncertainty of our day. Daniel wrote, “… the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17b ESV). You cannot read the prophetic literature of scripture and miss that in the last days there will be a rise of totalitarian systems that will dominate the last days. We can only conclude that democracy will be diminished in the face of God’s prophecy. We can also say that Democracy is a fallen and limited system of governance. 

Let’s be clear that God is the one who appoints or dismisses Political/National authorities. Dick Brogdon founder of Live Dead Missions states in his August 11 devotion book entitled Joy, It may seem that elections and coups result from the work of people and people do play a part, but the Bible is clear that God appoints both good and bad leaders for His own purposes. From a scriptural standpoint the old leadership axiom is true, we get the leaders we deserve! Leaders almost always reflect the culture and context from which they emerge.

God will select the lowliest to lead greatness. The world selects leaders according to componence. God selects leaders according to character. He takes great pleasure in selecting the humble and lowly to bring Glory to himself. Listen to the words of a humble teenage girl who so many years ago said; “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate…” (Luke 1:51-52 ESV Mary’s Song – The Magnificat vv.46-55).

“Mary smiles at her baby while kneeling next to a manger”
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Dealers In Hope – Peddlers In Truth

Leadership In Chaotic Times

The opening words in the Old Testament Bible book of Hosea, the writer identifies himself as Hosea Son of Beeri. Unfortunately, we do not know any additional facts about the author. While there are some Jewish traditions that attempt to add clarification, we are reasonably confident the time period of this writing was a collapsing of Israel as a nation in 722BC.  Recently in my morning devotional practice I literally froze as I read Hosea 4:4-6. Notice his words; 

Yet let no one contend,
    and let none accuse,
    for with you is my contention, O priest.[a]
5 You shall stumble by day;
    the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;
    and I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
    because you have rejected knowledge,
    I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
    I also will forget your children.

Keep in mind that national Israel was divided – Israel to the north and Judah to the south. This was chaotic to say the least and about to get worse by 722BC. The Assyrian invaders would take Israel into captivity. Hosea 4:4-6 states God’s lawsuit against a Spirit of Whoredom in Israel’s worship practices. He specifically targets the Priests – “… for with you is my contention, O Priest”. The result of the judgment is “You shall stumble by day”. For Priests to stumble in the daytime is to lack situational awareness. It is to carry on priestly function that is not targeted for such a time as this.

Hosea then unpacks a linguistic feature that is called Lex Talionis – This for That! Notice Hosea’s two illustrations of this feature. 1). People are destroyed for lack of knowledge – you (Priests) have rejected knowledge – I reject you from being Priest. 2). You (Priests) have forgotten the law of your God – I will forget your children. Could it be that stumbling in the daytime is the result of not pursuing the Truth of God’s Word. There is an extreme difference from speaking a truth versus The Truth! If God forgets the children of Spiritual leaders who have forgotten His law, are we setting up ancestral conflict and struggle?

These words are the result of my recent devotional practice. I only share these thoughts to provoke thought within myself as a Baby-Boomer to other Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennial colleagues. In case you have missed it, our nation is on fire! National Leaders are dealing hope based upon politics. As spiritual leaders we are dealing in hope based upon God’s eternal Law. National Leaders are peddling hope based upon Constitution and Law. Make no mistake these are important foundations for our Constitutional Republic to survive. However as Spiritual Leaders we are peddling Absolute Truth that is knowable based upon scripture. Scripture is our ultimate mediator. While many things are true, all truth is not to be treated equally. For example, sugar is sweet, and Jesus is Lord. Both are true but not equally true. With a nation on fire silly sermon series are not what is needed. As I see it, a fresh prophetic message on the second coming of Christ and the making of disciples would be more appropriate! Hosea’s words reveal God’s litigation against the Priest. May we not stumble in the daytime and forget God’s Law.

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Spiritual Authority In A COVID World

4 Levels of Authority

No one will argue the fact our world is upside-down! This upside-down world has been thrust upon us. We did not get a vote in the matter. No one asked our permission to start this crazy making. Social Distance, Shutter in Place, Coronavirus, Mask Mandates, Necessary Workers, Pandemic, Election Fraud, and Political Corruption are all terms and concepts that are now familiar expressions in our daily communication. This upside-down world is revealing the need for the sound of Leadership that speaks with Spiritual Authority.

Max Weber gives us a matrix in which to think about the voice of Leadership Authority. He suggests the following ………..

When you consider communication voice in a national crisis or seasons of peace you hear the following ……..

Traditional – The Kings says so – little or no outside opportunities for debate

Legal – The elected individual; Government, Corporate, or Denominational; communicates vertically because of the elected position that is held. Change is brought about via elections. This function operates within a prescribed legal documentation that grants authority and function.

Charismatic – These captivating personalities are your modern-day YouTubers. They gain massive following because of their compelling personality and story they share. These individuals speak horizontally; person-to-person, outside the boundaries of governing documents that may otherwise give them their voice.

There is one concern regarding Max Weber’s matrix – TRANSFOMATION! In times of national peace or crisis, transformation is limited to the system of authority, time, and geographical boundaries. The weight of limited transformation is most severely felt in times of national or global crisis. There is an additional type of authority that is needed – SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY!

The voice of Spiritual Authority is first represented by the Old Testament character of Moses. He ascended up the mountain with the smoke, lightening, thunder, and trumpet blasts. Moses returned with a fresh Word from God to a troubled nation (Exodus 34:29-35 ESV). Immediately the people notice his countenance shown to the point he had to wear a face mask. The New Testament character to illustrate Spiritual Authority is the Apostle Paul. In the Bible book of 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV) Paul states; And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

How do we apply the function of Spiritual Authority? First of all, this authority is for those who have dared to acknowledge God’s calling upon their life no matter what their trade or craft may be. The voice of this authority is first vertical – I must go to Him! Once a fresh message is received that is Biblically sound and eternally focused, our message then must be horizontal – reaching people with a message of hope in the face of a crisis. Understand that I am not suggesting a hyper-spiritual experience! I am suggesting that God’s message in us will sound different than the current series or methodology that everyone is using. While our nation is on fire, our message cannot be lofty speech and worldly wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that our faith will not rest in the wisdom of men, but the power of God!

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com