Category Archives: Pastor

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Ancient Wisdom – Modern Times

What Is First In A Meaningful Ministry

The Apostle Paul begins his instruction with these words, “First of all…” Paul is using these words to emphasize the importance of what is coming. Not everything in life can be FIRST. There are things that should be relegated to a lesser position in terms of importance. There are many things in ministry that are not first place items, not every person can dominate the first place position in your life, there must be a prioritization of the greater moving to the lesser. Screen Shot 2015-01-05 at 1.01.26 PM

So what is this “first of all” that Paul tells Timothy. Entreaties, Prayers, Petitions, and Thanksgivings are the four items that Paul deems “first of all.” So what are we to make of these items?

  • Entreaty is presenting a need to God for the sake of having it met.
  • Prayer is the most general of terms that usually indicates the discipline of praying to God that includes the bringing of needs to him.
  • Petitions are more of a formal presentation of request to an authority.
  • Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude or appreciation.

“First of All…” These are not ‘throwaway’ words that Paul is attempting to use a filler words. Therefore the emphasis of what is being said; any vocational minister must place prayer as a matter of first importance in any ministerial context in which they serve. Prayer is a reminder os who is in charge – GOD! Not staff, not congregations and certainly not senior pastors. Ministry is to serve God first and people second. Prayer is not a “cop out” but rather a release from the tyranny of the urgent – our first duty is to pray!

Paul’s use of the word “urge” is not him saying “pretty please.” The range of meaning of this first century term allows for Paul to convincingly win the debate to utterly convince Timothy of the first priority in ministry. That intensity is still present today – we need to be persuaded to make prayer first!

Digital space will not permit the volume of discussion on each aspect of the four facets of prayer. So how do we apply?

  • At the top of this list is to make prayer a regular habit. Set aside time daily for prayer and reflection. Pray for those whom you lead. You can do this through the daily routine of life by developing a conversation with God all throughout the day in conjunction with set times of prayer. It almost seems silly doesn’t it to encourage us to pray. Reality says we do not make prayer a habit.
  • Secondly, do not set limits on prayer. Satan will argue that you are not spending enough time in prayer. Remove that point by not setting limits on how long is long enough. Also do not fall into the trap of saying that my requests will bother God – “Cast all of your cares upon Him because He cares for you.”
  • Finally it would be helpful to consider rejecting all substitutes for the real thing. Before you turn your computer on, before your smart phone, before your praise and worship live streams – KNEEL and PRAY!

What are you thinking on the subject of Prayer? Write a comment and I will do my best to respond. Share this post with a friend!

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Ancient Wisdom – Modern Times

Ultimate Prize For The Shepherd of God's Flock

Western culture is obsessed with the human body. Diet plans, health club memberships, organic foods, and yes even plastic surgery is on the rise. The Apostle Paul images would write; “…for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.” [1 Timothy 4:8-9 NASB].

Paul is not discounting the value of physical exercise and healthy care for the body. Paul acknowledges the benefit of physical training to keep the body healthy. Paul is pointing out temporal value of physical exercise as compared to the eternal value of spiritual training. Sports was well established in biblical times. The city of Corinth hosted the Isthmian Games – a precursor of sorts to the now famous Olympic Games.

The winners would be crowned, receive public acknowledgement, and have their name engraved on the fortress wall of the city. The point of Paul was not to dismiss physical activity as to say it has NO value at all. It is to say that it does not have the same value as spiritual preparation that carries eternal rewards. The “trustworthy statement” is the eternal worth of godliness over temporal worth of physical fitness.

So what is the ultimate prize for pastoral leaders today? Having a Godly congregation is far more important than many of things that we vest ourselves in today. It is not to say that programs, gimmicks, video productions, music productions, etc are not important. It is to say that when measured against godliness, godliness is to be preferred over all else. Godliness trumps everything!

bible-well-fed What are your thoughts on this passage by Paul to Timothy? What do you say is the ultimate prize for Pastors? Leave a comment below and I will do my best to respond in a timely manner. If this article has spoke to you share it with your social media tribe. Here is a FREE gift for you for spreading the word about Shepherds Advantage:

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Verbs of Relevancy

Exposing Leadership Nakedness

Recently in an article from school principle, David McKenzie, imagesI was challenged by the use of action words that can describe leadership intentionality. Being intentional requires work. You work to change your schedule, spending habits, relationships, and work disciplines to accommodate and meet the challenges of goals that have been established. What is the cost if I elect not to intentionally work at being relevant? Well, let us say that the story of the “Emperor’s Clothes” comes to mind, our leadership nakedness is revealed! I would offer some action words – verbs to keep us relevant.

INVEST – As a leader you must invest in your personal growth! The place and the people that you lead can only grow as big as you are. You are the cap or the leadership lid! You must be able to see further, deeper, and faster. You must invest in yourself. What is your growth plan and budget for the next 12 months? Get serious! The journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.

MEDITATE – Making mistakes many times indicates that you are engaging life beyond your skill set. Turn mistakes into assets by learning from them so as not to repeat them. This is accomplished through meditation. In a noisy world with so much bling and glitter begging for our attention, you must be intentional in establishing times to unplug from the noise, get alone with note pad and pen (the old fashion way) and journal your thoughts and next steps. Can you demonstrate in your calendar for the next seven days your time of meditation?

ABSORB – Maintain the attitude that everyone can teach you something even if it is what not to do. Teachability is humility in action. Allowing others to speak into your life increases the probability of future growth. No one knows it all! This week discipline yourself to learn from others and circumstances.

ACT – Knowledge is only useful if it is acted upon. Unactioned knowledge produces a pretense of being professional. This in turn leads to arrogance. Eric Hoffler’s book, The True Believer, suggest that too much confidence leads a person to believe they do not need to learn or act on their knowledge. We make time for what we value. Does your time management system reflect your values?

What verbs would you write down that are not listed? Leave a comment.

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Good Money – Bad Money

The Theory of “Good Money/Bad Money” basically states that one currency drives the other currency out of the economy. This basic concept when applied to Professor Bhide’s “Origen & Evolution of New Business states that 93% of all companies replaced their beginning strategy dollar-gasp-460_1007200cbecause it was not viable and sustainable and replaced it with an emerging strategy that brought success. Another truth about this basic explanation is the competing issues of Growth versus Profit. Iridium, a failed $6 billion investment(sold for $25 million) into satellite phone technology and Honda a successful company illustrates what happens when growth and profits are either misaligned or aligned properly.

So what does all of this business talk teach us about leadership in 2015? Professor Christensen at Harvard writes extensively about how your family and close friends are going to be the most important sources of happiness in your life. However, you must be careful. When it seems that everything is going well, you might be lulled into believing that you can place your investment of these cherished relationships on the back burner. That would be a huge mistake! By the time that problems arise in these two relational arenas it is too late to repair the problem. Paradoxically speaking, the time when it is most important to invest in building strong families and close friendships is when it appears at the surface as if it’s not necessary.

Most people have a deliberate strategy of creating deep loved-filled relationships with members of our family and friends. In reality we invest in a strategy for our lives that we would never aspire to. We end up with shallow friendships with many but deep friendships with none.

Each of us can point to one or two friendships we’ve unintentionally neglected when life got busy. We want to believe that the bonds of friendship are strong enough to endure such neglect, but that is seldom the case, Our closest friends  will stay the course with us only so long before the choose to invest their time somewhere else. If they do – IT IS OUR LOSS!

Plant shade trees before they are needed!

 

 

 

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Becoming an Emotionally Healthy Leader – 4 Tips

Statistics on Pastors’ Emotional Health, Family, and Morality stress1
It’s particularly disturbing to see how much pastors are struggling with emotional pain, family problems, loving well, and moral failures:

70% say they have a lower self-esteem now than when they entered ministry
70% constantly fight depression
50% feel so discouraged that they would leave their ministry if they could, but can’t find another job
80% believe their pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families and 33% said it was an outright hazard
80% of ministry spouses feel left out and unappreciated in their church
77% feel they do not have a good marriage
41% display anger problems in marriage (reported by the spouse)
38% are divorced or divorcing
50% admit to using pornography and 37% report inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church

Statistics on Pastors’ Lack of Soul Care and Training
But ministry stress alone does not explain why pastors burnout emotionally or blow out morally. Other statistics suggest that many pastors struggle with “professionalizing” their spiritual lives and failing to care for their own souls under God:

70% do not have someone they consider a close friend
50% do not meet regularly with an accountability person or group
72% only study the Bible when preparing for sermons or lessons
21% spend less than 15 minutes a day in prayer — the average is 39 minutes per day
16% are “very satisfied” with their prayer life, 47% are “somewhat satisfied”, and 37% are either “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” (spending more time in quiet prayer or listening to God versus making requests was correlated with higher satisfaction)
44% of pastors do not take a regular day off
31% do not exercise at all, while 37% exercise at least three or four days a week as recommended
90% say they have not received adequate training to meet the demands of ministry
85% have never taken a Sabbatical

The stats speak for themselves. We can either embrace the reality in our own life or curse the reality. Here are 4 tips to emotional health for Spiritual Leaders.

  1. SLOW DOWN for SABBATH – The core issue is not whether you are working 60-70 hours/week. The issue is the Sabbath is being broken and disrespected. Sabbath keeping is not working around the home as opposed to working at church. Sabbath means stopping to rest! It is also a time to contemplate God’s leading and working in you and through you.
  2. PAY ATTENTION to YOUR TRIGGERS – Robert Hogan, Industrial Psychologist states that two-thirds of leaders will be fired, demoted, or generally fail. The reason is that they are not paying attention to the hidden triggers that lay outside of their awareness. There are certain dysfunctional tendencies that manifest themselves when stress builds in our life. Healthy leaders are aware of their short-coming and know how to manage them when they start to surface. Manage them well, everyone around you will be glad that you did!
  3. Happy couple embracing and laughing on the beachLEAD OUT of YOUR MARRIAGE – Contemporary expectations for marriage of Christian leaders go something like this: “Be sure your marriage and family are strong/stable/solid so that you can build your church.” This is different from leading out of the fullness of life and joy in your marriage that it spills over over into other people’s lives as well. Lead from the context of your marriage vows meaning; if you are married you cannot lead like you are single! The health of your church is related to the health of your marriage!
  4. EMBRACE LIMITS – God does not give you the talents of leaders you may admire. So don’t act like you do – be original and true to yourself just the way God made you! Be honest with your inner-self. Be careful for the hidden roots of shame and failure because you are not like others or are performing according to others expectations.

Leave a comment. What would you add to this list?

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Do Not Follow Your Heart

“FOLLOW YOUR HEART” is a pop culture creed that billions of people are following today. This 47is one of the greatest myths ever that is being perpetuated. Basically, it is a belief that your heart is a compass inside of you and it will direct you to your own “True North” if you just have the courage to follow it. This creed is far to simple and yet it tracts people often as a gospel they can embrace.

Have you ever paused for just a minute and considered that your heart has sociopathic tendencies? What is it that your heart is telling you this moment? DO NOT ANSWER THIS. Has your heart told you things that you would not dare to repeat? My heart usually thinks the best of me and worst of others. If my heart is constantly espousing my virtues and other’s errors, then it is not a leap for my heart to embrace some immoral or angry thought as being attractive.

The “follow your heart” creed is not founded in faith convictions. Jeremiah stated (17:9) that “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jesus Christ would  comment and say “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander (Matthew 15:19). Is this how we establish leadership examples?

Our hearts were never designed to be followed. They were designed to be led! Our hearts were never designed to be gods in whom we believe, but rather our hearts were designed to believe in God! Christ is the truth, the way, the life (John 14:6).

Leave a comment below I will do my best to respond to your thoughts. What is your belief on the “Follow your heart” creed? Let’s talk!

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What Can Jesus Teach Us About Solitude

There is a place for solitude in all of our lives!

The best way to comprehend the importance of solitude is to learn from the life of Christ. imagesWhen did he practice solitude? What insights can we learn from his example? The Bible gives us a number of illustrations when Jesus separated himself from people. There are six reasons to consider.

  1. To Prepare For A Major Task – Luke 4:1-2,14-15. After the baptism of Christ he spent 40 days praying in the wilderness. Afterwards he was tempted by Satan followed by the launch of his public ministry. Major intersections of life require seasons of solitude to prepare for a new level in life.
  2. To Recharge After Hard Work – Mark 6:30-32. Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to do ministry. When they returned He encouraged them to separate from the people who were following them to rest. Ministry leadership is draining. Solitude is required to refocus and ground yourself in the present.
  3. To Work Through Grief – Matthew 14:1-13. After Jesus learned about John the Baptist being beheaded, he went away by himself. Yes, even Jesus the Son of God grieves. Recovering from losses in life is a journey not a quick stop. Times of reflection via solitude are necessary for the grief cycle to come full circle.
  4. Before Making An Important Decision – Luke 6:12-13. Early in his ministry Jesus spent the night in prayer which was followed by the selection of the 12 disciples. Life occurs quickly! Major decisions do not! Take time to fully review, reflect, and reorder your thoughts to see if this decision is in alignment with my core beliefs.
  5. In A Time of Distress – Luke 22:39-44. Just prior to Jesus’ arrest he went to the Mount of Olives and went a short distance from his disciples to pray. He was in great agony knowing what was to occur. There are times in life when major life-altering circumstances will come. There is a place for agonizing prayer to “prayer through” the issues of life.
  6. To Focus On Prayer – Luke 5:16. Jesus modeled on numerous occasions the need to practice prayer in a quiet place. I would encourage the establishment of a place that is special, accessible, and with a great view that you can repeatedly return to for prayer and reflection. Solitude cleanses the soul and purges the mind of the junk that can accumulate on a daily basis.

No doubt there are many insights that can be arrived at, but these represent a few choice reflections that originated by an author that I was not able to obtain. These thoughts are the result of others that have poured into my life to cause me to reflect in solitude. Excuse me while I go to that place of reflection…..

 

 

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Crucial Conversations

Not all conversations are created equal. There are conversations that drain the brain of vital energy and creativity. Then there are conversations that stimulate energy and creativity.FD2659C3209C01E345DE0A88ED638FBA  It is funny at how we avoid certain topics and embrace others. In the faith landscape of America there are conversations that must occur in 2015. In a blog post Carey Nieuwhof suggested a similar discussion that really got me to thinking about conversations that I may not be engaging in and really could be hurting my leadership ability. I would offer 5 crucial conversations that we should engage in ASAP!

  • Are our leaders healthy – really? In the book “The Advantage” Patrick Lencioni suggests that organizational health trumps everything else in the market place. That health presumes healthy leaders. In my opinion this is the most crucial topic of our times and the most ignored. We focus on healthy models of production instead of the health of the practionner.
  • Why are young adults walking from churches? There is a beginning trend and far too early to  declare a cultural shift – people desire to engage the actual mission work of the Kingdom instead of hearing sermons and songs. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to suggest these are insignificant. Rather it is to say that if we are not missional engaged in our community then we are not serving our attendee’s very well. Give them a purpose for belonging and a challenge that is bigger than their ability to write the check.
  • What cultural shifts are we ignoring? The culture is changing faster than the church. I do not believe this is healthy. It is not to suggest that we should go through a season of rapid change for the sake of it. We should however, change to demonstrate the relevance of the gospel message in any culture, race, gender, and location.
  • How do we respond to people who attend church less often? As we continue to shift to hyper post-modernity, people feel less guilty in participating in church and they are less likely to offer loyalty to your cause. The rise of online options and other various ways to engage faith, people feel more likely to take charge of their time and use how they see fit. Occasional is the new normal. The non church attender hates hypocrisy and loves transparency. How are we responding?
  • What are we really willing to change? Change does not come easy. We are willing to die on the matte for the sake of tradition even if it is wrong – after all we have to save face! We can swear and curse all of the changes in social media and technology or we can embrace these changes and adapt our thinking. If our belief system is truly true, then we have nothing to fear. That which is true is true through the ages, places, and spaces of the time continuum. We need only contextualize our methods to meet a new day. YES we will grieve over what we have lost, but we must press forward or lose relevance!

Leave a comment – I would be greatly interested in engaging the conversation with you. I am one to hear other conversations that you feel should be included in this article. Leave a voice message. I will attempt to respond to your comments.

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Why Leadership Matters – 3 Keys

Let’s agree from the opening statements – “We need good leaders!”  CLIstudentsIn order to obtain good leaders there are some underlying assumptions to be considered. Well- resourced development materials and strategies should underpin leadership development. So why is this being overlooked and in fact outright ignored? Could it be that we have been oversaturated with quotes from Jim Collins, Warren Bennis, and John Maxwell? Perhaps our need for immediate gratification has caused us to short-circuit leadership comprehensions to the greater pay-off of accomplishment. If that is so, then we must accept that we are motivated more by events than long-term legacy building. Jesus’ illustration of investing into a rag-tag group of 12 men to win the world should at least stir within us a greater need for authentic discipleship strategy versus immediate payoff’s.

So that we do not miss the obvious and reach a crisis moment that reveals our unpreparedness consider 3 keys on what leadership development consists.

Leadership Is Biblical

When you read through the Bible about the great moves of God, we generally read about a great leader that God used in that event. God uses his leaders to accomplish his purposes is consistent throughout the Biblical narrative. Consider Paul’s words regarding those who aspire to the role of Overseer and he declared it to be noble. That nobility is further highlighted in 1 Timothy 3 where the qualifications of the Pastor is discussed.

Scripture is filled with examples of great leaders and we all know their names and their accomplishments. However, scriptures also give us the not-so-good leaders to learn from their failures so that we do not repeat them. Scriptures describes and prescribes leadership therefore, making it a practice and principle at the same time.

Leadership Is Theological

There are things that Biblical leaders are to do and there are things that Biblical leaders are to be. 1 Timothy 3 gives us a great insight on the life and doctrine of the Pastor. Biblical leadership development is not just about memorizing passages of scripture and adequately arguing theological themes. Rather it is about leading correctly!

Romans 12:8 suggests that our leadership responsibility is to be taken seriously. Ephesians 4:11 gives clear roles and responsibility in Biblical leadership. Mark 7:8-9 Jesus gives the religious leaders a clear warning about catering to the traditions of men as opposed to scriptural preparation. In just a few scripture references we see the theological dimension to leadership. For further insight on developing this construct I would reference Tony Morgans ebook, Developing A Theology of Leadership.

Leadership Is Contextual

Because of the theological aspect of leadership, this plays directly into this third key – leadership is set within a context, not a vacuum. Why is contextualization important? Simply stated, what works in one place will not necessarily work in another. Our theology is what drives our contextualization. Otherwise we may convince ourselves that we are called to be “culture crashers” instead of Kingdom Builders!

The fact of the variety of contexts speaks to God’s creativity and purposes. Beyond corner-stone pieces of theology that remains true from place to place and from time to time, leadership contextualization must be taken seriously. The mantra of “Do what I do and get what I got” is simply a leadership cop-out. Agonizing seasons of prayer, solitude, and learning the culture is the only way to truly contextualize your efforts as a leader. Cookie-cutter models are a thing of the past. Customizations within a context will produce long-term legacy versus short term payoff. Without a sensitivity to the context of our leadership, barriers will be erected, difficulty becomes the norm, and distrust is born. WHY? We have not connected to the people we are called to lead.

The Biblical and theological aspects of leadership are unchanging and remain fixed. However, the contextualization of our leading varies from place to place. Our leadership development strategy should encompass all three keys to Biblical leadership. Be careful about becoming trapped in the cookie-cutter, get busy, action over substance treadmill that leaves leaders disillusioned and discouraged. Leadership matters because it is Biblical, Theological, and Contextual.

Leave a comment or call to leave a message. I would love to dialogue with you on your thoughts for 2015.

 

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5 Things I Am Praying For In 2015

2014-2015-calendar-hero

As we prepare to say good-bye to 2014 and hello to 2015, let us review some of the key take away’s in 2014. According Bible Gateway the #1 Bible verse is John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave is only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The #1 word searched in the Bible (both English and Spanish) is “Love.” Google Search Engine states we searched trillions of subjects. We searched “hope” instead of fiction, we searched for “belief” and for “cure” instead of fantasy. A search of various 2014 in review opinions reveals that we started the year out celebrating Colorado’s right to recreational marajuana  and Affordable Health Care Act and it would seem that we are ending the year celebrating transgenderism while searching for a missing Asian Airliner. Somehow between the smoke and celebrating our interpretation of human design we manage to land a space probe on a comet deep into outer space. Go figure! In fact Dave Barry’s 2014 in review is entitled, “There’s Just No Explaining 2014.” The bizarre nature of 2014 caused Rush Limbaugh to declare in a December 2014 broadcast that “the truth is inadequate to persuade people from what they want to believe.”

We all have presuppositions that shape our worldview that is manifested by our behavior. My worldview is biblio-centric. The bible allows me to believe in God sending his Son Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, raised on a cross, buried in a tomb, raised from the dead on the 3rd day, and is now ascended and seated at the right of the heavenly Father. Therefore, there are 5 things I am praying for in 2015.

  1. A Greater Prayer Emphasis – Prayer is not for ceremonialism that adds a touch of class to pomp and circumstance of life. Prayer is the heart-beat of the believing community of Christ-followers. Perhaps 2015 is a year that we live out 2 Chronicles 7:14; “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
  2. Stand Up For Biblical Truth – We are living in a country that grants the freedom to believe and express our belief’s. However, that freedom does not preclude the right to annihilate another’s right to believe in an eternal God. I am praying for strength of conviction by those in the pulpits of our nation to speak truth with passion and a freshness that energizes conviction. Multiculturalism is leading our nation to moral rot. By definition “every person’s truth cannot be true at the same time and in all places.” The Law of Noncontradiction states that something cannot be true and not true at the same time when dealing with the same context. Focus groups and polling data does not instill moral absolutes that you can build your life upon.
  3. Intentional Evangelism – Ed Stetzer’s article, “Why Pentecostal’s Are Growing In Number” suggests this growth to be sociological and not so theological. His reasoning suggests a “shared conviction of urgency” is what contributes to this growth. Pentecostal’s believe their message is significant and urgent enough that the whole world needs to hear. Therefore, evangelism becomes a primary concern and not an ancillary after-thought. If our message is compelling, then our voice should be passionate – “Go into all of the world…” is still mandated by scripture. Non-christians are waiting on an invitation to go to church – invite them.
  4. A Strong Mission Agenda – A mission agenda is more than holiday good-will. It is a deliberate agenda that challenges people to pray for the nations, participate in short-term missions projects at home and abroad, an action plan that keeps missional needs in front of people throughout the entire year.
  5. Deliberate Discipleship – The Great Commission of the church is still disciple-making of the converts so that more converts can be discipled. This requires intentionality of the subjects offered coupled with missional activity. Learning that does not have a practical outlet carries only minimal value. When linked to practical hands-on application truth becomes alive. These twin realities also lend themselves to positive church membership expectations. People want to learn, but they also want to participate.

These are my thoughts for the New Year. I would love to hear what you are praying for in 2015. Share your thoughts below or leave a voice message and I will do my best to respond to you.