Empty Shelf Book #3: Eleven Rings

Title: Eleven Rings - The Soul of Success

Author: Phil Jackson

What It's About: Phil Jackson is the most successful coach in NBA history with 11 rings. This is the behind the scene look at how he coached 3 of the most prolific players in history and lead their respective teams to become two of greatest teams. It highlights his spiritual upbringing, current spiritual pursuit, his leadership style and tactics, and team management.

Why Did I Read It: I was a HUGE Jordan and Bulls fan in the 90's. Creating, building, and developing teams as well as coaching others to grow is a large part of what I do. I wanted to see how the greatest NBA coach was able to do it so successfully with so many differing personalities, skill sets, and skill levels.

Favorite Idea: Success of a team can be viewed by the selfishness or selfless of it's members. In order to accomplish something great individuals must "bench" their desire to be great themselves and be a great team. There were many references to Tribal Leadership and how individuals must put the tribes before themselves. I have added it to my reading list for the year.  I was shocked at how much individualized coaching he did for each player and even gave them a personalized book assignment at mid-season that ranged from the book of Proverbs to The Art of War.

Favorite Quote: "God does not have any grandchildren." Even though this wasn't a direct tie to the overall leadership theme of the book it addressed Phil trying to reconcile his parents legalistic religious upbringing and his search for something greater.

Opinion:  Great book! I knew Phil was a Buddhist, but was super shocked to find that his parents were Pentecostal Pastors. Their  view on Christianity definitely played a role in his disconnect with "the faith of his parents." It has some great leadership nuggets on balancing expectations, personalities, goals, and outcomes. As an added bonus, my copy is supposedly signed by Phil Jackson.

What do you see in them...

The last several years The Voice has taken the throne from The American Idol. I don't follow it every week, but I believe it's a much better show with much better talent. I still get excited when I hear Nicholas David from last year and my favorite this year is Preston Phol. He has a pretty awesome story. I've probably watched Preston's first performance almost hundred times. It's Crazy Good! (Warning...you may bob your head a little.)

Tonight I caught a few moments of the knockout rounds between a couple of Christina Aguilera's team mates. One of them was a greatly gifted 16 year old girl. I can't remember her name, but I remember something Christina said to her, and I can't shake the exchange and response.

"I see a little bit of me in you., " Christina exclaimed.

The young girl got extremely excited and could not believe that THE CHRISTINA AGUILERA was saying that about her. Here is a young girl having a role model telling her of the greatness that is inside of her (granted Christina is talented but not necessarily the greatest of role models) and those words have probably set and fueled her path to work in pursing greatness.

I can't get it out of my head because here's the thing...we should be doing that too, with those that look up to us.  No matter our age, experience, successes, failures, coolness or geekness...we have someone who looks up to us. They want to know what we see in them AND we could set their course by telling them what we see. It doesn't take being a Christina, Cee Lo, Adam, or Blake OR being on National TV to have that opportunity. You have it every day. It doesn't have to be a dramatic experience with a microphone, smoke, lights, lazers, and a crowd. It just has to be sincere.

Call out the greatness you see in someone and see them be great.

Hebrews 10:24(NLT) 

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Again and Again and Again

One thing that I have found that I don't do well... is getting back up. I find that once I stop doing something, for whatever reason, even if I did it well and consistently, it is hard to start back up.  I think it's called falling off the wagon. I know you've never experienced this...you may know someone who has though.I've been wrestling with this a lot lately.

From January 2007 until about April 2010, I posted on here at least 2 or 3 times a month. Now, it's been 7 months since my last post.  I even let my domain expire. What used to be findingmoore.com is now findingmoore.NET. I spent a year running 4 or 5 days a week. I ran two 5ks and a half marathon. I registered for a second half marathon but didn't run it.  I bet I couldn't run a mile without stopping now. I set a goal of reading 2 books a month this year. So far I've read 6...at least it's one a month.

I could give you several excuses that I've used for each one at some point. You pick one.

1. Life got busy.
2. We had our second child. (She's 3 now.)
3. We've been going through ministry transition .... for the last 3 years.
4. We bought our first house and moved...an hour and half away from family and long time friends.
5. My dad has cancer and it sucks.
6. I need a new pair of running shoes.
7. I'm always tired.
8. There's other things I need to be doing.....on my phone..(cough)...I mean in the yard and around the house.
9. I'll just start back up tomorrow...or Monday.
10. TBA_________________

Don't act surprised. I bet you have made an excuse or two.

There are other areas I'm more consistent in I'm sure...but lately I've been haunted by these 3. I know they may not sound super spiritual but they are for me. We all have areas that we wish we could do better at and be more consistent and disciplined in. I've read the articles, listened to the podcasts and gotten advice from friends. But it all boils down to this one thing, when we fall of the wagon.

You HAVE to get BACK up .............................
..........................................................................Again
...................................................................................And AGAIN
......................................................................................................AND AGAIN
............................................................................................................................AND AGAIN

Whatever you're feeling guilty about slacking in, let's get back up together, and start ........AGAIN.

Proverbs 24:16 New Living Translation

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. 
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked

Evidence they can trust

Then the Lord said to Moses, " I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. The they will always trust you." ~ Exodus 19:9

I have been chewing on this verse for about a week. And it has convicted me heavily on how I am listening and leading. People are looking for someone they can trust to lead them. But they have to have a reason to trust their leader.

For Moses it was the audible voice of  God in cloud of smoke. In addition to that, Moses was always obedient in telling the people what God had spoken to him in private...no matter how hard it was.  The people could visibly see the relationship between  God and Moses.

When it comes to Christian leaders, and within a church; people want to know that who is leading them is hearing from God.  As church leaders we need to have "visible evidence" within our life that God is speaking to us. That evidence is found in our words and actions. It is found when we are obedient in sharing with others what God has told us to. It is after we have exhibited that, over time, that people feel like they can trust us and follow us.


 Paul told the Church of Corinth that they should imitate him, as he imitates Christ. The only way they could do that was by seeing true evidence of Christ in his life

Don't try planting false evidence in  your life. You can fake it for a while, but eventually you'll get tired of planting the evidence. People will find the true evidence and it will either build a case AGAINST you or FOR you. They will doubt you or trust you.

The only way you can have the True Evidence that builds a case for you is to let God put it there.
God told Moses that he would provide the evidence that would cause the people to trust.  Moses just had to be there with God. We have to "be there",  spend that time with God. That is when they can see the Evidence of Him speaking to us and through us can be seen. Then they will trust us.

Fear-less

Everyone is afraid of something. If you say your are not afraid of anything, then you are afraid of being seen as weak. Although healthy fear of some things is actually good...like spiders and snakes. The one thing I am afraid of the most is deep water. You can't see whats down there and you don't know where the bottom is.

When I was younger I had to have tubes in my ears to drain fluid behind my ear drum. Because of that, for several years during my childhood, I couldn't get water in my ears. This prevented me from getting into a swimming pool until I was in 6th grade. Not being able to experience this caused a fear of the unknown.

I finally took swimming lessons in the 6th grade and loved being in the pool, BUT didn't like putting my face in the water and definitely not under water. The day came for us to move from the shallow end (3 feet deep) to the deep end (12 feet deep.) To get into the deep end we had to jump off the diving board to our instructor below. I climbed up onto the board, looked down, stood for a few moments, and then climbed back down. Even though I trusted  my  instructor, and ALL the other kids jumped. I wasn't jumping.

The weeks of lesson ended without me going into the deep end. The next summer I took the lessons again, and climbed off the board without visiting the deep end. For years I have watched my friends, do back flips, belly flops, and canon balls, but to this day I have yet to jump off a diving board  I will go into the deep end....if no one else is in the pool and I can stay close to the sides in the event something tries to get me.

Now, as a dad, I want my children to fear deep water less than I do.

This summer, our family took a vacation to Ft. Walton, FL. I love the beach, and I actually enjoy getting in the ocean....as long as I can stand up.  In an effort to remove their fear of water, I tried to take my girls into the ocean and the deeper end (5ft deep) of the pool.

What I found in the process is that my girls DID NOT enjoy it at first.  They wanted no part of it. In fact Ella would squeeze her arms around my neck, pin her legs around my waist and scream "NO DON"T TAKE ME." Most strangers probably thought I was weird guy kidnapping a child. My wife finally made me stop in embarrassment. The next day and a few tries later, I was eventually able to get Ella into the deeper end of the pool. She had to stay close to the edge and I had to stay close to her as well. But at least she went. I worked with Addison the same way. She got to the point that I didn't have to hold on to her. I let her go and float on her own...with the arm floaties that is. I will continue to do this every time we get in a pool, because I don't want them to miss out on the things, and wrestle with the insecurities I have about swimming and deep water.

Yesterday I heard Rick Warren say that we  have to move toward what we are afraid of in order to overcome that fear.  Mark Batterson says that overcoming a fear is much like a vaccine. We have to have a little bit of it at a time to build up our immunity to it.  Eventually that that you feared most you may actually come to enjoy.

To overcome a fear sometimes you will:

1. Need someone to push/pull you into an uncomfortable situation.
Naturally you will walk, run, and stay away from anything that you are afraid of. It will take someone to dare or challenge you to go deeper. My 6  and 2 year old would not go into the deep end by themselves. It took me pulling them there, even against their own will. Jesus has a tendency of putting people in our life to do that. He wants us to live the best life possible, and doing so means getting us out of our comfort zone.

2. Need to trust the people you are with.
Obviously as their father, there is a natural level of trust that my girls have with me. There needs to be a good level of trust had with the person who is pulling/pushing you to go deeper. In addition,we need to trust our Heavenly Father, knowing that he has us in His arms.

3. Need to keep facing that fear.
It may take facing that fear more than one time. A vaccine may take two or three rounds before it is complete. Fear has a way of creeping back up on us. Consistently going back into the deep end reminds us that it isn't as bad as what we thought and builds our knowledge base of the situation and what we can realistically expect..

Don't let a fear keep you content in the kiddy pool. I'm not.....one day I WILL jump of that diving board.

Moving Forward

Change is hard. The older we get, the harder it is for us to change. You may not admit it, because admitting it, is admitting a weakness. Take a minute and think about your life. What has changed within the last year? Did you initiate that change? Was it forced on you? Or did it just gradually happen? We get comfortable with where we are at in life. Routines are great and comfortable, but can prevent us from moving forward into the things we are supposed to accomplish.

Take another look at the 1st Generation of Israelite, (Numbers 13-14), they were unable to move forward into the Promise Land because they had gotten comfortable with being in the desert. They even had a longing to go back to Egypt because it didn't seem as bad as it once did. (Kind of like a desire to go back to your crazy ex-girlfriend because you have sort of forgotten how crazy she was after being away from her for a while.) As a result the First Generation of Israelites never entered the Promise Land.

They had found Freedom through following God out of slavery. They were afraid of moving forward into total Fulfillment because they would face a challenge in entering the Promise Land. They were content with just Surviving in the Desert, but God wanted them to Thrive in the Promise Land. If God has freed you through Salvation in Jesus Christ, are you wandering in your Freedom or are you living Fulfilled in what He is calling you to?

The Second Generation learned from their parents and grandparents and had a desire to move forward at any cost (Joshua 1-3). Once the First Generation had wandered to death, the Second Generation had their chance and this is their response:

"We will do whatever you command us, and we will go where you send us. We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death." ~Joshua 1:16-18

From that day the Israelite continued to Move Forward into the Promise Land and received what God had wanted to give to the First Generation. I believe the Second Generation was able to Move Forward because:

1. They Looked Forward
Not once did they mention returning to Egypt or staying in the Wilderness. They wanted to move forward. When we are constantly looking back to where we were or down at where we are at, we cannot move forward. If we try, we will go off the path or injure ourselves. Your  past successes can hold you back as much as your failures. We keep trying to relive the glory days and become unable to move forward. That's why one hit wonders, only have one hit. Jesus says that a man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom.  It's okay to glance back and around you to stay on course, but don't let it become your focal point. Are you looking ahead or do you keep looking back?

2. They didn't let the problem overshadow the Promise.
In order to enter the Promise Land the Second Generation had to cross the Jordan River at flood level. It was overflowing at the banks. God had told them to walk into the river and stop there, He would stop the river from flowing, and they would walk across on dry ground. They believed and proceeded. God promised the First Generation that He would give them the land. They saw the giants and cities of the land and were afraid to move forward. They allowed the problem to overshadow the promise. Is fear of the problem holding you back or is faith in God's promise propelling you forward?

3.)They trusted God with the first step even though they couldn't see it and it didn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense to walk into a river that is flooded. They couldn't see where they were stepping, and it's dangerous. The Second Generation trusted God's plan and took the first step. When they did the water stopped flowing, and He made their path across the river clear. They could see the next step and the next one. God could have stopped the river while they stood on the banks. But He wanted them to trust Him completely. Proverbs 3:5-6 challenges us to trust God more than ourselves and seek him in all that we do. When we do that He makes the path clear for us. What first step is God bringing you take? Trust Him and take it.

You may be free in your relationship with Jesus. God wants so much for you than that. He wants to move you into your Promise Land. But He will leave it up to you whether or not you Move Forward or Wander in the Wilderness.

Your Attitude determines your Altitude

I've heard a couple of Leadership Gurus say something to the effect that "Your attitude determines your altitude." Basically your attitude helps determine the amount of success you achieve in life.  I don't think that speaks about short bursts of a positive attitude but a consistent positive outlook.

Caleb's attitude set him apart from the rest of the group and he caught God's attention. (Numbers 14:24-25). Even though initially Caleb's life was threatened because of his positive attitude, it was his attitude that preserved him over the long haul. The negative outlook eventually became the downfall of the people of Israel over the long haul. Caleb and the Israelites both received what they perceived and believed.

Caleb focused on God's promise to be brought into the Promise Land and eventually achieved that. The people of Israel focused on the problem and said they would rather have "died in Egypt or even in the wilderness" than face the challenge of entering the promise land. They eventually achieved that as well. God set them to wander the next 40 years in the wilderness until all those over the age of 20 dropped dead in the wilderness (Numbers 14:27-29).

Here is the crazy part to think about....

Caleb and Joshua had to wander with these people for the next 40 years. They would have to wait to receive their promise. This would be a justifiable moment to become bitter and agitated, not just at people but at God. Why should they have to wait and suffer for the disobedience and lack of faith of the others? I don't know why. But they did. They could have griped and complained about it. They could have went off on their own into the promise land and try to get what was theirs, but they stayed with the people and wandered...and their attitude didn't change.

When I go shopping with my family, and I'm ready to go to home (my promise land), and we have to "wander" through a few more stores first; I can get very agitated. And then when we finally get to go home, I go home ill because it took too long to get there.  This is just a one day event. Caleb did this for 40 years before he finally got to enter his Promise Land.

This is Caleb's response:....(I love this!!!)

"Now as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as He promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise - even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on the journey (as a scout), and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said." ~ Joshua 14:10-12

I wish I could respond like that when things don't go my way. Even after forty-five years Caleb is still carrying that positive attitude. Now that positive attitude is now going to carry him into his Promise Land.  He still believes that he will drive out the giants that the others were so terrified of and take what is his. And that is just what he does (Joshua 15:14). You may have a positive outlook on your situation right now and are believing God's promise for you. Or, it may not be coming to pass as quickly as you would like. You may feel like your wandering, even because of others. Don't let that change what you believe about God's Promise for you. God's promises do not have an expiration date. Carry that positive attitude with you for the long haul, and let it carry you into your Promise Land. Your attitude will eventually determine your altitude.

It won't last that long

How would you feel if I told you that what you are going through right now is not that big of a deal. That pain your feeling right now is not that bad. What if I said that you will eventually get over it and move on to something else. I bet you'd want to punch me in the throat and tell that it doesn't hurt that bad and that I'd eventually get over it.
 
But honestly...honestly...you will begin to think and worry about your current situation less and less as time goes on. You will eventually move on to something else. It might be a greater success or maybe another trial. It might take a few days, weeks, months, or maybe even a year or two. A year seems like FOREVER. Over the course of lifetime though, it's not. Realistically the time frame in which you experience closer on a situation is up to you and what you decide to focus on.

The apostle Paul knew what pain and trouble was. He was imprisoned, stoned, flogged, beaten, shipwrecked, and snake bit. Yet he wrote these words...

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! (1st Corinthians 4)

Can you say that about your present troubles? ..... "They are small and won't last very long." I know there are times when I can't.

Remember this, life is short. David said in the Book of Psalm that the length of our life is compared to the width of our hand (and I have pretty small hands for someone who is 6'2"). James said that our life is like the morning fog, here in the morning but gone by noon. It's that quick. When you think about life from that perspective, our troubles are an even smaller portion of the short life.

Jesus never promised us a trouble/sorrow free life. In fact he told us we would have those times( John 16:33). Ecclesiastes even gives seasons of those times(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). But Jesus has overcome the world and seasons change. 


You definitely can't see it now, because all you see is your troubles, but at the end of this there is a reward that outweighs your trial.

I love the illustration of Pastor Judah Smith of City Church uses. He compares life and what we see in our current situation to a Christmas parade. In a parade all we can see is what is right in front of us. And sometimes it can be horses crapping on the street or a really ugly float and we are just waiting to see what is next. To be honest we are just waiting until the end so we can see Santa. That is our perspective in life... what's in front of us. But God is like the guy up in the blimp above the parade. He sees the beginning of the parade, the end of the parade, as well as everything in between... all at the same time. But instead of getting to see Santa at the end of it. We get to see Jesus. And that's SO worth standing through a few trials right now.

So you may be in a season of trouble, sorrow, suffering, doubt, or worry. But hold on and keep looking ahead.. Because the scenery will change, and the Glory to come is far greater and will last far longer (forever) than what we go through on this earth. 

I'm praying your light and momentary suffering will soon give way to a great reward.

Running for Life Pt 3: Discipline

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win the prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline  my body like an athlete training it to do what it should, Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

The final thing that I have learned from running in my first 5k is that there were days leading up to the race that I DID NOT feel like running. When I first started running I struggled running for 60 seconds, so I had to get back in shape. To do that I decided to run 4 days a week. Our family's schedule is a little hectic in the evening and I want to spend as much time as possible with the kiddos before they go to bed. Because of this, I set my run times EARLY in the morning.

I would get up and run around 6:15am four days a week and several days I DID NOT want to get up. Especially as the mornings got darker darker and colder. Honestly the first 10 minutes were horrible.  I hated it. I had to make my body and mind come into agreement with my purpose of running 3.1 miles. I had to DISCIPLINE myself to get out of bed, especially on Saturday mornings. If I had the not, I would not have been able to run the race, I would have had to walk/run it.

I touched on the subject of Discipline in a previous post. But what I found is that there are periods, after you set a goal and set your directions, that you are going to want to "take a break". You will try to convince yourself that you deserve the break with all kinds of excuses.

It's too early.
It's too late.
I don't have time right now.
I'll do it later.
I've been doing really good so far.
This is too difficult.

One excuse can lead to another one, then another, and then another. Finally, we are no longer pursuing the finish line. You have to make yourself do what you are supposed to do in order to cross that finish line. If you don't, you are disqualifying yourself from the race and you will loose. Once you've been disqualified, in order to cross the finish line, you may have to go back the starting line. Then thought of having to start all over can lead to complete surrender and  giving up.

Whatever goal you've set, or finish line you defined in your life. You're not always going to feel like training and making the preparations for your race. Do whatever it takes to make sure you can cross it. If not you'll wind up discouraged and starting over or dropping out. Set the alarm, disable the snooze, get up, and run!

Running for Life Pt 2: Direction

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win the prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline  my body like an athlete training it to do what it should, Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

What would a race look like if everyone was going in different directions? What if those in the race were not running in the direction of the finish line? What if they ran in the opposite direction? Odds are they would have a hard time reaching the finish line if at all.

In a race the path to the finish line is marked with signs and markers letting you know where you are, where to turn, and even how far you have gone. The night before my first 5K I was given a map of the course that showed the start and finish lines, the direction I was to run, and where the turns were. As I was running each mile was marked, each turn was marked, and there were even folks on the side line encouraging us and pointing us in the right direction. I knew I wanted to cross the finish line in a certain time, I had my purpose, but before the race started I also knew how I was going to get there.

Go Commando 5k Clarksville, TN

It doesn't matter how clear and precisely marked your finish line or purpose is, if your course is not set and you don't have a clear direction on how you are going to get there...you will have a hard time crossing your finish line if at all. You will struggle in accomplishing your goal. Take some times before the starting gun sounds and mark out your course. Set each step. Clearly mark your turns. Where will your uphill climbs and down hill coasts be? Don't just choose the shortest distance either. Just because it's quicker doesn't mean it's the best way either. Make sure you have people in your life at the right places cheering you on pointing you in the right direction. Don't get distracted by the scenery or try to take shortcuts. Make sure you stay on the right path until reach the end. 

Running for Life Pt 1 - Purpose

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?SO RUN TO WIN! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win the prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with PURPOSE in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline  my body like an athlete training it to do what it should, Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

I've been chewing on this verse for a couple of months now. Partly because I have started running (believe it or not.) Seven weeks ago I began a C25K (couch to a 5k) program in order to run my first 5k in honor of a fraternity brother who passed away. And on October 15th I completed my first 5k with a time of 28:16, almost 2 minutes under my goal time.

In times past I have made fun of people who run for fun or exercise. My thought was that running is something you do when you are being chased. However, many times I tried to start running to get in shape and many times I failed after a couple of days. I even bought a  pair of running shoes and wore them twice until recently. I also bought a tiny mp3 player to  entertain me as I ran. It was used mostly in our cars.

The primary reason I failed all of those times, is because I had no clear purpose for my running. Sure I wanted to get in shape, but there was no set goal I wanted to reach. The above scripture said that a runner runs to win and each step is made with a purpose. My earlier purpose of "get in shape" was vague and shallow. There was no finish line to cross. That is why I never followed through.

My current obsession with running is attributed to my decision to run a 5k in honor of a friend. I wanted to run it, not walk it, or even run/walk it. I didn't want to just complete it, wanted to run it in at least 30 minutes. I set my "win" and with that came the purpose for each step I ran. The goal was concise, precise, and attainable. Something I could work toward and there would be a finish line I would cross.

I crossed that finish line and I'm still running. I'm running in another 5k in a few weeks and I'm planning on running a 10k in the summer. I'm still running because I have set another finish line to improve my time and increase my distance. I've also found that I REALLY enjoy running.

I don't think anyone would complete a race or even run in one if there wasn't a finish line. Most of our incompletes in life or even failures are due to a lack of finish lines. Is your purpose clear? What are you wanting to accomplish? What are you wanting to achieve? Why are you running? Did you reach that mark and then stop? Are you tired of nothing changing in life and always giving up? Is it financial, relational, physical, or spiritual? Find a finish line. If you don't see one, set one. Once you reach that goal, set another one that will take you to the next level. Run to win!

If you knew...

I was just listening to a podcast of one of my spiritual mentors...and wow. He just revealed a nugget of truth I had never thought about and just pass over.

One of the greatest hurts we face as leaders, pastors, or just people is betrayal by someone we are in relationship with, someone we care about. For whatever reason a relationship breaks down because of a lie, deception, or disagreement, and we feel betrayed. We feel stabbed in the back as the saying goes.

How do you  normally respond in that situation? Like most we put up walls, we retaliate, or we go into hiding. Usually anything to deal with the pain and possibly try to punish the person. Now let me ask you this. What would you do "If you knew someone was going to betray you?" How would you respond?

Would you jump ahead and hurt them first? Would you confront them with the information? Would you avoid them all together trying to prevent the betrayal? Any one of those things would be part of our human nature to respond.

But this is what Perry Noble pointed out Jesus did in John 13.

I've read and taught John 13 dozens of times from the angle of humbling yourself and serving others. But totally missed that Jesus was also serving the one who would betray him...AND He already knew Judas was going to betray Him.

v2. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas to betray Jesus. v3. Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. SO He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around Him and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples feet....

Where it says he began to wash the disciples feet....that includes Judas. Judas, the one who sold Jesus out! Jesus didn't exclude him. In the SAME chapter Judas leaves to betray Jesus.

1. Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him
2. Jesus knew He had been given authority over everything. He could have used that authority to prevent the betrayal or correct Judas in front of the other disciples.....or just take Judas out all together.
3. Jesus knew all this SO He got up from the table and washed their feet. It was because He knew these things that He did what He did AND included Judas in the experience.

Jesus was walking out what He was talking about in Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-35.

The truth is this...people are going to betray you at times. But that does not exclude them from our love. I bet if we lived this way the betrayal would have a lot less power over lives.

SO knowing this.......serve/love the one who hurt you this week.

Do you Reapeat or Reveal

Last week I started a series in our student ministry called Jesus is_____. I know, catchy title. I actually swiped the title from Judah at Generation Church. Before we went too far into the series I wanted our students to know that regardless of how much you know about Jesus, you have to be able to declare who He is to you.

If you look in Matthew 16: 13-19, how we answer Jesus' question, "who do you say that I am?", has huge implications on His power in our life. When you read the text, Jesus actually asks two questions.

1. Who do people say that I am?
2. Who do you say that I am?

In the first answer the boys are basically REPEATING information of who others have said Jesus is. In the process they spout off a couple of names, not sure if they are giving the right answer. Simon quickly answers the second question without a stutter or stammer, "You are the Messiah, Son of the Living  God." Simon wasn't just repeating information...he was REVEALING his heart.  By REVEALING his heart, Simon became Peter and was given strength that even the powers of Hell would not overcome. How we describe Jesus in our lives determines His power in our life. Are we only REPEATING what we have been told (trying to give a good Sunday school answer hoping its right) or are we REVEALING our heart (smooth, quick, personal explanation). The only way that can be REVEALED in the heart is if it's in there, and the only way it can be in there is if we put it there...because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, right.

Of course this message was meant to encourage my students to make sure that they know who Jesus is to them, and that if they are truly followers of Christ they shouldn't just be Repeating information.They should be Revealing their heart.

BUT as I was thinking back through this today, I became consumed with this thought in how it relates to pastoring, preaching, and the health of God's Church. This thought has even greater implications when it comes to building The Church (both locally and globally). When we focus on correctly answering the second question and sharing that with others.........THE CHURCH CANNOT FAIL. It's a promise made by Christ himself.

Pastors, are you only Repeating what you have been reading. Or, are you Revealing your heart? When you preach which are you doing? When you share Christ in any conversation, which are you doing? I know personally there have been times that I've caught myself just repeating information. But when The Word that God gives me becomes embedded in my heart and I Reveal it. I know it, I feel His power in my life and within the ministry that I serve...and I feel that the Powers of Hell cannot conquer me. The ones I have revealed that word to are empowered the same. Others know which you are doing too. They know a good speech from a God given Word from the heart.

We have to make sure that we soak our hearts in His word separate from our message preparation times. It's in those times that our hearts become full, and we are able to REVEAL who Christ is in us and in our church. Because, out of the abundance of the heart....the mouth speaks.

Eat Sleep Serve

In 2005 our youth ministry attended a Group Work Camp for the first time. During that week we spent time simply serving in the community of Monroe Louisiana. My thoughts after the trip were "Man, we could and need to do something like this in Adamsville." For the next 5 years we would still travel out of state and country to serve in other communities.  Yet that thought from the first trip constantly lingered. Last year, in 2010 that thought solidified with Eat Sleep Serve. We eat and sleep at the church, while serving and sharing Christ in our back yard. Last years ESS was very successful but this year was even greater.

James 1 tells us that Pure and Genuine Worship is taking care of the orphans and the widows. So that is just what we did for ESS2011. We served in 6 house projects, a children's outreach, and food distributions. We also had 14 free oil changes lined up, but had to reschedule due to rain. As we worshiped through serving during the day we opened up opportunities that 1st Peter 3:15 talks about allowing us to share Chirst with some individuals

We ended each day with a celebration service. During Thursday night's service Pastor Dan Lord of The Life Church of Memphis brought The Word, challenging our group to be the Loudest Generation. We are to Embrace our Call and use our Voice pointing others to Christ. Friday night we asked God to break our hearts for what breaks His, to be able to see the crowds as He sees them by looking past the labels with compassion. The night ended with our group spending over an hour after service on our face in worship while only a CD played. It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences in my life. All four of our Youth Ministry Values were seen played out this weekend, Worship-Acceptance-Change-Challenge.


I am so thankful that God has had patience with me and continued to nag me with this idea until I completed my task.

r

Community on Community

I've been watching a lot of this show lately even episodes multiple times. It is probably my new favorite.

Community follows a study group of mismatched traditional and non-traditional students from various social and economical backgrounds who depend on each other to survive their time at Greendale Community College. The show centers on Jeff, a suspended lawyer for faking his degree; Britta, a high school drop out; Abed Nadir,an aspiring film student; Shirley Bennett, a recently divorced mother attending college for the first time, former high school quarterback Troy Barnes, Pierce an aging tycoon, and straight-laced nerd Annie Edison, who has had an unrequited crush on Troy since high school.

Each show ends with a "Ah Ha" moment of how the group learns together, grows together, and takes care of each other. The things the group have worked through this season range from loss of loved ones, dealing with insecurities, working through mess ups and misunderstanding, and celebrating successes as well. They even overcame a virus that put others into a temporary Zombie like state. Take out the "garbage" and it's a lot of how life should be done together with those that you care most about. They even arrange their class schedule so that they can take the same class to remain a study group. It is similar to how the community of a small group SHOULD be. It's not always pretty, sometimes ugly, but at the end of the day you really care about those in your group.

The show is actually taken from the creator's, Dan Harmon, experiences in a community college Spanish Study group. With this as the background, Harmon wrote the show with a main character largely based on himself. He had, like Jeff, been self-centered and independent to the extreme before he realized the value of connecting with other people.

This show has a lot incite on the importance of community to those leading or apart of small groups. I'd love to see created, even create myself, resources on doing life together using this sitcom.

In this episode the group attempts to help Troy become a man as he enters his 21st year of life by taking him to get his first drinks. They show the glitz, glamor, and spoils of the party life. In the end Troy realizes that he is already a man even without the power of booze.

Leaders are Readers

Over the past month I've managed to accumulate more books than I've read all year. That's not too hard considering I've only read 5 books all year. This disappointment me greatly. It is about half of what I normally do in a year.

There are a few quotes that ring in my head when I look at this stack and think about my failure to read this year.

The first two are my paraphrases.

"Leaders are Readers"

"The things that change you the most are the relationships you build and the books you read."

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain.


So this will be my reading for the next few months or even year. My wife says I can have NO MORE untill I've read these. So I'm hitting them two at a time.

The two that I have started on are:

1. Leading from the Lions Den - Tom Harper
In this book, Tom has taken the entire bible and gleaned one leadership nugget from each book. So it is essentially broken down into 66 little bites of leadership lessons that applies to just about any avenue of life whether it be spiritual, personal, or business. What I love about this one is you can take a couple of bites (chapters) every morning and meditate on them the rest of the day.

2. Jesus Manifesto - Frank Viola / Leonard Sweet
Just now about 40+ pages into this one. I had heard that basically it just states, re-states, overstates, and then states once more of how "Christ IS Christianity." Stuff that most good Christians already know. It's true, BUT the way it is presented is very convicting. At least for me as a Christian minister. The real gut punch was a statement which cited that "most sermons are about anything BUT Christ and that He usually just get's an honorable mention somewhere in the message." The also exhort that church members should know more about Christ than about church programs or events. This book has really fighting through some questions in my head to be simply about keeping Christ in the center of Christianity. Oh and Frank Viola is NOT to be confused with this Frank Viola....which I did at first. Yes I actually have that card.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on either of these two.

Are you worth following?

Just got my tale handed to me from a guy in Texas. Actually it was through a message from last years Right Now Conference by Tim Ross of the Potters House in Texas. The message was a challenge to make sure that we are the person that others should be following.

If you consider yourself a leader then you are the guy in the front of a line on the elementary school playground taking all of those behind you where you want them to go. If you are the leader then you are the one at the front of the line that is being imitated by everyone in the line behind you. I know it may be a bit over simplified but in essence that is what you are doing as a leader.

Do you ever stop and consider where you are taking them and what they are imitating.

In Romans 12:8 Paul encourages those who have been given the gift of leadership to take that responsibility seriously. I take that responsibility very seriously...or at least think that Ido.

Tim Ross brings out 1st Corinthians 4:3 where Paul speaks these words...
"For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to IMITATE ME!"

It's one thing to play a silly little game on a playground where you see just where you can get people to go and how funny you can get them to act. But it is a CRAZY BRAVE thing to URGE...not just ask...but insist grown folk to "IMITATE ME, follow me, do what I do". But Paul is not just telling people to follow him up a hill or through the swings, flapping their arms while barking like a dog.

Paul is telling them in 1st Corinthians 11:1
"You should IMITATE ME as I IMITATE CHRIST."

As a Spiritual Leader (whether you are a pastor, church staff, department leader, FATHER or MOTHER, or BELIEVER) it is our responsibility to lead other to and in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Could you, can you, make the same declaration as Paul..."IMITATE ME as I IMITATE CHRIST. Because, if you imitate me then you are becoming more like Christ?"

If they did imitate you are they be becoming more or less like Christ?

OUCH...I know it hurts me to...

But think about that for a moment.

We have those that we are leading because we have been given that place or position. Then there are those around us who are following without ever being asked to do so. They do because of our relationship with them. Maybe they have seen you pass by and have just jumped in line following us around the playground.

Either way we have been given the "gift of leadership"and we must take that responsibility seriously. Imitate Christ...so that when they imitate you...they are realy only imitating Him.

Legends of the Old School

I've started a new series with our students "Legends of the Old School vol 1." We are taking a look at some of the Heroes of the Old Testament. I spend a lot of time in the New Testament reading the letters Paul put out for the churches he was planting, but have shifted gears lately and planted myself in the OT for a bit.

Hebrews 11 is like the Hall of Fame walk through for the OT heroes. Maybe even The Cliff Notes for the OT (I failed my share of tests thanks to Cliff, so don't just read this chapter.) Everything they accomplished, was by faith. Almost half of all the verses in chapter 11 begin with, "It was by faith."

The beginning of the chapter tells us that Faith is the confidence (belief) of what we hope to happen will ACTUALLY happen, and that what we believe to exist actually exists even if we CAN'T see it. These folks earned their reputation for believing the impossible and seeing the invisible, when no one else could.

The amazing thing is that ALL these people died still believing what God had promised. And they didn't even receive everything that God had promised but they still believed it was theirs up to their very last breath. But the chapter tells that they welcomed from a distance. They never looked back, but continued to look forward at that promise. They knew even a portion of that promise was better than where they had been and even where they were at. And in that lies the basics of their Old School faith that earned them their reputation and kept them going.

They knew that what was in store for them was better than where they were at. They endured, they fought, they followed, they waited, they wandered, they succeeded, they failed, all because of their faith in the promise they had been given. That is what kept them looking and moving forward. That is what earned them their good reputation and THAT is what made God PROUD to be called their God.

Which of God's promises are you going to believe to your very last breath? What are you believing will happen (regardless of YOUR time frame)? What are you seeing (that no one else sees)? Parents don't give up on your kids. Don't give up on your spouse. Fight that illness or that generational addiction. Take that stand. Hold your ground. You may leave this earth, without physically seeing the promise fulfilled, BUT that doesn't mean that it won't be fulfilled. You might just have to "welcome it from a distance." When you believe that, see that, speak those things God is PROUD to be called YOUR God.

So make Him proud be called your God and don't stop believin'.....

On the Way to Small Groups

This is some info I'm passing on to my small group leaders this weekend. It's nothing new, but a few things to always try to be practicing.

A lot of the things Jesus taught the disciples and some of the miracles He performed were on the way to somewhere else. The majority of the learning and ministry moments with your students may not necessarily be with in the small group time, but on the way to and from your group. Recognize these moments and make the most of them.

Compliment in Public / Correct in Private
◦ Complimenting is important but easy. Celebrate and share their successes with others inside and outside the group.
◦ Correcting is equally important but NOT near as easy. Don't shy away from a learning and growing opportunity for both you and the student.
◦ If a problem arises you may have to initially diffuse it in public, but address further in private.
◦ Don't just correct, but also discuss the motives behind the offense, how a repeat offense can be avoided, the personal leadership potential in the student, and the influence they carry with others even if they don't recognize it.

Challenge the student to step up (their influence outside the group).
◦ As the relationship and trust grows with the student, take the opportunity to address weaknesses that you've noticed and current mistakes they've made.
◦ Don't berate them about , but don't completely ignore the situation, it could be the very conversation that creates a turn in that student's life and it is a growing opportunity for the both of you. Refer to the last bullet for Correcting in Private.

Challenge the student to step out (of the boat).
◦ If your group is doing a silly challenge, answering a tough question, or telling portions of their story and you have a quiet one continue to encourage their involvement and stress the value of their contribution to the rest of the group.
◦ Try to notice a student curious about stepping out. Look and listen for a growing interest and feed it.

Be inconvenienced.
◦ Anytime Jesus traveled, people met him on the road wanting Him to heal them. The disciples often saw these folks as an inconvenience and wanted to pass them by and keep moving. Jesus stopped any way.
◦ Students will often wait until the most inconvenient times to talk. While you are working on something else, talking to someone else, when it's too late or too early. They've worked up the nerve to ask/talk about something; sacrifice the moment to listen and pray with the student for a possible life changing conversation.

A Leader (pt 3).... is Humble

Because of the Power and Authority that had been given to Paul, he warned us.

"Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourself, measuring yourself by the faith that God has given you."

Two men were at an altar praying one night. One caught a glimpse of the other who looked beaten down, disturbed, and bothered. In fact he even recognized him.

"I know him, I know his story. WOW! Can't believe he's here. God thank you, that I am not as bad as that guy. I pray daily, fast weekly, follow all of your commands to a T, and give exactly ten percent of everything."

The other young man in his shame, would barely lift his head in prayer. Uttering only a few humble words.

"Oh God! Please have mercy on me a sinner!"

How many times do we think ourselves better than we should. In my last post I stated that leaders sometime seek an entitlement for what we think we deserve. We hold ourselves to OUR OWN standards in comparison to others instead of holding ourselves up to HIS standards. Obviously we know that we can never fully meet the Perfect Holy standard that our God sets, we know that. Yet at the same time we place ourselves in categories above others, because we meet our criteria for Holy. At the end of this parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus quotes,

"Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Jesus uses another great teaching moment at a party to illustrate this point in choosing humility over recognition.

Luke 14:7-11
⁷ When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: ⁸ “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? ⁹ The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

¹⁰ “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. ¹¹ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

That is probably one of the worst, if not the worst, feelings in the world. To think you are the man, people noticing you, getting attention and recognition, everything is going as planned.

BAMM!

Someone walks in and bursts that bubble. OUCH! Embarrassing right?, Not only that, but as a leader, those that you serve will begin to think that the motive for doing what you do is only to move up a seat at the table. When that happens you loose respect and influence. In reality you are actually moving down a seat or two at the Leadership Round Table.

A balloon deflated by the one who inflated it, is not as loud and noticeable as someone else bursting it. Let a little air out of your balloon before someone pops it.