“I firmly believe that witnessing is a learned talent. God burdens our hearts to reach the lost, but we must get out there and start practicing those conversations. The funny thing is, though, the more you practice, the easier it becomes.” – Mark Cahill
Let me start all this by drawing special attention to the word "easier" in the above quote. Not easy... easier. I won't be the first person to openly admit I continue to struggle with sharing my faith. Old fears still make there way to the surface almost every time. There are times I wish I was a fresh new believer, understanding the amazing grace of God for the first time, rather than letting the power of the gospel settle to the bottom of my soul as the years progress. I constantly need a shake up... needing something to break away that solidified sediment and once again re-saturate myself with the reality of the world around me. And, at least I say this to make myself feel better, I don't think I'm the only one...
I think a good portion of the church today operates under the assumption that if your not gifted at something, it sort of acts as an exempt card. I'm not trying to point fingers, as I often used that one myself. However, the flaw in this logic is fairly evident... if I don't have the gift of mercy, do I get freedom then to never show mercy? Or if I don't have the gift of giving, is it therefore okay if I never give? Of course not. Simply using the argument that if you're not gifted doesn't exclude you from what is clearly laid out in Scripture as a command. It becomes, in reality, a simple matter of obedience or disobedience.
Let's be honest. If we all truly gave ourselves a soul-check, we'd find the answer fairly easy that our fears of man are simply trumping our desire to be used by God, which is a saddening reality.
The life of a Christ-follower is proactive, not reactive. God blesses us as we pursue increasing our "capacity" to be used by Him. We often live a life saying, "God, do this and I'll trust you," while God says, "Trust me and I'll do this."
Maybe now would even be a good time to give yourself an honest heart-check...
Who am I sharing Christ with?
What does it look like? Typically, people who continue to live by fear make the excuse, "I'll share Christ by loving them." Actions and words are never separated... always linked.
Am I taking steps to share with people both by actions and words?
You're never more scared to share your faith than five minutes before, and never more excited to share your faith than five minutes after.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Being Trustworthy
Trust is a big thing in today's world. Because of past experiences and previous hurt and pain, people seem to become progressively less trusting. The common phrases heard today include "it takes years to gain trust, and seconds to loose it." And though I still concur with that statement, it seems though we've warped trust into this equivalent yoke of perfection. Consequently, as people are incapable of perfection, they continually fall short of this standard, which reaffirms one's hesitation to trust, and down the magic spiral we go.
Andy (I think I've mentioned him enough to go on a first-name basis) addresses this issue, and states that being trustworthy is NOT the equivalent of being flawless. However,
This comes with commitments from both parties. For the "offender":
1) I'll do what I said I'd do, and if I don't, you'll hear it from me, not from others
When there becomes a gap between what you expect and what you experience, or there is a falling short of the bar I said I would achieve, I will own up it. I won't simply wait around until people find out to address it, hoping that no one notices. Instead, my goal will to be "shot the gap" before it musters into anything.
2) If you confront me about gaps I created, I'll tell you the truth
I won't try to alter the evidence, I won't try to portray things in a different light, I won't try to make excuses... I will be firm and clear about gap.
For the "offendee," which is just as important:
1) If you address the gaps, I will respond in a secure and mature fashion
The reason more initiative isn't taken by the offender to own up to his/her gaps is because of fear linked with the other person's response. Now, approaching someone about failing to meet their expectations should never really be a joyous, singing-through-the-daisy-fields event, but individuals need to ask themselves what their history of gap awareness has communicated to others. If I respond as this little pit bull, ready to bite and smear a person's failure in their face, basically I've just communicated, "If you mess up again, you better do a better job of hiding it!" Cover up happens from fear, so we need to ask ourselves how much cover up is the direct result of our reaction.
From an organizational, and even personal, standpoint, the healthier culture you develop in addressing gaps the faster and more accurate information will get to you... which I think is the desire of everyone.
Andy (I think I've mentioned him enough to go on a first-name basis) addresses this issue, and states that being trustworthy is NOT the equivalent of being flawless. However,
Trustworthy people address the gaps they've created
This comes with commitments from both parties. For the "offender":
1) I'll do what I said I'd do, and if I don't, you'll hear it from me, not from others
When there becomes a gap between what you expect and what you experience, or there is a falling short of the bar I said I would achieve, I will own up it. I won't simply wait around until people find out to address it, hoping that no one notices. Instead, my goal will to be "shot the gap" before it musters into anything.
2) If you confront me about gaps I created, I'll tell you the truth
I won't try to alter the evidence, I won't try to portray things in a different light, I won't try to make excuses... I will be firm and clear about gap.
For the "offendee," which is just as important:
1) If you address the gaps, I will respond in a secure and mature fashion
The reason more initiative isn't taken by the offender to own up to his/her gaps is because of fear linked with the other person's response. Now, approaching someone about failing to meet their expectations should never really be a joyous, singing-through-the-daisy-fields event, but individuals need to ask themselves what their history of gap awareness has communicated to others. If I respond as this little pit bull, ready to bite and smear a person's failure in their face, basically I've just communicated, "If you mess up again, you better do a better job of hiding it!" Cover up happens from fear, so we need to ask ourselves how much cover up is the direct result of our reaction.
From an organizational, and even personal, standpoint, the healthier culture you develop in addressing gaps the faster and more accurate information will get to you... which I think is the desire of everyone.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
PrEFACE
You ever face problems in life? I know, me neither... BUT, just in case you ever do experience a problem, it's sometimes beneficial to have a systematic way to address it. The following is a problem-solving technique that I've grown quite found of:
PRoblem - State the problem as clearly and comprehensively as possible. Vague problems will reap vague discernment.
Established Criteria - Determine what factors will cause you to choose one option over another. Here you will unearth your desires, values, principles, and objectives.
Facts - State what are the present givens that won't go away with reference to your stated problem. Here you list all facts relevant to your problem/decision.
Alternatives - Brainstorm a list of all possible solutions. Create options in light of the facts, that align with your criteria, and that address the problem.
Choose - Begin weighing the list of options against one another. Evaluate each option in regards to feasibility, criteria match, pros, cons, and scenario evaluation. Then determine your best option.
Execute - Now with your option chosen, begin developing a strategic plan to make the decision a reality.
PREFACE Problem-Solving Method
PRoblem - State the problem as clearly and comprehensively as possible. Vague problems will reap vague discernment.
Established Criteria - Determine what factors will cause you to choose one option over another. Here you will unearth your desires, values, principles, and objectives.
Facts - State what are the present givens that won't go away with reference to your stated problem. Here you list all facts relevant to your problem/decision.
Alternatives - Brainstorm a list of all possible solutions. Create options in light of the facts, that align with your criteria, and that address the problem.
Choose - Begin weighing the list of options against one another. Evaluate each option in regards to feasibility, criteria match, pros, cons, and scenario evaluation. Then determine your best option.
Execute - Now with your option chosen, begin developing a strategic plan to make the decision a reality.
Assumptions
Assumptions are often a list of dominant and unspoken principles that drive a person's or organization's decision-making behavior. For example, a decision to hold a men's event by playing basketball is concluded based off the assumption that men bond more easily by activities. However, even though assumptions play a vital role in decision-making, they are very rarely voiced or discussed.
Failure to voice and discuss these driving principles can result in:
- Grown tensions between team members through lack of understanding because of unvoiced conflicting assumptions
- Tendency to focus on the option-level of decision-making rather than addressing the root assumption-level driving the decisions
- Poor decisions because of unearthed assumptions that are wrong, or have become wrong with a changing culture
As I begin to think through my own ministry philosophy and attempt to unearth my assumptions, I will post them here to get your views/thoughts on.
Failure to voice and discuss these driving principles can result in:
- Grown tensions between team members through lack of understanding because of unvoiced conflicting assumptions
- Tendency to focus on the option-level of decision-making rather than addressing the root assumption-level driving the decisions
- Poor decisions because of unearthed assumptions that are wrong, or have become wrong with a changing culture
As I begin to think through my own ministry philosophy and attempt to unearth my assumptions, I will post them here to get your views/thoughts on.
Pride in Programming
Let's be honest... whenever you create something - whether it be a song, painting, or blog post - you typically think it's better than it really is. It becomes emotional... personal... With ministry, it's not that different. If you create something that seemingly works well, it's hard to look past the fog of emotion to ask the tough question of if it's really the most efficient option. Even harder, if you've been through some sort of program that changed your life, or a loved one's life, it's easy to get defensive when there is talk about change because of that attachment.
In the mid-1980s, when faced with a huge crisis at Intel, Andy Grove said, "If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do? Why shouldn't you and I walk out the door, come back, and do it ourselves?"
In other words, if someone were to walk in with fresh eyes, simply viewing the organization through the lens of mission and vision, and no previous emotional attachment, what would they do? Then why don't we just do it ourselves? What a great quote!
In the mid-1980s, when faced with a huge crisis at Intel, Andy Grove said, "If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do? Why shouldn't you and I walk out the door, come back, and do it ourselves?"
In other words, if someone were to walk in with fresh eyes, simply viewing the organization through the lens of mission and vision, and no previous emotional attachment, what would they do? Then why don't we just do it ourselves? What a great quote!
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