2 Sam 23 – Simply Refreshing

Every time I’m wore out from my “professional” faith I can find too many elements of “me” in my work. It’s so amazing how difficult it is to truly deny our selves when we feel we have to perform. It’s so hard to keep our insecurities or personal desires out of the equation. The amount of effort and emotional energy we can put into making things seem perfect is amazing. Especially around Christmas time. Every pastor (even more so their associate pastors) I know is stressed or wore out already and we’ve still got over a week to go. I feel the pressure… then felt the peace come over me when we landed on the theme for this year at Austin New Church: “simple christmas”. Whew. Wouldn’t that be nice? I could literally feel my blood pressure dropping in our staff meeting.

I was speaking recently to a pastor friend about how many hours he puts into a sermon, it was a huge amount of time. Then I began to think about mine. The tragedy is not in how much time we spend on sermon prep (little or much) the tragedy is in how little time we spend on the actual text or truth (God stuff) in relationship to our own illustrations and transitions (Me stuff). While I know those are key elements of clear communication, those are also the things that stress me out. Those are the things that keep me up on Saturday night and take my focus off my family all weekend. It’s evidenced by how much better I feel when I land a good opening illustration.

Even as I write this, I want to defend how important those things are. Why? Because they are important, significant, and maybe even critical. However, my point is that if we could somehow really strip away our intentions, we’d still find too much of “me” in those parts. I want to be a great communicator, not a good one. I want to share something in a way that no one’s ever thought of before. I want to “wow” those looking for faith or something new. The list goes on and on. Meanwhile Paul said he just preached “Christ and Christ crucified” and the Lord says that it’s not by might or power but by His “Spirit”.

The reason I say this is because I’m finding a new groove in life. I’m not fully there yet, probably never will be, but I’m finding peace in the simple. I have much less desire now to please others (other than God) and it’s chilling me out. More than that, it’s helping me really dig into and keep me focused on finding out what’s important on each leg of the journey.

The crux? When I do this, my work, my faith, my life is refreshed and not a drain. It doesn’t feel like a task, it feels like a journey. My energy is up. I feel renewed, encouraged, and excited. I’m encouraged and refreshed. David talks about this in 2 Samuel 23 in regards to leadership.

“The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: 'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.” – 2 Samuel 23:3-4

Not only will this be a fruit for those we lead, if we lead in righteousness and in the fear of God, but also a fruit we will receive if we follow God with the same heart.

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” – Proverbs 11:25

Even those of us under an authority, when we live by His righteousness and follow in the fear of the Lord, we will refresh those we serve.

“Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.”- Proverbs 25:13

And we refresh each other in biblical community…

“In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.” – 2 Corinthians 7:14

So it’s an indicator. Refreshment comes from God. When there is an absence, there is a reason. Today, I look for those reasons… and I rest in His promises. If David can find it in battle, if Paul can find it in chains, surely we can find it in our plush context of western suburbia.

“… turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.” – Philemon 1:7

“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge.” Psalm 73: 28a

Strategy of Leading

Seth Godin's brain is larger than his head. That leads to a pressure that apparently must be released through him writing blogs. Good for us! Here are some of his thoughts (and some of my thoughts following them) on his post: "Leadership is now the strongest marketing strategy"

Yelling with gusto used to be the best way to advertise your wares. There was plenty of media and if you had plenty of money, you were set. Today, of course, yelling doesn't work so well. What works is leading. Leading a (relatively) small group of people. Taking them somewhere they'd like to go. Connecting them to one another.

It's enough if the tribe you lead knows about you and cares about you and wants to follow you. It's enough if your leadership changes things, galvanizes the audience and puts the status quo under stress. And it's enough if the leadership you provide makes a difference.

Go down the list of online success stories. The big winners are organizations that give tribes of people a platform to connect.

Go down the list of fashion businesses or business to business organizations. Same thing. Charities, too. Churches, certainly.

It's so tempting to believe that we are merely broadcasters, putting together a play list and hurtling it out to the rest of the world. Louder is better. But we're not. Now we're leaders.

People want to connect. They want you to do the connecting.

I guess what stands out to me is first of all is the statement that "it's enough" for the tribe you lead to (1) KNOW you (2) CARE about you and (3) WANT to follow you. Those are huge... to know and to care comes only from vulnerability. It's the key between "knowing of" or "about" someone and really "knowing" a leader. It's the catalyst for creating empathy and connection on a team regardless of circumstance. It's the key for building two-way trust and loyalty. And it's our responsibility as a leader to create that kind of culture.

The second thing that stood out was the statement that the list of success stories constantly show organizations (certainly churches, he said) that give tribes of people a platform to connect. This doesn't happen in a corporate gathering of one-way communication to multiple tribes at once... it happens in chewable bites. And it doesn't happen because of casual contact... it happens specifically through a unified vision or purpose to action... call it addressing a CRISIS... or together simply fixing something broken or improving something that needs improvement. In the Army we had what we called a "Rally Point". If something goes wrong... and we disconnect somehow... we all know, we can meet back at that place and regroup. It's a necessary, if not life saving, element of connectivity. No one wants to go at it alone. It's alone that we are at our weakest. And together that we are at our strongest.

Faithful to the Promise

The first time I ever heard of Steven Furtick was last Thursday. The timing was right before he was to go on stage at Catalyst, a Cultural Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Craig Groeschel introduced him as a 28 year old who started a church in Charlotte, North Carolina... and in the following year or two it grew to over 5000 people.

So, of course, I wanted to hate him. No one can do that unless they sold their soul to the devil, right? Or even worse... compromised the message of the gospel. Surely! Right?

But if I heard them right, they said that through their ministry over 1000 people were baptized in the last year. Kinda killed the "transfer growth" theory. Then they mentioned other ridiculous things that were happening there which honestly, made me jealous to the core (not really, okay kinda) ... so I just decided to wait and cast judgment after he took the stage.

Then He took the stage. Yup, I hate him. He had on a sweet jacket. Jeans were suspect. bleached and spiked hair. I mean, who does this guy think he's fooling? We're veterans for crying out loud and this guy is a kid (okay, I got him by 8 years, can I say that?) Worse yet, he kinda has that side-ways Matt Damon smirk.

And He started talking. What first looked like arrogance quickly sifted into the confidence of a strong leader. He was brilliant. Anointed even. And he moved me to the core. There were some fairly simple thoughts shared. But the Spirit and energy was fresh and it was real. If anything... as a church planter... I was encouraged. I was also reminded of the journey... and of hope.

Here's my deal: It takes all kinds. Whether that manifests itself as a rapid growing church or one that gives away more than it keeps... as long as Jesus and those that don't know Him is center... whether that's attractional, seeker, missional, whatever... I pray we all use our gifts and CALLING in the way God intended. On this day I was encouraged... a gift that I don't even know if Steven has.

Thanks Steven. Good stuff.

Some quotes…

· Between the promise of God and the pay-off is the process.

· When you are struggling through what seems insignificant to you, hang on to the promise of God.

· Be faithful in the process. Don’t get your eyes on the “big” thing or the “successful” place—just be faithful in the process.

· After David was anointed, where did he go? Back to the fields to be faithful in his role as a shepherd boy.

· There’s got to be more to life than putting money in a 401, buying a boat, and then dying.

· Be faithful. Be faithful Be faithful.

Raising Godly Boys

Today I fearfully consider the position of a father. Even more so as a Pastor who has boys.

“Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.” (1 Samuel 2:12) This blows me away. What a profound and awful statement to be said of anyone’s children, much less of a man committed to the Lord.

Here are some thoughts from Mathew Henry on this reality, “Eli shunned trouble and exertion. This led him to indulge his children, without using parental authority to restrain and correct them when young. He winked at the abuses in the service of the sanctuary till they became customs, and led to abominations; and his sons, who should have taught those that engaged in the service of the sanctuary what was good, solicited them to wickedness. Their offence was committed even in offering the sacrifices for sins, which typified the atonement of the Saviour! Sins against the remedy, the atonement itself, are most dangerous, they tread under foot the blood of the covenant. Eli's reproof was far too mild and gentle. In general, none are more abandoned than the degenerate children of godly persons, when they break through restraints.”

And the opposite which is said of Samuel, “Samuel, being devoted to the Lord in a special manner, was from a child employed about the sanctuary in the services he was capable of. As he did this with a pious disposition of mind, it was called ministering unto the Lord. He received a blessing from the Lord. Those young people who serve God as well as they can, he will enable to improve, that they may serve him better.”

God, make me the father I need to be. Protect my boys from the world. Protect them from my scars and inability. Make them into Godly men, who become Godly husbands and fathers themselves. Make them men who “serve you as well as they can” that you might enable to improve, and that they may serve you better. Amen.