That is the phrase the recruiter used to convince Richard Stearns to consider the possibility of talking to the people at World Vision about the idea of becoming their organizations president. Did you notice how many variables were in that sentence? No one asked him for a commitment, only a consideration. And he ran from it. He ran from the possibility of considering the idea of giving up a cushy, high paying executive job at Lenox Tableware. From the possibility of considering giving up his nice house, the large salary, the company perks, Everything that went along with a “life well lived”. His reasons were sound:

• I don’t know anything about fundraising
• I don’t know anything about the poor-let alone the poor in other countries
• I just don’t want to
• I can’t do it, I’m simply not qualified

And a myriad of other seemingly sound, logical reasons. The World Vision board had just one reason to counter his arguments: They believed God was calling him – specifically, to their organization.
In the end it was the recruiter’s one phrase that cracked the shell. Through that crack God poured a series of confirmations to the call. Confirmations that Stearns promptly ignored or disregarded. Confirmations that ultimately led to the final question in the interview:
”You will be exposed to horrendous, heartbreaking things. Children in garbage dumps, women losing their  children to disease, people on their deathbeds dying of AIDS. Would you be comfortable with that.”
And his answer “No, I am most certainly NOT comfortable with that! I am terrified of it! If you are looking for Mother Theresa, you’ve got the wrong guy.”
Stearns thought his answer had gotten him off the hook. He had followed God’s prompting, he had passed the test. He put his life on a symbolic Mt. Moriah and God would provide another person to take the role….only to find out that was EXACTLY the answer the board was looking for!

What follows this opening story is NOT your typical “the poor are starving, you have a nice house” guilt trip. On the contrary, what follows is a narrative of how one man deals with those feelings. The feelings that it is never enough. The questions of “am I the rich young ruler?” or “should I just be grateful for the blessings God has given me and steward them wisely?”

The title “The Hole in Our Gospel” comes from the idea that there is something missing in our message. That there is this great disparity between the hope we have within us and the actions it should promote. And that what this book does so well. It combines the facts of our Gospel message with the disparity in resources throughout the world without adding guilt.

The book also takes an interesting tack in that it simultaneously comes at the reader from three different angles.

• The facts and figures about what the growing gap between the world’s richest and poorest
• Stories of actual people who represent those facts and figures
• The author’s own personal journey through this process as he grapples with the enormity of the situation and his own life and personal resources

As one who has been on short term mission trips and seen “the other part of the world” I can attest to the feelings you have when you come back. The feelings of “I spend how much on WHAT?!?! while these people are starving?” And the confusion that brings. This book deals with those things and prompts you to act. Act in a way that is “our reasonable service”.

What about you? Would you be open to God’s call for your life?

OK, well maybe I am sometimes. Truth is, we all are. If you don’t feel fear, you are either dead or a fool. Of the three, I’ll admit to being afraid. Sometimes.

The real question is not “Should we feel fear?” but rather “When fear comes, then what?” This question and a host of others are addressed in Max Lucado’s new book – Fearless out today from Thomas Nelson publishers. In typical Lucado style, he takes a complex issue and breaks it down into small chunks you can deal with. Here’s a 60 second spot from the author.
The very topic of fear is overwhelming. Just thinking of it can paralyze you. However, if you look just at some of the more common “fear factors” they begin to seem less overwhelming, manageable even:

• Fear of not mattering
• Fear of disappointing God (personal one for me)
• Fear of overwhelming challenges (another one for me)
• Fear of not being able to protect one’s kids
• Fear of global calamity

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Each one worth taking time to meditate on and find out what God has to say about it in scripture. All that is laced throughout the book:

“Why are you frightened?” He (Jesus) asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” Luke 24:37-38
(Don’t hurry past Christ’s casual connection between fright and doubt. Unanswered qualms make for quivering disciples.)   Page 142

“Jesus doesn’t want you to be afraid, nor do you.”   Page 12

If the Fear of What is Next is what grips you “Make friends with what is next.”   Page 132

Also laced throughout the book are subtle reminders of the time it which it is written. Right now as we are in the midst of – if you believe the media – “the worst economic time in history”. Max Lucado references this, however the message in this book will apply long after we are out of this present ditch.

You can read this book in a single, rainy afternoon and walk away feeling encouraged. Or you can take your time, look up the scripture references upon which he bases his arguments, meditate on them and ask God what He would have you learn.

“Somewhere between Pollyanna and Chicken Little, between blind denial and blatant panic, stands the levelheaded, clear-thinking, still-believing follower of Christ.”   Page 158

I may touch on some sensitive topics in this one, so please know up front it is not my intention to inflame or offend, only to make one consider.

I am not sure why, but during worship the other week my mind drifted to the thoughts of those who, for one reason or another, made the tragic decision to end their life. It may have had something to do with one of the characters in the Andy Andrews book “The Noticer”. An elderly woman who thought  she had nothing to contribute and was just spending her days waiting to die. In effect, she had committed suicide. While she was still technically alive, the life had gone out of her. She had watched as her friends, relatives and husband all passed on. The pain of loss was so great she was unable to move forward and establish new relationships. Unable to LIVE.

At any rate, if you take the pain out of the equation, physical, emotional, spiritual, etc. this leaves us very much in the place Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5. Life, with its pain, losses and just general byproducts of a fallen world can make us want to just sit around and wait until the end comes. I think that is why so many Christians are enthralled with all things eschatological (Someone owes me at least $3 for that word). Eschatology being the study of end times. “When Jesus comes back”. So enthralled with the final scene that they are effectively not living out their PRESENT redemption! We were redeemed – bought with a price – not to sit around making maps, charts, and graphs plotting some final battle when bugs that look like tiny flying horses are going to get wiped out by nuclear weapons, except for Jerusalem because those missiles will all fall as duds at the outskirts of town and be cleaned up by guys in white suits foretold in Ezekiel (and we wonder why people think we’re nuts). We were redeemed so we could go tell others that this life is NOT all there is. To go serve others. To go comfort others.

When the woman in “The Noticer” gets a new perspective, looks at things differently, she finds she has a lot of life left. There is still a lot to do. Gifts to be used.
And so it is with us. No matter what life throws at us, there is still a lot to do, gifts to be used. People to be served. Lives to be changed.

Yep. Been a while since I’ve posted a Shameless Plug. That isn’t to say that there hasn’t been some folks who deserved a shout out. I’ve just been a little preoccupied.
Also, there is one company who I have really been holding out on. I REALLY want to add them to the Shameless Plug list, but so far, no luck. (Hint: they make phone equipment and their initials are AVAYA). Keep watch because I am SURE they will do the right thing. Eventually.

So, without further adieu:

1. Derek Berg, Scott Goodger and Dave Waters. This year’s planners, organizers, and general captains of industry for the Fall FL.CITRT. aka FL.CITRT 2009 ver. 2.0. All the details can be found at FL.CITRT.ORG as well as Derek’s blog, Scott’s blog and Dave’s blog….when they get a chance to post to them. It promises to be better, faster, and more stable than FL.CITRT 2009 ver. 1.0.
2. Reading. As in a book. Made of paper. So far this year I have read more books than any previous year. I think I am at six or seven. Check out my book review page (not all the books qualify for a review). More coming soon. Next up: Max Lucado.
3. Anyone involved in small group ministry. One of the guys in my men’s group has a schedule change and will not be able to make it until after the first of the year. He suggested we record our weekly study so he could listen to it later. I responded “I don’t think we have anything worth taping.” I was soundly rebuked by the group as a whole.
   Think small groups don’t make a difference in people’s lives? Think again.
4. Speaking of Men’s Groups. Honor Guard at Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens. This has the potential to change men’s ministries as we know them. Follow the CF Men’s page for details or contact them directly.

Probably going to get yelled at by the Blasphemy Police on this one. I could argue my case, but I won’t.

Jesus was asked “In all the law, what is the most important commandment?” Jesus’ answer was “Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.” Then He said “The second one is like it “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

People ask, “How can I succeed in work/business?” The same principle applies.

The first and greatest commandment is this: “Add value to the brand”.
The second is like unto it “Make the corporation money”.

On this rests all the laws of the Marketing and HR departments.

Truth be told, just like that incident 2000 years ago, it really is that simple. You can’t do one without the other and they both have to come from a genuine place in your heart.

“But what if I work for a church?”

Seems to me like whenever anyone asked Jesus a follow-up question, the real question they asked was “How can I do an end-run without following what you just said?”

Add value to the brand.
Make the corporation money (or, if you must, in the church world, steward the resources well).

Or, again to paraphrase Jesus “Don’t think about yourself all the time. Think about others and how you can serve them.”

Just finished Chuck Swindoll’s book on Elijah. This is book number five in his series “Great Lives from God’s Word”. I’m kind of a Swindoll fan as his radio program was a key part of forming my faith and beliefs in the early years of my Christian walk. Combine that with Elijah being a “kick butt, call fire down from heaven, Ultimate Fighter” kind of prophet and I was really looking forward to this one.

This particular book chronicles Elijah’s life from a slightly different perspective though. We may know about his strength through the Mt. Carmel Incident, we may know about his weakness from the Gentle Breeze Episode. However, what Swindoll does so well in this book is to take those episodes and the whole of Elijah’s life and look not at the heroism of Elijah, nor at his “human weakness”, but at the genuine humility of Elijah. He presents him in such a way that we see how easy it would be to get puffed up and full of pride at the mighty way God was using him – and the way others reacted to his very presence, and contrasts that to the way Elijah really responded. All the while tying in life applications.
From Elijah’s early years hiding out by a brook, waiting for God to provide him food via “crow delivery” as a boot camp in trusting God, to the very end when he was taken up in a fiery whirlwind, the process was a constant building and shaping. Each subsequent victory building on the faithfulness of the past. Many of the things that God called Elijah to do had less to do with the task at hand (rebuking pagan worshipping leaders for example) and more to do with forming the relationship between Lord and prophet. Which at the end of the day, is still the way it is now. God doesn’t “need” us to get something done. He uses us – if we are willing and obedient – and in that process shapes us to be who He really intends.

The book ends with a great summary of Elijah’s life and how, even though it was centuries ago, his responses and subsequent actions can be imitated today. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

Next stop: Max Lucado’s Fearless.

I have been extremely blessed the last few weeks to have had a very small part in a very large project. My part wasn’t all that important or difficult, but it gave me the opportunity to push myself and be part of a team. One I would not otherwise get to be so involved with.
Here’s what I learned:

• While I like to be in bed by 10:00-10:30 (because I get up at 5:00), if sufficiently stimulated, I can still crank way into the night.
• Cranking way into the night has its liabilities now that I am older.
• Compensating for said liabilities means changing screen resolution.
• Caffeine is not the best stimulant, enjoying what you are doing is.

There are a lot of other bullet points I could make, but it really all boils down to finding something you like to do and hammer it. Apart from your regular job. Sure, many of us are fortunate to actually like what we do all day. Some are even manic enough to pop out of bed like a toaster pastry saying “Whoo Boy, I GET to go to work today!”. That doesn’t count. What I am talking about is outside of work. Because by pushing yourself in a productive way outside of work, makes some of those difficult tasks at work seem much more manageable.
Hobbies don’t cut it. Because at the end of the day, a hobby is something you do for yourself. Which means it probably doesn’t matter or bring value to anyone else.
I think maybe this is why Jesus was so big on service. Because not only is it taking care of the needs of others, it is hitting a part of your soul that really needs tending.

So, find something you like to do, that you really enjoy, that has you operating in that “sweet spot”, to where time becomes completely irrelevant. Something that brings lasting value to others, and run with it for all it is worth. Even if it is only for a little while. You just might learn something about yourself.

WordPress Tags: productivity,team

Set up my Google Voice account yesterday. For the uninitiated, Google Voice is a new offering from Google, and, I am convinced, another part of Google’s plan for world domination. I am pretty sure at some point we are all going to get emails from Google telling us:
”Hello! In an effort to continue to “not be mean” we just thought we should tell you that we make “x” dollars each month off the ads people see when they search for any information that is linked to you. So, in an effort to keep that thing you did in the third grade “just between us”, kindly send us “y” dollars a month. We are going to have to replace that ad revenue after all.”
But until that day happens, with Google Voice, you hand out a new phone number, and set it up to ring any one of a number of phones. Your current house, cell, business, etc. This way, no matter where you are, people can find you. No more “He’s not home, I’ll try his cell.” There are several other features related to call screening and call routing. For me, if I am available, I answer the phone. I don’t really need my mom announcing who she is before I will take her call.
However,  I did find a great use use for GV:
GV voicemail is awesome! Someone leaves a voice message, it transcribes it and sends you a text, email or both. By tweaking the settings in GV and setting my phone’s forwarding options I now bypass the whole “logging in to check messages, listening to someone ramble for three minutes, hoping they actually left their number”. Someone leaves a message, I scan the email, decide I want to call them back and just tap the number located within the message. I thought this was a “nice to have” feature until I used it. This alone makes it worth the cost.
Cost? I thought it was free. Sort of, now Google gets to see my voice mails as well as my email. Thank God I live a boring life……

Last night as I was working away and I heard a commotion in the other room. I looked up just in time to see a stuffed duck go flying by. Tam the Wonderdog is a seven year member of the "sight hound" family. Translation: sleeps a lot. For her to be playing with her toys, especially in the summer time, is very rare. She was obviously trying to get my attention. And got it she did.
I just can’t imagine what that would have been like had that same instance happened with a son or daughter.
So, if you are one of my friends who struggle with work-life balance, know that you were prayed for last night.
You can thank Tam.

In Haggai God admonishes the nation of Israel telling them that they have “sown much, but brought in little, they drink but are not satisfied”. It’s kind of a tough message. The reason for this, God explains, is because they have put themselves first. Built for themselves some nice houses while letting God’s house lie in disrepair. For more of the back story, read this post.

I just can’t seem to get over the fact that the issue is they built their houses up while leaving God’s house in disrepair. Speaking metaphorically, do we do the same thing? Are we focusing on ourselves while neglecting God’s house-the body of Christ? I know I do.
By the same token, I am blessed to know some people who continually add value to other people and to the kingdom of God. And they do it not because they are trying to, they just do.

This is not one of those “beat yourself up” posts. There is too much of that going on in the world. Nor is it a “God wants you to be happy in life” post.  WAY too much of that too. But rather a post to encourage us all to ask “Am I building up God’s people and purposes – or trying to make myself look good?” 

That would be my challenge today. To ask “Is what I am doing right now adding to God’s house"? Or just trying to put new paneling on my own?”