Fear.

I keep a running notebook called “Leading Lists” which is essentially lists that I make when I hear or read something on leadership that really stands out to me. I jot them down and try to revisit these list a lot as I continually try to grow as a leader.

I was revisiting these list this morning and I came across some notes on fear I made once. I really need to start writing the speakers down but I think that I don’t note the speaker so that I won’t be biased to reading them later – anyhow – I didn’t come up with the list but it’s a good one.

“When a leader allows fear to control him…the people he leads ALWAYS lose.”

• Fear forces a leader to embrace the “way things are” rather than how they should be.
• Fear causes a leader to think more about what they have to lose rather than what the Kingdom has to gain.
• Fear makes a person depend on their power and ability rather than God’s.
• Fear leads to impulsive and unwise decisions rather than prayed through and processed ones.”

Don’t let fear cause you to not be who God has created you to be. Move out in trust and faith and see what He does!

Filed under: Leadership

Pagan Christianity: A Review

I recently breezed through, and by breezed I mean breezed, through a book that has been sitting on my shelf for a bit – Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna.

My intention wasn’t to just “breeze” through it but to really take it all in but I just couldn’t help but speed the process up once I got in. Generally speaking, I often enjoy books that make me feel frustrated while I read them because it makes me search for where the frustration is coming from. Is the frustration coming from someone turning upside down beliefs I have been taught or am I frustrated by their inability to handle those truths? When it comes to Pagan Christianity – I have to admit it was the later.

Obviously the intention of this book is to ruffle some feathers and from the get go it holds nothing back. It seems that as of late there have been many books that are critiquing the current worship practices of the Church and these books come and go. But…there rarely comes a book that vehemently opposes EVERYTHING about the institutional Church. Viola and Barna are convinced that the housechurch / organic church movement is the way of the future because it is the ONLY authentic reproduction of the past.

Here are some areas of disagreement I have with the book:

• I disagree with the underlying premise of the entire book – the premise that the early church was untainted and uncorrupted by human tradition. Have you read ANY of the Pauline letters? Humans were messing things up from the get-go. I do believe that we can learn from the early churches, like the church in the book of Acts, but I disagree that there is a pristine, uncorrupted model out there.
• I dislike the way Viola and Barna put forward their argument. In my opinion they make WAY too many assumptions. Like for instance that because the early churches used a similiar “cathedral” model of the pagans – that means church buildings are pagan. But what a second…maybe they used the same buildings because they were suited for large gatherings…just sayin…
• I feel as if Viola and Barna leave no room for discussion on any of the issues. They present their arguments in such a way that if you disagree with them then you must love the traditions of man more than God. This makes it really tough to have an honest conversation about their book.
• I believe that Pagan Christianity will do more harm then good. I believe that it will give some readers pulled in by the title who know nothing of church history just enough information to be destructive.

However, there were a few areas of agreement:

• It’s good to question why we do certain things. I do not fault some of the questions that the authors are raising
• The Bible does need to be read as a narrative, and not merely a list of selective verses.
• We need to be willing to throw out our traditions if they are unbiblical.

All in all – I got through it hough, in my opinion, I don’t think it was beneficial to me. In the end I think it is important for Viola and Barna to realize that true disciples can come from any and every church model. We are not called to “do” church a certain way; we are called to imitate Christ and that is where true worship is found.

Filed under: Book Review

Set Apart?

I’ve been having some conversations lately with a couple of good friends and people I really admire and respect who have been living life beside me for awhile and I have to confess – I’m troubled.

Lately God has been doing a lot of moving and shaking in my heart – dust is flying off and new doors are being opened and it is a lot to be taking in.

I’ve been struggling with Romans 12 where Paul calls Christians to “not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” What does that mean? How do I apply this to my life?

What does it mean to live in todays world – be a part of a community yet also be a Christian who is “set apart.”

What distinguishes us from everyone else?

I think essentially it all revolves around humility and forgiveness. Humility and forgiveness…

I mean think about it, humility and forgiveness is totally countercultural. They are things that go against every grain of our nature because we are fundamentally driven by pride – we are – lets just openly confess it to each other. The stink of it is – pride is the original sin – wanting to be like God.

Everything we are taught in the states from the second we leave our mother’s womb is to embrace our pride – “go for it” and “be all you can be” – you will accomplish anything you set your mind on! Parents and teachers and tv and internet tells us that we are important and that we can make something of ourselves. Even our economy is structured in such a way that we want more – we want more wealth, more prestige, more respect, more significance – more more more!

Pretty much everything we do is for the bettering of our lives and leaving a legacy behind.

Yet Christ’s example was self-denying and an other focused existence.

Think about what Christianity could look like if we stopped being so self-obsessed. What would the world do if every Christian stopped trying to make themselves look good or sound smart, humbled themselves to a place where they realized it’s not about them?

What if we decided to live simpler lives and consume less – instead we give more resources away instead of spending money on useless stuff.

What if we stopped obsessing over twitter updates (myself included), facebook wall posts, and having that new outfit for next weeks party and took a step back and said to ourselves, “its really not about me”?

And I realize its hard and I openly confess that I have a hard time going here. I do – I like stuff. If I could check myself into a “stuffanynonomous” program I would! But…what if I just started walking with God. What if I started opening the scriptures every day and just immersing myself in the story of God – His revelation to mankind about who He is and His intentions for those who love and follow Him.

What if by doing that – I would truly be set apart because the Word was impacting my life.

What if I started following Christ’s example of self denial and being focused on others first?

What if…

Filed under: Personal, Reflection, Religous

Gaining Credibility

I came across a great post the other day by Brad Lomenick titled, “Gaining Credibility,” and thought it would be a great share – especially for you seniors out there fixing to make the jump to the big fish pond called “the real world.”

I remember struggling to gain credibility in the work force when I first graduated and it some ways felt like I was entitled credibility just because I had a college degree – regardless of the fact that half the stuff I learned in college wasn’t really guiding anything I was doing…

Brad gives great introspection – you can read it HERE or follow the points below:

1. Be Self Aware- first, you have to have an accurate understanding of who you are and where you are in life. A very clear and realistic picture of your self identity and current reality. If you are 24, you have to understand that life experiences and job experience probably aren’t something you can hang your hat on.

2. Listen, Listen, Listen. Ask great questions of those around you, and then LISTEN to the answer. Don’t talk until you have something to say. But learn to ask great questions and learn from them. This is especially true in a team environment.

3. Experience creates expertise- this is obvious, but sometimes we forget. Credibility comes with action- doing, not just thinking or talking. Jump in and get involved.

4. A platform takes time- it’s just a reality. Most of us aren’t patient enough to spend adequate TIME at DOING something until we gain a platform or credibility. We usually lose interest, get bored, or just simply move on to something else. The key- stick with it.

5. Connect with leading organizations, networks and individuals- connect with companies, teams or individuals who are highly respected, and you’ll gain respect. But the key on this- connect with them and ask how you can HELP them, not how you can gain from them.

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Good stuff – I have a “leadership thoughts” journal that I keep – dropped this one in it…

Filed under: Leadership, Personal, Reflection