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Leadership 12 – I will empty myself of self

Written by Guest Fruit Cove on June 21, 2016. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Leadership 12 – I will empty myself of self

A Leadership Cue Card: I will empty myself of self

Quick! What is the first word that pops into your head in response to this question: “What is the opposite of love?” It would not surprise me that you might have come up with the word hate. Certainly, those two words are often put together as the opposite of one another. However, think about that just a little bit.

We began yesterday to develop a “leadership cue card” as a simple statement of belief about leadership. Today, we continue to unpack our first statement “Compelled by love, I will empty myself of self and live for the benefit of others,” focusing on that middle phrase of emptying myself of self.

Think of a time when someone came into your sphere of influence and you did not really love him or her. You did not act for their benefit or in their best interest without regard for how you might benefit. Perhaps it was a homeless person at a stoplight or someone in your office that just “rubs you the wrong way.” Got an example? Good. So what was your attitude toward them if it wasn’t love? Was it really hate? Or something else? Like ambivalence. Or impatience. Or indifference. Or simply ignoring them. The root of these actions is not necessarily hate but more like selfishness. Perhaps, the opposite of love is not hate so much as it is selfish.

Our leadership challenge then is to learn to empty self of self: to make one’s self-interest subordinate to the need of others.

This is a difficult task in the making of a leader, especially when one considers that so much of leadership is oriented to the benefits given the leader – perks, status, benefits, etc. But, as we look at biblical examples of leadership, we see repeatedly that leadership is best exercised in service to others. That means putting aside selfishness and becoming “other oriented.”

Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges, in their book, The Servant Leader speak to the “Leadership Ego.” In contrast to the psychological term, they offer two definitions of ego: 1. Edging God Out; or, 2. Exalting God Only. The first definition is often realized when leaders become prideful or fearful. Prideful leaders promote themselves over others. Fearful leaders hide behind position, withhold information, intimidate others or become “control freaks”.

On the other hand, leaders who Exalt God Only embrace an attitude of humility and confidence that God is working through them for His glory. In other words, the latter kind of leader has learned to set aside personal pride and insecurity and the self-centeredness that it demonstrates and, in its place, put the work and intention of God for another at the center of attention.

Philippians 2:3-8 is a classic biblical example of what we are discussing here:

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not [only] for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death- even to death on a cross. (HCSB)

Re-read that last paragraph. Christ, our example, God incarnate, chose not to enter our world as conquering king (yet) but as a servant-slave. Humble. Obedient. Other-focused. Exalting God Only. Is there a better model of leadership than Christ? And, is there a person more opposite of selfish than He? He is love. He was compelled by love, devoid of self-centeredness, and lived for the benefit of those who were still His enemies. Us.

Finally, we can look again at Nehemiah as an example of this self-less, other-focused style of leadership. In chapter 5, we read two stories: one of Nehemiah’s reform to stop oppressive practices to the poor and a second of Nehemiah’s refusal to take on the traditional benefits of his position. Eugene Peterson paraphrased the latter in this way:

From the time King Artaxerxes appointed me as their governor in the land of Judah-from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of his reign, twelve years-neither I nor my brothers used the governor’s food allowance. Governors who had preceded me had oppressed the people by taxing them forty shekels of silver (about a pound) a day for food and wine while their underlings bullied the people unmercifully. But out of fear of God I did none of that. I had work to do; I worked on this wall. All my men were on the job to do the work. We didn’t have time to line our own pockets. I fed one hundred and fifty Jews and officials at my table in addition to those who showed up from the surrounding nations. One ox, six choice sheep, and some chickens were prepared for me daily, and every ten days a large supply of wine was delivered. Even so, I didn’t use the food allowance provided for the governor-the people had it hard enough as it was. Nehemiah 5:14-18 (Message)

Emptying oneself of self is not demeaning or degrading. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It is allowing the God of all creation to live through your humility and obedience to demonstrate His grace and mercy to others. Jesus did that, and God exalted Him. You do that, and God will never let you down.

Compelled by love, I will empty myself of self and live for the benefit of others

For Reflection: As a leader, are you more likely to Edge God Out or Exalt God Only? Find a copy of The Servant Leader by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. It’s beautiful little book you can read in an hour but will take a lifetime to master.

For Memorization: Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (HCSB)

Leadership 11: A Leadership Cue Card

Written by Guest Fruit Cove on June 18, 2016. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Leadership 11: A Leadership Cue Card

A Leadership Cue Card: Compelled by Love

Leadership. A lot of trees have been sacrificed to publish books on the subject. The term yields over 250,000 results on Amazon; over 3,000 results for “becoming a leader.” At its most basic, leadership is influence and leaders become spiritual leaders as God dislocates their hearts and places them in a particular time, place and circumstance to influence others for His glory. If it takes over 250k books and resources to explore the topic, is it possible to reduce the concept and practice of leadership to an “index card ready” statement of basic beliefs about leadership – a leadership cue card – that can guide us in our efforts to lead?

Obviously, I think the answer is “yes” and over the next five days, we will do just that: develop a leadership cue card.

Compelled by love, I will empty myself of self and live for the benefit of others.
I want to see who they can become in Christ, trust them to realize that potential and serve them on their journey.

Today, let’s look at that first sentence together.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul writes of his desire to persuade people to come to a knowledge of God. In verses 14-15, he summarizes the reason for his labor – his motivation for leadership: For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (HCSB)

The word translated compelled means to be “to hold together or compress.” Imagine a father taking his son’s head into his hands, placing his hands on each side of his son’s head, pressing in the ears and looking his son square in the eye. The son’s attention is now focused on the father, right? And the father can exert tremendous control over the son by keeping the pressure on and directing the son’s attention. As much as the son might want to escape, he is constrained by the grip of his father.

So, what is it that compelled or constrained Paul’s ministry to Asia Minor? It was love. Agape love. Love that acts for the good of others without any expectation of reward in return. Love demonstrated most completely when Christ died for the sins of the world.

To truly love another, you focus attention on them, without expecting anything in return. That doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy their gratitude if given, but it means you act even if they don’t express it to you. Love puts the work and intention of God for another at the center of attention. That’s what Christ did for us. He acted for our benefit, knowing that many would reject Him, because it was God’s desire to redeem us.

Where do we see this in Nehemiah’s example? Read Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter 1:5-10. Does this read like a man compelled by selfishness or love for God and for his fellow countrymen? What about the classic mission and vision statement in chapter 2:17. So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned down. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.” (HCSB) Nehemiah could have stayed in the king’s courts. But the news of Jerusalem’s ruin so moved his heart that Nehemiah’s concern for others compelled him to action. He was constrained, he was compelled to live for the benefit of others: first, as an instrument to demonstrate God’s glory to the nations around Israel; and, second, to the exiles who were living defenseless and disgraced.

So, the idea today is that a leader is compelled or constrained by love – unselfish concern for the welfare and benefit of others. Love places its hands on each side of our head and points us in the direction of service. It will not let us go. Compelled by love… I will live for the benefit of others.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at the idea of emptying one’s self of self. In the meantime, what is focusing your attention? Is it love? Or something else?

FOR MEMORIZATION: For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. 2 Corinthians 5:14

FOR REFLECTION: Create your own leadership cue card: Compelled by love, I will empty myself of self and live for the benefit of others. I want to see who they can become in Christ, trust them to realize that potential and serve them on their journey. Place it in a place of prominence and review it several times a day this week.

Leadership 10

Written by TimMaynard on June 17, 2016. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 10

Leadership comes down to one thing: are we influencing other people? Is there someone following us? While there are occasions when the leader may be standing on the ledge by himself, it is usually determined to be successful leadership if people are moved to do something… if they are moved from Point A to Point B.

Nehemiah stood before a mountain that had to be moved. Not a physical obstacle but a mountain of a person in King Artaxerxes. He needed the King to grant him favor on two counts: (1) to release him to Jerusalem to lead in the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem and (2) to do so over the former objections of the King to this very thing ever happening again.

Complicating the second item, we still have in our culture today a statement that says “this is the law of the Medes and Persians.” This is understood to mean one thing: it isn’t going to change. When the king made a statement in that context, it was literally written in stone. No delete button. No modifications. No exemptions. It was going to stand because it was now “the law of the Medes and Persians.”

Jerusalem was a conquered entity. It had a history of rebellious behavior against kingdoms that sought to rule it. The military power and threat of such a city was based on the strength of its wall. Tear down the wall… remove the threat. The law of the Medes and Persians said, “This wall shall not be rebuilt.” It was thoroughly destroyed and to make sure it would never be rebuilt the intelligentsia and leaders of the city were taken away, leaving only the laborers behind who would not have the capacity or tendency to organize and rebuild.

Now, Nehemiah had received an assignment from God. “Rebuild the wall.” So Nehemiah in prayer assented to the job. But two obstacles remained: 1) how will he get out of his job for the period necessary to rebuild and 2) will the king be willing to overturn “the law of the Medes and Persians?” Nehemiah saw both of these tasks as “out of his pay grade.” And so he prayed. And prayed. For four months, with “mourning and prayer and fasting.” And specifically, his prayer request was this: “Lord, give me favor with this man… grant your servant success.”

What we sometimes miss is that what Nehemiah was about to do was not just secure vacation time or a leave of absence from a petulant boss. He was proposing something subversive… even traitorous to the Babylonian empire. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem could be seen as insurrection, resulting in not only loss of his job… but of his head! No wonder he added, “and grant (your servant) mercy in the sight of this man!”

Hudson Taylor wrote, “It is possible to move the hearts of men only through God in prayer.” While Nehemiah had never read Taylor’s book, he agreed with the premise. We can move men’s hearts… a difficult boss, an estranged spouse, even a rebellious child… in prayer. How often do we resort to our knees when those kinds of things need to happen?

Ultimately, the king assented. (Nehemiah 2:1-5) And going forward, Nehemiah’s success was linked to one thing: he believed God would move hearts through prayer and prayer alone.

And he was right!

FOR MEMORIZATION: …let your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Nehemiah 1:11b

FOR REFLECTION: Who’s heart is there in your life that needs to be moved and influenced today? Are your manipulating… threatening… or praying?

Leadership 09

Written by TimMaynard on June 16, 2016. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 09

Leadership at its best comes from a heart place and not a position. Nehemiah was effective as a leader because he empathized with the pain of the people living without the safety of the wall around Jerusalem. He read himself into the shoes of the hurting. He allowed their pain to be his.

Even to the point of identifying with their sin. He confessed the sins that had led to the predicament they faced. He interceded for their sins and took them upon himself. He confessed his sins and the sins of his own family.

In this instance, I believe Nehemiah reflects Christ for us most clearly. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and allowed punishment to fall on Him. He was not a High Priest who could not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. (Hebrews 4:15).

Certainly we can see Christ elsewhere in Nehemiah. As Christ is seated in heavenly places so Nehemiah sat in the throne room of Artaxerxes.

But he did not consider his position something he clung to but came to a sin-ravaged city crumbling in despair even as Christ entered our flesh and our despair.

And as Christ prayed so Nehemiah did and was heard. And God sent Christ from Heaven and Nehemiah from Susa to once again re-establish His glory in the nations.

Difficulty and opposition, disappointment and despair would meet him as he went.

But in the end…

…so would victory.

FOR MEMORIZATION: We have sinned and acted very corruptly… Nehemiah 1:7

FOR REFLECTION: If you lead people, do you truly identify with and understand them?

Leadership 08

Written by TimMaynard on June 15, 2016. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 08

Leaders are pray-ers. But their prayers are not self-focused. A spiritual leader adopts the agenda of the Kingdom over their own. Sometimes (often, in fact) the two will come into conflict. At that point, a leader will kill his or her own self-defined agenda or sacrifice a Kingdom agenda to get what they want.

Nehemiah died to his own agenda. His agenda could have been something to hang on to… promotion, influence and face time with the King of the Babylonian empire. But God was whispering something else into his spirit… something only he could hear as God spoke. And when God speaks, He presses His message home with persistence. He would not give Nehemiah rest. He would not let Nehemiah easily off the hook.

So Nehemiah prayed. Four months of mourning, fasting and praying transpired between chapter 1 and chapter 2. Often we think God is leading us to a task that will require a cost. And then we forget about it. If we can forget, it was a good intention that motivated the impulse but not God. God doesn’t give up. God doesn’t accept our excuses. (Ask Moses!)

But Nehemiah’s understanding and high view of God (see 1:5-6) led him to an honest assessment of himself. When Nehemiah saw God for who He is, he saw himself for who he was. A sinner. Broken. Responsible. Guilty. Culpable. And when he accepted the responsibility for the state of his people, he confessed his sins… and his fathers… and his people. He admitted “we have acted very corruptly” (1:7); we have been unfaithful to the covenant (1:8); we are experiencing the promised results of our sin (1:8).

Confession is a necessary step in coming to grips with the extent of our sin and the cost of our fallenness. We pay a high price for our sins. And there are consequences that will be experienced as a result. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked… for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

Our confession must be made to the right person. Judas confessed his sins to a priest after he had betrayed Jesus in the garden and then he went out and hung himself. Peter also denied and betrayed Jesus but brought his sin to the only one who could fix it. And he was restored. Nehemiah knew that his sin was against God. God first. God most. And only the One sinned against could forgive and restore.

When Nehemiah arose from his prayer he did so as a new person. He was forgiven. He had a new role in life… a new plan… a new direction. Nehemiah was going to be used of God to build a wall that would protect God’s people from their enemies. He died to an earthly agenda and God gave him an eternal one… a kingdom plan… a lasting legacy.

A leader must first pray. Through that process of praying to know the heart and mind of the Father, we will receive a new agenda… God’s agenda… that will drive us forward.

What is God’s agenda for your life… your family… you business? What must die in you for that agenda to come to pass?

FOR MEMORIZATION: For though He was equal with God, (Jesus) did not consider equality with God something to be clung to, but made Himself nothing…. Philippians 2:5

FOR REFLECTION: How does your personal agenda conflict with what God is seeking to do through your life? Is there conflict between your ambition and God’s Kingdom?

Leadership 07

Written by TimMaynard on June 14, 2016. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 07

A leader is, first of all, a pray-er. He or she knows the value, the essential value, of prayer. Prayer is not an add-on for the leader’s life. It is necessary, essential equipment for success in the spiritual realm. Wise leaders – CEO’s; business owners, managers, teachers, church staff, supervisors – will pray. The presidents of our nation have seen the necessity of prayer to accomplish the overwhelming leadership they must offer. A president who won’t pray won’t bring blessing to his people, and will make decisions that negatively impact people.

But God will not force us to pray. God wants to “take the wheel” (thanks Carrie Underwood!) but will ride quietly along and let us drive the car off the road or over the cliff… if we’d rather do it without Him. And it happens every day. We see leaders falling around us… in business, politics and churches… because prayer has not been practiced and relied upon.

Nehemiah was a pray-er. In fact more than anything else, Nehemiah is known not for his construction prowess but for his prayer life! The first chapter of Nehemiah begins with the longest prayer he offered… in the context of an intense four month prayer session! Nehemiah joins Daniel as the prophet in Daniel 9 prays a prayer in a foreign kingdom that literally changed his nation. Nehemiah prayed a nation-shaping prayer.

God is always looking for a man or woman who will pray… who will “stand in the gap…” and who would “rebuild a wall of righteousness” around the nation. (Ezekiel 22:30) When you pray you are putting another stone in the wall. And another. And another. America needs those prayers today.

Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest models of leadership America ever produced, was often, in his own words, “driven to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that there was no place else to go.” A prideful, prayer-less leader will tear down the wall. At the end of a president’s time in office, he is often concerned about the legacy he will leave. Every leader leaves such a legacy. They will either leave office with the wall of righteousness around the nation stronger… or weaker.

Nehemiah prayed to “the great and awesome God.” He took his concern to the only One who could help. The “God of the heavens.” The One who is great and awesome and faithful in covenant-keeping. Any other prayer is only beating the air vainly. It is a waste of breath. It is useless. Only One can answer prayer.

As we learn from Nehemiah’s prayer, we see he had a very high view of God. He saw God high and lifted up in glory… robed in righteousness and seated upon His throne. He is a God who keeps “covenants and mercy.” He is the God Nehemiah knew heard him as he prayed.

And as we pray, we must pray before the same God who heard Nehemiah’s prayer over 2,600 years ago. Because today…

He still hears us.

FOR MEMORIZATION: And I said, “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love you and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night… ” Nehemiah 1:5-6

FOR REFLECTION: A.W. Tozer said “What comes to our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If that is so, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about God?

Response to the Orlando Shooting

Written by TimMaynard on June 13, 2016. Posted in Embrace The World Stories, Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Response to the Orlando Shooting

On June 12, our nation was once again stunned by violence inflicted on a portion of our population (at present, 50 dead and 53 wounded) in what is now being called “the worst mass shooting in the history of America.” This time the shooting took place at a nightclub in Orlando, specifically a gay club. The shooter, now among the dead, was claimed by ISIS to be “a soldier” of their organization.

Response has been all over the board, of course, with the political “hot buttons” involved in this event. Some politicians fear to blame radical Islamists for the shooter. Others look with disdain because of the sexual orientation of the victims. Still others are advocating that Mateen (the shooter) was actually mentally ill.

At this point none of that is of utmost importance. Labeling, posturing, politically assigning this event is crass at best. Let’s take the gray off the table and call this what it really is: an unvarnished illustration of the methods and outcome of spiritual darkness. A tragedy of epic proportion for the families of the victims and a loss of eternal proportions for so many who went into the club never to emerge again and instead found themselves facing eternal destinations.

A piece of America died in Orlando, the “happiest city in America.” We are once again blood-splattered and emotionally jarred by the nearness of violence to our heartland and homes. As an American, I hope this event moves us toward securing our nation. As a believer and follower of the Lamb of God, I find myself on this sad morning after wrestling with these thoughts.

1) How should the church respond? Not Orlando-area churches – our church? What should this cause us to do and how do we redouble our efforts to push back the darkness that has overwhelmingly found its way into the heart of our state? Will we share Jesus with more diligence? What if someone had gotten to Mateen before this happened and led him to Christ? Obviously he was lost and searching and thought he found his answer in a man-made religion. Perhaps we thought someone else would do it.

2) We cannot allow this event to further widen the gulf between God’s love for Muslim people, our responsibility to share the Gospel with them and our growing fear and disdain of those who follow this religion. Our churches, our mission board must be tasked to redouble our efforts to reach lost people wherever they are… and whatever their religious persuasion may be. The Great Commission does not have “exempt” clauses. We go everywhere… to all nations… to everyone.

3) We must allow this horrific event to underscore again how dark, how demonic, how devastating sin really is. We are not playing with an enemy that cannot bite and devour us. The devil is a “roaring lion,” seeking whom he may devour. Sunday morning, he devoured fifty people. Will this wake us out of our slumber?

4) We must remember that “our warfare is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities, with powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this age.” We cannot defeat this enemy with better guns and more bombs and soldiers. While our war with terror has a military dimension, the ultimate enemy that must be overcome cannot be shot with a weapon.

5) If fear rules, the battle is over. And we lost.

Hold your family closer tonight. Pray for God’s safe keeping for our nation. Pray NOW for the person who is considering doing the same thing somewhere else… here or around the world. Thank God we are not planning a funeral today.

Almighty, saving and all-wise Father, we come to You in this moment again of our despair and helplessness, reaching out to You… the only One who can help. We cannot fight an unseen enemy in our own strength or with our own devices. We need your help first, to guard and keep us safe but most of all to make us dangerous… dangerous to an enemy who has come into our very country, city and homes to “steal, kill and destroy.” And we pray you will use us to make this violence come to an end.

Father, we pray for grieving hearts and souls who lost loved ones in this latest act of terrorism. Some have called it “senseless” but it makes perfect sense to the one who’s agenda is to kill and destroy. Please help us know how to combat this enemy who has come to steal from us and leave fear in his wake. Please do not let him win.

We know that your Word tells us that in the latter days terrible times will come. They have arrived. And we believe that our redemption is drawing nigh. But as we await the return of Christ to this broken world, help us to know how to live… how to walk… how to be representatives of the coming King. We will not cower and retreat with fear.

And help us not to succumb to bitterness and anger. We know that the wrath of man does not accomplish the will of God. But as our Savior did, so must we pray, “Father, forgive.” And may we not retreat in our efforts to take the Gospel to the nations… even those occupied by Islam… but redouble our commitment to the task of bringing the world to salvation in Jesus.

Lord, help us. We live in a confused, broken, sin-saturated world. Help us to live in it wisely. In those places where it has been necessary for us to send armed services and troops keep them safe today and always. And bring them home soon, we pray. Bless our first responders – police, fire, rescue and medical workers – as their jobs become increasingly more dangerous and difficult.

And in all of this, help us to keep our eyes on You, Lord.

Through the Name Above Every Name, the Name of Jesus we pray.

Leadership 06

Written by TimMaynard on June 13, 2016. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 06

When God builds a leader He begins working from the inside out. He does not immediately send him or her to management school or the executive training program. No, He starts with a heart that can be dislocated… removed from its present stasis and alignment. And interestingly, as painful as that is (think about a dislocated joint) it is the place where God begins to do a great work.

Nehemiah’s heart was broken. (Nehemiah 1:4-5) It had been dislocated by the news brought from the old city of Jerusalem that the people there lived in danger, reproach and vulnerability because there was no wall… and no one to build it. So many people get their hearts dislocated in this way… missionaries for an unreached people group… a successful professional who feels led to ministry… a student who meets poverty for the first time and decides to raise funds to make a difference.

But a dislocated heart is only one step toward the ultimate goal: change. Genuine, lasting change… both in the leader herself and in the circumstance that needs to be addressed. Prospective leaders will encounter (at least) three enemies along the way. These enemies are attacking that “dislocated heart” God has given.

The enemies are: disillusionment, distraction and discouragement. Any one or any combination of these dangerous “d’s” will threaten to “relocate” the leader’s heart and move them away from the accomplishment of God’s vision for them.

Before the Journal/Book of Nehemiah comes to a conclusion, each of these enemies will be confronted. But they come to serve God’s purpose in the second important aspect of building a leader; having a humbled spirit. None of these outside intruders are the most dangerous enemy for the leader. It is on the inside that the real war must be fought and won.

Pride is the enemy of leadership effectiveness. We see the preening and pride of leaders on display every day in every walk of life. Pride manifests as one of two things: an attitude that says, “I can handle this myself” or an attitude that says, “I can’t trust God to do this.” The first attitude moves us toward a self-reliance that leads to a fall. Even heavenly angels fell prey to the seduction of this sin.

The second attitude is one that says, “Even God couldn’t do this work through a vessel like me.” It sounds so self-effacing, so humble to say. In reality, this also is a denial of God’s ability to BE GOD. When Moses tried this on God because God called him out of his comfort zone to communicate His message to Pharaoh, Moses said, “I can’t speak.” God’s reply? “Who made your mouth??”

Of the two manifestations of pride, the second hides better. But it reveals an insidious problem: the problem of refusing to trust God to do what He needs to do. A leader is confident but not so much in him or herself but as in God’s ability to do “exceedingly, abundantly more” than we could ever think or ask.

The leader is first of all, a follower and a person who leans on God alone for strength. A dislocated heart leads to a contrite and broken spirit. And it is there that God can allow His presence to dwell.

FOR MEMORIZATION: The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, these O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

FOR REFLECTION: Are you more prone to the pride of self-reliance or the pride of refusing to trust God? Do you possess the one place on earth that God promises to abide: in a broken and contrite heart?

Leadership 05

Written by TimMaynard on June 10, 2016. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 05

I hate to end the first week of this series on a negative note, but I am wrestling with a problem. The problem is some articles I’ve read lately on this week before the Southern Baptist Convention convenes in St Louis regarding the decrease in baptisms, attendance, and overall involvement in the convention. The SBC is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, and has made its mark as the leader in that category. But for the past eight years, according to the ACP (Annual Church Profile), our attendance has shrunk, our baptisms have markedly declined, and even though we are adding more churches we are losing churches at an alarming rate.

These numbers presented at a board meeting for any business would be a cause of alarm, if not grief. It would necessitate a wholesale re-evaluation of strategy and maybe an elimination of positions or branches. It would mean these numbers would not be lightly painted over.
They would be addressed seriously.

But for our beloved convention, none of those things will happen. We believe that doing the things as we’ve always done… only doing them harder… will bring us out of the death spiral we have entered.

The convention’s story is a warning sign for churches that enter into a period where
(1) attendance is declining; (2) baptisms are decreasing and (3) signs of life are difficult, if not impossible to find. Are we going to continue doing the same things… only harder… expecting the outcome to radically alter? Or are we going to say, “It’s time for a change of approach and strategy?” This is, in real time, a leadership crisis.

Ancient Jerusalem found itself in a similar state. The walls of Jerusalem had fallen. Though a brief attempt had been made to rebuild, it was unsuccessful under governor Zerubbabel and the priest Ezra. But they had to be built again. Better. Stronger. Soon. They needed a leader.

And so God sent Nehemiah to do what had not been done… to rebuild the walls. To restore the glory of Jerusalem. To lead from reproach to respect. To lead a disorganized group, outmanned, out-supplied… to victory. To do something so God received the glory. A man for the hour was needed… and so God raised up the unlikely; the unknown; even the unprepared… to do what needed to be done.

Nehemiah heard the call. And so he trusted God with it all… and he said yes.

FOR MEMORIZATION: And so it was, when I heard these word, that I sat down and wept and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of Heaven. Nehemiah 1:4

FOR REFLECTION: Before action is taken to change a situation, God has to break a heart. We will do more, pray more, give more and sacrifice more if our hearts are sensitized to a situation. If we can read about a circumstance and it doesn’t move our heart in some way, we will seldom move toward addressing it. Let me ask you to assess again: What breaks your heart? Your calling is likely there.