Bill Couchenour

Mentoring to Make Disciples, Not Converts

Sun, 13 May 2012 23:14:00 GMT

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” - Jesus

Some have interpreted the Great Commission calling as “go and make converts”. When we do this we are utilizing a “bounded set” philosophy that works on the premise of getting people just inside the fence, then moving on. But I think that shortchanges the Gospel and misses much of what was intended when he said, “(As you are going), make disciples.” Instead I have come to embrace “centered set” thinking where the goal is always to draw closer to Jesus. The point of conversion is critical but I think it’s more helpful to think in terms of always drawing closer to the center (i.e. Jesus), rather than simply getting inside the fence.

God is restoring this world that he called “good.” We must work as Jesus’ hands and feet to restore this world by creating beauty, righting injustice, enhancing relationships and seeking God to intersect the physical with the spiritual. It means we are to add value to everyone we meet.

“It is a matter of glimpsing that in God’s new creation, of which Jesus’s resurrection is the start, all that was good in the original creation is reaffirmed. All that has corrupted and defaced it – including many things which are woven so tightly into the fabric of the world as we know it that we can’t imagine being without them – will be done away. Learning to live as a Christian is learning to live as a renewed human being, anticipating the eventual new creation in and with a world which is still longing and groaning for that final redemption.” - NT Wright

Mentoring and discipling should be a way of life, a way of intentionally restoring all that God called “good” when he created the world. It means mentoring everyone around us including family, friends, neighbors, people in our church, merchants, waitresses, vendors, suppliers and coworkers. Yes, we are to introduce people to Christ with every opportunity we’re given and to practice pre-conversion discipleship for those who are not yet Christ followers. We are to help people become everything God has created them to be. Discipleship (mentoring) can be organic or formal but it should always be intentional.

We have a great opportunity/responsibility to mentor people, especially those with whom God has given us influence. What’s cool is that whether you’re mentoring or discipling, it’s impossible to do that without gaining value yourself. Mentoring is a two-way street.

(Thanks to Steve Caton @CCBChurch for being the catalyst for this blog!)

Is Church Good For Your Health?

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:03:00 GMT

It turns out church is good for your health, even very good. On top of that, relationships (some of which come from church) positively correlate with health satisfaction. Here’s what Gallup found in three separate studies:

1) Religious Americans Enjoy Higher Wellbeing Read more at GALLUP.com.:

- Americans who are the most religious have the highest levels of wellbeing.

- The difference in wellbeing between the religious and nonreligious populations is highly statistically significant given the large sample size Gallup's research uses, and would occur by chance alone on an infrequent basis.

- The difference is also notable given that the Well-Being Index scores do not vary widely across sub-groups of the U.S. population.

- Religious service attendance promotes social interaction and friendship with others

2) Church Boosts Your Emotional State Read more at GALLUP.com.:

- Frequent churchgoers experience an average of 3.36 positive emotions per day compared with an average of 3.08 among those who never attend.

- Not only do Americans who attend a church…frequently report having higher wellbeing in general, but they also get an extra boost to their emotional state on Sundays -- while the rest of Americans see a decline in their mood.

3) Strong social ties = Health Satisfaction Read more at GALLUP.com.:

- Individuals who say they have family and friends they can count on to help them in times of trouble are consistently more likely to be satisfied with their personal health.

- People who are socially isolated tend to have more physiological stress, poorer immune function, and a host of biological risk factors

Please (as Reggie McNeal says) don’t hear what I’m not saying. The fact it may be good for your health should never be a reason for being part of a church. The church is God’s vehicle for the Gospel of Jesus between now and when heaven and earth are joined together. And following Jesus means we make many counterintuitive choices (die to live; serve to be honored; give to gain; forgive not retaliate; love your enemies; Depend on God not yourself; joy in hardship; honor the poor not the celebrities; etc). But it is interesting to learn it’s good for your health.

Every Person Has A Story (and what that taught me about patience)

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:05:00 GMT

I don’t remember why, but I was in Kinko’s to get something done. I remember being in a hurry, but I’m not sure if it was because I had a deadline or just the normal pressure I put on myself to maximize time efficiency. Whatever the reason, I could feel myself getting more and more impatient as I listened in on the conversation between a teenage girl (the clerk) and an older lady who was the only other customer in the store. It was clear they knew each other and that their conversation had nothing to do with getting something done at Kinko’s - which only added to my indignation.

FORTUNATELY, I was able to overhear some specifics of their conversation before my indignance caused me to do or say something I would have regretted to this day. As I listened in, I learned that the teenage girl’s mother was shot and killed as an innocent bystander to a drive-by shooting the night before. The other lady was there as a friend to do what she could to console the young girl. This young girl didn’t even have time to mourn. She needed the job, and couldn’t afford to take time off. In fact, when she left her job at Kinko’s, she had to go to a second job.

That event profoundly impacted me. Anytime I am tempted to get impatient, the Holy Spirit brings that teenage girl back to my mind. She is not simply a clerk at Kinko’s. She has a story. A story that intersected with mine on that day.

It’s good to see every person as the complex, unique, made-in-His-image individual God created them to be. And it’s good to remember God loves them passionately – beyond what we can understand or imagine. They have a story that is as unique as they are, and God is at work somehow, somewhere in that story. We get to intersect with each others’ stories. And, when we’re sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit, we get to work with God in a powerful way inside their story.

Check out this Chick-Fil-A training video “Every Person Has a Story”

Are You in a Holy Saturday Season?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:58:00 GMT

I had never really thought much about the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter until I read a devotional by NT Wright. For me, Holy Saturday was a time to get ready for a celebration. It was a day to make preparations for Sunday’s festivities - finalizing meals, coloring and hiding eggs, writing cards and assembling baskets of candy. But it wasn’t like that for the followers of Jesus on that first Holy Saturday.

Imagine what they were feeling. They just had their world crushed, their perceptions shattered. The Savior they thought would rescue them was now dead. A few understood what He had told them about rising in three days (which is why the Pharisees went to Pilate to have the tomb sealed). However, it was too much for most to believe. Out of fear, Peter (and probably others) even denied he knew Jesus. This was an unprecedented time, and they didn’t know what to expect.

We all face those times when it seems there’s more despair than direction, more anxiety than excitement, more pressure than peace. We see this played out in the Psalms as the writers describe times of longing and loneliness when God seems absent, even oblivious to their situation. As NT Wright said:

“We aren't sure why we've got to this place, why things aren't going as we wanted or planned, and the life seems to have drained out of it all. That's a Holy Saturday moment.”

Perhaps you find yourself in a Holy Saturday moment now. Maybe it would be better described as a season than a moment. Those are difficult, dark times, but the advantage we have is that we live on this side of the resurrection. We can know what we cannot always feel. Through faith in that knowledge, there are steps we can take as NT Wright encourages us:

“And there is usually something to be done in the present, even when times are sad and hard. It took considerable courage for Joseph of Arimathea to go to Pontius Pilate and ask for Jesus' body. Peter and the others had run away to hide because they were afraid of being thought accomplices of Jesus. Joseph had no such qualms, even after Jesus' death. Some of Jesus' followers might well have thought that, if the Romans had crucified him, he can't have been the Messiah, so he must have been a charlatan. They might willingly have let the Romans bury him in a common grave, as they usually did after a crucifixion. But Joseph didn't see it that way. A clean linen cloth; the tomb he had prepared for himself; and the security of a great stone. It all had to be done in haste, with the Sabbath approaching. But what was done was done decently.

Do what has to be done, and wait for God to act in His own way and His own time.”

How to Avoid False Summits

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 01:13:00 GMT

I was backpacking a couple of years ago with one of my sons in the Wind River Mountains of western Wyoming. We were trekking from Big Sandy Lake across Jackass Pass to the Cirque of the Towers. The trail was a combination of a worn path and cairns for traveling over rock. The problem for us was that there was just enough snow to obscure the path. We did our best to follow what we thought was the route, but we ended up near Arrowhead Lake, a few hundred feet below the trail.

Realizing we were too low, we decided we’d climb to the route - which, at the time, seemed like a good idea. The problem was that we didn’t realize how far the trail was above us. The further we climbed, the steeper it got. With no ropes and no way to tie safely into the rock, I was getting concerned. We thought about turning back, but then saw what we thought was a spot that leveled off. So we kept going thinking it was the trail, but it wasn’t. By now, it was more dangerous to go back down than to keep going up. Before getting back on the route, there were several times we thought we saw the trail, only to get there and realize it was a sort of “false summit”.

False summits happen from time to time when climbing because the features of the mountain obscure the actual summit. They can be discouraging because you strain, tired, hungry and weak, thinking you just have a few feet to go, only to find out you’re nowhere near your destination. False summits happen in life, too. We strive to reach for something that was beyond our reach. Then, when we get there, we find it wasn’t what we were looking for after all.

Religion can be a lot like that, too. We get wrapped up in the “doing” part, thinking that there is some portion of justification that comes from our efforts. We work at the “business” of church, doing good things, and sometimes forgetting the identity God has given us in Jesus. It’s good to be reminded that we’re invited into a relationship, not a religion. To avoid false summits in life…

Focus on the person, not the place.

(We finally made it to the Cirque of the Towers)

The Extremes That Reveal Us

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:32:00 GMT

None of us entirely escaped the consequences of the greatest economic downturn in our lifetime. At the very least, you know someone that has lost their job or their home. Whether it’s the economy or our health or lost loved ones, we all experience the pressures of difficult times. Yet, as Christ-followers, we are well aware that God has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and that nothing you’re going through can separate you from God (Romans 8:38-39). In fact, He says He’ll use these times of pressure for our good (Romans 8:28). And James encourages us by letting us know the testing of our faith develops our perseverance making us “complete, not lacking in anything” (James 1:3-4).

I have been aware for some time, of the fact that we will be tested, sifted so to speak, by difficult times. However, I was reminded recently that we are also tested by the accolades we receive:

“The crucible for silver and the
Furnace for gold,
But people are tested by their praise.”
(Proverbs 27:21)

Have you known anyone that, after great success, fell because of their own undoing? They seemed to have it all. Then, for some inexplicable reason, they did something that brought everything crashing down. I distinctly remember Tiger Woods in his mea culpa saying, “I felt entitled”. Maybe that’s part of why Proverbs says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Most falls from grace will not be as public as Tiger Woods and many others, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be quietly devastating.

We are tested by the extremes – PRESSURES & PRAISE. They are times of testing and danger. Remember that sin happens a step at a time, not all at once. Justifiable compromise is dangerous territory. But they can be, in fact, they’re meant to be, times of great growth and grace.

Lean hard into God, especially during these times.

Spectacular Austere Cool Missional Facilities

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:46:00 GMT

I have been developing facilities for ministry for well over half my life. In fact, this year will mark 30 years committed exclusively to serving churches. It’s been an incredibly rewarding role, and, it’s been a good gig for conversation starters (and, sometimes, killers). When I get asked what I do, I simply say, “We develop facilities for ministry”. Their immediate reaction gives me a clue into their perspective on faith:
- Sometimes their eyes light up, and they want to tell me what Jesus has done & how important the church is for them.

- Sometimes they pause. Then ask me something about God, faith or the church, like they’ve been waiting for the right moment to ask the question.

- Sometimes, when they immediately go silent and turn away, I will respectfully try to open the dialogue because there seems to be some fear or pain.

Sometimes when I get asked that question, their mind goes to the most beautiful church they’ve ever seen. And they’ll ask me if we built it or would have liked to. My answer surprises them because, frankly, the relative beauty isn’t what’s most important to me. What I am passionate about is how well the facility - and the process to develop the facility - propels them to greater levels of ministry. You could have the most beautiful facility in town, but it’s pointless if it doesn’t exactly meet your ministry needs. Conversely, you could have maximized the square footage for your dollars, but have an austere facility without the needed features to make it effective.

I wrote this blog in NYC on an evening I visited St. Patrick’s Church (pictured above). I have great admiration for the skill that went into the design and construction of facilities like St. Patrick’s. The sense of the spectacular is a testament to that skill… and I love “cool”! We have developed some very cool facilities for churches. They’re fun to develop, because they’re what I like. But, frankly, it doesn’t matter what I want or what you want; what matters is what will best accomplish the mission.

Bottom line: “Spectacular” is wonderful. “Austere” is commendable. “Cool” is great. But the driving force has to be…

“what facilities will best help you accomplish our God-given mission?”

Are You Leading The Church You'd Want To Attend?

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:17:00 GMT

I recently heard Dave Travis give a talk to church planting pastors entitled, “10 Things You Should Know (But You Probably Don’t)”. I enjoy Dave as a friend and, as the CEO of Leadership Network. He always has great insights. Most of his points had a relational component:

- Dave led with the comment that illicit sex will bring down your ministry, but far more ministries have been destroyed by the pastor being one or more of three A’s: Arrogance, Anger, Donkey (think King James version).

- It’s not your preaching that builds the church, but rather your winsomeness (do people like you?).

- Remember to say, “Thank you” to your staff, both paid and volunteer. The relationship means more to them than their paycheck.

- Relationships are more important to church growth than media and music – friends tell friends (and people from large churches are 3 times as likely to tell their friends).

But, the one that I have continued to bounce around in my mind is, “Pastor the church that you’d want to attend.” The changes that are taking place locally and globally are nothing short of seismic, and the church finds herself in the midst of them. Some pastors trained and entered the ministry for a role entirely different than the one they find themselves in today. A pastor once told me, “I got into ministry because it was a calling, but it’s become a job. I want it to be a calling again.”

The good news is that you can lead your church through the adaptive changes necessary to become the church you’d want to attend. You are capable of making the changes needed to develop necessary leadership capacities. I don’t think there’s ever been a more important time in history for the U.S. church, because it is a historical “hinge” time that charts the course for the future. These are difficult, but exciting days that are calling us to new work of God!

If you’re struggling with change, contact me. I have some resources that may help you. In the meantime, here’s some good guidance from another of Dave’s top 10:

Be a missionary, don’t follow a model

Will you leave or stay when the alarm goes off?

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:04:00 GMT

You don’t often hear an alarm go off, so it took a few seconds for everyone to identify the significance of the sound. Then there was a collective awareness. We all looked at each other, realizing as strangers we were now sharing a common experience. Shortly after the fire alarm went off at the “Y”, I realized there were two categories of people – those that were inclined to leave, and those that would simply continue to work out. Within each of those two categories, I saw two groups creating, from my observation, four in total:

- Category A: Those that left

· Group 1: As soon as they realized what was going on, there was a group of people that dropped everything and left. Quickly grabbing what was around them they swiftly, but orderly exited.

· Group 2: The second group watched nervously, as the first group hurried out. I could sense the nervousness in the girl on the Stairmaster to my right. Once the first group reached a critical mass, she and others led the second wave of exiters.

- Category B: Those that stayed

· Group 3: I fell into the third group. We stayed initially because we were in the middle of a workout, and we didn’t want to stop prematurely. Then we justified our reticence to leave by reasoning that, if there were really a fire, we’d see evidence. After all, we were in a wide open concrete block building, and the sprinklers weren’t going off.

· Group 4: Then there was the group that stayed with a “Damn the torpedoes” attitude. To my left, there was a group of guys that wouldn’t have abandoned their workout until the building was coming down around them.

It seems like a healthy community needs all four groups. We need people that obey at a moment’s notice, as well as those that will follow reasoned leaders. Imagine that there had been a bomb (unfortunately, not entirely inconceivable in this day and age). The first two groups that had left would have been the only ones to survive. But we also need people committed to their task - some after re-evaluating the situation, and some no matter what may come.

Which group would you be in? Would it vary with the circumstances?

Feed Your Head

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:50:00 GMT

If a church leader tells me they have the time and money for one conference, I recommend the Exponential Conference. There are some other great conferences, and some I might recommend for specific topics or themes (e.g. Verge Network for missional/incarnational thinking). However, none have the breadth and depth of the Exponential Conference.

The conference is part of the Exponential Network, a network of the top church planting networks in the world, so you’ll find the cutting edge topics in ministry. You will, in a sense, see the future. You’ll find it inspirational and instructional - practical. Wherever you are in your ministry, you’ll walk away with tools and connections that will make you better able to be used by God. Thousands have already found that to be true.

The theme for Exponential 2012 is “Sifted”:

Sifted - emphasizes the planter's spiritual, physical and emotional health as the very foundation for reproducing. In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus' reference to Peter being "sifted" is based on the process of sifting wheat from its chaff during harvest, a form of refining and distilling the good from the bad and removing impurities. As Believers, we have been perfectly sifted by Christ's blood and are being continually sifted to extract our chaff (sin). Life's troubles and difficulties serve in some measure like the winnowing fork. What if we could be better prepared to deal with life's troubles? Join sage and seasoned leaders at Exponential 2012 as they impart their years of wisdom to help you in your journey and lay out a plan for finishing strong.

Everything rises and falls on leadership. Who and what is influencing you?

FEED YOUR HEAD…
… MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Getting Beyond the "Same Old Thing"

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:48:00 GMT

Where are you stuck? Think about your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, food, movie or book genre, TV show or music. My guess is you rarely deviate from what you’ve become comfortable with. We tend to limit our experiences to the familiar - no disappointments, but rarely unexpected delight. So here’s a way to break out of your rut:

Len Sweet shared an unusual practice he calls FORCED RANDOMIZATION. It involves intentionally making selections at random in order to be exposed to new learnings, broaden perspective, and increase awareness & understanding. Here are a couple of examples of how Len puts Forced Randomization into practice:
- When he is flying, he selects one magazine for every hour of flight. The magazines are chosen entirely at random, and he reads them from cover to cover. (Exception: no pornography).
- He will show up at a movie theater and get a ticket for the very next show – no matter what it is. (Exceptions: no pornography and slasher films).

What would Forced Randomization look like for you?

What could you intentionally do differently this week – even today – to experience something new? A different coffee shop or a different drink? Maybe a new restaurant or new style of food? Music recommended by your kids or by your parents? Maybe volunteering for a day in a new ministry? Could you invite a new neighbor over for coffee and dessert? Have you ever tried cooking for a friend? Flip a coin.

The key to appreciating (rather than tolerating) new experiences is to reflect on them in real time. Try asking yourself:
- What is different? (Be analytical)
- What is it about this experience that other people like? (Be perceptive)
- What is similar to my normal experience? (Be comprehensive)
- What do I like about this? (Be vulnerable)
- How does this inform me in new ways? (Be open)
- How does this experience reflect God? (Be discerning)
- How could this experience change me? (Be thorough)

It always fascinates me that our natural bent is toward comfort, yet our greatest excitement comes from disruption. They give us a deeper understanding and appreciation for the world God has entrusted to us. New experiences make us richer. And they can make us wider: “…the mind is a self-maximizing memory system…any two inputs cannot remain separate no matter how unconnected they are…a connection will eventually form between the two.” (Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono).

Do something different, TODAY!
(it might surprise you)

PS: What would Forced Randomization look like for your church?

Echoes of a Voice

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:39:00 GMT

Throughout history, there have been “echoes of a voice” from someone or something bigger than ourselves. These echoes do not, in themselves, point to a specific god, but “wave their arms in a rather general direction, like someone in a cave who hears an echoing voice but has no idea where it’s coming from.” In Simply Christian, Bishop N. T. Wright suggests there are 4 echoes of a voice that call to our souls:

1) Longing for Justice: I recently received the horrific news of a lady (of one of my daughter’s former teachers) that was murdered by a stalker who then took his own life at the gravesite of his mother. We hear that and similar stories, and something from deep within us cries out. We are intuitively aware that something is not right. Violations of justice, large and small, automatically impact us anywhere from irritation to action.
2) Thirst for Spirituality: Research indicates that 86% of people that do not attend church of any kind believe they can have a good relationship with God without going to church. It seems that as though the church has fallen out of fashion and secularism is on the rise. Yet, all indications are that spirituality is as popular as ever. There is an echo that always bubbles up as a spring no matter how comprehensive the powers to suppress it appears to be.
3) Desire for Relationships: As difficult as developing and maintaining relationships can be, it is still the loner that is the anomaly. Solitary confinement – even for criminals – is the ultimate punishment short of death. It is ironic that we can never understand ourselves well outside of the context of relationships. Over and over, it has been shown that those with healthy relationships live longer, happier, more fulfilled lives.
4) Delight in Beauty: Beauty may often times be in the eye of the beholder, but there is beauty in every beholder’s eye. “Beauty is both something that calls us out of ourselves and something which appeals to feelings deep within us.”

Each of these echoes suggest their own paradox that create yet another echo:
- We recognize justice, yet struggle to even live up to our own standards
- We are pointed to something bigger by everything around us, from microscopic to the mountainous, by signpost that seems omnidirectional
- We desire relationships, but find them so hard to perfect
- We are drawn to beauty, yet never find it fully satisfying

Whose voice is it that reaches out to us with these echoes?

Over 700 years before it happened, the prophet Isaiah said the owner of that voice, who had existed before time, would become flesh and dwell among us. He said the owner of that voice, though entirely innocent, would suffer and die for our sins because of His unfathomable love. The owner of that voice still calls to us today.

Do Mountaintop Experiences Really Change Us?

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:41:00 GMT

Do you remember the times when a sense of accomplishment and clarity ushered in a rush of positive emotions? Mountaintop experiences form some of the highlights of our lives. And they are often transformational. So why do we still struggle when we come down from the summit?

I was looking at chapter 9 of the book of Mark where we find Jesus leading Peter, James and John up a “high mountain.” What happened next was supernatural. Jesus’ appearance was “transfigured” and “His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.” On top of that, the two icons of the Jewish faith, Elijah and Moses (long dead in human terms), appeared with Jesus and they had a conversation. It had to have been a powerful time in Jesus’ life.

I thought about that mountain top experience for Jesus relative to his struggles that came a short time later in Gethsemane. In chapter 14, Mark says Jesus was “deeply distressed and troubled.” Jesus himself said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” We can’t fully comprehend what happened for Jesus on that mountain but it is safe to say he was changed in some way. Yet that experience did not eliminate the grief that came from facing a gruesome death.

So, what does that say about mountaintop experiences? Simply this: They give us perspective. Summits give us an enhanced understanding of the lower regions so that when we return we think and act differently. But they do not change the realities of our lives. Our circumstances are not made better: we are!

“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.”
- Rene Daumal from Mount Analogue

Our mountaintop experiences DO change us (but not our circumstances).

What Do People On Facebook Say About Going To Church?

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:46:00 GMT

I thought it was interesting that on the same day two different Facebook friends of mine added posts relating to going to church. One simply asked the question, “Why do you go to church?”

A) Some of the responses were what you might expect:
- “To learn, to worship, to be challenged and to see my great friends!”
- “Sometimes I go to church because I NEED to be there. Sometimes I go to church because someone else might NEED me to be there.”
- “I love fellowshipping with the saints”
- “to love.... and be loved...”

B) One struck me funny: “Because I’m the pastor” (Makes you wonder if there’s more behind that answer)

C) One reflected perhaps a tinge of obligation: “Because I am a Christian.”

D) Some waxed philosophical about going vs. being the church:
- “It's impossible to go to church”
- “it is much easier to go to church rather than be the church.”

E) And some concerned me:
- “When I go it's because I want to....but I don't go that much anymore.”
- “I still find (not going to church) pretty pleasurable and I haven't gone for at least 6 years.”

Why do you go to church…really?

Maybe it’s time for you to re-examine that question (especially if you’re the pastor). We all go through seasons of obligation for anything that’s meaningful (there is something to be said for faithfulness in the face of numbness). But, if you’re beyond a season of passion, it’s time to reclaim the source of passion. It’s easy to trample on the Gospel of grace by congratulating ourselves for our work in the church, as though salvation were up to what we accomplish. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the business of religion while the relationship with Jesus wanes. That’s the theme behind the popular video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”. Does he get it right?

Embrace Jesus… better yet, allow Jesus to embrace you. Let your passion flow out of the gratitude for what Jesus has done, and connect again with the ministry of the church to dispense God’s grace and disciple those around us.

Get back to the passion!

5 Key Questions for Young Leaders

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:40:00 GMT

If you’re a young leader or have the privilege of mentoring young leaders:

Max De Pree offers some valuable reflections in the introduction to the 2008 edition of his book, Leadership Jazz, that can be particularly insightful for you. Among these reflections you will find 5 piercing questions that cut to the heart of your leadership:

1) Who do you intend to be?

2) Do you believe belief precedes behavior?

3) Who gives you health?

4) What do you, as a leader, owe?

5) What may you keep?

Leadership flows out of being. This seems counterintuitive, especially to a young leader. After all, the leader’s actions are often in the spotlight and leaders are ultimately judged by their results. But results are the tip of the iceberg with the substance below the surface. The answers to these questions expose values, motivations, and world view – everything that guides your decision making and relationships. Think through them carefully and, though the answers will likely evolve over time, answer them intentionally. They are your future. Remember: don’t construct a being from your doing; let your doing flow from your being.

In 1911 two teams raced for the South Pole. One became the first in modern history to make it - the other perished. Jim Collins in his book, Great By Choice, describes the philosophy of the winner (the same philosophy they found in “10X” companies):

"You don’t wait until you’re in an unexpected storm to discover you need more strength and endurance…You prepare with intensity, all the time, so that when conditions turn against you, you can draw from a deep reservoir of strength. And equally, you prepare so that when conditions turn in your favor, you can strike hard."