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LRC Email – Moving Forward

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Here’s my email to leaders in Reno County on engaging unusual voices today (7/1/13):

Today’s the final installment on “Engaging Unusual Voices.”  You might remember where we’ve been as we’ve quickly surveyed the waters of this important topic: we’ve talked about why it’s important to engage them, why we don’t do it more often, and who are the usual vs. the unusual voices.  Today, I hope you feel the urge to engage unusual voices in deeper ways, so we conclude very practically with some Steps on How to Engage Unusual Voices:
·         Pinpoint who will be impacted by a cause or decision.
·         Build a trustworthy process.
·         Learn to listen differently: Come to conversations with empathy, not expertise.
·         Don’t just engage unusual voices for input, engage them for decision making.
·         Meet them where they are.
Again, I’m grateful for the Kansas Leadership Centerfor having this conference call last fall.  And, I hope as we engage unusual voices, the effect will be a more engaged and connected community, making progress on issues we care about deeply.

With you to that end…

Weekend Recap – Seals, Prayers and Trumpets

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My 6/30/13AM sermon, Seals, Prayers and Trumpets from Revelation 8 is now online.  This sermon sought to show how the prayers of believers relate to God’s plan, specifically His plan of unfolding judgment upon the created world and sinful humanity.  My hope is that through this sermon, perseverance in prayer was nurtured and believers were encouraged.

Hope you had a great Lord’s Day.

Dangerous Calling Email – Simple Question

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My 6/25/13 email based on Paul Tripp’s Dangerous Calling book to elders and deacons of Crestview Bible Church:

We continue to work through Dangerous Calling thoughts this year.  Specifically, we’re following up on chapters that were recommended to read following up on Sessions 5-6 of the DVD.  Chapters 5, 6, and 11 are encouraged to be some follow up on these sessions. 
There’s a profound question at the beginning of chapter 5 that I would encourage you to consider: “Who am I and what do I spiritually need?”  When was the last time you considered this?  Why not today?  I’d like you take some time and spend 5 minutes honestly considering this question.  Journal some thoughts or write a reflection and then act accordingly.  Maybe there’s a cry out for help you need to make.  Maybe there’s some sort of follow up you need to pursue.  Whatever God stirs in you, consider this question, then avail yourself to the body of Christ. 

With you in this journey…

LRC Email – Usual vs. Unusual

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My 6/24/13AM email to Leadership Reno County alumni:

I want to continue pressing this idea of engaging unusual voices for 2 reasons: 1) It’s something that I don’t do very naturally.  I tend to default into “I’m-the-expert-and-have-this-figured-out-and-don’t-want-to-waste-time-talking-to-others” mode.  So, I need this content.  Also, 2) it was the content of a card sent out by the KLC summarizing a conference call on October 4, 2012.  This info is super-duper helpful.
Here are 2 groups of 3…
3 Examples of Usual Voices:
– People in positions of authority
– Individuals with significant influence surrounding an issue
– Those who frequently participate and show-up
3 Examples of Unusual Voices:
– Those perceived to have little or no influence
– People not actively engaged
– Individuals who are invited to the table but whose ideas are not heard
So, which group gets your attention?  And, what do you envision to positive and negative effects being of engaging these more unusual voices?  Today, why don’t you consider one such voice you could engage and seek to see what they might offer in helping you progress in your area. 

With you in this adventure of engaging in acts of leadership…

Dangerous Calling Email – Chapter 5

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For today’s email to Crestview’s leadership on Paul Tripp’s Dangerous Calling book, I had one of our deacons, Benjamin Oard, write some reflections on chapter 5.  Here’s what he writes:

The most interesting part of each chapter for me have been personal stories and experiences Paul Tripp shares. I've been able to identify with each of those stories on some level. The story in Chapter 5 of Joe and his life being totally consumed by the stress of circumstance, ministry, and family. This stress transformed his daily mindset into a "survival" mode. I remember reading that particular story and immediately identifying with Joe. More importantly, I remember reading the terrifying response of Joe's wife..."I can't stand what it has done to Joe and our family, I just can't do it anymore." 

Survival is the mindset I easily drift towards. My energy is exhausted by the stress at work, craziness with three small children at home, and helping lead ministry. I've use the "can do" attitude in the past, and believe me that isn't enough. Going through the motions and putting on a good face will not get it done. Personal devotions and reading books won't revitalize me towards the father, husband, and employee I'm called to be. 

Paul Tripp gives us eight essential means of grace that can help minister to each of us. I'm just going to highlight two that I've benefited from:
1) Seek out a spiritually mature person to mentor you at all times. Bob Guthrie and I have met for a few years now. He never tells me what I want to hear (makes you wonder why I keep going back?) The Spirit works through others to minister to each of us. I get great encouragement sharing and asking for wisdom in the seemingly overwhelming circumstances I face. The question is, "Will we take advantage of that means of grace?"

2) Make there is someone regularly mentoring your wife . This is just as important. Jandee did this without me encouraging her to do so. This is such a great tool for young mothers. I'm not sure there is a more draining job than a stay at home mom.  She needs community and takes advantage of this much better than I do.

I hope your encouraged by chapter 5 and were able to benefit from the material Paul Tripp illustrated so well.

LRC Email – Catch Valve and Voices

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Here’s the email I sent to Leadership Reno County alums today on engaging unusual voices:

Recently had some plumbing problems and had to put in a catch valve in our sump pump pipe.  Now, I’m not the handiest person when it comes to this, but I do understand the thought here.  The catch valve insures the sump keeps making progress.
In a sense, that’s what engaging unusual voices is all about.  It’s helping all kinds of people make progress on things they care about.
So, if this such a great concept, why don’t we engage unusual voices more often?
– We don’t set high enough standards for ourselves in how we connect with people and build relationships.
– It’s risky.  Usual voices fear losing their status or influence.
– Fear.  We gravitate toward what’s comfortable.
– Time. Engaging unusual voices requires time people are unwilling to give.
– Assumptions.  Those without influence are often assumed to lack expertise.
Anytime and every time is a good time to engage unusual voices.
(taken from a Kansas Leadership Center Conference Call summary)

Today, then, engage in an act of leadership by going after the unusual voices so that you make progress on the issue you care about.

Weekend Review – Seals on Scroll

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My 6/16/13AM sermon, Seals on Scroll, from Revelation 6:1-17 is now online.  Our church is making its way through this book that showcases Jesus and today we saw some expectations we can have as we near the end.  One big point that personally stood out was the call to be faithful.  Living my faith as if it’s worthy dying for is one of the many callings of this passage.  Hope it encourages you.

Dangerous Calling – Isolation Review

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Our church leadership is meeting regularly to work through Paul Tripp’s book Dangerous Calling.  Each week, I send an email reminding them of things we’re learning.  Here’s this week’s installment:

Gents,
Want to keep building on the momentum from our May 21st meeting.  In that meeting (have you gotten together with Bob Guthrie yet if you missed it?), we watched sessions 5 and 6.  I’m going to summarize session 6 in this email and press for some application. 
The high points:
·         When you begin to believe that you have arrived, you will be unprepared for the violence of grace.  God will bring the grace of refinement and rescue to reclaim your heart.
·         God wants you.
·         Ministry can lead to the temptation of isolation.
·         Sin blinds, and therefore, we will have an inaccurate view of ourselves and will not be able to repent of sins.
We were encouraged to pursue these applications:
·         Have you isolated yourself from or above the body of Christ?
·         Have you been using your position as a leader to justify not revealing your struggles and temptations to others?
·         Do you tell yourself that, as a leader, you must set a good example and, therefore, not confess sin?
·         Have you told yourself that you must not show weaknesses in order to be an effective leader?
·         Have you improperly judged others in ministry or placed unreachable expectations upon them?  If so, perhaps you need to confess this to them.
·         Are you prepared to show compassion, mercy and grace to others in ministry?  Have you made yourself approachable should anyone want to share or confess their struggles to you?
·         Are you prepared to speak the truth in love to those in the body who need to hear difficult truths spoken in love?

I hope some of these resonate with you and result in lots of ministry application out of our lives.  Have a great week.

Meh-wedge – A Good, Good Thing!

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You might know this past weekend, my wife and I had the privilege, along with our 5 month old, to go to Florida for a beach wedding.  In this case it was for my brother.  While I was in the midst of celebrating Saturday night, I read the following tweet online:

mrmeddersJun 08, 6:23pm via Tweetbot for iOS

If you’re a Christian and you don’t *love* weddings, you don’t have a romance problem—it’s a theological problem.
I don’t know how this thought strikes you, but it made me pause a second and get my bearings.  After all, I was the “trained professional” involved in helping pull off the ceremony and, like most every wedding I was involved in, there are things that make weddings somewhat unlovable.  I’m thinking of the personalities of people involved, all the details coming together at precise moments, in our case, the heat of a summer’s day on the beach dressed in nice clothes, time barriers, a crying child.  

But what is marriage about?  A few years ago, our church was rewriting bylaws and we were adjusting some language on the article on marriage.  We said, we believe marriage is a good thing.  Some people thought it was a little too chatty and didn’t have the “sacred institution” language that had always been there.  But, do you know why we opted for the “good thing” language?  Because the Bible (and, as a result, God) does.

Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
or 
Genesis 2:18-24
God says “It’s not good for man to be alone” and remedies this by creating a wife for Adam. 
God made marriage to be a sacred institution and a “good thing”.  Hebrews 13:4 gives us 2 directions in regard to marriage: to let it be held in honor among all and to keep it pure.  So, marriages, weddings and the uniting of a man and woman together is a great work of God and, thus, Christians should “love” when people gather to celebrate what God has done in bringing a man and woman together.  
That tweet was right on and exactly what I needed in our celebration Saturday to look to the One who gave us this good thing and praise Him.  Hope you can do the same today reflecting on these things.