From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

Connect

Dangerous Calling Email – The Danger of Familiarity and Humility

by

Here’s the email I sent the elders and deacons of Crestview today:

In Chapter 8 of Paul Tripp’s book Dangerous Calling entitled Familiarity, he warns his readers of the dangers of becoming overly familiar with the things of God.  We have an awe-of-God crisis that must be engaged.  Later in the chapter, Tripp highlights what the awe of God will produce in the heart of a pastor that are vital for effective, God-honoring, productive ministry.  One area he points to is humility.
Here’s how Tripp introduces this idea: “There is nothing that will put you in your place, nothing that will correct your distorted view of yourself, nothing that will yank you out of your functional arrogance, or nothing that will take the winds out of the sails of your self-righteousness like standing, without defense, before the awesome glory of God.” 
He continues: “Somewhere along the way in ministry, too many [church leaders] have forgotten who they are.  They have a bloated, distorted, grandiose view of themselves that renders them largely unapproachable and allows them to justify things they think, desire, say and do that simply are not biblically justifiable.  I have been there and at times fall into being there again, and when I am there, I need to be rescued from me.  When you are too much in awe of you, you set up to be a self-righteous, controlling, overconfident, judgmental, unfalteringly opinionated, ecclesiastical autocrat, unwittingly building a kingdom whose throne will be inhabited by you, no matter how much you are able to convince yourself you do it all to the glory of God.” 
This week, we transition on Sunday mornings into Revelation 4-5.  Take some time and read through seeing how great God is.  As you see that reality, realize that this awe is meant to drive you in ministry.  Have a great week living out of this reality.

LRC Email – The Weather, Temperature and Reminders To Diagnose

by

Here’s the email I sent out to leaders in Reno County:

It seems like every time I’m engaging in conversation with a casual acquaintance these days in Reno County, our dialogue turns to the weather.  Something like, “Will this winter ever end?” is offered as a talking point.  This caused my mind to jog to leadership competencies.  Most of us pay much closer attention to the physical weather than we do to the temperature of the leadership opportunities in which we are found.  When the weather is chilly, we’ll grab a jacket or sweatshirt to raise the heat.  When our situations seem to be cool, we wouldn’t think of raising the heat, because that might offend someone (or at the very least, we’re not willing to think of ways to skillfully intervene).  Today, I have a simple reminder: Take The Temperature.  This is part of diagnosing the situation. Taking the temperature might help us understand what’s happening and, in the end, help us make progress.   
A simple graphic on taking the temperature is found in KLC’s Pocket PlayBook: 
You can see that there are all kinds of ways of moving around this scale.  As we take the temperature, we get information that helps us step in to engage in an act of leadership (we’ll talk more about raising the heat next time).    
So, yes, the weather outside may be frightful.  But use it as a reminder to diagnose the situation by taking the temperature of your leadership opportunities and see if we aren’t able to make progress on the issues we care about deeply. 
With you in this amazing journey…

LRC Email – Once Upon A Time

by

Here’s an email I wrote today to leaders in Reno County…

Howdy, Leadership Reno County People (sorry I was in TX last week)…
We’re all storytellers.  Whether it’s coming in from that long weekend to share our exciting exploits with others in the office or simply catching up with others by remembering when we did this or that, story looms large on the horizon of most of our lives. 
One of the contentions of the KLC curriculum is that to make progress on daunting issues, it requires that we act differently, that we engage in acts of leadership in different ways and this includes taking time to diagnose the situation.  The Quick Guide provides 2 questions that relate to story and help us come up with good diagnosis:
1) What’s our story about what’s going on here?
2) What story do we imagine others connected to our issue are telling?
Examining the story helps us diagnose the situation so that we can engage in acts of leadership in more skillful ways that propel us in the direction of progress.  Story matters.  So, next time you here someone sharing about “once upon a time” remember that dialing into this story might help you make progress on an issue that you care about. 
With you in the story of Reno County…

LRC Email – A United Purpose and Moving Ahead.

by

Here’s the email I wrote to Leadership Reno County Alumni on Monday, 4/22:

Good morning.  First off, welcome to the new alumni that have been added to our list.  We had a great event last Thursday at KFSA.  Thanks again to everyone who made that happen.  As we mentioned at that event, the Leadership Reno County Alumni Associationwebpage is now live.  Also, if you are on Facebook and haven’t “Liked” us yet, head over to the LRC Alumni page and give us a like and you’ll receive updates there.

Wanted to put out a quick word on the mission of LRCAA: “To facilitate the connection of alumni of the Leadership Reno County program in order to manifest continuous civic leadership development and involvement.”  From start to finish what both LRC and LRCAA are about is civic leadership development and involvement.  We believe that if people are connected and tied to one another with a common purpose, we will be able to achieve progress on the issues we care about most deeply.  It isn’t all pies and pizza, though (insert whatever thing you like).  Engaging in acts of leadership is risky.  It will require continuing to adapt our leadership skills and taking smart risks.  But it’s amazing to be a small part in the progress of things we care about. 
So, let’s think purposefully for a sec and continue to be about the work of helping our community make progress one baby step at a time.

With you to that end…

Leadership Email – Rotting Banana Peels

by

Here’s the email I wrote to Leadership Reno County Alumni on Monday, 4/15:

At the church where I work, we have a gravel parking lot on the north side of the building.  For a few weeks (sad to say) I’ve watched the slow demise of a banana peel.  I know it’s a banana peel because of the bright Del Monte sticker on the side of it.  I’ve seen this peel on the sidewalk, then back on the gravel.  And, the thought has occurred to me, I wish someone would pick this thing up.  But part of me likes to watch this slow rot occur. 
I wonder how much of our civic leadership engagement is just like watching this banana peel.  We rest on those in positions of authority to fix things.  In this case, I’m waiting for those whose job it is to clean to get to this (rather that doing it myself).  We forget that anyone can lead, anytime, anywhere.  This is an opportunity for me to engage.  We forget that it starts with me and engages others.  Sure, what needs engagement here is a simple banana peel, but it does relate to me.  My purpose must be clear.  Why do I do this?  I want clean facilities.  Why? Because it helps the community?  Why is that important?  Because I want to make a difference in people’s lives.  Why?  (get the idea?).  It’s risky.  Ok, not too risky, but it will mean doing something different than I might.
Undoubtedly, the situations you engage in are much more significant than a miniscule banana peel (which I did go out and throw in the trash), but I hope this helps you see just how leadership unfolds.  Hope to see you Thursday.  

LRC Email – Waiting

by

Here’s a portion of what I wrote leaders in Reno County on Monday, 4/8/13:

Now a quick thought on the practice of leadership.  As you know part of the conviction of the KLC curriculum is that leadership is an activity, not a position and anyone can lead, anytime, anywhere.  It starts with you, engages others purposefully and often is risky.  I’ve written a lot about this during these winter and spring months and I remind you of it again today to ask a simple question: what are you waiting for? 
I think many of us are way too timid.  We’re looking for someone to give us a green light that acts of leadership will be safe things to engage in and it will be alright.  But, engaging in acts of leadership is inherently risky.  If you’re looking for someone to give you a green light, then, more than likely, you may have lost sight of the fact that leadership is an activity, not a position.  So, what are you waiting for?  Engage others.  Step into acts of leadership and go after progress.  (And yes, the behaviors to exhibit are managing self, diagnosing the situation, intervening skillfully and engaging others.)  But, step into acts of leadership.  Don’t waste your time or influence.  Be about the work and actions of leadership today. 

Leadership Email – The Injury

by

Here’s the email I wrote to Reno County Leadership Alumni on Monday, 4/1:

I don’t know if you caught any of yesterday’s Elite 8 action, but during the Louisville-Duke game, there was a graphic injury in the middle of the game that typically doesn’t happen in basketball.  Both teams were affected.  And, if you read headlines this AM, you know that Louisville ended up winning.  Some discussion this AM centered on how Louisville’s coach, Rick Pitino exercised leadership to help his team win.  I wondered in my mind how his leadership stacked up against KLC Leadership Principles, so here’s me making those connections.
1) Leadership is an activity, not a position.  This team didn’t win merely because they had a coach.  It wasn’t just because they had a coach that they were pushed in a direction to win.  Evidently, the coach wielded some sort of activity toward his team.
2) Anyone can lead, anytime, anywhere.  Again, it wasn’t up to the coach alone to say something to the team, but they did look to him as an authority.  Undoubtedly, this team had to pull together.  It wasn’t just one magic factor.  It was this coach and team’s players and staff choosing to lead during this time at this game.
3) It starts with you and must engage others.  All the players were visibly moved.  They had to get themselves under control (including the coach who was visibly moved) so that they could best serve those they were engaging in acts of leadership.
4) Your purpose must be clear.  It doesn’t take much to see that the halftime speech was purposeless.  It probably wasn’t something vague or ho-hum.  NO.  There was something spoken from the heart and it was clear that they were going to function differently.
5) It’s risky.  They could lose.  If the coach engages in leadership that doesn’t work, there will be critique and push back.  So it was very risky to step into acts of leadership in this situation and it appears to be a skillful intervention.
Undoubtedly, both coaches engaged in acts of leadership.  Part of the challenge yesterday was just getting back to playing.  But, I thought making some connections to this event might help us see how real to life these principles are.  I hope they find you on the ground floor this AM.  Step into acts of leadership and see if progress isn’t made in our community. 
Also, 2 reminders:
1) Don’t forget to vote tomorrow, April 2 (that’s today).
2) The Leadership Reno County Alumni Association invites you to KFSA (1515 E. 30th) on Thursday, April 18 from 5-7PM.  This will be a membership appreciation event as well as the Completion Ceremony for the 2013 Class.  (You might also like them on Facebook/LRCAlumni).
Have a great week.

Dangerous Calling Email – Forsake Mediocrity

by

Here’s the email I wrote for leaders in our church on Wed, 3/13:

As we continue moving through the chapters from Dangerous Calling that go along with sessions 1 and 2 of the DVD, we move ahead to Chapter 10, “Mediocrity.”   The big point here is that mediocrity in our service of ministry is a sign of our awe of God.  Yes, much of this chapter is addressed to me, the primary teaching pastor who, quite simply, must prioritize the preaching of the Word and fight against all the things that would distract me from it, but there are also applications for each of you.
Tripp writes, “Mediocrity is not a time, personnel, resource or location problem.  Mediocrity is a heart problem.  We have lost our commitment to the highest levels of excellence because we have lost our awe.  Awe amnesia is the open door that admits mediocrity.  Awe of God is fear-producing, inspiring, motivating, convicting, and commitment-producing.  There is no replacement for this in the leadership of the church of Jesus Christ.”  And the remedy, again, is “…run in humble confession to your Savior and embrace the grace that has the power to rescue you from you and, in so doing, to give you back your awe.”  “Run to your Redeemer.  Bask in his glorious grace.  Seek the forgiveness and empowerment that only he can give.  And commit yourself, by his grace, to the disciplines of excellence that will only ever happen as he rescues you from you and gives you back your awe once again.”
The challenge for most of us is that we’re more committed to our jobs or work than to the church.  This is reflected in mediocrity.  What we wouldn’t dream of doing in our work (failing to return a phone call or email, taking care of our responsibilities, working in accordance with our job title) easily happens in our ministry in the local church.  And, what Tripp is getting at, is that this is an issue of your heart.  So, maybe reflect on your ministry practices at Crestview.  Have you drifted into mediocrity?  Run to Christ and find the forgiveness He offers so that you can respond with excellence once again. 

Leadership Email – Don’t Misdiagnose

by

Here’s the email I sent out to leaders in Reno County on 3/11/13:

The Kansas Leadership Center has many great tools for you to use.  One such tool is the KLC Playbook.  I commend it to you when you have a leadership challenge that you’re working through.  One of the first exercises they have under “Diagnose Situation” relates to distinguishing between technical and adaptive work.  Here’s how they helpfully describe it: “Your issue is complex. So don’t make the mistake of treating an adaptive challenge as if it were solely a technical problem. 
“Most leadership challenges have adaptive and technical elements. 
“Technical problems are usually clearly defined and have ready solutions that can be implemented by authority figures or experts. Adaptive challenges are dramatically different. They require us to learn new ways of operating. Progress is made when stakeholders, not simply authority figures, take action. Adaptive challenges almost always involve some sort of loss.
This is followed up with some activity:
Observations, Activities, Possible Experiments:
Answer the question, what kind of work is it?
Technical Elements
·         Expertise or Information Needed
·         How might we get this done?  Who could help?
·         What challenges might we face?
Adaptive Elements
·         What do we need to learn or change?
·         How might we work together?  What process should we use?
·         What challenges might we face?
(KLC Playbook, pp.5-9)
I think for me a great takeaway came in that middle statement: “Most leadership challenges have adaptive and technical elements.”  In our leadership dilemmas or those areas we’re really trying to make a difference in, there will be elements of both the technical and adaptive.  Working to distinguish these is an act of leadership.  So, diagnose away and see if it doesn’t help us make progress toward our goals.  

Dangerous Calling Email – All Too Familiar

by

My email to leaders in our local church highlighting a chapter from Paul Tripp’s Dangerous Calling book went like this on 3/6/13:

So far as we’ve moved through recommended reading out of sessions 1 and 2 of the DVDs, we’ve been working through Dangerous Calling chapters 1-5 consecutively.  Now, we fast forward to Chapter 8, Familiarity.  Tripp’s big point here is that there’s a great danger for those of us in church leadership when it comes to God.  “What is the danger?  It is that familiarity with the things of God will cause you to lose your awe.”  “Awe of God must dominate my ministry, because one of the central missional gifts of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to give people back their awe of God.”  One part of this that was especially relevant and convicting for me was the relationship between our awe of God and theology.  Here’s Tripp: “Awe of God is one of the things that will keep a church from running off its rails and being diverted by the many agendas that can sidetrack any congregation.  Awe of God puts theology in its place.  Theology is vitally important, but whatever awe of theology we have is dangerous if it doesn’t produce in us a practical awe of God.”   
Now, there’s probably much more that could be said about this, but, gentlemen, have you lost your awe of God?  Have you slowly began to confuse awing Him with activity?  Today, as Tripp concludes, “I don’t have a set of strategies for you here.  My counsel is to run now, run quickly, to your Father of awesome glory.  Confess the offense of your boredom.  Plead for eyes that are open to the 360-degree, 24/7 display of glory to which you have been blind.  Determine to spend a certain portion of every day in meditating on his glory.  Cry out for the help of others.  And remind yourself to be thankful for Jesus, who offers you his grace even at those moments when that grace isn’t nearly as valuable to you as it should be.”
With you in the all too familiar, longing for more of Him…