Thinking about Leadership….

A quote from Peter Drucker says, “Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility.”

What makes one a leader? Leadership is either personal or positional. The influence one person exerts on another comes either from personal characteristics or positional control. Effective leaders, even those who have authority or rank, lead from personal influence.
Positional leaders tend to focus on privilege and power. Positional leaders often want more prestige and prominence, to be recognized as “top dog.” Personal leadership leads from beneath–through service and empowerment and encouragement. To find oneself in a position of leadership is a great responsibility.
Leadership that ultimately matters does not consider how others view and respect the leader. Rather, it considers how the leader sees and serves others.

Iglesias de Cristo: Seminar and Regional Fellowship

Attendance was higher last night, especially when one considers that it was a rainy, cold spring evening when it would have been easier to stay home. Seeing brothers and sisters with the desire to be fed spiritually, to learn more about the word of God, and to grow in grace and knowledge is a great reward.
Today’s Regional Fellowship brought lots of Christians together as area churches assembled for a day of worship and fellowship. Congregations were represented from western Arkansas and from the Oklahoma City area. I do know the exact attendance, but my guess is that it approached 200. It was a joy to renew fellowship with some brothers and sisters I had not seen for several years, and to have the opportunity to become acquainted with many others. God’s Spirit is alive and well among the Hispanic churches in the region as God gives the increase in the midst of several difficult challenges.
I taught two lessons, the first about the nature of biblical leadership and the second about the transformed life. The comments and appreciation buoyed my spirit and encouraged me.

Seminar: Iglesias de Cristo, Tulsa

Last night was the first night of the seminar. The theme is “The Great ‘I Am'” based on the text of the early chapters of Exodus. The goal is to develop a clearer understanding of the nature of God as the foundation for developing spiritual maturity, greater commitment, and consecrated lives.
We continue tonight at Park Plaza and tomorrow at Lewis Avenue with a Regional Fellowship, concluding on Sunday morning at Park Plaza with a sermon based on the “I Am” passages from the Gospel of John.

This is the Day

The song says it well: “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The quotation is from Psalm 118:24. We recite the verse in unison each Sunday as we begin worship at the Park Plaza church.

A travel ad from a couple of years ago, an ad sponsored by one of my favorite states, reminded us that we only get to experience and enjoy about 25000 mornings in a lifetime. According to the ad, at least some of them should be spent in Michigan, because Michigan mornings are memorable. I have spent about 4000 mornings in Michigan, but today I am thinking spiritually not geographically. This is the day the Lord has made. How many of my 25000 (plus or minus) mornings will be memorable?

What mornings do I remember? Early mornings in Grandma’s kitchen with the aroma of sausage cooking, awake well before dawn because milking chores were waiting. Beginning vacation in the wee hours of the morn so we could travel in the cool (referring to the days before auto AC!). Our last day of family vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park with a morning hike to Emerald Lake, up and back before 6 A.M. The quietness of a Latin American city before most are awake and moving (except the roosters). There are many more….

What days would you mention? Which have been the coldest ones? the hottest? the most refreshing? the most unusual?
Which mornings have brought you closest to God? When have you marveled at God’s nature? at God’s sunrise? at the rain? at the snow? at your sleeping son or daughter?

Another saying I have picked up along the way is “carpe diem”–often translated “seize the day”. Days happen, but what one puts into each day is a choice. Let me fill this day well, because it is a gift from God!

It’s Sunday Again: “Getting God right”!

If we don’t understand God, it is unlikely we will understand much else of our place and life. Understanding God is foundation for understanding Christ; yet Christ shows us God. This is a paradox in Christianity. We do not study God. We do not seek to know him nor understand him. God’s entire purpose is that we might become like him. We cannot become like that which we do not understand. Our worship problems are God problems. Our commitment problems are not only Christ problems–they are God problems. A failure in understanding God permeates and has negative influence in all of life.

When we have studied God, we have put him in preconceived “boxes” that limit our understanding and fail to communicate. We must study afresh! We must seek him. What is God like? What are we like? We are “image of God” people–what does that mean? God creates us, calls us to him, and connects us (to him and one another).

God wishes to bless those who are his. (What does that mean? We need to spend a lot more time in the Old Testament on blessing and cursing.) Perhaps my goal is too ambitious, but I want to share God. I want to “get Him right”!

Note: I am working on a short series of sermons to guide a fresh exploration of the dimensions of God–to be available for seminars in both English and Spanish.

Organizational Leadership

I collect “bits.” For many years I wrote a weekly bulletin article under the title, “bits from bob….” Years of collecting sayings and thoughts, scraps of paper thrown in an envelope box (and more recently copied to a computer file) has resulted in lots of “anonymous” items. I have compounded the difficulty by summarizing and rewriting from memory things I have read. Sometimes I have written original pieces, sometimes things that were combinations of ideas recently read–throwing them all in the same box. I am always willing to give credit when notified of original sources.

Along the way on my educational journey, I have studied organizational management, organizational development, organizational dynamics, organizational culture, and organizational change. There are several other other nouns that can be modified by the adjective “organizational.” Today I share some thoughts about organizational leadership.

Leadership in an organization is different. It is informed by leadership principles, it is also informed by the nature and purpose of the organization. A primary goal of organizational leadership is the commitment and involvement of others. Organizational leadership is process as much or more than results. Organizational leadership engages others. The focus is people more than programs. When the people are engaged the programs will naturally follow. Organizations cannot do well what they exist to do without the engagement of the people within the organization.

Leaders within organizations are tempted by rules-keeping. Guidelines are essential when people work together, but within an organization, policing is not leadership. While leaders must develop some measure of compliance in organizations, what is needed more than anything else is engagement. What is needed is personal engagement that honors commitments and encourages involvement. People do not engage by being managed. They do not engage by being controlled. People engage in an atmosphere of mutual trust. People engage when they move forward under their own steam, and that requires sometimes enormous amounts of autonomy with regard to their time (when they do what they do), their technique (how they do it), their team (who they do it with) and even their tasks (what things are most important).

Knowing Jesus

Do you know Jesus? In seminars, workshops, and weekend appointments, I sometimes use a short sermon series entitled “Do You Know Jesus?”

We must never stop helping people come to know Jesus.  We must distinguish knowing about Jesus from knowing Jesus!  Knowing about Jesus helps us recognize him for who he is but does not necessarily demand relationship.  Knowing Jesus is daily relationship and participation.

Mark makes bold declarations, tells amazing stories of amazing works, and records amazing words.  He balances suffering and glory.  We want the second without the first.  We want the second before the first.  Jesus reminds us that it can never be!  When we fail to recognize Jesus, we must not become too discouraged.  The disciples didn’t get it.  Peter didn’t get it.  In the gospel of Mark, the evil spirit recognizes Jesus, a blind man recognizes Jesus, a centurion outsiders recognizes Jesus.  But the followers are slow to get it.

The gospel of Mark balances faith and fear.  They always exist side by side.  It is not perfect faith that casts out fear, but perfect love (John).  I do believe; help my unbelief.

The question is not only for outsiders.  It is as appropriate–perhaps more appropriate–for those who have begun the belief journey.  Do you know Jesus? 

When God Calls….

It is not easy to hear the call of God.  Think about God’s way with Elijah (1 Kings 19).  God is not where we think he is.  He does not call us in the ways we imagine or expect or to the places we expect.  When God calls us, he calls us to his work, to join him in a work he has already begun.

Calls come at the intersection of our gifts, opportunities, and passion.  God calls us clearly, but we are not always tuned to hear.  I am thinking about four characteristics of God’s calling.

Calls are certain, they can be heard by those who listen.  The ability to hear the call is not always immediate. God touches us, brings us to where we are, specifically selects us for what he calls us to do in the places he calls us to act.

Calls are confirmed.  God doesn’t leave us in the dark.  Calls are verified, most often by friends, congregations, opportunities, open doors.  God provides the way when we answer his call.

 Calls are consistent with our gifts.  Calls are either based on the gifts we have or may bring us gifts.  Sometimes we are called before all of the gifts are in place.  Sometimes God’s call brings the opportunity to develop gifts.  God shapes us for our work.  Psychological tests are helpful, but they may fail to take into account the gifting of God.

Calls have consequences.  Calls allow us to be involved with the work of God according to his will.  He will bring to completion the good work he begins in us.  God provides the results, but those results are often not in the outward trappings the world wants to use to measure success.

It’s Sunday Again: Remembering

It’s Sunday again. We are traveling again. Another Sunday away from our home church family. Another Sunday away from normal routines, worshiping with part of our extended spiritual family. We love meeting and knowing other Christians, but it is not the same as being “at home.”

It’s Sunday again–a good time to reflect upon why we assemble. Yes, we enjoy fellowship. Yes, we enjoy our horizontal, interpersonal relationships. But, these are not the primary reason for assembly. If these were the reason for assembly, we could assemble at times other than Sunday. The early church spent time together daily, but they assembled on the first day of the week for a special purpose. The purpose of the Sunday assembly was not fulfilled at any other time on any other day. Today–on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, Resurrection Day, Sunday–of first importance, we assemble to remember Jesus’ death and promised coming. We celebrate the One who is our Passover, the blood on our spiritual doorpost, rescuing us and redeeming us from sin’s death.

If we focus too much on the horizontal aspects of assembly, we are tempted to overlook the vertical. We may begin to think that assembly doesn’t matter. When we are away from home, on vacation, or traveling, the temptation is to forsake the assembly. If we do not keep clearly in mind that the reason for the Sunday assembly is to remember Jesus, we may come to think that a person can be a faithful Christian without celebrating the Supper.

Sunday is not only about surrounding the Table, but it is first about surrounding the Table. It is first about remembering. It is first about celebrating what we have received and continue to receive from Jesus. Jesus opened a new a better way to the heavens for us. In that good news, we find our encouragement and the power to go on. It’s Sunday again–let us remember what God has done for us through Jesus. As we declare his death, let us remember that we also declare that he is coming again.

The Church in Ephesians

One of my favorite Bible studies is Ephesians. In Ephesians, we see the church afresh and gain new insights. One can describe Ephesians with the theme: Let the Church Be the Church! The church grows when it has an attitude of unity, agrees together in affirmations that unify, and uses the gifts Christ gives to equip, minister, and mature in faith (Ephesians 4:1-16). This growth is demonstrated in Christian maturity, greater involvement, and increased numbers.

R. C. Bell outlined Ephesians as the calling, conduct, and conflict of the church. Our calling motivates our conduct and empowers us for the conflict. The church which answers its calling knows Christ’s purpose, power, and presence (Ephesians 1).

Let us pray that the people of God in every place around the world will answer the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, so that the church can genuinely be the church, and so the church will grow and glorify God mightily energizes (works within) us.