Blogging, for some, is a hobby. For others, it’s a career. For me, it’s perhaps a tiny bit of each (more the latter), but it’s mostly a way to get an extremely important message out – how you can know you have eternal life. In addition to blogging here at Life Here and There, I also blog here, here, and over here. Plus, I really like Twitter, Facebook, and a few other sites. So I’m beginning to understand what it’s like to expand an online influence, and though it’s certainly not the greatest priority of my life by far, I do see an eternal and purposeful impact.

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photo credit: pfala

When you walk into a leadership opportunity, you go with a little bit of equity by virtue of your position and the inevitable honeymoon period during which those you lead will let you get by with just a bit more than they will a decade later, but you have to be very careful with that equity. Every decision you make, and every risk you lead your organization to take will require an investment of some of your leadership equity (the trust people place in you).

Make good decisions – your equity grows. Make poor ones, you lose and it’s nearly impossible to lead when you’re bankrupt of influence. As a Pastor put it whom I was recently listening to, “Choose the right color carpet today, the congregation may let you relocate them tomorrow.”

So how do you handle the equity you have?

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I’m deeply concerned. Jesus made a bold statement once about the influence of believers when He said, “If the salt loses its savor, it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under the foot of men.” I’ve just finished reading an article by Al Mohler that gives an articulate voice to a rising concern within Christianity – are we losing our savor?

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I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership this evening, and what a privilege influence is. Rather than carefully craft a lengthy article about a single topic, I thought I’d spill out everything I’ve been pondering and let you sort it out. Here are some random leadership thoughts to get your inner leader’s juices flowing…

• Everybody leads somebody whether they intend to or not. Somebody’s always watching you.
• Leadership isn’t about being great, but building great people.
• You have to lead yourself (discipline) before leading others (discipleship).
• Failure isn’t final unless it kills you – learn from it and be better.
• It’s always better to find ten people and equip them for a work than to do the work of ten people.
• Every leader will answer to God for the responsibility and stewardship of his or her influence.
• You can’t lead from the rear.
• People don’t respect what you don’t inspect – check in on those whom you are leading.
• Inactive leadership gets you nowhere. Reactive leadership gets you in trouble. Overactive leadership gets you lost. But proactive leadership puts you out in front every time!
• Integrity and character always matter more than skill, talent, and genius.
• Decision-managing is just as important as decision-making. What you do after the choice has been made is just as important as the choice you’ve made.
• A leader must be a reader, a learner, and a listener.
• At some point, research, prayer, and consultation must give way to forward-leaning, risk-taking action!
• Leading people without loving people is sheer tyranny.
• Leading is more than reading lists – get out there and lead!

I’d say these might become a book someday, but they would merely be a rehashing of all the reading I’ve been doing for ten years. I’d rather just get busy leading.

photo credit: wmshc_kiwi

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Journey Through the Word: The Book of Numbers

Based on Numbers 22-25

ONE GREAT TRUTH: The worst kind of evil is found in the influence of others to do evil.

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Today I attended the funeral of Larry Markum who served as a Pastor, Missionary, and Church Planter. I was amazed by the number of friends and family who attended from several states to pay tribute to his life and testimony. When I moved to Northwest Arkansas, Bro. Markum called me up just to have prayer with me, and he called me periodically just to check in. The service was moving, a blessing to everybody who attended.

Earlier this week, my wife and I watched parts of the funeral of Jill Attebery, whose life also impacted so many. Angie and I had a conversation about these events in which we grappled with the question, “What would be said about me at my funeral if I died today?” It’s a huge question.

I remember listening to the funeral of W. A. Criswell online and Dr. Mac Brunson spoke of the word “influence” being made up of two words meaning “in flow.” That is, our influence speaks of those who are “in the flow” of our lives.

Let me ask you, who is downstream from you, and how are your choices each day affecting them? What kind of influence do you have and what kind of mark will you leave on the world you leave behind? All of us will leave some kind of legacy. What would you want to be said of you at your funeral?

I’ve been getting a lot of email invitations to join FaithOut.com, which claims to be the first “Christian alternative to Facebook.” If you want to join FaithOut, go right ahead. I’m sticking with Facebook, and I ‘m a Christian. My spirit is stirred at what some believers are doing in the online realm of things. Instead of engaging and impacting the online culture for the Kingdom, we’re attempting to create an online Christian subculture into which we can retreat. GodTube is another very popular example. (I actually use GodTube simply because of a lot of videos that are offered there that you can’t find on mainstream alternatives, but nonetheless…) This, in my estimation, is quite similar to the popularity in the brick-and-mortar world of Christian bookstores, Christian coffee shops, and other forms of Christian alternatives to secular offerings. Here are my concerns…

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I often peruse websites about web design and last night noticed this article about giving an elevator speech. I thought about how it applies to Pastors. There are often crucial moments when we have an opportunity to be vision-casters with people, one-on-one. It may be a car ride making a visit, coffee with a fellow member, or a staff meeting with five extra minutes at the end. It begs the question, could I state my vision for my church if I only had a few floors to travel in an elevator with someone?

You see, vision is great, but it needs to be transferrable. Members of a church should be able to share their church’s vision with their friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors, but they can only share a vision that has been concisely articulated from their leadership. And a vision isn’t “reaching people” or “glorifying God.” Those are eternal purposes, universal to every church. A vision (in an elevator speech format) would be more like, “I want our church to be a visible and active change agent in Bentonville. I want us to share the gospel outside the walls of our church through our words, our integrity, and our acts of service. And I want us to help leaders have greater confidence in sharing the gospel in their circles of influence.”

I suppose that’s my elevator speech, or at least one version I might share in an elevator this week. What’s your elevator speech about your vision for your church?

Yesterday was a very special day at Bethel. Though we had a lot of folks out on vacation for the holiday weekend, we who remained celebrated God’s greatness in raising up heroes throughout the centuries. From Hebrews 11, we recounted the lives and deaths of some of God’s greatest servants. Many in the chapter remain unnamed, but their works and martyrdom are mentioned. My favorite line in the passage says, “Of whom the world was not worthy!” Those words reflect my feelings about every man and woman who has served in the face of such great risk in every war America has ever fought.

A couple of weeks ago, I was getting my haircut down at the Corner Barber shop. In came a man who must have been in his late 70’s. He sat down and I noticed his cap. He was a World War II veteran and the cap named his fleet from the South Pacific and told the number of survivors from his unit. I sat there, imagining what this man must have seen in his time in combat. What we see dramatized on the big screen and embellished for effect, this man had witnessed with his very eyes. His mind had recorded thoughts I could never imagine. Yet here I was, serving as Pastor of a church where I have the privilege every week of carrying a Bible to the pulpit and freely preaching the gospel without fear of arrest or penalty – because of men like this.

When I rose to leave, I paid for my haircut, and his too. He chuckled and commented about how that wasn’t necessary, so I said, “Well I saw your cap and wanted you to know that I appreciate what you went through for me.” His face changed, he shook my hand firmly, and his emotions suddenly impacted me deeply. I still don’t know the man and may never see him again, but his life has influenced mine. I feel that same sense of gratitude toward every soldier that has ever fought.

Today, on Memorial Day 2007, we’re making barbeque, playing some games, and enjoying the company of friends. But we also ought to pause to thank God for those whom He has raised up to stand for our freedom and our faith. Let this be a memorial day, not only to those who have died in battle, but to those who have died as martyrs for the Christian faith, and to all those who have been living sacrifices for His dear cause!

This past Sunday was perhaps the most awesome day of ministry I’ve ever experienced. Like the old gospel song says, “Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.” It wasn’t great planning, great music, or great preaching that made the day great, it was our great God visiting us in a powerful way in response to a whole lot of concerted, passionate praying.

Last Wednesday, our prayer service, which normally consists of calling out some requests, a short pastoral prayer, and a long Bible study, turned into an extended session of a concert of praise. Multiple people were praying out loud for their lost friends and family and giving praise to God for His working in their lives. At the conclusion of our payer, I almost felt that teaching would be an interruption in what God was really doing, and perhaps it was.

Sunday began with an intense prayer circle, seven men gathered together a half hour before Sunday School. We prayed over our time and it was well worth it. Together we asked great things of God. Sunday School itself was right on target as we learned about “serving God with holiness.”

Then the worship hour came and we sang songs to honor the King with a particular emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. The message was all about the power of the Holy Spirit. I left out two illustrations that I later realized would have been detrimental to the point of the message. I felt an anointing more powerful than ever in my ministry. I had boldness to say things without regard to the approval of people.

The invitation came and God did an awesome work. The altar filled with people praying and weeping for the fullness of the Spirit, praying for lost loved ones and other needs. A young man and a young lady received Christ as Savior. The invitation went through three movements as things kept happening. Joy Ewalt, for whom we have been praying for healing from cancer came and testified that God had completely healed her from brain cancer. Tests show that her head is now clear and she gave all the glory to God and the credit to prayer.

We left later than ever before and people continued to attest to God’s working in their lives in a very powerful way. I left church feeling so small, so undeserving, and so grateful that God would allow me to experience such an event.

Sunday afternoon our Deacons gathered for a time of training and we exchanged testimonies of the godly men who have inspired us in the past. I recalled my grandfather’s strong convictions as a Deacon for over a half century of time and the other stalwart men who influenced me throughout my childhood. In the evening service I preached about “The Sanctity of the Womb” where God has performed some great miracles in the lives of John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Paul, and others.

We had prayer for young girls facing this difficult decision to choose life, for women who have had abortions to find the freeing forgiveness of God, and for America to turn a corner on the abortion issue and repent before God. We also had prayer for some couples currently struggling with infertility and for Loving Choices, a local pregnancy support center. We’re also currently praying for healing in the life of one of our Deacons, Nick Gann.

One thing I am continually remembering is that we cannot dwell on these now past events in the “remember that day…” sense. Instead we must look forward to the awesome things God can do every time we meet. There is no reason why each worship experience cannot grow in intensity so long as our hunger for God, our commitment to holiness, and the passion of our prayer grows as well.

May God continue to visit us in special ways in our individual lives and every time we meet together, and may He continue to raise up Spirit-filled, Bible-drilled, prayer-skilled warriors for Christ’s Kingdom!